My great-grandparents lived in a row house and, with the birth of my grandmother, had three daughters under the age of 6.
This is just a mile or two from where I live now. My grandmother and her mother, Woodhaven, Queens (1918)Īs comparisons were made to the 1918 flu pandemic, it occurred to me that my grandmother was born in April of that year in Woodhaven, Queens. Lying in an ambulance headed to Elmhurst Hospital The mother’s efforts will not be in vain. This moment in time she will never recount This moment in time she will always remember The mother chants along in a sing-song voice: Where mother and child are momentarily bathed She pushes the carriage forward embarking on their route Here is my contribution:Ī mother and her infant begin their daily stroll. I have joined him in contributing to the hot-off-the-press Winter 2022 issue. “I did not write my book to hurt anyone ” she said “I just wanted to get it all down on paper.” Rosa was 76 when she passed away of complications following surgery on Januin Tampa, Florida.Īs some of you may know, my partner Toby Hobbes, aka dudley ghost is a musician / artist who frequently contributes mixed media to Jonathan Russell’s quarterly Monkeyshines zine. She felt a great relief in finally telling her story. It was just last year when Rosa Lee Hawkins released her memoir Chapel Of Love, in which she writes not only about her career in The Dixie Cups, but also about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Joe Jones, their manager. The combination of The Dixie Cups with the Barry/Greenwich producing/songwriting team resulted in girl group gold for Red Bird Records with classics like “People Say”, “Iko Iko”, “Girls Can Tell” and many others. Produced by the songwriting team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, it was a smash – knocking the Beatles out of the #1 spot in June of 1964. The Dixie Cups version was chosen as the premiere single for Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller’s Red Bird Records. Phil Spector originally recorded “Chapel of Love” with Darlene Love and the Ronettes but was never satisfied with the results. Rosa Lee Hawkins was 1/3rd of the New Orleans trio, which also featured her petite older sister Barbara and cousin Joan Johnson. The Dixie Cups didn’t have a distinct lead singer, but they had a sound: all three members usually sang in unison or tight harmony. Wanda was 78 when she passed away on December 15, 2021. She recorded briefly for Ian Levine’s Motorcity label in the late 80’s. Post-Marvelettes, her life was plagued by tragedy, addiction and mental illness. Robinson recalled, “In the groups I worked with, I always felt these ‘sleeping giants.’ I felt the same way about the Temptations with David Ruffin when I did ‘My Girl’ on him… I knew if I could get a song for her it would be a smash.” She sang lead on such Motown classics as “Don’t Mess With Bill” “The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game” and “Destination: Anywhere.”
At the time, she was married to Bobby Rogers of Smokey’s group The Miracles. Postman” and “Too Many Fish In The Sea,” but as their chart success waned, Wanda transitioned into the lead vocalist position on more smooth and sophisticated material – usually written specifically for her by Smokey Robinson. Gladys Horton sang lead on their early hits, including Motown’s first #1 hit “Please Mr. It was Wanda who gave The Marvelettes their second act. Kudos to the graphic artist Favio Castelli, though. At the time, according to older gay New Yorkers that I have known, it was referred to as “Mary Hill” due to the large number of gay bars and homosexual residents.
East Side… there is no mention of Murray Hill. Interesting to note that, for all this compartmentalizing of Midtown East neighborhoods: Kips Bay vs Turtle Bay vs. Marks in the CBGB era? Did 57th Street really have its own gay male type that needed dissection? Did nobody ever travel out of their own neighborhood to socialize? Were the streetcars not running? Were there were really still old vamps & flappers on St. I wasn’t there in 1980, but I have to wonder if the author has based his observations on, say, a 30 year period prior to that. But this is my perception over a 30 year period. I find the piece to be out of sync with the NYC neighborhoods as I have known them since the early 1990’s. This is due in part to the quotes from others – Doley the Third’s observation on Harlem, for example. There are glimpses that ring true, especially in the downtown neighborhoods.
To be fair, the entire piece isn’t completely tone-deaf.