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ENTERTAINMENT I
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BRIEFS
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r y
Cool A Ice­
A Total Flop
It' onl y been three
month since Vanilla Ice's
box office flop "Cool As Ice"
hit theaters. But Universal
relea ed the film on home
video on Decernb r 19th.
The average time for a
movie to hit home video is
between 6-9 months. "Cool
As Ice" opened in October to
400 theaters nationwide.
After one week in theaters,
the film hadn't even made $1
million.
· Congratulations
· are in order
Congratulations to actress
· Sheryl Lee Ralph and her
husband, Eric Maurice,
celebrated the birth of their
first son, Etienne la t month.
Matlock co- tar Clarence
Gilyard' and his wife Cathy
are also celebrating a visit
from the stork that yielded
them a baby girl, Rachel
Catherine, on December 9.
Best wishes to New Jack
City producer Doug Me­
Henry, who recently tied the
knot.
Love and Sweat
Keith Sweat, a love man
who knows how to swivel his
hips, 'has just relea ed his
third album, "Keep, It.
Comin'" (Elektra). It made
its first appearance on the
Billboard album chart at No.
19, a surprisingly high spot
for Black pop that is not rap.
Mr. Sweat was known as
one of the originators of new
jack swing, an image he shed
early on with his emphasis on
steam-heated ballads. This
album finds him pumping up­
tempo material.
Mr. Sweat has an unusual
situation in that hw produces'
his own albums, enlisting
help when he needs it. The
album presents his own work,
most of which he co-wrote.
"Producing my own stuff
allows me to make decisions
about how I'm going to
sing," he said.
�, Hollywood
· Hangln'
The Kwanzaa
Foundation's annual holiday
gala honoring Suzanne de
Passe drew a bevy of
celebrities.
The Kwanzaa Foundation
is an organization of African­
American actrc e who
come together each year at
Christmas to share with those
less fortunate.
The affair raise about
$70,0Q0 to benefi t the Jene e
Center for Victims of Domes­
tic Violence. Chairing the
event was Cyndi James Gos­
sett (Lou's wife). The
group's reigning president is
actress Beverly Todd.
_ complied by K. Barks
_ contributors: Usa Col­
lins ( Behind- The-Scenes);
RadioScope- The-Col umn
The name "Win n " me n
go pel. That' why Y.ickie Bowman
Wina not t 11 concerned that
the new lammin' album h ' just
rele ed will be misinterpreted. And
while th Winans are known for their
own brand of fired-up contemporary
go pel, Vickie Winan ' late t
rei e, entitled "The Lady," . far
from traditional gospel.
Say Bowman Winans, "We, a
Christians, live everyday live and 0
it follow that we hould ing about
everyday things. The Bible teach
us how to love our husbands, how to
treat others in relationship and how
to tre ure friendships. All the e
things can be ung about, as long as
we're legit."
But with thi album, Vickie Bow­
man Winans is more than legi t, team­
ing with Grammay-award winning
producer Michael J. Powell, who's
won prai e for his work wi th Ani ia
Baker. The result i trademark bras­
sy vocals, re-fashioned Christian
them s and stirring ballads, threaded
together by today's formidable hip­
hop beat. And while Powell laid
ome of the tracks, the flavoring of
this powerhouse album is all Vickie
Bowman Winans.
With "The Lady," Vickie Bow­
man Winans shows her true multi­
talented musical colors, and despite
inspirational undercurrents and un­
mistakable gospel nuances, it
delivers exactly what mo t urban­
based radio formats want to hear.
NOT ONLY did she produce five
of the album's nine songs, she also
co-wrote everal of the tunes. But
this album is truly a family affair.
Her 17-yearold son, Mario "Skeeter"
Winans, co-penned the first single,
"Don't Throw Your Life Away, "and
there's a duet written by and per­
formed with her husband, Marvin
Winans.
A two-time grammy nominee,
Vickie Bowman Winans was just six
years old when she decided that she
could ing. "I was in the bathtub,"
she recalls, "I started singing a song
and a little vibrato started coming
through: You couldn't tell me I
wasn t ready for Carnegie Hall," she
laughs. At the age of eight, she sang
her first solo in church. From then
on, the biggest challenge for Mattie
and Aaron Bowman was keeping a
tight rein on their seventh child.
Th Bowm ns were a music I
family. Vickie' mother, inger
nd evangeli r, nd her d d, church
deacon, h d their hand full with
twelve children. Vickie recall ,
"We'd h ve our window open and
people would be out th re in th lley
and on the ide of the ho e just
Ii tening to us ing."
In 1977, h met Marvin Winans
at a church concert. The Winans,
then known a the Testimonial
Singers, were special gue ts.
"They came in late and when they
got down to the front, I w. Singing
and Marvin walked straight up to me
and said, • Girl, you better sing,' so I
really put it on then," she giggles.
Six months later th y were married.
ONCE MARRIED, SHE put all
of her energie into pushing her
husband's career. In her spare time,
he sang with BeBe & CeCe along
with Daniel Winans and, with
Marvin's younger brothers and
sister, formed The Winans, Part II.
"When BeBe & CeCe left to join the
PTL, I was kind of left behind."
Disheartened, she at first lacked the
confidence to do it alone. "I didn't
think I had the goods," she recalls.
Finally, in 1985, with the growing
success of the Winans, Vickie put
together a demo and was immedi­
ate
y signed to Light Records. the
result wa a debut album, entitled
"Be Encouraged, " which yielded her
Signature song, "We Shall behold
Him." Another album, "Total Vic­
tory, " followed in 1988, and Winans
consistently receives requests to per­
form material from the album.
Yet for all the reception from the
gospel community, Vickie, who has
served as a hostess of her own syndi­
cated gospel television show,
"Singsation," for several years, ad­
mits that it is now her tum to share
her God-given talent.
Outspoken and outgoing, Winans
is infectious on stage ---&0 much so
that she's taken to starring in gospel
stage musicals. Her first major role
came in "Don't Get God Started,"
and more recently she starred in "The
First Lady" opposite Clifton Davis.
"I love life and people can feel that
love on stage. Because I am straight
up crazy. I have a ball."
LATELY, WITH a major,
B·1
the group "Reality" which features
"TKO" and "DJ Skill" I heard the
songs and like some of your work
what' next for "Reality"?
DJ SKILL:' For the year of 1992
VICKIE WINANS
multi-year contract with MCA
Records, Vickie Bowman Winans
has taken to winning the industry
over. And he won't stop until she
does. Fact is, her motto is "Don't
"Our first project is an EP which is
entitled "A Sample To Ya System"
which isjusta little something before
the album "Playing For Dollars I' to
be the album title?
Stop." "No matter how much people
tell you that you can't, don't . top,"
she say.
"I've been told I wasn't able to
produce, that I wasn't a writer, and
that I didn't know what I was doing
in the studio." She is absolutely sure
that her latest album will prove
otherwise.
By SHOCK ROCK
An Interview with one of the
top H. P. -Detroit talents.
SHOCK ROCK: I'mhere with
REALITY MEMBERS - (l-r): DJ Skill and TKO.
"
TKO: It's simply aying drugs &
Violence is the wrong way to play for
dollars and we took ourselves and,
eying that we are doing the right
thing without ducking and dodging
cause you mess up someone else's
money. In other words skill and I are
playing for legal dollars.
SHOCK ROCK: How did the
group come with the name
"Reality"?
DJ SKI LL: We discovered the
name "Reali ty" through the
problems we've been through as in­
dividuals and as members of a rap
group.
SHOCK ROCK: What are
some of the is sues you talk about on
your songs?
TKO: On one of our song
which is called "Whatever" which
means whatever a person do to try to
influence me in the wrong way. I'll
, ignore it an keep trying to think posl­
tive-and make my own decisions.
SHOCKROCK: Skill what role
do you play all together as the groups
DJ? .
DJ KILL: I'm rappin' on the
upcoming EP for the title song
"Sample To Your System," I'm also
producing and arranging some of the
groups song.
SHOCK ROCK: What shall we
expect on the EP itA Sample 1"0 Ya
System"?
TKO: We have a hype dance
song called "Ponytails" For The·
Woman With The Fake Hair. We
have the song called "Why You
Wanna Do Dat" which is for all the
illegal people and "A Sample To Ya
System" the EP title and " Whatever".
SHOCK ROCK: I'll like to
thank "Reality for the interview and
hope for much ucce for the group.
TKO: I'll like to ay get the
album and be expect a lot from the
group in the future.
SHOCK ROCK: Skill you have
any I t.word to leave us?
DJ KILL: "No chump but
champ -no food tamps, the legal
money, honey."
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