World-renowned for their Gold-selling mid-`70s hits “Boogie Fever” and “Hot Line” on Capitol Records, The Sylvers were a bright spot of the `70s. The 9-strong family of handsome brothers and foxy sisters jockeyed for Soul Supremacy with The Jacksons family. Though they’d recorded one single for Verve Records in 1971 (“I’m Just a Lonely Soul” b/w “Come On, Give Me a Chance”), the Sylvers caught on locally like wildfire the following year (1972) with their eponymous debut LP on Pride/MGM Records. It featured two big hits: the haunting love song “Wish That I Could Talk To You” and the funky, thought-provoking message “Fool’s Paradise.” The group was instantly noted for its sophisticated harmonic blend, self-contained creativity and all around good looks…crowned by the most perfectly rounded Afros known to mankind. [Note: The group’s first three albums The Sylvers, Sylvers II and Sylvers III are all being reissued on CD for the first time as Japanese imports in time for the 2017 holidays.] The bulk of the songs on The Sylvers’ albums (including the hits) were written by Leon Sylvers III who’d springboard into a tremendous career as a producer/writer in the SOLAR Records family of the `8os and beyond, scoring hits for Shalamar, the Whispers and Dynasty in-house as well as Gladys Knight & The Pips, Evelyn “Champagne” King and others.

However, inside of their stardom raged a storm. The Sylvers experienced a string of crippling tragedies leading to substance and alcohol abuse, incarceration, parole violations, homelessness, mental and physical health challenges, family infighting and financial hardship. Olympia (the eldest) lived through a violent and harrowing kidnapping. The youngest, Christopher (never a member of the singing group), died at age 18 from hepatitis. And mighty lead singer, Edmund Sylvers, passed in 2004 from lung cancer at age 47.

The Sylvers disbanded in the mid-`80s…but on Thursday, September 21, 2017 at The Rose Theater in Pasadena, California (where Foster Sylvers was born in 1962), seven of the eight members took the stage for the first time in over 30 years. In age order, they are Olympia, Leon, James, Ricky, Angie, Pat and Foster. An eighth member, Charmaine (now an accountant), was not on stage because she is recuperating from injuries but present supporting her family’s historic reunion.

KJLH-FM ‘s Roland Bynum presented the all-ages-welcome “Throwback Thursday” program under the banner “Old School Block Party,” including sensational local singer LaQuita and a revue dubbed The Soul Vibers. Bynum, celebrating his 50th anniversary in Los Angeles radio, was excited.

“Leon and I have had an ongoing relationship since the `70s,” Bynum states. “He’s a workaholic - always doing music - always calling me to meet him in a restaurant or in his car to play me stuff he’s working on. My wife said, ‘The Sylvers haven’t performed in 30 years. What a great reunion - for them and the community.’ I said, ‘Carolyn, you are absolutely right.’”!

Robert DeVaughn of Pasadena, who never saw The Sylvers, said a friend told him about the show and he could not miss it. “I remember their songs and ‘Soul Train’ shows on TV,” he shared. Tyrone Smith, “a big fan,” trekked out from Imperial and Hoover in South Central L.A. when he heard about The Sylvers’ reunion on the radio. “I just feel something when I hear their songs. ‘Hot Line’ makes you wanna get up and dance…reminds me of New Edition’s ‘Mr. Telephone Man’”. Tal Hawkins, in the house showing love and support, proudly shared that he played electric bass for The Sylvers for three years in their heyday; a hot seat as Leon Sylvers is not only a great bassist but a perfectionist as a band leader. “I got the gig when I was 19. We played the United States extensively; Madison Square Garden and a week at the Apollo Theater in Harlem when The Temptations were staying in the same hotel stand out. It was the greatest musical experience of my life.”

Before the Sylvers took the stage, Bynum read a certificate of recognition from Congresswoman Maxine Waters citing the group’s “significant role in the history of American Soul Music in the `70s”. Big Brother Leon crept onstage - fully dressed in his stage attire - to personally give all of the microphones a final check. Then…it was showtime. Bynum introduced The Sylvers to a tsunami of cheers from a house full of family, friends and fans.

For a first show after 30+ years – to track, sans a live band – this was a strong first effort. Pat, who never stopped singing after the group broke up thanks to her music ministry, was the strongest most consistent lead singing presence. Foster, in the shadow of phenomenal Edmund, had brilliant moments but needs to relax and make himself at home within those numbers so he can deliver the vocals while still commanding the stage as a world class front man entertainer. The group, as a unit, is tight and unified. With new material such as the single “How Do You Say Goodbye” from a forthcoming album, The Sylvers – No Compromise, that is more faith-based and message-oriented, they will have the perfect balance of people-pleasing hits plus songs of urgency for difficult days in the world at large.

Sam Watson, acting manager for The Sylvers, could not be prouder. “When I was very poor coming up (late `70s/early `80s), I met the Sylvers. I started “The Sam Watson Celebrity Basketball Game.” I put the Sylvers, Marvin Gaye, Switch and The Whispers on the court to raise money for high schools – Locke, Crenshaw, Dorsey, L.A. High. Kids loved seeing their teachers go up against the singers, actors like Eric Laneuville and young baseball star Darryl Strawberry. Leon and Ricky were two of my best players.

“I never forgot The Sylvers,” Watson adds. “When they weren’t doing nothin’, I’d check on them. I promised their mother Shirley, before she died, that I’d do anything to help them. I’ve done well for myself as a boxing manager and concert promoter (mentored by Al Haymon). Now, (The Sylvers) are happening again.

I will work for them for free forever because they helped me when I was nothing.

“This is a great time for them to work,” Watson concludes. “They’re doing the ‘Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise’ in April. They can play casinos, fairs, overseas – anywhere! There’s a whole bunch of Sylvers. Except for Edmund, they’re all still living… That’s what I’m betting on. You can’t beat original.”

A week before the show, sitting in the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) on Central Avenue where they were rehearsing - right around the corner from where they used to live – Pat, James, Olympia, Ricky and Foster reflected on the circuitous route that brought them back together. Their memories are enhanced by phone conversations conducted with Leon, Charmaine and Angie. This commemorative piece marks the first time that the voices of all the living Sylvers have been gathered together in print in decades.

THE COMEBACK

Angie: It was our mother passing that made it serious. We realized we don’t have a whole lot of time left. We’re either going to line up and do it or we’re not.

Leon: Everyone’s voices were still cool. We just needed commitment. Everybody had to be willing to have the time to do it.

Pat: Even after being taken advantage of financially by our old manager, we made a collective decision – despite our anger – that God forgave us so we are to forgive others. Now we can move on to higher heights and deeper depths as a result of our learning. We’re ready to do things right - to check situations and people to make sure we are exploring the best avenues.

James: We are more in accord with each other than ever before. We’re learning to yield to one another. Concerning any mistakes, we’re forgiving each other. At this time, when there are so many disturbances happening in the world, I’m happy because God is giving us a part to play.

FAMILY

Olympia: Our father would hear us singing in the back room; he taught us four-part harmony. My mother had a music degree in college studying opera. It wasn’t hard for us. They filled our bodies with joy.

Angie: Singing was never fun to me unless I did it with my family. Not because we’re super close - short of working together, we really only see each other on holidays and birthdays. The guys hang out and the girls hang out. I’m not saying we’re not close…but I don’t want people to have this false impression that we’re up under each other 24/7.

GROWING UP IN “WATTS-ANGELES”

Leon: When we first moved from Memphis to Los Angeles, we lived near Adams and Crenshaw. I was three. We didn’t get to Watts until I was 12. It was just Moms and us. Downsizing into a smaller house, we had to adjust. Later on, her brother/our uncle came out and helped. So, we had a man figure around for a minute. As I was going into 12th grade, we got a record deal from MGM.

Foster: When I was at 111TH Street School, they called me ‘white boy’ so I had to fight a lot. I ran into a lot of jealousy. Girls asked if they could comb my afro. I’d be sitting there with four girls combing my `fro…and dudes wanted to kill me! I run into grown men to this day who tell me to my face, ‘I hated you, man. My girlfriend wouldn’t kiss me until she took your poster down first.’

Pat: It got to the point where Leon said, “You’re going to learn how to fight.” He brought me, Angie and Foster into the living room, told Ricky to come in then said he wanted us to hit Ricky as hard as we could. Ricky said, ‘I can get `em with one hand tied behind my back!’ So, Leon tied Ricky’s hand but he didn’t expect us to go off on him like we did. We knocked him on the ground! Leon was shocked that we had that in us. We weren’t angry kids. We always had each other backs.

Ricky: We lived on 114th & Success [Avenue]. The record store that Leon would send me to pick up all the latest James Brown and Temptations 45s was right across the tracks. Olympia and Charmaine had all the cutest girls in the projects gravitating toward our house. They would be doing modern dance in the backyard with leotards and shorts on. There’d be 50 people out there in minutes! “Olan” (the name family calls Olympia) was the Queen Bee - the best-looking girl in the hood.  

Angie: We were out of Nickerson Gardens by the time I was 12. We moved into the Wilshire area then Palos Verdes, The Valley…we lived down the street from The Jacksons. They were on Hayvenhurst and we were on Woodley. We’ve lived in every county except Orange County!

LEARNING THEIR CRAFT

James: We performed at [President] Nixon’s inauguration. What amazed me was Frank Sinatra coming on after us. We sat down and watched him. Someone five rows down said, “Is it warm in here to you guys?” It was Bob Hope. We performed at Marineland parks around the country thanks to him.

Charmaine: We started out singing as The Little Angels then stopped for a while. When we moved to Watts, the budget changed for schools and they stopped hiring security guards. Kids started bringing guns to school. That’s when we started singing for real! We had to get out! We ended up in Vegas. (Singer/dancer/movie star) Ann Margret was the first to hire us. We were doing cover songs like The Beatles’ “Yesterday” with our original arrangements and choreography. Claude Thompson (an original Alvin Ailey danced company alumnus who worked with Black cabaret legend Josephine Baker) saw what we could do and was determined not to change anything, only enhance it with lighting and staging.

Once the first album came out, we did a lot of TV [“Soul Train,” “American Bandstand,” “Dinah,” “The Mike Douglas Show,” “Black Omnibus”]. The first local club we did was the Whisky a Go-Go in West Hollywood. I liked performing in clubs. In big places, all you hear is screams and howling – it’s almost surreal. You can’t really see anybody because they’re all so far away. But the clubs you can get right down in it. We also performed at Cow Palace (San Francisco). New York was really fun. When the curtain opened at the Apollo, they had tambourines, congas AND drums in the audience - partying harder than us!

Ricky: When we came into show business, for a group to get ‘turned out’ [in a performance] was an everyday thing. If Bobby Womack, Al Green or Marvin Gaye showed up, you could forget it. We knew early in the game what we were up against. On the other hand, we were on a show with Eddie Kendricks when he had “Keep On Truckin’” out. He looked at us and said, “I don’t understand. I’ve got the #1 record in the country but all these girls are out here holding up y’all’s pictures!” Right On! magazine had just come out and all those girls had our posters on their walls. We had a strong fan base.

STRUGGLE

Ricky: When I was in prison, I was the head of the choir. They didn’t even know how to count a song off! The C.O. would see me and this other dude singing after dinner every night in our dorm. The Mexicans, Blacks and Whites would all watch us sing. We didn’t have the fights that other buildings had. So, the C.O. would come over and sing with us. He’s the one who sent me to Soledad 1 Yard – the last band room in the penitentiary system. We had microphones, guitars, a drum machine. I learned to sing and play guitar at the same time. At the end of my sentence three years later, I sounded good.

When Pat said she wanted to sing “In It’s Time” at Mama’s funeral, I said, ‘Don’t worry. I got this!’ I’d been singing it in prison for years.

Foster: My (upcoming) solo album was not done conventionally. I wrote and recorded it in my car – a PT Cruiser. The engine blew, so the car sat near Crenshaw and Coliseum for 5 months. At first, I was mad but the Lord said, “Be still”. So, I sat there and wrote over 50 songs. The Lord told me go back to basics. I wasted 20 years of my life. I want to help the younger generation find their minds. They’re quick to say, ‘I’m smarter than you. I’m cuter than you.’ The Lord preserved me to come back and say, “You know what, Champ? I’m a ‘Survivor of Stardom.’ What we thought was ‘fun’ was actually a yoke.

REMEBERING EDMUND

Ricky: When Edmund was 5 and I was 3, our father sat us in a big rocking sofa chair while he was teaching Leon and James vocal parts. We had an ear by the time Leon started giving us notes. I was joking all the time. Edmund was more serious when it came to lead singing. Me and Edmund watched The Little Angels. Foster, Pat and Angie watched The Sylvers. Now our kids and grandkids watch us.

Foster: I’m getting abs from singing Edmund’s leads! “Hot Line” alone is wearing my throat out. It gave me a new perspective on what Edmund did on that stage, night-in and night-out. Before he died, I told Edmund, ‘You should have gotten a little more money for the hard work you did.’

NEW MUSIC

James: On “Fool’s Paradise,” Leon wrote, “I didn’t make this world / I was only born / That’s everybody’s attitude whose life was torn / Life’s not what you make it / It’s what the upper class make it seem to you.” That’s still going on today. Our calling is for our concerts to comfort people.

Leon: The new album (forthcoming) is called The Sylvers: No Compromise. It’s spiritual, faith-based lyrics - music about real life - contemporary and R&B style.

The first single is “How Do You Say Goodbye”. I originally recorded that on a young group, EK System, featuring my son Leon IV and daughter Lea. But when Edmund and my mother passed on, the Sylvers dedicated that song to them.

Pat: Four months ago, Olympia lost her husband. This song is bringing healing even in rehearsing it. It’s about letting go. There is such ministry in the lyrical content. 

NEW HORIZONS

Ricky: It’s like starting all over again because we’ve been off for so long. Plus, it’s a lot more rehearsal than we figured!

Angie: Singing will help build my paralegal business…open doors for everything else we want to do to help people. God will use us to help heal a dying world.

Charmaine: I hope to be back soon…but they’re going to be fine. Back in the day I was my Mom’s helper, so I’ve always been the “Mother/Sister” behind the scenes. When I came off stage, there were costumes that needed to be disinfected because they were soaked through with sweat. I’d hang `em up, hit `em with the blow dryer, spray `em with Lysol! I’m proud of them. Some of the new songs, which I sang on in the studio, are the best we’ve ever done…ever!

Pat: This is just the first of many things we’re about to do. By no means are we too old to perform. God has given us open doors and blessed us to come back. He’s kept our name out there all these years through motion pictures (“Despicable Me”) and television (“The Unit”). I saw this day coming in the midst of things that didn’t look like this would come to pass. When I came to the Lord (she is now co-founding Minister, with husband Lorne Deruso, of Season of Omega Christian Center). God gave me a promise that I would sing with my family again. There was a point where I was almost going to give up. He said, ‘Don’t stop praying.’

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank all of the faithful for never forgetting about us. You have been such champions… weathering with us through the storm of waiting.

(The writer acknowledges Lorne Deruso, E. Mesiyah McGinnis, Teri Littlejohn, Lawrence Worrell, Greg Johnson and Eric Thrasher for assistance with this report.)

Contributing Writer A. Scott Galloway is a prolific Baldwin Vista-based Music Journalist who has composed over 300 liner note essays found within reissues of classic albums on CD and anthologies, including The Sylvers Classic Masters (Capitol Records – 2002).

(Photos by E. Mesiyah McGinnis)

Five time Grammy award-winning artist Lalah Hathaway recently spoke with the Sentinel about the upcoming release of her new album “honestly”, which is set to drop November 3rd, and got quite personal about her life, music and career. Known for her powerful presence and vocal mastery, Hathaway shared some details about what she would tell her father, Donny Hathaway if he were still living, and the freedom that music gives her to create. Hathaway also served as the headliner for this year’s Taste of Soul event.

L.A. Watts Times: Tell us about the album artwork for “honestly”, and why you used a lower-case h in your album title.

Lalah Hathaway: You know, through the history of my records, from when I started controlling the visual, I always used lower case letters for everything, I can’t even explain why that is. The character is actually me, and I think once you see the film for the record, or see the video or really get in to the record, that will all sort of reveal itself to you.

I am a super gamer, I come from that period in time, I’m going to have a little PlayStation later today before I get ready for this show tomorrow. I think it’s just part of my playful nature and part of that manifested on this record and the sounds of the music and the sounds that we used, the tone we approached the record in, we really had a great time creating it. Part of the theory of the record, at least the visual aspect, is that you’re seeing through the eyes of a child, all of that as well will reveal itself.

LAWT: Musically, what can fans expect for your new album “honestly”?

LH: Just great music. I love that question; what can we expect, because what if I said, you can expect 8 songs, 3 of them are in E minor, they’re all around 300 beats per minute, doesn’t really make sense, right? You can expect a record that I put together for you to make you feel good, a record that I put together to make you think, a record to transport you into whatever mood you want to be in. I hope that people associate my name with the brand, and I hope that people associate that brand with excellence. So, you can expect an excellent record.

LAWT: What is the most gratifying part of touring around the globe?

LH: I really love music; I think everybody knows that. But I really love the experience of creating something every night that’s distinct and unique for the people in that room, in those chairs. It’s very important to me that each single person feels like the experience was created for them. It’s very important for me that people leave the show and feel like they saw and they hear something that they had never heard before.

So, for me, the most gratifying part is singing the songs that I know they love, it’s those moments when they put their hands up and their heads down that you know that you have hit a nerve. It’s those moments when the people in the audience say “sang”. It’s those moments that I’d listen to growing up, even on Donny Hathaway live, where the people were speaking to my Dad at the Troubadour and I used to wonder, ‘well wow, what are they talking about, what are they saying?’ There’s an electricity that cannot be rivaled when you are creating for people live and in real time.

LAWT: Of singing, songwriting and producing, which process do you find to be most creative?

LH: I really like all three. It depends on the song and the mood and who I’m working with, what the song is about and where it came from, any number of things affect the levels of creativity. I try not to do too much delineating with my art. Really, it’s art, so for me I don’t have a most, I just really enjoy my entire process.

LAWT: Why do you be­lieve performing at a family festival like the Taste of Soul is so important?

LH: I love the Taste of Soul. I’ve been before. I’m from Chicago, but I’ve been in L.A. since like 92’. I really feel like L.A. is my home, all my friends are natives, and so it mostly for me feels good to play at home. I don’t get to play L.A. a whole lot; I really am interested in being in the neighborhood and being able to communicate with folks and tell these stories, and sing these songs, so I’m just excited to be out there with the people.

LAWT: If your father were here today, what would you tell him about your life, music and career?

LH: I have no idea; I don’t know how.  I would ask him to listen to the record and hopefully that would tell him everything that he needs to know. The same way that I have his records and have a road map to his life. That’s a good question.

LAWT: Do you ever feel like you are fulfilling what his legacy would have been if he were still here?

LH: In a way. I feel sometimes like he was here in a small way so that I could get here, and that I am here in a small way, so that he can stay here.

LAWT: There’s so much going on in the world today, what words do you have for this nation and people around the world?

LH: I would tell people to look inward and be optimistic and to be prayerful, to try to keep your head up. I really don’t know what to say to people, this is why I make these records. I don’t know if you’ve seen the video for “honestly”, it’s really a song about the disillusion of the dream. Most of us already knew that the system was a fraud and that the dream was a fraud, but it presents itself in a such a way at this time in history, that it cannot be denied and it cannot be ignored.

So my job as an artist is to take all those thoughts and feelings and put them on your iPod so that you can digest them. Whatever it is that brings you comfort and joy as a mode of resistance, do it. If it’s music, that’s what I do, that’s my mode of resistance, I refuse for the world to steal my joy. If it’s church, go to church, if it’s working with kids, work with kids, but do something positive in your community that’s going to lift you up.

Hathaway has recently collaborated with distribution company Caroline and started her own imprint with Hathaway Entertainment, through which her latest album “honestly” is being released. Hathaway says she’s interested in meeting and working with new talent and has made plans to secure an opening act for her upcoming “honestly” Tour in 2018. Hathaway also says she’s also looking forward to creating project records, where she has the freedom to create music from all genres including country and jazz. Recently, Hathaway was nominated for two Soul Train Awards for Best R&B/Soul Female Artist and the Soul Train Certified Award. For exclusive footage from Hathaway’s performance at the Taste of Soul, visit www.lasentinel.net for more information.

The 12th Annual Taste of Soul Family Festival (TOS), presented StarQuest Sponsored by Hyundai, in its sixth 6th year of the singing competition that offers local vocalists a chance to showcase their talents at the festival. The event was held this past Saturday, October 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., on Crenshaw Blvd. and 39th street.  It was a hit, yet again with the merging of these two mega brands, the partnership produced and supported 21 amazing local vocalists, from adults to kids, with shocking performances that stunned the judges and Los Angeles residents, who came out to support the competition. 

The day began with DJ Y-Not getting the TOS/StarQuest audience hyped and ready for an array of  soulful talent headed to South L.A.’s legendary Crenshaw Blvd.  Voice of God (VOG) followed by introducing host of the Adult competition, Karla Gordy Bristol.  

Enthusiastic TOS attendees gathered to see the 2017 StarQuest line up performers. StarQuest adult contestants included: Brandon Wattz, Khoryawne Heads, Kyree Sterling, ShareeFogarty, Byrd Duckett, Goward D. Horton II, Ryan Wirtz, Terrill Williams Carter, Christopher Doc Martin and Norma Richardson, who all gave their very best rendition of Motown’s finest hits.

Finalist Terrill Williams Carter brought her puppy Tobey for support, as she waited for her moment to shine in front of well-wishers and the Crenshaw family. Carter told the Sentinel she was thrilled to see so many people come and vibe out to great music. “I was pumped up to hit the stage and perform ‘Mr. Postman’ by the Marvelettes; I picked the song, because I’ve always remembered loving that song,” she revealed.

“It a blessing and I’m thankful for the opportunity to be able to be here,” acknowledged singer, Chris­topher Doc Martin. “I just want to do the best that I can and let God do the rest.” Martin performed an oldie but goodie, “I Like It”, by Debarge. The UC Santa Barbara alumnus revealed it was a turning point for him to pursue music professionally after college. “Taste of Soul is important for this community and it’s an honor to be here and share my talent with this community,” said Martin.

Ryan Wirtz was the StarQuest Adult winner, taking home the $500 check for his soulful performance. “I never attended or performed at the Taste of Soul,” said Wirtz. “This is a different experience for me, because this is the biggest crowd I’ve ever sung for. Wirtz, who performed, “Let’s Get It On”, by Marvin Gaye, states he  grew up listening to Motown, “it’s perfect for me, because I love The Supremes, The Temptations, and Smokey Robinson. I lucked out.” Wirtz is currently working on his upcoming EP and is also focusing on acting. “Everyone has been so supportive; it definitely helps the performers at the Taste of Soul,” the singer adds.

On his win, “It doubles the pleasure for me, I am celebrating my birthday today. I’m over the moon, I haven’t won that many competitions so it feels good.”

Oakland native Byrd Duckett performed a classic Stevie Wonder song for fans. The background singer and actress is not new to performing for the public and was thrilled to present her talent at this year’s competition. She has performed a “Raisin In the Sun” at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre and has her own project called “My Name Is Byrd”.

On Motown’s contribution to Black music history, Duckett explains, “I think it’s very relevant because, they have paved the way for all African American artists. They taught Black artists about show business, stage presence, and sound.. Her parents are from Chicago and are fans of Motown and were proud to hear she was performing in honor of the legendary music label.

As the event continued, fans of the competition were treated to the StarQuest 4kids line up, including Nancy Fifita, K'LynnJackman, Jhala Angelique, Sydney Strickland, Na'Miyah McCormick, Anisa Washington, Auriana Chisholm, Mykira Cleopatra Church, Jordan Jackman, Kennedy Chism and ZirahHajjaj.

The young artists did not disappoint, belting out soulful hits from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s beloved duet “You're All I Need To Get By” and more.

“This is a huge blessing for me,” said one contestant. “I wanted the fans to feel the message and the song that I sang.”

One contestant felt invigorated after rocking the stage, stating, “I could really feel the energy from the [Taste of Soul] audience. I got into the song and I loved it. The budding singer continued telling her fellow contestants “to not be scared … the more you work for it, than hope for it, you’ll get it.”

Na'Miyah McCormick stated her favorite Motown great is Michael Jackson.

One StarQuest 4Kids contestants, who performed a Jackson 5 hit, “I Wanna Be Where You Are,” revealed he would love to one day be a doctor, if not a singer.”

Nancy Fifita won the StarQuest 4 Kids, receiving a check for $500 dollars sponsored by Hyundai. StarQuest has always succeeded in putting unknown urban, multi-cultural talent within our community on the map, Wirtz, being a mixed African-American and Fifita, a native from Tonga, who is Polynesian, were awarded with solo performances at the 94.7 The WAVE stage and the KJLH stage, singing in front of thousands.

Last year’s Starquest Adult winner, JerrellLaconn, got the crowd hyped with a funky/ EDM track.  “This stage did a lot for me last year, and opened a lot of doors for me, and I released my first single.  It did well on the charts and it’s nice to come back and network with other Starquest contestants and winners,” he said.

Two separate judge panelists, who are well-versed industry vets, were on hand for the StarQuest 4 Kids and for the Adults portion of the singing competition, to lend valuable advice for performers. Members of Berry Gordy’s legacy was on board for hosting and judging the competition. Iris Gordy, Berry's niece, a VP at Motown; Karla Gordy Bristol, Iris' daughter, Motown exec and co-host of “Beverly Hills View” TV show; Kerry Gordy, Berry's son, founder of Kerry Gordy Enterprises, A&R executive at Motown and Warner Bros. Records; Cornelius Grant, guitarist, composer and musical director for the Temptations, Brenda Holloway; Rory Pullens, senior executive director of Arts Education, LAUSD; James Leach Sr. VP, SESAC; Brenda Lee Eager, singer/songwriter; Cee Barrett, associate director, BMI; Malcolm David Kelly, actor, “Detroit;” Jane Eugene, singer (“Loose Ends”) and actor Marcel Spears (“The Mayor”).

“It’s hopeful, I’m listening and hearing the respect of the song,” said R&B vet Kenny Lattimore. “It’s amazing and great to see young talent. I remember being on stage and experiencing the rawness of it. When you see something raw like this, you can always shape it into something great. As long as they continue to love it and stay in it, I think that each person up there can really be great in the music game,” added the soulful crooner, who has a new album, “Vulnerable”, with lead single, “Push” out now.

“Insecure” actress Dom­inique Perry, one of the judges at the StarQuest Hyundai Soundstage, stated she was happy to be among great musicians. “I didn’t  know about StarQuest or Taste of Soul,” she laughs.

“I’ve been in Los Angeles for two years and this is my first time.”

High-Key, Sha-Sha and 2016 StarQuest 4Kids winner, Chloe Roston, rounded out the stellar performances for the stage. The StarQuest Soundstage sponsored by Hyundai continued on from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm, with DJ B-Hen’s crowd moving music that rocked audience, as fans anticipated  Grammy award-winner Brandy, powerhouse singer Melanie Fiona, songstress Raffia and Candace Coles & The CJ Legacy Band, and hip hop pioneers Doug E. Fresh , and Kool Moe Dee and Kenny Lattimore, who all gave star-studded performances for TOS attendees to enjoy.

For more information on the 2017 StarQuest Soundstage Sponsored by Hyundai and 12th Annual Taste of Soul Family Festival visit tasteofsoul.org, lasentinel.net and http://lawattstimes.com/

See you next year at Taste of Soul 2018!