TMOTTGoGo Magazine | February 2016 | Page 1 99 & KATO: THE RADIO EXPERIENCE ONE TIME FOR“ YOUR “MIND!!! 99andKatoRadio.com TMOTTGoGo Magazine | February 2016 | Page 2 99 & KATO: THE RADIO EXPERIENCE • The Crooner 8 • Black History Fun Facts 12 • The Wanda Pratt Story 14 • #SandyStillSpeaks in Baltimore 18 • She’s Single... On Valentine’s Day 20 • CHD Awareness 22 • Top Boy on the UMC 24 • RIP Maurice White 28 • Frank “Scooby” Sirius 32 • Stinky Dink Pictorial 40 • Michael Muse 42 ONTENT C FEBRUARY 2016 Publisher Kato Hammond Creative Director Tahira Chloe Mahdi Marlon Green Contributing Writers Maiah Coles Jennifer Angellatta-Moore Tahira Chloe Mahdi Preston Blue Photos Michael Mustbnice Bell Preston Blue Chip Py Don Wilson Memories Are Worth Keeping Tia Warhall Graphics & Layout Kato Hammond For Advertising and Sponsorship inquiries, email us at: [email protected] tmottgogo.com tmottradio.com tmottzone.com tmottwebdesign.com © TMOTTGoGo 2016 FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK Kato Hammond The Crooner The club scene is crowded, but it’s not a boisterous one. Just about everyone has a drink in their hand, and is engaged in quiet conversation, or perhaps just silently enjoying the evening. Setting the mood is an old-school crooner; a gentleman all dressed up and filling the room with his witty banter and warm, jazzy singing. It’s a classy and romantic environment, helped in large part by the charismatic guy on stage. The Crooner is an American epithet that was given to singers of jazz standards, either backed by a full orchestra, a big band or by a piano. The silky-voiced singer of these senti- mental jazz favorites, particularly a male sing- er, were especially popular from the late 1920s until the early 1950s. The increased use of microphones and radio broadcasting made it possible for them to sing softly and emotionally even when backed by a band. Although many people in American music cul- ture, such as Frank Sinatra, were ad- amant about de- nouncing that title, many vocalists in Photo of Bryant "Luther" Roberts the black music culture not only wore it as a crown, but also took it more soulful levels over the past 50 years. These were artists such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Smokey Robin- son, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Ronald Isley, Barry White, Johnny Mathis, Marvin Gaye, Philip Bailey, Luther Vandross, Prince, Lionel Richie, El Debarge, Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill, Usher, KC & JoJo, Keith Sweat, D’Angelo, Rapheal Sadiq, Jahiem, Anthony Hamilton, Lyfe Jennings and so on. Photo of Tony Sharpe And just like all the other sectors of Black American Music genres, Go-Go has also produced its share of crooners. People such as Chuck Brown, Eric Handon (EU), Tyrone “Jungle Boogie” Williams (Rare Es- sence), Lawrence West (Rare Essence), Michael Muse (Rare Essence), Tony Sharpe (Class Band), Junie Henderson (EU), Bryant “Luther” Roberts (Little Benny & The Masters), Michael Strong (Junkyard Band), Gene Pratt (Junkyard Band), Leon- ard “Hugg” Huggins (Northeast Groovers), Weensey (Backyard Band), Bruce Bailey (Backyard Band), Charles “Shorty” Garrett (Rare Essence), Kennie “KC” Lee (Junk- yard Band), Adebayo De’ De’ Folarin (Suttle Photo of Gene Pratt Thoughts), Frank “Scooby” Sirius (L!s- sen), Michael Thompson (L!ssen), Steve Roy (Suttle Thoughts) and so on. Back in the early days of go-go, the middle of the show was usually the main time given for the crooner to shine. After playing for about 45 min- utes straight, the band would final- ly stop and shift into a slow groove. This was the moment that allowed Photo of Kennie "KC" Lee the crooner to single handedly get his shine. Although many aspects of today’s formatted standard have actually shifted from the middle of the show to the actual opening of the show, the standards and principles of it remained the same. Photo of Weensey Photo of Steve Roy by Maiah Coles Potato chips were invented by a black man. In 1853 a restaurant customer sent his French fries back to the kitchen because they were too thick. The chef George Crum cut a bunch of potatoes as thin as he could. He fried them crisp in anger and voila, the potato chip was born. Sarah Boone was an Afri- can-American inventor who was awarded a patent for the ironing board.Born in the Deep South—in Summit, Pike County, Mississippi—in the 1860s or 1870s, Sarah Boone made her name by inventing the ironing board. Boone was a rarity during her time, a female African-Amer- ican inventor. In her patent application, she wrote that the purpose of her invention was “to produce a cheap, simple, convenient and highly effective device, particularly adapted to be used in ironing the sleeves and bodies of la- dies’ garments.” Prior to that time, most people ironed using a board of wood rested across a pair of chairs or tables. She was living in New Haven, Connecticut, when her patent was granted in 1892. She died in 1900. On April 19, 1866, the African American citizens of Washington D.C. celebrated the abolition of slavery. 4,000 to 5,000 people assembled to the White House addressed by Andrew Johnson. Led by two black regiments, the spectators and the procession proceeded up the Pennsylvania Avenue to Franklin Square for religious services and speeches by prominent politicians. The sign on top of the platform read: “We have received our civil rights. Give us the right of suffrage and the work is done.” A black man from Newark, New Jersey, by the name of Charles B. Brooks, invented the U.S.’ first self-propelled street sweeper truck and patented it on March 17, 1896. Historically, prior to Brooks’ truck, streets were commonly cleaned by walking workers, picking up by hand or broom, or by horse-drawn machines. Brooks’ truck had brushes attached to the front fender that pushed trash to the curb. Seat Pleasant’s Own Kevin Durant’s Mom Gets Lifetime Biopic by Kato Hammond The mother of NBA star Kevin Durant will be the subject of an upcoming Lifetime origi- nal movie to be executive produced by Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere’s Flavor Unit. Cassandra Freeman (Inside Man, Single Ladies) will star in the biopic, tentatively titled “The Real MVP: The Wanda Pratt Story.” The film will follow her journey as a single mom who struggled and sacrificed to raise her two sons, Tony and Kevin. When he was named 2014’s NBA Most Valuable Player, Kevin Durant singled out his mother as “the real MVP” for all of her sacrifices that allowed him to pursue his dreams. Tracie Thoms will play Pratt’s best friend and confidant. Pauletta Washington will play Pratt’s mom Barbara, while actors Daniel Bellomy and Nic Few will play the adult Kevin and Tony, respectively. Production is currently underway in Van- couver on the film under director Nelson George. A&E Studios is producing the film, which will premiere on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 8, on Lifetime. Photo of Cassandra Freeman In an era of declining songwriting skills and auto tune crooning... Michael Muse embodies the best traditions of R&B/Soul music as a vocalist, songwriter and producer. Hard hitting yet smooth and haunting vocals and music TMOTTGoGo Magazine | February 2016 | Page 16 GoGo Music!!! Displaying the various styles of GoGo recorded on the Bag of Beats Label!! over the past 15yrs. This is the Best of Bag of Beats!!! “Its Whats in the Pocket that Counts!!” TMOTTGoGo Magazine | February 2016 | Page 17 #SandyStillSpeaks at Baltimore’s “Be a Voice, Not an Echo” by Tahira Chloe Mahdi Diversity Institute (by LeVern Danley III) BALTIMORE, Maryland (January 30, 2016) that included some of Sandra Bland’s — Sharon Cooper spoke to a packed own words and images from her Sandy house at Red Emma’s on Saturday eve- Speaks video series. ning about her sister Sandra Bland, who died in police custody last July. The event “We are expecting that if we are told “Be a Voice, Not an Echo” was spon- something and if we are fed something, sored by UMBC (University of Maryland, we are to take it as fact; and that is just Baltimore County) and Taharka Brothers not true,” said Ms. Cooper. She went on Ice Cream. to compare mainstream media’s misrep- resentations of her sister to the mislead- The importance of everyday citizens con- ing coverage of Baltimore in the wake of trolling and reporting their own narratives Freddie Gray’s death in police custody. was the major theme of the evening, as the “Control the narrative,” Ms. Cooper said, majority of questions and answers pointed “There is nobody who can speak up for to the problem of misinformation in main- you and speak in your place.” stream media. Ms. Cooper told of how reporters distorted facts about her sister, About the moment she decided to take often without speaking to the family. Au- control of this narrative, she says, “I real- dience comments highlighted the glaring ized very, very quickly — because this is negativity in news stories about Black in- at the time when the social media traction dividuals and referenced the centuries-old started picking up — so I realized very false narrative of black criminality found in quickly: if we are silent now, we will al- media and entertainment. ways be an echo and not the voice.” Countering the falsifications surrounding Sandra Bland’s mother also attend- her sister’s story, Ms. Cooper present- ed, and her powerful words brought the ed a video made for the Sandra Bland program to a close. Geneva Reed-Veal TMOTTGoGo Magazine | February 2016 | Page 18 crowd as she declared the need for Black women to be “Unapologetically Black,” as Sandra Bland revealed herself to be in the Sandy Speaks videos.