forkintheroad

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"This is our fork in the road..."
excerpt from I'll Be Around recorded by The Spinners

Thank You Pete Long
        It was a warm Summer afternoon at the Apollo Theater in 1967. There was an open audition for an in-house musical production to be written and produced by the best and brightest youth of Harlem. The Title would be "Listen My Brothers." The regular pianist from the Reuben Phillips Orchestra, the house band for the Apollo Theater was late. Pete Long, manager of the Theater walked waded into the sea of anxious teens and asked if there was anyone present who could play piano for the auditions. At seventeen, I was more concerned with not making a fool of myself than being a knight in shining armour. My drummer friend, John Cooksey jumped up and volunteered my services,
"He plays the piano!" Pete Long came over and stood over me. Suddenly with two hands, Mister Long grabbed my shirt collar and yanked me to my feet. In a clear loud voice he said, "Young man, if you think you can do something - say yes. You never know what you might accomplish."
The auditions went off without a hitch. My band wound up being the house band for the play. I wrote several songs including -"YOU'VE GOT TO LEARN SOMETHING" - which ended up on the new PBS childrens educational program Sesame Street. It was in episode number two and was broadcast around the world for twenty years. Others in the cast were Luther Vandross and Fonzi Thorten. It was a very great moment.
More important was the change in my attitude. This led to our band being in the movie "UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE" and Our band performing at the national NAACP Convention and my working at Perception/Today Records and my doing the Musique "KEEP ON JUMPIN" album. Each event happened because I said yes to towering task that I didn't feel qualified for, but got into by answering in the affirmative. Thank you Pete Long. You were there at my fork in the road pointing me in the right direction.

Up The Down Staircase
        As the story goes, William Friedkin (director of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' and later 'The Exorcise') needed a band for the school dance scene in 'Up The Down Staircase'. Some other time I will tell the whole story, but for now I will tell you this. The day that our band auditioned for the part in the movie we had only been together a few days and could only play two songs. It was only because of the Pete Long encounter that four - seventeen year old kids from Harlem had the audacity to audition and get the part in a major Warner Brothers motion picture.

NAACP
        After doing the movie we were signed by MGM/Cub Records. The b side of our 45 rpm single was an anti violence song called "COOL IT".
When Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated the record came to the attention of the NAACP. We were invited to perform at their national convention in Atlantic City. Once again it was an opportunity too good to ignore. We put together a forty minute set and did quit well. This one night before a national audience led to many life changing opportunities.

Perception/Today Records
        When I was nineteen I had become very with rhythm arrangements and four piece horn charts but that was it. I had done maybe ten recording sessions at this point. I was having lunch at Perception records with Maurice Irby Jr. when Terry Phillips, president of the company came through the office. "Great news, we got the Welches grape Juice National TV Commercial. We need a great arranger."
    I looked up at Mr. Phillips and smiled.
    "You're an arranger right? Can you handle Strings, Brass Tympani, Harp and French Horns?'
    I never blinked. "Piece of Cake", I lied.
    The commercial was a hit. Then came Windsong Perfume - "I Can't Seem To Forget You" Six months later I was Director of A&R. Over the next three years I worked with Dizzy, Astrud Gilberto, Bobby Rydell and of coarse, Black Ivory.

Keep On Jumpin
"Success is when preparation meets opportunity" - Oprah Winfred
        Between 1975 and 1978 I did mostly String and Horn arrangements. I couldn't complain. I was making about Ten Thousand dollars a week. I just couldn't land any mainstream production work. As an independent producer I did manage to do a lot or dance records with Gregg Carmichael and Peter Brown. Marvin Schlacter, president of ATV Records was very impressed with my String and Brass work and invited me to lunch. He and Stan Hoffman were launching a new dance label and asked if I could handle a quick low budget LP project. I had never been given a whole album budget before, but I knew what need to be done. Looking back I believe that I poured my heart and soul into the project. I released all my frustrations. The result was the Keep On Jumpin LP. When asked what I wanted to call the project I simply answered, "Call it MUSIC - MUSIQUE"

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