Portland observer., December 21, 1978, Page 5, Image 5

Portland Observer Thursday. December 21, 1978 Page 5
£nitotíain/nent Gúdz
by A lla n Jones
RETROSPECT - JOAN ARMATRADING
I l comes as a surprise to m any Black people that the Joan A rm a tra d in g they
hear on the ra d io and read about is indeed Black.
P art o f the problem is that A rm a tra d in g doesn't fit the standard r& b female
singer m o ld . W h ile she's been com pared vocally to B illie H o llid a y and N ina
Sim one, other w riters have likened her to Joni M itc h e ll and E lto n John.
The s itu a tio n gets even m ore laughable when one notes th a t, as a g u ita ris t,
she’ s been com pared to R ichie Havens and Jim i H e n d rix, because Joan A r ­
m a trading is one w om an w ho doesn't pose w ith a g u ita r; she p lays it as well as
any m usician — B lack, w hite, male o r fem ale — aro u n d today.
W h o is th is p ro u d and p riva te Black English w om an w ho has earned such
c ritic a l praise at such a young age?
H is to ric a lly . Joan A rm a tra d in g was b o rn December 9, 1950 in St. K itts in the
West Indies. She and her five brothers and sisters moved to England when she
was seven. H er earliest ch ild h o o d m em ory is “ seeing snow fa ll fo r the firs t
tim e .”
H er fa th e r d id not encourage her m usically. In fact, he even went to the
lengths o f h id in g his g u ita r. She adm its that "m a y b e that was w hy I got so in ­
terested in m usic, a lth o u g h I was o rig in a lly interested in studying la w .” W hen
her m other bought a piano she was assigned the task o f cleaning it. It w asn't
long before she taught herself how to play it as well. W hen her m other traded in
tw o o ld baby carriages fo r a g u ita r, earlier thoughts o f going in to law were
dispelled forever and she made the decision to try m usic as a career.
It is interesting that her firs t influences w eren’ t The Beatles o r The R o llin g
Stones. Instead, she th rive d on Nat K in g Cole and Jim Reeves. (W hen one o f
her old e r brothers heard her songs and persuaded her to sing at the local school,
she q u ic k ly learned one Bob D ylan and one Paul Sim on song. " I ’ d never heard
any o f th e ir music before th a t.” )
W hen a frie n d a u d ition e d fo r the L o n d o n C om pany o f " H a i r , ” she went
along as a la rk. The frie n d d id n 't ge> hired but Joan did and she toured in the
show fo r eighteen m onths. (She also composed on the pit piano when no one
was a ro u n d .) She w rote songs fo r a year after the to u r ended, and, when she
met Pam Nestor, the tw o decided to w rite together. In 1973, Joan recorded
"W h a te v c r's F or U s” on E n g la n d ’ s C ube label. (A & M released it in the U .S .)
It was an exciting firs t L P and the presence o f Gus Dugeon (E lto n Jo h n ’ s
then-producer) served to draw a tte n tio n to what was already pro m isin g w o rk ;
however, problem s w ith Cube resulted in no m ore records fo r eighteen months.
The d iffic u ltie s ended when A rm a tra d in g met M ichael Stone, her manager.
F o rm e rly associated w ith J im i H e n d rix and K andy N ew m an as a m usic
publisher, Stone negotiated a release fro m Cube and a new contract was signed
w ith A & M . Her record album “ Back T o The N ig h t” released in 1975 earned
her a single h it (the title cut) and her firs t c ritica l recognition. It also marked the
end o f w ritin g w ith N estor, though the tw o rem ain frie n d ly . The album made
the to p ten list o f several English c ritic s and big things began to be expected o f
Joan A rm a tra d in g .
As her p e rfo rm in g grew m ore self-assured, her songs got better and her
resolve to have her songs heard grew even stronger. The in te rp la y between
talent and practice cu lm inated in " J o a n A rm a tra d in g ” w hich went gold in
A u s tra lia , C anada, New Zealand and England. “ Sounds,” the B ritish pop
m agazine, called it the best a lb u m o f 1976. A year la te r, "S h o w Some
E m o tio n ” earned sim ila r p la u dits w o rld w id e . U n d e rta k in g her firs t in te r­
national to u r as a headliner, Joan played to 200.000 people in fo rty concerts,
playing eight countries over a five -m o n th period.
In recognition o f her accom plishm ents on stage, "P e rfo rm a n c e ” magazine
named her I977's M ost P rom ising Female V ocalist. H er playing hasn't gone
unnoticed e ithei. She's also w ritte n her firs t m ovie theme fo r the $18,000,000
film " T h e W ild Geese” and recently played to over 100,000 people supporting
Bob D ylan at a L o n d o n concert.
Success has m ade ve ry lit tle change in the basic Joan A rm a tra d in g .
" B lo o m in ’ ’ is s till the extent o f her cursing. She doesn’ t smoke o r d rin k and
has never taken drugs. O n stage, stieet clothes are s till the order o f the day and
" je w e lr y ” is confined to the housckey that dangles fro m her neck. She is still
fiercely protective o f her privacy. C om m enting on this p o in t, George A rth u r
w rote in the Seattle P ost-lntelligencer, " I f privacy is w h a t's needed fo r her ar
tis try to flo u ris h , i t ’ s a sm all price to p a y.”
In her H a m p to n W ick home, she is content to " b e boring like everybody else
at ho m e .” She likes to draw cartoons, collects antique autos and clocks, an
cient B ritish com ic books and is cu rre n tly on an A gatha C h ristie kick She also
finds tim e to expand m usically and is cu rre n tly studying both the clarinet and
m a n d o lin . As always she writes songs.
Despite critica l acclaim , record sales and bankable box o ffic e , Joan Ar
m atrading remains unimpressed w ith herself. Some sample quotes . . . " I w rite
a song. I listen to it. I f I d o n 't cringe, I keep i t ” . . . " I haven’ t much to say
when it comes to w ritin g songs. I ’ m not te llin g anybody what to do o r how to
run th e ir lives” . . . " I w rite about silly things and hope the lyrics d o n ’ t sound
too ru b b is h y .” F o rtu n a te ly, others are less hard on Joan A rm a tra d in g than
Joan A rm a tra d in g herself. M ost critics fin d her fo rm s o f m usical expression
both d e lig h tfu l and p ith y . Sum m ing up an A rm a tra d in g evening, Rob Patter
son o f " C irc u s ” declared, “ A fte r the spotlight is o u t, i t ’ s all been sa id .”
'& U and 'Ticca
S A F E W A Y
by R u th Spencer
M rs. Bernadette P lu m m e r and her
daughter M rs. O lga Talley, returned
December 8th fro m an exciting, in ­
te re s tin g and e d u c a tio n a l t r ip to
M o s c o w a n d L e n in g r a d , R u ssia .
They visited m any h isto rica l sites in ­
cluding the K re m lin .
The to u r was sponsored by P o rt­
land State U n ive rsity. Russia is the
la rg e st c o u n tr y in th e w o r ld . It
covers m ore than h a lf o f Europe and
nearly tw o -fifth s o f Asia.
T om T urke vs
T angerines
Crisp Celery
M r . C h a rle s P a tte rs o n (P a t),
A u d ito r, D epartm ent o f Estates and
Trusts, State Revenue D epartm ent is
re tirin g December 28th a fte r 23 years
o f service.
Medium Size
Sweet Celery.
Wonderful
Stuffed with
Cream Cheese
Sweet Algerian
Zipper Skinned
fruit. Favorite
Stocking Staffer
/-JL . .
(Whita H w r ta it)
© Poultry Stuff ¡ng «£.
Fryer Gizzards
rs s
© C ooked Salad Shrimp
© Fresh W hole Crabs
© G ranny Smith Apples 4 9 ‘ Christmas
P o in s e ttia s /*
© Grapefruit ItMMu
.2 9 *
or M u m s ^ ^
© L a rg e Avocados s x 3 J 1
©
-n ?»
©Lem ons or Limes
49‘
fancy Decorated ‘5 . 9 8 ^ 1
© Y e llo w Onions
©Brussels Sprouts T -
© R e d Emperor Grapes
© Baking Yams
ancake Mix
Butter
Packed Fresh to Order
Give a Gift of Fresh Fruit. Make your selection
from 3 different size baskets, and we will pack
it fresh far you.
Shady lo n e
Quarters
JW
Fkp.
I
(Kitchen Craft
First
1-lb.Ctn.
UT
M a k e Your Own • • •
tlfl
(Additional at raguler price)
mita M ix . . 3-lb. 7 9')
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HGHTFR
A c c o rd in g to th e U .S . C ensus
Bureau, Black p o p u la tio n g ro w th in
th e s u b u rb s in 1977 re a c h e d ,
5,596,000 up 349?» since 1970. The
t o t a l p o p u la tio n g ro w th in the
suburbs reached 83,114,000 up I29?o
since 1970.
ha* * b « k a t kin in 3 lists ready far yaw ta
make op yaar awn gif? pack. Jast Add Frail.
,
^ M t* a n b e r r y Sauce
umpkin Pie
Tawn House
Mrs. W right's
Ir a w n A Serve
IJ - o i . Pkg.
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16.01.
Cans
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©NiHa W afers
© S o ft S affola
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14k- Tut
69*
89*
©Cocktail Juice
© F ru it Cocktail
49*
©Egg Hog
© P ie Shells
s2 ”
*6”
69*
39*
* Coconut ’" « S E T
© M arshm allows
©Snack Crackers S X
© N utm eg
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39*
59*
89*
© F ru it M ix
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59«
«»Napkins
* Paper Towels l-RySStoHli 5 5 ‘
4x79*
«»Bath Tissue 1
Crew« C«l««y
The genuine fluted
Filters ta fit yaur
Mr. Coffee Maker.
$ Î
if
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Magicubes
Sytroota • • 1 *•«*
48
SX 7 0 Film
Itwwttt M u r Frtat Uta.
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69*
49*
Stocking Staffers
The P o rtla n d P u b lic Schools has
o n e B la c k re g u la r s c h o o l S o c ia l
W o rke r, yet, the behavior problem s
o f Black ch ild re n are reported to be
three to fo u r tim e s th a t o f w h ite
children in the schools.
*4”
M u r Frtat 110 ur 118-11
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Wroppod
lb .
© W histle Pops
© K ool-A id
88
5*
*1 10*
log. 10- Jfza
AlAortOdt Flavors
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S A F E W A Y COUPOÑIÓ l T C
I
Coupon Rodoomoklo thru #0«. 34, 1978
Kii Stimulegs
2
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Sure SO' Fr.
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J .,]
With Coupon
Umlt A Fr.
RerW w d »uhdOP
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Fuji F«m
InVivMuully
F t - 10 M u r Frtat
^9*5”
Lighter
Tbatnb Thing Elea Olspesabla
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- tokorpo Wheut Oorm Oil A Honor
THIS WKIK'S FIATUtl
Funk & W a g n a ll's
Encyclopedia
Volunto«
H A D
4 ^6 9
io dBu
N ew en Sele
In e a rly N ovem ber a New Y o rk
appeals c o u rt upheld a m alpractice
aw ard o f $500,000 to parents against
a school board. A yo u th had been
m ista ke n ly assigned to a class fo r
m entally retarded youngsters.
M r. a n d M rs. D o u g la s Johnson
(D o u g a n d B everly) are the p ro u d
parents o f a baby g irl. M rs. Johnson
teaches at D u n iw a y S chool D oug is
a city planner.
(x-W lde. . , Assarted Shades
Kodak Film Kodak Instant ; L ; Shampoo
Polaroid 108
-. V 8 tow ? Anortad
24 Daytime
99
© $148
L o s A n g e le s U n if ie d S c h o o l
D is tric t opened September 14, 1978
w ith 2,100 buses criss-crossing the
750 square m ile d is tric t to achieve
c o u rt ordered ra cia l in te g ra tio n in
the C ity ’ s schools.
The D is tric t had doggedly insisted
on exem ption fro m the C iv il Rights
A c t o f 1964 m andating in te g ra tio n o f
a ll sectors o f society on the grounds
th a t the C ity ’ s “ ra c ia lly is o la te d "
schools were the result o f housing
patterns, and th a t segregation, w hile
de facto, was n o t de ju re .
Ms. N o v e lla L o n g , eighth grade
teacher at Boise School, is recovering
fro m surgery at the Bess Kaiser H os­
p ita l on Greeley.
Disposable Diapers with
Custom fit Tapes.
t - o i . Tuba
36
Initani Calar Prim Film
Pam pers
Rag. or Mint Toothpaste
Laaves Mouth Refreshed
Color Frtat 110 or IM - M
Z e ta S igm a O m ega C h a p te r o f
A lp h a K appa A lp h a S o ro rity spon­
sored a fo rm a l dance to celebrate its
tw e n ty -th ird anniversary, December
17th, at the Sheraton H o te l.
(AtfdMonot ot refutar price)
Rag I k .1
© T e a Bags
äeä
© H ig h Point
£££
© K leenex
UeefXIO
UHI
©Reynolds W rap i r m
_
l|09
The P o rtla n d P u b lic S chool’ s legal
s ta ff, M ille r, A n derson, etc. w ould
welcome co u rt litig a tio n fo r integra­
tio n . They w o u ld pocket at least tw o
to five m illio n d o lla rs o f the ta x ­
payers m o n e y, d epending on how
long they could delay the co u rt o r­
der.
CeoO * utare I M u* ewe «a»
» A H W A T COUPON O
$
M is s S y lv ia J. G a le s, B ro w n
U n ive rsity m edical student, is home
fo r the h olidays v is itin g her parents
M r. and M rs. O .J. Gates. M iss Gates
is a N a tio n a l H ealth Service C orps
scholar.
Coupon Rodoomoklo thru Out. 34, 1971
Stimulegs
Panty Hose
n, Froporttanod
Prapartif
Auortod Colori.
><«0 SO- pr
With Coupon
Unit 8 Fr.
U ..M , I
,Q 1
1
)
•1
4
S
Board o f D irectors o f the C o lu m b ia -
W illa m e tte Y M C A , to co m p lete the
term o f E llis Casson. Sykes was a
m e m b e r o f th e U r b a n S e rv ic e s
C o m m itte e fo r o n e -a n d -a -h a lf years.
A ,^re
S W 9 8
Id«. 1 .4 1
R on Sykes, Sports E d ito r o f the
O bserver, has been n am ed to the
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at
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