B Section
mn^rJ
THE CHAIUW>TTB POST - Thursday, January 28, 1988
i.
Page IB
Janet Jackson
as young people began to rebel
against parental values.
Chuck Berry, one of several
credited with being a Founding
Father of the new music, once
said Rock'n'Roll would never die.
He was probably right. The
music has been going strong
now for more than 30 years.
That doesn't mean nobody
was trying to kill the youth mu
sic-many were In Its early days.
It was condemned by main
stream musicians and from
America's pulpits. Rev. Billy
Graham once called Rock'n'Roll
"the Devil's work." The good par
son also branded Chuck Berry,
Little Richard and Elvis Presley
as "the Unholy Three-the most
dangerous men In America."
By the 1960s even the U.S,
government had come around to
Graham's view. Rock musicians
were reviled by presidents Lyn
don Johnson and Richard Nix
on. Still, the music wouldn't die.
As the French say, though,
everything becomes respecta
ble If you live long enough,
Rock'n'Roll Is now a big bucks
Industiy, And It's currently un
dergoing yet another revival.
Hollywood, which cashed In
on rockfllcks in the early days.
Is raking In big bucks again. It
all began this time around with
the 1085 release of "The Buddy
Holly Stoiy," More recently, "La
Bamba" has been pulling In the
bucks nationwide. Movie
soundtracks are also paying
homage to rock music. Ben E.
King's classic "Stand By Me"
was the title song in Rob Rein
er's hit film of the same name.
And the Invincible "Stay" by
Maurice Williams Is on the
soundtrack of the recent sleeper
hit "DU'W Dancing,"
Patrick Swayze, who starred In
the film, liked "Stay" so much
that he put It on the flipside of a
new 45 record he recently cut.
And the unslnkable little song'
also played under dialogue in a
recent episode of the CBS show
"Designing Women."
Even TV commercials these
days are done around classic
rock songs. The music that
Chuck Beriy said would never
die has permeated our culture to
a degree that even the legen-
daiy rocker could not have pre
dicted back In those days. Over
three decades, Rock'n'Roll has
evolved from outlaw youth mu
sic to American Institution.
Institution or not, though,
rockers have retained the vis-
Never
Die."
-Chuck Berry, 1957
ceral style that made the music
a secular religion. Though
many of the greats are gone-
Jlml Hendrix, Elvis, Marvin
Gaye, Janls Joplin and others-
the ones who remain still have
the feisty spirit that made them
superstars to begin with.
■That spirit was In evidence at
the January 20 Rock'n'Roll Hall
of Fame induction. Mike Love,
of the Beach Boys, lashed out at
Diana Ross and Paul McCartney
because the two singers chose
not to attend their Induction
Into the Hall of Fame at New
York's Waldorf Astoria. "It's a
real bummer their not coming,"
Love said. The brouhaha made
national headlines.
To her credit, Ross had sent a
courteous apology and explana
tion of her absence beforehand.
McCartney took a tougher line.
He announced he would not
"attend some phony Beatles re
union.
More recently, at the January
25 American Music Awards,
rock superstars made more
positive headlines. Anita Baker
won the favorite album honors
with "Rapture." She also sur
prised everyone by beating out
Whitney Houston for favorite fe
male R&B vocalist.
Houston copped that honor in
the pop/rock category. She
also had the favorite single in
that slot.
Bad Michael Jackson, who
has 11 previous Anerlcan Mu
sic Awards trophies, copped
only one-favorite single In R&B.
Sister Janet Jackson won for fa
vorite pop/R&B combo video.
Paul Simon won favorite pop/
rock album honors with
"Graceland," whose title cut is a
tribute to one of the Founding
Fathers of Rock'n'Roll. Well, as
the Mexicans say-lf It goes
around It comes around. And
the beat goes on.
By William James Brock
Post Entertainment Editor
Doing comely splits and con
tortions on her popular exercise
video, she looks like any other
glamourous middle-aged woman
who Is In great shape. Seeing
her making her health and fit
ness pitch to affluent yuppies,
most people don't Immediately
associate Jane Fonda with war
and revolution.
Yet the film star-turned-
fitness-guru was deeply Involved
In the Vietnam War-as an acti
vist protestor against American
policy during the conflict. Fon
da even went so far as to visit
Hanoi, at the height of the con
flict, to pose for photographs
with Viet Cong soldiers.
Ironically, It was also Jane
Fonda who helped create the
trend of Hollywood and televi
sion cashing In on the same war
she had so vociferously de
nounced earlier.
With the 1978 movie "Coming
Home" she helped launch Viet
nam as a cash crop for studio
and network moguls. The film,
as they say In Hollywood,
proved the war "ad legs" as an
entertainment vehicle.
The war had been show busl-'
ness all along, though. In fact. It
was the first military conflict In
America's history to get prime
time coverage on the nightly
news. Many editorial pundits
began calling It "the television
war" early on.
It all began right aAer the Ko
rean War ended In 1953. The
U>S> had 300 military advisors
working with French forces In
Vietnam by 1954. By 1956 Presi
dent Elsenhower had sent in an
other 300 to help prop up the
government In South Vietnam.
In 1961 President Kennedy
stepped-up American troop
strength-sending In 16.000 G.I.'s
during his presidency.
Both Presidents Johnson and
Nixon poured troops Into Vlet-
(Contlnued On p. OB)
Maurice Williams
staying
Power
By William James Brock
Post Entertainment Editor
One of the most Innovative tal
ents to come out of the great
popular music upheaval of the
1950s Is singer/composer Mau
rice Williams. Now living in
Charlotte, the great rocker has
travelled hundreds of thousands
of miles on tour with his band.
The Zodiacs. The song that
made him famous Is an unslnk
able little ditty called "Stay." Rol
ling Stone magazine calls the
1:37 tune "the shortest Number
One single In pop music histo
ry."
The singer wrote the song for a
girlfriend when he was In high
school. He threw away the lyrics
but fortunately had recorded
"Stay" a capella on a tape recor
der. His girlfriend's sister persu
aded WlUlams to shop the song
around to record companies.
The song became a hit for Mau
rice Williams and The Zodiacs,
establishing the group's fame.
Maurice Williams started his
career a few years before "Stay,"
In a small town of Lancaster,
South Carolina. In 1955, he was
a student at Barr Street High,
playing piano and trombone,
and singing In the glee club. He
and four other young men
formed a band called The Royal
Charms, and right away the
Charms started winning local
talent shows and playing high
school proms. One night a col
lege student from the University
of South Carolina happened to
catchthelr act. He booked them
to play at a fraternity party. It
was the first time the Charms
played outside the Lancaster
area, and It set them on the road
to a career that has lasted over
four decades.
In 1957 the group changed
their name to the Gladlolas and
Maurtce composed a song titled
Little Dmrlin. The tune, record
ed on Ehccello Records, was an
Immediate hit for the group, and
so strong was Its Impact In the
South, that shortly thereadler, a
nationally famous recording act
named The Diamonds did a cov
er version. It Immediately
zoomed to the top of the charts.
The song's success esta
blished Maurice as a double-
barreled talent. Not only was he
a gifted singer and entertainer,
but now he was also one of the
hottest songwriters In the busi
ness. The group changed its
name to Maurice Williams And
The Zodiacs, and In 1960, they
recorded another of Maurice's
songs. The song was Stay, and
Its tenure as Number One all
through the summer finally es
tablished the band as one of the
(See MAURICE p. 4B)
A Vet's Widow
These Vietnam war movies
might be doing a service by get
ting the truth out about the war,"
said Betty Potts. She learned
some harsh truths about that
war. Her husband was killed In
It. And she has had to raise two
daughters who will never know
their father.
They were high school sweet
hearts. They married young
and settled into building a fami
ly life. While Hany Mitchell was
In those bloody firefights they
were enjoying brand new baby
Bridget. 'That marital bliss was
doomed, but they did not know It
at the time.
When Pfc. Johnny W. Potts
shipped out for Vietnam In No
vember of 1967, Betty had a
feeling he would not be coming
back. By then she was preg
nant with their second child.
Youngest daughter Yolunda
never saw her father. Pfc. Potts
lived slightly more than three
months aJter arriving In Viet
nam. Neither of the ^ughters,
now In their twenties, remember
their father.
Two Army officers came one
morning at 7:30 to tell her that
her hu»and had been killed In
action. The young bride was not
Pfc. Johnny Potts
Betty and Johnny Potts
even old enough to legally draw
his military Insurance or social
security benefits.
Betty Potts has survived the
20 years since Johnny Potts
died by hard work and sacrifice.
At times she had to hold two
jobs to make ends meet. At
present she Is an assistant
book keeper with 'fhe Charlotte
Post newspaper.
She loved her husband, and
still has the wedding ring he
gave her. Her girls read their fa
ther's old letters from Vietnam.
But she has never remarried
and has never been to see his
name on The Wall.
"It's veiy Ironic," Betty said.
"He was killed In February-
Black History Month. 1 still
miss him around that time. I
think It's my destiny to be mar
ried only once."
There are other Ironies. John
ny Potts and brother Hazel
Potts served In Vietnam at the
same tlme-but never saw each
other during their tours.