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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 1973)
Hage b P orti and/O bserver Thursday January 4, 1973 T l . mMN k A|,:H/| U r , The mo behind Mrs. In an age when most dreams have all but heen abandoned, Philadelphia International Re cords' B illy Paul has made his own aspirations come true. A t the age of 37, B illy had sone what most music critics would call impossible. He has launched a new singing career with one of the year’ s biggest singles, “ Me and M rs . Jones.” The song, which deals with the taboo subject of an a ffa ir with a m arried woman, gained Billy a Gold record, and has sold, to date, over one and half m illion copies. How does M r . Paul feel about his "overnight” suc cess? Sitting in one of Phil adelphia International's New Y o rk offices, an easy-going B illy Paul comments: “I don’t think I feel any differ ent about .it, 'cause I’ m going to be me. I think the basic thing is just dealing with everyday life and what's re l evant now. If I'm in 'Vegas tomorrow and down on the co m e r the next day. I'm still the same person. And 1 don’ t take 'Vegas over the corner, “ The same show 1 gave in 'Vegas I 'l l give in any small club. I want to reach every body with my music.” If Billy Paul is a superstar, he certainly doesn't show it. Since beginning his singing career at the age of 12, P h il adelphia-born and raised Paul has learned that stardom is something to work for and not m erely talk about. " I ’ve payed a lot of dues,” says B illy. " I came out of the church choir at a very early age and I just started singing on kiddie hours and doing this and that. One thing led to another until I got so involved in music that I began to know different musicians and d if ferent singers. I ’ve always felt very close to musicians because paying a lot of dues with a lot of them has opened my eyes. Made me grow up to the realities of the w orld.” B illy began to record with sm all Philadelphia-based la bels and soon was appearing in concert with such artists as Charlie P arker, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, M ile s Davis, the Impressions and Sammy Davis, J r . Fame, at the tim e, was not to fall at B illy’ s feet. While most DJ’ s seem puz zled about the success of the jazz-oriented “ Me and M rs . Jones” and B illy’ s hit album 360 DEGREES OF BILL PAU L, the talented M r . Paul doen't find it a mystery at a ll. " W e ll,” he says, '" M e and M rs . Jones’ fits every body's life. It’ s something that everybody can relate to, black or white; there’ s always go ing to be a M rs . Jones in somebody's life . The whole album deals with the basics, a lot of personal things that 1 really went through. And it I a k a , Winnipeg Ballet plans Jones Portland perfoimance The brillant Royal W inni- peg Ballet of Canada w ill be welcomed by oregontanswhen they present two performan ces at the PortlandCivlc Audi torium . Returning to thia area after their smashing success here in 1971, the company w ill be seen on January 19 and 20, with curtain time set for 8:15 p jn . both evenings. The story of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is a Cinde rella tale of a company that has emerged from the grassy Canadian p rairie to delight ballet buffs in the world's most sophisticated dance cap itals. The high standards of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet are the result of the talents of many artists. Such great choreo graphic names as Agnes D e- M U le, George Balanchine, E lio t Feld, S ir Frederick Ash ton, John Neum eier and Brian MacDonald have all contribu ted heavily to the repertoire and have left an indelible im p rin t. T ie company’ s current aim is to make ballet art available to the widest possi ble range of North American audiences and to be a medium fo r the contemporary expres sion of Canadian dancers, choreographers and musi cians. How successful this has been is domenstrated by the fact that eleven European and American companies carry in th eir repertoire ballets initi ally created for the Royal W inmpeg Young, beautiful and bi brant, the Royal W innipeggers are a company of highly dis ciplined dancers, who perform with verve and inspiration. Audiences on four continents have been struck by the power ful, masculine force of the group. line highlight. If the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's stay here w ill he tlie performance of the new m ulti-m edia ballet "The Ecstasy of Rita Joe” , com missioned by the Manitoba Indian Brotherhoods to mark the 100 anniversary of the signing of treaties with the Canadian government. "The Ecstasy of Rita Joe” most effectively mixes dance, film , acting, singing and orchestra to tell the story of the Indian g irl, Rita Joe, who comes to the city from the reservation. The Royal Winnipeg Pallet w ill appear under the auspl w ill appear under the auspi ces of Celebrity Attractions. Tickets, priced at»6.5O,»5.5O and $4.50, are on sale now at Celebrity Attractions, 1010 S.W. Morrison, Portland, (ire . 97205. Soul Sounds B IL L Y PAUL (teals with something that a lot of people tend to over look - ly ric s . I ’ve always been a jazz singer. I've tried to be a singer who would emphasize the lyrics of a certain song because it would make the tune more meaningful. And a lot of people today tend to overlook the lyrics when they’ re listening to a song. But I've always been a big believer that the lyrics play the greatest part of any tune that you do. I guess a lot of people agree." One of the tunes of 360 DEGREES OF B IL LY PAUL, reveals a part of a show business personality not often seen by the public. " I'm a P rison er” depicts B illy’ s in tense interest in the prison ers of the nation who seldom see the outside world. A con stant vis ito r to prisons, Paul tries not to talk about the subject in a show business manner. ‘ ' I ’ve had numerous letters from friends in prison,” he comments. "In some cases, I ’ve been able to help some get out. But the reason I visit prisons is real ly because some of your heavi est people are in prisons and they're no different thay any one. I felt that the messages I was saying from the stage deserved to be said behind the w alls. When I go in, I go into the prison not to come off as an intertainer, because I don’ t want to. I go to the yard, sit down and rap with the brothers, you know, talk. I feel very much at home al though I ’ve never done time; I know it's hard fo r them in t'lere cause they keep turn ing over th eir minds day after day - just to make the time finish. I figure that I'm one of the tools to keep them going, keep them looking; to shorten time fo r them and keep them thinking. L et them know that somebody still loves them, you know. I dig them. I wouldn't trade them fo r the w orld .” Ry Joey Sasso Moms Mabley, one of the nation's most popular comedi ans, now appearing for the firs t time at Jules Podell’s Copacabana. On the bill with her forthe stlntwhich includes New Y ear’ s Eve is young sing ing star, Ronnie Dyson. Not only is she popular with the general public but she is a favorite with show-biz per sonalities who tag her the most unlikely candidate for stardom that ever set foot on a stage. She performs com pletely toothless, attired in such fetching costumes as a plaid dress with sagging hem, over this a bright flowered smock, knee length wool stockings in a garish checker ed pattern, and comfy house shoes several sizes too la rg e . She doesn't have to open her mouth and she gets belly laughs throughout her per formance just because of the way she looks. Dyson, who was picked by Moms to be on the bill with her, owes his success to opening the show, " H a ir ” with the powerful singing of "A quarius,” which Globetrotter tips />• Q tttM U K M IW I MONEY OH R iM O D E U K .. BOB (SHOWBOAT) KALI ON PASSING Passing Is a very impor tant part of the game. A l though tlie guy that nukes the basket usually gets tlie headlines, If it weren't for someone |wssing him the K ill, the BASKET couldn't be made. Cood passing is Important le - cause it Insures confidence and good team m orale. Always try and keep tlie ball moving, keep It hot. T ry and make your passes snappy and sharp, and try to avoid careless pass ing. You w ill find that (here is a pass for every situation. I even have a pass for when 1 am reaching for a glass of wateronthe tench'serious ly, the basic passes are the chest pass, the bounce puss and tie baseball pass. The two-hand chest pass is a short pass not exceeding over 15 feet. l i e hands are held on the side and tie ball is released with a snap of tie w rists. The bounce pass Is used to pass the ball wlen some- ine is closely guarding you. tin tie Glohetrotte ra we use tlie bounce pass to get tie ball to the pivot man, or we use It against a press, l i e ball should le snapped down, with tie bounce coming is close to tie man you are passing to as possible. T ie baseball pass is proba bly the hardest of all to com plete accu n tely. It is used to trigger a fast break o r to throw tie length of the court The ball is released like a catcher In busel>all releases the ball, from tehind the ea r. This is an etfective pass, lait It (.ikes a great deal of prac tice to do it w ell. r rumrs... s h k ih s i R esidential-C om m ercial HOW?. . . WHY?. . . Mt* bulinptt hot grown, ot we have, with the hnetl ttoH of CAHFtNTiHS, DESIGNCRS and ESTIMATORS in the trade • Kitibeei • Additions • OWUes • Stora» 7» • Bert» • Spec. (obinef Werk . * - m NEIL KELLY COMPANY inn M. Alterte tortend, Oregea C m « law 287-4176 PORTLAND CLEANING WORKS NORTH & N.E. PORTLAND * ONE DAY SERVICE KNIT BLOCKING OUR SPECIALTY We CMve M IN O « PfPAJPS—N O CMAAOC PICK UP A M lIV tP V 282-8361 1954 N. W Ilham s Ave. Triad Tha R«st, N o w Try Tha Bast" Alexander, Proprietor America loves what the Colonel cooks It 's f in g e r lic k in 'g o o d .” was written espressly for him. He records for Columbia.one of his biggest th rills was do ing a Command Performance fo r Princess M argaret at Lon don’ s Albert H a ll. Ronnie is also in big demand for com m ercials, the most popular one being song forPepst-Cola . . . W i l t Chamberlain, the Los Ingeles Lakers star, all seven feet of him, was at The Press Box with his team mate Happy Hairston. “ Let Perfect for me have a big steak said tlie I" art lea, Picnics. S tilt. “ You mean you want Lunch, or Dinner an 18 inch steak as well as one 18 ounces, added Mike Wayne . . . W ilt told Mike that he just bought his favoite I ake It Home, Eal It Here, or In your Car g ir l, Chadhorun Hosiery’ s Joe Nelson, form er execu (lie newest collection of body-wear tive director of the Racine for the winter season . . . And (W ls.) Environment Comm it speaking of lawsuits. Flip tee, Inc., las teen appointed W ilson, who's still trying to manager of minority affairs settle Mabel Robinson's pa for the Jos. Schlltz Brewing ternity suit out of court, has Company. He succeeds D jC , been slapped with a $500,000 Newman who has heen named a damage suit by another lass labor relatioi s associate with who claims Wilson stole her Schlltz. fath er’s brainchild - a comedy skit. The woman, Olivette M ille r Darby, Is suing Flip, M Ichael Jackson (of the Jack- son Five) and NBC, claiming THOUSANDS MODE! IF YOU CAN'T FIND that the comedy routine Wilson and Jackson performed re IT HERE, COME IN A N D BROWSE! cently on F lip 's show, was one she had tried to sell him but which he refused to buy . . . Diana Ross's husband just presented her with 775 do-nogad ALUMINUM STC»M ODYSSEY. the all-fam ily DOOPS AND FRAMES. motlly wlh- games you play on your TV out qloit, * 5 .9 5 »a. U’..d fPONT Top qvoliiy. *5 to *52 9 . set by MAGNAVOX . . . And, DOORS * 4 . 5 0 . Naw FRONT D'W Ousted 5 0 % nt rtMPt lo t T2 Toppers STOVES. DISHWASH DOORS *9 .0 0 . Olha» USED • aanriploi Pto<3'« \ Chond«lt*r, rag speaking of the new wave of ERS, REFRIGERATORS in A wo* a do DOORS * 7 . Alum.num PORCH •54 60 now * 1 9 . BATH and “ black film s,” I predict that or yellow rotor» *1 4 9 to *1 4 9 . 76 4 z, -UN' K . - - :4' ■ - PORCH LIGHTS. * 2 . 9 5 . TIFFANY Ron O’Neal, who stars in RANGE HOODS m Copper A R,d. • T 9 . 10 BASKET BAIL B O A RDS--I. LAMP KITS. * 1 9 . ?<T ‘ I S O , 2 4 ' * 1 2 . 5 0 , 10' • hoop ond ball. * 1 4 . PING PON*i "Super F ly ” w ill become a *1 4. All vre» and < olo»i TABIC TOPS 4 . 5 * 4 .9 5 . A , big star. The movie is great FLUORESCENT LIGHT FIXTURES PING PONG TOPS 4 ' , ' 4 5 and has come under fire from mea »wring J « 3 , with 6 II /orescent • 1 . 4 9 . J6 ond 3 7 ' S l i d IN - liuh»». wtiolesoir» for A9 now some of the black groups. But TRANCE DOOPS, ymofca do-nog.-i, • 4 .5 0 en fle.fncol CONDUIT, • 9 l o * I 2 . W h .i. m e BOARD 5 . Ron Is better than good in the 1 /4 ' ■ 10 5 9 ’, J 4 ■ l a 9 3 - . 6', d o m a y tj. *2 «0 5000 II. of flic k . In fact, he gave a case Aluminum eleffrtcal CONDUIT oil m ,«. CEItING T ltf. • ' lo 9 ' a I,. of CROW I.IG in WHISKEY to tiret, ot le»t thon wholesale. Coownemoi g a l OVERHEAD FUR NACE. 150 000 BIU. uwd. *1 5 0 . the crew for being so helpful PlASTf »BOARD, 4 , 17,0» during tlie filming of tlie plx -•1 .2 5 , 5 B * 1 . 5 0 . 50 p-» of . . . And, while we're on tlie r I 3' > 3 /8 " ASBESTOS BOARD. subject, Jim Brown has signed 7 5 '4 0 B-.Ivi Wood l l l f PAHS 65 1 X 17PINE SHELVING, 1 5 * to 2 5 * man * 7 5 , 75 mon * 5 0 , Ideal Io. with AIP to make a sequel to o h . 12" port.de board SHEIVFS, 4' dorkt. Iloati. a -H Con t u»e them ,o "Slaughter.” But 1 don’t ex rho oly, bur ihey'r. g r.a l lor a 6' • 8' — 1 S ’ o I*. All pro finished pect Stella Stevens w ill he thebe» m »lock */ j price 6 * ond B" fonrh GAS STORAGf TA NTS 500 yal». wul 00094, lille-v. how, hgb hardwood thebe« 10* o II. Unltr> co-starring with him in this »land, * 2 7 5 . B-oian totlaf7 W r fan .s».ed hardwood SHEIF BRACKETS one. Seems that all those S' io 1 5* p ■ ' • | f’F IP help you' Evary brand mod. of TO|. stories and hints of a “ ro TFT TANKS only * 1 0 . TANK IIDS STANDARDS. 1 5 ' o f » ond mance” that got leaked out to • 3 . BifOID STtf L DOORS, o t 5’ 18 w.de »hebe» (actually rnrro«e * 5 , 6’ - *4 « ter. Damaged SHtF I door») *2 Io *3 to the press while Stella and Jim BOCK, PARIICUBOARD, INSUIA. were making the last one were HON, HARDBOARD, »- -no PANH- 31 K in H fN ( ABlNf T SI IS mode ” a hunch of hogwash,” or so ING. 4' 4 B, * 1 , 2 5 oa. IOUVRID lor opartment. robin, or horn» 5 , DOORS, tmolo Ita-nod, ppw, Stella told a friend . , . What S r*. 6 , upper and lower uni»» • 3 . 5 0 »1 FORMIC A RE ADV MADE with Mark Spitz and Bobby Complete with »»amies» tteel »mk», COUNTER TOPS 7 to 5'. * 2 . 5 0 a ♦orritto »ops. Inure’*., Spur"? On't F isch er all over the boob P aint T hin n e r m yaw (ar» 4 9 * o fl. Wood ond Hardboa-d SIDINGS, Color *1 7 5 »O *2 1 9 . Miv > M- 4' 4 8', tomo 4' ■ 9', * 3 . 9 5 to tube and talking high-salaried r jo l lr s.de IAIFX PAINT. * 2 . 9 7 , FN CABIN» TS, uppers and lowers. * 3 9 7 ' * 4 . 9 7 a gal Ouf»«de * 5 . 9 5 . Wmorprool INSU1ATING movie deals, if figures that • 1 9 to * 3 4 . M.s<. CUPBOARD BOARD In blorli. 4' 4 8 * 2 . 2 5 . P a in t , ‘ 2 .9 7 , * 3 . 9 7 , * 5 . 9 7 a DOORS.‘ 1 lo *2 en a certain other sports star gal C ka -’up pncoi on LAP SIDING tool would get In on the action. Muhammad AU, who used to be known to boxing fans as SHOP EARLY FOR BEST SELECTION THIS W E K E N M Cassius Clay, and his agents have been talking to the powers at AIP about a big movie deal but - according to my source of Information - the 8905 R. Vancouver Ave. acroti frem Cl Jaet Call: 28S-0546 champ demands that his mo vies he "clean movies" and 15123 SI McLouqhlin Blvd. acroti frem McDonald» Coll: 654-5444 can’ t contain anything about Both locations open 8 to 6 d aily 9 to 5 Sundays. sex, dope and so forth, and Usa your BanlrAm ericord o r M as te r Charge. cannot lie “ black exploitation film s ,” Oh, really? . . . Buy it by the Box Bucket or Barrel Restaurants See Yellow Pages for Store N earest You 7 0 0 MANY BARGAINS TO LIST! Black Expo: successes and failures By Roy H arris The firs t Black Expo ever held in the Pacific Northwest has come and gone. It was an experimental project to see how receptive the idea would be to the thousands of Blacks that reside in the northwest. Not everything went off as scheduled, but the many hundreds of people that attended could certainly say that they enjoyed them- selves for the small price that they had to pay foradmission. One of the main highlights of the event was the perform ances by several groups from the Portland-Seattle area. " T h e Beyonds” performed in excellent style leaving the au dience wanting m ore. T h e ir performance was so well re ceived that they got a stand ing ovation at the end. An- Play Pool Bob 'Woody' Woodard of Inner City Development Company demonstrates the M arseillais pool shot at fieneva's Reg ulation Tables. GENEVA’S 4228 N. Williams other highlight of the eventwas G rover and Joe, a local Black ventriloquist, that is per forming around town, left hundreds of people filled full of delight as they did a brief comedy performance in the main arena of G aiser Hall in C lark College. Another Portland group that was only given a short time to perform, due to delayed scheduling, was "T h e Combinations” . These young girls, in th eir mid teens, did a fantastic job in early afternoon with their vocal and dance routine per formance. From Seattle, two of the most devistatlnggroups were “ The Onyx” and “ Cold Bold & Together” , both con tributing their very im pressive Black performances near the end of the Expo/ Soul Bowl '72. At mid-evening a group that originated from PortiandState College, called “ Northwest Black Arts Society" presen ted several oratories on Black awareness. The group, com posed of young Black college students received a standing ovation also, plus the cry of “ m o re-m o re” from the audi ence. Many people thoughtthattlie exhibits from various Black businesses and organizations from throughout the northwest wss very impressive and In teresting. Among the most a t t e n t io n - g e t t in g exhibits were from YSOL-Radio, M e l ody Beauty 4 Barber Supply, of Portland and EddieW alker, Classic Hairstyles. Inc., of Seattle, While the Expo itself would be considered a success in many ways, one of the main purposes of the event, fund raising for the C lark County Community Congress in Van couver, would be considered fa r from successful. While the staff and volunteers of CCCC worked nearly around the clock to put together the firs t Black event, the finan cial rewards fo rth eo r, tlon seemed to be unjuature«,, as it could have been much more if more Blacks would have attended the event. The North Portland Special P atro l, a new Black security organization, was contracted to handle the required secur ity for tlie event, because the Vancouver Police Depart ment did not want to inte grate the event and possibly be In conflict with the many Blacks that were attending tie initial gathering In Vancouver, Another Black Expo Is planned for 1973 and I hope that more Blacks w ill con sider it a reality Instead of a fantasy. I am looking to Portland to host the up coming Black Expo In mid- 1973 fo r the entire Pacific Northwest. Some of the c rlt- Icizm of the initial Expo was that It was too short, so pro viding that enough participa tion, involvement and support can be gathered for the '73 Expo, 1 hope that this next one w ill run anywhere from 3 to 7 days at the Memorial Coliseum or P J . Building In Portland. BARGAIN BARN BARGAINS! TABLE LAMPS AND HANGING LIGHT FIXTURES STOVES, DISHWASHERS, ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES! SHELVING! FACTORY LIQUIDATION OF KITCHEN CABINETS PAINT SAVINGS! Building Supply Discount Centers Inc.
