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March 24, 1999
Page B6
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T h i r t y Y e a r s A f t e r M a k in g H i s t o r y
w it h "O h! H a p p y D a y "
Gospel Pioneer
Edwin Hawkins
Revamps it for
the New Mellinnium
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*4
ospel legend Edwin Hawkins
I 'W'is revamping his classic gos
pel hit “Oh! Happy Day’’just
in time for the New Millennium.
When the Edwin Hawkins Sing
ers first recorded the songs in 1969
“Oh! Happy D ay” it zoom ed to the
zoom ed to the top Ten on pop,
soul and gosp el c h a rts in the
U nited S ta te s and th e U n ited
Kingdom . It then w ent on to sell
a staggering seven m illion co p
ies and rem ains to this day the
best-selling gospel song o f all
tim e. Now, as the w orld is e x p e
riencing a renew ed sp iritu ality
w ith the advent o f the New M il
lennium , H aw kins has re -fa sh
ioned a club rem ix o f his classic
song that is already catching on
in Europe.
As a result o f this success Pio
neer Music Group (PM G ) has en
tered into an association w ith the
Memphis-based W orld-Class G os
pel label, to bring H aw kins’ latest
project and other stellar black gos-
G ospel m u sic’s all-tim e best
selling single isn 't Kurt Franklin’s
“ Stom p” or BeBe & CeCe W inans’
“ A d d ictiv e L o v e,” it is Edw in
H aw kins’ G ram m y w inning “Oh!
Happy D ay” w hich has sold over 7
m illion in sales from the dozens o f
w inning “ Oh! H appy D ay” which
has sold o ver 7 m illion in sales
from the dozens o f o th e r rendi
tio n s th a t have b een do n e by
K enny R o g ers, Q u in c y Jones,
M avis Staples & A retha Franklin,
Jo a n B aez and m o st re c e n tly
BeBe W inans am ong others. The
song has been featured in several
com m ercials including a current
A T& T com m ercial.
If Edwin had never done another
thing else in gospel, his name would
surely be in the history books. But,
he has done so much more that he’s
universally hailed as the godfather
o f urban contemporary gospel. He
and his brother W alter pioneered
the crossover style o f gospel that
gospel superstar Kirk Franklin is
knows w hat h e’s done and Kirk
F ra n k lin has pu b licly credited
H aw kins as a m ajor influence on
his m usical style.
Edwin has arguably done more
to shape and m old the vocations o f
future gospel artists than anyone
o f his generation.
From the late
sixties to the early eighties, the
Hawkins Family was hands-down the
most popular gospel dynasty in the
world. They not only monopolized
the U.S. gospel industry, but con
quered Europe and the Far East as
well. Edwin Hawkins created the
framework for the modem urban
choir. In the sixties, gospel choirs
only sang traditional church music,
but he created vocal arrangements
and added instrumentation that made
his choir’s gospel attractive to pop
and soul audiences.
Edw in’s new album, Love is the
Only Way, is his first solo album
since 1989. It features both a re
vamped club and a House remix o f
“Oh! Happy Day” which is already
being played in
European disco.
Aside from tradi
tio n a l
sty le d
church songs, the
album also fea
tures the smooth
urban adult con
te m p o ra ry a p
proach to gospel
that Edwin pio
n e e re d
th irty
years ago. Con
sidering that h e ’s
done alm ost all
there is to do in
the gospel field,
as he looks to the
fu tu re
E d w in
says, “I’m writing
some musicals. I
want to do more
soundtracks for
m ovies E ventu
ally , I w ant to
w rite a b o o k
where I tell all.”
Spirit and the Blues
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O B I T U A
Soulful Mix of Gospel & Rock ‘n’ Roll
Following on the heels ofhis well-
received 1998 release. Good Stuff,
EarthBeat! Is to announce Eric Bibb’s
acoustic blues album. Spirit And The
Blues! In this second release from
this Best Newcomer Award-winner,
a soulful mix o f blues, gospel and
rock ‘n’ roll is delivered, exuding
spiritual grace in Bibb’s intimate,
effortless style.
The recipient o f numerous favor
able reviews. Bibb showcases his
assured, passionate vocals combined
with his fine finger-picking guitar tech
nique artists leading the black acous
tic revival movement”, by Steppin’
Out Magazine.
The son o f folk and blues singer,
Leon Bibb, Eric has toured across
Europe performing at some o f the
most prestigious celebrations o f
acoustic music, including the Cam
bridge Folk Festival, the Dublin Fes
tival and the London Blues Festival.
His love o f gospel was inspired by his
perform ances at church concerts
throughout Sweden for the last two
decades and is reflected in his con
temporary arrangements o f traditional
“Negro Spirituals" such as Lonesome
Valley, just Keep Goin’ On and 1
Want You to Walk With Me.
His stateside tour, Mali to Mem
phis, beginning in February 1999
will take him from California to New
Y ork h ig h lig h tin g both o f his
EarthBeat! Releases-GoofStuffand
Spirit And The Blues.
From the M ississippi D elta-
Muddy W aters’ country-to a tribute
to one o f his early heroes, Odetta,
Bibb continues to offer up his own
electric mix o f folk, blues and gospel
guaranteed to add diversity to the
listening experience.
Irvington The Portland Chapter of
the American Guild of
Covenant Organists
Church
Irvington Covenant Church has
planned a groundbreaking, dedica
tion ceremony for an 8,000-square-
foot worship and service center on
Sunday, March 28. at l:00PM at4046
NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
“This has been a seven-year process
filled with tremendous challenges,”
said Henry G. Greenidge, Pastor o f
the multi-racially diverse congrega
tion, “but we have a chorus that is our
theme song.” He did not bnng us out
this far to take us back again. He
brought us out to take us into the
Promised I .and! Though there are
giants in the land, we need not be
afraid. He brought us out to take us
into the Promised Land.’
The building w ill be specially
designed for acoustics. Besides
the church’s em phasis on m usic as
part o f its w orship the m u lti-p u r
pose center will also be the hom e
to the R enaissance M usic A cad
emy, an after-school latchkey p ro
gram for elem entary school stu
dents. The focus o f the academ y
will be Black music forms ofG ospel
and jazz. “ The goal w ill be to d e
velop a generation o f w orship lead
ers fo r th e A fric a n -A m e ric a n
church," said G reenidge.
Irvington Covenant Church is also
working on an economic develop
ment project to provide jobs and low
cost housing in the area.
* wSjfK • ’ ■
Invites you to embark on a historic
voyage... o f Titanic proportions.
Titanic. A Musical Night to Re
member
Sunday, April 25,1999
7:00 pm
The Old Church
SW 11"’ Avenue at Clay
222-2031
Featuring Grant Edwards
On the newly restored Hook &
Hastings pipe organ o f 1883
The Choir o f St. Stephen’s Epis
copal Parish
David E. Nelsen, director
And Special Guests
Chris Harper, soprano
Kurt-Alexander Zeller, tenor
n Loving M emory o f Vera J. Tho
mas. Sunrise September 25,1914
Sunset, M arch 11, 1999. Funeral
services w ere held for V era J . Tho
mas on Friday March 19at 1:00PM
at Bethel AME Church. Mrs. T ho
m as passed aw ay on M arch 11 in
Portland at the age o f 84. She was
b o rn to R o b e r t and M ary
(Stevenson) W illiam son Septem
b e r , 1914inL aC om pte, LA.
I
V era attended school in L ouisi
ana and m oved to Portland in the
early 1940’s. She later w orked at
the Presidio Army Base in San Fran
cisco. V era m oved back to Port
land to take care o f her m other in
1976. She opened V era’s hat bou
tique in 1977 and retired in 1994.
V era had been a longtim e m em
ber o f Bethel AM E Church. She is
survived by her daughter Barbara
W hitlow o f Portland; brother Rob
ert B. W illiam s o f Portland; five
grandchildren, D avid W hitlow o f
E S
N evada, CA , R en ee’ Fields o f
C hino, C A., Kymberly W hitlow o f
Santa C lara CA., H illery W hitlow
Jr. o f Portland and Robert B. W hit
low o f Portland; and five great
grandchildren, Eunich and Skye
O ntiveros, David W hitlow Jr., Jor
dan Fields and Royce W aller W hit
low.
Interm ent w ill be in rose C ity
Cemetery.
Those who wish may contrib
ute to A lzheim er A ssociation. A r
rangements are in care ofC aldw ell’s
Colonial C h a p e l.
n ’ L oving M em ory o f M ary
K atherine Byrd. Sunrise June
2 5 ,1907 Sunset M arch 14,1999
M ary K atherine Byrd was born
in G illiam ,L A .o n Ju n e2 5 ,1907 and
passed aw ay M arch 14, 1999 in
Portland, OR. M ary lived in P ort
land since 1952 and was a H ouse
keeper, a m em ber o f V ancouver
I
A v e n u e B a p tis t C h u rc h .
At
V ancouver Avenue Baptist Church
she was on the U sher and M others
Board, she enjoyed fishing, quilt
ing, cooking and gardening.
M ary K atherine Byrd leaves to
cherish her memory: A rthur L.
Palmer, Son, Portland, OR; Mary L.
H ouston, D aughter, H ouston, TX.
n Loving M emory o f Annie Mae
Hombuckle bom April 26"’, 1918,
died M arch 14, 1999. A nnie was
born in M agee, M ississippi and
she then moved to Portland in 195 5.
She was a m em ber o f the A lbina
C hristian Life C enter for tw enty-
five years. Annie Mae m arried
Lewis H om buckle in D ecem ber o f
1969. Survivors o f Annie Mae
H om buckle Mary D. Thom as sis
ter o f Portland, Edward McDonald
brother o f H addysberg, M issis
sippi, J.C. M cD onald brother o f
Oakland, California.
I
North Portland Bible College
4905 N. Vancouver Ave. Portland, Oregon
Admission: $ 10 at the door,
Free Admission with AGO mem
ber card.
Passover at the
Mittleman Jewish
Community Center
Passover begins on the evening
o f W ednesday, M arch 31. The
M ittle m a n Jew ish C o m m u n ity
Center is sponsoring a Passover
Seder on the 31“ that is open to the
entire com m unity. The Seder be
gins at 6:00 PM. Amy Shapiro will
lead it. A traditional Passover meal
w ill be serv ed c o m p le te w ith
matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, main
dishes and dessert. O f course all
the cerem onial foods and wine will
be included Prices for the Pass-
over Seder are as follows: Before
M arch 26, $28 for adults and $18
for children under 12. Pre-paid
Gospel Pioneer, Edwin Hawkins
reservations are required. The
Seder will be held at the MJCC,
6 6 5 1 SW Capitol Hwy.
Jewish Connections o f Portland
will be sponsoring a second nigh,
Seder on Thursday, April 1 .1, will be
held at the Benson Hotel, 309 SW
Broadway. Piatti on Broadway will
cater the dinner Piatti’s executive
chef, John Wirtis, will also lead the
Seder. Tickets for the JCP Passover
Seder are $25 for JCP Members and
$30 for non-members. Prepaid reser
vations are required.
For information on the Passover
Seders call 244-0111.
Spring Schedule, March 29 - June 11,1999
Monday Evenings, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
New Testament Survey III
Ministry to Urban Families III
E. Nance,
M. Div.
Carol Chism, N.S.W.
Tuesday Mornings, 9:00 - 1 2 Noon
E. Nance, M.Div.
New Testament Survey III
Tuesday Evenings, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Michael Lindsey, M.Div.
Brian Fraught, B.A.
Jay Held, M.Div.
Annett Stanton, B.A.
Bible Lands and Customs
Equipping the Saints II
Lay Counseling II
MS Windows 95/Word 97
Wednesday Mornings, 9:00 - Noon
Michael Lindsey, M. Div.
Bible Lands and Customs
Thursday Mornings 9:00 - Noon
Old Testament Survey III
Educational Ministries of the Church:
Making Our Programs Ready for 2000
Thursday Evenings, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Old Testament Survey III
Celebration and Despair in the Psalms
Christian Social Ethics
James Coleman, M.A.
Debra Jenkins, M.A.
James Coleman, M.A.
Gerald Wilson, Ph.D.
LeRoy Haynes, D. Min.
(At Allen Temple)
Call 288 2919 to register, or to receive Information