SPECIAL COLLECTIONS GALLERY
DAYTON BAND "SLAVE"
HISTORIC PHOTOS
Historical 1977 Prints of Dayton Funk Band "Slave"
Digitally restored from 35MM color slides. Never before published. Original photos copyrighted by Horace Dozier Sr. Original Photographer
Giclee prints available for purchase. Displayed in our PRINT SHOP
Background History
Central Ohio Jam Jumps And Slumps"
Columbus Ohio, 1977, May,30th
By Jeannie Lauber
Special to The Dispatch
FIVE NATIONALLY, known bands, including WAR and the Crusaders came to Franklin County Stadium, Saturday night to play to more than 15,000 people and to play witness to what will soon be commonplace happening at the public-owned stadium.
GIG NUMBER ONE was Shotgun, a group originally from Cincinnati. They term their music “funk rock,” which is actually a blend of disco, soul, jazz and rock that they play very professionally. Although this group has only been jamming together for a couple of years, their music is as tight as a stretched rubber band and very distinctive. Shotgun might well pose a serious threat to the R&B world in the not-too-distant future if they keep up the good work. YOU CAN GO a long way on a little bit of Roy Ayers soul-jazz music. Their style is laid-back, and people could be seen swaying in their seats like dandelion seeds in the wind as he soothed them with his more-than mellow turns. Back-up group, Ubiquity, complimented Ayers like white walls do a Caddy; they were consistent in their supporting roles which added depth and an even more personal touch to Ayer’s act. Complex lyrics are as unknown to Ayer’s act. Complex lyrics are unknown to Ayers as they are to a three-month old babe. Lines like, “I believe in the spirit songs, but instrumentally he was sending out vibes that even the Concord couldn’t match.
IT TOOK A DAYTON band called Slave to spark the crowd into a frenzy after Ayers’ subdued act. The sun had gone down, and the air was cool by now and Slave performed like a lit match put to a carton of TNT. The ecstatic fans were out of their seats and dancing in place to this “Family Stone” type of band.
The Crusaders performed at a must inopportune time. After what Slave did to audience, nothing could top the excitement. The Crusaders strictly instrumental tunes wound the crowd down like a run-down alarm clock. Even though these accomplished musicians have assisted instrumentally on more than 200 gold albums’, their rapport with the audience after Slave was comparatively nil.
The Columbus Dispatch 1977-05-30 pC2
