Music – Hamp's Corner of America

Here’s 2018, or…

…Down is up, up is down and sideways is running around in circles

We are approaching or in a brand-new year. Yet we are still dragging along a bunch of crap from the old year. Stuff that hasn’t been worked out or a federal investigation that hasn’t reached a conclusion. Everybody knows the Russians interfered in our elections except the President of our country. My guess is he knows but just doesn’t want most Americans to delegitimize the December 2016, Electoral College declaration of the November 8 official winner. If you are not careful, you will become dizzy from the twist and turns of the daily behavior from the current occupants of the White House.
Words like conspiracy and obstruction of justice are flying around Washington DC like a noose tightening around the Grand Marshall of the KKK’s neck. The current administration is ducking, dogging while trying to counter punch as if boxing was in their DNA. No one knows where the real buck is going to land or if an indictment is just around the corner. Yes, these are tense times at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Stay tuned for more fallout reported daily by the very institutions designated by the president as Fake News Outlets.
Stay tuned for more sexual harassments charges from men who can’t seem to keep it in their pants when it comes to business associates or woman they casually meet at some affair or another. For that matter, I bet you some relationship that we never dreamed would occur is about to come to light in 2018. But then…yes…women have found their voice and its about time.
Look out for more saber-rattling from North Korea and the like. They all know now that as America continues to isolate itself against the rest of the world. That provides cover for their inhuman acts. Our allies now trust us less as they don’t know if their discussions with the US will be in the next tweet from the Donald. Senate and House Republicans will continue to act as if they don’t know why they were sent to Washington in the first place.
Look for Democrats to pin a lot of hopes in the 2018 elections. The problem is they better put in the work, or the November-December headlines will be how the Democrats blew it.
All that is just a distraction from how we as individuals can make it an outstanding New Year. First loose as many pounds as you can, which is my goal. You will note I didn’t say how many. That guarantees I will be successful in that venture. Do something you and your main squeeze like to do at least twice a month in 2018. Do something that may be costly during the year but save for it. Or you can still do something that is not pricey. Realize it doesn’t cost anything to be helpful to one another. Or for that matter to people, you meet during your daily rounds.
Take an interest in your children’s world, including play and school. Ensure that they know the values of life and not just the commercial entities. Make an example of yourself by reading books, magazines, or computer blogs. But let them know that your family is a reader of words from many different but trusted sources. Along with your religious preference which should be practiced on a daily schedule. Another fascinating subject that I believe should be discussed within the family is the theory of Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. In short, it’s Abraham Maslow’s psychology theory dating back to his 1943 paper entitled “A Theory of Human Motivation.” It is the ideal vehicle in which to show others why we crave specific needs. Look it up on the internet for details. Having taken the subject of Psychology in school. I found it to be a roadmap for life’s achievements.
Take steps in planning for your independence from your job one day. Whether that is in retirement, resigning or being downsized. Be aware of your peak earning timeframe and always plan on moving on to something else. It will keep you financially stable and able to pivot to another direction. Don’t ever think you are going to work until you are old and gray in any employment.
Finally, as you know, this is a time when we take note of where we are at, going, and how to get there. Some of us select the person we want to ride with us to wherever we’re headed. Nevertheless, it is a time for reflection. If it isn’t, then make it such a time as it should be for your own best interest. Happy New Year from my little corner of the world and enjoy the coming seasons. As you know time moves on with or without you so hang on and enjoy the ride.
If you are thinking of what’s next in Washington DC, don’t get confused or buy into the rhetoric. Heed the words of my Grandma Gracie, “One monkey don’t stop the show.” She may have not been grammatically correct, but you get the point.
Peace & Blessings…stay vigilant for our American rights. Make it a 2018 day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II
Follow Hamp at https://twitter.com/#!/HampTwo
Subscribe to this blog at https://wp.me/p65rCa-jf

Join us for the live broadcast of our bi-monthly BTR Shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hampscornerofamerica
We are in a continuing effort to publicize my book, Gracie Hall-Hampton, the Arkansas Years 1917-1953. It examines an era of Jim Crow that many in our society may have forgotten occurred against people of color. Meanwhile, we celebrate the publication of my latest and fifth book, Misguided Intentions. Click on the publisher-Authors page at https://outskirtspress.com/MisguidedIntentions
Get any of my books by visiting my Amazon.com Authors page at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B017TYFKBI?ref_=pe_1724030_132998070

Our Parent Company and sponsor is CHIIA Group, online at http://hcoa.net/ and http://www.chiia.com/home.html. Our Retail Site is https://frostyltd.com/frosty-ltd-com

I Remember The Old Christmas Seasons

Tis the season when I become nostalgic and remember Christmas time at my parents and an assortment of relatives’ houses. Being raised in Milwaukee, I understood what the late Bing Crosby meant by a White Christmas. We wished for light snow instead of a snowstorm. If that be the case, I would grab my snow shovel and go around the neighborhood knocking on old people doors. They would pay a reasonable price for me shoveling out the walkway to their house. If you knew my father, you would understand where I got the idea. Like Codis the first I would take every opportunity to earn a dollar. Mind you I performed those tasks early in the morning. So I could be back in time to enjoy Christmas Day with my family.
Oh, what Christmas Days those were; it seemed longer back in the day. My stepsister and I had to wait for momma and daddy to get up before opening any presents. They would usually come out of their room around nine o’clock. It was a long agonizing wait because we were up as early as five o’clock. The big day always seemed to fall on a day after our parents spent Christmas eve playing cards, nipping at beer or alcohol and entertaining guest.
In time, Mama Rosalie would begin to cook breakfast. Another long agonizing time as we had to wait until she finished cooking. She would not open her presents until after breakfast. Daddy followed suit which would make me and my stepsister so anxious. Then after waiting so long, we wouldn’t get a lot of the toys we wanted. We mostly received school clothes, things we needed and books. Over the years we got used to it. We didn’t have a chimney, so Santa Clause didn’t stop by our house. My daddy would joke about shooting Santa if he came through our Third-floor window. That’s when we realize there was no Santa. Because daddy would never shoot Santa, would he? We found other ways to amuse ourselves by collecting or earning money to buy ourselves a toy or two.
By early afternoon, the visitors would start to stop by and wish us a Merry Christmas. If an Uncle or someone didn’t come to our house, my father would allow me to ride with him to their home. It must have been a golden rule established in my relatives’ southern hometowns of Arkansas. Go by and visit the sick and shut-in. Always check on your family members. Somehow between Christmas Eve and the big day, we would see all our relatives for a minute or two. At one time, I thought every black person in Milwaukee was related to me in some form or fashion. Daddy seemed to know everybody in the city.
Yes, I do remember Grandma Gracie who had her own little apartment within walking distance of our house. Cousin Buddy, his wife Ruby and their three kids (Louis, Larry and Ruby Jean) who lived on the first floor of our three-story building. From other places in the city, there was Uncles Monroe, Aunts Mittie Lue, Calvin & Marjorie, Peach & Vernese, Abe & Rose, Curtis & Verdia, Clarence & Gertherene. Aunt Lacireen & Uncle RT, Aunt Lena & Uncle Colrolus still lived in Arkansas. Of course, they all had kids, some were the same age as me. While others were older and younger, there were cousins Roy Lee, Johnny Lee and Vernell to name a few. This was to name just a few whereas we all managed to see one another during the holiday season. Our parents would look to that ritual.
It is that foundation from which I was raised I find comfort in being myself. One always found themselves protected from all the outside ills of society. If somehow, we encountered a problem we always knew how to handle it. Or our parents and that assortment of relatives would come to the aide of those who needed it; anytime and anyplace. They were people who worked hard, played hard and worship God on Sundays and other occasions.
I can’t tell you how many times my Grandma Gracie said she was going to pray for me. Especially during my teen years. When I was finally allowed to go around the corner from my house. Or that old warning, “Boy you are getting a little big for your britches, aren’t you?” With that, she meant I was beginning to act outside my age. They never wanted you to grow up so fast.
I think about those people today. I missed the conversations we had about family, history, life and the current state of the black race. Now you may understand why I write books and articles about those people. How I do miss my mother, father, stepmother, mother-in-law, uncles, aunts and a host of other goodwill people of their ages. Around Ninety-Eight Percent of those old Southern Souls have passed on and left a legacy of people like their children and me. I, my siblings and cousins who are left are now the older generation of migrates from Bradley County, Banks, Arkansas and the surrounding area. With pride, we say we are chips off the old blocks.
Don’t get me wrong, I love and enjoy the family my wife and I have brought into this world. I am always happy to see or talk to my sisters, brothers, and countless cousins spread throughout the United States. My wife and I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy the career success we had before retiring from the rat race. But we also know that success is a credit to those old Southern Souls and God. We love and enjoy the new friends and acquaintances we’ve made and can claim today. Yet, there is no denying the value of having come from those Southern Souls of the past. God broke the mold with many of those people. I know that many of you know exactly what I am talking about from members of your own family. May they rest in peace knowing they did a very credible job at life.
Peace, stay vigilant for our American Rights, Blessings and Merry Christmas to you all…from the Hampton Family.
Codis Hampton II
Follow Hamp at https://twitter.com/#!/HampTwo
Subscribe to this blog at https://wp.me/p65rCa-j8

Join us for the live broadcast of our bi-monthly BTR Shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hampscornerofamerica
We are in a continuing effort to publicize my book, Gracie Hall-Hampton, the Arkansas Years 1917-1953. It examines an era of Jim Crow that many in our society may have forgotten occurred against people of color. Meanwhile, we celebrate the publication of my latest and fifth book, Misguided Intentions. Click on the publisher-Authors page at https://outskirtspress.com/MisguidedIntentions
Enjoy the book I wrote honoring my father, entitled Remembering Moz. Get a copy at https://outskirtspress.com/rememberingmoz
Get any of my books by visiting my Amazon.com Authors page at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B017TYFKBI?ref_=pe_1724030_132998070

Our Parent Company and sponsor is CHIIA Group, online at http://hcoa.net/ and http://www.chiia.com/home.html. Our Retail Site is https://frostyltd.com/frosty-ltd-com

Do You Like Soul Music, Yeah! Yeah!

It’s easy for us old fogies…lol. When was the last time you heard that term? In fact, some of you may have never heard of or referred to older folks in such a way. As I was stating, before interrupting myself, it’s easy for the baby boomer generation to flip at hearing the beginning of a song.

Most of the time, hearing the first few notes allows us to name the song, artist, where, what and who we were doing the first time we heard a timeless classic. We might yell out, “Oh s_ _t, that’s my song.” We start to sway, bob our head, snap our fingers and tap our feet at the same time. All of those moves from a standing or sitting position. Talk about an instant flashback.

For me, it is Soul on a roll, whether it’s a bagel, garlic bread or hamburger bun, I’m getting ready to throw down, get down, get funky with it. The tune can come from the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, or even the first decade of 2000. We are talking about the BR (Before Rap) years or today’s version of Pop. The sound of which is a blend of no real genre of music. Some of the instruments, background singers are artificially created with the help of a computer.

Hey, I’m not trying to dis anybody’s generation. Today and now is your time, your era. Hip-Hop rules say most dope (cool) folks. I hear you. I watch most of the award shows. Although sometimes I find myself wishing that some Rappers pants, currently hanging below his butt, fall all the way down around his ankles. Just once, I would like to see that on national TV. I think that video would go viral within minutes. Seriously, every generation should be unique in their right.

It just so happens this article is about Soul music, Rhythm & Blues. Songs from artist like the Ohio Players, Maze, The Commodores, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Earth, Wind and Fire who we simply called The Elements. We name a few because it is too many to name for this article. We partied, danced and made love to the sounds of Soul Music, Brown and Blue-eyed Soul. There just is no mistaking the beat, rhythmic flow or lyrics of a love affair going good or bad. We love it.

They created such great music, although there were clunkers too. The music bought ethnic groups together. The music itself played an intricate part in the Civil Rights movement. Have you ever heard of Curtis Mayfield’s, “We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue?” How about his soulful rendition of “The Makings of You?” Gladys Knight did a version in the movie, Claudine. Does James Brown’s “I’m Black, and I’m Proud” remind you of that era? Certainly you remember Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues,” from his “What’s Going On” statement Album. Or have you heard Donny Hathaway’s “The World is a Ghetto?”

Some of the music protested the Viet Nam War, like Edwin Starr singing “War.” The lyrics, “War, humph, good god yawl, what is it good for…absolutely nothing, saying again yawl. War…” Get the point? Tell me it doesn’t ring true today. For a complete understanding of that particular period, you only need to listen to Marvin’s entire Album of songs in the classic “What’s Going On.” The Rhythm & Blues sound caused up and coming artist from around the world to imitate its artist. Check the Rolling Stones. Oh I know, its only Rock and Roll is their theme song but check Mick’s style of singing. Or Tina Turner’s (after Ike) Rocking Soul as she calls it.

As further testament to Soul music’s appeal, numerous Old School or Back in the Day radio programs are playing Soul, R&B and Smooth Jazz for your listening pleasure in 2016. That would include me via Hamp’s Corner of America Blog Talk Radio Show.

By the way, please tune in and check out a few cuts I am going to play on this Saturday’s Show, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hampscornerofamerica/2016/03/26/hamps-selections-from-his-collection-of-soul-jazz-music-vol-xiii.

The music is from the man I call the Rhythm Philosopher, Mr. Curtis Mayfield. Many of you know him from his hit and movie title “Superfly.” What you may not know is Curtis was one of the most influential artists of the day recording and releasing music that made you think about your color and economic status. Speaking of truth, you have got to hear these cuts from his “There’s No Place Like America Today.” You may listen to the lyrics of those tunes and say as of today; not much has changed.

Another testament to the everlasting popularity of Soul-R&B is the music you hear in commercials, TV programs and of course the movies. And finally, let me not overlook the current superstars of today’s recording industry. Many of whom are children of Baby Boomers and following generations that embraced Soul-R&B. They grew listening to the superstars of yesteryear. That doesn’t mean they don’t love Hip-Hop, Rap and the music of today. It simply means they are still recording Soul-R&B. Artist such as Fantasia, KEM, Calvin Richardson, India Arie and Anthony Hamilton to name a few. So…are there musical superstars that make good music today regardless if it’s Soul or Rhythm & Blues? Of course, there are…again, way too many to mention in this article. There is enough for me to say the music industry is not short of talent and professionalism, regardless of those with their pants hanging below their butt.

Peace, make it a day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II

Follow Hamp at https://twitter.com/#!/HampTwo

Subscribe to this blog at http://wp.me/p65rCa-7Z

Join us at the live broadcast of our bimonthly BTR Shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hampscornerofamerica

“In my latest book, Remember Moz, Gracie & John Hampton’s First-Born, I wanted to tell the world about a unique individual. Not because he happened to be my father but to explain who he was, where he came from, and how he evolved into the man he became up until his death. In doing so, I wrote of his ancestor’s roots back to and through the Civil War. The inclusion of his birth and upbringing in the heart of Arkansas, or Jim Crow country, add southern reluctance to learn why our country involved itself in a bloodthirsty four-year exercise in the first place? Then you begin to understand why, our parents behaved the way that they did. See if I captured the essence of this paragraph.” Get the book via the Authors Page at http://outskirtspress.com/webPage/isbn/9781478766056

Or visit my Amazon.com Authors page at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B017TYFKBI?ref_=pe_1724030_132998070

Our Parent Company and sponsor is CHIIA Group, online at https://hcofa.net/