In 1988 Bette Midler, co-starred with Barbara Hershey in the film Beaches. The accompanying soundtrack remains Midler’s all-time biggest selling disc, reaching No. 2 on Billboard‘s album chart and with U.S. sales of four million copies. It featured her biggest hit, Wind Beneath My Winds, which went to No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 and achieved Platinum status. Midler won her third Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Continue reading
Category: Music
Gospel Sunday: Blind Boys of Alabama- Amazing Grace (plus dance video)
Blind Boys of Alabama are a five-time Grammy Award winning gospel group from Alabama. They first sang together in 1944. Since then, the group’s output has spanned seven decades of tours and appearances, and produced a successful discography.
Apollo Gala: Honors The Place Where Stars Are Born And Legends Are Made
By Walter Rutledge
The annual Apollo Gala has become one of the premiere uptown events. The star studded casts and celebrity laden audience recalls the glamor of the original Harlem Renaissance. This year the format was slightly different; instead of paying homage to a music legend, we were invited to honor the legendary Apollo Theater on the concert hall’s 80th anniversary. Continue reading
O & A With WaleStylez: NYC Ghosts- A Photographic Essay
By Walter Rutledge
WaleStylez aka Adewale Adekanbi is a photographer who has a special affinity for New York City. NYC Ghosts focuses on places with a past, that are forgotten and outlooked; on the verge of decay a ghost of their former form and function. A fan of black and white silvertone prints he pays homage to the genre. Continue reading
O & A Memorial Day Music Tribute: Star Spangled Banner- Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye sang The Star-Spangled Banner at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Gaye’s highly soulful performance received much acclaim from the crowd and has became an instant classic. Continue reading
Vivian Reed is Back!
By Walter Rutledge
The multi-award-winning singer, actress and dancer Vivian Reed is back. After a self-imposed hiatus from performing to care for her ailing mother, Reed is back to the business of entertaining. On Tuesday May 20 she is not only back on stage, but also back at 54 Below, 254 W 54th Street, for one performance at 9:30pm. Continue reading
Hollywood Monday: Lady Sings The Blues (Big Ben) Plus Encore performance
Lady Sings the Blues is the story of jazz singer Billie Holiday and is loosely based on her 1956 autobiography. Holiday took its title from one of her most popular songs. Continue reading
Gospel Sunday: Calvary – Richard Smallwood and Vision
(In Photo: Roderick Tobin, Walter Rutledge, Samuel Quiller)
Richard Smallwood’s music has been recorded by artists such as Destiny’s Child, Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark-Sheard and many more. His recording career began in 1982 with the album The Richard Smallwood Singers. The album spent 87 weeks on Billboard’s Gospel chart. Continue reading
8/17/17 (Repost) O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: D’Angelo- Untitled (How Does It Feel)
Untitled (How Does It Feel) created a music video scandal. The music video helped boost D’Angelo’s visibility and the song’s public appeal. Continue reading
(Repost) 4/1/14 O&A NYC DANCE: Martha Graham – Appalachian Spring and Rite of Spring
By Walter Rutledge
The recent all too-short season of the Martha Graham Dance Company at New York City Center was a resounding artistic success. The company performed two programs of Graham classics and stunning new works by Nacho Duato and Andonis Foniadakis. The Saturday March 22 evening program included two Graham classics Appalachian Spring (1944) and Rite of Spring (1984). Both works reinforced the fact that Graham was not only as a master craftsman, but also as an artist with a strong sense of classic form, structure and design. Continue reading