May 25, 1949 - November 24, 2016
Colonel Abrams was born in Detroit, Michigan... Colonel Abrams is actually his real name, actually the 4'th. He got
his name after his father for 4 generations now.
I don't know what year and date his born, 'cause he just laughed and said it was a couple of years ago... He really wanted
to just keep it with that.
Colonel's interest for music started in a very early age and he soon knew that working with music was something he really
wanted to do. Colonel tells me; "I was dancing before I started singing. I was dancing when I was very very young, like
3-4 years old. Trying to tap dance and pick up little steps from my relatives and stuff, listening to the music. So, from
dancing I wanted to go into singing and when I was able to learn how to sing and write songs, then I immediately just jumped
on it. I always sang in school too."
Discoguy: So, when did you start singing?
"I started singing actually phuu... when I was around 10 years old and I was listening to a lot of the Motown stuff."
Another thing from about the same age... I've heard you were in an Apollo Theatre amateur contest at the age of
around 10.
"You're right again... Hehehe... Yes I did. I had my own little group, a singing group, it was one of the first singing
groups I had. It was myself, 2 guys and a girl. We were kind of like the Glady's Knight & the Pips, with that kind of
look even though we was young. I took the group to the Apollo and we tried out for amateur night and we made it. And that
particular night they asked us what song we were going to do and I told them we had an original song called "Hey lovers" and
that we were going to do that song I had written. It was my own song, 'cause I was writing original songs then. We performed
the song and we came in second place. We came in second place with our original song and that was fascinating for us since it
was the first time you know!"
Did that also encourage you to get into the music business?
"Yes it did, but I had already made up my mind way before..." Hahaha! [both laughing] "But that was a kick, when
that happened I just said to myself "Well, you know, that's like giving me a touch of what it's gonna be like to get into the
business". Giging on stage for the first time."
Starting out that early... Do you come from a musical family or have you got any other musicians in the
family?
"Yeah, I have some... I have my brother, who co-writes with me, Morris Freeman. He co-writes with me, he's one of
my younger brothers and he plays bass and guitar. And then I have a brother that plays drums and then I've got some uncles
and aunts who are into choirs, into do vocals in choirs and sing. So I've got a basically pretty good musical family. I
also have a cousin named Tyrone Summers, he was on a compilation - seven shades, that came out on MCA. It came out
like in the early 80's when I was on MCA and Tyrone Summers is my cousin he was on that particular album."
I know your brother Morris was playing with you in a group called Conservative Manor in the late
60's...
"Where did you get that information from? Hahaha...
I picked it up somewhere.
"Yeah, that's absolutely correct, he was playing the bass. You got all the update information on me I see..."
At least I try...
"You're trying really good. Hahaha..."
Thanks! So, When did you start WORKING with music - professionally?
"Well, semi-professionally I started doing showcasing in New York. I started showcasing in different clubs with the band
we had - Conservative Manor. We used to play clubs around in New York and we actually opened up Benlie's in New York.
When Benlie's first opened up in New York. I don't know if you have heard of Belie's, but it's a famous club in New York City
and it has been around for a long time and we actually opened the club up, before the club became hip hop and rap and stuff
like that. It started out as being a place that had people like Phyllis Hyman and a lots of celebrities used to hang
there too. And we knew, I knew actually, the DJ who was working on the original KTU in New York. He was the one who
started being the host there and I met him and I told him I had a group and he gave me a shot."
After Conservative Manor, during the mid 70's, I know you played in a band called 94 East with no
less than - Prince or the Artist formerly known as Prince.
"Yeah, the group 94 East was on Polydor Records and the way I got the audition to audition for the group that Prince
was part of, was when I met Henry A Cosby who worked with Motown. He wrote "My Cherie Amour" with Stevie
Wonder... I went to the record company with my demo tape and I played it to him, and it was with a group that I had,
another group out of New Jersey, and he liked my voice but he wasn't really too interested in signing a group so he said -
"You know, this is perfect timing 'cause I'm looking for a lead singer to go with this group I've got called 94 East." They
got some really good musicians and he said that Prince was the most outstanding one, but not a singer. That's specifically
what he told me, so he said; "I'm looking for a lead vocalist 'cause they're signed to the label and I wanna know if you
would be interested? 'Cause I'm really not interested in a group." So I said; "OK!". He said; "Well you have to come down
tomorrow, I have the lyrics to the song. 'Cause the song is already recorded - they've done the music, I just need you to do
a lead and practice and see if you get the part."
I came down the next day and they showed me the song and then I practiced, 15 minutes I had to practice... Hehe... and then
I learned a little bit of it and then he heard me and he said; "You're perfect! You got the job!" So, they made me a part of
the group and I met Prince and Peppy Wolley who was the backbone of the whole group. He was the leader of the group
and I met him and everybody was pleased to have me in the group. The next thing I knew, there was a confliction - I don't
know what did happen - a confliction came up with the management and the label and a lot of other politics... and they
dropped the group before the record came out and I just got in to do it."
Have you still got any contact with Prince? Or maybe you never got a chance to get to know him?
"Never really... Well, I've met him and talked to him, but never really got a chance to know him. And recently, since he
has made it big now, I haven't spoken to him..."
He's quite shy I've heard.
"Well he was very shy then when I met him, back when he was with 94 East. But not as shy now... Hahaha. Shy then, but not
any more."
Since he seems to have many names [Roger Nelson, Prince, the Symbol...] - what did you guys call
him back then?
"We called him Prince, 'cause he had not got famous and changed his name to where it is now - to you know, just "the
Symbol". But we called him Prince. That's basically the extent of it, but he was shy, very shy. T-shirt and jeans, you know,
that style he dressed. Very plain, afro, but nothing like now. Hehehe... He's a different guy now, he's talented though.
He's very talented, very - extremely!"
Colonel, You later joined a band called Surprise Package...
"That was a group... You've got that information also!!! Hahaha..."
When was that and what kind of music did you play?
"It was basically R'n'B kind of music, you know, it had like a R'n'B feel but with a Pop appeal. But very nice R'N'B was
it. It was two girls, myself and a guy and the most interesting thing about that is that that was the group who recorded
"Leave the message behind the door". [Colonel's first single under his own name] When you hear the track of the background
music of "Music is the answer" and "Leave the message behind the door" - that's actually Surprise Package."
Oh, I see! So when was it you was in that group?
"That was back in the seventies and what did happen was that I took the single, same thing happened similar to the Prince
situation with 94 East but this was after the Prince situation of course, I took the single to Streetwise with Surprise
Package and me. Me and Morris, my brother, we wrote the song "Leave the message behind the door" and I told the group "You
know, I'm gonna see if I can take this around and see if I can get this group a deal myself." Because we had somebody
shopping, but nothing happened. So I physically took it around and I went to Streetwise and they sure heard it. Streetwise
had Loleatta Holloway, New Edition, they had a lot of dance music over there at
that time and they wasn't interested in any ballads - not at all. Hehe... But I didn't know, I was just shopping for a
deal.
STUDIO ALBUMS
| 1985 | Colonel Abrams
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| 1987 | You and Me Equals Us
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| 1992 | About Romance
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| 1996 | Make a Difference
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A crowdfunding campaign was launched in 2015, via GoFundMe, in order to help Abrams, as he was homeless, suffering from diabetes, and in poor health.[9] Marshall Jefferson, who had begun his own effort to crowdfund an album, encouraged others to donate to Abrams instead, stating:
As most of you may or may not know, a lot of recording artists don’t have medical coverage or benefits ... Those of us who have listened to his awesome music and know of his plight, have banded together to try to help him through this rough patch.
Abrams died on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2016, at the age of 67.[11] Numerous music industry luminaries paid tribute, including Tony Tune Herbert,[4] Joey Negro, Dave Pearce, and Swizz Beatz. Jellybean Benitez, a producer who worked on Madonna's "Holiday" and Whitney Houston's "Love Will Save the Day", wrote: "It's a sad day for the House Music community". Jefferson wrote, "Just learned Colonel Abrams passed away," and added, "Never to be forgotten, R.I.P.
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