THE U.G.H.A .PHOTO GALLERY

THE HEROINES OF RHYTHM AND BLUES

MARCH 19, 2000

FEATURING

SHOWTIME

UGHA hosted the "Heroines of Rhythm and Blues" at Symphony Space (NYC) on March 19th, 2000.  The show featured The Original Chantels, Barbara English and the Clickettes, Ruth McFadden, Della Griffin and her Enchanters, Cindy Taylor and The Cliftonaires , along with the Decibelles.  This was perhaps, the best UGHA concert of the year and really showcased some incredibly talented ladies.  

The original Chantels were absolutely flawless and sounded as good as when they originally recorded in the 1950's.  They were the first real super female groups and set the stage for the flood of female groups that dominated the musical lanscape in the 1960's.  The group consists of Lois Harris Powell, Renee Minus White, Sonia Goring Wilson and Ami Ortiz.  These ladies are the epitome of talent, class and professionalism.  

Della Griffin returned to the UGHA stage with her Enchanters and wowed the audience with some real authentic R&B , including the sexiest birthday song ever recorded, "Today Is Your Birthday".  Della first recorded for Jubilee records in 1952, making the her and the other original Enchanters the first R&B female group.  Della also sang with the Delltones on Baton.    She was joined onstage tonight by Annette St. John, Ghanniyyah Green and Gwynne Michaels who were simply suberb backing up Della.

Barbara English and the Clickettes were making their first UGHA appearance and by the reaction of the crowd, it won't be their last.   Barbara possesses a great vocal range and wonderful stage presence.  The Clickettes were Trudy Cunningham (original), Sylvia Hammond (original) and Lorraine Joyner (sang with Veneers).  This ladies were right on the money and did a fantastic job on backup.  The Clickettes only reunited at the end of last year but sounded like they've been singing together steadily for the last 30. They were truly remarkable.

Ruth McFadden doesn't need any explanation for those who have seen her perform. The best way to describe Ruthie onstage is explosive.  She's like a tiger prowling the stage from side-to-side.  No matter how many times she's done "Darling, Listen to the Words of This Song", every performance seems new and exciting.  Ruth can really tear the house apart and is pure entertainment onstage.  

Cindy Taylor is a member of the Decibelles but stepped out on her own tonight backed up by the very capable Cliftonaires (John Clemente, Jack Scandura, Phil Granita & Joel Katz).  Cindy was magnificent , especially on her rendition of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered".  She later joined the rest of the Decilbelles who also did a great job.  

There were also several notable guests in the audience.  Etta Jones, a highly respected Jazz singer and friend of Della Griffin.  Also at the show was Margaret Ross who sang with the Cookies of "Don't Say Nothing Bad About My Baby" fame.

You're invited to take a look at the HEROINES OF R&B ...................................

   

CLICK ON PHOTO NUMBER TO VIEW

(Note: These are high resolution images and could take a minute or more to open depending upon your connection speed but are worth the wait)

Chantels 1 Chantels 2 Chantels 3 Chantels 4 Chantels 5
Chantels 6 Chantels 7 Chantels 8 Chantels 9 Chantels 10
Chantels 11 Chantels 12 Chantels 13 Chantels 14 Clickettes 1
Clickettes 2 Clickettes 3 Clickettes 4 Clickettes 5 Clickettes 6
Clickettes 7 Clickettes 8 Clickettes 9 Clickettes 10 Enchanters 1
Enchanters 2 Enchanters 3 Enchanters 4 Enchanters 5 Etta Jones
Ruth 1 Ruth 2 Ruth 3 Ruth 4 Ruth 5
Ruth 6 Ruth 7 Ruth 8 Cindy 1 Cindy 2
Cindy 3 Cindy 4 Margaret Ross Decibelles 1 Finale 1
Finale 2

(These photos will remain on-line until next UGHA concert)

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