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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 1981)
P»8« « Portland Otoaarvar. August IS. ISSI HAPPENINGS ENTERTAINMENT Grassroot News, N . W . — The ingredients that make up a per sonality are talent, confidence and draw. In Portland, J.W . Friday is a mixture o f the above as he rides on the 5th year o f spinning many o f the records we have known and jammed to. called the Jazz Water Bear and did a show on Sundays. Later a brother named Kyle Gibson came along and sat in during that time. We ran into some friction from the station but hung on in there." The Essence o f Soul has stood up for itself many times over the years. “ It all started in 1976 when K Q IV went o f f the a ir. M ich ael Vance, M D 20-20, had a show called Your Kind o f Soul Show and worked with me on and o f f the a ir. T h at following Thanksgiving, I went for it.” What Jay went for was the begin ning o f developing a soul-funk show that reflected the culture o f popular Black music. “ Soul should never be Once when the Sunday program was supposed to be taken o f, J .W ., along with 80 com m unity suppor ters, filled a tiny room at KBOO and demanded that it stay on the air. It was kept and c u rren tly the air operater is Lady C. O th e r than his shifts as an a ir operator, which for the most part F rid a y has done for free, he’ s in volved in com m unity activities for U W Ù » ’- i t ' ’4 t * T i / 'x*r- eft$ c t t ’ entertainment A F A N T A S Y C O M E S TR U E What happens when you bring together four talented artists whose credits include work with the top ranking performers in music, theatre nnd dance, the right producer and the right song? I f this sounds like a fantasy come true, it is. T h at’s exactly what happened when the group Fantasy got together with producer Tony \ alor for the release o f their firs, single, “ You ‘re Too Lute. ” The members o f Fantasy brings together all o f the necessary ingredients for them to soon be recognized as up and coming entertainers o f the 80s. They have already proven wha, they are capable o f doing by the impressive per sonal history that they each have. Ken Robeson is originally from Thomson, Georgia, and moved to New ' ork L ity to accept a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. By that time he had already earned a degree in journalism from the Univer sity o f G eorgia. A fte r extensive theatrical study, Ken became the choreographer for the group. The Bombers. Ultimately he joined the band as a regular member and toured with them throughout the U .S . and Europe. His talents were recognized by others and he later left to jo in the group, T .h .P . which also established a number o f successes. Tam i Hunt brings years o f experience to Fantasy as a highly sought after background vocalist. Her credits include work with such top names as Elton John. Sam & Dave. Cerrone and numerous others. She has performed the role o f Dorothy in the road company o f the hi, musical, “ The Wiz. " was a member o f the cast o f “ H a ir ” and has performed with the Negro Ensemble Proline Beauty IProducts 917 S.W. Alder 2244401 (acroaa from the QaHarta) IP R O S H O P S T Y L IN G S A LO N GERALD TAYLOR NEW STYLIST S p ecializin g In all curly perm s, styling fr trim m in g . TCB • Care Free • Classy curl & California Curl. The World's Finest Jazz Singer Vinagr Votca Doug Lewis; Ronald B ell. J .W . Friday; R obert " K o o l" Bell, and James "J.T." W alker. (Photo; R ichard J. B row n) you th . “ For the past two years w e’ ve been p u ttin g on dances at M att Dishman. The parents enjoy it because their children are in a secure place w ith in the c o m m u nity. T h e re ’ s also the G roove F acto r Basketball Team , various days in the p a rk , and we had the first G roove Factor Relay Races which ran o ff well.” Co. Tami brings to Fantasy the skills o f a veteran entertainer and the oppor tunity to use these various talents will be one o f the keys o f the group’s on going success. Like Ken Robeson, Rufus Jackson hails from a small southern town, but his talents took him far beyond the borders o f South Carolina. He also atten ded the A lv in A iley A m erican Dance Center on a scholarship. Once he arrived in New Y o rk, he was immediately sought after by the theatre com munity. His talents as a singer and dancer have earned him roles in “ Your Arms Too Short To Box With G o d ” and in ” 7i/»biiArif ” with Eartha K itt. AI! this made him ideal for the diverse skills that Fantasy vailed for. Native New Yorker, Carolyn Edwards, is lull o f natural talent that coupled with her dynamic personality, has carried her on as impressive a road as the group s other members. H er professional credits include appearances on Broadway, television and nightclubs. Like Rufus, she also perform ed in “ T im b u ktu " and was later recruited to add her special blend o f artistry to Fantasy. With a combination as strong as this, all it took for them to become an in stant success was the composing and producing abilities o f Tony Valor, who not only came up with their first chart busting debut single, but will create for them an album that is jus, as solid. The teamwork has paid o ff and will take Fantasy into a number o f entertainment areas where success is anxiously awaiting them. THE BETTY CARTER QUARTET 8 PM SAT. AUG. 29 BLUES DELUXE ON BLUE MONDAY WITH LEGENDARY BLUESMAN MUDDY WATERS P.M. MON. AUG. 31 NEIGHBORS OF WOODCRAFT 1410 S IN Morrison Ticke,■ *7 50 A.aMatxa Nom Muetc Mil amum » t i N w FveryOoöy ■ 5 W A Woman ■ Piece Steven« 4 Son Ma*a, 1 P,ww PORTLAND CLEANING r - WORKS D ry C leaner Alteration« and repair antra charge • Minor repair N o charge Knit blocking our «pecialtty In September, Friday plans to at tend classes on the business side. “ In business, there’ s always the carpetbagger, flim flam m er and they a ll wear w hite ties. It was business before, but it’s all business now. M y goal is to have 24 hours. I ’ m not talking about it; I ’ m doing it Hey, W e Rock . . . ONE W EEK O N LY Choe's Wigs Introduces BONNIE HOWE (Former), Eastport Plaza) FREE Comb-out With purchase of new wig Hotting Stone • » •4Ä confused with disco. See, there has always been places to go to party down to the record sound. It came up again and they decided to push it. N o w , they did it to hide something. I don’t know what it was but it will soon come out. I t ’ s like when Watergate broke, they gave us the gas crunch to forget. The good thing about that is that you can cover up reality for so long and it w ill slowly begin to emerge and stand tall.” The Your Kind o f Soul Show en ded up ’ The Essence o f S o u l.’ I believed in the music. Some people at K B O O said it w o u ld n ’t w ork; that no one was tuning in . W e ll, later we went from 8 to m idnight. Then came Gene Holm s, who was New York lim e « , 10% Off you want stay i top, u have stay touch. Harn has the signal that keeps you in constant touch. Providing direct dial, tone alert, tone voice, and m obile telephone service. “7 4 c Peo/fcZc/ . Portland. OR 97205 226-1507 713 SW I2lh fo r ta k a b o u t o u r n e w b u d g e t s e r v ic e ^ tjo w jo w ^ o ^ ^ r lc e a Hour M onday • Friday • • X Saturday ■ t 1 00 p m 24-hour Service In t o d a y - O u t t o m o r r o w 3954 N . W illiam s P o r t la n d , O r e g o n 97227 282 8361 A tla n ta M a y o r M a y n a rd Jackson p raaan ts th a C ity's h lgheat honor, th a Gold M e d a l A w a rd , to Tha Jacksons fo llo w in g th alr SRO benefit concert for tha A tlanta C hildan'a Foundation at tha Omni recently. IN T E R E S T IN G FACTS TH E J A C K S O N S R A IS E M O N E Y FOR A T L A N T A C H IL D R E N The C ity o f Atlanta became the City o f The Jacksons last week when the group performed at a benefit concert for the A tlanta C hildren’s Foun dation and raised nearly $100,000 in its behalf. The CBS Records recording artists appeared at the Omni Auditorium before an SRO audience which included the M ayor and Mrs. M aynard Jackson, Julian Bond, Coretta Scot, King, The Commodores. Lionel Rit chie, Gladys Knigh, and basketball “ Magic” Johnson. Telegrams expressing support o f the Foundation and The Jacksons’ noble gesture were sen, by such celebrities as Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, Kenny Rogers and Neil Diamond. Brimming over with the customary Jacksons’ high energy and intensity, the concert was accentuated by clever displays o f lasers, explosive and other special effects. During one segment o f the show, Michael Jackson momentarily vanished o ff the stage and then suddenly reappeared to the* delight o f the astonished audience, many o f whom were underprivileged children invited by CBS in behalf o f the group. A , a brief post-concert press conference, M ayor Jackson presented the young superstars with the C ity’ s highest honor, the Gold Medal Award. The Jacksons also received plaques of appreciation from representatives o f N A R A S Atlanta chapter. A C F, and the Police Athletic League. Duing the conference. The Jacksons presented the Mayor with the check for the Foundation which oversees such programs as jo b training and placement, and supervised recreational activities for the C ity ’ s under privileged children and their families. LeBaron T aylo r, CBS Records Vice President o f D ivisional A ffa irs , noted later that the concert’s success “ paid tribute to The Jacksons” and ( BS Records’ commitment to youth, particularly the disadvantaged. The Jacksons has not performed in A tlanta for nearly two years and their return was long awaited. M ore than 10,000 fans greeted the young superstars upon their arrival at the C ity’s airoort. The group completed its last major tour in 1979 and will continue on its national tour throughout the end o f September. Brought To You Every Week A M E R IC A N STA TE B A N K Here's a question that fools a lot of people. W hat is the southernmost U .S. state? Answer: Hawaii. ! The largest countries in the world in area are, in or der, Russia, Canada, China, the U .S. and Brazil. The first city in America to have a TV station was not N e w York C ity, C hicago or Los A n geles but Schenectady, N .Y . N ine U .S . Presidents never w en t to c o lle g e - George W ashington, Andrew Jackson, M artin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, M illard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, A n d re w Joh nson, Grover Cleveland and Harry Truman. A t the highest w aterfall in the w orld, the Angel Falls In Venezuela, w ate r drops over 3200 f e e t - o r alm ost 6 tim es th e heig h t of the W a s h in g to n Monum ent. American State B a n k AN INDEPENDENT BANK H eld Office 2737 N. E. Union Portland, Oregon 9721 2