Shalamar: The Gold Tour 1976 - 2026 A Celebration of 50 Years of Great Music
- estheraustinglobal
- Jul 15
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 17
SOOOOOOO..... Gwen Dickey, Special Guest did a fabulous job opening for Shalamar on Friday 10th July at Charter Hall, Colchester. She left the stage with a standing ovation, now that says something!! You can read about this at Gwen Dickey Opens Up for Shalamar: The Golden Tour
Then the party continued. Actually it became more like a rave. Hot and sweaty, as it was another sweltering summer day in the UK, with very little air conditioning, but who cared, we were here to celebrate 50 years with Shalamar, and a little sweat never killed anyone. Some ice would have been nice in my luke warm coke, which meant I had to stay focussed on Shalamar coming out on that stage anytime soon, before I threw a demented over-heated rant that there simply was no ice in my coke. There was a Pregnant Pause after Gwen left the stage. An excited energy of anticipation. Yes everyone, it was Shalamar. Carolyn Griffey, Howard Hewett and Jeffrey Daniel.
It was hot, hotter than being stuck in a Sauna in Barbados at Charter Hall that night, however, people were ready - and still no ice! Ready to party with Shalamar as they celebrated their golden anniversary Shalamar: The Golden Tour 1976 to 2026. With shows across the UK, Europe, USA and Africa. 18 top seventy five UK hits, 11 top forty, 4 top ten chart smashing singles and over 25 million records sold world-wide, Shalamar are one of the most successful soul acts of all time. And very soon it was showtime.
I don't think I've jumped and danced so much in such a long time and oddly enough, the balls of my knees are still in their sockets. This was one of their best performances to-date. Shalamar just get better and better. I had been invited by a lovely friend called Maya Myluv, a ball of energy a singer, a dancer who too has an incredible history in the music business and who is personal friends with Shalamar. She was there with three other friends Simbad and Ammo - dancers who were known as The Twilight players back in the day, who too were personal friends of Shalamar and birthday girl Vicki Stavrinos dancer and choreographer. So you can imagine there was a mixture of body popping, doo wapping, two - stepping, hand-standing (not really) back flipping and more going on where we were and a lot of hollering - boy did we sweat and rock and roll hard that night. Shalamar did not disappoint.
I don't want to keep using the words 'timeless classics' all the time. I've got to find different adjectives - better pay a visit to my Thesaurus Chat GPT- however, Shalamar's songs were and they still are timeless classics and so much more.
Growing up, who didn't have a crush on Howard Hewett? With all that hair, pretty smile and smug cuteness. However, I didn't have a crush. I was kind of weird like that. I didn't have a crush on anyone much actually, other than music. When I was finally allowed to have a radio at the age of 16, music became my crush. And as I ambled through life, music became my go to, my therapist, my lover, my everything.
And Shalamar back in my days became a huge part of my world, on perpetual re-wind. Remember the cassette tapes that we used to illegally tape onto and then everyone in the neighbourhood had a copy at a shilling a piece? (Smile). Ok well not a shilling, I ain't that old, maybe something like 50p per cassette.
'Take that to the Bank', Make that Move, 'Second Time Around' were some of my favourites, (Second Time Around often turned out to be 6 Times Around on rewind) but my absolute, absolute favourite was 'This is for the Lover in you' and yes, maybe I'm being a bit of a hypocrite after my above comment about not having a crush on Howard, as every female in the world seemed to have at the time. There was no denying he wasn't cute! I'd have had to be a Mormon on tranquilisers and in a blindfold not to notice,
And then there was Jeffrey, the dancer - WOW! moving his body in ways that got my eyes twitching nervously - not sure which angle he was going to contort his body into next. Getting me all dizzy with the moon walking and the dangling arms and leaning on empty air without falling! I was impressed that he could contort his body in such a way that it made the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz look like a ballet dancer, whilst singing and breathing at the same time. Epic, absolutely epic. At the time there was Jody, adding that complimentary sexy, side-eye sexy female touch with the signature shoulder pads and that cute little strut. And then there was and still is Carolyn, with a smile so wide, welcoming and sexy pretty and with abs so tight that I just want to puke from envy because I've had to revert to purchasing Marks and Spencers Big Girlie Six Pack Girdles, I just can't get my abs back.
Shalamar's songs were part of people's lives and life style and fashion check out those shoulder pads on them back then. Their music was and still is the soundtrack to our lives, a romantic nostalgic walk down memory lane. A trip into a part of us all that loves good old fashioned music, music that nurtures, that feeds, that just touches happy crazy in us. So now I'm ready to Take that to the Bank, because Shalamar certainly know how to Make us feel good, Over and Over because we are Friends. Anyway, There it is! I'd better Make that Move!
Congratulations Shalamar on your Gold Tour: 1976 - 2026. This is for the lover is you all. And I certainly cannot leave out the two beautiful backing singers, Viveen Wray former member of Ntrance and solo artist and Lauraine McIntosh formerly of The Cool Notes dressed in sexy black and moving with cool sassiness, as if Marvin Gaye was whispering sweet nothing in their ears, as they fanned themselves blinking through the blinding lights, the heat and sweat. Thank you ladies and also a huge thank you to the band.
There is something called The Circle of Life. We are all a part of something that makes the whole. There is a saying one hand can't clap. So to the backing singers and the band we honour you too.
On Friday it all came together, the accumulation of 50 years of great music. 50 years of building a legacy, of great performances, great moves that just get better and better.
Anyway it's finally time for me to make that move!
WE LOVE YOU SHALAMAR Huge thank you to Craig Brown always SOLAR RECORDS/Sonia Damney +447932032462
RDMJ Ent - Randy Lopez (Agent) US 562-760-6166
Craig Brown (Agent) +44 207 558 8677 Management
Michael Gardner (818)633-2986
michaelgardnerm@gmail.com Looking for editorial coverage, interviews or event reviews?
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