“At this time, I was very eager to go South looking for the ‘big time.’”. Rare Experience was more than music to Beaver County, said Anthony B. Mitchell, a professor at Penn State University Greater Allegheny. Get Ready is the RIAA Platinum-certified second studio album by American blues rock band Rare Earth.It was released on September 30, 1969 by Motown Records.The album spawned one hit single, an edited version of "Get Ready", which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970.Track listing It’s kinda flipped from lots of other Black musicians.”. Tyson also serves on the audio-visual ministries staff at Macedonia Baptist Church in Pittsburgh. The young ladies were also gifted,” he said. He has the distinction of growing up in Aliquippa and Beaver Falls during Rare Experience's soul music supremacy in Beaver County. Rare Earth [Prodigal] Prodigal Records 1978 : Grand Slam: Culture Factory / L.M.L.R. They can aspire to be Ty Law, Tony Dorsett or Darrelle Revis — they see it, and they believe it can happen,” said Tyson, who lives in Center Township with his wife of 33 years, Lori Griffin Tyson. Childs added that Beaver County has always been a vibrant live-music hotbed. “Rook” Lewis was a self-described “OG” for the original band. He’s married with children, according to members. Jeff joined the group in 2002, adding his energetic, entertaining style of drumming to the ’03 and ’04 tours, and excellent harmony vocal chops. "I also played in my father’s band,” he said. He’s also a former employee of Aliquippa’s Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. and the B.F. Jones Library. The couple met when Rare Experience performed at the legendary Mason’s Hotel & Lounge in her hometown of New Kensington. Somehow cramming six rapid-fire albums into their 12 years together, the movement known in Japan as the “girls metal band boom” of the 2010s, … “Naturally, I had my priorities.”. Joins Blind Melon from Wales Uk Eddie Vedder explained in the Pearl Jam 20 documentary about Black: “It’s very rare for a relationship to withstand the Earth’s gravitational pull and where it’s going to take people and how they’re going to grow. Sylvester “Boutique” Price, 63, is no longer the energetic frontman that typified Rare Experience, a la David Ruffin, Dennis Edwards or Marvin Gaye mode. Tyson also credited The Granati Brothers and owners of Brighton Music Center for their support when the band was in its beginning stages. We call that success,” he said. Shop for Vinyl, CDs and more from Rare Earth at the Discogs Marketplace. White, a father of two adult children, said he learned his basic skills while hanging out at the Beaver Falls Elks Club and closely observing drummers Kenny “KT” Thompson, Bobby Crutcher and Cecil Washington of Pittsburgh. Aliquippa saxophonist Sonny Childs, who turns 90 on Jan. 3, said clubs like Midland’s Love’s Motel (aka Hole in the Wall), the New Pro Club on Junction Stretch in New Brighton (managed by James Mathews) and the Beaver Falls’ Rainbow Room were important live-music venues in the Beaver Valley. While he’s considered the baby of the bunch, during Rare Experience's formative years, Reginald “Wizard” Jones, now 58, was also considered the group’s most gifted member. An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works At 73, he now lives in Oakland, California, but served multi-roles with the early group, including emcee and hype-man, roadie and sound engineer. Smith developed much of his musical expertise under the direction of Hopewell High School band director Victor Pasquarelli. Earth Quake was born out of the fertile Berkeley high school music scene (as were another of the band's eventual Beserkley labelmates, The Rubinoos). “Unlike today’s artists who may record a YouTube or Instagram video, and hope for several 'likes' from their friends and relatives, we did it the hard way. In the past 20 years, White has performed at several internationally renowned music shows, such as Montreux, Essence and Newport jazz festivals. For me, it all started playing in bands. He’s a pastor and vocalist at an Atlanta area church. Groups — like The Notations, Sweet No, TNT Flashers, Black Love, Wantu Wazuri, The Veltones, Coffee’s Love Train, Shades of Night, Eighth Wonder, Stereos, Soul Del Vibes, The Dynamics, Hi-Fidelics, Jasmine Entertainers featuring Wendy Z, Basic Soul and El Pooks (aka the Stringfield Family) — formed the bedrock for Rare Experience, an Aliquippa-based band that enjoyed enormous success in the region. Smith was the head drummer in the Viking marching band and also played keyboards in jazz and swing bands. It really was a village who supported us — our parents knew this took us off the streets and kept us out of trouble.". “Some of the best years of my life. Rounding out the entourage was sound/road crew members Sam Jackson and Ted B. Instead, good musicianship provided a viable alternative to youngsters who may have failed on the hoop court, gridiron or simply lacked athletic prowess. “The guys were highly talented and were from respectable families. “But, we never let that stop us.” The group enjoyed agency top-status for engagements throughout Southeast Conference university campuses, he said. Rodney “Duck” Abercrombie also contributed to this article. Whitaker, a college graduate, is divorced, has five children and three grandchildren, and is a semi-retired executive in the senior citizen health industry. Since his early days, his musicianship has evolved into a lead vocal realm, a la Luther Vandross. was always genuine when it came to Black people. Seeking a record deal By 1982, Rare … These days Price utilizes his impact on Sunday morning church revelers as an assistant evangelist at Christian Lighthouse in downtown Aliquippa. Jackson, along with Wizard Jones, Grip Smith and Michael Otey, are still Atlanta residents. “We were a bunch of young kids, really, who were very interested in being musicians. Jones also worked with Usher, New Edition, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant, while Smith was the music director for such acts as SWV, TLC, Jermaine Dupree, Sleepy Brown, Keith Sweat, Goodie Mob, 112 and Escape. It was released on September 30, 1969 by Motown Records. “Those two were hot commodities in Atlanta. Yet, it’s generally agreed upon by many, including musicians from that bygone era, that Rare Experience remains the pride of Aliquippa — the one band that garnered the most acclaim of the many that formed in the 1950s and existed throughout the new millennium. "We had a special bond — truly a ‘rare experience.’ I’m glad to have been a part of the group,” Austin said. After the band achieved significant success in Beaver County, Tyson, now 61, said the band made plans to first relocate to Greenville, S.C., and then ultimately to Atlanta, seeking greater fortunes on the recording scene. He has passed his bass playing skills onto a son, Chuck, whom he describes as “having passed me up, skill-wise.” Chuck has performed with neo-soul singer Eryka Badu and also at Missouri City Baptist Church. "Today, there’s a chance they can at least get a good education through sports. Rush was a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in 1968, consisting of Geddy Lee (bass, vocals, keyboards, composer), Alex Lifeson (guitars, composer), and Neil Peart (drums, percussion, lyricist). Potential record deals with MCA, Polydor and SOLAR records never came to fruition, Jones said. “Our connections to both of those groups are still vital to our success, even now,” Jones said. Abercrombie noted, “There are so many people to thank for our development. Rare Earth is an American soul band affiliated with Motown's Rare Earth record label.Although not the first white band signed to Motown, Rare Earth was the first big hit-making act signed by Motown that consisted only of white members. Back then, a second-shift position kept him from making many band practices, so he decided to quit Rare Experience. Ted B. Though he still plays bass guitar, Billy “Whit” Whitaker, 62, mostly performs on Sundays at Missouri City Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. “Unlike some secular artists, the band world initially influenced my gospel world. When the band decided to make the trek to Atlanta in January 1983, female vocalist/keyboardist Paulette Caperris also made the trip. [2], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Get_Ready_(Rare_Earth_album)&oldid=1000440733, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 January 2021, at 03:26. “We grew up in the 'Hollar' (Valley Terrace area), attended McDonald Elementary School together, on through our 1969 high school graduation. They were being courted by heavyweights, including Earth, Wind & Fire. This was an era when they targeted their passions and concentrated on becoming the area’s premier musicians. “Now, I enjoy watching my son and my nephews playing and singing,” he said. The 1966 Aliquippa graduate has two tweeners from a new marriage. Today, it’s more about the computer and the technology or maybe a one-time TV appearance.”. “Though we didn’t reach our ultimate goal as a group, we were able to leave home, establish careers and never have to return — only to visit families for special occasions. “In junior high, I sang in school choirs and played some guitar,” Price said. "For those of us privileged to have witnessed and grooved with this ‘soul-stirring’ legendary band," he said, "their legacy remains intact.". “All that experience set him up to become ‘the Wizard’ that we all respect, love and appreciate.". Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Not until Black Sabbath upended the music scene did the term “heavy metal” enter the popular vocabulary to describe the denser, more thunderous offshoot of rock over which they presided. Taylor as a neighbor. Other area church affiliation with group members are Bethel Baptist, St. John’s, St. Titus, Christian Lighthouse, Triedstone Baptist, Tabernacle Baptist, Second Baptist, Waymen Chapel, Deliverance Temple, Ebenezer AME, Sound the Alarm Ministries, Bethel AME and Mount Olive Baptist Church. Get Ready is the RIAA Platinum-certified second studio album by American blues rock band Rare Earth. ‘1970’ is a new 3-disc set, released by popular demand on February 26. The duo was often found in area churches playing spiritual music. Where we vicariously explore the cosmos with astronauts, astrophysicists and enthusiasts. Pettis, a Quigley High School graduate, is also a married family man. Price was married by 1979, and like Tyson, both young family men opted not to move South to fulfill Rare Experience's musical dreams. Musicians — like Charles “Sonny” Childs, George Jones, Grover McBride, Frank Abercrombie, Del Palmer, Mack Cox Sr. and Johnny Josey Sr. — were blending with other Beaver County musicians, including Beaver Valley Musicians Union Hall of Fame bassist Mike Taylor, Gill Clark, Edward “Guitar Shorty” Ferguson, Larry Smith, Lonzie Cox Jr., Gene Barr, Jim McClendon, James Moon, Skeets Mabin, Ezra Lowe and Donnie Taylor. “Being married and raising a family kept me from being a full-time musician,” Josey said. 1978 : Band Together: Motown / Prodigal Records / Universal 1993 : Different World: Koch International AllMusic … Though he’s now considered a household name in Atlanta's competitive R&B community, he credited his early onstage experiences as “many teachable moments.”. The nickname “Boutique” stuck, due to his penchant for wearing the latest clothing gear. Drummer Maurice Otey lives in Nagoya, Japan, and still plays drums after carving out a successful music career. In the early 1970s, young aspiring Black musicians were scattered throughout Beaver County, western Pennsylvania and, of course, the entire greater Pittsburgh region. Space.com is where humanity’s journey to new and exciting worlds is transmitted back down to Earth. When the band held a reunion show during Aliquippa Days in September 2011, Thea Austin and Michael Otey were the only former Rare Experience members unable to attend due to previous obligations. His brother, bassist Michael Otey, still lives in Atlanta, has children and plays music on a more limited basis compared with his former bandmates. Once known more for his football prowess at Beaver Falls High School, White also was a member of another Aliquippa band called The Hi-Fidelics. When we were in school, we didn’t have the sports success. The album spawned one hit single, an edited version of "Get Ready", which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970. Mama (Betty) Jones would feed us after every rehearsal — they looked after me like another family member. The success of their first two albums - Black Sabbath and Paranoid - marked a paradigm shift in the world of rock. It includes previously unreleased outtakes from the sessions that produced ‘Self Portrait’ and ‘New Morning’ plus the complete May 1, 1970 studio recordings with George Harrison, which capture the pair performing together on nine tracks. (None of the previously signed all-white acts, The Rustix, The Dalton Boys, or The Underdogs, had any hits.) Mitchell said Rare Experience should be elected to Beaver Valley Musicians Hall of Fame. "Collectively, their musical gifts and skills embodied their upbringing in the Black church and training in African American musical traditions.". Johnny Josey Sr., 82, said he fondly recalls working his alto saxophone as a member of the 1957-58 Aliquippa High School Marching Band under the direction of Fred J. Sporny. Back then, a second-shift position kept him from making many band practices, so he decided to quit Rare Experience. But Dr. Steals said we needed something more unique and marketable — and he suggested Rare Experience.”. "Today’s young people have technology and sports to pull from. For “Duck” Abercrombie, his musical career originated as a trumpet player in school bands, but his Aliquippa High School band director, Ron Romeo, recognized his rhythmic skills and moved him into the drumline. “Rook” Lewis. Vocalist Stephanie Townsend attended the event in what would be her final appearance with the band. The official Black Sabbath website. “I was working for Westinghouse in Vanport at the time, and had a young son,” said Tyson, who recently celebrated 40 years with the company, now called the Eaton Corp., where he is a senior lead engineer. He credited older musicians like William “B.E.” Taylor, Mickey Cherico and Ray DeLisio for their welcoming attitude to help the band develop as young music businessmen. Abercrombie noted the bond between Whitaker and himself when they formed the rhythm section for the Church in the Round's music ministry.
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