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Mavis Staples and Buddy Guy Live at New Jersey Performing Arts Center

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Two legends. One incredible double bill. If you have the chance to see them together or separately, you must. Nothing is promised. No one lives forever. See them now, before their next performances are on a stage in heaven.

Published

7 years ago

December 15, 2019

Oakland Post

Mavis Staples and Buddy Guy

By Dwight Brown, NNPA Newswire Film Critic

Combine their ages and these legends, Mavis Staples (80 years old) and Buddy Guy (83), have 163 years’ worth of living to sing about. And when they do, it’s a music and history lesson extraordinaire.

Staples built a reputation for her rugged R&B chops, social activism and fame as the lead singer of the classic soul/gospel group The Staples Singers. As a solo artist she has carved a new niche, backed by a rock guitarist, bass player, drummer and two back-up singers. Somehow her stripped down band brings more than enough sound to performing arts venues.

The musicians help, but it is Staple’s booming contralto, which delivers a raspy-throated sound as grounded as the earth, that captures attention. As she took the stage Sunday night, November 10^th at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the mixed crowd of adults and seniors was quite receptive through her opening numbers. Their reserve went out the window and flipped to high-energy when Staples launched into a rousing cover of the Talking Heads hip rock song “Slippery People.” Mavis sang: “Backslidin’, how do you do? These slippery people, Gonna see you through.”

Staples warmed up the audience with homey chatter: “How you feel? We bring you greetings from the Windy City, Chicago. Home of Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor and Howlin’ Wolf. We come this evening to bring you joy, and positive good vibrations. Can I get an amen?” It wasn’t church, but the crowd responded with a hearty, “Amen!” The singer, with a loving spirit, blessed the audience. It was an intangible feeling of bliss that grew more concrete as her set progressed.

When Mavis vibrantly claps her hand, displaying a sense of syncopation that is in keeping with a musician of her caliber, it makes you remember how vital she has been to the music scene with a career that spans decades. Her gritty voice growled through the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth:” “There’s battle lines being drawn. Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong. Young people speaking their minds … It’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound. Everybody look. What’s going down.”

Before she ended the set with classics like “Respect Yourself” and “No Time for Crying,” she lamented the state of politics and the presidency. One lone boo was heard from a jackal in the crowd. Everyone else applauded loudly. Then they went bananas when Mavis said, “I’m going up to that White House. I may run for president myself.” Massive cheering ensued. These were her fans, extended family and constituents. With no encore, no real formal goodbye, she left the stage after what turned out to be her last number. She left them hungry for more. She always does.

Anyone who thought Staple’s heartfelt performance would be the highlight of the evening was dead wrong. Steeped in a legendary aura of Chicago Blues, electric blues and blues rock, Buddy Guy took center stage like a king coming home to share his bounty with his people. But instead of expressing his ambitions, he let his guitar do the talking. Halfway through his first tune, he had displayed enough virtuosity to establish that he is the messiah of guitarists, one that younger musicians mimic as they become his disciples.

If you’ve heard Gary Clark Jr. blast his guitar, Eric Clapton make his axe sing, Keith Richards’ rhythm guitar playing, Jimi Hendrix’s guitar wails, etc. you’ve simply heard echoes of Buddy Guy. And those musicians and others will recognize him as their role model.

Guy has been in the music business since 1953. His brand of playing helped give birth to modern blues and rock. He can be slick, with his guitar licks. Tough. Melodic. Rocked out. Low down and dirty, too. “I can play something so funky you can smell it,” brags Guy. And then he does.

The elder statesman gave a nod to fellow blues player, the late Muddy Waters, with a stirring rendition of “Hoochie Coochie Man:” “Don’t you know I’m here. Everybody knows I’m here. Well, you know I’m the hoochie coochie man!” Damn right. He strummed his guitar as fast a Tommy Gun shooting bullets. Conversely, sometimes his vocals were as slow as molasses dripping off a spoon. You can see where blues/rocker Bonnie Raitt got her vocal chops. It was from hanging out with Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. And since Guy is still performing, you can hear that connection between the two.

Guy noted that he is a voice from the past, still faithful to the blues, a music form that is not as popular as it once was. Sadly, he proclaimed, “This is the kind of blues that they don’t play on the radio anymore.” As he crooned, and showed a deep passion for his music, his performance crested with the song “I Just Want to Make Love to You:” “I don’t want you, be no slave. I don’t want you to work all day. I don’t want cause I’m sad and blue. I just want to make love to you.”

When Buddy Guy was on stage you couldn’t control your toe-tapping, hand clapping or body shaking. His music overpowered you with a strength that comes from a man who has lived eight decades, can still spar with the best and stand his ground. After Guy mentioned the name Howlin Wolf, a drunk patron in the front row dared to shout out that Howlin Wolf was from Jersey. Guy stopped playing and gave the man a verbal beatdown: “He’s not from Jersey and you don’t know what the f— you’re talking about … you didn’t hear this kind of music until white rockers did it!” The dude was embarrassed, shamed and the audience watched an icon correct a rookie who was out of line. Then they applauded.

Two legends. One incredible double bill. If you have the chance to see them together or separately, you must. Nothing is promised. No one lives forever. See them now, before their next performances are on a stage in heaven.

Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

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NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper with nine seconds left for the game winning touchdown as his team beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville. Hurts finished the day 26/37 for 264 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 […]
The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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1 week ago

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Oakland Post

Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 yards. During the final drive Hurts went 6-8 with 61 passing yards and the touchdown. Titans defensive tackle — and team captain — Jeffery Simmons said this week that the way to defend Jalen Hurts is to make him “play quarterback.”

Hurts said to Simmons after today’s game: “You started that sh**. I had to finish it.”

Running back Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger in the first half but he ultimately finished the game. He had four carries and nine yards and one catch for eleven yards. He will get an MRI for his injury, but admitted to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network he was fine.

Caleb Williams leaves game against Vikings with apparent lower-body injury

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was helped off the field with a right leg injury with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. Williams was down, writhing in pain after scrambling to his left. After departing the injury tent, Williams raised his right fist, acknowledging the crowd while expressing his frustration. Testing will commence on Monday to find out more details about his injury.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” Johnson admitted regarding Williams’ injury. “He’s in good spirits. He’s a team player.”

Williams finished the day with 138 passing yards and one interception.

“I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee — that was my first inclination,” Johnson said. “But, a hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So, we’ll see. We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

Bryce Young once again dominated the Falcons

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is 5-1 against the Atlanta Falcons and is undefeated at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Today, Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Panthers to a 34-3 dismembering of the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia Tech alumnus Darren Waller caught two touchdowns and linebacker Devin Lloyd returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown.

Cooper Rush started his second straight game for the Falcons and it did not go well. The partisan crowd voiced their displeasure after Rush completed 10/17 passes for 86 yards and two interceptions. Jack Strand entered the game for Rush prompting cheers from the Falcons fans. The rookie threw a pick-six on his first career pass attempt. Strand was the first QB to accomplish that feat since Sam Darnold in 2018 and is the first Falcons player to do that since Brett Favre in 1991. Strand finished the day with 59 passing yards and 16 rushing yards.

According to reports, quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. is expected to make his season debut this Thursday at the Green Bay Packers. His return should help the Falcons. They are the first team since the 2008 Rams to not run any plays in the red zone after the first two games to open a season.

The bright spots for the Falcons today were the Spelman College Jaguarettes performing with the Falcons cheerleaders and Florida A&M’s marching band, The Marching 100, also performed during halftime!

Jayden Daniels gets carted off after apparent arm injury

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared to injure his left elbow on the final play of the first half in his game against the Dallas Cowboys. During the play, Daniels got stepped on, braced himself for the fall, and his elbow bent the wrong way. Daniels draped a towel over his head as he exited the field on the cart.

He was later ruled out.

Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow to the same arm during week nine of last season against the Washington Commanders, which led to him being shut down for the remainder of the season.

The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win

Master the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework with Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt. Learn every stage, tactic, and win!
The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Oakland Post

Negotiation framework stages, tactics, and winning strategies from AutoNetwork

Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt deliver the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework in Episode 8 of The Color of Our Money Is Green. This episode covers the three foundations of every effective negotiation, the full seven-stage negotiation sequence with exact language for every stage, and five of the most common dealership tactics with the specific response each one requires.
What You Learn in This Episode:
The three foundations that make every negotiation tactic work
The complete seven-stage car-buying negotiation sequence
Exact language for every stage of the dealership conversation
Five common dealership tactics — the turnover, the four-square, the packed payment, spot delivery, and forced add-ons — and how to counter each one
Why signing preliminary paperwork isn’t the same as signing the final contract
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“The Color of Our Money Is Green: A Buyer’s Guide to What Cars Actually Cost” — stan.store/RGist
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AutoNetwork helps serious car shoppers inspect any new vehicle online before walking into a dealership. I’m Roosevelt — I’ve been reviewing cars and shaping digital car buying and credit union auto leasing since before YouTube car reviews existed.
You’ll find detailed walkaround reviews, POV test drives, and buyer-focused breakdowns covering comfort, space, features, and real-world value.

How to use the channel:
Watch the walkaround of the car you’re considering
Visit AutoNetwork.com for the full review
Check CouponsOffersAndDeals.com for current dealer specials
Walk in already knowing what you want — and what it should cost

AutoNetwork.com
CouponsOffersAndDeals.com
Affiliate disclosure: some links earn a small commission at no cost to you and help support the channel. Insta360 is one of those partners.

The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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The post Mazda CX-90 Luxury: Heated Seats & Premium Comfort! #shorts appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/EH5A4eQ4ipY