Entertainment

Cuba Gooding Sr. Continues to Enjoy a Thriving Entertainment Career

Published

12 years ago

March 10, 2015

Oakland Post

Cuba Gooding, Sr. (Courtesy Photo)

by Timothy Cox

Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper

BALTIMORE — Mention the song “Everybody Plays the Fool,” and an older generation of music lovers will immediately recall that The Main Ingredient, featuring lead singer Cuba Gooding, before he added the “senior” tag to his name, recorded the once-popular tune.

A younger generation will immediately connect Gooding’s surname with his son, the actor, Cuba Gooding Jr. – famous for starring in several top films such as Boyz ‘N The Hood, Jerry Maguire, Fighting Temptations, American Gangster, Radio and now the recently released Selma.

In an interview from his home near St. Augustine, Fla., the elder Gooding reflected on his successful music career and raising two successful actor sons, including his “baby boy,” Omar Gooding.

At 70, Cuba Gooding Sr. has no problem divulging details about the past and the development of his formidable musical career from his Harlem, N.Y. origins. He notes that his father,Dudley MacDonald Gooding, was a Barbados native with an affinity for the Marcus Garvey “Black Nationalist” movement in the early 1900s. “He told my mother that he would name his first born son Cuba – that’s because he once lived in Cuba and had positive feelings about the country,” said Gooding Sr.

He also revealed that his mother (Addie Alston) wanted him to become a solo singer in the mold of Nat King Cole or Brook Benton. “She always wanted me to separate myself from that whole group thing.” In fact, The Main Ingredient had already formed in Gooding’s midst, as some of his boyhood friends started rehearsing in his neighborhood, but Gooding was unaware of their existence.

The original group was called The Poets and later, The Insiders. Before Gooding joined, The Main Ingredient had already recorded a marginal hit, “Spinning Around” in 1970 and scored heavily on the The Impressions’/Curtis Mayfield composition, “I’m So Proud,” in ’71.

The original group included Tony “Panama” Sylvester, Luther Simmons and Donald McPherson (vocal lead of “Spinning Around” and “Black Seeds Keep on Growing”). McPherson died in 1970, Gooding recalls. “We were not the typical black soul group from the early 1970s. We recorded on the prestigious RCA-Victor label (now SONY) with the likes of Harry Belafonte and Charley Pride, said Gooding. But remember, we were young and still wanted to be cool and soulful like our counterparts, The O’Jays and The Delfonics and people like that,” he said.

“I could never compete with the ones who sang in church, like Eddie Levert and the guys from The O’Jays. I don’t even know any spiritual songs, I grew up singing and wanting to be like Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra. I had to teach myself to become a group performer instead of a standup, solo artist,” said Gooding. “I vividly remember standing in Times Square in New York City – never asking for money, but just singing and working on developing my craft.”

He reflects on a career highlights after being recruited to join The Main Ingredient. “Heck, I was working in credit collections at Sax Fifth Avenue, and had no interest in singing on that level. The guys needed me (after McPherson’s illness and eventual death) so they promised me I could make more money than I did on my two-week salary at the department store. So, the rest is history.”

With Gooding’s magical lead vocals, the group scored heavily on the 1972 single “Everybody Plays the Fool” and two hits from 1974, “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely” and “Happiness Is Just Around The Bend.”

Comparing today’s music business with the 1970s, Gooding says he will never forget recording album projects live, on sound stages, accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra. “It doesn’t get any better than that. Today, talent and stardom is all dependent on whether American TV viewers call and vote for you, ala ‘American Idol.’”

The golden years also had its share of bad times, he said. “We found ourselves $250,000 in the hole, after paying for all those recording sessions, for all the musicians, the payola – all that was in RCA’s budget. We never got the lion’s share. That’s why Stevie (Wonder) created Black Bull Music, so he could get his (publishing) share from Berry Gordy and Motown.

“This is a business, but sadly, the ones who make all the money are the ones who have no musical talent at all. The lawyers, the agents, the managers, road managers, accountants – they get the money. And, you pray that the government doesn’t come and hit you before all of them get paid.”

During the interview Gooding discussed the deaths of “two of his good friends from the industry,” namely Edward “Sonny” Bivins and Winfred “Blue” Lovett, both of The Manhattans. “I knew those guys from early in our careers, because we were all from the New Jersey/New York area,” he said. “I’ll really miss them.”

On a more upbeat note, Gooding recounted his input in helping to rear two successful acting sons, Cuba Jr. and Omar. Another son, Thomas, is a bass player and works as musical director of Cuba Sr.’s touring band. There is also a daughter named April.

On helping Cuba Jr. and Omar become actors, the older Gooding says, “I learned from my mom and dad that it was more important to be a parent. That means that I did what was necessary for them to be successful. I took that approach as if they were in a formal schooling environment. I taught them that it was important to be successful, and I taught them by example. I also taught them martial arts.”

Mr. Gooding said he wanted to make it clear that he was not his sons’ sole positive influence. “Their mother played a major role in their development,” he said. “Their mother (Shirley Sullivan) taught them how to pronounce their words – to speak the King’s English properly so the people would respect you regardless of your education. My answer is plain and simple – understand the responsibility of being a parent above and beyond being a biological father. I am truly blessed. It was like my father was telling me what to say to them,” he said.

Gooding notes that after a long period of marriage, he eventually left the family for nearly 17 years, but regrouped and remarried his mate in the 1980s.

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From Historic Memories to New Possibilities: Oakland Celebrates Coliseum 60

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, September 18, for Coliseum 60, an event marking six decades of sports, entertainment, employment, and community memories at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex. Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum first opened, the celebration featured cultural performances and a mini-documentary highlighting its history. Speakers reflected on the venue’s significant role in the community and its future possibilities. Read more to learn about the individuals and stories honored during this special event.

Published

2 days ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE moderates a panel discussion at the Coliseum 60 celebration at Youth UpRising featuring Keith Brown, a member of IATSE Local 107; author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; and African American Sports and Entertainment Group President Ray Bobbitt.

By Carla Thomas

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, Sept. 18, for Coliseum 60, a celebration honoring six decades of sports, entertainment, employment and community memories connected to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex.

Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum opened, the event carried the theme, “One Community. One Legacy. One Future. Forward Together.”

The celebration opened with the national anthem performed by sisters Anese Jade, Amina Benjamin and Zaza Benjamin. Diamano Coura West African Dance Company contributed African dance and drumming, bringing movement, rhythm and cultural expression to the program.

A mini documentary highlighted the Coliseum’s sports history and its broader role as an entertainment destination. Archival material recalled performances by Prince and Tina Turner, along with memorable games featuring the Warriors, Oakland A’s and Raiders.

“The Coliseum 60 is about much more than celebrating a building or looking back at 60 years of history,” said event organizer Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE.

“It’s about the people who made that history possible: the families, workers, athletes, artists, community leaders, fans and generations who gathered there and created memories together.”

A panel exploring that history featured author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; stagehand and union representative Keith Brown; and Ray Bobbitt, president of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group AASEG. Lewis described her family as fourth-generation Bay Area pioneers.

“My family and Black families who arrived even earlier helped build the Bay Area, grew businesses and established culture here,” Lewis said. “This should be taught in the public schools.”

Lewis recalled Oakland’s influence on sports, music and literature, from the Raiders’ beginnings at Laney College to stars such as The Pointer Sisters and Rickey Henderson who attended Oakland public schools. She also advocated for school museums, historical timelines, entrepreneurship training and investments benefiting corridors such as Bancroft Avenue and High Street.

Keith Brown, a member of Local 107 of the International Alliance of Theater and Stage Employees (IATSE) who began working at the Coliseum in 2011, remembered the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Ice Capades, baseball bat giveaways and Nelson Mandela’s 1990 appearance.

“The special events are amazing, but it’s the workers that make the memories real for everyone,” Brown said. “They make the magic happen at the Coliseum.”

The program recognized longtime workers, including beer-stand manager Robert Preston, who served for 40 years, and Kenyatta Gentry, who worked as a vendor for 24 years and used her earnings to purchase her first apartment. Union workers Jose Gonzales and Carmen Sandoval were also honored. Speakers emphasized that Coliseum employment provided generations of residents with union wages and benefits.

Dr. Denise Saddler, the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) was also honored. Saddler shared her family’s history of working at the Coliseum.

District 7 Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston discussed the complex ownership arrangements involving the city, county and private interests.

“This was the most complex deal of its kind in the country,” Houston said.

Prior to moving from the East Coast, Alameda County Supervisor and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority Chair Nate Miley recalled learning about Oakland through its three professional sports teams. As an elected official and public servant, Miley fought hard to keep the Golden State Warriors, Oakland As, and the Raiders, but he is hopeful for the future.

“The story is not over for the Coliseum,” Miley said. “We’re entering a new chapter.”

Bobbitt said the departure of three teams had once seemed unimaginable, but he maintained that Oakland’s future remains bright.

“Oakland is a cultural superpower worldwide,” Bobbitt said. “We’re going to write the future where we participate and drive the redevelopment.”

Bobbitt highlighted AASEG’s four-year partnership with Castlemont High School’s architecture program, which engages students in reimagining and creating redevelopment concepts for the Coliseum property. “The youth will always move us forward. They are the future.”

In closing, Atkins said, “September 18 is the celebration, but what we build together afterward is the legacy.”

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Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026

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2 days ago

September 27, 2026

Oakland Post

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BOOK REVIEW: ‘Laws of Solomon’ Reveals Tender Heart of Former Child Soldier

The monsters that came to him early in his sleep were the easy ones. It was the later demons that stole Solomon Nangobi’s sleep, the spirits of all the people he killed when he was a child soldier in Uganda, and when he was a fixer in New York as an adult. Their ghosts called to him with urgent voices, though he left that life behind long ago.

Published

7 days ago

September 22, 2026

Post News Group

Book cover of “Laws of Solomon.” Courtesy of Poisoned Pen Press

By Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

Author: Eriq La Salle, Copyright: c.2026, Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, SRP: $18.99, Page Count: 304 pages

Finally, after so much work, you’ve left your past behind.

That’s what you tell yourself: what’s done is done and you can’t undo history. It’s over. You try not to think about last month, last year, a decade back because what does it matter? As in the new novel, “Laws of Solomon” by Eriq La Salle, remembering is too full of pain.

Now, his days were filled working the soil in gardens near Malibu, and he loved the quiet life.

Still, he kept his guns.

And he was glad: when Solomon recognized two Zeta gunmen stalking a well-dressed man, woman, and child through the gardens, he couldn’t walk away. He stopped the gangsters with bullets, but not before the adults and their bodyguards were dead. The child, an 8-year-old boy named Gaby, was safe, but Gaby couldn’t tell Solomon what was going on.

What became quickly certain, however, was that Solomon was now Gaby’s guardian, and the Zeta crime boss wanted them dead, too.

When he was the same age as Gaby, Solomon saw unspeakable things, the murder of his parents, the destruction of his homeland, and the atrocities that Uganda dictator Idi Amin’s soldiers committed. He learned to kill, he observed, and he was hardened, understanding as a small boy that revenge was often necessary and needed, and that blood would shed at those times.

But Gaby was pure, an innocent, a child.

Solomon reached out to his contacts to try to get the boy to safety, but being a contact of a marked man was likewise a dangerous thing: the monsters outside were worse than the ones inside him.

Two words for you: ‘Whoo weee.’ That’s what you’re going to say when you close the back cover of “Laws of Solomon,” knowing that you’ve just been taken on a wild up-and-down, around-and-round ride.

La Salle makes it impossible not to like Solomon, an African man who has, over time, lost nearly everything dear to him and who has no faith in much of anything. Readers get that part of the story eventually, and there’s historical authenticity in some of it, but we never really get to know Solomon, which makes the book feel dark and dangerous. Along the way, we meet and get to know his helpers, which buoys Solomon’s chase to find safety for the boy, and your heart won’t stop pounding.

Keep in mind that this is a thriller partially set in 1970s Uganda, so expect lots of violence but don’t expect a lot of people to live. If you’re up for that, find “Laws of Solomon.” You won’t be able to leave it behind.