The Washtenaw Knights

In 1995, Washtenaw County’s law enforcement agencies were preparing to host their first National Night Out event, an event designed to heighten awareness of crime and drug prevention. The event provided information from non-profits, emergency services, local schools, and more.

As we planned the event, there was discussion about entertainment and the Detroit Blue Pigs, a group of Detroit Police officers who performed at events throughout the city.  After careful thought, I volunteered to put together our local group of musicians to perform with me at the event.

The first version of the group had personnel from the Michigan State Police, Washtenaw County Sheriffs Dept., Ann Arbor, and me from Pittsfield Twp. D.P.S. We were able to put a five-piece group together to perform with Rich Coleman, lead vocals/drums.

The performance was a great success, and invitations to perform at other community events, schools, and DARE/GREAT graduations really took off.

After the first year, I began to evaluate the level of musicianship and the direction I wanted to take this musical endeavor. I knew that I wanted to keep it separate from our roles with the local law enforcement agencies, and to perform on our own time, as schedules permitted, for evening/weekend events was a must.

By the second year of the effort, I began to write music that fit the theme of our performances and who we were performing for.   At this time, we had an explosion of gang activity in our community, as in other communities around the country.  I knew that we had an opportunity to reach the students when performing in the schools, and the rewritten cover songs didn’t convey the message needed.

The first song I wrote was “Stop the Violence; Save our sons and daughters today,” a driving track with a top-40 groove, influenced by EWF, with vocals recorded during the session. From there came “Don’t Drop Out of School”, “AM-FM Same Song”, and the Billboard runner-up rap song “Youth to Youth I’m Drug Free”. The other songs “Down at the Corner”, Tribute to the Fab-Five” ( tribute to the U of M  basketball team), and two songs by guitarist (the late) Kumura Wilson, “Hang Time” and ” Take It Easy”, and “Martin” written by the late Dr. Morris Lawerence, of W.C.C. a great jazz musician and teacher. This was his last recording before his passing *When I perform this song, I use the original tracks in Dr. Morris L.’s memory. This was 10 tracks for the group’s first project, and “Let’s Give them HOPE” was released in 1998/99.

The band evolved by inviting musicians to perform the recorded tracks with the professional level needed, but also believed in the concept. Keyboardist/Drummer Steve Trigg, Mike Lewis, keyboards, Kumura Wilson, guitar, Clarence “Bonnie Dottery”, bass guitar/drums, and Angel Dottery on Vocals. This core group brought the tracks to life! We had history and family, performing together in other bands, and believed in me and wanted to be part of a musical mission of hope and inspiration.

There were other musicians that made the musical adventure important during the early years, Kevin H. on bass, Martin S., Keyboards, Donna Johnson, vocals/guitar, Val Cooper, Keyboard, Al Veal, bass guitar, Mike S., drums

The second recording, “We are Community: America Stand for What is Right,” was inspired by our community coming together to challenge the impact of a hate group’s presence in our community. While sitting with my children, the song “We Are Community” took hold, and within an hour, it was written with Britney and Al’s help. I will be forever grateful to them for their innocence in just wanting to understand why this group was coming to our community.  The first performance was with a percussion section singing at a rally of over 1,0o0, in a sing-along format.

Three weeks later, the tracks were completed, and three nights of recording with 81 voices, plus video, were added. The second version was dedicated to the Sept. 11th relief efforts and the memory of the fallen police, firefighters, and rescue workers.  

I am especially proud that all proceeds go to the New York Fighters/Police/Port Authority fund to help the families left behind. We’ve also helped Camp Comfort Zone with a donation, which has been doing grief counseling for the children and families.

We have a music video of the making of the song and touring with the 9/11 Quilt that came to Michigan. What a moving experience seeing the panels of names of people that we had heard from families who acknowledged they enjoyed the song and the message coming from someone who works in Public Safety.

On the 10th anniversay I hope to be in New York to be part of the celebration of life.

If you get a chance, check out the song, and please don’t focus on me as the writer, but on the emergency service personnel who put their lives on the line every day, knowing they may not make it back home.

 

God bless those who gave their lives!