Lumzy Sisters, Angus Gillespie talk highlight Evening of Gospel Choirs in New Brunswick
In 1983, Professor Angus Kress Gillespie of Rutgers University faced a quandary.
“We had a terrible time getting the students to leave their dorms and TV sets to come out for anything,” Gillespie said. “We tried everything — magicians, fortune tellers, ventriloquists.”
Gillespie, then a member of the assembly program advisory committee, came up with the idea of a gospel concert to mark Black History Mouth. He grew up in rural Virginia and was very familiar with the music.
Yet he needed some star power to headline the show.
“Back in those days, gospel concerts were advertised with rainbow posters stapled to telephone poles,” said Gillespie, who also founded the New Jersey Folk Festival at Rutgers. “I noticed these local concerts often featured the Lumzy Sister of Mississippi, and I wondered how did these girls get up from Mississippi every weekend? I later learned that they were from Mississippi but they lived here in town.”
The first “An Evening of Gospel Choirs” was a hit thanks in part to the Lumzy Sisters, and on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Mount Calvary Missionary Church in New Brunswick, the Lumzys will headline the 40th edition of the concert.
The Lumzys are known to gospel fans around the world. The group has appeared on “The Bobby Jones Gospel Hour,” “Singsation” and more. Members Chequita Lumzy-Wiggins and Doris Lumzy-Bellamy have passed away, but a new generation, including Essence Rose, has taken up the mantle.
Essence Rose, aka Elder Anita Hicks, has also taken the role of director of the concert. Gillespie will give a talk titled “A Brief History of An Evening of Gospel Choirs” at Saturday's show.
There's going to be a lot of churching going on. The concert will also feature the Macedonia Baptist Church in Piscataway, led by Rev. Linwood D. Rouse, and the Mt. Calvary Missionary Church of New Brunswick, led by the Apostle Dr. Brenda Lumzy. The New Beginnings Deliverance Ministry Praise Team of North Brunswick will also perform.
The band will be led by Brother Kerwykn Pierre on organ. Deacon Shon Grandberry will drum, and Jerry Johnson will be on bass. Singers include Brother Enlil Jones, Sister Stephanie Jones, Deaconess Kitora Scurry, Deacon Jason Scurry, Sister Greta Johnson and Sister Verna Jeffries.
The MCMC Male Chorus includes Brother Tony Chavis, Brother Carl Moody, Brother Larry Howell, and Brother Elton Braton. Other musicians include Brother Andrew Thomas, Brother Willanard McGriff and Brother Eric Jacobs.
The Mt. Calvary Missionary Church will be led by Apostle Lumzy Hicks. Brother Andrew Thomas will play keyboards, with Brother Eric Jacobs on drums and Brother Jermaine Holmes on organ. Sister Yolanda Hall will serve as praise leader. The Mt. Calvary singers include Brother Quincy McKinney, Minister Janet Thomas, Elder Alissa Caldwell-Moody, Elder Dolores Lumzy and Elder Hicks.
The concert is funded by the Folklife Program of the Division of Arts and History of Middlesex County. Get there early to make sure you have a seat.
Go: An Evening of Gospel Choirs, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, Mount Calvary Missionary Church, 150 Throop Ave., New Brunswick, free; 732-296-0900.
Melody Reunion
Does the Melody still haunt your reverie?
Relive the bygone dancefloor days of the Melody Bar on French Street at the annual Melody Bar Reunion, 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Feb. 25, at the New Brunswick Elks on Livingston Avenue.
The Melody on French Street, since demolished, was opened by Cal Levine and Steve Flaks in March 1981, and became a haven for music buffs, artsy types, social misfits and other members of fringe groups. DJs, including future star Matt Pinfield, played alternative rock — the music of the Smiths, the Cure and Depeche Mode — along with dance and house music, electronica and hip-hop.
You’d hear everything from “How Soon is Now?” to “Rappin’ Duke.”
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Frank Gibson of Hopewell spearheaded the annual Pinfield-era reunion a few years after the club closed in 2001. Proceeds raised benefit Camp Nejeda in Stillwater Township, which serves diabetic children. It’s in honor of the late John Ryan, the longtime Mel doorman who suffered from diabetes.
Go: 2023 Melody Bar Reunion, 7 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Feb. 25, New Brunswick Elks Lodge, 324, Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, $15; facebook,com (search 2023 Melody Bar Reunion).
Asbury Park St. Pat's Parade fundraiser
Irish eyes will be smiling at this year's Asbury Park St. Patrick's Parade, which takes place March 12. But they'll also be a little misty, too.
That's because the late Sammy Boyd, who passed away last year, has been named the 2023 Grand Marshal. Boyd, a leading city music promoter, helped launch the AP parade and was a fervent supporter.
If he were here, Boyd would be looking forward to ShamRock 'n Roll show on Sunday, Feb. 26, at the city's Wonder Bar. It's a fundraiser for the parade, with the Pat Roddy Band, Bobby Bandiera, Little Silver Creek Band, JoBonanno & the Godsons, Rafferty Brothers, Jimmy Shoez and the Magooz, and the Monmouth County Police & Fire Pipes and Drums performing.
Here's a toast to the man.
Go: ShamRock 'n Roll, 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, Wonder Bar, Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, $20; wonderbarasburypark.com.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lumzy Sisters to highlight 40th annual Evening of Gospel Choirs
