TORONTO, CANADA–“You are the first black person from the Western Hemisphere to interview me––The first black.”
These were the words that Youssou N'Dour spoke to me when I interviewed him the first time in Toronto when he was opening up for Peter Gabriel in the late 1980s.
Gabriel in fact took me to meet N’Dour. He saw my group when we entered the backstage area.
The British rock star Mamadou Seck, a Senegalese brother and Cheryl Blondell were backstage to meet and greet the award-winning African artist.
N'Dour is one of the most celebrated African musicians in history. He mixed traditional Senegalese mbalax with Cuban rumba.
He imparted hip hop, jazz and soul into his music and this won him an international fan base of millions in the West.
N’Dour gets involved in Electoral Politics
According to Wikipedia, N’Dour has become involved in electoral politics. Says Wikipedia, “At the beginning of 2012, he entered the race for the presidency of Senegal for the 2012 presidential election, competing against Abdoulaye Wade.
However, he was disqualified from running in the election over the legitimacy of the signatures he had collected to endorse his campaign.
In April 2012 it was announced that N'dour has been appointed tourism and culture minister in the cabinet of new Prime Minister Abdoul Mbaye. N’Dour is back to music in 2015.
The Dakar Senegal-born N’Dour collaborated with Neneh Cherry (the step-daughter of trumpet player Don Cherry), Wyclef Jean, Tracy Chapman, Branford Marsalis, Sting, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen Gabriel, Sting, Lou Reed, Canada’s Bruce Cockburn as well as Gabriel.
One of my favorite songs by N’Dour was his cover of the Spinners, “Rubber Band Man”, which I played on CKLN-FM 88.1’s Saturday Morning Love and Diasporic Music on Uhuru Radio. I played it many times.
Rick Holmes joins the ancestors
Richard Arthur Holmes, Jr. (aka Rick), born in Knoxville, Tennessee on April 21, 1936 to Clara Sams-Holmes and Richard Arthur Holmes Sr., was one of my biggest radio influences.
I used to listen to him on KABC in Los Angeles. I loved his style on the air. I spent time with him when I attended Los Angeles City College. Holmes worked at a clothing store Ziegler and Ziegler near the campus.
“After graduating from Don Martin he began his professional radio career at KBCA Radio 105.1 FM, in Los Angeles, a Mount Wilson Broadcasting Jazz station owned by Saul Levine.
His show became very popular and was coined "Rick's Affair," with his theme song "Poinciana," an arrangement by Ahmad Jamal” according to his obituary.
Holmes is known to many for his recordings like, “Remember to Remember” with Roy Ayers and Soul Zodick with Cannonball and Nat Adderley.
He was a radio personality, Master of Ceremonies, an Actor and a spoken word recording artist.
He worked with Ruth Dolphin at Dolphins of Hollywood, and Dooto's Records in South Central Los Angeles.
I never forget how he closed his show, “It’ time for me to make like a tree and leave or make like a banana and split."
A Tribute to Al Prentice “Bunchy” Carter and Melvin X
Lauryn Hilll, Wyclef Jean and the Fugees, Dead Prez and others have honored Bunchy on wax.
Bunchy Carter and Melvin X were two prominent leaders in the 1960s and 1970s.
Bunchy was the founding member of the So Cal Black Panther Party. Melvin X was a founder of the East Los Angeles College Black Student Union and co founder of the Black Student Alliance.
They will both be honored on October, 10, 2015. Bunchy would've had been 73 years old if it would not had been for his assassination at UCLA on January 17th, 1969.
People will gather at Lincoln Cemetery at noon on Oct. 10th, 2015 to commemorate the life of Melvin X.
Across the street from Lincoln Cemetery, we will gather at Woodlawn Cemetery to commemorate the life of Bunchy Carter.
Lauryn visits Fela Kuti’s New African Shine
After Lauryn Hill’s performance in Lagos, she paid a courtesy call on the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Afrobeat hotspot, the New African Shrine.
She was in company of her eight year old daughter, Sarah Marley and other members of her band.
Her visit comes a few days after legendary singer, Bono of the U2 band made a similar visit to the Afrobeat hub. In death, Fela Anikulapo Kuti has continued to attract recognition from music icons from all over the world who have come to reckon with the spirit and philosophy of his music known as Afrobeat.
During her brief visit, Hill was well received by son of the late maestro and leader of the Egypt 80 band, Seun Kuti. Also in the company was his sibling, Kunle Kuti.
