On Memorial Day, an ode to the new season
“you’ve been wait-ing so long for the summ-er!”
“as soon as I get some oil, I’m gonna rev up my motor-bike!”
I was in Gary’s Marquette Park yesterday
(btw, if you haven’t seen it since the expansive, federally-funded rehab that happened maybe 10 years ago, leave aside your prejudices and check it out, it’s gorgeous)
There were approximately 600 motor-bikes
Revving up and having a good time kicking off the summer
With…moderate…social distancing
Nazty was a Detroit funk outfit
They started off as “Black Nasty” before becoming Nazty and then later the ADC band
Had a small hit with Long Stroke in 1978
The band was mostly a family affair
Children of Detroit singer, label owner, and music entrepreneur Johnnie Mae Matthews
Artwell Matthews played drums, and sister Audrey was on vocals
They started out on Enterprise (a Stax imprint) and released “Talking to the People” in 1973
When Stax was falling apart (the label ended up filing for bankruptcy in 77), they dropped the Black and signed to Mankind out of Nashville
On the liner notes to the album, they proclaim their motto is “Be on time. Do a good job. And please the public”
It’s Summertime is a crowd-pleaser for sure
This record ain’t a classic, and it ain’t rare
You can often pick up the single or the album in the dollar bin
Highly recommend you do so
Happy summer y’all, it’s here
