ENTERTAINMENT
■ AND WHY MOTT - Mm Yaw tun. llw fcM Mart IP tram ONm, featiM
MM fUfiVf inv nnimmvr mkihii oivtr prows uni is n n i
■HMfel
hnd Why Not? Hits Top
■0 On British Charts
king music shouldn’t' have any
lies,” says Wayne Gidden,
pger/guitarist for the Birmingham
bad trio And Why Not? “If you
ant to do a song a certain way, you
iould do it. People always say things
n’t work that way. Our answer was
bays: And Why Not?”
[‘Move Your Skin,” the debut
land LP from Gidden, bassist
ylton Hayles and drummer Michael
ear proves that to be no empty
last. Rooted in reggae and ska (ap
irent in the chunky grooves of “Hie
ige” and the title), the band has in
irporated a wide range of
ainstream pop dements into its
wted sound. Gidden cites such ar
sts as the Beatles and Stevie
ooder as longtime favorites, and
knowledges Ms recent immersion
the won of Jlmi Hendrix as the
italyst fbf And Why Not?’s rapidly
oughening sound. Gidden is quick to
note that these artists all combined a
vision with a joy for playing. That’s a
fair thumbnail sketch of And Why
tot?
‘Today the majority of bands, in
:luding plenty who get a lot of
aspect, don’t use real guitars and
hums,” says Wayne Gidden. “We
lo, and I think that’s what gives us
befeel Wte have. Peel is very impor
ant to us."
“Move Your Skin” is a cornucopia
if tool: from the velvety smoothness
of “Correct Me If I’m Wrong” to the
bristling. INXS-like guitar-rock of
“Something U Got” to the controlled
rage of the anti-racist “Shame.” With
Steer and Hayles laying the founda
tion for Gidden’s supple crooning
(many have likened Ms voice to
George Michael’s), And Why Not?
practically demand that you do as the
title sayi—theirs is a musk that In
volves the listener.
Though the three are all still in
their early 10s (Steer, at S3, Is the
eldest), And Why Not? have been
playing together for more than eight
years. Originally known as M Plus,
the band drew inspiration from the
locally centered 2-Tone/ska move
ment, as well as Birmingham scene
kingpins UB40.
“When I was growing up, they were
the biggest thing to me," enthuses
Gidden. “If you look at early UB40
videos, you can see me in the au
dience dancing about. As we grew
older, we moved on to other things of
course, but reggae is still our founda
tion. If we ever feel ourselves getting
lost, we always come back to It.”
That roots-consciousness—com
blned with a sterling reputation for
sweaty Hve performances so cap
tivated British reggae statesmen
Aswad that And Why Not? were
chosen to open that band’s summer
’89 UK tour before they’d released so
much as a single. Recorded output
wasn’t long in coming, though. The
trio’s first single, “Restless Days,”
quickly entered the British top 40; its
follow-up (and the first U.S. single),
“The Face,” rocketed into the top »
(No. IS).
Grappelli Steps Out
With My Other Love
Jan buffs always knew that
itaphane Grappelli played piano as
veil ss the violin. In the ’30b and ’40b
» was heard playing the piano with
luch greats as Parisian gypsy
piitarist Django Reinhardt and sax
iphonist Coleman Hawkins. Now at
he age of 82, he finally is stepping out
with Us new solo piano album, “My
Other Love.”
Grappelli transforms the album’s
IS standards as only a master of jazz
mprovisation can. He adds charming
ind unexpected dimensions to such
Ri as “A Cottage for Sale,” “Satin
” “Ain’t Misbehavin',” “Time
■After Time,” “A Foggy Day,” and
’Looking at You.”
The production of this recording is
suite special. Its intriguing melodic
tnd harmonic inventions were caught
by Grappelli’s longtime friend and
producer Bob Thiele (Dr. Jazz) and
the legendary Grammy Award
winning classical producer Thomas
Frost (“Horowitz: Hie Last Recor- ■
ding”).
Grappelli spent much of hie
musical youth playing Jazz before the
second feature of dpuMo-bUl movies.
Now GrappeUrtelfma up with director
Louis Malle and has written 13
original compositions for the sound
track of Ms new Aim, “May Fools.”
The soundtack is so enchanting, so
foyous, and so youthful that it can
stud on its own.
Malle’s recent comedy is scheduled
for summer release by Orion
Classics. It revolves around the
“revolution of May IMS.” As he,sees
it,, the French had their groat revolu
tion two centuries ago. Ever since,
the privileged classes have ltyed ln
fear of another one. It ahnoat happen-i,
ed in May of IMS. But not quite ;.
Malle’s other films include “Mur
mur of the Heart,” “Atlutic City,”
“My Dinner with Andre,” and “Au
Re voir Lea Enfants."
PICA Records To Rel
Os Songs Hit, Aug.
... *.,<4 ' V..,
*
“The Sounds of Murphy Brown,”
m album containing classic Motown
snd ’60s songs by the superstars who
made them famous and regularly
featured on the hit CBS series “Mur
phy Brown,” will be released by MCA
Records, far sale in record stores na
tionwide beginning in August, it Was
innoUnced recently by George
febweltaer, senior vice president,
communications, CBS/Broadcast
Group.
‘“Get Beady’ end the Temptations
are a key part of the CBS campaign
or the fall season," said Schweitzer,
‘apd the timing of this record—Just
prior to the launch of the new
maaon—will extend the reach of our
neasane enormously The anneal of
Motown and '60s music to baby
women—even fictional ones like Ms.
*rown—is a way to capture and com
nunicate the excitement of the new
eaaon. We’re sure that the album’s
'danse will stimulate radio play of
these songs, and help get the CSS
message across to viewers we might
not ordinarily reach.’’
In.addition to “Get Ready” by the
Temptations, the album includes
such signature songs featured in the
series as “Respect” by Aretha
Franklin; “Nowhere to Run” by Mar
tha and the Vandellaa; and "Mercy
Mercy Me (The Ecology)” by Marvin
Gaye.
“Like the Whole World’s
Watching,” a song Written especially
for Murphy Brown and performed by
the Grammy Award-vrfaniaf group
“Take 6,” is also featured on the
album, as well as the original ver
sions of “Love Child” by Diana Ross
and the Supremos and “This Old
Heart of Mine (Is Week for You)” by
the Isley Brothers:
The album is produced by Artie
Ripp, in association with Warner
Bros. Television, and Is an MCA
Records production.
-
Court Upholds Policies
On Minorities And Womei
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)—The
Supreme Court last week upheld
federal policies that favor women and
minorities in awarding broadcast
licenses, a major victory for affir
mative action.
By a 5-4 vote, the justices said the
Federal Communications Commis
sion policies do not discriminate
unlawfully against white men.
In a case from Florida, the court
allowed the commission to give
special, favorable consideration to
women and minorities in awarding a
television station license.
In a case from Connecticut, the
court upheld the commission’s so
called distress-sale policy, which
allows a broadcaster faced with the
loss of its license to sell to a minority
owned business at 75 percent of
market value.
The ruling, which came in a con
solidation of the two cases, is a sur
prising victory for affirmative action
from a conservative Supreme Court.
In its most important previous rul
Ing on preferential minority treat
ment by the federal government, a
more liberal high court in i960 upheld
a public works program that set aside
a percentage of federal funds for
minority contracts.
Shirley Caesar
To Perform In
Musical Drama
“Phenomenal" is the only word
which adequately describes the
musical talents of evangelist
Shirley Caesar. Her artistry Is
evidenced by 11 Grammy Award
nominations, five Grammy
Award victories, three gold
albums, 10 Dove Awards, five
Stellar Awards, and thousands of
soM-out concerts.
Now. Ms. Caesar has decided to
expose yet another side of her
enormous talent through her
starring rule In the acclaimed
musical drama, “God’s Trying to
Tell You Something.”
“I really look forward to the op
portunity to stretch into other
areas of performing,” says Ms.
Caesar.
!*i'8
mma
More recently, however, the court
has trimmed affirmative action pro
grams. Last year the justices struck
down a Richmond, Va., program that
set aside a percentage of local public
works contracts for minority-owned
businesses. That ruling cast doubt on
the validity of numerous similar
plans of states and cities but had no
bearing on federal programs.
The ruling came as Congress and
the Bush administration oontinue
negotiations to setf.«> differences on
the proposed Civil Rights Aci of
199b—a bill aimed at erasing the ef
fects of the earlier Supreme Court
decisions weakening affirmative ac
tion programs.
Administrations say they’re con
cerned that provisions of the bill per
mitting suits by individuals alleging
hiring discrimination are so strong in
terms of potential damages that they
would, if enacted, lead businesses to
reinstitute hiring quotas.
The bill as now written goes beyond
the traditional discrimination
remedies of restoration of job and
back pay.
The justices said they owe special
deference to federal programs that
give preferential treatment to women,
and minorities.
Justice ‘William J. Brennan,
writing for the court, said:
“It is of overriding significance in
these cases that the FCC’s minority
ownership programs have been
specifically approved—indeed man:
dated—by Congress.
“We hold that benign race^
conscious measures mandated by
Congress—even if those measures
are not remedial in the sense of being
designed to compensate victims of
past governmental or societal
discrimination—are constitutionally
permissible to the extent that they
serve important governmental objec
tives within the power of Congress
and are substantially related tdo
achievement of those objectives,”
Brennan was joined by Justices
Byron R. White, Thurgood Marshall,
Harry A. Blackmun and John Paul
Stevens.
The dissenters were Chief Justice
William H. Rehnquist and Justices
Sandra Day O’Connor, Antonin Scalia
and Anthony M. Kennedy.
la A
2r*®*“
rflNMaa, a
Mt TiIBVIMm MalHMaL
VWnVUK.
•* emu la a graup af
J«ly *1(1-11 p.m. ET/PT) *Ttba
. i TERRYSTEELE “
Terry Steele Continues
To Demonetrate Powers ,
"I love great music and I record
any* great song,” says singer/song
writer Terry Steele. “I’m not the type
of writer—or artist—that feels like I
can only do my own material.” For
his solo debut album on SBK Records,
Terry wraps his three-octave, soul
packed, tenor-to-baritone range
across a shimmering collection of
tunes demonstrating his considerable
compositional and interpretative
powers.
Steele was horhiqJLas Angeles, and
was awakenfedtobis love of music in
his local church. He began writing
gospel songs before he was 10 years
o)d and, as a teenager, became direc
tor df the youth choir/ “The ex
perience,” he remembers warmly,
“was very emotional a very ‘up’ at
mosphere.”
Coming from what ferry describes
as a strict background, he wasn’t ex
posed to popular iptisic on the radio in
his home. But later,, as a student at
Chatsworth High SCbodl, the seduc
tive sounds of secular music—Marvin
Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Luther Van
dross, Chicago, and Sting—began to
mix with Terry’s sturdy gospel upbr
inging.
During his freshman year at Pierce
College, Terry took a voice class
which led to Ms first professional
vocal work: singing background on a
version of “Ave Maria."
“From there,” says Terry, “I real
ly started getting into background
session work.” Throughout the 1960s,
Steele sang backup for a seemingly
endless list of artiss including Diane
Reeves, Anita Pointer, Diana Ross,
Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston,
Luther Vandross and Ray Parker,
Jr., to name a few.
While doing some demo work at
SBK Publishing, Terry came to the
aueniion oi ume a.
ducer and |
ed with the Rolling
Wonder, Quincy Jones, Michael
Jackson, LaToya Jackson, and many
others. Ollie was looking for a male
vocalist to sing demo6 for l
acts and he put Te
“Prisoner of Love.”1
the results, he was i
ding to him, “I liked iti
song was supposed to 1
project.
I said n(
anyway.'
Ollie 1
pany,
which
SBK j
with EMI1
won: thee
E. Bros
Love” ap
It
ideal
work on Ta
assembled a W$i
porary soul will
eluding Ray Parker, Jr
Duke, Patrice Rushen, saxophonist
Gerald Albright, James Ingram,
Phillip Bailey, Howard HaMMaMk
Murphy of the SystegNPiPqRlf
Paul Jackson, Jr. “We have a great
relationship,” says Ste*l£ of 1
ducer. “WelSMWl
iirectly. OIMe’s ve
For the album; Te
“went out and fend'
from a lot of ]
“Any Way
Parker, Jr. and
with Brown. The'
runs the gamut from an
sensuous remake of Rod '
“Tonight’s the Night” fa t
soul of “If I Hold You Once” to-<
heartfelt gospel of “My Prayer.’
Atlanta Becomes New R&B Center
ATLANTA, Ga. (AP)-Gct ready
lor a plateful of soul—more hot
sounds from “Hot-lanta.”
Atlanta in the 1990b is emerging as
the new center for rhythm and blues,
Just aa Detroit did in the ’60s with
Motown.
Recording artists are flocking to
the South's capital from New York
and Los Angeles, drawn by cheaper
real estate market and more privacy.
“Atlanta was one of the country’s
best-kept secrets,” said Tom Wright,
owner of Cheshire Sound Studios,
where singers such ss Peabo Bryson
and Bobby Brown come to record.
“Not anymore.”
Bryson was new in the music
business and Atlanta seemed like a
good place to start. So when the
relatively unknown Bang Records of
fered him a contract, he snapped it
19. Nineteen years later, he’s still
here, alter raising a fafhily and
building a prosperous career.
“Atlanta was not a throbbing
metropolis full of opportunity in the
recording Industry, but it was also not
a New York City-all crowded,”
BTyson said In an interview.
“I wanted to develop my writing
style here, learn to make recordings.
Now the producers are here, the
I’m glad I
HR IDBT
nulti-platinum
album, “Don’t*Be Cruel,” sold five
million copies.
Brown bought a downtown
building, which he is calling
Boss town, to convert to a recording
and pre-production studio.
Arista producers Antonio “LA”
Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Ed
monds, responsible for No. 1 hits by
Brown, Reid’s wife, Pebbles, and
Paula: Abdul, opened their own label,
LaFace Records. They have an office
in suburban Norcross and plan a
nearby studio to handle at least eight
projects a year—including Whitney
Houston’s new album.
“It’s a place we felt we could raise
a family and live normal lives,” Ed
monds said.
Producer Dean “Sir” Gant of
Platinum Plus Productions, who has
worked with Anita Baker, George
Howard and Madonna, also has open
ed shop in Atlanta. Others who’ve
been lured here include the vocal
group After 7, Matt “Atlanta” Bliss,
trumpeter for Prince.
"Unless you're somebody
everybody really knows like Bobby
Brown, you’re safe here,” Bliss said.
“People aren’t used to looking for
stars on the street. In L.A-, yeah,
that's all it is.”
Bryson is a visible celebrity in
Atlanta. He’s frequently spotted
walking around town and says he en
joys the city's most popular and
crowded nightclubs—Petrus and
Ruperts. He’s also an avid patron of
the region’s first comedy club cater
ing to black acts, the Comedy Act
Theatre,
“Although anonymity is not readily
afforded, here people are very
calm,” he said. “They’ll walk up to
you but they don’t necessarily have to
bother you. You won’t get your
clothes torn off here. It has a lot to do
with Southern. hospitality. Our at
titude is basically different.’*
Georgia isn’t new to the music
scene. The industry has been building
since lames Brown formed his band
in v Gccoa about 30 years ago Pro
gieb&ive rockers kjlm, me Georgia
Satellites and the Indigo Girls all
started her.
But the newcomers arej
RAB artists
With the produc
chance at becoming a major recor
ding market, just as Detroit once
was, and other cities as well: Mem
phis, in the '60s with Stax Records;
Muscle Shoals in the ’60s with Aretha
Franklin; Chicago in the .‘606 wijj
Curtis Mayfield and Je
Philadelphia & the ’70s
O’Jays and Spinners;, and ]■
neapolis in the ’IQs with Prince!
Jimmy Jam r
Basis Starts Tour
July 9 In Seattle
m
m
* '"•V
mm
m
.1
Epic recording artist Basis will
undertake a major U.S. tour this sum
mer in support of her best-selling
album “London Warsaw New York.”
The tour begins July 9 in Seattle,
B[ash., and will culminate in two
spectacular nights (Aug. 13-14) in
New York City, the tour will be
boosted by Basia’s coming ap
pearance on “The Tonight Show”
(July 3) and “Arsenio Hall” (July
33).
“London Warsaw New York” has
sold more than three quarters of a
motion copies since its releahe in
February. “Baby You’re Mine” is
contem]
I’ve ever dp
playing the f
Tide,’and*
As always,
tight band 4