So, Gabriel, did I ever tell you about the time my band opened for Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra? Seriously. At the Flint IMA (Michigan), probably about 1974 or 1975. One of the singers in our band was Jeanette McGruder (later Satori Shakoor) who went on to sing with George Clinton and the Brides of Funkenstein. And the bass player was Tommy Debarge (yes, of Debarge). I am old.
Gabriel N.
· 2 months ago
Nope, you have never shared that story with me! What was the name of your band?
I hate to say this because the intent is not to make you feel old but I was a babbling 2 year old back when you were opening for Barry White... but got to say, that's must have been a cool experience!
Music makes such a powerful cultural statement and so vividly frames time periods. The 70s is an example of a decade of such "interesting", dare I say cheesy music! **cough** disco **cough**
tomhigley
· 2 months ago
Hey, but I AM old. We were called Uhuru Unlimited. Roscoe Mitchell was teaching at MSU at the time, and a friend in the band, Tony Holland, was studying saxophone with him. Roscoe used to come watch us play. Eddie Harris came to listen too, and gave us his advice. Not too long after that Tommy Debarge joined Switch, his brother Bobby's band ("discovered" by Barry White) and not too long after that the Debarge family hooked up with the Jacksons and Motown.
As for the 70s or 60s or whatever, I've often found that our tendency to frame decades in terms of 50s, 60s or 70s falls apart when you spend time exploring what was really happening at the time. For example, Dylan and the Beatles kick off an era that didn't begin in 1960, it starts about 3 or 4 years later, and it probably ends in the early 70s. And very interesting, hip funk grooves begin to give way to a more predictable, processed disco sound in about 1975. So what are the 70s? If you think of that period as mainly about disco, you miss a huge chunk of what was happening in the earlier part of that decade. Herbie Hancock's electronic experimentation - Chameleon, Watermelon Man, etc.; Sly and the Family Stone; Curtis Mayfield; The Ohio Players; Rufus; Gil Scott Heron; Parliment Funkadelic; Kool & the Gang; even what Quincy Jones did with the Brothers Johnson; and, of course, much much more.
Gabriel N.
· 2 months ago
Age is a just number! It's how you feel that matters! :)
Growing up, I was exposed primarily to disco and that is what defines music for me from the 70s (which is why I unfortunately cringe). And to your point, there was a lot of great music and artists who have left their mark and continue to influence artists of today and into the future.
Admittedly, I have never spent much time digging as deep into music history before the 1980s (Motown not withstanding because I've always loved that sound!), so my experience and exposure is limited to what I heard in passing and around the house as a kid.
Music is very fascinating because of the way it captures the culture, mood, politics, technology and reaction of an era. From the mainstream to the fringe and everything in between, history is created and captured for future generations to reflect and learn from.
One of the great things about generational conversations is embodied in the discussion we are having. I'm going carve out a bit of time to read and learn more about the period you experienced and which you closely relate to.
tomhigley
· 2 months ago
Oh. And there's more. James Taylor's Sweet Baby James hits the market in 1970. Yes's Fragile (1971) and Close to the Edge (1972) and Steely Dan's "Can't Buy a Thrill"(1972) (the year I graduated from high school) create the basis for influence across multiple musical styles from singer-songwriter, to Prog Rock to what would later become Indie Rock. The Doobie Brothers biggest and most notable hits, Long Train Runnin and China Grove are from 1973. Disco? Nowhere to be found. "The first article about disco was written in September 1973 by Vince Aletti for Rolling Stone Magazine." (Wikipedia) The phenomenon doesn't really take hold until the late 70s. But we've got that tendencies to label musical styles and trends based on ten year buckets that end in zero. [ . . . getting off the soapbox.]
Gabriel N.
· 2 months ago
It all makes sense... I certainly don't disagree. There is always a thread that connects artists across styles and era's...
Ok... so when can I expect to read an upcoming music history book written by you? You really know your stuff!! :)
All Comments
I hate to say this because the intent is not to make you feel old but I was a babbling 2 year old back when you were opening for Barry White... but got to say, that's must have been a cool experience!
Music makes such a powerful cultural statement and so vividly frames time periods. The 70s is an example of a decade of such "interesting", dare I say cheesy music! **cough** disco **cough**
As for the 70s or 60s or whatever, I've often found that our tendency to frame decades in terms of 50s, 60s or 70s falls apart when you spend time exploring what was really happening at the time. For example, Dylan and the Beatles kick off an era that didn't begin in 1960, it starts about 3 or 4 years later, and it probably ends in the early 70s. And very interesting, hip funk grooves begin to give way to a more predictable, processed disco sound in about 1975. So what are the 70s? If you think of that period as mainly about disco, you miss a huge chunk of what was happening in the earlier part of that decade. Herbie Hancock's electronic experimentation - Chameleon, Watermelon Man, etc.; Sly and the Family Stone; Curtis Mayfield; The Ohio Players; Rufus; Gil Scott Heron; Parliment Funkadelic; Kool & the Gang; even what Quincy Jones did with the Brothers Johnson; and, of course, much much more.
Growing up, I was exposed primarily to disco and that is what defines music for me from the 70s (which is why I unfortunately cringe). And to your point, there was a lot of great music and artists who have left their mark and continue to influence artists of today and into the future.
Admittedly, I have never spent much time digging as deep into music history before the 1980s (Motown not withstanding because I've always loved that sound!), so my experience and exposure is limited to what I heard in passing and around the house as a kid.
Music is very fascinating because of the way it captures the culture, mood, politics, technology and reaction of an era. From the mainstream to the fringe and everything in between, history is created and captured for future generations to reflect and learn from.
One of the great things about generational conversations is embodied in the discussion we are having. I'm going carve out a bit of time to read and learn more about the period you experienced and which you closely relate to.
Ok... so when can I expect to read an upcoming music history book written by you? You really know your stuff!! :)