He has been called the “vocal master of pop and R & B” and sang background for everyone from the Average White Band to Barbra Streisand. He toured as a background singer for Bette Midler in the ’70s and in 1981 released his first solo’ album Never Too Much which helped launch his multi-platinum career. Today, Luther Vandross is best known for his sultry vocals and love ballads. On Sept. 13 the man with the golden voice joins Vanessa Williams for a show at the UNO Lakefront Arena.
Other hot tickets this month include George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars Sept. 3 & 4, Burning Spear Sept. 12, Tower Of Power Sept. 16 and Maceo Parker Sept. 25, all at The House of Blues. Every Thursday after midnight The House of Blues presents “Soul II Soul” night featuring deejays spinning R & B, soul and house music. You must be at least 21 years old to enter the club, and a dress code will be enforced. The House of Blues will offer special membership cards good for discount admission, pass the line privileges and other HOB discounts.
Rapper J. Dawg (of Black Menace) celebrated the release of two new albums-Smokin’ and Rollin’ and J.Dawg Presents The Dawghouse on Big Boy/Dawghouse Records-with a concert at The House Of Blues last month. J. Dawg was joined by label mates T-Smooth, Ice Mike, Insane and others to help promote his first solo projects. “If you liked Black Menace, you’ll love J.Dawg,” says J.Dawg. “It’s more of the same, just me speaking my mind with a little more style.” On both albums J.Dawg stays true to his street style and skillfully demonstrates his versatility. “Tell Me (Do You Still Care)” a tribute to the late G-Slimm featuring Lil Lipp, shows J.Dawg’s sensitive side while “9th Ward Revolution” reveals his knack for ripping it up at the clubs. Recording the album was fun for J.Dawg who claims he had a lot of creative freedom. “I had hands on in the production, mixing and engineering,” says J.Dawg. “A lot of the beats you hear, I choreographed.” The albums were produced by Precise, Ice Mike, Dave “D-Funk” Faulk, Don B. and Byron Jupiter. At press time, J.Dawg was filming the video for “Smokin’ and Rollin’” and plans were in the works for a promotional tour of the South.
The same label that’s famous for bounce dance music from DJ Jubilee and others is packing dance floors all over town with another hype bounce track called “Doggie Hopp”. Take Fo’ Records’ latest rap/dance sensation Willie Puckett is driving crowds crazy with a new dance craze that has kids shakin’ like a dog. “It’s like flippin’ and flexin’ your body,” says Puckett. “The crowd loves me. They love my dance style.” Puckett developed his dance style as a dancer with DJ Jubilee and female rap group Da-Sha-Ra. Before long he was grabbing the mic, rocking the crowd and writing his own raps. Now he’s opening shows for DJ Jubilee and other rappers. His first release is a maxi-cassette called Doggie Hopp that includes six bounce tracks like “Who’s The Man” featuring Rampage from The Hideout and “The New Brown Beats” created by Henry The Man. The maxi-cassette was produced by SuperDave. You can catch Willie Puckett live for a Back To School Jam Sept. 6 at UNO.
There’s something magical that happens every time you hear The Zion Harmonizers sing. Their four-part harmonies and inspiring lyrics creep into your soul and leave you feeling peaceful and spiritually moved. That’s the kind of powerful effect that they’ve had on audiences for more than five decades. Since the group was first formed in 1939 by Benjamin Maxon, they’ve recorded numerous singles and albums and traveled around the world promoting their unique style of music. “We’re the only group I know that carries a vocal bass singer,” says group member Margie Ramsey. “That’s what makes us so unique’—that and our four-part harmony.”
The Zion Harmonizers’ latest album God Promised Me on C & G Music Partners is an outstanding collection of traditional gospel music that has special meaning to the group. It’s the last recording that Nolan Washington (a member for over 50 years) did before he passed away May 19 of a massive heart attack. He was 65. “This is the one (album) that he really put a lot of heart into,” says Ramsey. “He really gave us a hard time to make sure we got it right. I hope it will turn out to be one of the best ones that we ever made. The title cut of the album is a song that he wrote himself.” No one could ever fill Washington’s shoes, but Ramsey says the group is considering adding a new member. “It would be hard to try and replace somebody of his caliber so what we’re doing, we’re Just trying to find the best man that would come in and just fit in with the style the Harmonizers have,” Ramsey adds. The album was recorded at Loyola University’s Recording Studios, and Ramsey says he’s pleased with the results. “The guy that mixed it had more of a personal touch to it. The sound is a whole lot different. It’s better because of the time and effort that was put into it to make it right,” he says. It was produced by Carla DeCorte and Gerard Kerkvliet.
After performing gospel music for more than 50 years, the Zion Harmonizers are still going strong. The secret to their longevity, says Ramsey, is “staying close to God.” “He has blessed this group tremendously,” he adds. The Zion Harmonizers will perform for a Mississippi Queen Dinner Cruise Sept. 14, at The House of Blues Sept. 22 and The Alligator Festival in Boutte Sept. 28.
In our May issue we told you that the Ghetto Twinz had a new album coming out on Upper Level/Rap-a-lot/Noo Trybe Records. The CD In That Water was released nationally July 1, and the first single “Responsibility” was shipped to radio stations across the country. It has been a busy few months for Tonya (G.B.) and Tremethia (T.L.T.) Jupiter who have hopes of seeing their first national release go platinum (Besides staying busy promoting their album, Tonya gave birth to a baby girl, Precious Angel Edwards, June 25. As with most records, much of the success of the project lies in the hands of the publicity and promotional staffs-their support arid commitment is critical when it comes to making a record happen. Jasmine Vega, Senior Director of Publicity for Noo Trybe Records, says the Ghetto Twinz have been a priority for the label ever since the project was first introduced to label executives. “The commitment is just huge for this group to break,” says Vega. “Our hopes are to get their foundation going. We’re really trying to make their foundation very strong; that way when they come back with their sophomore album everybody will already know who they are.”
So far response to the Ghetto Twinz has been positive. On the local level, Q93 FM is playing the record and getting great reaction. “‘Responsibility’ is positively one of the hottest songs that New Orleans’ native Ghetto Twinz put out,” says Gerod Stevens, Program Director of Q93FM. On the national level, Vega says interest is growing. “I’ve just been getting such an incredible response on the press end. It’s been a great joy.” She says the 8 x 10 photo of the Ghetto Twinz in itself is creating quite a stir. In the picture, the homegirls look impressive sporting mink coats, expensive jewelry and sunglasses. And let’s face it, in the entertainment business good looks and image can be just as important as the quality of the music.
Some say timing is everything and with the recent success of southern rapper Master P and his No Limit family, Vega says it’s the perfect time to introduce the Ghetto Twinz to the rest of the world. “I think that the light is shining a little brighter on that area (the south), so it’s a great time for the Ghetto Twinz to come out,” she says. For now we’ll just have to wait and see if all this positive publicity translates into album sales. But regardless of what happens with this album, Noo Trybe seems to be committed for the long term. “We don’t want to do one-hit-wonders. When we do sign acts it’s to build a career because we think that they will have some longevity,” Vega adds.
Response to last month’s “Street Talk” question: While many New Orleans rappers and producers have difficulty gaining national acceptance, why do you think Master P. (CEO of No Limit Records has been so successful at taking local artists to the next level?
Barbara Pescosolido, Director of Marketing and Media Relations for No Limit Records: “Honestly, it did take a minute for that to happen. Being from the South, it was difficult at first to break through. After a lot of hard work and persistence, eventually other markets just caught on. After pounding away and having the top three spots on Billboard, eventually other markets had to catch on. I think P (Master P) changed the rule of hip hop having to be from the east coast or west coast and opened a lot of doors for other southern acts and labels to gain recognition in the industry.
This month’s question is: What’s your opinion of contemporary gospel music today? Do you think that artists like Kirk Franklin and God’s Property who mix hip hop and rap music with gospel music are helping or hurting the future of contemporary gospel music?
Mail your comments to “Street Talk”, 1216 Edenborn Ave., Metairie, LA 70001. (Letters music be received by Sept. 15.)
