In St. Louis, we said farewell to the iconic soul group, Average White Band, after 50 years of success. Reliving their final concert and journey through their illustrious career.
Average White Band performing in Perth in 2016
LORNE THOMSON/REDFERNS
Average White Band have played their last concert and brought the curtain down on a career spanning more than 50 years.
The soul group finished their farewell tour with a concert in St Louis, Missouri, on Friday night.
This show was put together by the awards winning Breakaway Production, James Witherspoon, a very prominent national promoter in St. Louis.
Image from St. Louis/James Witherspoon
About Breakaway Production: Editor of Argus STL
Witherspoon, also known as the mastermind behind Breakaway Production, has always been passionate about bringing the finest musicians to the city. He knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for St. Louisans to witness the final performance of the iconic group.
Despite many challenges and obstacles, Witherspoon was determined to make the St. Louis concert a memorable one. He worked tirelessly to secure the venue, arrange transportation for the band, and promote the event.
Fans from all over the country flocked to the concert, eager to see the Average White Band one last time. The band did not disappoint, delivering an electrifying performance that had the audience on their feet the entire time. As the night went on, emotions ran high as the band members reminisced about their long and successful career.
The crowd joined in, singing along to every song and giving the band a standing ovation at the end of the show. It was a bittersweet moment for both the band and the fans, as they bid farewell to the Average White Band. But thanks to the efforts of James Witherspoon and Breakaway Production, St. Louis was able to be a part of this historic event.
As the lights went down and the final notes of the concert faded away, the crowd knew they had witnessed something special. And they will always be grateful to Witherspoon for bringing the Average White Band to St. Louis one last time.
More from UK Times:
The band, formed in 1972 by friends who met at a Dundee art college, gained worldwide success, including a No 1 hit in the US with Pick Up The Pieces in February 1975.
Onnie McIntyre, Roger Ball, Hamish Stuart, Alan Gorrie, Malcolm Duncan and Robbie McIntosh in London in 1973
BRIAN COOKE/REDFERNS
The instrumental was their first and most famous hit. It was covered by artists including Henry Mancini and James Brown and was featured in the film Superman II. Fans of the group include the former US president Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen.
The Average White Band’s final show is to be turned into a concert film called Final Note by the award-winning documentary maker Anthony Baxter.
The original members Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre were part of the line-up for the gig at Harris-Stowe State University in St Louis.
Baxter is also working on Soul Searching, a feature-length documentary chronicling the band’s influence on funk, soul, and hip-hop.
Alan Gorrie and Hamish Stuart in London in 1976
GUS STEWART/REDFERNS
He said: “In a way, Soul Searching leads us naturally to this pivotal final performance, after half a century on the road for Average White Band’s two remaining founder members.
“And so, with Final Note, we’re aiming to celebrate not only AWB’s legendary live sound, but the profound way it brings people together across boundaries of race, geography and time.
“This is a case of history in the making, captured cinematically in St Louis.”
Both documentaries are due to be released next year, the 50th anniversary of the band’s first chart-topping album and single in the United States.
The band was formed by Gorrie, McIntyre, Roger Ball and Malcolm “Molly” Duncan and are one of the most sampled in music history — used by the likes of the Beastie Boys, TLC and Ice Cube.
Duncan, who was born in Montrose and played saxophone in the group, died aged 74 of cancer in 2019.
Obama brought up the band in an episode of his podcast series with Springsteen in 2021. During a discussion about the racial make-up of groups, he was not aware Springsteen’s E Street Band had black members when he was young but he knew the Average White Band had an all-white line-up.
He said: “I knew the Average White Band was all white. Those are some Scottish guys and those guys could jam by the way. I loved them, loved them. They were outstanding.”
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This is original work of the UK Times/Stuart MacDonald |
Ed Halford
