,
r m mer, nd
tely ut Little
hould be
illie
born in Camden,
AI an a but he grew up in north
e t Detroit in what u ed to be
called "The Davison area."
. He wa incarc rated in the
Wa hington tate pe ni ten tiary
I when he died of pneumonia on
• May 26 1 68.
Many of "tbe Davison area' "
Little Willie John
FAMILY TRADITION-Kevin and Keith John, the on of the
late Little Willie John, billed "The John Brothers," continue' the
finnlly tradition of musical entertainment. Kevin Is attending
computer college In Detroit while Keith works with Stevie Wonder
• on the Welt Coast.
1968, hi record old ome
eve Hlion copie .
All Around The World, Fever,
So Bad, Talle To Me, Talle To Me,
Leave My K iue lone, Let Them
Talk; Heartbreak; Sleep, perh p
hi bigge t eJ ler, nd Talee My
Love re orne of the song he
recorded.
He nd Eddie Cooley wrote
Fever.
LITTLE WILLIE JOHN
wa "a mite" over five feet tall.
Reportedly, towards the end of
hi career, when fame began to
dim, he ought olace in John
B rley Com nd "killed a rail­
road worker in a barroom brawl. "
If you should chnce to the
public library' main branch on
Woodward Avenue, much of
what I've written can be found in
the two short paragraph there.
And if you should desire to know
more, you need to spe k with his
widow, Darlynn, or one of his
two sons, Kevin.
Darlynn and Little WilJie
John would have celebrated their
33rd wedding anniversary May
2�, ironically, the day of this in­
terview.
The one man who has stood
in the eye of the jazz hurricane
almost sine its inception is
Miles Davis, who will perform
at. the Budweiser Concert
Series at the Chene Park Music
Theatre on Sunday, June 9 at
7:30 p.m.
Davis has been at the center
of some of the most important
musical upheavals of the last
half century.
Davis and his band will per­
form for one show only. His
current performing ensemble
includes alto saxophonist
Kenny Garrett, a native
Detroiter, along with Foley,
Richard Patterson, Ricky
eHman and Deron Johnson.
REACH turns house into a home
by DERRICK C. LEWIS
r Staff Writer
Through t h'e efforts of
Reach Inc. (Reach Everyone,
· Administer Care & Help), Ter­
rance Lewis and his family are
now in possession of a newly
renovated home. .
The once dilapidated house
at 15426 Rosa Parks Boulevard
· now has new plumbing, heating
· and electrical systems; new
windows, roof, insulation and'.
. drywall; newly sanded floors; a
freshly painted interior; and
. vinyl siding.
Lewis, a minister at Christ
Jesus Church of Deliverance,
attributed his acquiring of the
house to the work of God.
During the Open House last
Thursday, to celebrate the
reopening of the house, Lewis
said he was overwelmed by all
the love and care gfven in
making everything possible.
Terrance Lewis with wife Valerie and children (l-r) Damon,
Kry tal nd Terryl.
borhood Builders Alliance­
Career Works, Inc., the City of
Detroit Neighborhood Oppor­
tunity Fund, ommunity Foun­
dation of Southeast Michigan,
Comerica Bank and the Na­
tional Bank of Detroit.
Labor wa donated by Ran­
dolph Vocational School of the
Detr o it Public Schools an d
areer Works, Inc.
ince REACH was founded
in 1986, it has rehabilitated 17
houses.
LEWIS WILL BE moving in
with his wife Valerie and his
three children Terryl, Damon
and Krystal.
"The completion of this
home was the succes of the
combined efforts of many in­
stitutions. It demonstrates the
need for partners to work
together to make affordable
housing vail able in the city,"
said REACH President Char­
lene John on.
All of this was made pos­
sible by gr nt from the Ne�gh-
T TH OPE HOUSE,
rs. Funderburg's Heart &
o ul afeteria presented
REACH with a $40,000 check'
for continued investment in af­
fordable, housing for
Detroiters.
REACH developed the res­
taurant which opened in 1990.
"Now the sale of cornbread and
greens are channeling funds
back into the community,"
Johnson said.
REACH is a non-profit
community development and
service organiz tion which
grew out of the "Weekday Min­
istry" of the Twelfth Street
Baptist Church.
ho h not
e ne . er found
n ted to Irry nd
of her are
eed," he ide
or
III U ic I tribute to the P r di e
'heatre, Return To The
PGrradise.
They pI yed tbe role 0 the
IU"te Sammy D vi Jr. ( eith) and
Joe Willi m (Kevin).
Kevin id, "Mu ic i in my
bi iod, It' Ii e my rm. My
le .. It' in me."
Whoever, nd even though
in the Roc
Fe."
"If I don't love you b by
(Dad), gri ain't grocerie e'
in't poultry nd ona Li
man," i how Little Willie John
phr ed un-dying love. ' .
Little Willie JOb'4 and (wife) Darlynn. (photo taken In 1'51 or 1'5')
. .. ..... ...
nforge able
ay-M m & Ro
The recent fundraiser dinner
for Wayne County' Chairman
of Comis loner Arthur B.
Blackwell 11 proved to be an af­
fair uitable for both lay-men
and royalty.
The
fundraiser
was held at
the Rooster­
tail Supper
Club in
Detroit and
most of
Detroit's
finest were
in atten-
dance.' I t
A m 0 n g A. Blackwell
the Dias guests were Detroit's
mayor Coleman A. Young, State
Representative (and City Coun­
cil Candidate) Carolyn Cheeks­
Kilpatrick, Wayne County
Commissioner Jackie L. Currie,
WXYZ Anchorwoman Val
Clark, State Representative
Morris Hood, City Councilman
Nicholas Hood, Reverend Dr.
Joseph Jordan, pastor of Corin­
thian Bapti t Church, Vice Chair
of the Wayne County Commi -
so �rs David P. Cavanagh, His
cA ... ellency Charles Gomis,(Am­
bas ador of Cote d'voire-the
Ivory Coast) the keynote
speaker was Atlanta's mayor
Maynard Jack on and Chairman
BJackwell's wife Zenobia was
also among the other dias
gue t .
Former Highland Park mayor
Robe rt (Bob) Blackwe 11 a t­
tended the festivities and was on
hand to introduce Mayor Young.
HUNDREDS WERE IN at­
tendance and the crowd con­
sisted of people from all walk
of life. There were community
leader, white and blue collar
worker, as well a other politi­
cal, civic, and christian groups
and individuals.
Proceeds from this gala affair
will benefit Chairman
BJackwell's office ho+ders ex­
pense fund for either his stay at
the county or a run for the
Mayor'S eat? ... hmmm. Kudos
to Emma Bell, Cecily Hoagland,
Heather We ley, Lori White and
Joyce Spight for their unlimited
assis tance to thi reporter, but
the topper of the evening wa to
hare the dinner table with
Juanita Parnell of Highland
Park's McGregor Library and
WI r. & Mrs. Domzal of South­
f Ie rd. Mrs. Theresa Domzal
works with senior citizens at the
Southfield Civic Center. '
'. Fannie Tyler is on the move
ag, in. working hard on the up­
c o rnlng annual June 16.1991
F'athers Day Gospel Program
that wiJl be held at the New
I1lcthel Baptist Church.
This years program will fea­
t ure The Dixie Hummingbirds of
P'hi lade lphi a, Pennsylvania,
�R:ev. Claude Jeter formerly of
the New Yor Swan Sil­
v erstones, Detroit's own Trum­
Ipetlettes, Cumberland Rivers
.. nd the Morning Echoes. Em­
c ees for the show are radio per­
S onalities Sister Bertha Harris
a nd the "Famous" Coachman.
'For additional information con­
I act Ms.
'lryle rat
(313) 895-
B673 or Mrs.
:, err y
'Thomas
't313) 892-
6154 or Mr .
M y r a
Perkins
(313) 893-
2918.
J. Wit on
A SECOND MEMORIAL
Tribute to the life of the late
.singer Jackie Wil on wiJl be
held on Sunday June 9,1991 at
4:00 pm at the Westlawn
,C:emetary .which is located at
:31472 Michigan Avenue in
Wayne, Michigan.
The purpose of this tribute is
10 remember and honor Jackie
'Nilson who wa known to some
its "Mr. Excitement", and wa
eonsi dered to be one of the
g.re ares t entertainer in the
rnusic industry and a native of
Detroit.
Jack The Rapper wiJl place a
Prayer & Meditation Bench in
front of the mausoleum which i
llhe final re ting place of the
�li.,nger and hi' beloved mother.
Immediate ley following the
corernony will be a show and
dance fundrai er with the
proceeds being donated to the
J ackle Wilson Memorial
S:,:holar hip Fund. This part of
t he day event will take place at
thle Northwe t Activitie Center
located at 18100 Meyer from
6 :l10 pm to 12:00 midnight. Con­
t a ·t Brenda Wil on-John on
(3:13) 873-LIVE or Carolyn
Deborah Culp
-,
Jackson (313) 345-9634.
Brenda Wilson-Johnson is me
daughter of the entertainer and
the Founder, Director of tile
Apollo Live and Gospel Ai'0l­
loship Talent Search Show. 'I
ON JUNE 25, 1991 the
YWCA of Metropolitan Detroit
will hold their 98th Annua!
meeting. This years theme will
be: "Religeous Roots, Founcle­
tion for Leadership" and the
honorees are Rev. Theresa
Cooley of First Unitarian
Church, Agnes Adams Firat
Lady Of Hartford Memorial
Baptist Church, Cantor Gail
Hir chenfang of the Temple
Beth EI, and the Rev. PrisciUa
Tucker of St. Stephen A.M.E.
. Church. 5 :30 pm marks t e
designated time' for the Silent
Auction and dinner starts at 6:00
pm. It will all take place at the
Greektown based International
Marketplace, Detroit. (313)961-
9220.
Interested in Derrett's history.
past, present, and future? Want
some additional exerci e or ju t
eeking to expand your
horizons? Contact Mr. William
Zoufal about the upcoming June
Detroit Hi torical Society
Program & Tours at (313) 833-
7937.
Have a great week and stay
focu es on your dreams!!
i stbo n
If you are your family's
fir tbom or only Child, you are
more Ii ely than later-boms to
want another person to accom­
pany you to the dentist or a
ho pi tal emergency room. HbW­
ever, you re also likel y to have
gone further in your education,
including college, than people
who are later-born.
