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Black Recording Artist Fights
Sickle Cell Anemia With Song
A native Texan who was a
member of the late Otis
Redding’s group and says he
is now “rooted'in Georgia”
has taken up the battle
Billy Young, former member of Otis Redding’s group and now composing
and recording his own songs, is shown with his daughter, Avill. Young’s latest
release is his own composition of a song with a message about sickle cell
anemia, made in an effort to help those afflicted with the incurable disease.
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By Maxine Thompson
against sickle cell anemia
through a media long
associated with black people
- song.
Billy Young of Macon
started writing songs 14
years ago in California and
was with Otis Redding until
the death of that Macon
superstar. Young decided to
stay in Macon and try for a
career as a recording artist.
“Sickle Cell Anemia... Just
how much does it take...For
a black man to wake up?...1
guess maybe an ear
thquake.” Those are some of
the lyrics of a recording
released about two weeks
ago on Young’s own Joyga
label by the composer
producer.
Since love, slavery, loss,
and heaven have been com
municated in song by black
people from the beginning,
Young felt that many who,
like him, had never heard of
the dread disease called
sickle cell anemia, might
hear in song what they would
never see on a printed page.
“I became aware of the
disease only recently,”
Young said. “The second
verse tells of its having been
kept hush-hush for over 50
years, and just now reaching
the black man’s ears.’ Those
ears are mine, too.”
Young also said that if
black people, who are the
ones almost exclusively
affected by the disease, had
been doing something about
it and helping themselves it
wouldn't have been hush
hush. Now that the
seriousness of the situation
has been faced, there are
many problems that must be
worked out. For one thing,
funds are scarce. Volunteer
groups are doing their best to
spread information.
Young’s recording about
the disease will be controlled
and distributed by the
Macon based Georgia Sickle
Cell Anemia (SCA) Com
mittee. It won’t be sold on
the open market.
The bearded black man
cut the record at the Billy
Smith Productions studios on
Millerfield Road in Macon.
He sang the lyrics, with
assistance on the refrains
from religious singer S. C.
Lundy.
Backing him is a four-man
group consisting of Calvin
Arline on bass, Charles
Burns on trumpet, Tommy
Goodwin on piano, and Jai
Johnny Johnson on drums.
All persons involved are
professionals in the music
business. Burns is a
recording vocalist, Johnson
plays drums with the Allman
Brothers, Arline and
Goodwin are record
producers.
“I ought to mention the
sound engineer too,” Young
said. “He was just great; a
real help to us. He’s a
Caucasian, but we called
him ‘the Soulful engineer.’
He’s Mike Goodrich.”
Young plans to travel with
the recording to other
Georgia cities to promote
the song, perhaps starting
"Sickle Cell Sing-a-longs” to
raise funds few the SCA
committee’s work. SCA
chairman Herbert Dennard
said the one dollar cost of
each of the 45 rpm records
will yield 60 cents to the
group’s drive to raise funds
for research, prevention,
information and legislation.
After the death of Red
ding, Young wrote and
recorded songs.
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“I began to write effective
songs about three years
ago,” he said. “I try to write
songs with merit, with
meaning, in the rythmn and
blues idiom. I hope that
sooner or later I’ll be
recognized.”
Billy Young wrote and
recorded the vocals on his
Joyga label for “What is
Christmas?”, ‘i Wonder
What She’s Doing,” and
“Still My Life Through.” He
has also recorded "I'm
Available” on the Shout
Label in New York City.
And that’s what Young is
now-available to help fight
the disease that brings in
tense pain and death to many
of his race. He is between
recording contracts and will
promote the sickle cell
anemia record. He is
married to the former
Patricia Wilburn of Macon
and they have two
daughters, Avill, age 3, and
Taci, 6.
‘‘Sickle Cell
Anemia... Portrays the life a
black man lives;... He
works hard to sup
port... Other people’s
cause.. But when it comes to
his...He has nothing left to
give." Young’s song begins
that way, but he hopes the
song will help change the
condition it tells about.
He says that he is not
militant except in the sense
PAGE 11-A
that he intends to try to
arouse black people to help
take care of themselves. He
feels that if they had tried
they could have done
something about this and
other problems long ago.
Young’s sickle cell anemia
recording can be obtained in
Perry from any member of
the Harambee Club at Perry
High School, or by calling
987-1879. Mahalia Dixon,
Director of the Neigh
borhood Service Center here,
is working with the club
members to coordinate
efforts to distribute the
record.
CARD OF THANKS
May we take this method
of thanking our neighbors
and friends for their kind
expressions of sympathy in
our bereavement. These
expressions have been
deeply appreciated.
Jack Norwood Family
ssSL
;gsS7
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