VIA EURWEB:
Gary D. Hines is the conductor, clinician, producer and arranger for powerhouse R&B group/choir Sounds of Blackness.
The ensemble, assembled in Minneapolis in the ‘70s, was his brainchild 35 years ago when the music man thought to create a group that showcased all the stylings of black music – the sounds of blackness.
Since January 1971, the Grammy Award winning singers and musicians have consistently performed, recorded and proudly proclaimed the music, culture and history of African Americans, but it was upon finally being signed to a record label in the ‘90s that their music crossed over with the 1991 hit “Optimistic,” which is still a favorite.
With their new disc, their 12th, “The Third Gift: Story, Song, and Spirit,” the group continues to do more than just entertain and share African American culture.
“I am honored to be a part of the National Domestic Violence Conference (in Long each, CA),” Hines said of the group’s latest contributions through their new disc. “Sounds of Blackness, for our past two projects, including our new one, has contributed music towards the domestic violence efforts and so that’s the reason for me being here.”
Hines told EUR’s Lee Bailey that the group partnered with the organization with their CD “Kings and Queens.”
“We composed a track called ‘She Is Love’ dealing with the issue and our contribution to the struggle in domestic violence. We partnered with an organization called IDVAAC, and that stands for the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community.”
IDVAAC asked the group for music that would be used in their training for both victims and for perpetrators of domestic violence.
“We told them that our commitment to them would be ongoing and so we are true to that,” he said. “And now with our forthcoming CD, ‘The Third Gift,’ we have two songs on the subject of domestic violence. One is called ‘The Path of Healing,’ which is actually the theme for the conference and the other song is called ‘Healing’ and they’re both on ‘The Third Gift.’ Our commitment from the Sounds of Blackness and the struggle against domestic violence is ongoing and it’s serious.”
For more on IDVAAC, Hines suggested the organization’s website, http://www.idvaac.com. The site has information about domestic violence in general and specifically as it relates to the African American community and to communities of color who face unique challenges along with the whole issue of domestic violence.
“Sounds of Blackness addresses that in our music on our new CD,” he said. “Domestic violence in this day and time in the midst of the war and the economy; the angst and mood in the air with the deaths of Michael Jackson, Walter Cronkite – there’s so much in the air right now. Sounds of Blackness releasing “The Third Gift” is not by accident.”
As Hines explained, he and the group were motivated by the sign of the times for the latest project. In fact, the group made and updated, reworked version of their biggest hit.
“We have a remake of ‘Optimistic’ which is our first single,” Hines said. “Optimism is something that the world needs and this country, and people need to hear right now.”
He described the remake as “different,” but said that the heart of the song was the same with more pertinent and crucial messaging.
