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J / a f -i iï it /et fa m tu e n /
«F ree W illy ”
B y Eric Island
On Wednesday; July 8th, W'amer Brothers
In the midst of an economic recession, I
filmed pieces of a new actioned-filled com­
asked Jim Stinson, the owner of die car
edy about a young boy and
wash, how do movies like Free Willy
liis
familys
desire to help free a whale named Willy
help our economy? This film puts a lot
from poachers. The car wash on Martin
into the community through exposure and
Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Fargo was
jobs. It is a positive effort on the behalf of
selected the site for this scene. In this scene
W arner Brothers and I to help die commu­
the family and the w hale are being chased
nity as best we can. Very true, in creating
by poachers. Willy needs water to stay alive;
this movie scene, 30-35 people have been
which sets up the need for the car wash.
hired to take an active part in diis endeavor
On occasions movies have been shot in all
parts of Portland; but what qualifies this
particular car wash in Northeast Portland
to be honored by W arner Brothers? This
car wash meets our needs for this movie.
along w idi various electricians. Local busi­
nesses, mosdy restaurants, are reaping the
nan cJl/lcKnigkt
benefits of this movie because lots of meal
orders are bought, which equals mo busi-
ness and mo money
Tinkling the ivories of his black baby grand, Brian McKnight evokes of a young Nat
We looked for a location with a main street
Free Willy an actioned-filled comedy will
and easy access. We look for construction
keep us laughing at the box office and
King Cole. Exuding wisdom well beyond his years, the extraordinarily talented
such as die lighting, size, and die condition
hopefully give our community the type of
vocalist/composer/producer stretches his athletic 64‘ frame and, with an air best
of die site, etc. We all agreed diat diis was
positive exposure long overdue.
described as confident and self-assured, says, I think if you believe in what voure doing
the right place, said Mike Fantasia, liai­
and do it to the best of your abilities, the results will alwavs be fine.
son and location manager.
In the truest sense, McKnights words have their deepest meaning after listening to his
stunning self-titles debut disc, Brian McKnight, on Mercury Records. Daring to be
different in an age of fast and rigid trends, this self-produced effort is a musical
maturation an amalgam of styles that results in a bold step forward. ..particularly for a 22
year old. My music, heexplains, is R & B on the jazz tip. I didnt want to do just another
in me truest sense, ivictvmgnts woras nave uieir deepest meaning aner listening to ms
stunning self-tides debut disc, Brian McKnight, on Mercury Records. Daring to be
different in an age of fast and rigid trends, tins self-produced effort is a musical
m aturation an amalgam of styles diat results in a bold step forward.. .particularly for a 22
year old. My music, heexplains, is R & B on die jazz tip. I didnt want to do just anodier
formula album. Theres enough of diat out diere already. Besides, being tm e to myself
and my musical sensibilities wouldnt allow it.
Born into an unusually gifted musical family McKnight, who began singing at the age of
4, has never compromised those sensibilities. With a musical legacy spanning two
T h e P e r su a sio n s
generations (his grandfather got the ball rolling singing in church), Brian McKnight
hopes to blaze trails much like his oldest brod ler Claude has done in the Grammy Award
winning jazz/pop/gospel group Take 6.
B y Derek Rasheed
Clearly, there is a standard to m aintain on the McKnight family tree. Theres so much
On Wednesday July 22 the Persuasions
on die physical dungs that we have or have
w’as part of a fabulous program put on by
not recieved we believe diat professionally
talent, it pushed us to really explore beyond the accepted boundaries. Just being good
die W ashington Park Zoos 1992 Summer
it probably should have been a lot better,
wasnt really good enough. Dont get me wrong. It wasnt a pressure situation...just a
Concert Series. They dazzled die audience
but the love and respect we have for each
family pride diat fostered die desire to be die desire to be die best we could.
with inspiring harmonies widi songs like.
other and our work widi die belief diat our
Be Good To Me Baby, Good Times,
group was put together by Almighty God
^ h e n I Live T hem Prison Walls,
have kept us together for so long. They
Amen, and many many more.
went on to say that. Though die road have
After die show I spoke widi die Persua­
sions and told them that there are still a lot
of young and older blacks who are not
aware of dieir music. I asked them why'''
They said, One of the main reasons is that
black radio stations dont give them any
degree of air time, and disjockeys are not
playing there records. However, The per­
suasions say thev are in the process of
cl langmg d ial.
not been easy, we advise any upcoming
groups to be patience, practice, and have a
San Diego, California area), to pass on a recent offer to sing alongside Claude in Take 6.
1 cant say it wasnt tempting, he grins. But then again, not really. I was flattered, but
I felt the group is already successful. Theyre making their statement quite well widiout
me. So what would I really ad to Take 6? I did think about it but, in die final analysis, Ive
got to try this for myself. I have dungs inside that need to come out my way.
genuine, sincere love and respect for what
you do and the people you work with.
And on Brian McKnight, diis extremely talented musician/vocalist does just that,
Along widi a blessing from God you will
painting a revealing and sensual rainbow of emotions, resulting from having written all
have a good chance of making it. The lead
the material, liandluig all lead and background vocal chores and playing virtually all the
singer is Jerry, Jimmy on bass, Joe is 1st
instruments (including keyboards, drum s, acoustic guitar and bass).
tenor, and Jay is 2d tenor. Another mem­
ber by the name of Tooboo died in Davis
California in 1988. The Persuasions have
several great harmonizing albums on mar­
The Persuasions have been together for
That pride and desire led McKnight, a native of Buffalo, New York (now residing in the
ket today.
On The Way Love Goes, the discs lead single, he serves up a seductive groove under
passionate lyrics that belie lus youth. Stay The Night is anodier ear pleaser that finds
McKnight boldly integrating R & B/Pop attitudes with jazzed up melodies and harmo­
nies. Not at all insecure, McKnight exhibits extraordinary depth on Is The Feeling
Gone? by further showcasing his versatility with seriously jazz-tinged, smoke-filled,
diirty years, all of diem are original mem­
piano bar solo.
bers since the group was started. They
Goodbye My Love borrows liberally from lup-hop expressionism while staying in tune
share dieir diirty year original group mem­
with the albums overall feel and One Last Cry is a musical meeting of the m inds
ber tide with greats such as The Dells, and
between James Ingram and Bobby Caldwell, both of whom McKnight cites s major
The Four Tops. When asked, what have
influences along widi Stevie Wonder, M ichael McDonald and, of course, T ake 6. Thats
kept diem together for so long, after work­
w hy I reallv resist categorizing what 1 do, he says. I grew up listening to lots of different
ing city; liter city, d i ib after d u b , and never
artists and styles and its all reflect in the music. An what a statement hes made! Brian
reaching die financial status and recogni­
Quality Video Production Services
tion diev deserve9
503-282-1328
They replied. That if you base our destiny
August 1992
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young man who will lie an important and influential artist foryears to oome. Yes, perhaps
even unforgettable.
9 MctroMotion
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McKnight is unequivocally and indisputably saying this is a imiquely talented and gifted
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