Press Archive
"Warm-hearted band helps hometown"
by Patricia L. Martin (*1)
Sacramento City College Express
April 23, 1998
After six years of being a fan, I had the pleasure of meeting the hip-hop-doo-wop'' group Color Me Badd (CMB) last July at the Solano County Fair in Vallejo.
My mother and I arrived early for the concert and sat in the front row. When I saw group member Sam Watters on the stage, I just said "Hi, Sam! '' because at that moment, I could say little else. I was shocked when he came down from the stage and said "Hi! How 'ya doing?'' as though I was a friend he had been expecting to see. When I handed him the early birthday card I had ready for him. he said, 'thank you so much!' as if I had given him a Grammy award.
I knew at that moment that this is a group of men with hearts of gold. Now, because of an upcoming project, those other than their fans will know it, too.
The multi-platinum quartet. which began in a ninth grade choir class at Oklahoma City's Northwest Classen High School. is now demonstrating that it has not forgotten its roots. The quartet will honor the 168 victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing with a musical and financial gift to Oklahoma City.
"Oklahoma City is a place where everybody is connected. and we felt the tragedy very deeply,'' lead singer Bryan Abrams said in a recent Take One Productions press release. We have since wanted to do something to help our hometown and now are finally getting the chance, it feels great!'' Color Me Badd member Mark Calderon definitely felt the tragedy; he lost a family friend in the blast.
As a tribute to the victims and their families the group has re-done "Remember When,'' the first single from their upcoming album Awakening.
"The song's original concept of lost love hoped to be reclaimed will be slightly altered to represent the point of view of the victims' survivors in a tasteful and hopefully, comforting manner'' Watters said in the release.
The award-winning CMB recorded the tribute version of "Remember When'' along with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra [where Watters' father, Dan is a cellist] and the Oklahoma City Public Schools Honor Youth Choir at the end of March. These warm-hearted guys are donating all of the proceeds from the single, and a portion of the proceeds from the new album to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation. The money will help fund a memorial at the file where the Murrah Federal building once stood. CMB hopes to film a video at the site, if the survivors and victims' families do not object.(*2) The guys also plan to have Oklahoma City residents hold a candlelight vigil in the video while they perform. They hope to film the video May 3.
In a world filled with greed, violence and hate; I am so touched to see that people like Watters, Abrams, Calderon, and Kevin Thornton of CMB still remain. It just goes to show you that not all celebrities have grown cold, or forgotten where they came from.
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*2 - The video was never made, unfortunately.