I heard this Thursday from several sources, but I don’t have any further info right now. When I get more info I’ll pass it on.

Of course he was yet another of the big time DJ’s I used to listen to in NYC when I was a kid. But the rest of yall know Hank Spann too even if you never heard him on the radio.

WWRL Flyer f. Hank Spann.
Click For Larger View

He is the kinda “narrator” on the song SAME BEAT by the JB’s. In fact the song starts off with Hank Spann saying…

::THE JB’S LIVE AND BADDDDDDDD::

Followed by that NASTY GROOVE….
….then the infamous chicken (rooster???)

& Hank Spann says….

:::THIS IS SOLID FUNK::::

…..followed by the chicken (rooster?)….then more of that NASTY GROOVE

then…..Hank comes back in and says….

::::FOR THA PEOPLE::::::

And then out of nowhere

COMES…..THA….FUNK….BOMB

(that blew our minds the first time we heard it)

THE REVEREND JESSIE JACKSON

I am S-O-M-E-B-O-D-Y
I am S-O-M-E-B-O-D-Y
(crowd cheers)

I may be unemployed
But I am S-O-M-E-B-O-D-Y
(crowd cheers)

I may be unskilled
But I am S-O-M-E-B-O-D-Y
(crowd cheers)

I may be uneducated
But I am S-O-M-E-B-O-D-Y
(crowd cheers)

I may be in jail
But I am S-O-M-E-B-O-D-Y
(crowd cheers)

…and Hank comes back in and says

BADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

The title of this song may be a joke. A PLAY ON THE FACT THAT James Brown’s songs all sounded the same.

But it’s groove, message and it’s subversiveness are serious as a heart attack!!!

“Same Beat” is one of the greatest moments in the history of FUNK music.

…& mah man Hank Spann serves as our “tour guide” for the journey. Now we will have to get to the destination without him…

RIP Hank Spann

—————–
Bob Davis
earthjuice[at]prodigy.net
bobdavis[at]radioio.com
609-351-0154
——————

Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com

Hip Hop and Soul Music Director
www.radioio.com
——————-

Links For More Hank Spann Information:

The Urban Network’s Comments on Hank Spann

Alan Furst’s Program Director Blog

Radio Facts

Listen To Hank Spann Open his WWRL show on this Power House Radio Frankie Crocker Tribute Page

This review also appears on my RadioIO.com Blog at the following link:http://www.radioio.com/genres/hiphop-soul/

This was a straight up spiritual experience today at the Apollo Theatre. It was the ‘Church of Michael Jackson” up in there today and it was something that I was quite unprepared for. You see I had been to the Apollo a few years ago for what was essentially the “wake” of James Brown. I had expected this event, less than a week after the passing of Michael Jackson to be much the same. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

There was no dead body on the stage, as there was at the James Brown wake.. Instead there was a lone barstool, with a familiar looking black fedora, a familiar pair of black shades and a single familiar white sequined glove resting on top of the seat cushion of the barstool. The spotlight shined on the barstool and the items resting on the seat cushion of the barstool glowed.

The crowd entered the lower level of the Apollo in an orderly fashion. They all seemingly had on Michael Jackson T-Shirts, Michael Jackson Baseball caps. Some carried handmade/store brought Michael Jackson banners and posters.

Jonelle Procope CEO and President of the Apollo then came out to speak. She talked about how folks came to the Apollo as soon as they heard about the news of Michael’s passing. Rev Al came out and talked about how the Jackson’s started here at the Apollo and he made the world recognize OUR CULTURE. Congressman Charlie Rangel came on and gave greetings from the Congressional Black Caucus. All of what they had to say was important and most fitting to the occasion. However what they had to say was nearly meaningless after what came next.

And what came next was an EXPLOSION. It was sheer joy.
It made me smile from ear to ear. And it made me understand perhaps for the first time, just why Michael Jackson is/was as big as he is/was.

What came next was indescribable using text. You really had to be there..

If I say something like..

“For the next 30 minutes the packed Apollo crowd was treated to a Michael Jackson MASTER MIX + VIDEO SHOW with legendary rapper CHUBB ROCK leading the crowd”

Then most of you will say “big deal.”

..and you would be correct.

IT WAS A BIG DEAL

In fact it was something pretty damn close to: ::::MAGIC:::::

It can’t be compared to being at any musical event I have ever been to. It was something like being at an amusement park and just watching the joy & happiness on the faces of the people. It was as though it didn’t matter that he had died. People singing.
People dancing. People screaming his name in unison.
The packed Apollo was turned into a house party, for sure.
People “freaking.”
People “moonwalking.”
Young people.
Old people.
Black
White
Hispanic
It was as though there was a “rebirth” right there inside of the Apollo.

NOBODY WAS CRYING

The vibe was incredible. The entire Apollo bonded together as one. I’ve been a Michael Jackson fan since 1969. But after today THE SONGS mean more than they ever did to me before.

When I took the subway back to Penn Station, I encountered two young white girls. They had on Michael Jackson paraphernalia, so I decided to interview them. One was 22 and the other was 23. Neither had been born yet when the “Thriller” album was released.

Later as I added up the sum total of the day, what I had seen, what I had heard, the people I talked with, the people I didn’t, plus the general glow surrounding the Apollo today, I finally came up with a person from the past to compare Michel Jackson to.

It’s not a musical artist. It’s Walt Disney. It occurred to me that Walt Disney was a visionary, who was all about the same kinds of things that Michael Jackson was about. I think that it’s fair to say that Walt Disney had a world view with respect to technology, culture, education and more was similar to that of Michael Jackson.

Except for one difference.

Unlike Walt Disney, Michael Jackson really did figure out a way to place himself into a state of “suspended animation.”

WE HAVE HIS SONGS, WHICH WILL BE HERE FOREVER.

…..And every single time someone spins a record.
Or

….Loads in a CD

Or

…..Clicks a mouse.

Or

….perhaps in the future, summons up a hologram

Over some object, physical or meta physical with the name

::::JACKSON::::

He is going to reappear, and it will be just as if he had never left.

And we are going to smile just as soon as we hear his voice.

Even Walt Disney can’t do that, from the great beyond….

Update: The music of Micheal Jackson live from the Apollo on 6/31/2009 emceed by Chubb Rock, Remarks from Rev Al Sharpton, Apollo President/CEO Jonelle Procope and Congressman Charles Rangel, On site interviews with Queen Mother/Mayor of Harlem, Devena + Two Funky White Chicks. Additional music by Norman Connors and Mellisa Forbes. Broadcast introduced by Joe Jackson, and hosted by Bob Davis

http://www.soul-patrol.net/mj_apollo.ram

Check it out and let me know what cha think?

RIP – Mike

The “King of Pop” performed at the world-famous Apollo several times in his career – first, in 1969 when he was just a young boy, and, most recently, in 2002 at the invitation of former President Bill Clinton at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.

On Tuesday, June 30, 2009, the Apollo will welcome the public into the Theater to pay tribute to Mr. Jackson, hear his music, and see video tributes to the late pop star. Apollo President and CEO Jonelle Procope, the Reverend Al Sharpton, and others will offer eulogies under the Apollo marquee at 2:00p.m. On Wednesday, July 1, 2009, the Apollo will dedicate its weekly Amateur Night show to Mr. Jackson with special performances and dance features such as a moon walking contest. Further, the Apollo has erected a signature wall outside the Theater where mourners can write condolences and leave remembrances. The Theater also has plans to do a star-studded tribute to Mr. Jackson later in the month of July.

“Michael first performed at the Apollo in the late 1960s with his brothers and won Amateur Night, which catapulted their career as the Jackson 5. We will always remember Michael in our hearts as part of the Apollo’s family of artists and a true Apollo legend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He will be deeply missed,” said Jonelle Procope, president and CEO of the Apollo Theater Foundation. “From the moment the news of his passing was made public, fans began gathering at the Apollo to pay their respects and celebrate Michael’s life. We at the Apollo thought it was important to put these events together to give Michael’s fans the chance to remember him as the consummate entertainer that he was.”

Statement to the Press , Tuesday, June 30, 2009, Starting at 2:00p.m. Jonelle Procope, President & CEO of the Apollo Theater Foundation, will speak to the press and will be joined by the Reverend Al Sharpton to eulogize the late icon.

I was just interviewed and asked to give my reflections on Michael
Jackson.

Here is what I said, I don’t know if this is how they will run it . . .

“Michael Jackson was a cultural icon that surpassed all others that you might be tempted to compare him to. Unlike others such as Elvis, the Beatles or others, the legacy created by the Jackson’s was
TOTALLY ORIGINAL.

The Jackson’s created something out of nothing and Michael
Jackson was the star of that something. Although that might be
considered to be an amazing thing, Black Americans have been creating something out of nothing since the beginning of time!

Michael Jackson became the most famous person on the face of the earth because of his role in creating something that ultimately he found a way to eclipse. So in effect he first created a star for his family and then created an even bigger star for himself.

I don’t think that anyone else has come close to accomplishing that!”

I probably got more email from folks asking to lobby congress to defeat HR Bill 848 on behalf of Cathy Hughes, than I did about the passing of Waymon Tisdale.

That’s because Radio One’s owner Cathy Hughes was on the Tom Joyner Show recently begging for a black community bailout of black radio because of a proposed bill by Rep. John Conyers that would make radio stations have to shell out some major dollars to stay on the air.

The name of the bill is HR Bill 848 and frankly I am a supporter of it. This bill is designed to insure that terrestrial radio station pay the same performance royalties to artists that web casters (ex: Soul-Patrol) and satellite radio operators.

That sounds like a fair proposition to me…

So now Cathy Hughes is whining again.

I would suggest that she could do three things that might be helpful in formulating a direction for herself at this point:

1. Take a look at our friend Mark Anthony Neal’s brilliant essay called “Radio One’s “Save Black Radio” Campaign Misses the Mark” at the following link:
http://newblackman.blogspot.com/2009/05/should-black-radio-die.html

2. Take a look at our friend Minista Paul Scott’s brilliant essay called “Live or Let Die: Should We Save Black Radio?” at the following link: http://blackpoliticsontheweb.com/2009/05/14/live-or-let-die-should-we-save-black-radio

3. And of course she shyould also revisit the offer that I made to help her several years ago, which she can re-read at the following link. The offer is still open:
http://www.soul-patrol.com/newsletter/2004/news20

—————————————-
Bob Davis
earthjuice@prodigy.net
—————————————-

Peace and much Love Hiphoppas!

The Temple Of Hiphop is pleased to announce that Hip Hop Appreciation Week 2009 is May 17-24 and our theme for this year is “COOPERATION”! HHAW, always celebrated during the third week of May, is a time for Hiphoppas to de-criminalize the images of Hip Hop that are portrayed by the mainstream media.

Now is the time, more than ever, for COOPERATION in our communities. The Hip Hop community should work together to organize our people, our knowledge and our resources as we continue to work through the challenges we are facing domestically and globally!

There are many ways in which Hiphoppas can demonstrate COOPERATION, here are a just few suggestions. During HHAW we encourage Hiphoppas to intentionally:

- Work with individuals and organizations that are working to make your community better.
- Use HHAW as an opportunity to end personal disputes with anyone that you have had challenges with.
- Volunteer with non-profit organizations, share your gifts and talents with your community, i.e. teach a class, mentor a youth, etc.
- Network, build new alliances, form coalitions and partnerships that are mutually beneficial to all.
- Become involved with a neighborhood watch group, community beautification committee, etc.
- Create artistic collaborations using the various elements of Hip Hop culture.
- Live, Teach and Promote the principles of the Hiphop Declaration Of Peace.

HHAW gives Hiphoppas a great opportunity to show the world who we are, whose we are and what we are here to do! Remember, we are not doing hip-hop, we are Hiphop, word!