We all need a soulful angel on our shoulders.
That was part of the resume of Danny Ray, the “Cape Man” for soul brother number one James Brown. Ray died of natural causes Tuesday in Augusta, Ga. He was 85 years old.
On Wednesday the James Brown Estate called Ray “the second hardest working man in show business.”
Ray served as master of ceremonies for the James Brown and the Famous Flames Revue, but he was best known for draping a flowing cape over a worn-out Brown in at the end of a concert.
In my career, I always tried to look beyond the stars. That’s how I wound up backstage with Ray after [...]
When a rose blooms in November, you see the hearts of everyone. Doors open and walls fall, with the gift of a rose in your outstretched hand. When a rose blooms in November, its petals will soon fall into a bed of empathy Skies turn soft blue and the angry orange will slide into the horizon.
When a rose blooms in November, people smile at tomorrow. The dark winter is sure to be followed by bright possibilities. Birds come to you. When a rose blooms in November, shouting turns into sharing Thorns, weeds, and dirty deeds will not be considered.
Maybe your father planted roses as did mine. My father was gentle, humble, and full of humor. He also liked dogs. When a [...]
The late, great William Gaines.
I did a deep salty dive into the offices of Mad magazine in November 1987 for the Chicago Sun-Times. I found publisher William Maxwell Gaines to be a blunt and fun character. I also learned he paid his freelancers the minute they dropped off their copy. I’m grateful he gave me some time. Gaines died on June 3, 1992 at the age of 70. He was Mad’s publisher until the day he passed away. With last week’s news that Mad will disappear from newsstands in August, here’s my look at Gaines’ muse:NEW YORK- A set of snare drums are poised behind the [...]
The world keeps spinning.
And since the mid-1960s a group of socially conscious Chicagoans have met for dinner at the city’s soul food restaurants to talk about politics, food and moving forward against strong winds. Many are gone now: the restaurants and the members.
The survivors call the group “The Round Table.”
The unofficial leader of the group is Gene Barge, who was a spry 87 years old in November, 2013 when I was early into research on my book “The People’s Place.” Barge has a remarkable pedigree. He was arranger, producer and sax player at Chess Records, 2120 [...]
