“I’m that guy that started off singin’ behind the bar … and I’m still waitin’ for somebody to say, ‘Hey, man, you gotta go get a real job,'” chuckled Dennis Edwards, speaking via phone Tuesday from St. Louis. “I don’t think any of us realized 40 or 50 years ago that our music would still be so relevant today,” added the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who helped steer The Temptations to two of their Grammy wins.
Relevant, it is. Edwards and The Temptations will prove that the good songs live on during the second annual Legends Concert Oct. 8 at the Riverwalk in downtown Columbus.
The roster also includes hit-makers Rare Earth and former Lynyrd Skynyrd member Artimus Pyle. The Flames, a regional powerhouse, will open the outdoor concert.
Steve Rogers of the Legends Music Foundation said, “These are the people who helped build the music industry. The Legends Concerts offer a real opportunity to host groups that influenced an era of music that will never come again.”
Paving the way
Edwards realizes he was present when chapters of music history were being written. He joined The Temptations in 1968 and is credited with ushering in the super-group’s edgier sound, singing leads on Grammy-winners like “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and “Cloud Nine.” The repertoire was influenced by the cultural climate of the times.
“I think we were one of the first black groups to play at the University of Mississippi,” the singer said thoughtfully. “But you know what? If it took some of the music to bring the people together, then that’s what it did.”
That sense of community is a Legends committee goal.
Creating an event that brings in a diverse crowd, helps put Columbus on the music map and attracts visitors from the surrounding region are high on organizers’ lists, explained Rogers. “We really try to pick artists that will draw different elements of the community, while keeping it affordable.”
Bang for the bucks
General admission tickets to the concert are $25.
“Four bands for $25 — that’s basically $6 per band. That’s unheard of these days!” said committee member Bill Gavin.
The inaugural Legends Concert in 2010 featured Percy Sledge and Bobby “Blue” Bland and was attended by about 2,200 people, according to Rogers.
“Anybody who attended last year knows what a great event this is. … This is going to be such a great time,” said Gavin.
VIP tickets to the event are $60 and include reserved seating, food, drinks, an opportunity to interact with artists and on-site TV to keep up with college football.
Rare success
In the late ’60s into the ’70s, rock was on its fast-track evolution, and Motown was bustling. The Temptations were putting out gems like “My Girl,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” and “I Wish It Would Rain.”
Rare Earth was right in the mix, the first wholly-white hit-making band with Motown’s Rare Earth label (yes, the name was inspired by the group).
Rare Earth co-founder Gil Bridges is still with the band that ironically scored one of its early hits by covering The Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You.” The two groups shared the same creative air, even some of the writers.
By phone from his home in the Detroit, Mich., area, Bridges talked about one of group’s defining songs. It came close on the heels of their 1970 classic, “Get Ready.”
We just knew
“Motown had a studio with a bunch of writing rooms in it: Each room had a piano, and there would be writers in different rooms,” he recounted. “We walked in the studio to work on a certain song one night, and a couple of the writers (there) say, ‘Come on over and see if you like this … and play a little of ‘I Just Want to Celebrate.’ We all looked at each other — we knew.”
The band jettisoned the tune they’d walked in with and instead worked through the night on the new number.
“That’s just how we felt about the song. It was, ‘Wow, we gotta do this and get it done — and get it good.” By morning, they had what would become one of the iconic tunes to come out of the ’70s.
“It was a phenomenal song for us, ending up in movies, and ads for AT&T, Gatorade, Ford Motor Co.,” Bridges said of the 1971 release.
Rock ‘n’ soul
Southern rock fans have plenty to celebrate at the Riverwalk.
Artimus Pyle is a name well-known to Lynyrd Skynyrd fans who know their history. The “wild man” drummer of the legendary band from 1974 to 1977 went down in the plane crash that killed six people, including frontman Ronnie Van Zant. Pyle himself was seriously injured. But when the band reformed with Johnny Van Zant in ’87, Pyle returned to the drums for several more years.
He will bring his full band to the Legends Concert, with a repertoire of Skynyrd songs, Rogers said.
With The Flames, the audience will get “one of the very best bands around,” pledged Gavin. The high-energy troupe, complete with horn section, performs songs ranging from Motown to Michael Jackson.
Good to know
Gavin noted that golf carts will be running between downtown parking areas to the Riverwalk for those who have difficulties walking to the venue.
“We try to end by 10:30 p.m., so people can come out and enjoy things to do downtown or at places out on Highway 45 North,” said Rogers. “We hope people will come to Columbus and make a weekend of it — visit the Farmers’ Market Saturday morning or take advantage of the Fall Tour of Homes going on, and lots of other things to do.”
Gonna be a good time
“Playing Mississippi is like coming home; I just gotta stay away from all that good cookin’ you’ve got down there,” Edwards laughed affably Tuesday. Then, more seriously, “It’s really a beautiful gift when you can make people happy. I get my strength from people enjoying the music.
“I feel so great when we finish a show and everybody tells us how much they enjoyed it. Some people even tell us we bring back memories of people they loved … now, what could be better than that?”
For Bridges, as for Edwards and the other honed veterans performing Saturday, four and more decades on stage still hasn’t quite scratched the itch.
“It’s just great fun. I feel so blessed that I still do it and that people love it,” said Rare Earth’s lead vocalist and sax player. And then, in an homage to the legendary music, “Man, we grew up in the best era ever.”
ON THE WEB:
columbuslegendsconcert.com
columbus-arts.com
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.