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October ”, 1992... I he Portland ()bserver...Page 5
Portland Observer
ENTERTAINMENT
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LOVE
Wanya Morris, 19
Shawn Stockman, 20
Mission Of Boyz II Men' Is To Spread Love And Understanding
"We may not be able to change the world, but if we can join people
together during a show, it may make a difference in somebody's life, ”
declared Shawn Stockman of the a capella quartet, “Boyz II Men, ” which
has become a hot group despite the fact that they are not wild, angry or
loud.
Michael McCary, 20
Nathan Morris, 21
CeCe
b BEBE & CECE WINANS
We
send out messages
of hope,” says BeBe, the male half of
the Grammy-award-winning duo, BeBe
& CeCe Winans. “That’s our inspira­
tion. I ’ m concerned about the things we
face in this world, and the listeners
can’t help but feel our energy and sin­
cerity. It’s music from the heart, and I
think that’s why it goes straight to the
hearts of others.”
“Music is a very powerful tool that
can change a person’s outlook,” agrees
BeBe’s 26-year-old sister CeCe. “Ev­
erything we sing touches our emotions
and, hopefully, the emotions of those
who listen. Our songs let people know
who we are and what we believe in. they
are a chance to share with people what
we feel.”
Different Lifestyles is the distinc­
tive new album by gospel’s most cel­
ebrated duo, and one that continues to
broaden and redefine the contemporary
genre. With breathtaking songs that
touch the heart and uplift the soul, the
young brother and sister team have
struck a chord with spiritual and main­
stream audiences alike. The duo’s mu­
sic transcends boundaries, attracting a
growing number of Top 40 and R&B
fans, and the Winans’ incredible talent
is creating one of the greatest successes
in gospel music.
The newest chapter in their success
story is Different Lifestyles, a brave
and beautiful album of unharnessed joy
IUBt
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and revelation. “The Blood,” featuring
a faithful rap by M.C. Hammer, offers
the boldest statement the duo has ever
made; “I’ll Take You There,” with
Mavis Staples, is their spectacular ver­
sion of the Staple Singers’classic; Luther
Vandross’ background vocal arrange­
ment on “Searching For Love (It’s
Real)”; “Can’t Take This Away” offers
a surprising traditional flair with the
appearance of the Mt. Calvary Baptist
Church Choir of Indio, California; and
the powerful first single, “Addictive
Love,” has a very special guest perfor­
mance by an anonymous honorary sis­
ter. Through and through, the album
embraces BeBe & CeCe’s most evoca­
tive performances yet.
And that’s really saying something.
BeBe and CeCe have been honored
with nearly 30 major industry award
nominations since they first began re­
cording together in 1987, but they’ve
been singing together their entire lives.
BeBe (Benjamin) & CeCe (Priscilla)
Winans were bom in Detroit, the sev­
enth and eighth o f 10 children, to the
musical Winans family. Their father is
a minister, so the large family grew up
with a deeply inherent love for gospel
that flourishes today. Several of their
brothers currently com prise The
Winans, Daniel Winans is a Grammy­
winning solo artist, and three sisters
have formed the new group, Sisters
(produced, in part, by BeBe).
2 8 8 -0 0 3 3
W HEN
YOU W A N T T O A D V E R T IS E
"Two thumbs up!"
SISKEL& EBERT
"The funniest picture in a long time."
-Gene Shalit,TODAY SHOW
They’re not wild, angry or loud, yet Boyz 11 Men has become one of today’s
hottest pop groups, could it be their message?
Their Haunting, Lyrical Signature Song, “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye to
Yesterday,” was played at high school proms throughout the nation this year, on
radio stations and on car stereos almost every where. The young singers who call
themselves Boyz 11 Men are at the top of the charts, but they are unlike anyone else
in music today.
At a time when some music seems to be a vehicle for confrontation and discord,
Boyz 11 Men sing about love and peace. The group is well-groomed and soft-spoken.
Instead of synthesizers and sophisticated dubbing and mixing techniques, the
Philadelphia quartet relies on the most challenging instrument of all-th e human
voice. To top it all, within two years after they emerged from the inner city, they
have won a Grammy award and seen their first album turn platinum. How, I
wondered, did these nice guys finish first?
It was a typical few days in the schedule of a successful group: a concert in
Monroe, La., followed by an all-night bus trip to a video shoot the next morning in
Houston. Despite the strain, the singers were energetic, outgoing, eager to explain
themselves. Shawn Stockman told me they took their name from a song that the
members 1 iked. “Our name, Boyz II Men, expresses what we arc trying to do-bridge
the gap between young and old, black and white, all colors, all sizes, all people,
he said.
In Monroe, I saw how their music did just that. Thousands arrived for the show
as varied as they could be: from early adolescence to middle age, in every color and
size, from the affluent to those who struggled to raise the 520.00 ticket price. They
sang hits from their album, like “ Uhh Ahh” and “Under Pressure,” but when “It’s
So Hard To Say Goodbye” began-w ith its shimmering arpeggios and the bell-like
clarity of its a cappclla sound-the audience was transformed. Holding hands aloft,
brushing tears away and swaying to the rhythm of the music, the people seemed to
become, for a moment, united. “We may not be ale to change the world,” Shawn
said later,“but if weean join people togetherduringashow.itm aym ikeadifference
in somebody’s life.”
Making a difference is a theme that runs through almost every conversation
with Boyz II Men. “Our values come from our families,” Nate Morris told me. “We
were brought up to believe that God put you in a position to help other people. Music
is a way of giving back.”
Just a few years ago, they were, in Mike McCary’s words, “just four lonely
brothers.” Nate, 21, Shawn, 20, Mike, 20 and Wanya Morris (no relation to Nate),
19, grew up in Philadelphia’s poor neighborhoods.
«s
• •
Wilbur The Crocodile’s
Halloween Birthday Party
Yo, reptile dudes and dudets! Stop
what your doing, grab your friends and
come on down and help me, Wilbur the
Crocodile, celebrate my 12th birthday
by attending my Halloween Birthday
Party, Saturday and Sunday, October
31st and November 1st, 11 A.M. to 5
P.M. This years theme is a Scottish
Affair with “Wilbur MacCrocodilc”.
all kids attending my party get a free
trick or treat bag filled with toys, treats,
party favors and of course a party hat.
There will be crocodile cake for every­
The big difference in their lives was admission to The High School for the
• Creative and Performing Arts, a selective public school whose students must
i audition to get in. Like all other singing students at the school, the four studied
1 musical composition and theory. Although their roots were in rhythm & blues and
I gospel music, they were taught to sing Mozart and Bach. “I learned to appreciate
1 classical music,” Mike says.
The young men invariably gravitated toward each other. “We were different
people, with different friends,” Shawn says. “But we loved to sing. That brought
1 us together.”
In 1989, the four entered a talent show at their school-and their lives changed.
“The curtains opened, and we sang,” Wanya recalls, “and there was bunch of people
we’d known for the longest time, screaming like they’d never seen us before.
: Suddenly, we thought, “This could be a career,’” a month late, they sneaked
1 backstage at a concert and persuaded the record producer Michael Bivins to let them
: sing for him. “Just listening to them, I could tell they’d be great,” he recalls. Bivins
1 produced their hit album Cooleyhighharmony and helped arrange this year’s
1 national tour, in which they appeared as the opening act for the rap megastar
Hammer, on tour, they were under the wing of Khalil Rountree, a veteran of the
1 music business, ho became their road manager and confidant. “Khalil was like our
father,” Nate says.
According to Wanya, Rountree’s influence extended both to their music and
their lives: “The message we’re trying to get across to people is that they should
spread love. Khalil explained to us that, onstage, you can have hurt and anger inside
you, but it can’t be shown to the people. They want to see your best performance.
And if the hurt and anger they feel can be taken away by your performance, you’ll
feel better.”
In May, when the group was in Chicago fora concert, Khalil Rountree was shot
and killed in his hotel. Arrests have been made, but Mike says, “We don’t know
what happened, righ now, we just sit back and try to figure out why.”
The group canceled its appearances for several weeks. “We had to get our
heads together, deal with the funeral, get Khalil’s family straight, make sure their
heads were all right,” Mike says. They discussed canceling thn rest of the tour, but
memories of Khalil persuaded them not to. “We knew we had to come back out,”
Nate says. “It was what he wanted us to do.” Back on the road, Boyz II Men have
started writing songs for their next album. True to Khalil’s teaching, they are not
filling the songs with the anger and pain of their loss. The album should be out next
year, and Boyz II Men probably will accompany its release with another nationwide
tour-w ith a difference. Michael Bivins predicts they’ll be the headline act.
I pointed out that other groups had been ruined by success; quartets as diverse
as the Temptations and the Beatles broke up when ego outstripped team work.
“What makes us different is that we realize we need each other,” Shawn says.
Nate agrees and adds:” As long as people like what we’re doing, we’re going
to keep doing it.”
one, refreshments and a grand prize
drawing for your next birthday party at
Hart’s Reptile World. Mom says you
can give me birthday gifts of scarves or
T-shirts (childs sm.). All the other 300
reptiles will be here for you to see also
but this is my weekend. We’re all in­
doors and heated during the Winter
season, and all activities are free after
regular reptile zoo admission. 7 and up
53.00,3 to 6 yrs. 52.00 and 2 and under
free. Phone 266-7236 for more infor­
mation and directions.
Fluer De Lis Club
Of Oregon Association
Colored Women’s Club
Invites you and your friends
to attend their
Annual harvest Tea
Sunday, October 11, 1992
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Host
Alma B. Barney
2437 N.E. 9th
Brenda Moon, Chair
C.L. Holliday, President
Donation
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FM 891
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