When rapper Snoop Dogg (now known as
Snoop Lion) called lead vocalist L.J. Reynolds of the Dramatics and asked him
to appear on his album “Doggystyle” in the early nineties, the iconic singer
said a quick no.
After all, the Dramatics had 38 top 10 single
from the 1970s to the 1980s, including “Watcha See is Watcha Get,” “Get Off My
Mountain,” and one of the greatest “baby making” songs of all time “In the
Rain.” Known for their flawless harmonies, natty suits and smooth choreography,
the Dramatics have inspired a countless artists.
“I had heard of Snoop Dogg, and I
didn’t want anything to do with him from what I had heard,” said Reynolds.
“That was before I got to know the man. Snoop said to me, ‘Mr. Reynolds, I
didn’t hurt anybody. My mother plays your records all the time, man, and I just
have to have y’all on my new album. He said to me, ‘My album’s got a million
orders already and I haven’t finished it yet.’ I said, a million orders? What’s
the address? We went to the studio and
cut the album, but I didn’t know that it would be a gangsta record. They had to
do two versions, because if you listen to the uncensored version, you wouldn’t want
your granddaughter to hear it.”
Ironically, appearing on
“Doggystyle” and in the video “Doggy Dogg World” in 1993 could not have been a
better opportunity, because it exposed the Dramatics to a new generation of hip
hop fans of all races. Working with Snoop Dogg and Da Dogg pound earned the
Dramatics an MTV Award.
Formed in Detroit, MI 1962 by Rob
Davis, Ron Banks, Larry Reed, Robert Ellington, Larry “Squirrel” Demps and
Elbert Wilkins, the group was originally called the Dynamics. Reynolds joined
the group in 1972. Reynolds hails from Saginaw, Michigan, the city that
produced Motown legends such as Stevie Wonder.
In a phone interview from his
Detroit home, Reynolds said that he and the Dramatics are looking forward to
shaking it well at Yoshi’s San Francisco this weekend.
“We’re going to go all the way from
the beginning, from ‘Whatcha See is Whatcha Get,’ to ‘In the Rain,’ ‘Get Off My
Mountain,’ ‘Fell For You,’ ‘Shake it Well,’ ‘Get Up and Get Down’ and ‘Me and
Mrs. Jones,’ said Reynolds, whose vocals range from first tenor to baritone.
“We’ve got a lot of fans and a lot of songs to put out for them. I’ve never
been to Yoshi’s, but I hear it’s a beautiful place, and I’m looking forward to
being up close and personal. That’s what’s so good about it; the audience will
be able to stand there and look us eye to eye and get the message, because we
are sure going to deliver it. We have five singers, a three piece horn section,
and a four piece rhythm section.”
Veteran DJ, music historian and
concert promoter Harry Duncan, producer of the San Francisco-based radio show,
“In the Soul Kitchen” (http://inthesoulkitchen.blogspot.com) considers the
Dramatics among the most important and influential of the '70's soul vocal
groups, along with the Spinners and the Stylistics, the O'Jays and the Detroit
Emeralds.
“The harmonies, arrangements and
production of their songs like ‘Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get,’ ‘In the Rain’ and ‘The Devil Is Dope’ gave
them a signature sound and are '70's soul classics,” said Duncan. “Some of their
songs like "The Devil Is Dope" have been liberally sampled by various
hip hop artists.”
The Dramatics’ song “Oceans of Thoughts and Dreams’ was
sampled by Beyonce and Destiny’s Child. Cross culturally, the Dramatics have also
influenced Jamaican harmony groups such as the Mighty Diamonds, the Tamlins and
the Melodians.
I asked Reynolds about the
origin of the ubiquitous party anthem, “Watcha See is Watcha Get.” The song was
written and produced by Tony “Uncle Fester” Hester, who also penned “In the
Rain” and other early Dramatics hits.
“It took us to the level where we
needed to be, and all the other records followed,” said Reynolds. I have several gold records here at the
house, basically, every record after ‘Watcha See is Watcha Get.’ Some people
from the seventies era know about ‘Watcha See is Watcha Get,’ and in the
eighties, we developed a whole other audience with hit records like ‘Me and
Mrs. Jones.’ All of those songs sold
just as many records as ‘Watcha See is Watcha Get,’ but they were sold to an
R&B audience.”
After more than 40 years with the
group, Reynolds is proud of the Dramatics’ diverse fan base.
“We have a pretty decent group of
people who come out to see us,” said Reynolds, who has performed at large scale
music festivals such as the Stone Soul Picnic. “The great thing about us is
that all nationalities like the Dramatics.”
I asked Reynolds what was like
recording for the iconic Stax record label during the peak of the R&B
movement.
“Al Bell was running Stax records
when the Dramatics got there,” said Reynolds. “It was a great experience; I
mean, Stax was the soulman’s company. A lot of people wanted to go and get that
Memphis sound, that Stax sound, and we were fortunate enough to become part of
Stax. I’m still friends with Al Bell today, and we still do a lot of Stax
records songs, such as “Ship Won’t Sail Without You’ at our concerts.
I asked Reynolds what was it like
being a part of another great musical movement, the “Soul Train,” television
dance show featuring Don Cornelius, whose life tragically ended in 2012.
“We were on ‘Soul Train’ probably
more than any other artists,” said Reynolds. “In a 15-year span, any time we
released an album, we were on ‘Soul Train.’ I have a tape here at the house,
and I watch myself performing on ‘Soul Train’ from age 21 to 30. Don Cornelius
was a very business oriented guy. He only smiled for the camera. When he was
off camera, he didn’t smile much. At times, it seemed like he had an unhappy
face, but he was a great friend. He developed something that made a lot of
people famous, because once you appeared on ‘Soul Train,’ you achieved a
certain amount of notoriety in the record industry.”
Reynolds is particularly proud of
the Dramatics’ television history,
which goes all the way back to appearances on the Mike Douglas show, Red Fox
specials and Arsenio Hall.
Along with touring with the
Dramatics, Reynolds is currently working on his solo career. He has two popular
songs on Youtube, a remake of Marvin Gaye’s “Come Get to This” and “You Sure
Love to Ball,” which he will also perform at Yoshi’s. Reynolds also runs his
own record label, Motor City Hits. www.motorcityhits.com.
In closing, I asked Reynolds for his
personal definition of soul.
“When
you feel something and you put it out, the other person has to feel it, too,”
said Reynolds. “If they don’t feel it, then you ain’t got no soul. When you put
it out like James Brown singing ‘Get up off of that thing,’- that’s soul. Soul
is a person who knows how to deliver, like Teddy Pendergrass and even L.J.
Reynolds. You say to yourself, wow, he got soul!”
