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Bobby Womack To Receive NAACP
Lifetime Achievement Award
A Lesson Before D ying
the accused, a lo w ly form o f existence
-- “ a th in g to d ig d itch e s" — is inca
pable o f prem editated m urder. H is
“ A m ajestic, m o vin g n ovel, an
instant classic, a bo o k th a t w ill be
read, discussed and (aught beyond the
law yer argues, “ W h y, I w ould ju s t as
soon put a hog in the electric c h a ir as
rest o f our live s.” - C hicago T rib u n e
Ernest J. Gaines, the c ritic a lly
R & B sin g e r/so n g w rite ra n d pe r
fo rm e r B o b b y W o m a ck w ill be re c ip i
this.” B u t Jefferson is condemned to
acclaim ed author o f The A u to b io g ra
phy o f M iss Jane P ittm an and A G ath
ering o f O ld M e n , has w ritte n his firs t
ent o f the prestigious N A A C P “ L ife
tim e A c h ie ve m e n t A w a rd ” in Los
A n g e le s on June 25th.
T h e a w a rd c o m m e m o ra te s
W o m a c k ’ s life lo n g career as a per
fo rm e r, s o n g w rite r, p ro d u c e r and
com poser and celebrates the p o sitive
in fluences he has p ro vid e d fo r A f r i
death.
G rant W ig g in s, who le ft the small
tow n to go to u n ive rsity, has returned
to the plantation school to teach c h il
book in ten years, “ a q u ie tly m oving
n o ve l.” (San Francisco C h ro n ic le ) A
Lesson B efore D y in g , w in n e r o f the
dren, and is try in g to decide whether
to take o f f north o r west before he
sinks in to a centuries-old rut. He is
1994 N a tio n al B ook C ritic s C irc le
A w a rd fo r fic tio n , tells the w renching
story o f an unjustly condem ned m an’ s
attem pt to define h im s e lf d u rin g his
can A m e rica n s.
“ B obby W o m a ck is a m esm eriz
in g p e rfo rm e r, as w e ll as a m u lti
grappling w ith his ow n situation when
E rnest J. Gaines, au th o r o f The
A utobiography o f M iss Jane Pittman
a n d A Gathering o f Old Men
last days, and the teacher w h o be
friends and helps him in his struggle.
V intage C ontem poraries have pub
lished this p o w e rfu l and m o vin g book
talented m usician, w h o has influenced
generations o f m usic lovers. W e are
honored that the N A A C P w ill re co g
fo r he firs t tim e in trade paperback on
June 21, 1994. A t the same tim e ,
Gaines’ s 1979 N o ve l O f L o ve and
D ust w ill be reissued, jo in in g m any o f
n ize B la c k M u s ic M o n th by present
in g W o m a c k w ith th is im p o rta n t
aw ard,” co m m e n te d T im B rack, presi
dent o f C o n tin u u m Records.
T h e aw ard w ill be presented as
p a rt o f the N A A C P ’ s 32nd A n n iv e r
sary E n te rta in m e n t In d u s try M ix e r
and Showcase, ta kin g place at the
hom e o f a c to r/a ctivist Jim B ro w n in
R&B singer/songwriter and performer extraordinaire Bobby Womack
L o s A ngeles, C A . F o r m ore in fo rm a
tio n , phone (213) 464-7616.
“ R esurrection,” W o m a c k ’ s 33rd
rapper M a y M a y A li, and G erald
A lb rig h t. C e c il, C u rtis and F rie n d ly
W o m a c k - the O rig in a l V a le n tio n s -
a lb u m , w ill be released in Ju ly. P ro
duced b y W o m a ck, the re co rd in g is a
m u sica l autobiography o f his life and
features perform ances by Stevie W o n
- are also featured on the album .
W om ack is the first signing to Slide
Music, a new ly form ed record label
owned by me R olling Stones guitarist,
der, K e ith R ichards, C h a rlie W atts
Ronnie W ood. The label is marketed and
distributed w orldw ide through the Con
and R on W o o d o f the R o llin g Stones,
m u n ity in the late 1940s, a young
black man named Jefferson is a re lu c
tinuum Records o f New Jersey.
A s in g le ,e n tid c d “ F oreverLove,”
is scheduled to be released this m onth.
Jefferson in p riso n and im p a rt some
th in g o f h im s e lf -- his learning and
his pride -- to Jefferson before his
death, and prove the la w ye r is w rong.
A Lesson B efore D y in g is the record
tant party in a liq u o r store shoot-out
in w h ich the three other men in vo lve d
the a u th o r’ s b a cklist title s in p rin t at
are all k ille d , in c lu d in g the w h ite
store ow ner. Jefferson, the o n ly su rvi
V intage.
In a sm all C ajun L o u isia n a com -
v o r, is accused o f the m urder. A t the
tria l, the essence o f the defense is that
o f these tw o men w ho, through no
choice o f th e ir ow n, come together
and fo rm a bond in realization that
sometimes s im p ly choosing to resist
the expected is an act o f heroism.
Happy
Independence Day!
Friday &
_
Saturday
8pm -M idnight
Janice Scroggins
w ith Mario De Priest
AFRO -
A M E R IC A N
ACTRESS
Wednesday
Jam Session
with Ron Steen
7pm to llpm
fe a tu rin g Louisiana style
cuisine a t its fin e s t
Auditions
For BlazerDancers
Set For July
Jefferson’ s godm other and his aunt,
Tante Lau, persuade him to v is it
A: Bourbon Street we’re proud to il 't f the finest r,.s.
freshest seafood, delicious fetlucini and blackened
o
dishes. Enjoy the big screen TV in our lounge.
Auditions for the 1994-95 Blazer Dancers w ill begin at
8:00 a.m. Saturday, July 16 at T ualatin High School. First
day finalists w ill he asked to return on Sunday, July 17.
Final auditions and team selection will take place the
following Saturday, July 23. Dancers w ill be judged on
dance ability, enthusiasm and showmanship.
The dancer team was formed in 1988; members per
form at all Blazers regular season and playoff home games.
The dancers ore also on intregal part of the Blazers Com
munity Part nershi p effort mak: ng holiday visits to children ’ s
hospitals as well as visiting blazers fans in retirement
centers.
Dance team applications are available at the trait Blaz
ers office, 700 N E M ultnom ah, Suite 600, Portland, OK
97232. A ll dancers must be 19 years o f age or older by
November 1,1994.
For more inform ation call the BlazerDancers Audition
Hotline at (503) 731-9336.
Actress-Writer Age 30-40 wanted to
work and perform/four character play,
Music
Millennium
For more information call,
15900 Boones Ferry Road
in Lake Grove, Oregon
32nd & E.
Burnside
231-8926
Dave Kelly 335-0540.
636-0017
TW O
23rd & NW
Johnson
248-0163
R E A D IN G S
J ill N elson
Volunteer Slavery:
My Authentic Negro Experience
D I T I O N
I quit my job because I wanted to be happy.. But even in 1990 it wasn t
easy to escape the plantation. Rumors fle w concerning my departure. A
woman fro m the D aily N ew s even called and told me that a source at
the P o s t told her I ’d quit because I ’d embezzled $ lj,o o o . I politely
suggested that i f that were the case, she’d be calling me in prison. Then I
k t it go. Ifigured I ’d left to get aw ay from that kind o f stuff, so why get
into it now that I was free?
7:30
pm
:: Thursday, July 7
&
E rnest J . G aines
JU LY
16
&
17,
8AM
If you have dance or cheerleading experience and are 19 years or
older, you are invited to audition for the Portland Trail Blazers'
"Blazerdancers"!
Auditions will take place at Tualatin High School. Call the Blazers
office at (503) 731-9336 for an application. Please bring a com
pleted application to the auditions.
Dancers will be judged on dance ability, enthusiasm and show
manship. Selected candidates will return the following weekend
when the new team will be chosen.
f o r m o re in f o r m a t io n
o r an a p p lic a tio n ,
c o n ta c t th e B lazers
o ffic e . 7 0 0 NE
M u ltn o m a h , P o rtla n d ,
O re g o n 9 7 2 1 2 , (S O I)
7 11 9 1 1 6 .
|oin the excitement and be part of the 1994-95 Blazerdancers!
a u th o r o f The Autobiography o f Miss Jan e Pittman
A Lesson Before Dying
I was not there, y et I was there. No, I did not go to the trial, I did not
hear the verdict, because I knew all the time what it would he. Still, I was
there. I was there as much as anyone else was there. Either I sat behind
my aunt and his godmother or I sat beside them. . . .
7:30
pm
:: Saturday, July 9
Powell’s City o f Books :: 1005 W est Burnside
9BLMHS
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