On Thursday August 6, longtime D.C. soul singer Eddie Daye passed away at age 78.  Back in 2002, I wrote a feature  piece on him for the Washington City Paper.  I had  heard that he had been ill recently and was in the hospital but  have not yet been able to get any other specifics on the cause of death, or his funeral, that is scheduled for Wednesday.  I had last seen Eddie in the audience at the Bluebird Blues and Soul Festival  at Prince Georges Community College last September.  As I will be out of town for most of the next two weeks beginning tomorrow, I am posting this now.

As detailed in my article, I first saw Eddie, who had been vocalizing in DC since the late 1940s and had his own record label, perform in the 1980s at the now defunct Gold Room  in Northeast DC.  Subsequently I saw Eddie and his late wife, Denise,  perform together numerous times at Gee’s 4400 Club, then located in Brentwood, Md., off of Rhode Island Avenue just near the DC line, and at Chuck & Billy’s Lounge on Georgia Avenue NW.  This dapper gentleman (usually in a suit although not in the photo from an outdoor show above) and his wife were always so friendly to everyone (and they always wanted to make sure that me and my friends, their youngest and uh palest fans, felt comfortable).  In more recent years Eddie’s song “Sexy Senior Citizen (I’m not a dirty old man, I’m just a)” got some airplay on WPFW’s Saturday programming, though some DC residents and a handful of British and European record collectors on Ebay know him best for his vocals with the Four Bars in the ‘50s and ‘60s.  While those online and crate-digging fans may cherish copies of his obscure singles (some of which have been reissued on cd), I will just keep my memories of those fun late nights out seeing him sing bluesy soul and my conversations with him about his musical career and his take on 50 plus years of r’n’b history.  While there were frequently  special guest vocalists joining he and his wife onstage in the ‘80s and ‘90s, this  pleasant guy with the deep voice was always the star of the show. 

* The photo is by Ron Weinstock of the In a Blue Mood blog (many of his photos are on Flickr).

The DC Caribbean Carnival is more than just the 11 a.m. Saturday parade down Georgia Avenue and the two concerts in Banneker Park on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from noon till 7.  It is also the late night concerts and dj’d parties going on from, well, Thursday night through Monday morning.  WPFW 89.3 DJ Tony Carr (whose fine show is on Sunday night/Monday morning 12 to 2 a.m.) has most of the events on his dccaribbeanconnection website.  Here are a few  I recommend:

Saturday night brings a Jamaican dancehall host, Beenie Man, along with mostly soca artists to the DC Star Club.  Performers include Fayann Lyons and her husband, rough-voiced Bunji Garlin, Hunter Patch, rising star Benjai, the always catchy Destra Garcia (pictured), and Trini Jacobs at the DC Star Club, 2135 Queens Chapel Road NE.

The Promoter for Saturday night’s Machel Montano gig is billing him as “The Biggest Soca Artist in the World.”  That is not mere hype.  I hope that his wonderful band Xtatik (also now known as HD) will be with him.  They wowed me several years ago at the Crossroads with their ability to play frenetic soca, r’n’b, reggae, and rock as the charismatic Montano prowled the stage dispensing vocals that worked well with every style.  With the right marketing, he could have appeal beyond the Caribbean community. He will joined by NY and DC djs from 10PM – 4AM at Zanzibar on the Waterfront, 700 Water Street SW, Washington DC, 202-536-4004.

While this weekend’s Sharon Jones and the Dapkings shows have attracted the attention of this paper, the Washington Post’s Going Out Gurus, and NBC4’s online self-proclaimed music snob, listeners to Saturday blues and soul programming on WPFW and to quiet storm sounds on WHUR are hearing about a different soul show.  The Mother’s Day Soul Jam Saturday night at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro features five classic ‘70s era soul acts–the Stylistics, Dramatics, The Manhattans, The Chi-Lites, and Cuba Gooding, Sr. & the Main Ingredient.   I have seen them all in recent years at such locations as Constitution Hall, Fort Dupont, the Showplace Arena or Carter Barron, and my fave is the Stylistics.

Only two of the current members of this Philly combo may be original members, but in recent live appearances they still brilliantly captured the original outfit’s high notes lead with backing harmony technique. Expect the current incarnation to smoothly step back and forth onstage in cleverly choreographed fashion and wow the audience with versions of  such r’n’b hits of theirs as  “Stop, Look, Listen (to Your Heart),” “Break Up to Make Up,”  and “Betcha by Golly Wow.”  Their brightly colored, matching throwback suits will help capture the past as well.  While it may not be like hearing them in 1970, seeing them live even this many years later helps add to my appreciation of what they accomplished.  Less raucous than the late ’60s feel Sharon Jones goes for, but it still sounds good.

“Mother’s Day Soul Jam” Saturday May 9 at 8 p.m. at the Showplace Arena,14900 Pennsylvania Ave, Upper Marlboro, MD