Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 4 August 1979 — Page 10

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PAGE 10 ™ E INDIANAPOtlS.^cGRPER SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 197f

Believe Me., When I Tell You BOB WOMACK S«.

Con Punk Shun ‘hits’ fans where they live

CONGRATS ! : William (BUI) Miller, noted jazz trumpeter and band director on the local musical scene became an overnight sensation in the recent annual Cosmo Knights’ Golf Tournament held at the Southgrove Municipal Golf course. Bill during the Senior division competition shot a rare hole-in-one. He is also a ‘well-known musician. Andhds been featured with many topflight aggregations locally and across the country during his long professional musical career. The groups he played with just to mention a few were Paul Stewart (Terre Haute, Ind). Speed Webb, Frank Reynolds. Dud Starms, Wheeler Moran. Jimmy Coe and Bob W’omack and the Bobcats’ All-Stars. Not withstanding, Miller was music director for both, the Shrine Lodge marching and concert bands. Currently he is a recipient of the Mayor’s Black History Jazz Committee’s Certificate of Merit" award...More power to him..Believe Me! HOT LINE: Step Wharton, one of Indy's “all time piano greats' at this writing, is

currently being featured as a single act in the downtown Hilton Hotel....Harold Malone, well-known jazz pianist and his hard pushing combo are the toast of Mother’s Lounge, 21st & Talbot Streets Charley Pride’s 16 year old son, Dion Pride, wUl make his singing and acting debut in the new movie, "The Double McGuffin.” His country singing father said, "the kid has always said he’d beat me at everything and he’s certainly off to a good start." Cicely Tyson, will have the leading role in the revival of Tennessee Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo" next month in Stockbridge. Mass NYC’s new Smalls Paradise had its official opening recently with Dakota Staton, singing sensation giving two performances nightly. How did Ms. Staton, get the gig? Her brother Fred Staton, is one of the owners in theis Harlem landmark that took thousands of dollars to reno vate completely....Tony Dor sett, of the Dallas Cowboys has an agent w ho has been coaching him in acting. Dorsett has his eyes set on a future movie

career, and his goal is to become one the best actors in the world, with an oscar to boot...Well, alright! an oscar to boot... Well, alrignt: .RECORD REVIEW: A Taste of Honey, popular recording stars recently.hotwaxed a new album called, “Another Taste" found on the Golden Sound label. The theme of the album is probably best expressed in the firs^ single of the TURN TO PAGE 17 ‘Roots IT among early Emmy picks HOLLYWOOD More than 3,000 Academy of Television Arts and Sciences members have almost com pleted their ballots and will be ready next week to reveal nominees for television honors in 25 categories at the 31st Emmy Awards, which will be handed out Sept. 9 in Pasadena. Calif. Early figures list favored limited or mini series shows as "Roots: The Next Generations." "Backstairs at the White House” and "Centennial."

Suit, bad disc deal burst Manchild bubble

Manchild was once on top of the world, at least in Indianapolis. The band had two albums out—one of which put a single, "Especially For You." on the national charts—and it was honored and respected from all sides for the national attention it brought the city. Probably its sweetest mo ment in Indianapolis came about a year ago last July when it was greeted by 17,000 screaming fans as the opening act of a Black Expo Shower of Star". It was then that the bubble these seven local guys had been blowing up for about "ix years began to burst. United Artists Records, which distributed the Chi Sound label, on which Man child s records were released, was sold a week alter the band s second and best album. Feel the Phuff," was shipped to independent warehouses. While U.Vs reins were being handed to new drivers. “Feel the Phuff and all other newly released l A product sat, going to waste. It wasn't known who would distribute the records. Manchild, meanwhile, was negotiating with Chi Sound, w hich had just inked a distribu turn deal with 20th Century, on how the label would handle Phuff Chi Sound reportedly agreed the album would be repackaged in a new sleeve and be re released, with the single he label had intended to go w :th at fir"t, the popular “Don’t Let Me Rowdy, following on it' heels. However, the label "tressed. 20th's budget would sot allow Manchild the tour "Upport funds most up and coming bands get to support 'heir first few albums. The artist makes no money on the road until it becomes self sup porting through royalties and tour intake, but the extra exposure can work wonders for a new act. Lack of it can kill you. Many later agreed that 20th was hurting because it had

lost its longtime bread and but ter man, Barry White, to a more lucrative and worthwhile deal at CBS. So, with the album still sitting in those independent warehouses and the few radio station copies that got out getting nice airwave response, the band packed its bags and headed for another label. The band got bigwigs from Capitol Records to fly into Indianapolis for the Expo con cert and. from reports, the label expressed a little interest in adding it to its budding soul roster, w hich is highlighted byNatalie Cole and Peabo Bryson. That's when more dark clowds moved in Frequent disputes with the band’s management, the locally oper ated Sul Johnson Management, Inc., allegedly cropped up and there's an unwritten rule that goes to the effect that a label doesn't want to be bothered

with taking on a new act which is having run ins with manage ment, as managers must autho rize all contracts the band agrees to. Capitol bowed out. However, the band continued working on what would have been its third album. “Man child Cornin' Out To Get Ya,” and played a few local and regional club and concert dates to help keep its act polished. Manchild then allegedlysought the services of another local management firm, while still under contract to Johnson, and played more dates. Johnson then hit the hand with a $b(l,000 breach of contract suit, for which a hearing date is pending. Highly inactive the last two months, the band is far this summer from the local household word it was last summer. Manchild was once on top of the world, at least in Indianapolis. -L.F.

Free K.C. tickets Do you wanna go party with K.C. and the Sunshine Band? If so, fill out the blank below to become eligible for a random drawing which will decide what eight persons will walk away with a pair of tickets each to K.( . and ( ompany’s first Indianapolis concert. H p.m. Aug.' 21 in the Indiana State Fair grandstand. Entrants must mail or hand deliver the blank to The Recorder. 2901 North Tacoma. Indianapolis, IN 16218, no later than Midnight Aug. 13. A random drawing will follow and winners will be notified by phone, as well as announced Aug. 16 in I.vnn Ford's Soul Sound" column. Winners will then have until 5 p.m. the dav of the show to claim their tickets. Fnclaim prizes will become the property of The Recorder.

PARH WITH K.C. A Till si NSHINE BAND | All entries must appear on this official blank ]

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STATE ZIP 1 MAIL TO: Party with K.C. The Indianapolis Recorder I c/o Performing World Dept. 2901 North Tacoma Avenue Indianapolis IN 46218

By LYNN FORD Performing World Editor Visions of fame began in 1977 for CON FUNK SHUN. That was the year the band got gold records for the single “Ffun” and album “Secrets.” From there, the hits kept on coming. Last year’s “Loveshine’ album went platinum and the singles, “Shake and Dance With Me” and “So Easy,” were dance floor smashes. The mild Con Funk Shun fever which swept soul music last summer notched the lively Vallejo, Calif, band a few opening dates with the almighty COMMODORES. Now the band has its second platinum album, “Candy,” another dance hit, “Chase Me,” and its first headline tour. Con Funk Shun, which will be the only pure funk band at Thursday’s so-called funk festival in the Expo Center, appears to be at least two albums away from soul music’s big league. The band hasn't had another crossover powerhouse like “Ffun.” but it has enough drawing power to headline in 7-10,000-seat halls and, if its material and sales remain consistent, there’s room for it at the top. “Once we get there,’’ lead singer-guitarist and co-founder MICHAEL COOPER said before the band opened here last summer for the Commodores, “we plan to stay there.” He agreed that most bands are guaranteed three to five years on top because of the public’s ever changing musical and personality tastes, but Cooper outlined a formula Con Funk Shun has for maintaining its growth and sustaining its potential fame. It’s called hit-

MICHAEL COOPER ting the people where they live, and changing with the times. “We aim our music anywhere from two-years-old to 50,” said Cooper, who writes most of the seven man band’s hit uptempo material. “That way, there’s something for everybody.” “I use a formula just of what’s happening now and what I think will be happening in the near future,” he continued, relaxing in his Downtown motel room. “It’s just a formula of knowledge I’ve gained over the years, like beats, like I do play drums, I play bass, I play guitar. 1 play a little keyboard and I know what horn lines should sound like, so I’ve gotten a feel for the current thing in my head and what the people want to hear. Disco is in now, so you must remember to always keep the beat up, keep it fast, keep it funky.” “BRICK is a good example of some of the things you don't do that make a tune really funky.

Hit singles

Indianapolis’ favorite soul singles for the week ending 8 14/79 with last week’s positions in parenthesis: 1. (2.) “Good Times,” Chic l Atlantic) 2. (1.) "Bad Girls," Donna Summer (Casablanca) 3. (3.) “Chase Me." Con Funk Shun (Mercury)

4. (4.) "Whatcha Gonna Do," Stephanie Mills (Warner Bros.) 5. i7.l “After the Love Has Gone.” Earth. Wind & Fire 6. (9.) "Rock Baby," Tower of Power (Columbia) 7. (6.) “Ring My Bell.” Anita Ward (Juana) 8. i0.) "Turn Off the Lights," Teddy Pendergrass (PIK)

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WHAT THE PRINCE SLIPPED CLVDEKELLA WAS NOT A SLIPPER.

They’re using the music a lot now instead of adding a whole bunch of horns and stuff like that. They’ll let eight-to-16 bars go by before they even start singing. It’s repetitious, but that's what the people like. They like to hold on to the music and snap their fingers constantly." But just because Cooper and the band’s other primary writer, second lead singer FELTON PILATE, who writes most of the ballads, are in touch with what the public wants to fill its ears with, it doesn't mean the band’s music is immune to improvement. “We need criticism,” said Cooper, who admits to sometimes mixing Jiis voice on the band's records beneath the horns because, in his opinion, he’s not the world’s greatest singer, “just give me what you really feel. Don’t tell me something you think I might want to hear." “Over a period of a month or two, talking to about 50 or 60 people and having 80 to 90 percent tell you your album’s great, and another 15 percent, say, ‘Well, I liked this, but I didn’t like that’, you tend to cpme to yourself and say, ‘Well, I’d better keep on doin' this’,or T need to work on my ballads more’. It helps keep you from becoming stale.” * * * CLOSING SOUNDS: Commodores are sounding more sophisticated than ever on the “Midnight Magic" LP which shiooed last week. However the band has stuck to a by-how tired lyric formula which all but duplicates the songs that got the band over the hump in 1977, “Easy," "Zoom” and "Brick House." “Sail On,” first single from the new LP, while quite attractive with its overall

Soul Sounds

pop smoothness and harmonies, earlier Commodores hits carries the individuality and And That’s How The Soul reach-for-the-sky message of Sounds.

NEW DEGREE ENTERPRIZES PRESENTS SUNSHIP BAND AT THE SHERATON-WEST AIRPORT SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 1979 ^ 8:00 P.M. - 1:00 A.M. ...TICKETS... FROGS..RECORDS..30th & COLLEGE J.T.S..RECORDS..38th t COLLEGE ADVANCE $4.00 • AT DOOR $4.25 AHIRE..SEMI-FORMAL OVER 21 ONLY

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If s AMERICAN GRAFFITI and ANIMAL HOUSE rolled into one giant laugh.” - vuiage cner

A MAX BAER FILM HI

•HOMETOWN CI.S.A.' A BAER/CAMRAS PRODUCTION siamng GARY SPRINGER DAVID WILSON BRIAN KERWIN RAT DELANEY JULIE PARSONS aisooaip Produce. GREG BLACKWELL Musk Coo.d.n.ior MARSHALL LEIB Edited by FRANK MORRISS Story and Screenplay by JESSE VINT Produced by ROGER CAMRAS and JESSE VINT Directed by MAX BAER CoicbyCFI PANAVISKXr ffflgEgggP A Rim Ventures International Release Cl979 J

[Original Soundtrack Available on K-TEL Records and Tapes; TWIN WEST TIBBS III NORTHSIDE PENDLETON

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