The Temprees slates 50th anniversary via pay-per-view concert

From left: Harold "Scotty" Scott, Walter "Bo" Washington and Deljuan
"Del" Calvin of The Temprees. (Courtesy photo of the artist)

The Temprees, a trio of balladeers whose smooth and evocative vocals meld together to create celestial R&B soul music, has held it together for 50 years. Their friendship throughout the years is just as tight as their harmony.

Remember their 1972 heartfelt “Dedicated to the One I Love,” which climbed to No. 17 on Billboard’s Soul Singles Chart and No. 93 on Billboard Hot 100? What about their soaring vocals on “Love Maze” and “A Thousand Miles Away”?

Originally formed in 1970 and signed by Stax Records’ executive/producer Josephine Bridges to We Produce Records, an offshoot of the record label, The Temprees will celebrate 50 years together in concert slated for pay-per-view in Los Angeles, Calif., featuring Memphis natives Deljuan “Del” Calvin, Harold “Scotty” Scott and Walter “Bo” Washington.

Presented by 5 Stars Music Group Concert Series and Rjai’s and Ladivee’s Productions, the international recording group will be featured Nov. 28 on Comcast, DirecTV, Xperience On Demand, and all digital platforms. 

“Deljuan (Calvin) and I started talking about The Temprees’ 50th anniversary two years ago,” said Dr. Robert L. Jamison, who is producing The Temprees’ 50th anniversary concert.

A former Memphian and physician who owns two urgent care clinics in California, Jamison has produced several concerts for The Temprees over the years. “We had a nine-state tour already booked for this year,” he said.

But then the unexpected happened. The tour was shuttered due to COVID-19. “Everything was canceled from March until now,” said Scott, who sings tenor with the group. “Filming this pay-per-view concert is the first thing we’ve done since March.”

Flying the group to California for the concert is contingent on whether or not Gov. Gavin Newsom locks the state down to mitigate the surge in COVID-19 infections, Jamison said.  

Despite the uncertainty of a lockdown, the pay-per-view concert will go on, he said, adding that Nov. 28 is definitive and will be momentous for the “oldies” group, now gearing up for a return to the stage.

“We were actually going to be shooting the concert between the 10th and the 15th of November,” Jamison said. “But we have enough prerecorded stuff on The Temprees not to delay the process.”

Come what may, Scott is content, recalling the early days of The Temprees, their longevity, and scores of fans, both young and old, that catapulted them from obscurity to their first introduction as the “Lovemen,” the trio’s first album in 1972 and a nickname that has stayed with them. 

“I never knew that singing in school together, the neighborhood, in the clubs, that we would get to where we are now,” said Scott, who grew up in the Riverside community of Memphis with Calvin and the late Jasper “Jabbo” Phillips, the trio’s original lead singer. 

Scott, Calvin and Phillips graduated from Carver High School and crooned their way into the hearts of doting fans. Washington joined the group after Phillips’ death in 2001 and together unleashes an abundance of melodic soul over the airwaves and on stage.

Their chart-topping songs are recognized the world over. They’ve also shared the stage with R&B legends such as Blue Magic, The Stylistics, The Manhattans, The Delfonics, The Intruders, Evelyn “Champagne” King, and others.

Don Cornelius, the creator and host of Soul Train, heard them at a club in Washington D.C. “He came backstage and said, ‘Where’s y’all’s manager?’” Scott recalls. ‘I want y’all on my show.’”

The trio performed twice on Soul Train. They also grooved and danced on one of the biggest stages, the 1972 Wattstax Festival in Los Angeles, before more than a hundred thousand adoring fans.

Their latest CD, “From The Heart,” was released in 2016 on the 3 Point Records label. It was produced by singer/songwriter/musician Angelo Earl, owner of Soulstreet Recording Studios in Memphis. Earl played electric guitar for the Bar Kays and likewise worked with Al Green, Dr. Dre, Jody Whatley and others.

Scott never kept a journal. Now he does after his home burned down in March along with his extensive wardrobe and Temprees memorabilia – evidence of their success reduced to memories.

“I watched my home burn to the ground,” he said.

Adding COVID-19 on top of that disaster would crush the spirit of any human being. But not Scott’s, who counts his blessings and continues to forge ahead with bandmates Calvin and Washington.

He would understand the significance of their contribution to music after a girlfriend one day suggested he turn the television to the station airing Empire, a series centered on a fictional hip-hop mogul.

“She said, ‘Scotty, you all are on Empire.’ I said, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ So, I turned the television. They were playing ‘Dedicated to the One I Love’ during a love scene with (characters) Cookie and Lucious.”

Jamison knows the length and breadth of The Temprees’ powerful lure. He plans to promote their 50^th anniversary in 196 countries. 

“We’re talking about Italy, France, Jamaica, Philippines, Hong Kong, China, the UK, London, everywhere,” he said.

The Temprees are still churning out music that tugs at the heartstring. Age hasn’t hampered their stride or muffled their sound. “We’re gonna sing and dance and keep going until we just can’t,” Scott said.

For more information about The Temprees’ 50^th Anniversary and pay-per-view concert, contact Dr. Robert L. Jamison at rljamisonphd@gmail.com. Tickets can be purchased at paypal.me/AHC.

A percentage of the proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

Blackfoot's death ends record deal with Hughes

J. Blackfoot signed a two-year recording contract with Roy Hughes' Uptown Records on May 6, 2009, but Blackfoot never got a chance to deliver that soulful sound that Hughes was looking for. (Courtesy photo)

           The soulful sound that J. Blackfoot could easily summon from within set him apart from his contemporaries. He’d distinguished himself with The Bar-Kays, The Soul Children and as a solo artist on such chart-toppers as “Taxi,” a 1984 smash hit.

            Roy Hughes, who owns Uptown Records at 1217 Thomas St., was expecting Blackfoot to create that same sound when he signed the singer to a two-year, two-album contract on May 6, 2009. But Blackfoot, whose real name was John Colbert, died Nov. 30 before Hughes could get him into the recording studio.

            “I never got a chance to record him,” said Hughes, who paid Blackfoot a five-figure retainer. “He started getting sick and didn’t get a chance to add his part to three songs.”

Blackfoot performed in November for the last time in West Memphis, but he’d been busy prior to that retooling and recording the music that had catapulted him to the top in the genre of soul music.

Hughes, meanwhile, is left with an unfulfilled contract that was explicit, but now null and void. The contract called for Blackfoot to produce two albums – one album and the master for the first year, and another album and the master for the second year.

The contract was renewable if Blackfoot had met his obligations and the master recordings delivered, Hughes said.

Blackfoot signed with Hughes in May 2009, but Hughes collaborated with The Bar-Kays to produce an 11-track Blackfoot album for the group’s JEA/Right Now Records/IODA label more than three months later. “Woof Woof Meow” was released Aug. 18, 2009.

After wrapping up their joint session, Blackfoot would have been bound exclusively to the contractual agreement that he signed with Hughes’ Uptown Records.

“This was his home record company,” said Hughes, who was prepared to executive produce Blackfoot’s next two albums. The three tracks now in the hopper at Uptown Records are missing that one ingredient: Blackfoot’s soulful voice.

Though Hughes won’t be able to record Blackfoot, he has nothing but admiration for the soul crooner. “He was one of the music industry’s original legends and known around the world from his days at Stax Records. He tried to continue his recording career at Uptown,” said Hughes.

Hughes said some of Blackfoot’s label mates at Stax have also conducted business with him and Uptown Records. Blackfoot, he added, was one of the last legends in Memphis and a vocalist who was unmatched until the time of his death.

“My condolence goes out to Blackfoot and his family,” said Hughes. “He means more to me and his legions of fans around the world than my interest in recording him. There will never be another J. Blackfoot.”