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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1981)
Pag« • Portland Otoaarvar, Saptambar 3. IM I ENTERTAINMENT "You can tall tha of a nation by its advertise manta.” Norman Douglas Gold can ba baatan to thin that a gram a III Grassroot News, N. W —Reggae superstar Peter Tosh mystified Portland Saturday night with the revolutionary rhythm o f rastafarian music. “ Rasta is not a religion. It*» a traditional way o f life. Those who know Christ and are followers from the earth are rastafarians. It's nothing new—until histor ians rm-'«Ltled themselves into Africa and wrote books and called it Chris tianity. Western Christianity used every strategy to eliminate the reality o f the real Christianity. But it has been reborn in this dispensation o f time. This is what the Rasta man represents. A manifestation o f the prophecy o f Christ in these times.“ Tosh explained what rastafarian means. The rasta way o f life is also the visible symbol o f the restlessness, the frustration, the discontent, the hope, and the creativity o f the Jamaican masses for whom society has no place except at the bottom o f the socio-economic heap. 5« 'Hold on I'm Coming' "IM A Soul Man" SAM& DAVI "The Original Soul Men Stive money on your insurance. Auto « Life « Fire ommercial «Truck M onthly Payments Saturday, Sept. 5 Two Shows Only n a t a * a ra 6 7 /aO aO W 6a Laaawaw» « m i ba al — atwa^aa eaaaa avaaa« M M gM CO 9asa l a m m « avaavaaav • aveva«« a aas9a « a m i «va aacaaaa LUIS’ LA BAMBA 9 8 SW 2nd 2 2 4 -0 2 4 7 The lyric o f Tosh contains statements like Stand up fo r your rights, and N o m a tter y o u r co m p lex io n y o u 'r e an A frica n . With words directed towards those o f African descent it would seem that a Black record com pany would produce and promote Reggae. “ Many people who are Black in this country are being functioned by some white industry. It is better to use the white man in his own land than to use the Black man to do the things I wanthim to do in the white man’s land. If he wanted to stop it he could stop it if the Black man was doing it. But wlyn the white man does it he would have to investigate.“ Rita H. Jankins SalM R.QIMW<1I.|IV. Coming to Lula' La Bamba 3714 N. Williams Portland Oregon 97227 Waka for KKSN-Sapt. 9 <903)149 Tosh is marketed by Rolling Stones records which is ironic, because as quiet as it’s kept, rock got its creative push from another form o f African influenced culture, Blues. “ That’s the way it goes.” Tosh begins. “ Every producer is in the same category o f the society. Because they are all the same people. I’ve been searching for years to find someone who loves reggae music. Before they dealt with me on a productive level they were dealing want him to do in the white man’s land. If he wanted to stop it he could stop by it. They had to get close to someone who knows the architect o f reggae music.” Wlllia Dlxon and tha Chicago Bluaa All-Stara - Sapt . 22 WBBH with Sara Bakar — Sapt. 26 6 26 Tha Qo-Qoa Oct. 1 Tha Parauaaiona Omers hr» WorH Irte Insuline« Co Mercer M in d WA - O c t 16 a LA TOYA JACKSON K eeping It A ll In th e Fam ily PETER TOSH (Photo: Richard J. Brown) Tosh hooked up with Rolling Stones Records after meeting the indescrib able Mick Jagger. “ I did a peace concert in Jamaica and Mick Jagger was there. He appreciated my performance and we began to talk business. It sounded progressive and I tried it out and so far, so good.” Peter Tosh’s development and talents grew out o f his involvement with the King o f Reggae, Bob Marley. “ We came together for a spiritual reason. Jah put us together. We were to accomplish certain spiritual missions with one divine force. We formed in 1960 and started recording in 1962. The group was together for ten to twelve years. After this experience I came to the conclusion to get some experience on my own and find what's in me and who I was supposed to be. Every tub has to stand on its own bottom.” The Northwest authority on Reggae music is Pablo Innis, the Soul Rebel on the roots, rock, reggae radio show on KBOO, FM. “ Peter is just now coming into his own. His impact won’t be felt until one or two years from now. The fact that the concert was sold out tells me Reggae is here to stay. Peter’s music reflects the conditions o f the times and his own personal experience.” Pablo answered as to why whites are bopping to the music of Africa on a wider range than those o f African descent. “ Some o f them still look at Blacks as entertainers. Just look and listen and you can see that it’s more than entertainment. To some the message is just for that moment and that’s it.” Tosh elaborates, “ The Black people are not to be blamed. It’s the media and society. Because o f what Reggae means it is being incriminated, dis criminated and its rights are being violated by every angle. It’s part of the s-t- stem to keep Reggae music in the back and under the bottom. But Reggae music has a magnetic psychology and spiritual force. Irrespective o f the bar riers of what they try to do to keep it out o f the eyes and ears o f the people, reggae music has its own potential, so it will move any barriers. Reggae music will force you to accept it.” Attractive, young La Toya Jackson needs no introduction to music fans around the globe who know her as the middle child in one o f the most famous entertainment families in the world—the Jacksons. Along with brothers Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy and Michael, and sisters Maureen and Janet, La Toya has entertained international audiences as part o f the Jacksons' universally-acclaimed stage show. With her self-titled de but album, released last year, La Toya demonstrated the talent she had shown on numerous concert tours wi h her family at the prestigious MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, as well as on The Jacksons' summer variety tele vision show. W ith the release o f her second LP, My Special Love, La Toya looks ready to attain the stardom associated with her famous and talented family. On the First single, “ Stay the Night,” co-written by Ken Gold and Billy Ocean, La Toya sings with sensual passion the song's urgent plea, while proving more than capable o f turning the lilting dance rhythms o f the self-penned (co-composed with sister Janet) “ Camp Kuchi Kaiai” into a steamy seren ade. Producer Ollie E. Brown even contributes a pair o f tunes, “ Fill You Up” and the sizzling "Summertime With You.” Marlon, Randy, Tito and Jackie wrote the LP’s finale, “ Special Love,” which builds gradually into a moving climax. M y Special Love shows that La Toya Jackson is growing into one o f our finest song stylists. The fifth o f nine children. La Toya grew up in Gary, IN., and then Los Angeles, when the family moved there in the mid-'60s. While her father Jo seph put the five boys through grueling rehearsals in their quest for stardom. La Toya grew up in an environment o f music, singing and dan cing. “ It was only natural for me to pick that up,” she recalls. “ But I never expected to be part o f the show. I wouldn't dare want to work that hard, but it’s certainly paid o ff.” In fact. La Toya didn’t become part o f the act until 1972, "when I was drawn into it all at once,” she claims. Sister Janet was brought into the band at that time, too, so the family could expand its stage show. “ I was extremely shy as a youngster,” recalls La Toya. “ Oh sure, we would all get together and sing country and folk songs around the house. We all loved Sam Cooke and Michael used to listen to James Brown and the Temptations all the time." The act the Jacksons brought to Las Vegas included back-up vocals by La Toya as well as her intricate choreography. Later on, she did background vocals for the Jacksons’ summer variety series on T.V. and then travelled throughout the States with the family’s show. “ At first, I didn’t care for performing,” admits La Toya. “ But eventual ly, I got the urge to do it myself.” A shy, private person who only recently moved into her own apartment, La Toya didn’t really decide to break out on her own until just under two years ago, when she sat in the living room, watching another singer on tele vision. At the time, La Toya was attending college, studying for a law de gree at Northridge in Southern California. “ My father asked me if I thought I could sing like the girl on television and I answered, ’Sure!’ ” she says. "I believed the time was right, and it was what I really wanted to d o .” And so, Joe Jackson hustled La Toya o ff to the studio with producers Ol lie E. Brown and Larry Farrow, and they recorded La Toya Jackson. Brother Michael loaned his hand as producer o f the single, "Night Time Lover,” co-penned with La Toya, and the beautiful singer’s career was o ff and running. La Toya, who’s devoted to her new fans all over the world, likes Ste phanie Mills, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross, but has a style that is distinct ively her own. And where does La Toya see herself in the future? She insists on wanting to continue singing, writing more original material and performing in glamorous showcase settings like Las Vegas. She is also interested in pursuing an acting career, when the time is right, “ I think the members o f the Jackson family are now striving to establish their own individual careers,” observes the attractive entertainer. “ Every one wants to do a solo alburn or get involved with producing other artists.” With the release o f M y Special L ove, her impressive follow-up to her stunning debut. La Toya Jackson has taken another step towards achieving a stardom commensurate with that of her famous and talented family. C o m e to Fridays B ea u ty S u p p ly fo r your Pro-Line B a c k -T o -S c h o o l S pecial Sale Prices Good Aug. 27th-8ept. 5th .....W VW M $7.49 iwwtoi sii« $3.29 $1.49 A® Z o’ op z z Z? it?» A Ö FREE - B IG M A C Nobody GUI candi do It U ÍH c B o n a k h CAB', Buy on« and gal 004 free w h an you purchase »10 in m archandiaa or aarvicaa at P roLina C oupon good a t M c O o n a k fa , 820 S only. W. Aider PORTLAND CLEANING WORKS G D ry C lean er Alteration« and rape» extra charge • Minor repair • No ciw. ; • KnH blocking our apactakty M s k about our new budget service Hour Monday Friday » 4 1 0 Saturday • 9-1:00 p.m 24-hour Service In today - Out tom orrow 3954 N. W illia m s Portland, Oregon VTTX1 282 8361 If you want to stay on top, you have to stay in touch. Ram has the signal that keeps you in constant touch. Providing direct dial, tone alert, tone voice, and mobile telephone aervlce. *74e ‘S t e j w i “P e a f itc f 4554 N .E . U nio n A ve. 3512 N .E . 15th A ve. 287 8256 713 S.W 12th Au» . Portland. OR »7205 226-1507 249 0363 I I
