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75-480: They formed as The Flames in 1949, in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles , at a talent show where members of various high school groups got together. The original members were Bobby Byrd (lead), David Ford, Curlee Dinkins and Willie Ray Rockwell. Rockwell was replaced by Clyde Tillis, and Ford sometimes sang lead. Their first paying gig was at Johnny Otis 's Barrelhouse Club . They first recorded in 1950 for

150-526: A Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The neighborhood has also been featured or referenced in numerous forms of media, particularly West Coast hip-hop music, and movies and television shows set in Los Angeles. The area now known as Watts is situated on the 1843 Rancho La Tajauta Mexican land grant. As on all ranchos ,

225-467: A musical comedy called "Lonesome Town," which was set in an imaginary place called Watts, California, in the year 1902. The endeavor, with music by J.A. Rayne and book by Judson D. Brusie, ran for 88 performances at the Circle Theatre, 1825 Broadway, from January 20 through April 24, 1908. It was produced by the vaudeville team of Kolb and Dill – Clarence Kolb and Max Dill . In response to

300-652: A "green streets" project to improve pedestrian safety and environmental quality in the area, beginning in 2016. Watts suffered further in the 1970s, as gangs gained strength and raised the level of violence in the neighborhood. Between 1989 and 2005, police reported more than 500 homicides in Watts, most of them gang-related and tied to wars over control of the lucrative illicit market created by illegal drugs. Four of Watts's influential gangs – Watts Cirkle City Piru , Grape Street Watts Crips , Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods , and PJ Watts Crips  – formed

375-608: A Peace Treaty agreement, known as the Watts truce on April 26, 1992. Key hallmarks of the pact continue to influence life in Watts to date, with colors and territory having little to do with gang-related crime. Beginning in the 1980s, those African Americans who could leave Watts moved to other suburban locations in the Antelope Valley , the Inland Empire , the San Gabriel Valley , Orange County and

450-567: A bad reputation in Southern California, somehow or other ... a good many of us felt that the liquor element left a black mark upon the community's name. ... Towns are something like people. They can live up to a good name easier than they can live down a bad name." A subdivision with the name Watts was platted, possibly by the Golden State Realty Company, between 1903 and 1905, when the settlement had

525-596: A fire department, a weekly newspaper" (the Watts Advertiser ), and it was completing a $ 12,000 city hall . It had "the best of public schools, churches of the leading denominations, the principal fraternal orders , a chamber of commerce and a good government league ." That year, business enterprises included the California Gold Recovery Company, which manufactured a machine used in mining districts to capture " flour gold ," which

600-534: A gathering place along the 25.5-mile (41.0 km) funeral procession from the memorial for Nipsey Hussle at the Staples Center that wound through the streets of South L.A. At times, the crowd flooded the street creating gridlock . The Mapping L.A. project of the Los Angeles Times states as follows: The neighborhood's irregular street boundaries follow the Los Angeles city limits on

675-763: A library branch bond, and a 3,600 square feet (330 m ) Watts Branch opened in 1960. In 1991 the Los Angeles City Council approved a measure, backed by the Friends of the Watts Branch Library, the 15th District Council Office, and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) of the City of Los Angeles, to build a new library as a part of the 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) Watts Civic Center. $ 1.3 million from Proposition 1,

750-551: A new version of The Turks. He was replaced by Earl Nelson , who had previously recorded with Byrd as The Voices, and with Byrd later formed the duo Bob & Earl . In 1957, the group - Byrd, Ford, Dinkins and Nelson - signed with Class Records, where Byrd was renamed "Bobby Day". The group recorded as The Hollywood Flames, as Bobby Day & the Satellites, and as Earl Nelson & the Pelicans. In July 1957, Bobby Day &

825-490: A population of about 150 people. In 1905 lots were being sold by that firm for prices ranging from $ 100 to $ 200: The terms were advertised at a dollar as down payment and a dollar a month thereafter, with the company claiming there would be "no interest and no taxes." The Watts Lumber Company had a plan of "easy payments" which "enabled those desiring houses in the little settlement to secure their material and to build and occupy their houses at once." After 1903, Watts saw

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900-512: A ranch south of the city through which the Salt Lake railroad passes, and the station of Watts is named for him." In 1919, Watts Mayor Z. A. Towne said that the settlement was named after a widow who lived on ten acres which was later occupied by a Pacific Electric power house . She later moved to Arlington, California , Towne said. In 1912 and 1913, a movement was afoot to change the name of Watts because, as one headline writer put it,

975-445: A record label, LPG, which issued Price's last hit, "What Did You Do With My Love", to limited success. Price toured Europe in 1993 with Jerry Lee Lewis , Little Richard , and Gary U.S. Bonds . He performed with soul legends Jerry Butler , Gene Chandler , and Ben E. King on the "Four Kings of Rhythm and Blues" tour in 2005; concerts were recorded for a DVD and a PBS television special. Price appears in performance footage in

1050-550: A series of national hits for ABC that successfully adapted the New Orleans sound, including " Stagger Lee " (which topped the Pop and R&B charts and sold over a million copies), " Personality " (which reached number 2), and " I'm Gonna Get Married " (number 3). When Price appeared on the television program American Bandstand to sing "Stagger Lee", the producer and host of the program, Dick Clark , insisted that he alter

1125-402: A successful local act in the Los Angeles area. The group also had a series of personnel changes, with Rockwell being replaced by Gaynel Hodge , and for a short while Dinkins being replaced by Curtis Williams. Hodge and Williams, with Jesse Belvin , were co-writers of The Penguins ' " Earth Angel ". In 1953, they released the sketch for this song "I Know" on the label Swing Time. Believed to be

1200-592: A vote of 1,338 to 535. It was the heaviest vote ever in Watts, with 1,933 voters at the polls of the 2,513 registered. Thus 23,000 more people were added to Los Angeles when the decision was put into effect on June 1 of that year. Mayor L.A. Edwards of Watts led the fight for consolidation with Los Angeles. Opposed were the Watts Chamber of Commerce, the Farmers and Merchants Bank, the Taxpayers League,

1275-492: Is considered a low figure for both the city and the county. The percentage of those residents with less than a high school diploma was high in comparison with the county at large. Schools within Watts are as follows: King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science opened in bungalows of Jordan in 1982. In 1999 it moved to a standalone campus in Willowbrook . In May 2013, Wiegand Avenue Elementary School became

1350-529: Is fine gold floating on a liquid surface. In 1925, Watts had a pump-manufacturing plant, a machine shop , two sash-and-door plants, and a pickle works. There was a steel plant, McClintic Marshal Company, which covered fifteen acres and employed 180 men. A new California Thorn Cordage factory was set to hire five hundred men. A new 34-room hotel was going up on West Main Street. In a special election on April 2, 1926, Watts residents decided to enter Los Angeles by

1425-625: The Apollo Theater to push the record (the week of December 25). Others on the show were: Lloyd Price , Tarheel Slim & Little Ann , and The Five Keys . They were back at the Apollo on February 19, 1960 for another Dr. Jive show. This time they shared the stage with Johnny Nash , The Flamingos , Nappy Brown , Tiny Topsy , The Centurians , Eugene Church , Barrett Strong , Jean Sampson, and The Fidelitys. In April 1960, Atco released "Ball And Chain" led by Earl Nelson. "I Found A Boy"

1500-562: The Ku Klux Klan and the Watts Welfare League. Edwards was re-elected to the outgoing Watts Board of Trustees, the other winners being William Booth, Robert Rhoads and James West. Watts did not become predominantly black until the 1940s. Before then, there were some African American residents, many of whom were Pullman car porters and cooks. Schoolroom photos from 1909 and 1911 show only two or three black faces among

1575-489: The Long Beach Line was shut down in 1961, severing the area's primary transportation link to jobs and services in the greater region. Longstanding resentment by Los Angeles's working class black community over discriminatory treatment by police and inadequate public services (especially schools and hospitals) exploded on August 11, 1965, into what were commonly known as the Watts riots . The event that precipitated

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1650-625: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Price was born on March 9, 1933, in Kenner, Louisiana , a suburb of New Orleans , and raised in Kenner. His mother, Beatrice Price, owned the Fish 'n' Fry Restaurant. Price picked up lifelong interests in business and food from her. He and his younger brother Leo were both musical. He had formal training on trumpet and piano, sang in his church's gospel choir, and

1725-510: The San Joaquin Valley . African Americans in Watts have also moved to Southern cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Birmingham, Memphis, San Antonio and Jackson. The black population in Watts has been increasingly replaced by other demographic groups, primarily Hispanic immigrants of Mexican and Central American ancestry, as well as by a median proportion of Ethiopian and Indian ancestry. This demographic change accelerated after

1800-488: The South Los Angeles region, bordering the cities of Lynwood , Huntington Park and South Gate to the east and southeast, respectively, and the unincorporated community of Willowbrook to the south. Founded in the late nineteenth century as a ranching community, the arrival of the railroads and the construction of Watts Station saw the rapid development of Watts as an independent city, but in 1926 it

1875-518: The St. Elmo Hotel, Los Angeles , on August 23 of that year. The Los Angeles Times said: "Watts at one time conducted a livery stable on North Main Street and another at Pasadena and was a man of considerable means. ... Watts station on the Salt Lake road is named after the deceased, and is located on property which he once owned." The Los Angeles Evening Express said: "Among other property he owned

1950-616: The 1980s in the Bronx and also homes in Staten Island . He managed Global Icon Brands (a.k.a. Lloyd Price Icon Food Brands), which makes a line of Southern-style foods, including Lawdy Miss Clawdy food products, ranging from canned greens to sweet potato cookies, and a line of Lloyd Price foods, such as Lloyd Price's Soulful 'n' Smooth Grits and Lloyd Price's Energy-2-Eat Bar, plus Lawdy Miss Clawdy clothing and collectibles. In 2011, Price released his autobiography, The True King of

2025-457: The 1992 riots. Neighborhood leaders have begun a strategy to overcome Watts's reputation as a violence-prone and impoverished area. Special promotion has been given to the museums and art galleries in the area surrounding Watts Towers . This sculptural and architectural landmark has attracted many artists and professionals to the area. I Build the Tower , a feature-length documentary film about

2100-652: The 2005 documentary film Make It Funky! , which presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on rhythm and blues , rock and roll , funk and jazz . In the film, he performs "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" with Allen Toussaint and band. On June 20, 2010, he appeared and sang in the season 1 finale of the HBO series Treme . As of 2018 he continued to sing. Price was a prolific entrepreneur. In addition to his music production and publication ownership, he started and owned businesses in various industries. He owned two construction companies, erecting middle-income housing in

2175-642: The 30 or so children pictured. By 1914, a black realtor, Charles C. Leake, was doing business in the area. Racially restrictive covenants prevented blacks from living in any other neighborhoods outside of Central Avenue District and Watts. World War II brought the Second Great Migration , tens of thousands of African American migrants, mostly from Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas, who left segregated Southern states in search of better opportunities in California. During World War II,

2250-621: The Aladdins) and baritone Ray Brewster who joined in 1958. (Brewster had been in the Penguins in 1956 and both Williams and Brewster had been in the later Colts/Fortunes with Don Wyatt.) Then, the whole group picked up and moved to New York, after securing a contract with Atlantic Records ' Atco subsidiary. In December 1959, they had their first Atco release: "Every Day, Every Way" (led by Earl Nelson) b/w "If I Thought You Needed Me" (fronted by Eddie Williams). Atco arranged for them to appear at

2325-928: The Fifties: The Lloyd Price Story , and worked on a Broadway musical, Lawdy Miss Clawdy , focused on his life and rise to stardom with a team that included the producer Phil Ramone . The musical also told how rock and roll evolved from the New Orleans music scene of the early 1950s. That musical evolved to become the 2023 production Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical , which opened at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago to positive reviews. The city of Kenner, Louisiana celebrates an annual Lloyd Price Day. Price and his wife resided in Westchester County, New York . He died from diabetes complications on May 3, 2021, at

The Hollywood Flames - Misplaced Pages Continue

2400-519: The Hawkins Post Office. There was a school in Watts from an early date. In 1905 it was reported that "steps have already been taken to enlarge the present school building", and a new building was erected in 1911 at a cost of $ 30,000. By 1914, however, that structure had become overcrowded, and additional desks were "installed everywhere, in the library, in the halls and in the auditorium." There were 630 pupils and 18 teachers. While work

2475-486: The New York-based Cadillacs . The Hollywood Flames continued to record for several more years, with a fluctuating line-up, the only constant being David Ford. The last version of the group split up around 1967. Earl Nelson, also known as Jackie Lee, died on July 12, 2008. Watts, Los Angeles, California Watts is a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles, California . It is located within

2550-465: The Satellites recorded "Little Bitty Pretty One", which was covered more successfully by Thurston Harris . Later that year, The Hollywood Flames – with Nelson singing lead – released "Buzz-Buzz-Buzz", co-written by Byrd, which reached No. 5 on the R&;B chart and No. 11 on the pop chart . Byrd (alias Day) then left The Hollywood Flames, but continued to release singles , at first as Bobby Day &

2625-663: The Satellites, and then as a solo performer. His greatest success came in 1958 with " Rockin' Robin ". On August 4, 1958, the Hollywood Flames appeared at the Apollo Theater , as part of a Dr. Jive show. Others on the show were Larry Williams , The Cadillacs , Little Anthony & the Imperials , The Skyliners , Frankie Lymon , the Clintonian Cubs, and Eugene Church . After this, Curtis Williams quit. The new members were tenor Eddie Williams (former lead of

2700-506: The Selective label , and the following year, billed as The Hollywood Four Flames, released "Tabarin", a song written by Murry Wilson (father of The Beach Boys ). They later recorded another Wilson song, "I'll Hide My Tears". Over the years the group, under various names, is believed to have recorded for about nineteen different record labels, including Aladdin and Specialty . Although they had no big hits for several years, they were

2775-689: The South Health Center in Watts. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operates the L.A. Watts Juvenile Parole Center. The United States Postal Service Augustus F. Hawkins Post Office is located at 10301 Compton Avenue. On January 24, 2000, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate presented a bill to rename the Watts Finance Office as

2850-544: The Watts Towers and their creator, Simon Rodia , provides a history of Watts from the 1920s to the present and a record of the activities of the Watts Towers Arts Center. Watts is one of several Los Angeles neighborhoods with a high concentration of convicted felons. In 2000, singer and actor Tyrese Gibson chartered a foundation to build a community center in Watts. In 2019, the Watts Towers were

2925-412: The arrangements and Bartholomew's band (plus Fats Domino on piano) to back Price in the recording session. The song was a massive hit, selling over one million copies and earning Price his first gold disc . His next release, "Oooh, Oooh, Oooh", cut at the same session, was a much smaller hit. Price continued making recordings for Specialty, but none of them reached the charts at that time. In 1954, he

3000-527: The branch library facility bond issue of 1989, funded the construction of the new Watts library. On June 25, 1996, the city council voted to name the library after Alma Reaves Woods, a woman in the community who encouraged reading and library usage. James C. Moore, AIA & Associates designed the current Watts Library, which opened on June 29, 1996. Los Angeles Public Library operates the Alma Reaves Woods–Watts Branch. On January 22, 2012,

3075-426: The city built several large housing projects (including Jordan Downs and Imperial Courts ) for the thousands of new workers in war industries. By the early 1960s, these projects had become nearly 100 percent black, as whites moved on to new suburbs outside the central city. As industrial jobs disappeared from the area, the projects housed many more poor families than they had traditionally. Passenger rail service on

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3150-484: The city. A majority of the 250 votes did agree that Watts should allow saloons, or bars , and that the municipality should raise money by taxing them. Rorke said: We have two retail saloons and one wholesale as a result, and an income that more than pays our running expenses. In fact, we have several hundred in the treasury. The voters, who admitted the saloons, looked upon it as a business proposition. While many of them are not really in favor of having them in our midst,

3225-552: The disturbances, the arrest of a black youth by the California Highway Patrol on drunk-driving charges, actually occurred outside Watts. The damage from the riots was particularly severe along the stretch of 103rd Street between Compton and Wilmington Avenues. 103rd Street was the neighborhood's historic commercial center, consisting of a traditional main street lined with storefronts, easily accessible by foot from Watts Station. After suffering extensive arson in

3300-489: The establishment of a newspaper, a general merchandise store, a lumber yard, a grocery store , a millinery , dry goods and confectionery stores, a blacksmithery and bakeries . The Pacific Coast Laundry Company opened in August 1907, with a payroll promised to be between $ 750 and $ 1,000 a month. Laundry deliveries were to be made via the electric railway . Watts became a city in 1907, after three petitions objecting to

3375-473: The experience was adopted for giving us a working fund. Some of the surplus funds are being used to employ engineers to establish street grades , looking forward to improvements in our thoroughfares in the near future. As an instance of prosperity, there is not a vacant house in Watts, and it is impossible to find one to rent. Watts was brought to nationwide attention in 1908 with the New York production of

3450-549: The first librarian and Bessie Hunt as the second. In the same year the city received word that its application for construction of a new Carnegie Library had been approved. The cornerstone of the library was laid in January 1914. In 1914 the library moved into a newly built Carnegie library . Los Angeles annexed Watts in 1926, so the library became the Watts Branch of the Los Angeles library system. In 1957 voters approved

3525-404: The first school in California from which a principal was ordered to be removed in response to the state's 2010 "trigger law," which compels the dismissal of a school administrator on petition of a majority of parents. As a result of the pending loss of principal Irma Cobian, 21 of 22 teachers asked for transfer to other schools. A Watts public library was established in 1913, with Maud Walton as

3600-557: The first song to present the 6/8 piano-attacca known from later '50s hits such as " Only You " and " Ain't That a Shame ". By 1954, the group were usually billed as The Hollywood Flames, but also recorded as The Turks, The Jets, and The Sounds. David Ford and Gaynel Hodge recorded with Jesse Belvin and Hodge's brother Alex (founding member of the Platters ), as The Tangiers, before the Hodge brothers left The Hollywood Flames in 1955 to form

3675-420: The highest population densities in Los Angeles. Population was estimated at 41,028 in 2008. The median age was 21, making Watts the Los Angeles neighborhood with the youngest population. The percentages of residents aged birth to 18 were among the county's highest. Hispanics made up 61.6% of the population, blacks 37.1%, non-Hispanic whites 0.5%, Asian 0.2%, and others 0.5%. Mexico and El Salvador were

3750-428: The line is Success Avenue between Century Boulevard and 92nd Street. Watts is flanked on the north by Florence-Firestone , on the east by South Gate , on the southeast by Lynwood , on the south by Willowbrook and on the north and west by Green Meadows . A total of 36,815 people lived in Watts's 2.12 square miles, according to the 2000 U.S. census – averaging 17,346 people per square mile, among

3825-455: The lyrics to tone down its violent content. "Stagger Lee" was Price's version of an old blues standard, recorded many times previously by other artists. Greil Marcus , in a critical analysis of the song's history, wrote that Price's version was an enthusiastic rock rendition, "all momentum, driven by a wailing sax ." In all of these early recordings by Price ("Personality", "Stagger Lee", "I'm Gonna Get Married", and others) Merritt Mel Dalton

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3900-404: The most common places of birth for the 34% of the residents who were born abroad, an average percentage of foreign-born when compared with the city or county as a whole. The $ 25,161 median household income in 2008 dollars was considered low for the city and county. The percentage of households earning $ 20,000 or less was high, compared to the county at large. The average household size of 4 people

3975-515: The most impoverished neighborhoods in Los Angeles despite falling crime rates since the 1990s. Notable civic activities by residents of Watts include the "Toys for Watts" toy drive , the Watts Christmas parade , and the "Watts Summer Games" athletic tournament, as well as a local theatre and a dance company, in an effort to improve the neighborhood. Watts is noted internationally for the landmark Watts Towers by Simon Rodia , which are

4050-436: The name 'Lucky Watts' will be used as much as possible, the idea being to get new ideas into people's heads, so they will get away from the notion that there is any joke about what the people here believe is the most promising suburban community in the county." Some 25,000 pieces of advertising material were distributed. The excursion was repeated in 1913. By 1910, Watts had a population of about 2,500, "well improved streets,

4125-497: The north and east, except for a small patch of Los Angeles County territory surrounding Ritter Elementary School, between 108th Street and Imperial Highway , which the Times includes in Watts. The southern boundary runs east–west on Imperial Highway, the eastern line is north–south on Alameda Street and the western line is north–south on Central Avenue to 103rd Street. Ted Watkins Park and other county areas are excluded. Thence

4200-554: The popular cycling event called CicLAvia took place in south L.A.'s Central–Alameda neighborhood to the Watts Towers. Volunteers were excited to hold an event close to the CicLAvia events in downtown L.A. The event was meant to encourage civic engagement. Throughout the group of volunteers the diversity was large. Cyclists took photos for a "crowd-source" map made up of photos and recordings by the cyclists. Lloyd Price Lloyd Price (March 9, 1933 – May 3, 2021)

4275-411: The principal vocation at that time was grazing and beef production. There were household settlers in the area as early as 1882, and in 1904, the population was counted as 65 people; a year later it was 1,651. C.V. Bartow of Long Beach was noted as one of the founders of Watts. In 1904, it was reported that Watts was named after Pasadena businessman Charles H. Watts, who was found dead by suicide in

4350-581: The proposed borders were presented to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors . Seven ranchers said that they had no intention of subdividing and that all unimproved land should be omitted from the proposed city. Another petition declared that most of the property owners in Watts did not pay taxes inasmuch as they were buying the 25-foot lots for speculation, that the residents were "migratory" and that most of them were transitory " Mexican railroad laborers ." A third petition for exemption

4425-557: The raillery occasioned by the play, a "big advertising excursion" took place on Thursday, May 30, 1912, via a special train of three chartered electric railway cars. The route was scheduled over the Balloon Route by way of Los Angeles , Hollywood , the Soldiers' Home , Ocean Park , Venice , Redondo , Gardena and back to Watts. The object of the excursion was to call attention "to the fact that Watts has been 'born again,' and

4500-403: The residents were tired of the "quips and jests" at the town's expense. One real-estate agent said that prospective clients backed out of a property inspection tour when they found out their streetcar ride would end up in Watts. The name "South Angeles" was proposed. Another plan for a city name change surfaced in 1919, when the city trustees asked for suggestions. Mayor Towne said: "Watts has got

4575-410: The rest of the city. Watts Neighborhood Council 10221 Compton Avenue, Suite 106A, LA CA 90002. Los Angeles Fire Department Station 65 (Watts) serves the community. Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 16 (Watts) serves the community. Los Angeles Police Department operates the nearby Southeast Community Police Station. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates

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4650-469: The riots, the ruined, burnt-out area was nicknamed "Charcoal Alley". An urban renewal plan was drawn up by the redevelopment agency in 1966, with the aim of demolishing all structures between Century Boulevard and 104th Street and redeveloping the area into a modern shopping district. By 1972, the entire area had been acquired and demolished. Century Boulevard, 103rd Street, Compton Avenue, and Wilmington Avenue were all widened into large arterial roads, and

4725-408: The same month, Watts boosters made the same statement at a meeting with Compton backers in that city. By 1925 Watts voters had approved $ 170,000 in bonds for a new high school, and the town was served by four public grammar schools and one Catholic school. There were seven grade schools. Just 2.9% of Watts residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree, according to the 2000 census, which

4800-729: The site that had formerly been the fabled jazz club Birdland , at 1678 Broadway in New York City, and they opened a new club called The Turntable. In 1969, Logan was murdered in the office connected to the club. Price then founded a new label, Turntable. During the 1970s, Price helped the boxing promoter Don King promote fights, including the " Rumble in the Jungle " boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa , Zaire and its accompanying concert which featured James Brown and B. B. King . He and Don King formed

4875-577: The surrounding plots were gradually redeveloped with suburban-style garden apartments and single family subdivisions of much lower density than the previous and surrounding development. The modern shopping center, a main promise of the redevelopment program, was not completed until the early 1980's. This project dramatically altered the urban fabric of Watts, replacing the densely-populated, walkable main street with large surface parking lots and wide roads carrying hazardous high speed traffic. Community activism in response these problems would eventually lead to

4950-491: Was drafted into the US Army and sent to Korea . When he returned he found he had been replaced by Little Richard . In addition, his former chauffeur, Larry Williams , was also recording for the label, having released " Short Fat Fannie ". He eventually formed KRC Records with Harold Logan and Bill Boskent. Their first single, "Just Because", was picked up for distribution by ABC Records . From 1957 to 1959, Price recorded

5025-535: Was a driver for the Blue Ribbon beer company, as mayor and Frederick J. Rorke as city clerk . There was, however, no money to run the city because it had become incorporated too late to levy and collect any taxes. A proposed business license fee raised so much objection that the Board of Trustees, or the city council, submitted to the people a straw vote (nonbinding) question about allowing liquor to be sold in

5100-428: Was a member of a combo in high school. Art Rupe , the owner of Specialty Records , based in Los Angeles, came to New Orleans in 1952 to record the distinctive style of rhythm and blues developing there, which had been highly successful for his competitor Imperial Records . Rupe heard Price's song " Lawdy Miss Clawdy " and wanted to record it. Because Price did not have a band, Rupe hired Dave Bartholomew to create

5175-404: Was an American R&B and rock 'n' roll singer, known as "Mr. Personality", after his 1959 million-selling hit, " Personality ". His first recording, " Lawdy Miss Clawdy ", was a hit for Specialty Records in 1952. He continued to release records , but none were as popular until several years later, when he refined the New Orleans beat and achieved a series of national hits. He was inducted into

5250-408: Was consolidated with Los Angeles. By the 1940s, Watts transformed into a primarily working class African-American neighborhood , but from the 1960s developed a reputation as a low-income, high-crime area, following the Watts riots and the increasing influence of street gangs . Watts has become a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood with a significant African American minority, and remains one of

5325-427: Was high for the city. Renters occupied 67% of the housing units, and homeowners occupied the rest. In 2000, there were 2,816 families headed by single parents, or 38.9%, the highest rate for any neighborhood in the city. The percentages of never-married women (45.3) and never-married men (44.7) were among the county's highest. In 2000, there were 739 military veterans, or 3.6% of the population, low when compared to

5400-532: Was submitted by residents of the Palomar stop , who dressed up their plea with quotations ranging from Greek philosophers to Hamlet . Those petitioners announced that they had recently changed the name of their settlement from "Watts Park" because they did not want any affiliation with Watts. The City of Watts was approved by voters of the district, and it became a municipality in May 1907, with J. F. Donahue, who

5475-511: Was sung by Eddie Williams and an unknown female vocalist who recorded this one record with the Hollywood Flames. At the same session with Atco, Ray and the Flames also recorded "Devil Or Angel" and "Do You Ever Think of Me". The Hollywood Flames made one record for Chess out of their Chicago studio "Gee" and "Yes They Do", released in March 1961. In 1962, Ray left the Flames and became lead vocalist of

5550-498: Was the lead sax player; he was also in the traveling band and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with Price. The personnel on the original hit recording of "Stagger Lee" included Clarence Johnson on piano, John Patton on bass, Charles McClendon and Eddie Saunders on tenor sax, Ted Curson on trumpet and Sticks Simpkins on drums. In 1962, Price along with business partner Harold Logan formed Double L Records. Wilson Pickett got his start on this label. In 1967, Price and Logan acquired

5625-481: Was under way on a new school, the contractor absconded with some of the money and his bondsman was compelled to finish the job. Older students attended Redondo Union High School . Later, Watts was a part of the Compton School District , but in January 1914, a mass meeting was held in Watts to make plans to secede from Compton and build a new high school in Watts, at a cost of about $ 100,000. Later

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