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Brooklyn Allstars' Thomas Spann reflects on "signature sound that I didn't realize I had"

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
 
Thomas Spann
A fan approaches Rev. Thomas Spann sporting a wide grin and extending a slightly trembling hand, hailing, “The Legend! The Legend!” Rev. Spann graciously returns the gesture, “My man! Good to see you,” making apparent that he appreciates his supporters as much as they appreciate him. Admiration for the quartet veteran is immediately perceivable by the number of fan interruptions that continue throughout our early evening interview just prior to one of the Brooklyn Allstars’ concerts.
 
Rev. Spann tells me he organized the Brooklyn Allstars in 1948. Since then, he has worked the gospel circuit with his group’s instantaneously recognizable styling, which is directly attributed to his own bass vocals. Along the way, they’ve racked up a couple of gold records (“They say they were gold; I just say they were good,” Rev. Spann interjects) and toured extensively. Now, at 88 years old, Rev. Spann is assisted by a cane and sits onstage with mic in hand during some of the group’s mild numbers such as “No Cross, No Crown.” But you can rest assured that his voice still booms and when the Spirit moves him on tunes like “Stood on the Banks of Jordan,” he springs from his chair to join in with group member Sonny McClary, with whom he now shares lead tasks. Theirs is a sound that stands apart in traditional quartet music.
 
“I guess that’s what I say the longevity or success of the group is attributed to—the signature sound that I didn’t realize I had for a lot of years until I got a chance to compare it to a lot of other artists; then I realized it was so different that I decided to change it one time,” reflects Spann. He admits that the group almost lost its following when he tried to alter it.
 
“I was rejected; I had no idea I had that many fans, and I didn’t know that that many people cared one way or another, you know, about what we were doing.”
 
They still care. As a matter of fact, their loyal fan base is what keeps them going more than six decades later; and they’re picking up a younger generation of quartet heads with their current release, Just Look At Me Now. Among the tracks on the Malaco/4 Winds project is a 4-song throwback medley that includes “I’ve Got My Ticket,” a number first recorded in 1950 that Rev. Spann says bears the group’s trademark sound.
 
“And [our fans] still want us to do that song most places we go right now,” he adds. Hopefully, those places will continue to be many for the man known to his fans as “The Legend.”
 
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Thanks to Malaco/4 Winds’ Darrell Luster and YouTube, you can watch the Brooklyn Allstars (Rev. Spann with Bobby Butler and Sonny McClary) and Luster rehearse a snippet of “I’ve Got My Ticket” a cappella.  
 

R.I.P. Bobby “Blue” Bland

Bobby “Blue” Bland is one of countless blues singers who started in gospel. He passed this evening at the age of 83.

According to his bio on the Malaco Records site, it was while singing with the gospel group The Miniatures after moving to Memphis in 1947 that he acquired his signature blues snort.  He’s said to have learned it by watching Rev. C.L. Franklin’s sermons.

See the announcement here: Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland dies

“Teach the Children” – Dr. John “G Star” Jones

“Teach The Children”
Dr. John “G Star” Jones (2012)
Independent

Dr. John "G Star" Jones
There’s more to education than ABC’s and 123’s, according to Dr. John Jones, who goes by the stage name G Star (meaning “God’s Star”).  His uptempo inspirational tune reminds mothers, fathers, and teachers of all kinds of their moral obligation to “Teach the Children.”
 
“Teach the Children” sounds like a public service announcement of sorts, urging that children be taught to love God, stay in school, and have class.

Jones has been making music for many years and is known for his unique style and charisma.  More notably, according to his bio, he has dedicated his time and talents toward helping to take homeless children off New York City’s streets and provide them with housing—a commendable service to our kids and a testament that Jones doesn’t just talk the talk.

“Good To Me” – Carolyn Traylor

“Good To Me”
Caroyln Traylor
From the CD, Waiting (2013)
Malaco Records

Carolyn Traylor "Good to Me" photo
Thinking on the goodness of the Lord is sure to lift your spirits, and Carolyn Traylor’s “Good to Me” is sure to make a great soundtrack for the experience.

“He’s so good to me / He constantly makes ways for me / He opens doors for me / Loves on me…” goes the contagious hook. After just one listen, I couldn’t stop humming the melody.

Traylor, who hails from Texas, has musical experiences on her resumé ranging from performances with Albertina Walker to international tours with Dr. Bobby Jones. Her soulful flare, which delves into blues territory, is just what this groove needs to complement its punchy bass, simmering horn section, and lively contemporary-styled background vocals.

GMF Sightings – William Rigsbee of Willie Banks & The Messengers

William Rigsbee
Click to Enlarge
William Rigsbee, formerly of Willie Banks and the Messengers, performed several tunes from the group’s catalog on Sunday, June 2, at the anniversary musical of the Spiritual Lights of Rougemont, NC.  Rigsbee currently resides in Nashville, NC, and is known to his following as “The Singing Angel.”

Photo by Libra Boyd

GMF’s Libra Boyd is guest on Bob Marovich’s “Gospel Memories” Radio Show – June 15

Libra & Bob in 2011

Tune in to Chicago’s WLUW 88.7 FM (or the live webcast at www.gospelmemories.com) this Saturday, June 15 at 11am EST, for host Bob Marovich’s interview with GMF’s Libra Boyd.  Bob is a friend of GMF as well as an author and walking encyclopedia of gospel music history.

“Libra Boyd, founder and editor of Gospel Music
Fever who helped raise the money for the Barrett Sisters documentary,
is our special guest on Saturday’s Gospel Memories. She’ll share with us
her other brushes with gospel royalty.” – Host Bob Marovich

Mickey Martin of the Brooklyn Allstars has died

Gospel promoter Gladys Poteat passed along the news that singer/drummer Mickey Martin died yesterday.

Martin shared his musical talents with many, including the Brooklyn Allstars, the Sons of Zion, Willie Banks and the Messengers, the Gospel Aires and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama.

GMF expresses its sympathy to Mr. Martin’s family, friends, and supporters.

Homegoing arrangements are as follows:

Visitation for Family & Friends
Monday, June 17, 2013
12:30 – 1 PM
 New Light Missionary Baptist Church
1105 Willow Road
Greensboro, NC

Funeral to Follow at 1 PM

Radio veteran, Gospel Announcers Guild officer Donna Creer perishes in fire

GMF extends heartfelt condolences to and prayers on behalf of the family and many friends of gospel radio personality and GMWA Gospel Announcers Guild 2nd Vice President Donna Creer.  She and her husband Donald passed this morning when fire struck their Little Rock, AR home, according to published reports.  (Click here for the story from ABC affiliate KATV.)
Very recently, prayer requests circulated online after Creer was hospitalized due to a reported “serious and critical situation.”

I met Donna last July at GMWA, and she was a warm and kind spirit.  I was blessed by our brief time together, her wealth of knowledge, and her willingness to pass it along.

Homegoing arrangements for the couple, as reported by www.gospelnewsroom.com, are as follows:

Visitation
Thursday, June 20, 2013
12 – 6 PM
Robinson Mortuary
1201 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.
Little Rock, AR  72202

Memorial Musical 
Thursday, June 20, 2013
6:30 PM
Greater St. Mark Baptist Church
5722 W. 12th St.
Little Rock, AR  72204


Homegoing Celebration
Friday, June 21, 2013
11 AM
Greater St. Mark Baptist Church
5722 W. 12th St.
Little Rock, AR  72204