The Knoxville News-Sentinel from Knoxville, Tennessee • 66

1 A S4 rerv wnt t- Crossover potential here for black artists and profit-motivated bereft of the anger and resistance characteristic of black music during the civil rights movement' Not everyone agrees "Everything changes" says Bin Clary a disc Jockey and operations manager for WKGN "What was popular in the 60s popular now and in all forms of music I think one of the reasons you see things like this happening is because it is business" Clary and Duffield say local sales of rap music are equal in the Mack and white communities Clary attributes this change to the general evolution of music itself It has changed from blues to do-wop to rockabilly to folk to the British invasion to soul to heavy crossover appeal is the key to a successful Knoxville date Yet achievements have been slow for many Mack artists Back in the rebellious 608 music acted as a catalyst for change It set the mood and urged on the young voices who spoke it fluently For blacks it was especially -heartfelt Through song the woes of social injustice were discussed and the anthem Shall Overcome" brought the movement into focus Some say feeling has been lost in music in general especially in Mack music They say there are no new Otis Reddings or Marvin Gayes no Aretha Franklins or Gladys Knights Mack music they complain is too sterile by LEON STAFFORD New-8entirel ciaff writer Michael Jackson's ie said to have broken down the walls barring music by black artists helping introduce Prince El DeBarge Sade New Edition Billy Ocean and others to a wider audience' The ascension of Whitney Houston Janet Jackson and Patti LaBelle to the top of the pop album charts marked the first tbne in history that three black females held-the top pop positions back to back Crossover success limited to Mack artists first hit made it on the black and dance charts before finding its way to the pop airwaves Country artists also find success as crossoyer acts Now crossover appeal is helping to build the popularity of Mack artists here in Knoxville There are several reasons why concert promoters say the city has the potential to support concerts by those artists The first is the near-capacity crowd of 800 that turned out at the Civic Coliseum this summer for a show by teen pop idols New Edition About 65 percent of the audience at the concert was white Another is the success of shows by black artists at the University of Tennessee According to Tim Reese director of student activities shows by Mack artists have found diverse audiences He cites Tina November IMS concert as being the biggest of last season He also notea successful dates by artists such as Lionel Richie Kool and the Gang and the Bus Boys Yet another reason is WKGN-AM a former 24-hour talk station which signed on with an urban contemporary format Oct 28 1985 Billed as sound of the city" the 24-hour music station grabbed the ratings spotlight from veteran urban contemporary station WBMK-AM WBMK which ceased operations June lit broadcast between sunrise and sunset Harvey Alston who promoted the New Edition show says that of the eight concerts by Mack artists he has brought to Knoxville this was the only one that made money The success he says shows the potential of bringing acts with crossover appeal here However he says blacks must better support Mack artists "We need to work on black people coming out and supporting them" Alston says "The way I see it the artists have to have a lot of crossover appeal" Ken Duffield who promoted a summer rap extravaganza at Bill Meyer Stadium agrees but carries this ideology one step further "Here in Knoxville we want a separate but equal show" Duffield says "We want everyone to enjoy it" Duffield and Alston say HAVE YOURSELF THE MERRIEST CHRISTMAS EVER at the annual UT FAMILY CHRISTMAS CONCERT Sunday December 7th at the UT ALUMNI GYM TWO PERFORMANCES 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm UT BAND ORCHESTRA and CHOIRS metal to funk to disco to punk to rap all coming under the umbrella of American popular music "Nothing sounds the same1 Ckuy says "If that were true! then all black music would sound like Otis Redding and the -Supremes and all white music would sound like the Beatles "Every time everything starts -sounding the same there is a he says "In 1976 it was disco Country boomed in The DJ says the media tend to oversimplify music What no one has analyzed is the growth of artists such as LaBelle and Turner Both achieved success in the past but are gaining new audiences r-their music grows ui ADMISSION: 3400 Adults 3200 Students FREE to children under 6 yrs of age Discount to Senior Citizens Happy Holidays FREE Ice Cream Lovers Calendar With any purchase Over "While Supplies Last I GetIO Krystals for $250 I with this coupon and pick up your FREE $500 COUPON BOOK I Enjoy over $500 worth of money- saving coupons yours FREE! 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