OCTOBER 25: Celebrating Lou Wilson of MANDRILL's 73rd Birthday Anniversary - Peace and Love Be Unto Him

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOU WILSON Tall, Dark & Chocolate!

Well, it's here again, and I'm in a lot better space this year than I was last year - Lou's birthday is today, Saturday, October 25, 2014 - and, though I was a basket case leading up to this occasion, I've actually walked through the valley and come out on the other side in a much better space - emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, mentally and even physically than I went in.  

LOU & GLO WILSON

Truth be told, I spent the better part of this week tripping on how I was going to handle October 25 without him being here - without surprising him with at least 3 zany birthday greeting cards (I could never ever choose just one); without all the silly, mushy stuff we said to each other.  So as it got closer and closer to the date,  I allowed myself to wallow in the blues for the past few days - literally - and when I say wallow, I mean I wallowed.  I bawled, I cried, I sobbed, I prayed, I vividly relived all the treasured times we spent together - all the agonizing times we spent apart.  I looked him in the eyes and traveled all the way back to the first time we met at Temple University's McGonigle Hall (in Philadelphia) -  all the way to January 5, the date of our the last conversation we had about travel plans and moving arrangements. I remember reminding him that it was our grandson's birthday (as if he would forget that!), and laughing at how fast time was whizzing by.

I literally went through all the  agonizing "why me?" "it's not fair"  moments.  I think it's what most of us call the blues - and I had it soooo bad, I didn't come outside for two days!!!

And just when I thought that I would surely cry my eyeballs out, I felt the most amazing aura of peace and love I'd ever experienced in my life come over me and permeate the room.  And I heard Israel Houghton's song:  "It's Not Over," in my mind - as if he and New Breed had just stepped into the room and started singing, as if to tell me that everything was gonna be okay; and this was not going to be ongoing pain, but the end of pain, which was now transformed into treasured moments.   

It was if God had just stepped into the room and said it's time to come out of the valley and move forward ("Moving Forward" by EH).  I sat on the edge of the bed and started smiling into the darkness, as I heard him say, "Hey Glo, between you, me, and the what? Lamp post - the lamp post can't talk; it tells no secrets - so really between you and me, we had a wonderful time here; we did a lot of things - they are all in here; that's what really matters. Right?  It's time for you to get up and get your glow back." 

So as I celebrate Lou, I honor all that we shared, and what we were able to complete in our walk together.  I take all that I've learned from him -  all those wonderful 3:00AM conversations and thank him for the blessings, the fun, the lessons - and yes, the trials and tribulations we went through to get to the point of reunion and resurrection before his transition.    I can now smile and listen to his music with enjoyment; I can  remember the times he spent over that Fender Rhodes picking out the lyrics for a new song that suddenly struck him; or recording into the tape recorder a sound that he wanted to inculcate into a new song idea that struck him;  impromptu jam sessions at the hotels where we stayed while on the road; or pulling out the old classic crooners like Johnny Hartman,  Latin vocalists and others that he so admired to go over why they were great.   (He loved Joe Cocker - I could never understand that one); revered the Beattles (I learned to enjoy them too) - and we both were comedy nuts - from Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby and Saturday Night Live and beyond.

Fiercely proud of his Caribbean heritage - Jamaican Dad, Barbadian Mom, born in Panama (Jamaica/Basha/Manian man), he would start the day playing Sparrow, Lord Kichener, and all the others he'd grown up listening to in Panama and Brooklyn.  All that culture and music was infused into this wonderful 6'4" giant, and he embraced it all - and melded it into his new found cultural base as an African American Caribbean brother from Bed Stuy.

I'm rejoicing that his genius has been passed through our DNA to our children and their children, and that it's blossoming in them in so many wonderful ways - not necessarily as musicians, but as wit and wisdom; masters of humor and conversation; outgoing, friendly, warm hearted generosity.  I have come to realize that Lou may have made his transition to the ancestors, but he's not dead - because he lives in each one of his children; he lives in that great body of music he gave to the world via MANDRILL - a great deal of which is still sitting on tapes in his brother's garage.  He may have even lent some of his DNA to his nieces and nephews - via his words of wisdom, his love of children, his love of education was transmitted to them every chance he had to be with them. 

Celebrating the Birthday of Lou Wilson of Mandrill:

Saturday, October 25, 2014, marks the 73rd Birthday of Lou Wilson, the love of my life.  It's been a challenge to make it through the month of October with so many memories and realizing that his Birthday will soon be here, but he won't be here to celebrate it with us.  Birthdays are a big deal in our family and it would usually be planning some way to surprise, shock and awe each other with some outlandish gift or homage.  But now, I'm dealing with the memories, the fun, our beautiful children - Kira, Rais & Adiya; our fantastic grandchildren - His brothers: Ric (Doc), Carlos (Carl), Wilfredo (Wolf) = the Group; and his wonderful parents Doris & Wilfred Wilson, and his kid brother Alonzo, who made their transitions before him - All that went to make up this wonderful, creative, talented, big hearted, complex Fine Black Man. He exuded music; his life was one long series of lyrics.  So Happy Birthday Lou Wilson (Tall/Dark&Chocolate)  - I celebrate you and the joy you brought to so many of us while you were here among us, and the treasured memories while you are with the Ancestors - Say hello to Gil Scott-Heron, Mom & Dad (yours and mine); Jitu Weusi, Amiri and all our friends.  I know you're all having a blast.

- Love You Always -

Stay Blessed -

GloW

LOU, CARLOS, RIC, WILFREDO

LOU WILSON BLACK IN THE DAY

Stay Blessed & 

       ECLECTICALLY BLACK 
       Gloria Dulan-Wilson

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Happy Birthday to My Handsome Son Rais "One Sun Lion RA" Wilson

by Gloria Dulan-Wilson

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANDSOME SON!!! 

Rais & Big Sister Kira

   You know I had to do this - this is a milestone birthday, and I just couldn't let it pass without paying homage to my handsome son, Rais Enaharo Wilson (his name is both East and West African).  Based on the fact that he's a Leo, Rais means Ruler; Enaharo means Like the Sun (since Leo is a Sun King).  He later amended it to a stage name of his chosing:  The One Sun Lion RA. 

    Spoken word artist, musician in his own right, and the pride and joy of his late father, Lou Wilson (Mandrill), Rais has stepped out in his own right and begun blazing his own trail in the world of entertainment.

    As a kid, sandwiched in between two sisters, Kira and Adiya, Ra made it plain that he was definitely the "boss" in the family - that is until his big sister shut him down, or his little sister put on a pouty face.  There was the usual amount of sibling rivalry, but for the most part, these three were each other's support system, and continue to be so to this day.  A lot of love in our family for each other.  I am so proud of that fact. 

    Now that they are all grown up, mature adults, and RA is the father of three beautiful chocolate drops of his own, it's a pleasure to see him with his kids, telling them the exact thing I told him when he was little:  "Don't sit with your mouth open;" " say please," "say thank you," "say excuse me," "take your elbows off the table," "don't talk with your mouth full" "Black is Beautiful and so are you," "I love you."

    A consummate musician, writer, poet, and artist, Rais often appeared with his dad's group, Mandrill, on tour, performing some of his own original work.  He's also appeared with Roy Ayers in the past. 

    As a child it was easy to see he had a lot of talent, because he drove his teachers crazy.  As a result of being frequently called to the school because he was always cracking jokes or imitating (perfectly) characters he had seen on TV or his teachers;  I finally told him the only way he could do that and it not be a problem, was if he was getting paid.  So I made it mandatory for him to audition for plays and roles, got him an agent, Sassie Gehrhardt, who got him on two Cosby Shows, and nearly landed him a role as Vanessa's love interest.  In addition, he performed in two plays at the Harlem School of the Arts, one in which Susan Taylor's daughter, Shauna (?) danced (Wings Over Harlem, and We Don't Mean Chicken Honey). 

    My Handsome Son - I do love saying that - is his own person, but he shares so many traits from both the Dulan and Wilson family lines.  I've taken to calling my children Jamaica/Baja/Manian/Indians - because of their family lineages of Jamaica, Barbados, Panama and Cherokee nations.  It's beautiful to see the blends in his talent, temperament, expression, and genetic code. 

    As an artist, his work has been displayed at Yale University, Danny Simmons Studio, and in Paris.  Being multitalented has its blessings, and its frustrations; but the dedication with which he's followed his dream is beginning to bear fruit. 

RA Black in the Day at North Carolina A&T

      And on this milestone of Birthdays, August 5, 2013, I am speaking power over my son and his life, and declaring that he will have many more wonderful days ahead of him.  He is blessed and highly favored.  And very much loved by us all. 

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Momi

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Event Alert: Thursday, August 11, MANDRILL at B.B.KINGS: THE BEST JAM YOU EVER SPREAD YOUR BREAD ON

Well it's kind of like the feeling of the Prodigal Sons returning home! Mandrill, in New York, at BB Kings, after such a long time of being away! You almost want to go get the royal ring to welcome them back to the fold. For if any place is home for this elite (yes, I said elite) group of musicians, vocalists, performers, philosophers, brothers, it's New York City!!

Sure they were born the Wilson's on the Panama Canal, where they (four of them - all boys, mind you: Luis, Ricardo, Carlos and Wilfredo) were raised by their parents, Doris and Wilfred Wilson, who instilled in them a lifetime love and reverence for music. Indeed, their Jamaican born father had each one of them playing some kind of instrument by the tender ages of four and five, and made it a responsibility, right up there with the other chores they had to do. In fact, if they didn't practice, they couldn't go out and play.

And now, music is in their blood - it's their air, they literally breathe the stuff - they write their own original music, lyrics, concepts, drawing heavily on all they heard, saw and learned in their formative years, from a multi-cultural community, where people from all over the world came to live and work - the Panama Canal. People from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana, St. Croix, St. Lucia - you name it, there in their little enclaves, speaking in different dialects, with different cultural flavors - the Wilson Brothers soaked it up (though they didn't know they were doing so at the time).

But the world probably would never have heard of these talented brothers had their parents not decided to emigrate to America to give them better lives. So in the early fifties they sailed with the two eldest sons, Lou and Ric, for New York, and landed in the wonderful land of BROOKLYN. Talk about an adjustment. Their accents against that of Brooklynese - by the time they had graduated from the famed Boys High School (yes they are part of the Legends of the High!), they had mastered that and so much more.

As their parents progressed, they soon sent for the other two sons (Carlos and Wilfredo), and established a household near the Marcy Projects on Hart Street, where the accents there, just as in Panama, were from all over the world - because Brooklyn, indeed was and is the mecca for Caribbean and Central Americans who likewise came to give their families better lives.

Their mother, who originated from Barbados, and was the entrepreneurial spirit of the family, had her own beauty parlor, and provided services (as well as any and all community news) to the ladies of the neighborhood. The boys, now teens, rehearsed in their mother's shop, and, combining the flavor of Panama, Jamaica, Barbados, Cuba, Africa, with the flavor in the streets of Brooklyn, their unique musical style was forged.

Young men now, they morphed into Lou, Ric, Carl, and Wolf Wilson - each an incarnation of all that their parents instilled, coupled with an overarching love for their unique blend of cultural influences. While they initially pursued other careers, Ric, a Doctor; Carl served a stint in VietNam; Lou followed the trail of psychology; Wolf attended college - they decided that the only thing they really loved was their music - and the rest, as we say, is history.

There are many former neighbors and friends who remember those early days, when it looked as if Mandrill would just be a good local band - playing in such local clubs as the Blue Coronet, among other places. But they were destined for greater things - and soon garnered national attention, leading them to major contracts with Polydor Records, Arista Records, several gold records, and world wide tours.

Many of their fans are still shaking their heads in wonder at how so much sound could come out of four men - who collectively play among them 45 instrument, as well as doing their own vocals, from four part harmony to a`capella.

So it's only natural that their arrival is creating a bit of a buzz - to put it mildly (and you know, I never do anything mildly; more like wildly) that they are beginning their East Coast Tour at BB Kings, in New York, during Harlem Week - WOW!! Talk about making an entrance!!

Mandrill, the group has grown exponentially since the early days, and are a veritable explosion of music on the stage. I mean real music - because these are each consummate musicians in their own right. You might say they are musicologist because they have it down to a science. If you sit in a rehearsal with them, you might hear such comments as "That's an E to the flatted fifth...." While to you and I whatever they play sounds wonderful, they are listening with the ears of trained musicians that would put most symphony orchestras to shame - these men can play!! (In fact, Mandrill was the first rock group to play Carnegie Hall in the early 70's - packed the house and turned it out!!)

This equally talented entourage that has joined the group is part of what could be called Mandrill's musical dream team - taking what is already great to extraordinary.

For the nostalgic, of course the music that made Mandrill famous "Fence Walk," "Mango Meat," "Hang Loose," "Land of the Golden Baboon," "House of Wood," "Git It All (Shake Some Boody)," "Polk Street Carnival," will be part of the repertoire, but something new has been added in the form of Spoken Word artist, the One Sun Lion Ra (Rais Wilson, son of Lou, whose been making a name in his own right), who frequently joins the group on tour.

It's this mix of the old (old?) with the new that keeps Mandrill a favorite for those of us in the 70's who knew them when, right through to today's new followers. From snippets of their music heard on countless albums from those who have bitten off their unique sound to augment their own, this group is alive with their flavor of Afro/Latin/Caribbean/Soul/R&B/Classic beats.

As they did in Morocco, Venezuela, Europe, and the rest of the world, the music of Mandrill will blow your mind. I defy anyone to remain in their seats during the last 40 minutes of the concert - unless of course you are made of wood, and I've even seen wood vibrate in resonance to the syncopation of their unrelenting, unmitigated musical onslaught.

Mandrill is awesome and the world knows it. That's why they've remained the standard bearers of true unvarnished musical pleasure over the years. Fans from Philly, DC, Atlanta, California, Detroit, Texas, among others come to concerts with their original Mandrill Albums, holding them lovingly in their hands, treasures from the 70's and 80's.

Fans in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe know every lyric of every song they ever sang and sing along with them in the audience. They turned them out in Montreaux, and are still talking about it. Others bring their tambourines, cow bells and other instruments, or just drum on the table while the group is on stage jamming. They can't help it!

You can check it out for yourself by logging on to www.mandrill.com or you can make it your business to be among the crowd at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill 237 West 42 St.; (212) 997-4144 - on Thursday, August 11, when Mandrill takes New York by storm.

Mandrill is dripping with soul out of every pore, and remain to this day the Best Jam you ever spread your bread on!!!

See you at BB Kings - I'll be the one dancing down front!

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson