Tag Archives: A Friendly Five

Different music flavors meshed on the Pan-African Village Stage at NYS Fair Each year, the Great New York State Fair blooms in Syracuse for 12 days. With it comes the Pan-African Village — a make-shift village constructed of plywood and tents. The village draws upon fair-goers to provide an economic boost to entrepreneurs that sell food, art, clothing, jewelry and …

Local band UAD will perform a special show for Mother’s Day Hollis “Larry” Mathis is a foreman for the city of Syracuse in the Department of Public Works. He has worked there for more than 35 years. Isaac “Ike” Wynn has driven for Centro for nearly as long. They are the founding members of the group UAD. For Mother’s Day, …

A Ghanaian musician uses music to bring American and African cultures together David Etse Nyadedzor believes it is important that the messages one expresses through music be positive. In his view, “music is a powerful medium that can carry a message farther than anything.” David, 43, is from Accra, Ghana. He has lived in the United States for about 14 …

Local women praised for inspiring through teaching, music, worship March is set aside as Women’s History Month to show appreciation, love, respect and honor for women and their achievements in areas such as arts, culture, business and politics. Its roots can be traced to the early 1900s when women stood up in solidarity to create a day in which to …

Gospel background helps band establish style, gain loyal following For five years now, the Brownskin Band has pounded the local circuit while establishing itself as a household name. The band’s music is a blend of funky soul with a twist, according to Nate Brown (drummer) and Joe Cummings (keyboardist). Members perform at bars, clubs, festivals and private functions such as …

Local legends share their secrets to staying on top of the music scene Over the years, Syracuse has enjoyed its share of traditional quartet-style gospel singing groups, including the Davis Sisters, Five to Life, The Flying Eagles and Foundation. But none has endured the test of time like The Bells of Harmony or the Pilgrim Gospel Singers.

Stevie Wolf and Carolyn Kelly have taken different career paths, but both currently perform locally When I decided to do a story about the Blues on the South Side, interviewing Syracuse’s “Bluesman” Little Stevie Wolf immediately came to mind. I also figured that while I was at it, I would finagle a guitar lesson from him as well. Wolf was …

Syracuse, NY (circa 1960s) Many of you reading this page weren’t even born when a rapidly growing group of black teens known as The Soul Generation were making their statements in Syracuse and indeed “around the world.”

Thank God I’m old enough to remember Little Willie Gatewood and The Toronados. That was one of the baddest (and I mean that in a good way) bands that ever played in the Syracuse area. Gatewood’s band (we call him “Gate”) was comprised of Chuck Phillips on the electric guitar, A. C. Goldston on the electric bass, Willie Simms on …

There was a time, from the late 1950s until the early ’60s, that if you saw a group of young black men standing together on a street corner in their neighborhoods, they were only singing. They were singing the music of the time. Music which became known as “doo wop.” At the time of its popularity, it was called R&B …