Wednesday, September 3, 1975
paga 16
daily nebreskan
Roots of American music
revealed in gospel tunes
By Deb Gray
Come on down, brothers and sisters, ;
sons and daughters; for He's got you-yes,
all of you in His hands. Come out tonight
and hear the Salvation Bands. Tonight you
might get saved. Tonight you might feel
the heavenly vibrations. This could be the
night to change your life.
It happened Saturday evening, when the'
State Fair Board booked a grandstand
concert that tapped American music at its
roots. On stage was an American
contribution to culture, a musical form
that came about after the black slaves
integrated their music into their white
masters' church services.
Gospel. The root of everything.
At least the Isley Brothers think so.
"Our music is gospel with different
words," Ronald Isley told Rolling Stone
magazine.
Five acts
It was the first time the state fair has
put on such a show. There were five acts;
the Imperials, said to . have pioneered
commercial acceptance of gospel music;
London Paris and the Apostles; the John
Mathews Family; Bob Weils and the
Inspirations; and Ray Burdett and the
Emeralds.
A crowd of about 2,500 persons
attended Saturday, hand slapping, singing
along. For some, it was a summer night to
cherish; "What could be more beautiful?"
one woman asked from beneath bandana
and curlers. "A dark night with big stars
and all that gospel music."
Even though a post stood in a bee-line
between herself and the stage, the woman
didn't mind. "In heaven there are no
posts ," she said.
The show started about 7:45 pjn., with
John Mathews (of the Mathews Family) as
emcee. His delivery was reminiscent of a
hawker hustling people into a burlesque
show: "We've got 'em from Texas, we've
got 'em from Tennessee, we got 'em from
everywhere." he said.
What these gospel groups rely on fdr
excitement, for show, are the lines sung by
the bass. When gospel became integrated
into the rhythm and blues mainstream, this
excitement switched into an upper register,
with a female singer often wailing above it
all in the Aretha Franklin tradition.
And the Apostles have a real basso
profundo-croaking along in the vicinity of
low-low B sometimes. Mi King tms guy so
he doesn't sound like he's burping into the
sound system has got to be a challenge.
Keyboards strong
While the four groups that preceded the
Imperials didn't come to its standard, the
other groups bad moments. In his act, John
Mathew featured his son Dale, who was
quite a keyboard player and singer. Dale
gave a haunting rendition in tones
reminiscent of John Davidson of Kris
Kristofferson's "Why Me Lord?V The
original thrust of the song seemed
changed- it sounded like a man speaking
of only heavenly love instead of
Kristofferson including a love-for-a-woman
element.
All of the groups had strong keyboard
players, especially the Emeralds and the
Inspirations.
The Inspirations with their white pants
and ted blazers looked like they'd Just
attended a Big Red luncheon at the
Nebraska Club. At the end of the set, the
piano player got into It, turning halfway
around on the bench, like Jerry Lee Lewis,
banging both of his feet onto the stage like
mad.
Slow spots
For people who came to the concert to
get their religion from music and not from
sermons, the program slowed down at
times as when, for example, John Mathews
gave a dissertation on the flag. An excerpt
from the poem he recited: "They used to
wear her (meaning the flag) on the briny
foamSir, but they don't treat her like they
used to back home." Fade into "The Battle
Hymn of the Republic."
And Ray Burdett's enactment of "the
most important event in history"-th8
Crucifixion-was too commercialized.
While Burdett was on his knees for a tune
about "The Third Man" at Golgatha, the
three Emeralds hovered close by in long
white gowns like angels wrapped in blue
spotlights.
But all this is picking nits. Gospel music
operates on a plane different from other
forms of music. It is music with a purpose.
To say, "Yes, there is an omniscent power
in the universe. There is something to
believe in." A Krishna, a Buddha, a cosmic
consciousness, or whatever other name
what only used to be known around here
as God goes by these days.
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' After all the groups had finished their
sets, they regrouped on stage for the finale,
"How Great Thou Art." The song had
already been performed twice before that
night, but no matter.
The voices on stage started, hundreds of
the faithful joined in from the grandstand
In a united statement of tribute, of
reverence.
The audience rose to its feet; And
throughout the audience arms were raised
toward heaven, supplicating the divine
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have pity on a trouble world.
Nebraska State Fair: an assault on the senses
By Deb Cray
It's an assault on the senses.
There's nothing like the smells, the
Part of the fascination of the fair comes
from its broth of emotions: excitement,
frustration, fatigue. There is mystery on
the Midway: people calling to you frorr
tastes, the sounds and the sights of a state under jaundiced lights, grabbing for youi
fair.
Labor Day in Lincoln was a scorcher.
fcAAM WAV. .-
people-estimated at 100,000 by fair
attention.
. Double Ferris wheels
The two Murphy Bros.-ea h one has his
officials-from coming out to the own carnival-have both their midways
fairgrounds to join in the circus.
together at the state fair this year. So,
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there are more rides-two, count 'em,
two-double ferris wheels.
Overall, the rides are cheaper this year.
Listead of coughing up 75 cents for each
ride, people buy coupon books which are
redeemable for shows or rides.
As always, the fair has its bizarre
the women at the burlesque show with the
mannequin faces and Siamese twins
eternally facing each other.
Fishbowllife
The 23-year-old male twins said in an
interview that their fishbowl life doesn't
bother them.
"They'd be looked at anywhere they
went anyway," their father said. "They
might as well earn their way."
There were oddities of a different sort:
the UJS. Navy band, dressed in summer
whites and blue-anchor Insignias, singing
country.
The Norfolk Police Dept. exhibit was a
hit. Behind glass cases was marijuana,
labeled and displayed in every conceivable
form. "Marijuana Leaf was one sample.
"4 Rolled Joints," "Brick Kilo" and
"Water Pipes" were others.
4H contests
But all this is not the crux of what the
state fair is about. It is about thousands of
4-IFers across the state, who have dreamed
and worked toward a purple ribbon for
months. '.v.
' It's about families such as the Elmer
Eberspachers of Seward. Each year about
this time, the family hits the road, showing
iraft horses at stte fairs throughout the
Midwest. - -
This year their three-year-old mare Lcri
did well, taking in about 15 winning
ribbons from the Iowa, Missouri and
Nebraska State Fairs.
Family affair
To the Eberspachers, breeding horses is
a family things Elmer started breeding
nurses 40 ymm ago. Now liia sun Ukcs iito
draft horses around to shows, and his
grandson works at cleaning out the stalls.
The fair is about boys like David Knabe,
who fattened a Yorkshire boar on three
and one-half gallons of ground corn a day
up to 926 lbs. And now, David said he
Knn nam a si Pn trarnd fir
any amount of sausage or money
And the fair is about people like Dale
Shoemaker. For 22 years ho has stood at
the gats taking tickets from faceless
thousands. He keeps coming back.
"It pets in your blood," he said.
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