Musical heritage group puts out
I; 9
detailed overview of local music
ftV.PAUL COLLINS
fflE CHRONICLE
I ?
} ? A diverse group of European
Americans came to the North
went Piedmont via the Wagon
flood during the Colonial period.
Orhich was followed by a large
^iflux of African-Americans dur
ifig the post-Civil War industrial
beam, according to Kudzu's
tyewly completed "Musical Her
itage Overview & Music Inven
tory of Davidson. Davie, Forsyth
ind Stokes Counties. North Car
olina" Kudzu is Winston
Salem's Musical Heritage
Resource Group.
x k ?
book says:
"Euro
pean
Ameri
cans
brought
with them
their fid
dies,
hymns,
chamber
orchestras
Carlson
and brass; Atncan Americans
their banjos, rhythms and spiritu
als. From these early musical tra
ditions emerged hillbilly and
early country music, as well as
blues, gospel,, jazz, and rhythm
and blues. Eventually, radio and
phonograph recordings catapult
ed these music traditions into the
broader American scene."
The musical traditions influ
enced both rural and urban folks
fn the region. Musical pioneers
ranged from early Moravian
songster Gottlob Konigsdorfer, to
string band and blues musician
Preston Fulp, to early hillbilly
recording artist Ernest Thomp
son. to rhythm and blues per
former John Tanner Sr.
Fulp, the book says, was bom
in Stokes County in 1915. "Root
ed in a family string band tradi
tion, Fulp represents an archetype
of the transitional African Ameri
can secular folk musician who
moved from string -band to
blues."
Fulp - who played guitar,
fiddle and banjo - supplemented
income earned at local sawmills
by playing at house parties for
both blacks and whites.
According to "Musical Her
itage Overview & Music Inven
tory: "Fulp's musical horizons
began to broaden when he
became part of a pool of street
musicians who played for clien
tele of tobacco warehouses in
Winston-Salem. In Fulp's own
words, 'In 1937,1 started to go to
Winston and play at the tobacco
warehouses and would pass
around the hat, and I would get a
little change. Sometimes I would
make $100. I would go about
once a week."
Fulp was influenced by the
blues music in Winston-Salem.
He became familiar with record
ings of Blind Blake, a N.C. blues
giant, and Fulp learned to play in
the key of C from watching Blind
Willie McTell. In Winston
Salem, Fulp also came in contact
with hillbilly artists such as
Ernest Thompson and Matt Sim
mons.
Among other musical tradi
tions of the region, "Musical Her
itage Overview & Music Inven
tory" talks about "later African
American transitional music:
from gospel to rhythm and blues"
(ca. 1920-1960) that was occur
ring all over the South and cer
tainly in cities such as Winston
Salem with its large African
American community.
"In the early 20th century,
many African American families
in the Northwest Piedmont were
rooted in the community quartet
tradition that would act as a pred
ecessor to early gospel traditions.
This a cappella quartet was based
on the singing of the Fisk Jubilee
singers, and the gospel quartet
groups were originally labeled
'jubilee quartets.'" the book says.
This smooth, restrained,
choral style of singing experi
enced considerable change over
time. Recording artist Bemice
Johnson Reagon is quoted as say
ing: "In the 1930s, solo leads
evolved that mirrored the preach
ing tradition, and the jubilee
quartet became the gospel quar
tet. This change saw the prolific
creation of new songs and
arrangement techniques."
During this period, brothers
John. David. Pumell, Eugene Jr.
and Fred Tanner of Winston
Salem were among the quartets
and quintets singing the new
sounds of gospel music. The Tan
ner brothers grew up in a very
religious and musical family and
performed gospel songs with
their parents, E.E. and Marie Tan
ner, in church and on the road.
John Tanner, the eldest son,
sang with the local quintet Royal
Sons, which sang in African
American churches, gatherings
for white Winston-Salem resi
dents, and on radio stations
WSJS and WAIR. The group -
which also included Lowman
Pauling, Johnny Holmes, Jimmy
Moore and Otto Jeffries - landed
a contract with Apollo Records of
New York and recorded gospel
and R&B songs.
The Royal Sons became the
Five Royales. The Five Royales -
described by Juke Blues as "one
of the most important R&B vocal
groups of the 1950s" - recorded
five top-10 R&B hits during the
group's 14-year career.
The heritage overview con
clusion says: "Though clearly
separation existed between black
and white, urban and rural in the
Northwest Piedmont, in review
ing the musical heritage of the
region, one is struck not only by
the variety of musical experience,
but also by the commonality of
musical experience. In essential
ways, the cast of musical charac
ters presented in this overview is
connected by a common bond
over time.
"What Brother Konigsdorfer,
Preston Fulp. Ernest Thompson
and John Tanner Sr. all share is a
deep connection to music and its
integral role in community life.
Whether settling the wilderness,
playing the blues on the streets at
tobacco auction time, plucking
out a tune on the front porch of a
farm, or performing gospel quin
tet harmony with family in
church, musicians and their
music have been wedded to daily
life in the Northwest Piedmont
for centuries.
"At present, the region is in a
period of significant flux, and no
longer can we look at the area in
simple terms of blacks, whites,
farmers, and factory workers. As
the economy of the region con
tinues to diversity, new people
from all over the country and
world come here to work and
live. One can only imagine the
new musical experiences, and
bonds, that await us."
The music inventory section
of the book focuses on the
gospel, Moravian, old-time string
band, bluegrass, jazz, blues and
early rhythm and blues traditions
of Davidson, Davie, Forsyth and
Stokes counties. It includes brief
county overviews, followed by
events organized by county that
occur on a recurring annual,
monthly or weekly basis.
Elizabeth Carlson, Kudzu's
coordinator, said she feels "Musi
cal Heritage Overview & Inven
tory" "helps create awareness
and enthusiasm for the rich and
diverse musical heritage and liv
ing musical traditions" of the
region. "We think it will give
people information on where to
go to hear these traditions."
She said Kudzu has hired an
advertising firm and will create a
Web site (in late spring or early
summer) based on the informa
tion in the inventory.
Kudzu will have a celebration
of the completion of "Musical
Heritage Overview & Inventory "
Oct. 14 from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in the
downtown public library on Fifth
Street. There will be a musical
heritage revue, with performers
throughout the region. The public
is invited.
Pholo by Paul Collina
Kudzu, Winston-Salem's Musical Heritage Resource Group, commissioned the inventory.
Parker
from page AS
York and Los Angeles - lets
people know what he's about.
"They see that I'm not in
the business for the glamour
but to serve their interests in
the best way possible." Parker
said. "Being from the Mid
west signifies a certain work
ethic, and our clients feel
comfortable with that. They
know they can rely on us and
trust us."
Parker and his wife, June,
grew up in the Fort Wayne
area, where they chose to raise
their five children. The Park
ers helped create the Summit
City Christian Center 18 years
ago and remain active in pro
grams that teach life skills
based on biblical principles to
the young and old alike. Park
er also sponsors the local
AAU basketball program and
a new YMCA being built in
Fort Wayne.
And Parker preaches what
he practices: He wants his
clients to give back to the
community and have well
rounded lives.
"What we want for these
guys is successful, happy and
productive lives," he said.
"Even a long pro football
career is relatively short com
pared to a person's whole life.
We want our players to be
successful after sports, as well
as in other areas of their lives
during their football careers."
That philosophy is not lost
on Parker's players.
"I always tell people, if 1
could be anyone else besides
myself, 1 would be Eugene
Parker," said Curtis Martin,
star running back for the New
York Jets. "Not only is he my
agent, he's my friend, and I
look up to him for the wisdom
he provides on the field and
off."
WSSU again named
one of South's best
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONIC! I
For a consecutive year,
Winston-Salem State Univer
sity is tied for first place
among Top Public Compre
hensive Colleges-Bachelor's
(South) category in the latest
issue of U.S. News and World
Report Magazine.
The rankings are part of
the magazine's 2003 annual
ranking of top universities in
the nation. To compile the
rankings, the magazine used
several criteria, including an
institution's academic reputa
tion. retention, faculty
resources, student selectivity,
financial resources, graduate
rate performance and alumni
giving rate. The ranking
marks the third showing by
WSSU in the publication's
Best Colleges rankings in the
past five years. ^
In 1999, WSSU was
ranked second among public
liberal-arts colleges in the
Southern region by U.S. News
and World Report's 1999
America's Best Colleges
issue.
"We are very pleased about
this year's U.S. News ranking.
This honor confirms our com
mitment at Winston-Salem
State University to becoming a
premier regional institution."
said WSSU Chancellor Dr.
Harold L. Martin Sr.
BE
from paffe AH
tutions. Seventeen, including
Ariel Capital Management
CEO Johrv W. Rogers Jr. and
Williams Capital Group CEO
Christopher Williams, are
entrepreneurs who run the
largest black-owned investment
banks or asset-management
firms in America.
Women make their mark,
holding six of BE's top 50 slots.
Highlighted for achieve
ment are cover subjects Edith
W. Cooper of Goldman Sachs
& Co., and Melissa James and
Carla A. Harris, both with Mor
gan Stanley Dean Witter. One
notable. Vernon E.. Jordan Jr.,
senior managing partner of
investment banking power
house Lazard Freres, dominat
ed Washington power circles
and served as a confidant to
former President Bill Clinton.
The top 50 range in age
from 36 to 67 and have built
their reputations at the world's
most prestigious and powerful
financial-service companies
and investment houses.
For the complete list of the
top 50 African-Americans on
Wall Street, visit www.blacken
terprise.com/press.html.
Visit
www.wschronicle.com ?
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