Kflfel&;^?-? vf^'.?'" INlfifr'4 iirf^4 >--^X.^>t^^' -' ?.&& '?? '} V ? .'.; ? ' 7T , '?' - ? "??4i^S
?
VOLUME 29 NUMBER 29 THl'ESMT, AUGUST 26, 1992 mm<m
JDavid Revels: All-Marine Team Boxer
?- - ???"-?'? s? .? *-i"..ie)m.
Last spring, in Phoenix, Arizona.
J David Re veto stepped into a boxing
ringsnd threw punches that glazed his
opponent'seyebrows and raised those
or spectators Afterwards the Marine
lance corporal took home more than
Ins leather boxing gloves.. He also
took the Arizona Golden Gloves Box
ing championship.
In winning. Revels defied the odds,
because he'douly been boxing for six
months. Despite this, he won the
Golden Gloves in the 125-pound
weight class against more experienced,
and better prepared opponents
The young Marine who grew up in
rural St Pauls. NC says for a long time
' he'd been interested in boxing and
warned to try it. Then one day last
October he was invited to a gym in
Yuma, AZ and was introduced to a
military staff sergeant who trained
boxers. Several oftbetramer'sboxers
had made the All-Marine Team. To
make the team would be a dream
come true for the 1990 St. Pauls High
r School graduate
B?t there was a stumbling block
cast.
Cyigubetwecn training sessions
days m a row. le ft little energy to train.
' On those days I got off wort, all
I wiMad to do was go borne and
sleep," he remembers The demand
ing work schedule afforded only three
or four days i week for trsimng under
the watchful eye of SSgt. Fete
Claypool.
People told the young Marine back
then he'd probably not make the All
Marine Boxing Team becauae it usu
ally take* three to four yean training
before being good enough , and he
just didn't have the experience.
Revels punched on. Pleased on
Then stationed at Yuma, he knew
he was "pretty good." Possibly good
enough to get a chance at showing off
his skill closer to his native state of
North Carolina
In hue spring he contacted Camp
Lejeune and was invited to the mili
tary base for an auditioa ut mid-June
He stayed on the base lets than a week
before flying back to Ariam He was
told he'd be contacteiWRfoout a
month and adviaed as lb whether he
had made the All-Marine Team.
It took the US Marine Corps less
than eight days to realize they had
their "good man."
Revels received orders to return
immediately to Camp Lejcuge and
begin nraining as a member ofpi All
Marine Boxing Team. It was jtmilant
news for the 21 year-old Lumbec In
acral^^Sie^^MMi^Moae year of
training as a boxer.
Revels says while there are several
Marine boxing teams, there is only
one All-Marine team. Hetefeoaty
Native American currently on the
hr??i? tmn which compete!
other military aad civilian teams. He
atreaaes that though he tsa boxer, ha
is a Marine fliet.
A natural U0-pounder, the fighter
has worked to lose weight so as to
qualify in the 119-pound claas.
At this weight, fighiersdon't usu
ally have a lot of power," he com
ments. "Speed is really all they've
(tot."
Like Ins idol Sugar Ray Leonard.
Revels is small, and very quick
"Although be was small, be knocked
out a lot of big men It depends on the
fighter. " he says of Leonard
Revels denounces tint boxing is ?
violent snort, but admits that on the
surfhce the act of throwing punches
back and forth at another person nor
mally appears as a flat fight when
actually it's not the cane at all
"Moat of the time the boxer ie
fighting someone he knows. The next
fight could be in the ring with s buddy
I don't get angry when I fight "
Revels's attitude is like that of
manyfighter?--tohiniit'saqx?t. But
for some members of his family it's a
Though bis parents, I D. and Denna
Revels of Route I. St. Pauls, worry
about
E^wOlyinpic MM?k
"Mv mom STbte tm of *e
reason I'at trying tontabe a. I've only
loKwiofflMAiMfkahiiilWMf
attheOlympic*beftxe Ihopttob*;
able to be the next. IfanwIeaMbk.
but tunc isofessence I've pot topal;
more ittiniDfl *
"Training requires discipline." tha*
II,-, (? It 1 ^ A **
Mar 11K SBYS nil InOiuflBnyHv#*
o'clock when he ariasi tiatscti wh| ?
httfellwt team-mage
woibouts. jumpiny rope aatfaaiSZ^*
Revels confesses mat he is happy *
sbout j 11., 8fltfSOOC?d y ||jg
land of Rixwson County. The coat
even when visMon his parents. Dar- ?
iny web visitsatmelr raral boats he '
uses the cbrt road in front of the boaae
as a padioa wbkb to ran. He has a
thebouse w??h/buik^
childhood years younger
his flats. The Aphrsr has a itapeoe.
'os^bsa the tareh is ti stpnal the
For he will be one of the U.S. ?
Marine Corps's "few good am." *
OnThePow ^
Wow Circuit
The following list of upcoming powwows is not intendiec
to be a complete list. Anyone having infivmatioo abou
upcoming powwows not listed is encouraged to sent
them to: Wild Turkey, PO Box 1075. Pembroke. NC
28372 or fox to (919) 521-1975.
? August 27-29,19th Annual Baltimore, Maryland
Powwow Call 410-075-3535
? September 10-11, Coharie Powwow Clinton, NC.
Call919-564-0909
? September 16-18, Guilford Native American
Association Cultural Festival and Powwow
Greensboro. NC Powwow Call 919-273-8686
? September 24-25. Indian Tribal Powwow, Indian
Trail, NC Call 704-273-8686
? October 1-3. Ltunbee Tribe's Annual Old Style
Dance Festival and Powwow. Pembroke. NC. Call
919-521-8602
?October 8-9, Second Annual Native American
Heritage Festival & Powwow, Roanoke, VA. Call
Britt Rossi (D) 703-342-5712 or (N) 703-362-1833
?October 8-9, American Indian Cultural Festival
(Fayetteville, NO Indian dance competition. Indian
traders Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium.
Call 1 9l0 483-8442.
?October 15-16, Waccamaw-Siouan Powwow. Bolton.
NC (Buckhead). Call 919-452-3778
? October 15-17. Hagerstown. MD Powwow Call 410
788-0254.
? October 15-17, 1993 NA1A POw Wow A Fall
Festival Dupont Tyler Middle School Hermitage. TN.
? October 22-23, Meherrin Indian Tribe Powwow.
Winton.NC Call 919-438-2166
? November 11-14, The Great American Indian
Expostion, Richmond. VA. Call 410-7884)254
? November 22-28. Sixth Annual National Native
American Cultural Arts Festival. Call 410-675-3535.
? November 26-28, Pee Dee Indian Association A
Chicora-Waccamaw Indian People. Loris. SC. Contact
803-523-6790
? Traditional Dance Classes Available
SINGING AND DANCING
Singing, drumming, and dancing
can be found Tuesdays and Wednes
days from 6P.M. to 8 P.M. at the old
Pembroke Middle School gym. be
side Pembroke State University
Tony Clark, the cultural coordi
nator for the class, instill traditional
values as well as traditional Native
American dance and music. Each class
includes Native American flute mu
sic, instruction in traditional singing
and dancing as well as storytelling
The class also offers instruction
4*% jiffi A? ??. i-|fci It an i4? ? ? n rti
in rraaivionai crang sue n aj? Deaaworx.
dreamcafchers,basket weaving, and
regalia making, Interested students
are encouraged to attend any session
between 6 P M and 8P M. Tueadays
and Wednesdays.
???iMBmtMHMmam
"When Elvis Reigned Supreme", newest
gospel album released by Charles Bell
?y ??rhara ?ravehav-Lachlear
Robeson County's late summer is
a season fall of harvest from tobacco
fields to orchards where tree limbs,
heavy with fruit, fall limply to the
ground.
It's particularly a time of harvest
for gospel singer. Charles L. Bell of
rural Pembroke. The 45-year-old re
cording artist and songwriter's latest
gospel album, "When Elvis Reigned
Supreme." was released two weeks
ago in Canada and the United States.
Immediately apparent, seen,
heard, and felt in the vocals and ac
companying piano styling of Bell is
the inspiration, versatility, sincerity,
humility, and moving compassion.
And when people hear him sing, they
hear Elvis Presley.
Bed does not imitate Presley's
style of dress and is not known as an
"Elvis impersonator. ' ine native
Robesontan is just blessed with a bari
tone voice that is strikingly and mark
edly similar to Presley who died 16
yews ago at age 42. The similarity in
voice is readily recognized, particu
larly in two of Bell's songs. "You'll
Never Walk Aldhe" and " How Great
Thou Art" whichappear on the artist's
newest album.
Bell is a veteran recording artist
whose love for gospel music was nur
tured frontage 10 by eight older broth
ers and two sisters growing up on a
tenant form in the Powersville Com
munity North of Lumberton It was
there ne often gathered with his ex
tended femity inside a packhouse or
around a tobacco barn and engaged in
gospel singing.
"We referred to those gatherings
back then as barn meetings." Bell
recalls. "It was like a church ser
vice."
Many-a-good time was had dur
r mg that period when he and his older
?? *
brothers strummed music from hand
made instruments they'd crafted from
discarded parts. Bell remembers with
laughter the first time he sang a solo
during a church youth service at
Hestetiown Church of God. He was
accompanied at the guitar by his
brother
"I began singing what was sup
pose to be a slow gospel, but before I
had finished, it turned into a fast one
because my brother suddenly began
playing the guitar fast er ."
Afterwards Bell says he learned
that his brother was struck with a
sudden case of stage fright and just
wanted the performance to end
quickly
Years later, guided by a profes
sion of Christianity at age 16 and a
natural musical inclination. Bell be
gan a part-time career as a recording
artist and gospel concert performer.
Now for almost a quarter century the
L urn bee Indian has been singing "to
lift up the Lord*'.
Bell cut his first of three gospel
albums with the Crystalite Gospel
Singers 23 years ago The group
performed throughout the area and
appeared weekly on a regional televi
sion station where they performed a
30-minute gospel show
For 18 years Bell was the piano
player and sometime load vocalist for
the Gospel Group. The Scon Sisters,
who now perform as The Singing
Scons.
The multi-talented artist has per
formed at numerous concerts through
out the region with other entertainen
as the Speer Family: Singing Cooks;
The Kmgsman Quartet; The Happy
Goodmans and other groups. He has
traveled throughout Canada and ap
peared on internationally syndicated
T. V. programs ohginat ing in Toronto.
Bell has accompanied hi* older
brother, the Reverend Mel vin Bell. on
numerous of hi* prominent camp
meeting speaking engagement* in both
the U S. and Canada.
The music background of Bell's
songs represent Southern Gospel; Big
Band sound; rousing camp meeting
style; contemporary rock gospel;
country gospel; and gospef sou)/blues
Some of Elvis Presley's magnetism
and charismatic qualities are seen,
heard and felt.
A chance meeting last year
brought Bell together with Brant
Jospeh Maracle. a poet, author,
songwriter, and internationally rec
ognized lecturer from Canada.
Maracle encouraged Bell to cut the
album. "When Elvis Reigned Su
preme " A Maracle poem about an
Elvis Presley religious experience
whereas the Rock and Roll King pub
licly displayed spiritual emotion at an
Easter church service in the late Id50's
inspired a collaboration in writing the
lyrics and melody for the album's title
song. It is one of the nine songs which
appears on Bell's cassette tape which
was released to area outletstwo weeks
ago
Bell says the underlying message
in creating (he song was that while
Presley was lorn between two worlds
of music, he never faltered in his love
for gospel musk
Bell says his decision to record
the some about Presley came only
after he'd prayed for a week.
"I asked God to release His spirit
for me to record the song". He com
ments that it 's important for people to
understand that m selecting the song,
that he's not pushing Presley, but la
"pushing the Lord.
"In no way do I impersonate
Elvis. If I sound like him when I sing
? ? : -***? ' '?)
gospel music. n'ublmwg Bom the.'
Lord and for the uplifting ofHim Not "
Elvis."
The famed Jordmmtrss. lack* Z
pound vocals for Elvis Pmsley for
more than 15 year* strut as bach? ^
ground vocals for Bell oa his newest -
release.
Recorded at MmmskI Sound Stw
dio in Big Stone Gap. Va and at
Studio 120 in Nashville. TN. "Whep
Elvis Reigned Supreme" w produced
u. r\a#4r LAstJiiM
nv Lnrh kwiimw
fMnRncr on^iiMi son^,, vxic won *
Chance", which appears on the fa
bum was written by Bd I I (years ago. J
and OrntecordedthruL The songwriter ?
lyncsand melodist usually come while Z
he is driving He often carries paper *
Altil fl^AM a M Itl? nB^^MaA iLwiuli
JUKI pelt in ml Car MKS )OII fnem ?mH n
and sometimes records them homed!* *
ately upon arrtvuig home.
Bell says the past year has hsen ?
the busiest ofMsmbTA self proteased ?'
perfectionist, he retreats to a music
studio he built on his property tyoass ;*
ago It is facte he steals time ?o~*
meditate, sing and tumpust psspif :
tongs and contemplate the making of >
another album Maybe neat year. It *
could just be the one which would ?
include a gospel duet with his wife of "
25 years, the former Amiene lorhlesr *
The coupie have two children. Tamntjr f
Bell I tvklrar and Ricardo Bell The ?
Belle are longtime members of Ufa. "?
art, tJ^ai CU L - - A A a? Uh ,ia W
my newness v mvch wikvc nv. pm?^
"Sw tlw W HVMIMI ^
to be met." BeR conunemn of fas* -
qiK-^tiowof m<*ietary gain wrsos hies*.. 2 ?;
ings gawi in recordmg and performing
gospel music, "but if one lapoiftg into.* ~
t'osry I sincinc for more rhan Ite awv*
r r r v fa ?
tual Musings. they'll he let down. ?' ?
Forme it'ernongh to know I'm lifting Z
up the Load in song".
fat . -
.far' fa"
a