KathyM14-House Of Music-Kathym14

Thursday, August 5, 2010

El Debarge

I don't know if any of you have seen the Bet Awards 2010 but there was so much going on in that show. One was a flash back from the past for me. I don't know if any of you remember the group Switch they were on the Motown label. They had the hit songs: I Call Your Name, There'll Never Be, I Wanna Get Closer, etc. Well This group had 2 brothers in it Tommy and my favorite Bobby Debarge. Well It was Bobby who helped his sibblings Debarge get on at Mowtown, This group produced solo artist El Debarge, A lot of music companies or peer sharing sites like to place Switch, Debarge and their little Brother Chico Debarge all in the same category but they are not the same. All three have a totally different sound. Switch has that old school Jazzy R&B sound Debarge were more pop with a soulful twist and Chico had his own spin to the thugged out hip hop maybe more gritty urban sound than hip hop sound. Well my flash back moment was watching El Debarge sing. He made me cry. Why do you ask? Well it goes back to the music machine at Motown. Instead of saying that this family racial background was biracial , their father was white their mother black, they told us they were Portugese. I found out about their true ethnicity during the airing of a show on TV One called UnSung. They did the Debarge story amoung many others. They talked to some of the sibblings and the people that knew them. It is an Urban version of VH1's Behind The Music. I love shows like this. The only difference is that they showcase the music stars that were somewhat famous and had the potential for superstardom but they crash and burn before they even get that far in some of the cases and in other cases they just did not make it because of some other reasons. What made me cry was that on the show Unsung they brought out about the very violent lifestyle and very abusive and disfunctional this family was, How all these kids really wanted was to fit in and be loved and accepted. They were all very talented and it went into the details of how all of them except of El for a long time did not indulge in drugs. He was the real workaholic and the song writer. He was the rock until oneday he ended up abusing prescription drugs first due to an illness he had I forget if it was headaches or he had back pain but it was because of some physical pain. That was the begining then the show went into the recovery how some of them were back into the church and El was still lost at that time of taping. He was in and out of trouble for drugs abuse and spousal abuse. It was pretty bad. I even remember my last TV sighting I saw of El Debarge and I knew something was wrong then. He had grown his hair really long and left his clean cut image and was wearing one of those heavy down jackets that the Gangster Rappers made popular and he was sitting with them during an interview on a music show on BET at the time. He was trying to go hardcore and then we did not see him any more. It was pretty sad to me. So when I saw him singing and playing the old hits he wrote or co wrore it was bitter sweet to me and I just began to cry. I loved his performance by the way and he looked good but you can tell that his expereinces had taken a toll on his apperance, You could tell he was on the mend and on the way back. I also discovered his son's website El jr. He is a gifted musician as well and he is an independant artist you should check him out, On his page on facebook he said he was working on some music with his dad and I was happy to hear that, seeing El Debarge made me think of all the tradgey we have had in the music industry. I feel that the music industry has lost touch with the music fans. Why do they continue to give us garbage and say it is art when they know full well how music and poetry and fine art affect our very core? We were created that way. Music is supose to relax us and uplift us make us feel good and inspire us. Music does that. This is why musicians get all the women because music touches us almost like a sexual experience I mean a meaningful one. It is really soul peircing and deep and words can not express what you feel at that moment in time but it speaks volumes to you. That is what music does and those who produce this talent with the use of song have a powerful gift. When I saw El Debarge share with the public his gift I was truly moved it gave me hope that the industry will please give us our musicians back. I miss the time when music had meaning when love songs were romantic and meaning full when artists really showcased their talent when rap music gave us the message with out being vulgar to people when it was fun not a liability to promoters to have rap concerts. We need a music revolution people. We need the old skoolers like El Debarge to show the new skoolers how it is really done. What I found sexy about El Debarge was the fact that he and other artists and musicians like him let me create my own image and atmostphere of being sexy with that special person in my life. I did not have to pay money to see him hump the stage or see him half naked in a magazine to see what he was all about he let his talent do the talking. I like to take time to give the Debarge family props because so many have not come close to recoverying from their addictions and experiences of abuse. I pray that they have continued success. If you would like to see more on El Debarge Jr google him and you will see his web pages and music listed for you listening pleasure. Have a great day all.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Alyson Williams

I love R&B music and I have to give props to another unsung singer....her name is Alyson Williams. She was born on May 11, 1962 in New york City , NY. She is the daughter of bandleader/ trumpeter Bobby Booker. So music was in her blood. She started her career as a background singer. She made her way around the vocalists circuit by singing for many artist you may know like Melba Moore, The BBand Q Band, Cash Flow, Unlimited Touch, Bobby Brown and many others before joining the group High fashion which also featured another New York singer Melisa Morgan. When the group broke up she began to sing with one more group called The Affair before embarking on a solo career. Her first single as a solo artist was called " Yes We Can Can" this was released on Profile Records in 1986. In 1987 she was the first female singer to join the Def Jam label. She worked hard at making herself an in demand singer and sang many duets with various artists one such artist was her label mate Chuck Stanley. They had a single called Make You Mine Tonight. She also sang a duet with Oran Juice Jones called How To Love Again. She then released her first Album entitled Raw in 1989. The album produced the single My Love Is So Raw which featured female rapper Nikki D. and the other single was called Sleep Talk. In addition the single Just Call My Name was a hit on the R&B charts reaching #4 . The song picked up many Quiet Storm formats is now considered a cult classic and is still being played. The album also included a duet with The Blue Magic vocalist Ted Mills called We're Gonna Make It. Her single I Need Your Lovin was #8 in the UK as well as another hit for her on the R&B Charts. Alyson then recorded with artist Tashon on the track Do You Wanna Know taken from his album The Horizon Outing. She ended up touring with him in the UK. In 1991 Alyson then recorded She Not Your Fool for the sound track for the movie Livin Large. The song was included on her1991 self titled album. Here are some of her musical accomplishments: 1989 Raw charted 25 on the US R&B Charts and 29 in the UK on the Def Jam Label, 1992 Alyson William Charted 31 in the US R&B Charts and it was on Columbia Records, 2004 It's About Time on the Three Key Music label. Her singles were Yes We Can Can in 1986, Make You Mine Tonight in 1987, it charted 66 on the R&B Charts, 1989 Sleep Talk #3 on the R&B Charts, #3 on the US Dance Charts, #17 UK Charts, My Love Is Raw Feat Nikki D #12 US R&B Charts, #28 US Dance Charted,#34 UK Charts, Just call my Name, #4 on the R&B Charts. In 1990 I Second That Emotion #44 In The UK, I Need Your Lovin, #5 in the R&B Charts, #8 UK. Not On The Outside #35 In the US R&B Charts, Can't Have My Man(1992) #7 on the R&B Charts, Just My Luck(1992) #6 on the Us R&B Charts, Every Body Knew But Me #63 On The US R&B Charts. You can go to www.amazon.com and type in Alyson Williams under the category music and you will find downloads etc.