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Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops Was One Of The Best

 

Growing up in Harlem, the Four Tops were the epitome of excellence when they performed at the famous Apollo Theatre. As talented, well groomed entertainers, many young Black boys wanted to look and dress like them. You would hear their songs at all of our dances and family gatherings. They had positive lyrics the entire family could sing. But they were equally as popular among whites the world over, because excellence has no color. Levi Stubbs was the ultimate crooner. Married for over 48 years, he was also a strong family man. I and my wife had the privledge, 15 years ago by chance, meeting Levi after his show in an elevator in Las Vegas. He was a true gentleman. Levi, the world is going to miss you but you're singing with the angels now.

 

The Four Tops Performed Together For Over 40 Years.

Why Some Hip Hop Music Poisons The Mind: Bridget Gray

Over the past few years, my teenagers and I have had a debate about some Hip Hop lyrics which are demeaning, especially to young Black women. They have heard me repeatedly say that the mind is like the body. When you feed your body good nutritious food, you continue to grow healthy and stong, helping you to avoid serious medical issues. But when you eat poor quality, high caloric foods, or listen to negative, deragatory music, your thoughts , your actions and how you see yourself and others,  start to reflect this poison. When my kids get in my car, they know they are going to take a trip to Motown, or a walk with Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Nancy Wilson or Country Music singer Rissi Palmer. I'm poud to share with them the rich history of Black Music. But early this morning my daughter came running into me saying Daddy you need to hear this. Since she knows how I feel about most hip hop music, I took the time to listen and I was pleasantly surprised.

Just maybe a change is coming before it's to late. Before we loose our mucical roots altogether and someone else claims they were the creators of what is ours.

Michael Jackson: What He Means To Black America

Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five represent yet another example of Black excellence emerging against the odds. Barry Gordy started Motown with nothing more than a dream, desire and hard work. Young Black entertainers came to him with the same and together with trust and committment in themselves and one another they were able to tear down the walls of racism that had divided the music industry with segregated audiences and the limiting of Black entertainers access to the marketplace.  Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 were at the forefront of this sweeping change.

After hearing of the death of pop star Michael Jackson, three people hug as they sing songs in front of the Apollo Theater in the Harlem, NYC Photo: AFP

Twenty years ago in America every black girl wanted to marry Michael Jackson

By Leonard Doyle in Washington
Published: 11:30AM BST 26 Jun 2009

As a young black performer Micahel Jackson's songs communicated emotions far beyond the grasp of an adolescent boy and black America swooned.

When he burst on the scene in the 1970s at the heart of his family group the Jackson 5, he seemed like the boy who knew too much.

When the band first toured the Mid West it often opened for down-at-heel striptease acts on what was known as the "chitlin' circuit". The Jacksons eventually signed with the black record label Motown in 1968.

As a dancer and a performer, Jackson was an androgynous boy-man figure who broke down racial barriers becoming the first black performer on MTV. He turned the music video into an art form, giving modern pop music a huge space in which to flourish.

Jackson's signature ethereal dance move became known as the Moonwalk. His stage presence was extraordinary and he could create delightful confusion about race, gender and age.

Though derided by many for his high pitched tones and foppish style, Jackson's music and vocal range helped shape hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists from Mariah Carey to Justin Timberlake.

With his signature single white glove and red leather military cut jackets Jackson also influenced the world of fashion.

When the album Thriller was released in 1982, it was played endlessly on MTV turning Jackson into a true crossover artist, straddling the world of black and white music in ways that millions could could relate to.

Thriller was his masterwork and it transformed mainstream pop. As the world's best selling album ever, it knocked down boundaries between black and white music and brought the sounds of the dance floor into millions of living rooms.

As one critic said: "Executives hummed it, the poor danced to it. Blacks enjoyed it, white kids from the suburbs loved it."

Jackson transcended boundaries not just in America, but across the world. He became the biggest star in the pop universe, developing new sounds with producer Quincy Jones based on funk, soul elements of jazz, disco and Beatles-style rock.

It was, music critic Ann Powers said, "a smooth mix that created new possibilities for crossover pop."

"The news of his death was like losing a long-lost lover, someone you remember differently, adored innocently."