Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 1992)
June 24, 1992...The Portland Observer...Page 9 Portland Observer H ENTERTAINMENT Stevie Wonder’s Proudest Accomplishment Is Martin Luther King Day Strings Strum Salute To Stars And Stripes Musician Hopes The Holiday Will Foster Better Race Relation; Says he Always Felt He Was Special in Spite o f his Color "Why should brass bands have all the fun on the Fourth?” Stevie Wonder REPRINT FROM PARADE Stevie W onder, who has been praised time and lime again for his goodness and generosity, would like most to be rem em bered as one o f those who made the birthday o f Martin Luther King Jr. a national holiday. “Every time I hear recordings of Dr. King speaking, I cry because I think about him,” W onder told Parade Con tributing Editor Wallace Terry, who interviewed him for this Sunday ’ s issue o f the magazine. “His soul, his spirit, his inner vision. America has it all wrong thinking it’s a black holiday. It’s not a black thing. It’s an American thing. What he did, he did for all of us, black and while. But there’s nothing wrong with it being a black day in the sense that we celebrate a black m an.” W onder, who firmly believes that “all evil can be conquered by love,” said his faith might not have been as strong if he were not blind. “It’s pos sible that, if I could see, I w ouldn’t have spent as much time dealing with the concept of love. I might have been made militant by what I would see. But if I got my sight back today, my Belief that love really does hold the key would not change.” Although W onder has been blind since birth, he vaguely recalls light. “I think I did see my m other’s face,” he told Terry. By the time he was ten years old, Wonder, whose talent was evident from the time he was two, had been signed by Motown, the black record company, writ ten his first song and had his first h it Asked how he felt to be both black and blind, W onder said, “ I knew I was colored, I was Negro, but I didn’t ex actly know what it meant. I knew I was different and treated less than someone else because of my color. And on top o f that I was blind. I didn’t know why there was such a problem about color, when I was blind in the first place. That seemed weird to me. But I didn’t feel inferior. I felt I was special even when I would hear someone say, * You really sound good. You colored people sing better than white people.’” W onder said he worries about the racial divisiveness, crime, violence and drug abuse plaguing the big cities like his hometown o f D ctroitand about illiteracy and joblessness, which he believes arc problem s everyw here. “ But I’m very optimistic about the w orld,” he said. “ 1 believe this isg o d ’s island, and ultimately He will make it right. Despite the damage that we have done to it, 1 feel the beauty o f the earth. I feel the beauty of G od.” Although he would like to have sight, he doesn’t dwell on it. “I som e times talk to God about my sight, and I say, I’d like to see, but it’s up to you- -what you feel is best for m e.’ I’m not a fool. Sight would make me more independent. I would be able to see my children, the mothers of my children. My brothers and sister. But I’m not going to stop enjoying what I have to wait for it to happen.” Sharing Good News Motion picture producer-director Spike Lee, second from right, shares the news at the Pepsi-Cola-sponsored prayer breakfast for the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) that Black publications would receive paid advertising for the promotions of this latest movie, “Malcolm X." With Lee at the NNPA’s 52nd Convention at the Hyatt Regency on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD, are, from left, Rev. Frank Reid III, Pastor, Bethel A.M.E. Zion Church, Betty Shine, Media Supervisor, Pepsi-Cola Company, and Sonny Messiah-Jiles, Publisher, Houston Defender. Black newspaper owners have long complained that motion picture distributors generally send them many news and photo releases, hoping for free publicity, but the distributors have been reluctant to use paid advertising to promote their films. During a spirited sermon, Reid told delegates representing 205 publications that reach more than 11 -million readers that Black publishers should use their newspapers to communicate to the African American Community the importance of controlling its own economic destiny. Dad’s Oil Service heating oils Best Cash Prices A . 104 NE Russell Portland, OR 97212 282-5111 Led by mandomaestro Ken C ul v e r, the P o rtla n d M a n d o p h o n ic Orchestra’s 25 mandolins, mandobasses, mandolas and m andocellos-plus a few guitars-w ill make a plucky attem pt to upstage their brassier brothers with a free Independence Day concert at Pio neer Courthouse Square. From 7-8:30 p.m., the orchestra will present a program spanning many musical styles: from lilting waltzes to classical favorites to rousing renditions o f patriotic anthems such as “The Star- Spangled Banner." The soul-stirring finale, of course, will be "The Stars and Stripes Forever"—like you’ve never heard it before. After that display of musical pyro technics, audience members should be properly primed for the evening’s fire works. The Portland M andophonic O r chestra was formed in 1984, and is dedicated to the preservation, prom o tion and performance o f the mandolin family o f instruments. It has hosted three W est Coast Mandolin Orchestra Conventions and has presented num er ous concerts, including performances with the Portland Cham ber Orchestra. The Fourth of July concert is a joint production o f P ioneer C ourthouse Square and the Portland Mandophonic Orchestra. Lisa Taylor A bright new face on the pop music scene, Lisa Taylor em bodies a unique talent and spirit. Music lovers will get their first taste o f L isa’s artistry with the release o f her debut album on G iant Records, titled Secrets O f The Heart. Bom in Brooklyn and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, L isa was steeped in sp iritu a lity and song from her earliest days. Her entire fam ily sang Gospel (her m o th e r e v e n sang with the great James Cleveland). “I’ve al ways known this is what I wanted to do,” recalls Lisa, “I can re member singing when I was five years old.” As she grew, Lisa segued into secular m usic. A m ong her early influences were such diverse artists a s ____________ Earth W ind & Fire, ¡ js a -rayior N atalie Cole, Billie Holiday, M innie Ripperton and Jimi Hendrix. Shortly after graduating from high school, Lisa and the band Vegas opened for the Tem ptations on a local stage. Impressed with her poise and skill, a member o f the Temptations m anagem ent team introduced her to legendary producer Notynan W hitfield. L a te r, p ro d u c e r/s o n g w rite r S am i McKinney began working on demos with Lisa. “ After each song,” says Lisa, “Sami would say, “W ell, I liked the way you did that better than anyone else; let’s make another.' A fter two months, he asked if I was interested in a solo career." Over the course o f one year, the pair recorded sixteen songs which they began to shop. Soon they caught the eye o f G iant Records which quickly signed Lisa as one of the label’s first R&B artists. A sampling o f the new album ’s eleven tracks reveals a woman with stunning range and interpretative capa bilities, alternating b etw een sen sitiv e ballads, mid-tempo showcases and high- energy dance songs. “Fallen Angel" and "D id You Pray To day?" offer both a sp iritu a l yearning and a healthy appe tite fo r ro m a n c e , w hile the first single, " S e c r e ts O f The H eart" is a touch ing, revealing bal la d . “ S a m i m u st have been able to read my mind,” says Lisa o f her pro ducer and songwriter. “He captured the things I feel.” Though m usic has been # 1 in Lisa ’ s life, she has a num ber o f other interests. Back in Ohio she developed a passion for philosophy and became an avid reader; citing W hitman and Thoreau as among her favorites. Beautiful, engag ing and genuine, Lisa Taylor is a very special performer. W ith such a m emo rable debut effort under her belt, it’s clear she’s destined for a long and fruit ful solo career. KMHD Adds Programming Public Notice Wholesale to the Public 35% to 50% off 100% Human Hair 16" from $15.95 braiding and weaving Wigs and Beauty Supplies We will meet or beat anyone’s prices. Sales and Promotional items excluded. Mrs. C’s Wigs and Beauty Supply Speedy Service Friendly Call for Quote! 4 707 N.E. Fremont Portland, Oregon 97212 (503) 281-6525 Open: 11:30 - 6:00 Tues thru Saturday Congratulations! gfalutes^lackcß/lusicji/lonth ^featuring tkefjßlues KMHD 89.1 FM , the jazz-form at radio station operating from the Mt. Hood Community college campus, will be adding three hours o f new program ming on Sunday afternoons. KM HD’s general manager, John Rice, has announced that the jazz sta tion is now featuring one of the pre mier announcers in the history of broadcasting jazz - Pat Henry - brought to the KMHD air waves via digital audio tape. “Henry is the man responsible for much of what jazz radio is today,” said Rice. “If you’re from the (San Fran cisco) Bay Area and a jazz fan, then you are already fam iliar with Pat H enry.It was in 1959thatheputK JA Z on the air,” said Rice in reference to one of the very few successful com mercial jazz stations in the U.S. Station manager Tom Costello explained that Pat Henry is providing BET Presents Michael Jackson’s ‘Jam ’ June 19 "Jam," Michael Jackson’s latest music video release from his "Danger ous" album ,aired on BETFriday, June 19. "Jam " features appearances by Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan, Ruffhouse/Columbia recording group Kris Kross and MCA recording artist Heavy D. BET will presented "Jam 2B E T," a one-hour special hosted by "Video You’ve turned 6 years old Lorenzo Richards!! With Love From Your Family a three-hour show to KMHD. “It comes to us on DAT -- digital audio tape - which is state o f the art. Then on Sun days, 2 p.m. until 5 p.m ., we plug it into the machine and Northwest Oregon and Southwest W ashington will hear some great jazz, brought to them by perhaps the most experienced jazz an nouncer in history.” Costello went on to say that Pat Henry tapes his show individually for KMHD, but also pro vides KPLU (Tacoma/Seattle), KSDS (San Diego) and KCSM (San Mateo) with sim ilar programming. K M H D ’s development associate, Kevin Tippett added the business per sp ective to C o ste llo ’s com m ents: “See’s Candies underwrites H enry’s efforts. Thanks to their financial com m itment to the jazz arts, Pat H enry’s show is here to stay.” For more information call KMHD at 667-7233. LP" host Sherry Carter which featured videos from “NBA Superstars2", a 38- minute production featuring action foot age o f NBA superstars edited to music from top MCA recording artists. BET is the nation’s first and only cable television network providing a platform for quality programming tar geted toward an African-American au dience. KMHD FM89.1 ...All Jazz, All the Time. The Full Spectrum of Jazz... M U S IC M IL L E N N IU M $10" Also pick up Sam & Dave a n d Bar-Kaya - Soul Finger at $9.99 each or Lonnie Litton Smith fo r $3.99 1615NEKillingsworth • Portland, OR 97211 • 503-284-2435 32ND & E BURNSIDE 231-8926 23RD & NW JOHNSON 248-0163 ...7 Days a Week, 365 Days a Year. Mainstream, BeBop, blues, Fusion, New Age. ...If It’s Jazz, It’s On KMHD! AAA
