Old School Friday: The Whispers

My two daughters recently saw this photo of me in my younger days on stage with The Whispers. My youngest daughter didn't know anything about them. The eldest daughter simply explained that they are "Old School". It seemed like a good time to play the Old School Friday music again on my blog!





Just sit back, close your eyes and allow The Whispers to take you on a musical high with this powerful song that any man would want to sing to his lady. I imagine that any lady would love to know that a brother had this song and thought in his heart as he thinks of her. This is ol' school brothers and sisters!

Old School Friday: The O'Jays and Simply Red

The theme for this week's Old School Friday meme is All About the Benjamins.

The first song that came to mind was simple ... who doesn't remember The O'Jays talking about cash money in their 1974 hit song, For The Love of Money!



However, my current economic situation seems to flow more with Simply Red and his lyrics from his first big hit, Money's Too Tight To Mention:

I been laid off, my rent is due
My kids all need brand new shoes
So I went to the bank to see what they could do
They said 'son looks like bad luck got a hold on you'

Old School Friday: Corinne Bailey Rae

My eldest niece can sing like an angel. She sang 'Like A Star' as a tribute to her mother on this date in 2010. The song fit the spirit of my late sister perfectly. I hope that this song inspires you as it did me.

Related articles

• I want to be friends with...Corinne Bailey Rae
• Corinne Bailey Rae - Is This Love
• Corinne Bailey Rae-Like A Star

Old School Friday: New Edition

I was in college when New Edition took the world by storm in the eighties. As a result, they were never the equivalent of the Jackson 5 in my mind. However, it is impressive to see how long they survived in the music industry. Ronnie Devoe, Bobby Brown, Rickey Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ralph Tresvant originally made up New Edition. They got their start in the music business when they weren't even teenagers. Their musical journey has seen them have success as a bubblegum pop group, a mature R&B group, and even as solo superstars.

The group originated in Boston and burst on the scene with their 1983 debut album 'Candy Girl.' Some of their early hits included 'Mr. Telephone Man,' and 'Cool It Now.' As they grew older, they drifted apart. Their most eclectic member, Bobby Brown, would leave New Edition to pursue a solo career in 1986. New Edition would remain strong, however, with R&B crooner Johnny Gill replacing Brown.

The song that still resonates with me from New Edition was 'Can You Stand the Rain'.

Related articles

• Top Ten Songs by New Edition
• 25th Anniversary Retrospective Of Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel" & New Edition's "Heart Break"

Old School Friday * The Emotions

Do any of y'all remember The Emotions? I remember them as being three Nubian sisters with powerful voices and lyrics that seemed to hit home more often than not. One of the first songs I remember from this is Don't Ask My Neighbors





My favorite song by The Emotions was on the radio back in 1976. If you listen to the full song you will hear a message that brothers today need to hear more than they needed it back then. Don't you agree?





Finally, it is Christmas time. In fact, the reason that I created this blog post was to highlight this next song -- sometimes it hits home more than I like. Have you ever wondered what the lonely do for Christmas?

Old School Friday - 'Lady' (The Whispers)

Your life is blessed if you have a woman in your life to whom these lyrics are meaningful. Some of us have loved and lost ... and I'm convinced that this better than to have never loved at all. Enjoy the magical music of The Whispers!

Old School Friday * René & Angela

René & Angela were an 1980s R&B duo consisting of artists René Moore and Angela Winbush.  Angela met René in 1979, formed the group. The two dated for a brief time in the beginning of their careers.

One of my favorite songs back in the day was Your Smile by René & Angela. This was the first song with Angela singing solo. As it turned out René didn't have the stones to handle Angela's talent. He ended up turning to violence and that was the end of the musical efforts of the career. Unlike Rihanna and Chris Brown ... Angela left René forever.

I always thought that she was singing this song about René when I heard it.  I learned recently that she was thinking about her grandmother as the inspiration for this song.




The proof is in the pudding. I've never heard from Rene Moore since the group split up. However, Angela Winbush broke out in 1987 with a #1 ballad called, "Angel"




Learn more about Angela Winbush here.

Old School Friday * Merry Christmas Baby

We had our first snowflakes yesterday. Thanksgiving leftovers are gone. It truly is time to begin the preparations for Christmas. What better way to get in the mood than to listen to a few different renditions of Merry Christmas Baby. The song was originally written by Charles Brown. Here he is singing it live.





My favorite version is the one that Ray Charles gave back in 1979 while on tour in Germany.





And you know a song is a classic when it brings together people as different as these two!





Merry Christmas Villagers!

Old School Friday: Ron Carter, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter

My father enjoyed ol' school jazz. He had hours of reel-to-reel tapes of jazz musicians that he would listen to in his study or in the living room. He never really talked with me about the specific artists that he liked. I have to believe that Miles Davis was on his short list. My dad passed away a few years ago. I listened to this 1963 set by Davis, Herbie Hancock and others that was recorded in Stockholm ... and I thought of my Dad.

I hope you enjoy the vibe as well!

Old School Friday: Pieces of a Dream

This is the time of year that I enjoy watching the NBA playoffs. I was born and raised in Los Angeles ... so I've been a Lakers fan for all of my life. The Lakers have won 16 world championships ... but, they've lost quite a few championships as well ... including the one in 1982-1983. That was the year that Moses Malone and the Philadelphia 76ers kicked our butt.

The Philadelphia 76ers were a remarkable team that year. Before the playoffs began, reporters asked how the playoffs would run. Malone answered "four, four, four" — in other words, predicting that the Sixers would sweep all three rounds to win the title, with the minimum 12 games. Malone's deep voice made his boast sound like "fo', fo', fo'."

The Sixers backed up Malone's boast. They demolished the East with a 65-17 record; swept New York in the Eastern Semifinals; beat Milwaukee in five; and then overwhelmed the Lakers in the NBA Finals in four straight. It was a playoff run with only one loss. Malone was named Most Valuable Player for both the regular season and the Finals.

A jazz group called Pieces of a Dream rephrased Malone's prediction as "fo', fi', fo'" (four, five, four) in a song that I still think about every year when the playoffs come around.

Do you remember it?



Pieces Of A Dream - Fo-fi-fo (Funk #24)
Uploaded by KSOSA. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.
Do you have any ol' school songs that you think about when basketball is being played? For that matter ... do you remember Pieces of a Dream at all?

Old School Friday * Gil Scott-Heron

At some point I am going to need to introduce my children to Gil Scott-Heron. The same way that my father introduced me to The Blues on the reel-to-reel tapes that he kept up in his study. Gil Scott-Heron is a griot in every sense of the world. He is a word-magician who first recorded 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' over 35 years ago.


I suspect that Gil Scott-Heron would be at or near the top of a list of my favorite musicians of all time. Rappers today have lyrics that rarely stand the test of time. Scott-Heron has lyrics that will last for generations. That is why I decided to use him as the inspiration for today's Old School Friday post.

What is your favorite song or memory of Gil Scott-Heron?

Old School Friday: Oscar Brown, Jr.

Originally Posted: 3/28/2008

The only decent thing that came out the Hot Ghetto Mess controversy brought to us by BET in 2007 was the re-introduction of an American legend, Oscar Brown, Jr. to a new audience of young people. Do y'all remember the Bid 'Em In song?






I have a dozen or songs from Oscar Brown, Jr. on my I-Pod. Dat Dere ... Signifyin' Monkey ... The Work Song and others. He was a talented brother. Check out these clips from a documentary done on his life.





Oscar Brown, Jr. was rooted in jazz. He was a singer, poet, and activist. At the end of the day it was impossible to put a musical categorization on his long and eclectic career -- a forerunner of the political consciousness that would become predominant in soul, funk, and hip-hop in the decades to follow, his efforts to exact social change spread across the arts and even into government, spurring two unsuccessful but memorable campaigns for office.

Oscar Brown, Jr. appeared on Def Poetry Jam at least three times before he died in 2005. Check out his jazzy poem called, 'I Apologize'.

Old School Friday * Rick James

The theme for this week's Old School Friday meme is It's Cold Outside. I can relate to that theme ... especially today. The entire city of Cincinnati shut down today as a result of a snowstorm. I stayed in the crib with my centralized heat for the entire day! However, I couldn't really come up with a non-Christmas song that reflects the temperature outside. So, I went in a different direction.






How many of you remember Rick James and his tribute to a cold-blooded woman? Evidently, Rick James wrote the song in memory of his former girlfriend Linda Blair ... famous for her role in the Exorcist movie.

Dave Chapelle used the song's title in his recurring comedy sketch about Rick James.

Old School Friday: Nat King Cole

This blog is using the Old School Friday meme to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the powerful vocals and emotions from Nat King Cole as he sings a classic Christmas song.





I hope you enjoyed this musical selection. What is your favorite Christmas song of all time?

Old School Friday * This Christmas

Are you in the full glow of the Christmas season yet? If not, we'll try to help you with a couple glorious versions of 'This Christmas'. The first is the original stylings of Donny Hathaway. The second is from one of my favorite old school groups, The Whispers.





The Whispers had a number of Christmas songs back in the day. This was always one of my favorites.

What is your favorite Christmas song?

Old School Friday * Band Aid, 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'

Band Aid was a British and Irish charity supergroup, founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the record "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year.





The record was released on November 29, 1984, and went straight to No. 1 in the United Kingdom singles chart, outselling all the other records in the chart put together.  It became the fastest-selling single of all time in the UK, selling a million copies in the first week alone. It stayed at No. 1 for five weeks, selling over three million copies and becoming easily the biggest-selling single of all time in the UK.

Old School Friday * Patrice Rushen

Patrice Rushen was trained as a classical pianist. I remember enjoying her vibe back in the late 1970s when I was in college. Here are two of my favorite Rushen songs!







You can learn more about Patrice Rushen from her official website.   Are any of you ol' school enough to remember Sis. Rushen?

Old School Friday * Yarbrough and Peoples

Calvin Yarbrough and Alise Peoples grew up together in Dallas, Texas. I remember Yarbrough & Peoples for a song they put out in 1981 called, Don't Stop the Music. Do any of y'all remember this one?




I don't think that they qualify as a 'one-hit wonder' because they did have another hit that made it to #1 in 1984.






Did y'all notice a very young Ice-T in the second video? I guess this was gig that he got before he began the gangsta rap portion of his career.

Old School Friday * The Manhattans

The Manhattans were a remarkable R&B group that I remember listening to during my college days. I suspect that many villagers have their own personal take on Let's Just Kiss and Say Goodbye. I know that the lyrics for this song apply to some periods of my life. How about you?





On the flip side, the lyrics of this next song by The Manhattans also resonate with many villagers.





Are there any groups making this type of music nowadays?

Old School Friday * Heatwave

There is a great television series produced by TV-One called 'Unsung'. The episode this week focused on the group Heatwave. I have deep memories of Heatwave songs from my time in college. However, until I saw this show I never knew the background of the group. I knew the Heatwave logo ... but, never knew about the tragedy that followed the group.

• the original six members came from five different countries
• one member was shot and killed in Chicago
• one member was stabbed by his girlfriend in London
• the two lead singers were brothers
• the founder of the group spent the last 25 years of his life as a quadriplegic
• the organist in the group wrote majority of Heatwave songs and eventually left the group to become full-time songwriter. He wrote the top-selling song in music history -- Thriller, sung by Michael Jackson

I didn't know any of these factoids. All I knew is that Heatwave could bring the noise in a soulful, funky or upbeat (...y'all remember Boogie Nights!) manner. Here are two of my favorite Heatwave songs.











What is your favorite Heatwave memory?