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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1992)
W ,/ W » > IW lW W n '• • 't r » » » « « « « » « * * î »' i f • » • • ’»***** ■» * Page 4..The Portland Observer...April 8, 1992 Few songs in the history o f con tem porary music have been able to capture the attitude o f an entire decade. B ut C A L L O W A Y ’S block-buster hit, “ I W anna Be R ich,” singularly exem plified our country’s obsession with m oney and material goods in the '80s. W ith it, the Cincinnati-based brother duo o f Reggie and Cino Calloway suc cessfully launched an exciting new phase in an a n istic career that already encom passes a w ealth o f hitmaking as one o f the prem ier songw riting and producing team s in contem porary music. Now the C allow ays look to add to their treasure chest o f hits with their new Solar/Epic album , L E T ’S G ET SMOOTH. Along with a contingent of young M idw estem erssuchasL .A . & Babyface (w ho the Callow ays helped to intro duce through their production work for T he D eele) and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lew is, R eggie & Cino Calloway have becom e a dom inant force in the evolu tion o f R& B/pop music over the past tw o decades. W hat has distinguished the C allow ays from their contem porar ies is their uncanny ability to reflect and personify the changing moods o f our culture, and to separate their own art istry from their creativity as prolific songrw ri ter/producers. A s founders o f the pioneering techno-funk band Midnight Star, the C allow ays racked up a string of Top 20 R & B hits including the #1 “O perator,” along with tw o gold LPs and one double platinum album. During this incarna tion, Reggie and Cino also wrote and produced hits for other artists, includ ing K lym axx’s signature song, “ M eet ing In The Ladies Room ,” and several tracks for the W hispers’ Feel So Good. Follow ing their departure from M id night Star, Callow ay went on to create four gold or platinum G ram m y-nom i nated recordings: G ladys K n ig h t’s G ra m m y -w in n in g h it “ L ove O ver Portland Observer B oard” (#1 R& B/# 13 Pop), Teddy Pendergrass” “Joy" (#1 R&B), Levert’s debut smash “Casanova” (#1 R&B/5 Pop), and Natalie C ole’s single “Jump Start My Heart” (2 R&B/# 13 Pop). “Casanova” also earned writer Reggie Calloway a Gram m y nomination for “ Song O f The Y ear.” “We d o n ’t try to weight an artist down with our style,” says Reggie Calloway. “We w ant to bring out their own colors and textures. W e’re not concerned with the ego satisfaction o f people saying ‘T hat’s a Calloway song ’ like they can with some other produc ers.” “That’s why w e’re recording art ists,” adds Cino. “W e have our own ideas that we put on our own records— we d o n ’t have to project our creativity as artists on the artists we produce.” The common denom inator has a l ways been great songs. “Music is m u sic, and we should be able to play and produced anything we can write,” says Reggie. “Lennon & McCartney wrote For Best Results Advertise in the Observer The 34th Annual and played rock, pop and R&B music. As A fric a n -A m e ric a n a r tis ts , songwriters and producers, w e’d like to be able to do the sam e.” The title track (the prem ier single and video from LET’S GET SMOOTH) sums up this sentiment, and the ballads that fo llo w -”I Desire You,” “Feel Like A W o m a n ,” “ F o re v e r Y o u rs ” -- strengthen that emotion. “Set TheTable” is the ultimate in red-carpet treatment for women, and reinforces C allow ay’s ideas about sharing in love. Growing up (and still based) in Cincinnati, Reggie and Cino were ex posed at an early age to music through their family. Both brothers are profi cient on a n umber of in struments: Reggie on trumpet, flute and keyboards, Cino on trumpet, trombone, flugelhom and keyboards. “'I W anna Be R ich’ gave a great start to our career as a recording duo,” offers Cino, “but some o f the songs on L E T ’S G ET SMOOTH have the potential to be even bigger. This record is going to hit you from all sides!” (CTQ i1 It’s been nearly a year since Nikeska was named Miss Na tional Y oung M iss A m erica (1991-92). It’s been a very busy but productive year for her. S he ’ s doing an outstanding job repre senting Oregon. The Portland Observer would like to commend Nikesha. God bless you. . ------- — — V o lu n t e e r s W a n te d The Coalition for Responsive Gov ernm ent, sponsor o f a M ultnom ah County ballot measure, is looking for volunteer help on its grass roots cam paign for the May election. If passed, Ballot M easure 26-6 would create a C itizens’ Convention to exam ine and recommend changes for local governm ent services within M ult nomah County. S7/ SJiapp ens 7 l t . hair design EBONY FULL SERVICE SALON Fashion Fair 1926 N.E. Sandy Blvd. Owner/Slylisl (503> 232-6263 Call For Appt. Portland, Oregon 97232 Presents Portland Chapter The Links, Inc. Benefit of LINKS EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND Masonic Temple 1119 S.W . Park Ave. Portland, Oregon Friday, April 24, 1992 8:00 p.m. Ticket Price: $25.00 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT: Mrs. C's Wigs, 707 N.E. Fremont House ol Sound. 3606 N. Williams Ave. P&Js Beauty & Barber Supplies. ___________ 2948 N.E. M .L.K.Jr. Blvd Ticket Prices: (Includes 1 yr. subscription to EBONY/EM or 6-month subscription to JET) BOSTON’S MINI MARKET NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT! PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY STORE IT’S A MUST. PLEASE REFRAIN FROM DRINKING ON THE STORE GROUNDS AND ON THE OLD FRED MEYER PARKING LOT. IT CAUSES MANY UNNEEDED PROBLEMS. COME BY FOR ALL YOUR SHOPPING NEEDS. WE WORK WITHOLCC. LOCATED AT 726 N.E. KILLINGSWORTH • X + » t . The Portland Chapter o f Jack & Jill o f America, Inc. will have a Spring fundraising event on Saturday, April 11, 6:00-8:00 p.m.. Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N. Interstate Av enue. Join them at 6:00p.m . for the recep tion and 7:00 p.m. for a performance of the Colin Thomas play, “One Thousand Cranes,” that will be directed by Julie Akers. The production company will have a question and answer series fol lowing the performance. The cost is $10.00, and includes the reception and play. The designated charily for this fundraiser will be “Christian W omen Against Crim e.” T he C hristian W om en A gainst Crime program consists of a dedicated group o f women who are providing a m ultitude o f resources and positive al 4* / r • ’S» Jack & Jill Spring Fundraiser ternatives for youth. If you w ant to become involved in this program, con tact Mrs. Alberta Phillips, 120 N.E. Ivy, 282-1316. Jack & Jill o f A merica members selected this play for our fundraising event because it providescultural aw are ness through the eyes o f children. Jack & Jill kids have made Origami crane decorations for this performance. The children attended classes that were taught by Toshimi Tanaka who is o f Japanese descent. Jack & Jill o f America, Inc., is a national non-profit minority parenting organization whose main focus areas are education, recreation, social and cultural well beingof minority children. Please join the Portland chapter in the fundraising benefit for”Christian W omen A gainst C rim e.” Cleo-Lilliann Social Club ~ remembers, “...until I realized the girls paid more attention to the rappers in stead of me. I had to change that right aw ay.” The discovery of Brains by New Edition-Bell, Biv, DeVoc m ember and music impresario Michael Bivins is the stuff of which, well, record company bios are made. They met when Bell, Biv, DeVoe blew into Cleveland. Late after the Superfest show, a friend called Brains and informed him that Bivins and entourage were at a local restau rant. It was B rains’ nom - with her husband, she used to manage the Dazz Band — who persuaded Brains to seize the moment. “She got up out o f bed at three in the morning and we went down to the restaurant. W hen we got there, Bivins was just leaving, but mom went over and introduced herself and grabbed him by the arm. His bodyguard moved in, but mom w ouldn’t let go. 1 guess Bivins said to him self, “The only way I’m gonna get out of here is to listen to this guy rap.” N evertheless, Brains is already looking well past his debut and into the future, and his goals arc formidable. “ I’d like to be known as a rapper who crosses all audience barriers,” he says. “ I’d like to hear people say, “ 1 didn’t really care for rap - until I heard M.C. Brains.” Such a goal is a challenge for any artist, but as Brains well knows, dreams do come true. KMHD FM89.1 ...All Jazz, All the Time. The Full Spectrum of Jazz... ...7 Days a Week, 365 Days a Year. Mainstream, BeBop, blues, Fusion, New Age. ...If It’s Jazz, It’s On KMHD! Featuring D.J. David Proby Fri & Sat 10 p.m. to 2 p.m. 32N D & E BURNSIDE 2 3 1 -8 9 2 6 New Dance Floor Membership Applications Available 3041 N. Williams Ave. 282-6776 <0? H e’s just given the term “O ochie Coochie” a new definition. An age old slang for doin’, shall we say, The W ild T hang, it now also m eans sm ash, “Oochie Coochie”, is the debut Motown/ Biv Entertainm ent Inc. single from new Michael Bivins discovery, 17-yearold rapper-writer M.C. Brains. If the early reception of this fresh slice of “Ghetto Swing” is any indication, then rapdom ’s about to witness the rise o f another major star. I t’s not enough that “O ochie Coochie,” written by Brains along with producer Ricco (another talent from the BEI roost) and Executive Producer Michael B ivins, is some seriously sw ag gering groovetim e, both musically and verse-wise; during it’s B-section, Brains jumps into a hip-hop-meets-reggae flow that is as funky as it is inventive, the kind of move that separates Brains from the rest. “I like to describe my style as “rap meets R&B,” says the handsome M.C., whose name is actually an acronym for Bringing Raps And Instrumentals Non- Stop. “A lot o f rappers fake the R&B tip. The rap is cool, and the R&B is there, but it doesn’t fit, doesn’t feel natural. I like to think I’m versatile in that way.” B ra in s , b o rn an d ra is e d in Cleveland,Ohio, got into rap in Junior high school. “ I enjoyed backing up rappers as the human beat box,” he 1 23RD & NW JOHNSON 2 4 8 -0 1 6 3 MUSIC MILLENNIUM * •»* * «I • » * I ’ •I
