More then a concert: Sylvester at War Memorial Opera House

Sylvester and his girls Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes performing live at War Memorial Opera House 

In the mourning city, on March 11, 1979, then San Francisco mayor Diane Feinstein proclaimed the day as ‘Sylvester Day’, recognizing the pioneering art of the supreme diva. That very same day, Sylvester celebrated the release of his third Fantasy Records album ‘Stars’ (co-produced by Patrick Cowley) with a grand-scale, triumphant 3-hour concert at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House. The gig was recorded for the live album ‘Living Proof’.

November 27, 1978, San Francisco was mourning of the killing of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone by Dan White, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. That evening, a spontaneous gathering began to form on Castro Street, moving toward City Hall in a candlelight vigil. Their numbers were estimated between 35,000 and 40,000, spanning the width of Market Street, extending the mile and a half (2.4 km) from Castro Street.

The next day, the bodies of George Moscone and Harvey Milk were brought to the City Hall rotunda where mourners paid their respects. Over six thousand mourners attended a service for Mayor Moscone at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Two memorials were held for Milk; a small one at Temple Emanu-El and a more boisterous one at the War Memorial Opera House.

Sylvester & Harvey Milk

While the city was still mourning, preparations were underway for a unique Sylvester concert at the War Memorial Opera House, several parties withdrew. It almost didn’t happen. The Opera House Board was homophobic & tried to stop the show. The lawyers for the promoter prevailed & the show went on.

On March 11, 1979, Sylvester, and his girls Martha Wash, Izora Rhodes, Jeanie Tracy and Sharon Hymes, together with a large band, and the complete 26-piece San Francisco Symphony Orchestra blew of the roof of the 3,000-seat sold out War Memorial Opera House. San Francisco where Sylvester wore the moniker of the Queen of the Castro alongside his Disco title, he blends all the colors in his musical palette into a work of remarkable imagination and spirit.

A genuine original, he was the vèry first ‘modern’ artist to perform in a classic Opera House, he was one of that special breed of performers who come fully to life onstage, who have the unfailing instincts to ignite an audience with sophistication, sass, and style. In a business where clones abound, Sylvester was the real thing.

When asked about heroes, Sylvester is the first on lips of gay men who went out dancing in the 1970’s. Sylvester embodied the disco fantasy in wich race and gender lose their relevance.

Sylvester treated attendees to ballads, covers and medleys, in addition to Sylvester’s own hits. His falsetto sound was a mix of male and female voice. Most intriguing about the venue was the sheer range of material being performed. Sylvester covered everything from the Beatles ‘Blackbird’ to Billie Holiday’s ‘Lover Man’ to Barry Manilow’s ‘Could It Be Magic’.

Sylvester’s reinterpretations of Thelma Houston’s Sharing Something Perfect Between Ourselves and Patti LaBelle’s ‘You Are My Friend’ where the standout of the show as it showcased the genius interplay Sylvester, Rhodes, Wash and Tracy utilized in their live performances. Everybody sang along to the ballad version of You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) at the end of the concert….  These last three songs where much more then just ‘beautiful songs’ in a time of the city’s mourning. There tittle’s say more then enough….

However, Sylvester’s celebratory music was the voice of gay pride. In bars, clubs and concert halls, Martha Wash, Izora Rhodes backed him. The night after his historical sold-out Sylvester Concert at the War Memeorial Opera House on March 11, Mayor Diana Feinstein declared it Sylvester Day and presented him the key to the city. The people where still mourning, but the Queen of Castro was their new hero, if he wasn’t already!

Sylvester performing live, together with the Two Tons Of Fun, ‘Can’t Stop Dancing’

Two months after the concert, on May 21, 1979, thousands of members of San Francisco’s predominantly gay Castro District community took to the streets to protest the lenient sentence received by Supervisor Dan White for the murders of local politician and gay rights activist Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Their anger – combined with the actions of police who arrived to quell the scene – soon boiled over into rioting. The resulting violence affected San Francisco’s LGBT community for decades to come.

Sylvester’s voice helped foster that fight… ‘Sharing Something Perfect…’ ‘Everybody is a Star!’

Sylvester ‘Living Proof’

The Opera House gig was recorded, and subsequently released as a live double album, called Living Proof. The album contained a typically eclectic mix of blues, disco, funk and beautiful ballads. Sylvester feld that Living Proof, is “the best representation of what people had been writing about me since the day I started performing. All the energy is there”.

Living Proof present Sylvester at a key point of transition in his career where he is moving more toward his soul and cabaret roots, and paying homage to the disco that took him over the top. It is also a few years before he would go on to define NRG music.

• Sylvester (lead vocals)
• Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes (Two Tons of Fun) (background vocals)
• Jeanie Tracy (background vocals)
• Sharon Hymes (background vocals)
• Eric Robinson (background vocals)

 

The songs:

• Overture: Grateful, You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), Dance (Disco Heat)
• Body Strong
• Blackbird
• Medley: Could It Be Magic (Eric Robinson), A Song For You
• Happiness
• Loverman, (Oh Where Can You Be)
• Sharing Something Perfect Between Ourselves
• You Are My Friend
• Dance (Disco Heat)
• You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real): dance version/slow gospel version

On the double album are also two studio recordings: ‘Can’t Stop Dancing’ and ‘In My Fantasy’. ‘Can’t Stop Dancing’, a single released from this album, was a huge hit in the disco clubs.

The band:

• Patrick Cowley (Synthesizer)
• Eric Robinson (Keyboards)
• Michael Finden (Keyboards)
• Tip Wirrick (Guitar)
• Bob Kingson (Bass)
• Kevin Dixon (Drums)
• Richard Kvistad (Timpani)
• David Frazier (Percussion)
• Gus Anthony Flores (Percussion)
• Dean Boyson (Trumpets)
• Ross Wilson (Trumpets, Trombones)
• Dan Reagan (Trombones)
• Marc Baum (Saxaphones, Flutes)
• Jay Stolmac (Saxophones, Flutes)
• and the ‘San Francisco Symphony’

by Jean Amr

 

Congratulations: Sara Dash

Today, miss Sarah Dash has her 70th birthday. Hearing the name Sarah Dash may not ring a bell by many people, but hearing her songs and special voice, it does. She started as one of the four members of The Odettes, the later: Patti LaBelle And The Bluebells. Later, when one of the girls, Cindy Birdsong left the group, they became: Labelle.

Labelle: Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash and Patti LaBelle (Click photo to enlarge).

Labelle ‘Voulez Vouz’ (Lady Marmalade)

For many people Sarah Dash, born on 18.08.1945 in Trenton, New Jersey, is best known as one-third of the otherworldly divas, Labelle. Together with Patti Labelle and Nona Hendryx she blew off many roofs then with ‘Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi, Lady Marmalade’. But we absolutely gag for her solo club classic, ‘Sinner Man’. It makes us get all sassy, hip-shakin’, neck-twistin’ and finger-wavin’. ‘Don’t be touchin’ me! Don’t be holdin’ me!’ Testify, Sister Sarah.

In 1978, Dash released her self-titled debut album, which included the top-ten disco hit, ‘Sinner Man’. She also performed vocals on several stunning ballads, notably ‘You’, and ‘We’re Lovers After All’, and ‘I Can’t Believe Someone Like You Could Really Love Me’, (with a full gospel choir backing); she also had another minor disco hit with ‘(Come and Take) This Candy from Your Baby’. Dash enjoyed much success and television and public appearances with her smash hit ‘Sinner Man’. At this time, she was asked to compose and sing ‘For The Love of You’ (the theme song for the 1980s PBS show ‘Watch Your Mouth’ and ‘Bringing It All Home’. She also guest-starred on an episode of Watch Your Mouth, playing a fictional character, a super diva with an attitude, ‘Tessie Bright’.

Sarah Dash self titled ablum from 1978 with the smash hit ‘Sinner Man’

However, on the Kirshner albums, and especially ‘Ooh La La, Sarah Dash’, she was given substandard material to work with, although she wrote ‘I Feel Good Being Me’ for this album. It featured one strong disco track, ‘Ooh La La, Too Soon’, which was used in a Sassoon jeans commercial, and Phyllis Hyman provided backing vocals to the album. But by 1980, disco was dying, and many talented divas such as Dash, Linda Clifford, Pattie Brooks, Cheryl Lynn and even Donna Summer, were at a loss as to how to proceed musically. After releasing one more musically stronger album ‘Close Enough’, for Kirshner, which features standout ballads like ‘Somebody’s Angel’ and ‘God Bless You’,  and the rocker, ‘Paradise’, Dash left Kishner for other opportunities

 

Sarah Dash ‘Low Down Dirty Rhythem’ with Patrick Cowley

She always loved ‘happy -dance- music, and switched to High-NRG. In 1983, Dash released two dance singles for Megatone Records in San Francisco, both produced by Patrick Cowley. The first, ‘Low Down Dirty Rhythm’ was basically ignored, but the second single ‘Lucky Tonight’ (featuring background vocals by dance superstars Sylvester and Jeanie Tracy), was a real smash hit and dance floor filler, even rising to the #5 spot on Billboard‘s Dance Chart, and was even a Billboard ‘Pick of the Week’. After the succes of ‘Lucky Tonight’, ‘Low Down Dirty Rhythm’ lifted up that succes. Dash was excited about her career again and went on an extensive tour of major U.S. dance clubs. There was supposed to be an album, but because of the untimely death of Cowley, the album was never recorded. Now both songs are availble in their original long versions on the ‘Megatone Records 12 Inch Volume 1’ album

Sarah Dash ‘Lucky Tonight’ smash hit with background vocals by Sylvester & Jeanie Tracy was just finnished before Patrick Cowley’s death (Click photo to enlarge).

Dash’s most experimental musical endeavor was the recording she made on the RAP record, ‘Satisfaction’, for High Fidelity Three in 1985. This single was groundbreaking because it was one of the first (if not the first!) rap records that combined a rapper with a vocalist. It was not given much attention at the time, since rap was still in its early stages, but today it is considered a classic, especially with New York DJ’s.

Also during this time, Dash did a great deal of session work for The O’jays, Nile Rogers of Chic (duetting on a ballad with Rodgers, ‘My Love Song for You’ from, ‘The Adventures in the Land of the Good Groove’, a true collector’s item now), The Marshall Tucker Band and David Johansen. In the later 1980s, she teamed up with musician Dr. York for the duet ‘It’s Too Late’

Sarah Dash ‘You’re All I Need’

Then in 1988 she was signed to Manhattan Records, (via EMI) and released the album entitled ‘You’re All I Need’. This set included a title track duet with Patti LaBelle; a further duet ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’ with Ray, Goodman & Brown; and ‘To Tell You The Truth‘. The outstanding cuts on the CD are ‘It’s Over’, where Dash really belts out and makes full use of her vocal range, and the sweet ballad, ‘After Love’. Once again, unluckily, EMI decided not to promote the album, and it was met with only moderate success. Dash released another unnoticed dance single in 1990, ‘When You Talk to Me/Manhandled’, with disc jockey Jellybean Benitez.

In the early 1990s, Sarah developed her own one-woman show, “Dash Of Diva,” performing at different club venues, as well as doing a more jazz-flavored set that resulted in various appearances.

Also in 1988, Dash was asked to add her backing vocals to the Rolling Stones ‘Steel Wheels’ album, which eventually led to a tour with her old friend Keith Richards. They became close when Dash was still performing with Patti Labelle and The Blue Bells, who opened for Stones in the early 1960s. She recorded the duet ‘Make No Mistake’ with him, and she took the lead vocal on ‘Time Is On My Side’, showcasing her powerful delivery and vocal range, which, Keith has said in his autobiography, is ‘the best version of that song he’s ever heard’. Keith Richards invited Dash to accompany him on tour: her association with him led to another world tour, a tour with Richards’ X-pensive Winos, appearances on two of his albums, and on The Rolling Stones ‘Steel Wheels’ album in 1989. With Richards, she guested on ‘Live At The Hollywood Palledium’ in 1988, and ‘Main Offender’, in 1992.

Sisters In The Name Of Love (Click to enlarge photo).

Sarah Dash, Nona Hendryx and Patti LaBelle collaborated on each other’s projects over the years following their 1977 split. Patti LaBelle appeared in a couple of albums by Hendryx and Dash attributing background vocals and, in the case of Dash, a duet. In 1991, 15 years after their last recordings together, the group reunited on Patti LaBelle’s ‘Burnin’, recording the funky ‘Release Yourself’, another Hendryx composition. Hendryx and LaBelle co-wrote the latter’s hit, ‘When You’ve Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)’ on the same album. The group performed their reunion song at The Apollo Theatre in New York, during a televised special there to help Patti LaBelle promote Burnin’.

Patti, Nona and Sarah ‘Release Yourself’ Live in NY, 1991

Over the years, Sarah Dash , Patti LaBelle and Nona Hendryx stayed  very good friends. They are more then that: They are sisters in the name of love. Labelle reunited again in 1995 to record the dance hit, Turn It Out, for the soundtrack to the film, ‘To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar’. The song became their first charted hit in nineteen years peaking at number-one on the Billboard dance singles chart. Labelle would announce a full-fledged reunion in 2005 after the group recorded the Rosa Parks tribute song, ‘Dear Rosa’, featured on Patti LaBelle’s TV show, Living It Up with Patti LaBelle, and after recording, with gospel artist Tye Tribbett, the gospel song, Preaching to the Choir, from the movie of the same name, which LaBelle starred in. The group would sign a recording deal with Verve Records in 2007, and recorded their new album, ‘Back To Now’ throughout late 2007 and 2008, releasing the album that October. Sadly, the Sylvester tribute song You Make Me Feel Mighty Real/Dance was only availble on the iTunes album version.

Labelle, Nona Hendryx, Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash (Click photo to enlarge).

That year, the trio went back on tour together which carried through the spring of 2009. In an interview with the Toronto Star, Patti LaBelle explained why she, Dash and Hendryx waited over 32 years to record a full-length album: “You don’t want to half-step something this important….it was about finding the right time and place. We were never ones to do anything on anyone else’s time anyway; we were always unconventional. I still have my glitter boots to prove it.”

The group performed a triumphant show at the Apollo Theatre in New York City on December 19, 2008 (Click to enlarge photo).

Sarah Dash received a citation from the deputy Mayor of New York City, Ruth Messinger, for her work and efforts in the underprivileged New York City community, where she raised funds for homeless single women and children. With her generous time, Dash collected donations and funds she acquired for these mothers and their children which included clothing, toys, books, after-school activities, excursions to amusement parks, theater in the parks, and food.

Sarah Dash songs and albums:

• 1971 Labelle – Labelle
• 1972 Labelle – Moon Shadow
• 1973 Labelle – Pressure Cookin’
• 1974 Labelle – Night Birds (with ‘Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi, Lady Marmalade’)
• 1975 Labelle – Phoenix
• 1976 Labelle – Chameleon
• 1978 Sarah Dash – Sarah Dash (album)
• 1980 Sarah Dash – Oh La La Sarah Dash (album)
• 1981 Sarah Dash – Close Enough (album)
• 1983 Sarah Dash/Patrick Cowley – Lucky Tonight
• 1983 Sarah Dash/Patrick Cowley – Low Down Dirty Rhythm
• 1983 Sarah Dash/Nile Rodgers – My Love Song For You (From the Nile Rodgers album “Adventures In The Land Of The Good Groove
• 1985 Sarah Dash/Dr. York – ‘It’s To Late’
• 1985 Sarah Dash/High Fidelity Three – ‘Never Satisfied’
• 1988 Sarah Dash – ‘All I Need’ (album)
• 1988 Sarah Dash/Patti LaBelle – ‘Your’re All I Need’
• 1989 Sarah Dash – ‘Feel Good’
• 1990 Sarah Dash/John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez – ‘When You Talk To Me’
• 1991 Labelle – ‘Release Yourself’ (From the Patti LaBelle album ‘Burning’)
• 1995 Labelle – ‘Turn It Out’ (Soundtrack ‘To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar)
• 2005 Labelle – ‘Dear Rosa’ (Rosa Parks tribute song)
• 2007 Labelle/Tye Tribbiett – ‘Preaching to the Choir’
• 2008 Labelle – ‘Back To Now’
• 2008 LaBelle – ‘You Make Me Feel Mighty Real’ (Sylvester tribute)
• 2011 Sarah Dash/Ari Gold – ‘Sparkle’
• 2014 Sarah Dash – ‘I’m Still Here’

Today it’s miss Sarah Dash’s birthday. And she is still here! Like the tittle of her latest fantastic album ‘I’m Still Here’ proves!!

Sarah Dash: Happy Birthday!! Love Always! (Click to enlarge photo).

by Jean Amr