Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / May 10, 1984, edition 1 / Page 19
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
THE CHARLOTTE POST ' * harlollt* ** (inmint; (<nmmunit\ \&**rkl\** __ _ \ __ Page IB - TOE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, May 10, 1984 Television’s Benson Is “Real Iif e” Benson By Tony Brown Special To The Post In 1977, television gave America one of its most -memorable characters: the fiesty, sharp-witted butler Benson in the tele vision comedy "Soap.” But what do Americans know about the man who capti vated audiences with his award-winning portrayal of a black man who moved from the kitchen to the Rockaway 4 Revue To Appear Here jtfie Charlotte Chapter of tm Second ward High School National Alumni Foundation, Inc., will spon sor the presentation of the Rockaway Revue of Jamai ca, N.Y., Thursday, May 17, 8 p.m. in West Char lotte High School. The 1984 performance is entitled “Music, Music, Music.” Rockaway Revue, Inc. is a group of senior citizens, ail over the age of 60. They are re tired professional musi cians and dancers. Ac cording to Dr. Mildred Y. Mosley, chairperson for the show, the group formed un der the auspices of the Rockaway Revue, Inc. which is a senior citizens center in Jamaica. The 90-minute program will be singing, dancing and orchestral music. Dur ing the intermission, three door prizes will be given away. “Members of the Charlotte Chapter are very proud to present this dyna mic group and cordially invites everyone to pur chase a 96 ticket,” Dr. ■ Mosley stated. The organization promis es an evening of laughter * and enjoyment board rooms of state government? In a rare and candid look at the man behind the image, “Tony Brown’s Journal” goes be hind the scenes to reveal the complex personality of Robert Guillaume on the upcoming episode, “The * Other Benson.” “Tony Brown’s Journal” is America’s longest-run ning and top-ranked Black Affairs television series. It' has been sponsored by Pepsi-Cola Company for nine consecutive years. It will be seen in this area on WTVI, Channel 42, at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 13. noDeri uumaume has driven street cars, shined shoes, worked in the post office and was raised poor in's ghetto in St. Louis. On the program, this multi talented entertainer talks about his childhood and his continual battle to keep his character on television from becoming another stereotype. "It’s been a little difficult for me not to take myself seriously when I’m going to appear before millions of people every week, and I know the cry ing need for black people to be able to look at this product and not wince and not be ashamed,” Guill auuie tens i ony Brown in one of his most provocative interviews to date. “At the same time, I have to be funny and I was always trying to find a way to be funny without being a fool.” Robert Guillaume, who has his own production company, is also critical of blacks in the movie indus try: “1 think that we are the first ones seduced by the glamour of what it is we’re doing. And we’re the first ones who buy the nonsense. Not to do any disservice to anyone, I just think that we don’t realize what power We have and what we ought to be doing with It." THE BAR-KAYS Popular pop-jimk-soul band Bar-Kays Keeping True To Their Rhythmic-Conscious Roots By Loretta Manago Post Staff Writer Making it in a business like entertainment takes more than talent. That’s only the beginning! To be come successful means that despite the setbacks and rough spots the thought to quit never re sults in action. The popular soul group, Bar-Kays should know this better than most bands in the industry today. Just when they were be ginning to gain name re cognition during the 60's, disaster struck. An air plane crash took the lives of all of the Bar-Kays ex cept James Alexander. He was on another flight. It took a lot of courage and guts to rebuild the group, but Alexander did. "It all happened so fast,” recalled Alexander “I didn’t really have much time to think. I was only 17 years old and I inherited it all. I was asked if I was going to continue the Bar Kays and I just said yes. All of the original members were like brothers to me and I thought they’d really want me to take the name further.” “It took roughly a year to reform the group. ” But for Alexander tl\ere was never any turning back. Nor did the Bar-Kays turn back when Stax Re cords folded. The original Bar-Kays were a major foundation of the historic Stax Records. Simultane ously, while the Bar-Kays were recording at Stax they were also playing as the late Otis Redding back-up-band. Everything seemed to be going well for the group until Stax Re cords declared bankruptcy in the early 70’s. This an nouncement left the Bar Kays in a web of con tractual red tape and liti gation. Still, the Bar Kays had the determina tion to keep their aggre gation together until the legal hassles were re solved. In 1976 the Bar-Kays signed with Mercury Re cords. With the majority of their problems behind them, the Bar-Kays were now free to do what they did best - make music. “They released six great albums in a row-"Too Hot To Stop,” “Flying High On Your Love,” “Light Of Life,” “Injoy,” “As One, “Night Cruisin’,” and “Proposition.” But with all the acco lades that the group has received from their pre vious alburns, it is their latest album, “Danger our," of which they are most proud. According to group lead er James Alexander, “This album captures what we’ve been heading towards for the past few years. Over the past few LPs we’ve veen developing our sound o create the catchiest melodic structures, while also keeping true to our rhythmic-conscious roots. I think this is the kind of music that appeals to everyone. It’s not bound by any artificial generic clas sification.” The Bar-Kays will be appearing with Kool and the Gang and Evelyn King at the Coliseum on Satur day, May 19, at 8 p.m.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 10, 1984, edition 1
19
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75