One accomplishment I am most proud of is forming the R&B group “The New Breed Band” which later became “A Different Bag”. It was in the mid- sixties after attending a James Brown concert that inspired me to put together my own band; something similar to what I had witnessed with the James Brown Band. James Brown was on fire of course, but it was his band that really moved me the most. I was 17 in my senior year in high school. Looking back I remember it to be a seemingly impossible task for me to undertake, but I was laser focused and would not be deterred.
One by one I recruited each member until I reached a total of twelve, a large group as compared to others in the city. We were all about the same age, and every one of us was still attending high school. It was two long months before we had our first rehearsal. Rocky as that first rehearsal was I never lost faith, and managed to keep my dream alive. Finally, after several months of endless practicing, together with countless internal issues, we survived, and made our debut appearance at my high school’s Annual Talent Show tryouts. We were by far the best group in the tryouts and would have easily qualified for the actual show. But unfortunately, due to the fact that most of our members were from other schools, we were disqualified. In spite of that, our performance on that stage that evening caused our name to spread like wildfire throughout the city, and that was my intended goal.
Our genre was R&B, comparable to that of The Commadores, Earth Wind & Fire, Cool & The Gang, The Ohio Players, New Birth, etc… During our peak years in the early 1970’s, I dare say, in my opinion, none of the aforementioned groups could have followed behind us on stage: if they cared anything about their reputation, it would have been unthinkable to do so. New Birth and The Bar Kays found out the hard way.
We never had a hit record and consequently outside those who came to see us live, together with an inner circle of various musicians and entertainers, we were not well known. We were almost completely underground to the world. A Different Bag is, what I would say, music industry’s best kept secret. From our lack of success on the record side of the business, eventually the band became frustrated, and after more than a decade together, one by one the members began to depart from the group. By the late 1970’s, with eight members remaining, the Different Bag show had come to an end. The rest is history and can be found in my book, The Unknown Musician. Sadly, there are no video clips, and very few photos displaying the full twelve members of this incredible band of the 60’s and 70’s: an era that will never be repeated, and certainly never duplicated. A movie script of “The Unknown Musician” is safely locked away inside my file cabinet, patiently awaiting its turn to become the next Hollywood blockbuster movie.
