The Grapevine Magazine · Grapevine, January-February 1980

Title

eng Grapevine, January-February 1980

Relation

eng Grapevine Magazine

Date

eng 1980-01

Format

eng PDF, 64 pages

Identifier

eng SCMS_gvmz_00057

extracted text

..

Stevie Wonder
Natalie Cole
• Peabo Bryson
Rev. Frederick Price
Larry Brooks
• ...
Original Ink Spots . •
pecial Black History Sectio

BAOOKS L.A. MAIA SAi.ON
3973 ½ South Wes tern Avenue• Los A n geles, CA 90062 • 295-4468

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Volume 12, Number 1, January-February, 1980

~ a l lff &a(:jom,@

Editorial ..... . . .. . . . .. ......... 6
Sports ........... . . . .... . ....... 7
Businesswomen ........... . ...... 9
Yo uth .......... . .. .. .. . ... . ... 10
Celebration ..... .. .. . ... . . . ... . 12
People ........... . . . ...... . ... 14
Black H isto ry . .. .. .. ........... 15
Religion Qui z ... . .... .. . . .. . . .. 22
P romotions ........ . ... . ....... 23
Testimonia l . ... . . ... ...... . .... 24
Businessma n . . . .... .. .. . ....... 26
Book Rev iew .. . ..... .. . . .. .. . . . 3 1

Grapevi ne Model . . ............. 33
igns of the 80's . .. ... . ........ . 35
Mu ic-Top Album s . ... . .. .. ... 36
Record Review .... . ....... . .. . . 38
Fashi o ns .. . .. . . . . .... ... ... .. . 40
Special- Stevie Wonder ......... 42
Na talie Cole/ Peabo Bry on . . ... . 46
Religion- Rev. Pri ce ............ 48
First Blac ks In Spo rts ... .... .... . 52
Remembering- Ink Spots .... .. .. 55
Poetry ... .... .. . . ...... ... .... 59
Subscription Blank .... . . ... . .. .. 60

. . . the ultimate in Custom Interior Design
Editor and Publisher
Frank J . Jo hnso n

Specializing In Window, Wall And Floor Covering.
• Carpet
• Residential
• Commercial
• Furniture

• Custom Drapes

• Mini Blinds

• Custom Bed Spreads • Vertical Slats
• Wall Paper
• Woven Woods
• Decorator Tile
• No-Wax Vinyl

Free Estimates And Professional Decorators Available
For Home Consultation.

Public Relations
Ray J o hnson

Consultant
Odell J o hn o n

Advertising Director
Anthon y Kelley

Secretary-Accoun tant
haron L. Bridges

t'ashio n Edilo r
Bell y J . J o hnson

Adnrtising 'ales
C leo John so n

Contribut ing Writers
Stacye Kasee Richm o nd
Flo Jenkins
Dec D,·e Mc Nei l
Ty pist
Fl o rence Rogers

for location nearest you . .. call:

Torrance: ~8606

Downey: 564-6468

Los ·Angeles: 678-3655
South Gate: 564-3301
Hawthorne: 973-1486

Inglewood: 673-3760
Gardena: 772-2712
Westchester: 772-0241

a division of REVIS, LTD. - a California Corporation

Contributing Pho tographers
Willie Dooley
Renee Collrcll
Art Hanson
Harry Adam s
Del Roi Whitaker
Charlie Collins-Cover

Distributors
Frank Johnson II
Ro nny Arch
Yo la nda Harmo n
Troy Johnson

Published bi-monthly by Grapevine Magazine, Inc. Southern California offi ce at 3600
Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1510, Los Angeles, California 900!0. Central California office at 1012
s. Trinity, Fresno, California 93706. © Copyright 1979 by Grapevine M~gazi ne, Inc.
Reproduction of any artwork , editorial material or copy prepared by the pubhsher and appearing in this publication is strictly prohibited without the written consent of the publisher.

Fresno, (209) 486-0273

Los Angeles, (213) 382-6900

-------~ra&le ~Co11te11ts..._____

5

TEACHING
BLACK HISTORY
IN
OUR SCHOOLS
Black people' s contribution to the building of America has been deliberately omitted in the textbooks that are used to educate our children.
Consequently, most people in this country, both Black and white, have
no knowledge of Black achievements.
Textbooks used in schools to this very day only reflect a token
amount, if any, of the Black people's contributions and accomplishments. Too often Black history is only taught seriously during Black History Week and usually in schools where there is a predominately Black
enrollment. This is a tragic mistake because, to teach Black history in its
proper perspective it must be taught from textbooks that have Black History chronologically integrated into them as it happened in history. All
schools should teach out of these textbooks even if the school is one hundred per cent white. Black children have always studied white history;
why not white children studying Black history. This would also most certainly eliminate the myth that white people are better than other people.
Black people have made numerous contributions to history that go unrecognized in the fields of medicine, science, and technology. Among
their many other forgotten contributions arc art, literature, and architecture. So it is only decent and appropriate that Black history be taught in
its proper perspective.
Meanwhile, the Grapevine will continue to publish Black history to let
our readers and America know that Black people are proud people and
we are somebody.

6

Frank Johnson
Editor and Publisher

Heisman Trophy Winner- University of Southern Caiiforn1ts football
star Charles White is the 1979 Heisman trophy winner. White, who recently led the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory over unbeaten Ohio State,
won All-American Team honors in 1978 and 1979.

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7

\_
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MICHAEL LEDBETTE R
Manager
Interior Designer {A .' S. I.D .)
A merican Society of Interior
Designers

McBeth's
Office Furniture

Helen Myles Guy (left) and Diane Sims.

BLACK BUSINESSWOffiEN

OFFICE FURNISHINGS / CARPETS / DRAPES / WALL COVERINGS / INTERIOR DESIGN

5441 Crenshaw Blvd. /Los Angeles, CA 90043/(213)293-5366

One of the most logical and successful ways to go into business is
to find a need and then ful fi ll that
need.
This is precisely what Helen
Myles Guy and Diane Si ms did .
They recognized that many doctors in the Los Angeles area
needed someone to set up and
manage their medical offices . So
they organized the C & V
Management Service in 1971.
Today Ms . Guy and Ms. Sims
manage three med ical centers for
doctors in the Los Angeles area
with plans of opening another one
in the very near future . The offices
which they manage (located in the
Park Medical Group at 111 49 S.
Crenshaw and the East Centu ry
Medical at 3737 E. Century), see
approximately 220 patients daily
in the areas of general medicine,

O B-Gyn, fert il ity, weight contro l,
personal injury, and X-rays.
Before going into business on
their own, Ms . Guy and Ms. Sims
managed several medical offices
for physicians in the Los Angeles
area where they gained much of
their management experience.
The two enterprising young
ladies give much credit for their
success to Huey R. Harris, a
business friend and consultant,
who lives in Los Angeles.
Ms. Guy is the mother of two
children, 11 and 17 years of age.
She
attended
Metropolit a n
College o f Business and Los
Angeles City College maj o ring in
business. Ms. Sims, who is single,
is a gradua te of Ha rbor Junior
College and recei ved her L VN
license from the Vocationa l Nursing School of California. )':r
9

OFFICER NAffiED OUTSTANDI NG
YOUNG ffiAN IN AffiERICA
Air Force Capt. Johnni e E.
Hodge, Jr. , chief of the Contracts
Division in the Defense Dissemination Office, in Los Angeles,
CA, was placed in the 1979 edition
of the Outstanding Young Men of
America publication for hi s "contribution s to the community and
profession ."
" I consider th is an honor,
especiall y when you consider the
caliber of people who have al so
been select ed. People like Rocky
Bleier, John Denver and John
Kennedy," said Hodge.
Nominations are based on the
indi vidual's service to others,
professional excellence, civic and
professional
recognition
and
community activities, according to
the Outstanding Young Men of
America publication .
Hodge was grad uated with
"High Distinction" from Indiana
University Business School in
1970. He received his Master' s of
Business Administration degree
from Golden Gate University in
1973.
Hodge' s community service
work centers around the Help
Public Service Fo undation , an
organization that was organi zed to
provide free bus transportation
for poor fami lies to visit inmates
10 in California prisons.

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Captain Hodge and his family
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11

ffiOTHER OF FIVE GE NERATIONS
CELEBRATES 75th BIRTHDAY
The General Manager of radio
station KJ LH, in Los Angeles,
Do lore
Gardner, joined her
family to honor their mother,
Floretta Rhodes Butler, of five
living gercration s-a lady who is
exceptionally proud to be able to
greet and love her grandchildren,
great grandchildren and great
great gra ndchildren while the
number increases . The ixth great
great grandchild i expected to
join the clan in March of this year.
Floretta is the mother of eight
children, five girls and three boys,
37 grandchildren, 29 great grandchildren and 5 great great grandchildren. At the age of 75 Floret1a
ays she "feels beautifully blessed
to be here to count them all.''
Floretta, one of 17 children,
wa born in Biloxi, Miss iss ippi
December 24, 1904. She states that
the family had moved to Los Angeles in 1918 to be near her aide t
sister, Melinda Garland.
In talking with the offspring of
Mrs. Butler, Marredda Adkins,
the sixth child, now living in San
Francisco, remembers that there
was always someone home as she
grew up. She feels this has contributed to a feeling of well-being
in the children. Marredda notes
none of the children had to quit
school to help support the family.
She especially
enjoyed
thi s
celebration of her mother' s birth12 day because she was able to gather

her four children and their four
children to accompany her. Mrs .
Adkins goes on to say one of the
things that she remembers most
from her mother's teachings is a
rule-of-thumb that she has applied
in her own child rearing, "speak
loudly and clearly when you enter
a room, don't wait to be spoken
to." Undoubtedly this philosophy
accounts for the numerous friends
and family, nearly 200, who
gathered to wish Floretta a happy
birthday. Among those were two
of her aide t living sisters, Sibylla
Lee of Oakland and Alice Cooper
of San Francisco, and her cousin,
Pearl Bailey Johnson of Chicago,
a young 78-year-old .
The first grandchi ld, Dolores
Gardner, had some thoughts
about her grandmother. "She is a
very positive person. She has
taught us to be positive, regardless
and things will work out. As a
very caring person, she taught us
to care for each other and for
people in general." And Dolores'
mother
Mildred Skeindarian,
Floretta's first born, adds, "She
has been a very loving mother who
has gained the respect of her
children through loving words."
Mrs. Butler's birthday party
was a beautiful affair at Conolidated Plaza, catered by Patti
Lou and music provided by Robin
Williams, DJ of the day. *
by ffiorcy Gossett

-~

Mrs. Floretta Rhodes Butler, center, with sisters, Sibylla Lee, left, and
Alice Cooper, right.

Mrs. Butler with children: Top row- Nathaniel Bertrand, Lesker Bertrand, Milton Bertrand. Middle row- Marredda Adkins, Fernear Martin
Floretta Rhodes Butler, Mildred Skenderian, Rochelle Davis, and Flo;_
etta Haley, front center.
13

Black

I.

People

Histoiy
Section

WESTERN REGIONAL DIRECTOR
OF PUSH
Dr. Cordell Richardson, Western Regional director of PUSH,
was educated at Lincoln University , Pennsylvania, where he majored in psychology and sociology.
After graduation from Lincoln,
Dr. Richard son earned his masters
and Ph.D. degrees in education at
the University of Pittsburgh.
Shortly after earning his degrees
he returned to his alma mater to
teach biology and general science.
Dr. Richardson, 33, has received
numerous awards including the
Woodrow Wilson Administrative
Fell owship, Who's Who, Omega
Psi Phi Citizenship Award, and
the Minority Engineering Education Award.
In I 977, Dr. Richardson joined
the PUSH staff where he served as
National Director for the PUSH
for Excellence Program for two
years, serving in that capacity during the initial developmen tal stages
of thi s national educational program, spearheaded by Reverend
Jesse .Jackson. He then served a
short span as Director of Research
and Evaluation, before moving to

1114

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California to administer the establishment of new programs througho ut the western region of the United States.
Dr. Richardson is married a nd
has one chi ld. f(

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15

LANDffiARKS AND ffilLESTONES
OF
BLACK AffiERICANS
1492-Black servants, slaves and explorers came to the New World with
the first Spanish and French explorers. Pedro Alonso Nino of
Columbus' crew is identified as a Black by some scholars.

1794-Eli Whitney, patented Cotton Gin Machine, based on ideas and
sketches of a Black slave.
1808-Federal law barring the African slave trade went into effect.
1820-Harriet Tubman born a slave on a plantation in Dorchester County, Maryland .
1826-John Russwurn first Black college graduate, Bowdoin College.
1831-William Lloyd Garrison printed first issue of the Liberator, his
abolitionist newspaper.

1512-Group of Blacks landed in Florida with Ponce de Leon in search
for "Fountain of Youth."

1834-Henry Blair was the first Black to receive a patent for an invention-a corn harvester.

1513-Balboa's expedition to the Pacific included 30 Blacks who were
instrumental in clearing the way between the two oceans.

1845-Macon B. Allen was the first Black formally admitted to the Bar
in Worcester, Massachusetts.

1539-Blacks accompanied De Soto on his journey to the Mississippi.
Estevanico, Black companion of Spanish explorers, reached Arizona and New Mexico.

1854-Lincoln University was chartered an Ashmond Institute in Chester, Pennsylvania, on January I st. First Black College in U.S.

1619-Twenty Blacks brought as the first slaves to America, Jamestown.

1861-First school for Black students opened by American Missionary
Association at Fortress Monroe, VA.

1624-William Tucker was the first Black child born and baptized in
English America at Jamestown, Virginia. Tucker is said to have
lived 108 years.

1863-President Lincoln signed Emancipation Proclamation, freeing
slaves.

1638-First Black slaves were brought into New England.

1868-Blacks legally became United States Citizens.

1688-First formal protest against slavery in Western Hemisphere made
by Germantown Quakers at monthly meeting.

1869-Jefferson P. Long from Georgia was seated as the first Black in
the House of Representatives.

1758-Frances Williams, first Black college graduate in Western Hemisphere, published Latin poems.

1875-Blanche K. Bruce became member of the U.S. Senate representing
Mississippi.
1886-First electric trolley on the American continent was run by a
Black, L. Clark Brooks.
1889-Elijah Muhammad, born in Sandersville, Georgia, Oct: 10, 1889.
Worked as a field hand, railroad laborer, before movmg to Detroit. In J930 met the founder of the Nation of Islam (Black Muslims). Took dver leadership of Black Muslims in 1934.

1762-James Derham, who was born a slave in Philadelphia in 1762 is
generally recognized as the first Black physician in America.
1770-Crispus Attucks was first of five persons killed in Boston Massacre, March 5. He is generally regarded as first martyr of the Revolution.
1771-Benjamin Banneker, Black inventor, assisted in surveying and
planning the City of Washington, D.C.
1775-Black soldiers fought with distinction in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Peter Salem, a Black man, was one of the heroes of the day.

16

1779-First organized protest against slavery made by Society of Friends
(Quakers) in Pennsylvania.

1777-Vermont became the first American state to abolish slavery.

1866-First Civil Rights Bill passed by Congress.

1893-Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed first successful heart operation at Chicago's Provident Hospital.
1904-Birth of Dr. Charles R. Drew, developer of Blood Plasma and
first director of American Red Cross Blood Bank.

17

1906-Alpha Phi Alpha, first Black Greek Letter society organized as a
fraternity.
1909-NAACP founded on Lincoln's Birthday.
1913-F.M. Jackson Coppin. First Black woman college graduate (Oberlin College) died in Philadelphia, Penn.

1915-Association for the Study of Black Life and History organized by
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Chicago, Ill.
1922-Home of Frederick Douglas dedicated as a national shrine.
1931-The first two soldiers in the American Army to be decorated for
bravery in France were Blacks named Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts.
1933-NAACP made its first attack on segregation and discrimination in
education when it filed a suit against the University of North Carolina.

1935-Founders Day of the National Council of Negro Women, Dr.
Mary McLeod Bethune, first president.
1936-Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics.
1937-William H. Hastie was confirmed as Judge of Federal District
Court in the Virgin Islands. He became the first Black Federal
Judge.
1939-Jane M. Bolin, appointed first Black woman judge in the United
States-New York City.
1940-Marcus Garvey, died, London, England.
1943-Dr. George Washinton Carver Day established by Act of Congress.
1944-Adam Clayton Powell was the first Black elected to Congress
from the East.
1947-Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers as the First Black
in organized baseball to play in the major leagues.

1949-Congressman William L. Dawson approved as chairman of
House Expenditures Committee. He was the first Black to head a
standing committee of Congress.
1950-Ralph J. Bunche, former U.N. Mediator in the Palestine dispute,
awarded Nobel Peace Prize.

18

1950-Gwendolyn Brooks, a young Chicago school teacher, won the
Pulitzer Prize for her volume of poetry, Annie Allen.

l

1952-Tuskegee Institute reported that 1952 was the first year in 71 years
of tabulations that no lynchings were reported.
1954-U .S. Supreme Court, in an epochal decision, ruled that racial discrimination in public schools was unconstitutional.
1956-U .S. Supreme Court banned segregation in public parks, playgrounds, beaches, and golf courses. The court rejected the "separate but equal" doctrine which had been previously passed.
1961- Thirteen" Freedom Riders," set out for bus trip throughout South.

1963-March on Washington for jobs and freedom led by Martin Luther
King, Jr. and A. Phillip Randolph.
1963-President Kennedy calls for action to end segregation in an historic declaration affirming that segregation is a moral issue.
1963-W.E.B . Du Bois, founder of NAACP, died in Accra, Ghana.
1964-Dr. Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize and thereby
became the second American Black in history to be so honored.
Dr. Bunche was an earlier recipient.

1965-President Johnson signed a voting rights act allowing for federal
registrars in Southern polling places, the action following a dramatic four-day, 50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, led by Dr. Martin King.
1965-Malcolm X, died February 28, 1965, in New York City at age 39.
Black Nationalist leader, former top aide of Elijah Muhammed.
1967- Thurgood Marshall became the first Black appointed to a Supreme Court Judgeship.

1968-Martin Luther King, Jr., martyred by an assassin's bullet on April
4, 1968, at approximately 6:01 P.M. Eastern Standard Time in
Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King died immediately.
1972-Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), continues to
spearhead many successful drives for Black Equality.
1973-Yvonne Brathwaite, California's first Black Assemblywoman,
was elected to Congress.
1976-Andrew Young appointed as United States ambassador to United
Nations.
1979-Patricia Harris appointed by President Carter to Health, Education, Welfare (HEW) cabinet post. *

19

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BIBLE BITS&' PIECES
Bible Bits & Pieces is an on-going series of articles geared to stimulate
further reading and knowledge of the Holy Bible. Its purpose is to assist
in clarifying (via the Bible) certain myths and misunderstandings about
biblical events, people, places, etc .... However, readers can and should
search through the Bible verses where these answers can be found. By
utilizing this method, you will be able to receive more complete answers
and develop your personal interpretation. Some of the Bible answers to
these test questions may surprise you and we welcome your comments
and thoughts.
According to the Bible . . .
1. Jesus said that there is only one justified reason for married

2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

8.
9.

IO.

couples to get divorced.
Jesus believed in turning the other cheek, therefore He would
never run or hide from any situation or confrontation.
To murder someone would break one of God' s commandments. However, there are others that are even greater than
this one.
Actually no one has ascended to Heaven yet except Jesus.
When you pray, you should pray in private and don 't be saying the same things over and over.
Some people had so much faith in Jesus that they were healed
by just touching His clothes .
Even though man only a few centuries ago discovered the
earth was round, the Bible stated it thousands of years ago.
There are instances of flying vessels, objects, etc., (U. F .0 . 's)
in the Bible and on one occasion the Disciple Peter envisioned
one landing.
Not only does God have angels, the Devil has angels too.
Little children have angels in Heaven who watch over them.

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22

Lt. Julius Davis

Lt. Noel Cunningham

Lt. John Gillis

Lt. Samuel Dacus

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTffiENT
PROffiOTES BLACK OFFICERS

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Four Los Angeles Police Department sergeants have been appointed to
lieutenants. Chief of Police, Daryl F. Gates, who announced the promotions of Noel K. Cunningham, Samuel Dacus, Julius Isaac Davis, and
John Gilli s, stated that all four men were highly qualified and professional police officers.
23

Comer Cottrell (left) with friend Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

MAHOGANY INDUSTRIES
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

JOHN TUMBLIN

comER COTTRELL HONORED

24

Comer Cottrell, pres_idell:t of Pro-Line Corporation, was recently honored by hundreds of his fnends at a testimonial dinner at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. Cottrell, who will move his business to Dallas
Te~as (n the next f~w mo_nths, thanked those in attendance for expressi n~
the1r kindness to his family and the Pro-Line team in such a warm and inspiring manner.

Business Specialist In:
* Investments

* Loans

* Advertising

* Counse ling

(2 t 3)549-8225 or (2 t 3) 775-1535
500 E. Carson Street
Suite 2 t t

25

LARRY BROOKS-ORIGINATOR OF THE
"JHERI CURL" -A ffiojor Breakthrough In
Block Hoir Core
b_y Flo Jenkins

When Larry Brooks got out of
the Armed services in the late
1950's, he had little money to
speak of, and no immediate job
prospect. And according to
Brooks, his decision to become a
beautician was "pure fate."
'' I knew nothing about hair and
had no interest whatsoever in
cosmetology.
I had always
thought male beauticians were
26 'queer' and I certainly didn't want

that image! What inspired me was
an acquaintance who always had
money in his pockets. When he
told me he was a beautician, in less
than a month l was enrolled in
beauty school. But the motivation
at that time was the money. Fortunately, I found doing hair a real
joy, and immediately began to
reap some financial rewards when
I opened my salon.
With the Jheri Curl, Larry
Brooks has made a major
breakthrough as far as Black hair
is concerned. The revolutionary
process came as a result of Brooks
seeking an alternative to the
popular
permanent
relaxers.
Working along with his wife,
Susan, Brooks came up with the
Jheri Curl, a chemical process
which works on different bonds of
the hair, and allows for control of
curls.
"The Jheri Curl process is not
nearly as caustic or damaging as
the popular permanent relaxers,"
says Brooks, "and it has to be
done on healthy hair.''
Even though the Jheri Curl is
very much in vogue now, Brooks
says that it took him three and a
half years to try to convince
beauticians and other people to try
the process. "It's a very strange
thing how a good product can be

Larry Brooks (right) with friends Mrs. Tom Bradley and former L.A.
Dodger super-star Maury Wills.

rejected for such a long time, then
suddenly become accepted so
widely. It might seem like overnight success, but that certainly is
not the case. But once you come
up with a winning formula, the
imitators come along in no time at
all. J've found it very true that
success does breed imitation."
Larry Brooks has a winning
product, but unfortunately, the
financial reward is nothing like it
should be. "What upsets me,"
says Brooks, "is that if I'd been

white, I'd be a millionaire three
times over.''
Though the finances are not on
equal par with his product, Larry
Brooks' spirits and determination
have not been stifled. He is always
seeking methods of meeting the
hair care needs of Blacks. And
very soon, he will have a brand
new product on the market! This
time, Brooks is even more optimistic that the superior quality
of his product will result finally in
deserved financial rewards. )':f

27

RIBS • BEEF • LINKS • CHICKEN
SPECIAL RATES FOR PARTIES AND GROUPS

3446 W. Slauson
Los Angeles, CA 90043
294-9443

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Los Angeles, CA 90037
232-6608

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La Mirada, CA 90638

944-9484

29

Dool Review
SPALDING MORTUARY

SECOND WIND
By Bill Russell and Taylor Brands
Random House; 265 pp., $9.95

3045 S. La Brea Ave. • Jefferson at La Brea
Los Angeles, California • Phone WE 4-1181
Staff:
MRS . LOUIS QUINN
MR. WILLIAM RICHARD, JR.
MRS . EVIE TREMBLE
MRS. MARGUERITE KATTES
MR . ALBERT TURNER
MR. RAY TENNYSON
MR. CHARLES SPALDING
MRS. FRANCES C. RANDALL
MR. JONAS WILLIS
MR. LAMAR 0. SHIPP / INS. MGR.
MR. RENE SCHOA TS
OTHER LOCATIONS:
1909 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 870-4446

310 Foremaster Lane
Las Vegas, NV (702) 384-9642

Bill Russell, one of basketballs
all-time greats, has written an enjoyable and important book. As
most seasoned sports fans know,
Russell led his University of San
Francisco basket ball team to
back-to-back NCAA titles and his
Boston Ccllics team to 11 championships in 13 years.
In his book, Russell candidly attempts to explain his actions on
and off the basketball court to the
reader. During his sports career,
Ru ssell refused to sign autographs
because he felt that it was too impersonal. He received wide support from the Black community
when he complained about the
treatment of Blacks in basketball
and society and when he would
not accept enshrinement in the
basketball Hall of Fame.
Russell docs not spare himself
in his book. He admits past errors

and admits that his behaviour has
often been contradictory. As an
example, he admits that at one
time he hated all white people;
now he is married to one. He also
states that Blacks, given the opportunity, can be as biased as
whites. When he came to the
Celtics he was the only Black and
was shunned by the white players.
When he coached the Seattle
Super Sonics team, Blacks were in
the majority and they shunned the
white players.
In conclusion, Bill Russell's
remarkable book reflects that he is
honest, intelligent, and has a sense
of humor. He does an excellent
job of explaining to the reader the
pressures and inl"lucnces on a
Black who lives in a predominantly white society.
This is a good book for your
home library. *
31

Do Something Nice
To Your Hair . ..
Use La Bronze Products

BEAUTY PLUS
Headquarters for La Bronze Products

(213) 752 -2173
5425 S . Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90037

I
"Magic" Johnson

Yvonne Burke

GRAPEVI NE'S SIGNS IN THE 80's
FOR BLACKS
*Music . . .disco to disco out!. . . mellow music and love songs to rebound . . . live entertainment to go back to local clubs ... more white artists being accepted by Black audiences .. .45 records to boom again . ..
the Blues will make a comeback ... Black Jazz artists to have a more contemporary sound ... singing groups male & female will be in ... Country
& Western music to get into us and us into it. .. . .

*Films . .. Television to have more serious projection of the Black experience ... L.A . to have its first Black weatherman and anchorwoman ...
cowboy film s to make a comeback with Blacks in them . .. look for top
Blacks in the music industry to cross over into film a nd television .. . A
Black Soap Opera on daytime television . ... .
*Other Signs . .. Blacks will purchase a franchise in one of the three major sports ... more Black stars in golf. .. Pro football to have its first
Black head coach ... a Black will run for governor of California .. .look
for whites to move back into Central and So. Central L.A .... L.A .
Lakers will win NBA champion ship . . . . .
*People to watch in the 80's .. .O.J. Simpson ... Tom Bradley . .. Randi
Crawford ... Jayne Kennedy . .. Whispers ... Bobby Womack . . . Yvonne
• Burke . . . Leon Silvers ... Ervin "Magic" Johnson ... Mervyn Dymally ..
David T. Walker. . . Eula McClaney ... Teena Marie . . .

*

35

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RECORDS & TAPES
(213) 295-8536 or 295-8537
3993 So . Western Ave. - Los Angeles 90062

at the corner where the stars meet ...
Santa Barbara & Western
Where the music's hot & the prices are c-o-o-o-1

36

Recorif Review

••••••

by Tony Kelley

GAP BAND 11
The GQp BQnd (ffiercur_y)
If this econd album by The
Gap Band is any indication, the
group should have no problem
making their mark in the eighties.
Produced locally by Lonnie Simmon , it di plays the versatility of
the Wilson brothers-not only as
musicians but as songwriters as
well. "No Hiding Place," a song
slightly reminiscent of Earth,
Wind, & Fire's style, is the
strongest tune on the album.
"Steppin" is a different approach
to an up tempo dance tune and
they have done a very nice job
with an interesting song.

TWENNYNINE
Lenn_y White (Elektm)

38

A very nice album by drummer
Lenny White . Lenny has teamed
with some more than capable
people in turning out this product.
Produced by White and Earth,
Wind, & Fire's Larry Dunn, it has
excellent vocal performances by
Dee Dec Bridgewater and others
which make for several bright
spot in the album. "Take Me Or
Leave Me" and "Peanut Butter"
are novel but catchy tunes, and
they and "Morning Sunrise" are
the strongest.

B'

f "'

WHERE THERE'S smOKE
Smoke_y Robinson (ffiotown)

THE WHISPERS
The Whispers (Sobr)

The genious that has propelled
Smokey Robinson over the past
two decades is carrying him into
the eighty' s with gold. Th is superb
new album reflects the style and
flavor of his old days with the
Miracles with the quality and expression of Smokey today.
"Cruisin," written by Smokey &
Marvin
Tarplin
(Smokey's
guitarist and collaborater on some
of the Miracles biggest hits), has
some very tasty guitar work by
L.A. 's own David T. Walker and
is headed for the top of the charts.
Smokey has also teamed up with
Stevie Wonder to do a very special
ballad, "I Love the Nearness of
You ," which should be getting
play of its own. Other bright spots
are, "Share It" and "Ever Had A
Dream." Smokey definitely expound
upon the old adage
"Where There ' Smoke, There'
Fire!"

This newest a lbum from The
Whi pers should put them in the
national spotlite for a long time to
come and make it very clear that
they will be one of the biggest
vocal groups of the I 980's.
L.A . 's own has taken what
many consider Do-Do-Wop to
another level and continued their
unique style and lyric interpretation. "A Song For Donny,"
a tribute to the late Donny
Hathaway, is probably the most
moving, touching tribute from
one artist to another, which truly
captures the meaning of a tribute
and will be long remembered like
Donny. Al o, their performance
of the sweet love song "Lady" has
to be one of their best vocal ongs.
The Whi per 'harmonies ca n ' t be
beat. Producer Dick Griffey has
made thi
so und of L.A.
omething pecial.

*

39

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right before ljOUr ctlj&S!

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Models (left to right): Ramona D. Johnson, La' Tonya Hall, Bettie Shaw,
Eva Williams, and Karen V. McClain, center.

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40

~1n"

~""'"1
K
Wt FOUlld TIit An-.
vt

FASHIONS BY KAREN
Fashion consultant Karen McClain of Lo Angeles (center bottom)
features her line of clothing at fashion shows throughout the United
States for church, business and social organizations . M . McClain is a
former model and jewelry designer. Model above feature some of her
line of clothing.

41

presenting an important positive
image for the Black comm unity."
When Stevie heard that the
previous KJLH owner was considering selling the station, he was
definitely interested. But the purchase of a radio station involves
numerous intricate processes, as
well as lots of money. Stevie
recalls, "We went to many banks
to talk about the purchase of the
station, and we were sent through
many changes in order to find out
exactly how to proceed. We rejected a few of the things the banks
had suggested . But we continued
to assess the whole situation and

STEVIE WONDER
Promoting
Block Pride
Through
Business
b.Y
Flo Jenki ns

42

The musical achievements of
Stevie Wonder are well-known
throughout the world. More accolades have been showered upon
him than probably even Stevie can
keep tabs on. In every sense of the
word, he has proven to be an artist
in the true sense of the word. He's
an innovator, courageous enough
to be different, to try something
new musically, when most prefer
to play it safe.
But just as Stevie is a highly acclaimed music man, he is just as
much respected and loved for his
humanity ... for his never forgetting to share whenever he can
some of his good fortune. He has
proven to be a man of good deeds,
tryihg to put into action those
positive and beautiful philosophies of love and brotherhood he
so often sings about.
All of the aforementioned
statements being true, it is no sur-

prise then that Stevie Wonder
would be concerned enough about
others to purchase a radio station
which would be responsive to
many of the community's needs.
That, according to Wonder, was
the
real
motivating
factor
resulting in his purchase of radio
station KJLH-FM in Los Angeles.
'' I had been listening to KJ LH
for five or six years whenever I'd
come into Los Angeles. Whenever
I'd turn on the radio, I was
basically looking for a station that
gave me the feeling of Black
culture, a kind of positive essence.
And I was always so impressed by
what I heard on the station . I
would even tape the shows-the
music, and take it back with me to
New York or my other travels.
Most other Black stations never
really had the total essence of
what they said they were about.
And I always felt that KJ LH was

found out it would be possible to
make the purchase, and I was very
willing to take the risk."
As the new owner of KJLH,
Stevie and his staff-Delores Gardner, Lawrence Tanner, Jai Rich,
etc ., have many plans for the upcoming years in order to better
erve the community. "My goal,"
says Stevie, "is to be able to serve
a greater area. It's very important
that the growing voice of our
culture be heard. And I believe
that KJ LH can help that along.
We will be doing various things
dealing with the community; there
will be local news as well as

Stevie at KJLH with Ray Johnson (left) Grapevine's public relations director, Delores Gardner, KJLH station manager, and Tony Kelley (right),
Grapevine's advertising director.

43

"This society is based on tangible
things, what you can see. That's
why television is such a powerful
medium. And many problems
exist because of stereotypes
presented on television. If people
see it, they believe it. And because
of the influence television has, I'd
like to see some Black businessmen invest in a Black cable television station-owned by Blacks. I
think we need to begin to show
our children things that deal with
us . And we can't continue to wait
for someone else to give us a night
on television. There are Blacks
shirking opportunities to help
make little Black children's
dreams come true ... And something should be done."
Even though Stevie Wonder is

not saying he's going to buy a
television station, it would come
as no real surprise that such a purchase might be his next step
toward trying to present positive
Black images on the airwaves. But
until that time, Stevie Wonder is
making a concentrated effort to
share the positiveness and the accuracy, and pride of Black culture
on radio station KJLH-FM. And
if Wonder achieves what he wants,
then, as he says, "KJ LH will try
to help people really feel the
essence beyond what we see ... "
If past successes are any indication, surely KJ LH-FM has it
made; thereby becoming a source
of pride and joy for Stevie Wonder as well as the Black comm unity. *

Musical Greats-Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.

44

national news-news given from a
Black perspective, and edjtorials."
As for the music, Stevie is
adamant that none of the music be
in bad taste. "I think an artist
should be allowed his creativity,
but there is much music on the
radio that leaves absolutely
nothing to the imagination, some
of it is just in bad taste. And so,
the most important thing along
that line at KJLH is that we won't
play anything that is distasteful,"
he says.
Stevie Wonder considers the

purchase of a radio station one of
the most important things he has
done since his career began more
than 15 years ago. And he feels
that the avenues of communication are so vital for Black
people, which unfortunately have
not been used to our full advantage. He states, "Many radio
stations are more interested in
making a whole bunch of money,
and somewhat forgetting about
the real purpose of the airwaves."
In
comparing
radio
and
television, Wonder emphasizes,

o~
photo service
ONE DAY SERVICE

753-4325
753-4326
8443 Crenshaw Boulevard, Suite 5A, Inglewood 90320 CA.

45

46

When two of contemporary
music's most talented, soulful
singers and writers-Natalie Cole
and Peabo Bryson- took their
friendship into the studio, sparks
new. Out of those magical
moments comes their first album
of duets, very appropriately titled
We're The Best Of Friends. It' s a
striking collection of love songs

showcasing some of the warmest,
most spontaneous vocal interplay
recorded by a man and a woman
in a long, long time.
The seed for this album was
sown a couple of years ago, when
Natalie and Peabo first toured
together, and their friendship has
deepened during their subseq uent
outings. During the summer of

'78, Natalie wrote "Your Lonely
Heart" (the first she'd penned
without a co-writet) while she was
spending a rare quiet moment
alone in her Ft. Lauderdale hotel
room while on tour.
The following August, when she
and Peabo teamed to play the
Universal
Amphitheatre
near
Hollywood , Natalie closed her set
with the song, inviting Peabo,
who'd opened the show, to sing it
with her. The audience went wild,
and ever since then, people have
urged the two to share their friendship and intertwining voices with
everyone by recording together.
Both Natalie and Peabo have
had enormous success over the last
few years as Capitol solo artists.
Since she burst into the limelight
in 1975 with her first LP, all six of
her albums-Inseparable, atalie,
Unpredictable, Thankful, Natalie ... Live and I Love You
So-have won Gold certification,
with Unpredictable and Thankful
reaching Platinum a well. Two of
her many Soul and Pop charttopping singles-" I've Got Love
On My Mind" and "Our Love"sold more than a million each. Her
spirited vocal performances on
records have won three Grammy
awards and onstage, her compelling delivery has won the hearts
and souls of people all over the
world.
Signed at age 18 to Bang Records as a producer/singer/songwriter in the early Seventies, Peabo produced several other artists
for the label before cutting his first

single, "Underground Mu ic," in
1976; it became hi fir t Top 30
Soul hit. His fir t LP, Peabo,
yielded twin Top 30 oul hit "Just Another Day" and " I an
Make It Better" -and charted
well in '77 as a re ult. After
signing with Capiwl late that year,
Peabo won Gold with hi label
debut LP, Reaching For The k ,
for which he wrote all th e ong .
The title track wa a major oul
hit. His follow-up Cro swind LP
(November '78) topped th e oul
charts, made the Pop Top 30 and
went Gold after spawning another
pair of sma h si ngle - the o. I
Soul hit "I'm So Into You " and
the Top 30 title track. Pcabo'
warm, romantic style on record s
and on stage has earned for him
the nickname "Gentleman Of
Soul" from hi s many fan and the
press.
The close of the Seventic finds
these two young stars joining their
vast talents to record We're The
Best Of Friends. Each contributed
new songs to the album, and the
production was a joint effort, with
Mark Davis, Marvin Yancy,
Johnny Pate and Peabo and both
artists' musicians contributing to
the excellent backing.
As a . whole, the album' topnotch mstrumentation and orc~es~ration_ combine with the
st1rn?g voices to create a trul y
creative,
spontaneous- ounding
album that's sure to please Natalie
and Peabo's many fans and make
many new ones a s well. *

47

REV. FREDERICK K. PRICE
b,Y Flo Jenkins

Inside of religious circles, as
well as outside of them, the
Christian ministry of Frederick
K.C. Price is generating much interest and conversation. The talk
has grown rapidly from soft murmurs to excited buzzes. The word
is spreading rapidly throughout
the state of California, and other
parts of this country and various
parts of the world. So, who is this
Price fella, and what in the world
(and/or outside of the world) is he
talking about?!
To put it simply, Frederick
Price is a teacher/preacher of The
Word of God. In case your first
thoughts insinuate that such a
"calling" is nothing extraordinary, perhaps we can view this
48 particular ministry a bit closer and

discover some positively extraordinary qualities, indeed.
Born in Santa Monica, California, Frederick Price is presently
pastor and founder of Inglewood,
California's Crenshaw Christian
Center, a fast-growing church
with upwards of 7,000 members.
This, indeed, can be counted as
extraordinary, in that six years
ago, membership numbered only
300. His "Ever Increasing Faith"
television show is also shedding
light on Christianity many were
never aware of.
The very fact that Frederick
Price is a minister of the Gospel
today might be considered a very
unlikely situation because his very
early upbringing was void of
religious teachings. According tr

Price, "I didn't go to church as a
chi ld. I didn't go to Sunday
School like many kids did, and I
had no contact at all with
Christianity or any form of
religion. " It was during his first
year of marriage in 1953, that
Price accepted Christ, and soon
after was called to the ministry.
Price's
earlier
years
of
ministering were productive and
positive in that his salvation
messages evoked many to accept
Christ as Savior. However, the
last ten years of his ministry took
on a marked change, which in turn
resulted in a remarkable increase
in his congregation. Thus, today,
on any given Sunday morning,
one can be witness to eager churchgoers waiting in long lines two
hours before worship time to hear
the Word of God delivered by
Rev. Price.
In discussing the reason for the

marked growth of his church,
Price credits the Holy Spirit: "I
found out there was a missing
ingredient in my life. That missing
ingredient was the Baptism with
the Holy Spirit. That was the
traumatic experience that changed
my whole life and ministry. And it
was as though scales fell off my
eyes. I began to see things in the
Bible that I had been reading for
17 years, and it just hadn't
registered on me. Suddenly it was
as though I had understanding
that I never had before, and I
began to see things in a different
way. I immediately began to
preach on this new found experience and the church began to
respond to it. Shortly after that, I
was introduced to the Word of
Faith. I began to find out what
really activates the power of
God-and that was learning how
to stand on the Word of God,

Church-goers wait in long lines two hours before worship time to hear
Rev. Price.

49

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exercising faith . I began to understand the difference between faith
and believing; faith, of course,
means acting on what you believe.
And as I began to share my understanding,
the
congregation
steadily responded, and steadily
increased.''
Additionally, the growth of
Frederick Price's congregation
must certainly be attributed to his
teaching the relevance of the
Word of God to every day living .
He states, "People are able to understand that God is relevant to
every day living. So when they
come here, they not only receive
knowledge, but they learn how to
apply that knowledge m the
every da:, circumstances of their
lives. They learn that the things of
God's Word, the things of Jesus
Christ work for you right now,

today! People are learning, and

they're
learning
within
a
framework that produces a kind
of freedom, a kind of joy, and a
kind of victory that they don't
have in most churches. They don't
become dependent upon me to do
their praying for them, or do their
believing for them, or do their
whole thing with God for them.
They learn that they can do it on
their own. I think those are just
some of the things that make this
ministry appealing to so many
people."
The fact that Frederick Price is
helping people to understand that
God is alive and well and an immediate Comforter is appealing,
extraordinary,
and
definitely
Good News ... the kind of relevant
news the world must hear and
h~d- *

51

FIRST BLACKS IN SPORTS

52

• First Black major leaguer:
Mose Fleetwood Walker, Toledo,
of the Old American Association,
1884.
• First five Black signed to
contracts in Organi zed Baseball of
modern times: Jackie Robinson ,
infield; John Wright, pitcher; Don
Newcombe , pitcher; Roy Campanella , catcher; and Roy Partlow,
pitcher.
• First Black in the American
League: Larry Doby, Cleveland
Indians, 1947.
• Fir t Black pitcher in the American League: Leroy (Satchel)
Paige, 1948.
• First Black to hit a home run
in World Series competition: Larry Doby, 1948.
• First Black to coach a major
league ball team: John (Buck) O ' Neil, with the hicago Cubs, 1962.
• First Black umpire in organized ba eball: Emmett A hford,
Southwest International Leag ue,
1951.
• Fir t Black to win three most
val uable player awards: Roy Campanella, National League, 1951,
1953, a nd 1955.
• First Black known to contribute an important invention to
baseball: C happie Johnso n of the
C hicago Giant , who invented
shinguards for catchers in I 902.
Nig Clarke (caucasian) of Cleveland introduced them to the major

league in 1905.
• First Black boxer to hold
three world boxing titles si multaneously: Henry (Hank) Armstrong . Not only was Armstrong
the only Black to achieve thi s feat,
he wa the only fighter in history,
of any race, to hold three world titles si multaneously. The titles:
featherweight, lightweigh t, and
welterweight.
• First Black boxer to score 130
or more knockouts: Archie Moore.
• First Black boxer to participate in a million -dollar bout: Joe
Louis with Max Baer, at New
York,
9/ 24/ 35.
Attendance:
88,150. Official gross receipts:
$1,000,832.
• Fir t Black boxer to win 90 or
more fight s without losing: Sugar
Ray Robinso n, 91 bouts, including 3 draws, 1943-51.
• First two Black super-stars in
the ational Basketball Association: Bill Ru s ell of Boston and
Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia.
• Wilt Chamberlain became the
first player ever to score I00 point
in a sin gle game, breaking a mark
of 71 points set by another Black
uper- tar, Elgin Baylor of the Lo
Angele La kers.
• First Black elected to an AIIN BA team was Maurice tokes of
Rochester, 1955-56.
• First Black to play in organized pro football was Fritz Pollard

54

o f the Akron Indians of the American Professional Football League,
in 1919.
• First Black to coach a major
professional football team was
Fritz Pollard of the Akron Indian ,
1919.
• First Black quarterback to
lead his team in a Rose Bowl game
at Pasadena, California, was Sandy Stephens of Minnesota, in I 961
and 1962.
e ln I 954, Joe Perry of the San
Francisco '49ers became the first
pro football player to gain 1000
yard or more rushing in each of
two consecutive years.
e In 1974, O.J. Simpson of the
Buffalo Bills became the first pro
football player, Black or White, to
gain over 2000 yards rushing in a
season.
• First Black to score a Rose
Bowl touchdown: Claude (Buddy)
Young, for University of Illinois
vs. UCLA, New Year's Day, 1947.
• First Black to break world record in 100-yard dash: Eddie Tolan, University of Michigan,
Western Conference championship meet, 1929, with time of9.5s.
• First Black basketball All-American: Don Barksdale, UCLA
center, 1947.
• First Black woman voted
"athlete of year": Althea Gibson,
1957.
• First Black appointed by the
Stale Department as a goodwill
Ambassador to the Olympic
games: Jesse Owens, 1956.
• First Black to win a national
tennis title: Lorraine Williams, of

Chicago, the Junior Girls' Title,
1953.
• First Black to play in organized hockey in U.S.A.: Art Dorrington of the Johnstown (Pa.)
Jets, 1952.
• First Black to win an Olympic
games championship: DeHart
Hubbard, University of Michigan,
the broad jump, in Paris, on July
8, 1924.
• First Black to play in a major
PGA tournament in the South:
Charlie Sifford, at Greensboro,
N.C., in 1961.
• First Black boxer to win a
world boxing title: George Dixon,
July 29, 1870. Di xon tood five
feet, three and a half inches and
weighed 87 pounds at the beginning of his career. Dixon won the
paperweight, bantamweight and
featherweight championships of
the world. His career extended
from 1886 to I 906.
• First Black boxer to win
heavyweight title: Jack Johnson,
by knocking out Tommy Burns in
Australia in the 14th round on
December 26, 1908.
• First Black to win heavyweight title three times: Muhammad Ali.
• Other firsts and facts: In
1954, Johnny Barber of Los Angeles State College scored 188
points in a basketball game against
Chapman College. The winning
total was 206 to 83 points. Barber's 188 points were the highest
ever recorded in a single game by a
Black player.

*

Remembering

Ink Spots 1941 (left to right): Ivory (Deek) Watson, Charles Fuqua, Orville
(Happ y) Jones and Bill Kenny.

And Now Introducing ...

THE ORIGINAL INK SPOTSI
b_y Stoc_ye Kasee Richmond

After watching Redd Foxx on
various segments of his Sanford
and Son TV show continually
croon his rendition of this vaguely
familiar tune-"Or Can I Be
Sure"- while waving his little
Pinkie in the air, my desire to find
out as much as I could about this
group called "The Ink Spots,"
and if any of the members were
still around, grew.
To set the mood, we must fir t
turn the clock back to the year
1937 ... The country was in the grip
of the Great Depression. Job and

money were carce, exi tence wa
from day to day. But for four
young Black men from lndianapoli , life wa fa l becoming
a dream come true .
Ivory (Deek) Wat on, Or ille
(Hoppy) Jone , Charle Fuqua
and Jerry Daniel , the original
"Original" Ink Spots were reeling
and winging! Since the early part
of 1932, this quartet had wooned
the oul and captured the heart
of young and old . And not ju t in
the tates, but all over the world.
Folks lined up in front of how

55

houses and clubs for blocks just to
get a glimpse of this famous
group. And for those who
couldn't get to their personal appearances they formed their own
images of the singers as they glued
themselves to the mechanical
wizardry of the almighty radio.
The Ink Spots as well as their
fortunes and popularity continued
to escalate . When Jerry Daniels
was replaced by Bill Kenny in
1936, the group approached
greatness with Kenny's beautifully
melodic tenor. Their recording
contract with RCA Victor was extremely lucrative for this era. They
were earning the amazing sum of
$1,800.00 per week. Then suddenly, their world began to shatter, creating their own personal
''Depression.''
The Ink Spots began to crash
almost as fast as their climb which
began five years earlier, when the
"Riff Brothers" became the
famous and indelible "Ink
Spots." They were barely picking
up the union scale of $80.00
weekly in Philadelphia, and had
left Victor Records for Decca-but
their recordings for this company
bombed! Hoppy, Bill and Charlie
were tired, discouraged and
hungry. They urged Deek to leave
New York so they could return to
Indianapolis, but he insisted that
these bad times would soon pass.
He had a gut feeling and somehow
knew that if they disbanded now,
they would never get together
again ... ever. Yet something was
56 still missing. They had five great

Ink Spots-Late Forties-Harold
Jackson (top center).
years of experience behind them
and generations to come would
long remember them-but the 78
rpm seemed to slow to a long
playing 16.
Suddenly the light began to
peek through the darkness. In
1938, the Ink Spots, whose Decca
recordings badly needed flip sides,
were introduced to a young and
bright songwriter by the name of
Jack Lawrence. The first day he
came to meet the group he
brought with him a song he had
written entitled, "If I Didn't
Care.'' Although at first the
song's reception with the group
was less than thunderous, they
immediately began to mumble
over the words and form their own
tune. Dave Capp, the studio
engineer, had mistakenly left the
mike on in the control booth and
picked up the tune. With Deek
and Hoppy running over the song
in whispers and hums, little did

they know at that moment, as
Deek recollected, "We were
creating a style that would make
each of us millions.''
Beyond the bass recitative of the
bass, the successful style was attributed to the tenor/ soprano
voice of Bill Kenny. In 1939, he
matched his high-sounding vocals
against Glenn Miller's trombone.
Later came national USO tours
and radio programs such as the
Kraft Music Hall with Bing
Crosby. The Ink Spots sang the
recordings of, "If I Didn't Care,"
"Java Jive," and "Your Feet's
Too Big. " During the war years,
the Ink Spots traveled with the
USO tours and made some
memorable movies like, "The
Great American Broadcast" and
"Pardon My Sarong." But,

Ink Spots- 7952- Arthur Rand,
(top center) and Harold Jackson
(top right).

Charlie Fuqua was classified 1A
and was replaced by Bernie
MacKay.
The genealogy of the group now
begins to resemble the Kings of
England, culminating in 80 different groups of Ink Spots at
various times. Even today, there
are at least 10 different groups
performing from Los Angeles to
Las Vegas to Florida, calling
themselves The Ink Spots. Fortunately for them, each of these
groups have taken great care never
to refer to themselves as
"Original," lest the wrath of the
late Bill Kenny descend upon them
through his attorneys, friends and
fans.
One of the first questions which
comes to the mind of most is,
"how" and "who" came up with
the name "The Ink Spots?" In
I 920, when the group first
organized, they were known,
believe it or not, as the
"Perkolating Puppies" ... really!
Then in 1926, and with some personnel changes, they took on the
name "The Riff Brothers." They
kept this name until 1932, when,
as the story goes ...
Their manager at the time, Moe
Gail, was with the group in his
studio office during the signing of
their Decca recording contract
when, as he reached for the pen,
accidently knocked over the bottle
of ink and ... Splash!, splattered
ink over the contract. Deek Watson jokingly said, "Hey, you
covered up our name with all these
ink spots" ... and at that very 57

58

moment sil ence fell over the enti re
room ... They all stared at each
other a nd somehow they knew . ..
the name fit. The "Original" Ink
Spots were born .
Charles Fuqua and Deek Watson split up in 1952, but each
agreed to form their own
"Original" group, as long as one
of them was a singing member.
Perhaps a partial genealogy will
clarify who was "original" and
who was not.
In the I 920's, the Perkolating
Puppies consi ted of Charles
Fuqua,
Jerry
Daniels,
Orville (Hoppy) Jones and Ivory
(Deek) Watson. In I 936, Jerry
Daniels' illness forced him to
retire and he was replaced by Bill
Kenny. However, Bill Kenny ,
although not a part of the Riff
Brothers ( 1926 through 1932), was
always classified as an original
becau e the group's success began
after 1938 with their classic hit ,
"If I Didn't Care." Hoppy died in
1944 and was replaced by Herb
Kenny, Bill's brother. Deek
became ill at this time and was
replaced by Orlando Roberson.
After a contract ha sle of 1952
and 1953, Bill Kenny and Charlie
Fuqua set up two separate groups,
still identifying each as the
original Ink Spots. After the split
Bill Kenny was the only singer of
the original group to have a contract with Decca Records. He then
proceeded to cut singles, many of
which are still available today.
Finally, Audrey Kenny persuaded her husband to leave New

York for Vancouver, Canada
where Bill worked for a number of
years in the radio industry. The
last and final replacements who
perfomed with several members of
the "Original" group during the
I 950's were Arthur Rand , who
was able to capture Kenny's great
style and functioned as the
group's lead singer and Harold
Jackson, the talented bass player
who replaced Herb Kenny. They
functioned in their adjunct ensembles touring the U.S . and
abroad . Bill Kenny ret urned to
this country occasionally for persona l appearances and for recording dates. In the I 960's and 70's,
the public only heard the Kenny
golden voice on his old records .
Then the ups and downs finally
came to a quiet halt. After
fighting a losing battle with a
respiratory ailment, he died in
March of I 978 .
Today, Arthur Rand and
Harold Jackson are both residing
in California. Jackson is a writer
and arranger with the Symphony
Quartet of Pasadena and also
teaches music at a local college.
Rand is still actively involved in
the entertainment busine s. He is
both singing and acting and has
appeared on "The Tonight
Show," "Mike Douglas" and
"The Merv Griffin Show," to
name a few.

*

(Information a nd re earch ma1erial by We
T hree, Lewis Henry, Roben 0. Hahn and
Anhur Rand from 1heir upcoming novel,
" Will the Original Ink Spot Please iand
Up?")

Poetry
LIFE IS WORTH LIVING
Life is worth living
Wherever you are ,
Deep down in a dungeon
Or high on a star.
Life is worth living
It all has a plan,
When God knows you're giving
The best that you can.
The saint and the sinner
The great and the small,
We all are God's children
And He loves us all.
So pray when you're happy
And pray when you' re blue,
For life is wo rth living
When God li ves with you.
by Nick Kenny

59

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