Miki award
Vnderground railroad perfo,·,nance
By TUREKA TURK
Mlchlp.n Cit/an
My first acquaintance with
Billie Holiday came via the
television screen. I watched
a skinny diva named Diana
Ross stumble through the life
story of just another drugged,
drunken female singer of the
19309. I watched Billy Dee
Williams bring charm and
amicable style to the por
trayal of Lewis, Billie's long
time abusive lover.
I watched Richard Pryor,
who only made a rare graphic
appearance on our television
at that time of my childhood,
play another drugged soft-
. hearted stereotype as Billie's
piano man. I didn't under
stand why everybody was
raving about this Lady Day if
all she did was get high and
mess up her life. Besides, Di
ana Ross's vocal stylings in
"Lady Sings the Blues"
verged on illegal.
I dismissed this "Lady
Day" for a couple of years un
til I heard an actual Billie
Holiday song. I a in
trigued ..
Billie Holiday, I discov
ered, didn't sound anything
like I had ever heard before.
Instead of hearing a female
singer hold a high note for a
few bars, I heard a woman
singing from the bottom of
her stomach, the pit of her
soul. She was almost talking
wi th the music, telling the
notes her troubles. Nobody
does that anymore.
SO CAME THE phase
where I bought every Billie
Holiday tap I could get my
hands on, that includes about
five different "Greatest Hits".
After awhile, it was clear that
some people were getting car
ried away with "Lady Day".
Just as Berry Gordy thought
he could do justice to Billie's
memory by placing Diana
A part of Southern Michigan's
rich cultural 'history will be rec
reated for area schoolchildren
and residents during the month
of February, 'Black History
Month'. The Historical Society of
Battle Creek will sponsor a pro
gram to enrich the awareness of
local students and residents and
celebrate this area's proud heri
tage related.to the Underground
Railroad. Michigan played an
active part in the Underground
Railroad with 7 major routes
running through the state.
The Underground Railroad
did not have actual trains and
tracks, but is rather an analo
gous term used to describe th
system of secret passages and
guides that the enslaved utilized
to r ach freedom in the Northern
states and Canada. It is esti
mated that somewhere between
1,000 and 1,500 sla utilized
the Michigan Central or Quaker
line, which came through South- .
em Michigan. Michigan should
celebrate its role in the emanci
pation of many weary but brave
f omseeke.
Seven SOpS
to Freedom:
Roes in the leading role, there
were record companies using
Billie's image just as America
usee the images of Malcolm X
or Martin Luther King, Jr.
All were victims, after their
deaths, or exploitative capi
talism.
During her lifetime, Billie
gained respect from those
around her because of the
type of person she was. 'She
didn't take any foul play from
any body. She was her own
woman. And for that reason,
.along with other "bad"
choices on Billie's part, she
was an outcast. Mter her
. Moo combines a
collection of big band
strings and sad
monologues to add to
the "tribute",':
death, vocalists let Billie's
name roll off oj their tongues
when asked t«eir favorite fe
male vocalist.
Tribut.ee" began "to sprout
up like graffiti on an aban
doned building. Everyone
had suddenly embraced the
singer who couldn't even per
form in New York City in the
last years of her life because
of music industry politics.
Now, Miki Howard has
added her name to the list of
those paying tribute to Billie;
After portraying Billie in
Spike Lee's "Malcolm X"
singing "I Cover The Water
Front", Miki has released an
album entitled "Miki Sings
Billie: A Tribute To Billie
Holiday". Right off the back,
Miki wants it known that her
release is not an effort on her
part to imitate or mimic Bil
lie.
"I've got way too much re
spect for Lady Day as a cul
tural icon," says Miki. "I just
In place of an exlubit that was
originally planned for downtown
Battle Creek, the Historical So
ciety will sponsor a dramatic rec
reation of a fictional journey on
the Underground Railroad. Per
formances will take place in local
schools for students during the
month of February. Two public
performances will also be given.
The Historical SoCiety of Bat
tle Creek has also sponsored
concurrent Underground Rail
road presentations by Barbara
Gladn y. She will be taking her
music and drama performance
to area churches, community
groups and various service clubs
during the months of January
and February. Funding is being
provided by a grant from the w.
K. Kellogg Foundation.
W GTO produc-
tions, Inc., storyteller's in th Af-
rican tradition, will p nt on
family's struggle for freedom.
Dr. Von Washington Sr., a West
ern Michigan University pro
sor and director of Western's
minority th ter program, is fi
nalizing th performance crip,
titled "Seven Stops to Freedom".
"Seven Stops to Freedom" por
trays a family purred on to fre
dom by the cruelty of ing sold
wanted to pay her tribute
wi th my gifts as a vocalist
and hope that my efforts will
, bring both awareness and joy
to those who listen."
I t is hard to imagine how
singers can pay tribute to
other singers by redoing their
songs. It isn't as if Miki
Howard doesn't have vocal
ability. She has proven that
wi thin the repertoire of her
own music and style. Miki
has shined much brighter
with her own hits like, "Ain't
Nobody Like You" and "Come
Share My Love".
NOT TO SAY that "Miki
Sings Billie" is as bad as Di
ana Ross's "Lady Sing the
Blues". It does, however,
make me want to grab one of
the many Billie Holiday
"greatest hits" tapes I have
and listen to those. I t also
made me realize that Miki
Howard now has a hand in
commercializing Billie Holi
day, the singer she admires
so much.
But it i , ind , hard to
reel such tunes as Benny
Goodm n' 1933 hit for Bill
(and her first recording with
Goodman) "Your Mother's
Son-In-Law", "Strange
Fruit", "My Man" and "What
A Little Moonlight Can Do".
But the temptation must be
resisted.
Miki combines a collection
of big band strings and sad
monologues to add to the
"tribute".
While Miki Howard is, un
questionably a talented vo
calist, her good intentions in
this "tribute" have cheapened ·
the memory of a great female.
legend. I am beginning to
-thirrk that the only meaning
ful tribute occurs when a lis
tener appreciates the
originality of the vocalist's
work, goes out and buys the
real thing.
•
program makes use of excellent
drama skills and musical talent.
Von Jr. has traveled recently to
local schools giving a sneak pre
view oftbe performan coming
in February.
For more that twenty years,
the Washington's have per
formed or been involved in the
atrical events in Europe nd
throughout th United States.
Their collective experiences
have placed them on National
t I vi ion show, in commer
cials, in f ture/industrial/edu-
I cational film and on stag .
Their. goal is to provide an accu
rate and full vi w of the African
American experienc through
the performing arts. They a
sought out to give guidan nd
special p ntations 'are p
pared upon requ .
PRESE TATIO �L
be held at Calhoun County area
schools throughout th month of
February. Two public p nta
tions will also b offered. The
first will be held on Sunday, Feb
ru ry 13, 1994 at the Starr Com
monwe lth Auditorium in
Albion/Marshall at 3 p.m. and
he second p ntation, cospon-
sored by Willard Library, will be
Monday, F ,bru ry 21st, at the
Christian Science Church/Cub
T n Cent r (226 C pital Av . ,
N. .), t 7:00 p.m. All in ed
invi d to ttend.
All chool pre entations are
now fully book d, but schools
uiho desire additional resource
packets may contact the Histon
cal Soci ty of Battle ere k at
(616) 965- 2613.
ingle want to make new friend, have
great fun and earn extra money in the
proce ? Call (31 ,)927-31 tarting
2-15-94 meet u at the
Urban offee Hou .el
and split up by their former
owner. Se a decade befor the
Civil War, th y make heir way
from . . ippi to Kentucky,
then through Ohio, Indiana, and
Michigan, on their way to Can
ada. They f ce th ha h reali
ties of distance, hunger, clima ,
fugitive hunters, and a maze of
secret symbols, cod and sig
nals tha will ul im ly guide
them to freedom.
Washington's th trical com
pany is a family effort with wif
and accomplish act , Fran
Washington and on, Von Jr.
Several WMU stud nts will also
perform ip the program. The
SELECT SINGLES SOCIAL CLUB
P.O. Box 321232, Detroit, 148232 (313)�7-3158
2-20-