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THE VOICE
FEBRUARY28, 1975
Viewing The Arts
With Yvonne Gibson
ItllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMIIIMIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItlllllllllllMlllliriMlllllltltlllllllllllllllllllllllllMIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIMIIIIIIIIMIiriMIIIMII
PUSmNG TO THE TOP
THE OHIO
PLAYERS
The Ohio Players have
become one of the top
progressive .soul bands. Both
single and LP sales bear this
out, as does the incredible
reaction they receive during
personal appearances.
Few groups (rock, soul,
jazz or what ever) can
generate the excitement that
Uie Ohio Players give. And the
excitement comes from the
diversity of music they play.
The diversity comes
partially from the abundance
of musical instruments played
by the group. The Ohio
Players are Clarence (Satch)
Satchell, tenor, soprano and
baritone saxophones, trum
pet, flute, trombone; Marshall
(Rock) Jones, bass guitar;
Ralph (Pee Wee)
Meadowbrook, trumpet,
trombone, alto and tenor
saxophones; Billy Beck,
piano, organ, clarinet ARP
synthesizer; Marvin (Merv)
Pierce, trumpet valve
trombone, flugehorn; Leroy
(Sugar) Bonner, lead guitar;
and Jimmy (Diamond)
Williams, drums.
In 1973 the Ohio Players
made their first move to
conquer the music world.
Their second album,
“Pleasure”, was released to
the public, and off the LP
came “Funky Worm”. The
single went to number one on
the R&B Charts and hit the top
15 on the pop charts. The
album was top five R&B,
number 64 nationally. It was
the start for the Players. At
the end of 1973 the group was
named one of the top 30 soul
album artist, top 20 soul
singles and top 20 vocal duo or
group.
But 1974 has indeed been
the year in which their music
struck the highest. First came
a change to Mercury and the
LP “Skin Tight”. Within two
months it had out-sold their
previous albums. The first
single from the album went
top 5 soul and pushed the LP to
gold status (the Players first)
only four months after
release. But when the title
track of the album was
released as a single, that’s
when things really started
happening. “Skin Tight” went
top 3 soul immediately. Top 20
pop soon after and eventually
gold. The album also went
back into the Top 20 pop
charts for the second time and
pushed LP sales over 900,000
by the end of September.
Also adding the LP sales
was the Ohio Players’ ap
pearances with Marvin Gaye
driving Gaye’s come back
tour of the late summer. The
Players appeared at the
special request of Marvin.
The group got its start in
Dayton, Ohio, (hence their
name) in 1968. The group
wanted a simple catchy name
and settled on “Players”.
When the time came for a first
album, they tacked on “Ohio”
for a stronger identification.
The first LP was in 1970,
and it wasn’t even supposed to
be an LP. “We were working
in studios backing other
vocalists just to get their
recording experience.” Satch
recalls, “During breaks we
laid down some tu.ies, and a
friend of ours, without our
knowledge, took it to a record
company. The album and
singles released from it went
nowhere, so we went back to
college.”
One day the group pooled
its resources (all $400) and
went to a Tennessee recording
studio and laid down what
they consider their first
album, appropriately called
“Pain”. That album hit the
top 200 pop chart and stayed
there for seven weeks. Not
super impressive, but it set up
their aforementioned 1974
charge of the dark brigate.
Their new album is en
titled “Fire” and marks yet
another new dimension for
1975. For the first time in their
career, they have had a lot of
time to work on the album and
it shows. The vocals are
richer, the tunes stronger and
more melodic, and the playing
even better than usual.
A HEART THAT IS CANDY SWEET
I heard a red bird chirp.
A little song about valentine day.
He said, “It would be a grand occasion
frilled with candy, cards, and people’s charms.
A red heart being symbolic for her sweetheart.
A heart that is tender and candy sweet.
A heart that is everlasting and subject to human emotions.
A heart that grows warmer as it faces eternal forces that
surrounds it.
A heart that is willing to give so that it might be received.
A heart that is candy sweet.
Darcel Rhodes
LISTEN
Can I say a word today.
Look around and what do you see.
Is it something that makes you shout and jump with glee.
Think about it before you hurry away.
Borrow a moment of your precious thoughts - before
you criticize.
What your eyes has decided otherwise.
Accept what we can’t change and strive
for the betterment of the inner being.
THE AFRICAN
COOKROOK
By Bea Sandler
The publication of the
AFRICAN COOKBOOK is
significant both as a culinary
event and as a cultural one,
for it is the first book on
African cooking to appear in
this country or indeed
anywhere outside of Africa.
Bea Sandler, noted
restaurant consultant,
assembled the menus for the
very successful Tree House
Restaurants of the African
pavilion at the New York
World’s Fair. Sandler was
inspired by the idea of
acquainting more people with
these delicious and virtually
unknown African dishes and
traveled through Africa
collecting recipes. Sandler
also learned about African
eating customs and methods
of food preparation.
Her findings are
presented in this valum
menus for complete meals
from eleven African coun
tries. Senegal, the Sudan,
Mozambique, the Malagasy
Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Liberia, South Africa,
Morocco, Ghana, and Tan
zania. She has devoted a
chapter to each country,
writing charmingly of her
experiences in Africa, telling
something about the serving
customs, and giving
suggestions on how an
American can present an
African dinner with some
degree of authenticity.
These chapters are
followed by a varied and in
teresting collection of African
recipes conveniently
arranged by course. A few of
the recipes included are
M’tori (cream of banana
soup), Sumaki Na Nazi (fish
in coconut cream), Sosaties
(skervered lamb and
apricots), Salady Vocanocazo
(fruits with lichie nuts).
Oysters Mabasa, and the
authentic cous cous
Mavrakech. Who could resist
curry of beef Cameroon (beef
with pineapple and coconut),
Kinal Fried Chii, Ndizi
(steamed bananas), or even
the name Ojo jo Meat Balls.
JOR OPPORTUNITIES
FOR YOUNG RLACKS
by Adrian A. Paradis
The aim of this book is to
guide young blacks in high
school to plan their future.
Unfortunately, many blacks
attend schools where there
are no vocational guidance
counselors to help them plan
their courses or choose their
careers.
Lacking guidance and
self-confidence, too often
these young men and women
take dead-end jobs. They
night have avoid^ this, had
they known how to prepare for
one of the useful and in
teresting careers open to
them.
Written primarily for
black students, the book tells a
good deal of what a student
needs to know about choosing
a career and finding the right
job.
The major portion of the
book discusses areas that
offer promising career futures
for those who have a high
school diploma and in some
cases additional training.
Case histories about black
workers and many suggested
readings round out the
discussions-covering job
opportunities in service in
dustries, business, govern
ment, health services, sports,
etc. An extra chapter is
devoted to summer and part
time jobs.
In addition, the book
covers the importance of a
college education, the
possibilities for technical or
college training after high
school. Also, the op
portunities, for obtaining
scholarships and other
financial assistance. A final
section contains helpful
suggestions on how to find a
job, prepare an application, a
job resume, how to conduct
oneself at an interview, and
most of all, succeed on the job
once it is landed.
Whether you are seeking a
job or an exciting career, the
choice is up to you.
Whatever your goal is -
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
YOUNG BLACKS wiU help
you get to the right start.
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IDENTITY AND DIGNITY IN STRUGGLE
Look up!! Rise your head
Get out of the dirt, the filth, the mud, the mire
Somebody out there cares, somebody, somewhere
It’s hard for you to believe?
Yep, it is hard sometimes. Somebody IS there
Exercise those talents, develop them to the fullest
Learn to be independent
Sure! You can ask for advice
BUT
Use your own head, be your own man
Get up out of the dirt, the filth, the mud, the mire
Reach out! Somebody’s there to take your hand
Somebody’s there to hear your cry
Somebody has a shoulder for you to cry on
Somebody has a heart to give to you
Your friend, NO MATTER WHAT
You’re afraid? Yeah, it’s like that sometimes
Strength, man! Determination. Believe in yourself
Look up!! Raise your head
Get up out of the dirt, the filth, the mud, the mire
Somebody IS there.
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POEMS
Do you dare continue to
shut the world out?
Shunning those who love you,
care for you, need you?
Why does the battle
between your mind
and heart rage so?
Can there be inner peace
Can there be everlasting joy.
Open up your heart
Let the SUNSHINE in.
So beautiful —
So beautiful.
LIKE THE WIND
As wild and carefree as a beautiful red mare
Pawing the ground impatiently, thirsting for adventure
Calling for my grand, beautiful black stallion to come, to
tame me, to restrain me. . .
My spirit of adventure must not be broken ... it must be TAMED
For I will always have that tendency, that yen to be free and
unrestrained
like the wind
Just like the wind.
WHY?
When you really try to do
what is right, what has to be
done . . . what must be done to
benefit you NOTHING goes
right; and it seems the more
you talk the less you are
heard. CLOSED ... if not, all
ears are closing. Cannot the
truth, the desparation, the yen
to do, be seen? Is it not like a
light that brightens the dark?
Cannot it be seen ... the
struggle that you undergo to
be strong, not to become
weak, to weather the storm?
Who can you turn to? Who to
help you? to guide you? to
counsel you? It’s so terrible to
be all alone
UNKNOWING . . .
IGNORANT . . .
LOST . . .
Is there anyone to HELP
ME!!!