®l)E CI)arIottE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1996
SMARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Divas, strings and Curtis King
Musical director King, helps Delta Sigma Theta, Charlotte Symphony strut stuff this weekend
By Winfred B. Cross
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was
going to have a time topping its
last couple of productions. Gladys
Knight, Nancy Wilson and
Roberta Flack each put on con
certs that left the city talking for
weeks.
So the Deltas decided to triple
the pleasure. Not one diva at a
time, but three from different
fields for the price of one:
Tramaine Hawkins from gospel,
Barbara Conrad from opera and
Supremes legend Mary Wilson.
The sisters decided to get the
best person possible to direct the
event. That person’s Curtis King.
Who is Curtis King, you ask?
Only one of the brightest directors
of theatrical and musical events in
the country. He’s done well over
100, including a star-studded gala
at the Washington, D.C., Kennedy
Center that celebrated the 30th
anniversary of the March On
Washington.
King calls his Charlotte extrava
ganza “Symphony with the
Divas.” Hawkins, Conrad and
Wilson will perform with the
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
with Jana Hymes conducting. A
mass choir. Voices of Carolina, will
also perform.
The idea for the event was the
Deltas’, but the concept is all
King’s.
Actually it was a dream.
“It was just an idea. It was
there,” King said in a recent
have his services.”
Stroud got King’s number
from Charlotte native George
Butler, a vice president at
Sony Music.
“I always call George for
advice. He was the one that
suggested we do concerts,”
Stroud said. “I told him we
wanted to do something differ
ent and he said he had the per
fect person. It was Curtis
King.”
Stroud called King and he
accepted initially. “It was early
in the morning and he was
half-sleep,” Stroud said, then
laughed. “He called back and
suggested a dream of
his...when he said that, it was
an idea that appealed to me
because it gives both groups
(Deltas and Charlotte
Symphony) a chance to share
what they have.”
King said he had no special
reasons for combining the
three genres, or for picking
Hawkins, Conrad and Wilson.
It just all seemed to fit, he
said.
“They all have incredible
backgrounds and are well
respected in their fields,” he
said. “All are great artists,
incredible artists.
King sang high praises for
Hawkins.
“I just did a concert with her
last weekend. She’s absolutely
incredible,” he said. “She’s a
brilliant talent, brilliant voice.
I’m definitely looking forward
to doing more with her.”
The gala will feature solo
performances by each artist. A
grand finale will feature the
divas, orchestra and choir on a
number called “What Color is
Love.”
“It’s a nice easy listening
uptempo tune,” Kjng said.
“(It’s) something nice to end a
concert on.”
King balances directing with
See DIVAS on page 2A
King
phone interview. “I have a zil
lion ideas.”
Daisy Spears Stroud is chair
man of the Deltas’ annual
gala. She liked the idea imme
diately. She’d heard about a
program King directed for a
Delta national convention, but
had never met him.
Now Stroud can’t say enough
about him.
“He’s just fantastic. An excel
lent person to work with, a lot
of talent, yet he’s humble,”
Stroud said. He’s a fantastic
young man. He’s very spiritu
al. He’s a people person. He
knows how to get along. It
seems like I’ve known him all
my life. We’re fortunate to
PHOTOS/CALVIN FERGUSON
Gala director King, front, with charlotte alumnae chapeter of Delta Sigma Theta.
Has The D.O.C. lost his m-i-n-d?
By Winfred B. Cross
away with it.
Last year Tha Dogg Pound
aped a picture of the Last
Supper on the back cover of its
Dogg Food CD. That trick and
the CD’s vile content caught
the anger of C
(“the nigga stole once or
twice but a good nigga’s
hard to find. Jesus did the
same thing
with
a
Expect retaliation
retaliation.
Various Artists
Smooth Grooves: A
Sensual Collection
Vols. 5 - 7
Bill Inglot,
compilation
producer
Rhino Records
☆ ☆ ☆
On A Two Way Street” if I was
trying to be close t.o a woman.
Nor would I feel comfortable
with Bootsy Collins’ “What’s A
Telephone Bill?”
There’s a lot of good stuff,
though. The forgotten treasure
“You And Me” by Rockie
Robbins is included, as i®
Shirley Murdock’s overblown,
but sweet “Go On Without
You.”
Earth Wind and Fire fans
will be pleased to know the
live version of “Devotion” is on
Vol. 5.
The pickins are slim, but
still some nice stuff.
Nu City Mass Choir
God Is Able
Bryant L. Jones Sr.,
producer and music
director
CGI Records
☆☆ 1/2
J^^ass choirs look to be as
big in ‘96 as they were in ‘95.
There’s a new one already,
called Nu City Mass Choir.
CITY mass
Delores
Tucker,
chair-
man of
the
National Politial Congress of
Black Women, who called it
the most profane CD ever
recorded.
This year’s most sacrilegious
honors goes to The D.O.C. His
Helter Skelter CD cover has a
giant cross, symbolizing who
knows what.
For his sake, I hope God does
have a sense of humor.
The CD’s introduction is
without question sacrilegious.
Comedian Eddie Griffin deliv
ers a eulogy for The D.O.C.
that compares him to Christ
bread and
fed 5,000 people.”)
Moments later you hear
The D.O.C. raising himself
from the dead.
Oh, how I wish he’d
stayed dead, musically
speaking of course.
Every politically incorrect
element is included on this
CD - profuse profanity,
degrading statements about
women, glorification of drug
and gang-banging.
Particularly frightening is
“From Ruthless 2 Death
Row (Do We All Part?)” a
saga of two huge rap labels
that aren’t getting along.
SMOOTH GROOVES