|
Local band scores big, and rap knocks its way inBy Doug Pullen
Ready for the World was on top of the world and the top of the charts in 1985 when the group’s third single, “Oh Sheila,” bumped Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” from the No. 1 spot. By doing that, the Flint sextet continued a little-known local tradition: at least one area artist had reached the top of the charts three decades in a row � Clio’s Question Mark and the Mysterians with “96 Tears” in 1966; and Grand Funk Railroad with “We’re an American Band” in 1973 and “The Loco-Motion” in ’74. RFTW formed in 1982 when singer Melvin Riley and guitarist Gordon Strozier recruited some of the better young players on the local R&B scene � Greg Potts (keyboards), Willie Triplett (keyboards, percussion), bassist John Eaton and drummer Gerald Valentine. The group’s first two singles did moderately well on the charts, but it was the light, Prince-influence “Oh Sheila” that put them over the top, pushing sales of their self-titled debut album past the 500,000 mark. RFTW never matched the success of “Oh Sheila,” though it continued to record into the early ’90s. Riley left in 1992 to go solo. Flint’s biggest act, Grand Funk Railroad, reunited in 1981 after a five-year breakup. Singer-guitarist Mark Farner and singer-drummer Don Brewer recruited Dennis Bellinger after original bassist Mel Schacher dropped out. The re-formed group released two albums between 1981-83 and rented Whiting Auditorium for two days in November 1981 to rehearse for a comeback tour that included its only Flint concert appearance, a sold-out Dec. 15, 1981, show at the IMA Sports Arena. Rap spread from the streets of New York City to Flint’s inner city in the 1980s. Local promoters booked shows at the Capitol Theater by the likes of Ice-T, the Fat Boys and Run-DMC � and many of Flint’s ’90s rap stars, including MC Breed and the Dayton Family, got their starts opening for some of those acts. The decade closed out with an IMA stop by on Aug. 30, 1989 by MC Hammer, the hottest rapper in the land at the time. He wasn’t hot enough � or maybe just too pop, for Flint’s hardcore tastes. The show sold just less than 1,000 tickets; the IMA can seat 4,500 for a concert.
|
 |
1980-1989 stories
  Era
of basketball greats also golden for pitcher
Quick jump Get
in touch
|
