Crockett and East Texas News
by
Billy "Hollywood" Groves
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Billy
"Hollywood" Groves
Belated Tribute to James Brown
The late great
James Brown has been gone for a short
while, this is my belated tribute to a
man who made America a better place for
African Americans. There was a time
“when God created James Brown” and
during this remarkable man’s journey
through life, he changed the world. In
the mind of this journalist, the
contributions of the late flamboyant
“Godfather of Soul” to America, without
a doubt made contributions better for
Black people. James Brown rejuvenated
and energized African Americans with his
song ”Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm
Proud”, when opening Americas eyes to
black culture and a race of people who
had been through “pure hell” but
were still Black and proud.
James Brown grew up in the South, so he fully understood racism, Jim
Crown Laws, White privileges, black
restrictions and what was
“acceptable behavior”
to black folks back then...Yet he
masterfully navigated his way through
all of the barriers of segregation and
bigotry to become one of the greatest
most influential Americans who ever
lived. While there are people, both
black and white who don't really
understand the importance of James Brown
life, there are millions of
other Americans that understand that
James Brown in his own way articulated
the Black experience in America in a way
that made black folks feel good about
themselves and white folks understand
that we (black people) were not ashamed
of our race.
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I know that things that James
Brown stood for are surely
needed today by our modern
black. Black youth who seem to
be proud of red and blue colors,
video games, clothes, music and
everything else except their
race. If more African Americans
would have the “Say it Loud, I'm
Black and I'm Proud” mentality,
there would be fewer Black gang
members and less Black and Black
crime of all ages. I could go on
forever about James Brown’s
positive impact.
I will end this article by
saying that we lot of great men.
If you doubt the authenticity of
James Browns career, then go
research his life for yourself
-”please”, “please”! God
Bless America, Africa and
future ”James Browns” who make
us feel proud to be black!
Until next
time ~ Billy “Hollywood” Groves
Click
here
for Billy "Hollywood's" Groves
full article. |
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Rock Pioneer Bo
Diddley Dies at Age
79 |
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From heart
failure Bo Diddley, a founding
father of rock ‘n’ roll whose
distinctive “shave and a
haircut, two bits” rhythm and
innovative guitar effects
inspired legions of other
musicians, died after months of
ill health. Diddley died of
heart failure at his home in
Florida.
The
legendary singer and performer,
known for his homemade square
guitar, dark glasses and black
hat, was an inductee into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had
a star on Hollywood’s Walk of
Fame, and received a lifetime
achievement award in 1999 at the
Grammy Awards. In recent years
he also played for the elder
President Bush and President
Clinton. Diddley
appreciated the honors he
received, “but it didn’t put no
figures in my checkbook.
“If you ain’t got no money,
ain’t nobody calls you
honey,” he quipped.
The name
Bo Diddley came from other
youngsters when he was growing
up in Chicago, he said in a 1999
interview. “I don’t know
where the kids got it, but the
kids in grammar school gave me
that name,” he said, adding that
he liked it so it became his
stage name. Other times, he gave
somewhat differing stories on
where he got the name. Some
experts believe a possible
source for the name is a
one-string instrument used in
traditional blues music called a
diddley bow. |
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