Say Brother; 615; Rapping with The Blue Notes

Yes. OK what would be the name of that one. Next consider several names but there's always room. Ok I'm talking with first of all let me introduce the co-host and the co-host is Brian cluck. And that's an internal brother. And I'm delighted to say With me tonight I have Jerry Cummings who's one of the Blue Notes. And beside him is Dwight Johnson. And I want to say welcome and I'm Barbara Barr. We were talking about the fact that. How Melvin is now since January of 76 dealing with. A group that is still a blue notes and I guess everybody would consider them. So we want to talk to them both. And I hope that we can talk about some of the issues. About the people

themselves dealing with things that you want to know about. It was just interesting in finding a fact and watching the performance for instance that Sharon page that the female vocalist. Right. She was very exciting and being the only female in the group Bill is the only one I can see anyway. She got an awful lot of attention from some of the folks that she would normally gather that much attention. Wright is using an impact every time she walks on stage you know because. You know like even when she walks with a dresser as a lady you know when the lady is coming you know. But out of this is a total lady. Why don't I talk to her dressing and press them so she doesn't have enough time to get over today but you know we're going to get there anyway. OK.

Brian you have something right. Well I would like to address the question to you. You're speaking of really you know you said you were a member of the enterprise for exactly what it was for you and then to process the corporate. He had a group well couple groups that he'd worked with to help come along you know does this in the making. And I just wound up graduating right. So he more or less keeps on garage singers and talent that he utilizes in various ways to promote their music places and eating well and well not always is that. The Mr. M. he's he's so talented and. People just come to him. Just come to it we all want to work with demo helped him you know. That he's you know. Some of the things that they can do.

Is this something that would be considered differently from Philadelphia International. That label right is housed in a problem sometimes in an uprising I must say. And he had a group called the wonders which was one female and three gentleman and a group called the internationals which is a group that I was taken from two years ago kind of because it was very simple. International international with five five gentlemen just like to be in the same rhythm saying the same basic you know the same basics and you know and we dance to like you know which is you know like we just happen to fit into the category. When I met Mr. Melvin he was looking for talent you know and because he was 7 percent of prize it. And sharing with it just came into the enterprise too. How long has she been. She's been with him like three and a half years.

Basically come from the Philadelphia area. Well we met her in Washington D.C. They were performing at Lowe's Palace and we met in the. And from there we went to Philly. And you were with another group right Tommy. And just talking with some folks. And they were telling me that the label that you're on now your last album just came out with up everybody and those are past albums. Philadelphia International. OK. And I was told that that basically was. Produced by folks that deal with gospels songs hams and that type of thing is that true because I wondered how this current of music came out of that. Not that it couldn't. But I just wondered how that went about and if in fact I can say that the writers at Philadelphia International which Mr. Gamble Mr. Gene McFadden and Mr. Whitehead they do a lot of

writing. They all have spiritual background singers at one time. Most most entertainers and black entertainers have come to church. That's you know that's and so when we write you know sometimes that comes out you know and sometimes you can pick up that you know like if you don't know me by name you know it has really riz me type. Gospel rhythm. Yesterday I had the blues you know those type rhythms. It seems like. And watching a performance that you are working very very hard and going to Boston with a very long engagement by the time the folks will see this we will. Be gone. What are you going to first of all to say to grow old in Gaithersburg Maryland right outside of Washington D.C. And how long will

that be that a be for four days. So the one in Boston was really the longest engagement that you've done in some time. Right. While we've been the fortunate ones but still out of curiosity we've been doing a lot of one nighters in the arrest right. Consider that arrests. OK well some of the questions that folks probably would really like to get into are ones I don't know whether or not we should be dealing with or not but I will test my ground and get into a couple of them and that is how Melvin The Blue Notes now. Do they have any one person that's being featured. Since January of 76. Other than Harold Melvin himself like one of the albums I was looking at I guess it was an older one much older one featuring Harold Pendergrass you know recognize right. OK now does anyone in particular being featured at this point because I didn't see anything on the last album to feature

anybody. No it's channel page. Oh I see. You know OK you know Harold Melvin The Blue Notes featuring Michelle you know. And this was said that's how many people in the group. There were five blue notes you know that includes Mr. Melvin. And so six of us you know we carry 15 pieces. And all of that's true I think. What were you saying about their background. I'm not talking about getting started the various sections of SB pre-coffee I'm following many of the Philadelphia International performers on the members of your members of M FSP. No we have oh no.

I'm bad enough to strew called the million dollar movement in India you know and they're in the process of recording Also I travel around with you everywhere we go. I say this every week. So How recently have they picked up with you in terms of playing back or. Would they have always been you know with Mr. Meldon million Dunham was always been with him. They never they never dealt with MF before in terms of music. So I thought that's what some of the albums that set a record I would used to different things were talking about a recording studio in the first be doing studio work for us when we travel on the road. The million dollar movie with the million dollar movement is in the process of doing our recording too. I say at this point right at this point. OK. Well I enjoy speaking with you. I will come back and talk to the other brother that's with us. OK

and a few minutes. No one. Cares. Wake up. Real. Time to. You know just to survive

she said. We're sitting here as another member of her Melvin and the

Blue Notes. Welcome to say brother. And we welcome you Jericho. Thank you. OK. You were mentioning that you were are into law or dealing with the legal aspects of what's happening and where you came from which you come from Petersburg Virginia. OK what were you doing actually before you got off and while I was working with the criminally inside. You know I'm innocent. Wow. And how is it that I know we went over some of these things but from that you came from what you would do. Into this area. Well I guess you could say Mr. MELHEM for real brilliance. It was it was him that. I got in contact with me you know. He called me and said that he wanted me to do the job. But in working and working with a criminal and saying how is it that he knew that you had anything

to do. Well you know in the time it was he I had formerly been with the Nat Turner rebellion which is it was a group where we recorded four groove recording company and it was Joe Jefferson major hires and another brother named Ron Hopper he lives in Baltimore you know and we disbanded and went different directions and a direction that I went was back down south you know because I had some things that I could do down there. Right. So I was doing it you know. I was into promotion like promoting young acts down south you know because to have a lot of good talent is like a untapped resource really. Yeah. How how are they being dealt with in terms of I know the folks in Boston and New York New York I suppose it is. Easier to be recognized in a sense that there are more places to go to and yet the competition therefore becomes much greater. So it's hard to.

Find a jump off point. But in terms of the areas that you were dealing with in the south how are the how is the talent dealt with there. Well see they have an outlet in Virginia in Richmond. They've got one hit out of the Alpha studio in Richmond by a group named paws and they've been on tour with an Average White Band you know and this weather studio gets a name for itself by getting hit records out and they build and you know and they just got good talent down in ruins as well they feed themselves into that. Do they really need agents or managers or something well in there. A lot of people are noticing them and you know there's another group that's coming up very soon. The fellow that I mentioned Joe Jefferson I hope he's going to produce from call your dream. And I bet they let me go back to Blue Notes for a minute. Jerry and referred to something that Bill has

said about the genius Mr. Melvin is that how you feel about Mr. Molder and how he was a genius in his field. I think has I think Mr. Melvin has become a master in putting together talent and developing talent. You know like. When he first met me he told me that. That I was a first 10 and I was singing like bass and baritone at the time. And he had been around so many first tennis that I guess he knew but I didn't know and he didn't. He did help me develop it. And did he train you him self or send you to school or he just saw you train meaning himself you know from the knowledge that he had you know and that doesn't happen too often in this industry. You know and I'm looking forward to. Doing a few lead songs in the future. When you sing on this most recent album

Wake up everybody. How about the ones coming out I guess you're definitely on the right. What's the name of the next one you mentioned. There's always room for one more. OK I guess just saying. You know we were happy. With the reception Abbas and his group you know. Believe me I'm very surprised that not that they gave you good reception but as basically Boston has a reputation. For being very cold and I must tell you it's like a safe and basically very cold. I don't drive you come from Missouri to new ground say but I've not found that when you go to Boston or play to Boston audiences tend to sit and remain cool and what they read to be right. And. Artists usually when they perform want some type of response

and if they don't get their response the performance suffers because they're not getting any feedback it's like you know a dead wall. And Boston having to see them so that you know many artists won't come to Boston for that reason a lot of others come in in the middle of an engagement will cancel out. I'm just saying no you know I'm tired of singing for myself it's just a very hard audience to play. That's what I found so surprising because talent can be fantastic. But the response doesn't matter in most cases but last night when I had an opportunity to to check out the performance I was very excited I was excited because the whole crowd was expiring and the place was packed and as I said before. What that swimming pool being in the memo before you says you've made a bet I think you know you won't probably get out still park. No that's the level they were out when I left last night. It's been beautiful it's been crowded people everywhere all against the

walls. I've never seen anything like it but it's been like that ever since we've been back out on the road since January. All the towns are weeping gone and people been coming out you know to get the message. Since you've been back on the roads I mean you have a point when you were just performing in one location and not performing at all. You know like we used to have to take a little break you know. And the new group was formed at the time and we took the board and we came back we came back polished in the news. I want to take a break. I'm not the too long enough to keep you safe. You know businessmen all businessmen around December they all come together and break you know and relax you know. I go to a resort so we just we just relax and. Recreated. Beautiful thing a beautiful thing.

I think so. I think so. You were mentioning before that there was a jazz festival that you all performed and what was that you were talking about when I was in New Orleans it was the beginning of the jazz festival season when when was it. It was last month last month. I don't recall the date right offhand but we were on a sub and two and one of our dates included a jazz festival we have to do about 12 this year you know. Hampton and Oakland. The whole circuit and you do one night here one night like the Jazz Fest was to use the Friday said Sunday and we usually end the year on a Saturday night you know and. And I know since you like it the New Orleans Jazz Fest was. A really like Jazz Fest was you know Bobby Blue Bland you know we used to have Newport Jazz festivals we still do not to look for recall.

I don't know the reason why. If we're not we might think it's moved to New York at a certain time I think. Those are really exciting. Do I know they're supposed to be one and Atlanta in June. Yeah I think if I'm not mistaken that we might be there we may do that one but Mr. Melbourne had mentioned that. He wanted to appear somewhere else in a relative Kennedy Stadium in Washington D.C. We have been doing L.A. every year. So we haven't done Washington D.C. And I think we're going in the 30th June. OK well we've got about a minute left. I want to know if there's anything that. You would like to say to the folks before I just psycho night wake up everybody. All right you heard it. Wake up everybody. Thank you for being with us. When our letters are comics. And they'll spread. OK and I think you have a brother twice Johnson thank you. Oh and

we're going. To change. Everything. They. Say. And then. We gotta change. The way. All knowing. Where. The wife. Saw. What I thought.

That's where. I got. Time to. I know. We. Have to. Split. Every time. With. The. Way. She.

Has. Right. Now. I'm. Right.

Right. Now I don't. Want. Stuff in the. Freezer.