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
Whether you’re a ‘Plastic Man’,’Saint Or Sinner’, feeling ‘Young & Foolish’ or ‘Topsy Turvy’, if you wanna bring ‘Humpty Dumpty’ or are from ‘Stanhope Street’…next Thursday 12th August come down to The Jazz Cafe to see The Real Thing for the ‘Boogie Down(Get Funky Now)’ ‘Street Corner Boogie’. I’ll be spinning some ‘Can You Feel The Force?’ bullets from the 70s..doors open 7pm.. Make sure you’re there cause The Real Thing ‘Can’t Get By Without You’..You get me??
https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/the-real-thing-jazz-cafe-tickets/10891985?REFERRAL_ID=tmfeed
Good morning, here’s a Blue Peter one I drew earlier yesterday morning. Albeit I’m a COYS fan gotta big up this young Gunners and England football star. Just raising the profile of Mr Boom SAKA Laka a young African prince given the freedom to the borough of my old hood Ealing. Raise in Greenford UB6 15 minutes walk up the road from my local Perivale UB6 this 19 year old has achieved so much at his tender age than myself and many of my first and second generation Windrush teenagers did when we were a Paul Hardcastle na na na na ’19’ year old!!
This is one of those Sir Bob Geldof and The Boom Town Rats ‘I Don’t Like Monday’s’ moments, but I’ll say good moanin’ to the grumpy ones and good morning to the more philosophical thinkers. I was only 2 years old when a young, vibrant and all white England football squad won the World Cup in 1966. As a pre teenaged kid aged 12 10 years later I was part of the Perivale Middle School league winning squad class of 1976(middle row bang in the middle). Our squad really was Diversity in the mid 1970s before Ashley Banjo and his BGT crew took the stage in the millennium, with 7 African Diaspora Windrush children and one Asian brother and 8 white Caucasian kids. Racism in the UK was ever present, but as a multicultural team we wore our green & black stripes with pride just like the national team players did wearing the three lions last night. I went on to play for my Ealing Green High School and Sunday football for Perivale Dormers, hanging up my boots circa 1985 when I fell further in love with my spiritual wife music. As a Spurs fan I am used to the euphoric highs and agonising lows of football, and as a huge football fan at 57, I still like to think I could run with the ball like my nicknamed ‘Glue foot’ days of when I wouldn’t pass the ball, because I wanted to dribble like my idol Pele.
I watched England’s progress to the finals and despite being quite sceptical in the beginning I was pleased to see that diverse multicultural team reach the final. We can all be armchair commentators and managers sharing our Beverley Knight ‘Shouda Coulda Woulda’ theories, but with the end result that is the way the mop sometimes flops. I’m gonna be transparently honest..after Kane and McGuire score their respective penalties and saw that Rashford, Sancho and Saka would be taking theirs, I did put in an emergency Loose Ends ‘Dial 999’ “this is an emergency call” to the African Diaspora ancestors, to guide them in taking theirs, as I feared the worst of what has now materialised as in reality. I virtually and spiritually felt some of their pain in not scoring and I felt very protective our my young black brothers, because I knew this was going to be the calling card for the racists patriots and bigots. With all the documented racist abuse on social media people will still object to the significance of taking a knee!(Big up to the Italian Stallions for part taking in that process before the opening whistle was blown).
You see we that are non Caucasian, live in this world and this country knowing the system and anticipate in our auto pilot mode it’s triggers. We already know the anthems..”If ya white ya alright and if ya black stay back” or ‘Their ain’t no black in the Union Jack”. I predicted that the old school hooligan mentality would kick off if England lost and true to form it happened like it was written ‘In The Stone’ like EWF. There are those who think as blacks that when we serve the country we get a pass but if we are seen to disappoint then are dispensable like our ancestors were treated via slavery based on our colour. They practice their cognitive dissonance to what Raheem Sterling did carrying the team on the goal scoring front before Harry Kane found his shooting boots, and I’m so glad Raheem didn’t take and miss a penalty, as you can imagine that he would have gone from hero to zero status in the snap of a finger. This is where the ugly head rears itself in the so called ‘beautiful game’ sadly.😢
I saw the despair on Jack Grealish’s face and Gareth Southgate consoling a distraught Saka, and the shock off all the players and it was very uncomfortable watch. Regardless of the undesired outcome ‘This England’ team despite the trolling and objections to taking the knee showcased multiculturalism and did for at least the best part of three hours brought the country together, as well as through the whole tournament. That said congrats to Italy who other than England till the end of the final were undefeated in the Euro Championship and big up ya chest to all of the England team..who have great potential for the future with the injected pride via Gareth Southgate. I have a smile on my face this morning when I look at us liil Perivalian munchkins aged 12(some of whom I’m still mates with on Facebook) doing our bit for UK multiculturalism albeit innocently and bringing the shield home… shame that 45 years later there is no James Brown ‘Escapism’ from RACISM.. Peace and have a blessed day Fitzroy
9 years ago I was fortunate to have an in depth interview with Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff which was very enlightening. It was a members only issue but we do have some back issue which are available from our website shop. In our current issue 95 we feature an advert for an amzing box set Get On Board The Soul Train with a record review in the designated section of the magazine. It’s included in this Blog post so have a read and make sure you secure one and also grab yourself a copy of the issue 40 with the Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff interview.. Enjoy..Fitzroy
Today is a proper ‘Waybackintheday Wednesday’ for sure. It’s 15 years exactly on this date that the very first edition of The Soul Survivors Magazine was distributed to the soul surviving attendees at The Soul Village Weekender 7th-9th July 2006. This small acorn has grown into a teenaged soul tree that has produced 92 issues as the ‘info provider for the soul survivor’.
Co founded by Anna Marshall who left after 9 years in 2015 and myself still carrying with the baton, both of us novices and virgins at the time in the music publication industry, which already had a few still on going long serving and established soul music journals.
The Soul Survivors Magazine as a bi monthly printed and digital publication has been blessed to have some great contributors and advertisers too many to mention and featured interviews many with the following:
Smokey Robinson, Jocelyn Brown, Omar, Leroy Burgess, Jean Carn, Jeffery Daniel& Howard Hewitt (Shalamar), Melba Moore, Chaka Khan, Eddie Levert (O Jay’s), Robert & Ronald Khalis Bell (Kool & The Gang) Frankie Beverly (Maze),Greg Edwards, Robbie Vincent, Tony Blackburn, Dez Parkes, George Power Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson, Chris Hill, Colin Curtis, Trevor Shakes, Brand New Heavies, John Legend, Leon Ware, Larry Blackmon (Cameo), Wayne Henderson, George Duke, Thelma Houston, Teena Marie, Tom Moulton, John Morales, Louie Vega, Josh Milan, Nile Rodgers (Chic), Steve Arrington (Slave) and Larry Graham (Sly & The Family Stone). Roy Ayers, Gwen McCrea, Gwen Dickey (Rose Royce), Harold Brown (War) Omar, Bluey (Incognito), Carleen Anderson, Courtney Pine, Gary Hines(Sounds Of Blackness) Rahsaan Patterson, Natalie Stewart aka Floacist (Floetry), Eric Roberson, Jazzie B, HB & Caron Wheeler(Soul II Soul), Marcus Miller & Angie Stone.
I’ve tried to keep this brief as I have so much more memorabilia to share over the next few weeks and I will be personally thanking the subscribers contributors and advertisers in the forthcoming various posts. Happy 15th to The Soul Survivors and long may we continue to be the’ info provider for the soul survivor’