Code,200001
Subject,Bill Spoon
Date,11/21/2009
Interviewer,Dana Aritonovich
Abstract,"Bill Spoon was born in Alabama in 1942 and came to Cleveland in 1960, becoming involved in the city's music scene.  He is the founder of The Soul Notes singing group.  This 2009 interview discusses his childhood in Alabama and his life in Cleveland, focusing on the community of African-American musicians in Cleveland in the 1960s and 1970s that he was a part of.  He ties in his discussion of these artists and their music with the broader issue of racism, which African-Americans in the city faced at this time, also commenting on the nature of race relations during his childhood in Alabama in the 1940s and 1950s.  At various points throughout the interview, he compares the artistic and business aspects of African-American music of his era to the rap and R & B of more recent times, impressed by the business acumen of the newer generations of musicians but disappointed by the often negative messages of their songs."
Tags,"Bessemer, Alabama, music, African Americans, Soul Notes, Lou Ragland, Mt. Pleasant, gospel music, Elvis Presley, Hank Ballard, James Brown, Euclid-East 105th area, Temptations, Motown, Ken Hawkins, Hough, Glenville, Black Panthers, Fred Ahmed Evans, riots, Way Out Records, R&B, Funky Broadway, Sir-Rah House, Marvin Gaye, Ku Klux Klan, Gap Band, R. Kelly, Charlie Wilson"
Special Notes,
minutes:,
1,"born in Bessemer, Alabama in 1942; moved to Cleveland in 1960"
2,surrounded by music industry people in Alabama
3,performed on street corners with many people
4,drafted in 1962; performed music while in military; returned home in 1965 and formed The Soul Notes
5,"moved to LA in 1972, came back to Cleveland in 1973"
6,recorded with Lou Ragland
7,said schools in Cleveland integrated compared to Alabama
8,"lived in Mount Pleasant, 118th and Kinsman"
9,"""not too many things a black kid could look forward to doing"" except music"
10,first remembers gospel music in South
11,heard country music on station out of Tennessee
12,"""not a good time for black artists"""
13,Elvis interpreted black music and dances well
14,Hank Ballard grew up in Bessemer
15,"""buffoonish…like Little Richard"""
,"groups were more popular than individual performers--Flamingos, Moonglows, etc."
16,"first song he liked was Elvis' ""Love Me Tender""; also liked early country records"
17,"parents listened mostly to blues, also to big band"
18,parents didn't have an issue with R&R or R&B
19,parents went to juke joints to hear live music
20,sister and brother and stepfather
21,changed name from William Bell to Bill Spoon
22,president out Way Out Records was friends with Bill's father
23,worked as an investigator even while performing
24,"band members all had regular jobs, too"
25,working
26,saw Hank Ballard and James Brown perform in 1958
27,black nightclubs around 105th and Euclid
28,cabaret parties
29,worked at clubs every weekend
30,Temptations and other Motown acts came to Cleveland
31,"Motown acts were seen as very polished and ""too commercial"""
32,DJs could make or break an artist
33,Ken Hawkins helped promote local bands
34,local artists
35,local artists
36,Temptations did social message songs
37,90% of welfare cases in Hough and Glenville
38,"Ahmad Evans was a ""new type of black male"""
39,prayer
40,riots
41,riots
42,Lou Ragland performed for white audiences
43,black and white musicians unions had different pay scales
44,James Brown helped stop D.C. riots
45,"""Black Panthers fed more people than the federal government"""
46,negative images of blacks in movie and on television
47,"positive images with Nat ""King"" Cole, etc."
48,young people today have grasped the business part of the industry far more than artists of his era
49,Way Out Records
50,Way Out Records
51,Way Out Records
52,didn't have the professionals that Motown had
53,Way Out Records
54,Way Out Records
55,"Bill did not want to learn about ins and outs of the music industry, he just wanted to write and perform"
56,music relevant because it's American
57,"""Country now is basically rhythm and blues"""
58,"""people want to hear melodies"""
59,stories people can relate to in the music
60,chords draw people into songs to listen to the stories
61,songs not as personal as they are now
62,"""they want their freedom"""
63,positivity of music
64,music today is divisive
65,"young people today are selfish, have more rights than previous generations"
66,kids don't have much respect these days
67,"""Funky Broadway"" was considered objectionable"
68,music should have a message
69,listener should be able to relax
70,when he listens to music he likes to relax
71,John Wilson travels the world and tries to help artists get their due
72,Bill wants a solution and a positive message through music
73,"""I'd Rather Go to Hell Than to Be With You"", song he wrote for his brother"
74,"relationships, brother's marriage"
75,Sir-Rah House in Mount Pleasant neighborhood
76,brother's bad marriage and the song Bill wrote about it
77,brother's bad marriage and the song Bill wrote about it
78,songwriting process
79,Marvin Gaye
80,younger generation will do what his generation did
81,legacy of their music will resurface
82,drummers played what they felt
83,music today is about individuals
84,greed and egos are the destruction of society
85,greed and egos are the destruction of society
86,"""all people are hungry…"""
87,things in society need to change
88,"Marvin Gaye's ""What's Going On"""
89,grandmother taught him about Jesus
90,KKK in Alabama
91,whites speaking out against KKK
92,greed
93,"""Music just won't go away"""
94,lasting appeal of the music of the past
95,"young men today think they are choosing the women, but women choose the men they want"
96,R. Kelly's music will last
97,Bill doesn't listen to much new music
98,Charlie Wilson from the Gap Band
99,"""old school stuff will emerge again"""
100,"Charlie Wilson's version of ""There Goes My Baby"""
101,thinks a lot of the melodic music will return
102,Charlie Wilson sings old school stuff with a modern style