HE'LL STEP RIGHT IN...

Vintage, classic, genius Beverly Crawford and Bobby Jones. Mother let's loose at :33 seconds - girlfriend turned the stage out in those pumps and that drop waist satin dress. Sometimes, we need Him to just step right in...I feel you Bev, get a little step and shout in for me too, girl.

SANG GIRL!!!

Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, one cannot help but be exposed to gospel music. I grew up to the sounds of The Winans, The Clark Sisters, Mattie Moss Clark, Thomas Whitfield and many other greats. Detroit is as known for gospel music as it is for hair, cars and Motown. But one of my absolute favorite gospel singers is from the other music capitol, Atlanta. Miss LaShun Pace - gospel music diva extraordinaire. Her voice reflects all the emotion that I feel. Here she is with a little advice that definitely works:

A LIL' TOO MUCH

Now, baby, I have seen it all............



Girlfriend was just trying to save face - you know she must have been humiliated. Child, she came up out of her wig................the girl in the too-tight yellow shirt tried to save her, but it was too late...ROTFL....LMAOOOOOOOO..........................

YEAH BABY!!!!

I know it is not much for experienced bloggers, but I hit the 500th visitor mark today!!! YEAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Thanks to everyone that reads my sometimes senseless musings about life and culture. I would love to increase my viewership, so do me ONE favor, make me one lil' ole' promise. I don't ask for much, so oblige me this, why don't ya?! Just send the link to this site to 10-15 of your favorite email buddies, friends, family, coworkers, employees, your boss, your church brethren, your choir members, fellow AA members, prayer club partners, internet hookup dates, the lady at the Chinese takeout restaurant, your bus driver, the lady who puts your weave in, your masseuse, e'erbody. Then maybe they will send the link to their friends and so on and so on.........There is plenty of pie to go around, share the love!

http://cultural-pie.blogspot.com/

And just to say thank you:

WHEN SHOUTING GOES WRONG

In honor of Sunday, the Lord's day, I thought I might post something of spiritual value. I have to work today (runway show next week) so I needed a little pick me up. I believe that people can get in a zone and get so emotional that they lose themselves, but sometimes people can go a bit too far. Such are the cases below:

This man won $10,000 on a home video tv show. That is still not enough to pay for his wife's embarrassment.

_________________________________________

This sister with the jherri curl and the ankle length denim skirt got so entranced that she forgot to watch where she was going - well at least she was at church and could later have her injuries healed.

__________________________________________

Between the choir 'gettin their groove on' and the brother in the red suit 'bumpin and grindin', one wouldn't know if they were at church or the hottest club. Go here and you can kill 2 birds with one stone.

___________________________________________

MUSIC TO MY EARS

While growing up as a child and teenager in Detroit in the 70s and 80s, there were two constant musical influences in my life: church/gospel music and THE SCENE. I grew up COGIC, Church of God in Christ. More commonly known as 'sanctified' or 'holiness' churches, COGIC churches are the ones where people speak in tongues, shout, dance and accept healing through touch. COGIC churches are famous for their singing style and for their style of dress. I commonly went to church 2 or 3 times per week - prayer service, choir rehearsal, youth group, Sunday school, Sunday service, etc. This was my first introduction to fashion, showmanship and glamour.

Beaded suits, hats that could cause an eclipse, big hair, lace-trimmed hankies, fierce pumps and beat faces with tons of lashes are de rigueur for the ladies while the gents prefer alligator shoes ('gators'), brightly colored suits, sharp hats, top coats, canes, pristine grooming and Cadillacs. This is not about being a wallflower, this is about conspicuous consumption as a testimony of God's blessings.

As far as music goes, NO ONE sings like COGIC singers. The power, emotion, grit, range and the patented 'vocal runs' ( melisma - a way of extending, changing and intensifying notes for maximum impact - think Patti Labelle) are unparalleled. This type of singing truly speaks to my soul and has influenced my musical tastes thus far (Patti, Aretha, Chaka, etc.). No one epitomizes the Detroit gospel style of singing and dressing more than my favorite gospel singer, Detroit native, Karen Clark Sheard. She is the youngest sister from the world famous group, The Clark Sisters. This is why I love her:



THE SCENE was a local dance TV show. It was Detroit's answer to Soul Train and American Bandstand. It featured teen and young adult Detroiters wearing the latest fashions and dancing to cutting edge soul, house, rap and techno music. My friends and I raced home everyday to catch THE SCENE at 6pm. The featured dancers became local celebrities in their own right. They influenced dance styles (many nationally famous dances started on this show), fashion, hairstyles and popular sayings. THE SCENE was a bit of a guilty pleasure that many did not like to admit to watching, but EVERYONE did! Funny enough, my Pastor's son was a dancer on the show until he became an ordained minister himself. The ties that bind us.



I love that these 2 influences are so specific to Detroit. It is so amazing to think how such seemingly disparate things can influence one person so much. The participants of each venue probably thought that they were in worlds apart, but if you look closely, there were too many similarities to count.