Today is a very sad day as via brother Leroy Burgess our soul surviving world has been delivered the news that the dubbed ‘ Disco Messiah’ Patrick Adams has transitioned to his next spiritual journey. I dreaded that this as inevitable as in life there is death, that this day was coming as I noticed the lack of Patrick’s presence of Facebook. Patrick’s soul surviving contribution to world music is immeasurable. It touched me personally as well as millions around the globe. Thanks to the help of Barry King and Dez Parkes, I was fortunate to speak with Patrick at length for our issue 61 of The Soul Survivors Magazine 6 years ago where he shared the front cover with Marc Mac & Taihisha Grant. It was one of the most insightful interviews and conversations during the 16 years of running the magazine. I’m so pleased that we honoured him with a lifetime achievement award in 2017 which he advised he felt honoured to receive and sent me a photo of him proudly holding it. A deserved Roll Call Of Fame awaits you in our next forthcoming issue 99 and I will be listening to PAP music and collaborations all day today. Rest In Power St Patrick Adams born on St Patrick’s Day 17th March… providential not coincidental. A mentor to so many including Leroy ‘Bad Bwoy’ Burgess, this is a huge loss. Thank you PAP for the ‘ Happy Music’ 🙏🏿🎼🎵👊🏿🖤

Just a heads up. I was approached to write the sleeve-notes for this incredible box set coming out on Cherry Red Records end of July 2022. With The Soul Survivors Magazine ethos of preserving the legacy of Black Music & it’s culture it is humbling to be part of such a historic and informative music compilation. Check it out and please spread the word as this really is an each one teach one project. Peace Fitzroy

 

The original Soul Train comes to London Friday 20th May 2022 at Sway with resident Bobby Dee and yours truly as the special guest. Making a royal appearance is the first lady of Solar Carrie Lucas and Freddie Lee. Looking forward to bringing that 1970s & 80s disco boogie and funk back with some swank and plenty of good music in the tank…you coming??


This was one day when the Bob Geldolf & The Boomtown Rat’s classic ‘I Don’t Like Monday’s would not have made the playlist because the Curtis Hairston ‘Morning After’ the Oscars it would seem that many declared themselves an authority debating the Hollyweird ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ Rock/ Bad Boy Will Smith Gate debacle at the Academy Award Ceremony. Tell Lie Vision is rampant in diverting peoples attention. The heat this is generating is quite something considering two months ago and for the last 2 years it was all about the pandemic, which seems to have gone AWOL on holiday because that yesterday’s news became tomorrow’s fish & chips paper when the recent war broke out. Now this story was the number one trending subject and even kicked the war between Russia & Ukraine off the William Bell ‘ Headline News’ tabloids. There is an energy in Hollyweird that makes people behave in some of the most extraordinary ways. Remember Will Smith said that Denzil Washington advised him moments before we saw what took place with these words “’In your highest moments, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you’.

Chris Rock dressed like a black 007 looked a little shaken but not too stirred after receiving what looked more like a table tennis forearm smash than a bitch slap from Will Smith’s reaction to a deemed inappropriate GI Jane joke about Will’s wife Jada’s alopecia condition. After initially laughing at the joke and probably like Carlsberg receiving the “If Tupac was here” look from his wife Jada, Sir Willston of Smithston decides to get medieval and become the black knight who rides in on his charger to defend the honour of his damsel in distress, his queen in green Jada Pinkett Smithston, and also curse her tormentor out.

There is history dating back to 2016 when there was a boycott of the Oscars from many black entertainers including Jada Pinkett Smith which Chris Rock attended and both parties publicly dissed each other in the process. Will and Jada’s open relationship curriculum activities have been aired publicly to the point that 12 days earlier comedienne Rebel Wilson cracked a joke about the couple at the Baftas. Now there was a split in opinions on whether Will was justified in physically attacking Chris for allegedly defending his wife’s honour with many suggesting he was 100% correct. So would those who think he had just cause have the same opinion if Will had attended the Baftas and did the Ray Carling of ‘Scum’ hard man bowl walk towards the stage to then bitch slap Rebel Wilson for rubbishing his wife? Well seeing as she is a woman and a white woman at that.. you can write your answers on a postcard.

In my humble opinion I don’t condone both Will or Chris for their varying inappropriate behaviour. Will Smith let his ego and his emotions get the better of him because of the immense pressure that comes with living in that fame world. He coulda and shoulda dealt with his outburst privately and without exposing himself and Chris, two experienced black professionals, to the stereotypical ridicule that our (people of the African Diaspora and indigenous African descendants) oppressors have bestowed upon us, and that much of the outside world have adapted and expect to see as that negative black on black epidemic we exercise amongst ourselves. The white on white violence dating back to the Romans, the Cowboys or the 20th century Italian and Jewish gangsters eras never get tarnished or highlighted in the same way and yet the violence is openly glorified.

There are questions of this being a staged event and regardless of whether it was or not, this was not a good look for black people period. This was played out like movie in front of the world on the biggest world stage the Oscars, and in a climate where overt and covert racism is rife, this gives the racist’s way of thinking certain degrees of leverage. It’s amazing but not surprising that so many women who claim to want to be recognised as Destiny’s Child’s ‘Independent Women’ were either turned on or endorsed Will Smith’s Sir Galahad behaviour like that made him become the sexiest man on the planet. What happened to stick & stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, or does one have to prove his knuckle dragging Neanderthal “Ugga ugga find me a woman” caveman mentality manhood prowess in protecting his ‘property’ when they are not actually in any physical danger. In 2022..Really??

To close all this greatly overshadowed the achievements of Will Packer the second black producer of an Oscars night and winners Quest Love for his brilliant film ‘Summer Of Love’ and Samuel L Jackson( congrats with a clenched fist) who also won Oscars. It’s a disgrace that their acknowledgement has been skipped over nonchalantly, like how Richard Pyror demonstrates in his brilliant ‘In Concert’ film how cooly black people skip over a snake in the woods, unlike white people who walk aimlessly and get bitten(Watch it and you’ll get the analogy). I will embrace the afore mentioned in their well deserved success but I will not enable myself to celebrate or indulge in some gossip like fashion regarding the fracas between two black men, and wish to claim it with any sense of pride and entertainment like many I’ve seen within our cultural community, simply because by default they are black like myself. It was very noticeable that Will Smith in his acceptance speech apologised to everyone else for his outburst except Chris Rock who he physically assaulted, who did punch below the belt with his remark but also whose assault on Will’s wife was only verbally. Will Smith has since allegedly written a Big Foot ‘I Apologise’ statement to every one including Chris Rock.

I get that he is upset but he could have been the bigger man and owned his Foster Sylvers ‘Misdemeanour’ without having Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ Coombes allegedly needing to call a truce between Will and Chris to squash their beef. To those who think this part of the post is race bating, and what happened was between two humans who are both fallible. Correct… but also think on this, why is it so highly publicised that Will Smith is the 5th black man to win an Oscar in almost 100 years of the ceremony heavily overseen by white people? These are two high profile black men who against the uneven odds are in this positions as positive role models to give hope to those from their cultural community, a sense of pride that against those uneven odds in the racist abyss they swim in, that they too can achieve great things. That alone shows it has everything to highlighting race and the cultural importance. The struggle continues. Words inspired by the Oscars and a few songs from my youth!! Peace Fitzroy

On this Wayback Wednesday here’s a Q&A I had with Howard Hewitt about 5 years back

Fitzroy…. ” ‘The Lover In You’ defined Shalamar as not just a dance group but the matrix one for me is ‘Sweeter As The Days Go By’ with that merry go round melody. Another record that reminds me of that is by a fellow Ohio native Steve Arrington’s ‘Mellow As A Cello’. What went through your mind when you first heard it as you can hear the emotion when you are singing it totally?”

Howard….”I love that song, it was part of the commitment album of us moving from RCA to Elektra. We all at Solar owed them another album before the move was completed. When Leon played it to me I loved it with the “shooby do wah” and so sweet lyrics. It had a good feel and Doo Wop feel and just sung it the way I felt it. There was a lot of good stuff on that ‘Go For It’ album.”

Will HH be singing ’Sweeter As The Days Go By’? Why not get ya ticket and ‘Make that move’ “right now babeeeh” for the 7th Sept @ Jazz Cafe

https://thejazzcafelondon.com/event/howard-hewett-shalamar-2/

Any Old Sunday started in November 2016 as a once a month Sunday afternoon to late evening soirée for those who were looking for alternative grooves to make them move. Starting in Kings Cross and with a few months sabbatical, we reconvened in the summer of 2017 and held down three regular residency venues in Camden and our last three were in Stoke Newington before the national lockdown in the spring of 2020.

Residents Dez Parkes, Dezzi D & Fitzroy(Soul Survivors) have a rich history together and between them in spinning and hosting Sunday sessions dating back to 40 years ago. The music selection is second to none as all three have reputation of plying eclectic music out of the box. Any Old Sunday has attracted a loyal devoted music lovers and dancers who like their music a little left of the right.

We are back monthly starting Sunday 12th September @ All Nations Bar 81 Broad Lane London N.15 4DW 4pm-9pm £5 admission on a nice wooden dance floor with space to slide & glide.. Food and refreshments are available and the venue is well ventilated and located just across the road from Seven Sisters underground station (Victoria Line) and the parking is free! If you really wanna ‘ Get On The Good Foot’ like JB we will see you 12th September @ Any Old Sunday.. “spread the word to those who may not have heard” Peace

https://www.facebook.com/events/994902234673564?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22search_results%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22search%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D