One of the finest vocalists among contemporary R&B stylists returns to Nashville this week. Howard Hewett will be performing at the City Winery Saturday night. His brilliant career dates back to his childhood years on the gospel circuit, where he worked with his older sisters in the Hewett Singers group. He switched to secular music as a teen, working in the funk band Lyfe. But his first big break in the R&B world came with the beloved trio Shalamar. They were one of the biggest groups on Dick Griffey’s SOLAR (Sound of Los Angeles Records) label. Hewett teamed with Jody…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn One of gospel’s finest groups and the son of a legendary blues musician will be appearing in Nashville to get April underway in fine fashion. They are both coming to the City Winery, with the Blind Boys of Alabama slated to appear there April 1 and Cedric Burnside on April 3. Also known at other times as the Five Blind Boys of Alabama or Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys, this famed gospel ensemble’s origins date back to 1939, and they’ve maintained a loyalty and devotion to gospel and spiritual music while weathering the loss of…
When Fisk University announced it was starting gymnastics back in the fall of 2022, the general feeling was great in terms of symbolic importance, but beyond that, what would be the impact? As the first HBCU to venture into this athletic area, there was no precedent, nothing to make a comparison with or to beyond simply wanting to do well. That first team in 2023 was profiled everywhere from CNN to CBS and on the NCAA’s website. Their first major recruit was Morgan Price, a high school phenom and five-star recruit who was initially headed to Arkansas before coming to…
Vocal groups aren’t exactly flourishing these days in R&B/soul circles, which makes the trio known as the Levert Experience quite unusual. But they also have extremely impressive credentials. Marc Gordon was a producer and original founding member of the famed trio Levert, teaming with Gerald and Sean Levert to make a series of hits from the late ‘80s into the early and mid-90s. Later, he was also part of a second act known as the Levert Reunion. Joe Little was the lead vocalist of the group the Rude Boys, while Dave Tolliver had that same role with the duo Men…
Kev Marcus changing ideas and minds regarding what can and can’t be done with both acoustic and electric instruments. Wilmer Baptiste (viola) and Kevin Sylvester (violin) are classically trained players whose stage names are Will B. and Kev Marcus. Their stage show features an ambitious blend of influences from jazz (they took their group name off the album of the same name by jazz violin great Stuff Smith), rock, pop, and hip-hop. “When kids see our show, it really opens their eyes,” Will B. said during a recent interview. “They are amazed at what you can do with these instruments…
The popular music world lost an icon last week. Jerry “The Iceman” Butler, the epitome of grace and elegance blended with soul, passed at 85. The longtime Chicago resident died at his home. Butler co-founded The Impressions with childhood friend Curtis Mayfield back in the ‘50s, and then became even more famous as a solo artist. He also had some songs that became staples of not only soul but American music in general, especially “For Your Precious Love” and “Only The Strong Survive.” In his later years Butler has gotten into politics. A representative for Illinois’ Cook County, which includes…
For anyone who’s ever thought that extremely talented people also often had problems coping with the challenges of daily life, Questlove’s new documentary on Sly Stone directly examines that contention. It’s at the heart of Sly Lives!, his latest production, which debuted last Thursday on Hulu. He also told NPR’s Terry Gross he’s experienced the same phenomenon himself, particularly in the wake of all the acclaim given to his previous documentary Summer of Soul in 2021. “Even though my experience with Summer of Soul was one of the most magical, transformative moments of my life … there’s a fear of…
Though there are a handful of Black players in the NHL and there have been occasional Black figure skating champions like Debi Thomas, it is still not exactly that commonplace to see a lot of Black ice skaters. That’s precisely why a new series focusing on that subject is now airing on Disney +. “Harlem Ice” is directed by Samantha Knowles, who previously spearheaded projects like “Black and Missing” and “How We Get Free.” It’s a five-part series that follows the girls of Figure Skating in Harlem, a figure skating program designed for young women of color. It captures the…
Documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter has done some powerful films already, but her latest one will examine a figure seldom profiled or spotlighted. She’s also moving into new territory. Porter announced last week that she would make her narrative feature debut with “Nobody: The Bert Williams Story,” a biopic of the vaudeville performer of the same name. The story was first reported by the website Deadline, and it follows on the heels of Porter’s NAACP Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Documentary for “Luther: Never Too Much,” her documentary on the life and career of singer Luther Vandross. Highlighting the…
Given the misleading, inaccurate, and frankly racist rhetoric coming out of Washington lately regarding the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, it’s no surprise that the National Football League’s Rooney Rule has come under scrutiny. The rule is only one part of a series of measures that the league has enacted to try and make certain opportunities for Blacks are not restricted to the playing field. According to the league’s official language, “The Rooney Rule encourages hiring best practices to foster and provide opportunity to diverse leadership throughout the NFL. It is one part of the NFL’s effort to develop…