Mozambique: ENI Open Day
Moments of Jazz: The Whispers and Lira
4:58 CAT | 4 July 2018
Moments of Jazz: The Whispers and Lira
One of R&B music's most beloved and consistently popular vocal groups, The Whispers, began their legendary and timeless career in 1963. Twin brothers Walter and Wallace Scott joined with friends Nicholas Caldwell, Marcus Hutson, and Gordy Harmon to form a local singing group. They perfected their tight harmonies on the street corners in the Watts section of Los Angeles and in nightclubs in the in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area.
They began singing together as "the Eden trio" created by Nicholas Caldwell and Marcus Hutson. Later, they were renamed "The Whispers" by Lou Bedell of Dore Records. The group recorded nine singles for the Dore label between 1964 and 1967. Their fame grew in the Bay Area while performing in a series of what was known as "The Battle of the Bands" where they competed against other local acts for their fans appreciation and affection. In 1969 they released "The Time Will Come" for a small L.A. based label Soul Clock Records, and subsequently recorded their first Top 10 R&B hit, "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong," in 1970 when the group switched to Janus Records. By 1971 Gordy Harmon decided to leave the group and was replaced by Leaveil Degree who had previously sung with "The Friends of Distinction".
The Whispers produced a string of hits over the next two decades and emerged as the leading romantic singers of their generation, racking up one gold album after another and charting numerous R&B hits throughout the seventies and eighties. The Whispers were the first artists featured on the newly formed Soul Train label (co- owned by the TV show's creator and host Don Cornelius and entrepreneur Dick Griffey). They gained national attention with their seventies albums, "One For The Money", "Open Up Your Love", and "Headlights" producing two singles that graced Billboard's Top 20 R&B Charts: "(Let's Go) All the Way" and "(Olivia) Lost and Turned Out".
Lerato "Lira" Molapo was born in Daveyton, South Africa, on March 14, 1979. After winning a competition for young singers and songwriters, Lira started performing live at the age of 16, singing both cover versions and self-penned songs. In 2000 she was discovered by musician and producer Arthur Mafokate, who had her sign with his own record label, 999 Music, and helped her release her debut album, All My Love (2003).
Having left 999 Music, Lira teamed up with keyboardist Victor Mngomezulu, bassist Tshepo Sekele, and producer Robin Kohl and in 2006 released Feel Good, a much more accomplished work that revealed her as a talented artist, able to move easily from modern R&B to jazz, from lush pop to bossa. A huge success, it led to five nominations at the South African Grammy Awards (Best New Artist, Best Female Artist, Best R&B Album, Best Single, and Best Video). In July 2007 the album was released in Italy, where its title track gained massive airplay.
Soul in Mind Released in 2008, her sophomore album, Soul in Mind, garnered several South African Music Awards nominations and ultimately took home the Album of the Year prize. In 2009 she released the DVD Live in Concert: A Celebration, which showcased a performance at the Carnival City Casino in Boksburg, South Africa. The DVD was a huge commercial success, earning triple platinum status. She released her third studio album, Return to Love, in January of 2011. That same year, she released the five-track The Lira EP.
Date and Time: Monday, September 24 2018 at 20h00. Doors open at 18h00
Entrance: Normal- 1500 MZN (until July 24th) and 2000 MZN (from July 24th onwards. VIP- 7500 MZN. Tickets available at Vodacom shops, BancABC branches, Shoprite Computicket and Dolce Vita
Invited guests: Lyshannie and Dj Sergio Butler
Address: UEM Campus, Av. Julius Nyerere no. 3453, Maputo
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