Page 6 Portland Observer June 4. 1961
ENTERTAINMENT
HAPPENINGS
ENTERTAINMENT
TALENT SHOW & DANCE
Grassroot N e w t, N.W . - In the category o f male vocalists who bring
romance back into contemporary love ballads, three names come to mind:
Michael Henderson, Teddy Pendergrass and Peabo Bryson. Peabo recently
bypassed Portland due to lack of advance ticket sales and performed in our
sister city, Seattle. Grassroot News was there to obtain this exclusive inter
view .
June 6, 1981 -8 :0 0 -1 :0 0
Willamette Center
121 SW Salmon
Featuring local talent:
• dance • self-expression • drama •
Comedy • drama
PEABO!!!!
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
nv l un ita D uke
Peabo started gracing our turntables in 1977 w ith his timeless h it,
“ Crosswinds. " His style is smooth and delivery is truly beyond Macho. He
attributes the development o f his talents to his upbringing. " I was born and
bread a country boy. You tend to know who you are so you don't get con
fused when you're in a place where people worship idols and images. They’ re
influenced more by that than by the true essence o f people. Also coming from
southern stock makes you appreciate people more because that's the way of
life ."
His evolution in the music industry has always been straight up. " M y story
is that o f the traditional success story. From 0 to KMX) but not overnight. For
Renefil fo r Scholarships -
Renee P ryor and Jenetia W illiams
Black P ageants Inc.
249 0844 • 280 8029
Unbelievably,
Jim Jones
recorded his
o w n descent
in to hell.
THE DUNNING SISTERS:
SKYY HIGH!
The three singing Dunning sisters in the hit group Skyy grew up in the
Lafayette Gardens housing project in Brooklyn’ s Bedford Stuyvcsanl sec
tion, but they’ve not a bad word for their past. " In fact,” says Skyy’s middle
sister Delores Dunning, " it was wonderful, it really was.”
" A t that time the projects weren’ t like they are now,” says Skyy’s Denise
I Dunning-Crawford, the eldest. " I t was completely different.”
"O u r parents still live there,” explains Skyy’s Bonnie Bunning, "b u t it ’ s
changed so much from when we were ten, eleven and twelve it's amazing.
When we were growing up everyone hung around together, and we used to
skip rope with the boys. It was like a whole neighborhood."
“ We moved there in 1962,” says Skyy's Delores, "and it was brand new,
and everybody that was there got to start this community. We became friends
with all the kids in the buildings. I hey were brothers and sisters. It was really
a nice community.
“ After we got older, the handball court was the scene. One o f the guys in
the building used to sponsor tournaments. Everybody was involved.”
Skyy’ s Bonnie explains the differences they see today. “ I t ’ s a different
morality now. We weren’ t allowed to hang out in the hallway at three or four
in the morning. W hen we were sixteen or seventeen years old, my mother
used to say that we should come upstairs before it gets dark. And if you wan
ted to stay outside, you had better call her and ask her permission.
" I don’ t know what it is now,” Skyy’ s Bonnie laments. " I don't know if
the parents don’t care or can't control (he kids. But back then when you had
to be upstairs, you were upstairs."
" A ll the parents were like th a t,’ ' Skyy’ s Delores recalls. " I t you were
going to stay out, it was because somebody's mother was sitting out on the
bench. As long as that mother was
on the bench, it was fine. If not, you
were upstairs, and that was it. And
it was a whole lot nicer."
Skyy’ s girls wish families would
go back to exerting discipline. “ The
parents were strict,” Skyy’ s Denise
concludes, "but you knew that they
cared. And neighbors eared about
each other, too. I t ’ s a good way to
grow up.”
This 90 minute exclusive
NPR documentary is based
on 900 hours of audio tape
found at the Jonestown
settlement in Guyana in
November, 1978
Cult leader Jim Jones
had been taping himself
and his followers for
months before he urged
them— 911 men, women,
and children — to commit
mass suicide, a tragedy
beyond understanding that
stunned the world
But by listening to Jim
Jones, the fears of his
followers and their gradual
descent together into hell,
Jonestown becomes a
horror story we can .all
finally comprehend
F ath er
The L ast o f
J o n e s to w n
Sunday at
5 :0 0
KOAP 9 1 .5 FM
KOAC 5 5 0 AM
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
THIS X I) M A U I POSSIMI I HS I H I (1 >KH IK A IIO N I U K PI HI II HKOAIM AS I IN I.
Parade runs
sixteen years I wanted to do what I'm doing now . I learned during my ap
prenticeship how to write and I'm expected to learn more. I do, however,
believe that success is infinite. My success was gained through my develop
ment as I move through stages and hit various levels.
" I started out with a local band with regional success. I went from there to
produce my first album with Bang Records which got the attention o f Capital
Records.”
When a recording artist breaks into the market he or she is packaged.
Grassroot News asked Peabo what he perceived his image to be. “ Peabo
doesn't have an image, he is. 1 don’ t need anyone building me up to be
something I’ m going to have to live up to. I’ m myself. I’ m normal and I like
being norm al."
Peabo responded to a question o f what he relays through his talents.
"There’ s a method to every madness. I try to put romance back into feeling
and touching. W’e should mean what we do. The current civilization seems
yearly to relax the moral standards which are in contrast to when I was
coming up. You didn’ t even discuss sex with your girl. This relaxation is
doing something you don’ t mean. My work is like a situation comedy,
situation drama and its akin to being like a novel. It excerpts from my per
sonal experience as I see them. If it's not true I don’ t write about it. My suc
cess shows me that people still believe in '.he truth and I’ ve built a reputation
on sincerity."
His talents also encompass male/female duets. His explanation o f his
latest hit, “ Rack Together A gain" with Roberta Flack. "Roberta is someone
whom I love. I never met a more giving person. She’ s what the public calls a
•Star.’ ”
Peabo’s down-to-earthness is refreshing in a business where snobbery is a
common attitude. But more so, Peabo is first and foremost a man. There are
those male vocalist who are contrived or as feminine as the top female
vocalist. Nothing can match the truth that illuminated from the talents of this
artist as he builds a career on restoring love. According to Peabo, nothing
matters more in life than caring and being cared for.
The Stafiight Run will precede the
Roce Festival Starlight Parade, June
6th, starting at 8:00 p.m. intersec
ting the parade route at NW Flan
ders and Broadway. The parade
begins its flow at NW Flanders and
Broadway once the runners have
passed.
.5 pm-9 pm Ilion-Jn.
S p e c ia l
.
B e v e ra g e
dnnK ?
T a z ^ /c d ô ij
V r ic te -
5 5 < ^zte tT
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liò tc n in U /fu n k
Live p j s
Open panic 7(ccr
Tree Parking
Wann
and
P a n c in i
44
aiot more-
^^M osphere
for
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