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Finding Curtis Lewis

I was driving North on Schaefer Avenue, south of Fenkell Street, in Detroit. I noticed on the right a bold commercial wall, a painted advertisement — “I Make Stars” — for Bill Cason Photography. I stopped to admire it. Upon closer investigation, I noticed the signature of Curtis Lewis at the lower left of the […]

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Motown A Go Go 2019

The 2019 Motown A Go Go at Bert’s Warehouse Stage in the Eastern Market area of Detroit attracted over 300 dedicated music lovers from Great Britain’s Northern Soul Movement, in addition to a substantial Metro Detroit audience. The event spans four nights of live performances by 23 or so musical artists/acts that recorded in Detroit […]

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MultiColor Motown – Focus on Blue

Blue is not the most common color in Detroit architecture – it competes with the sky and is hard to see at night – but it’s a constant in the landscape.  Spray Services is a current business that supplies paint equipment for auto repair. Sam’s Auto Parts’ sign still stands on 8 Mile, and OK […]

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Billy Davis – Mr. Music History

I walked into the cavernous Bert’s Warehouse Stage in Detroit’s Eastern Market for a photo shoot at the 2018 Detroit A Go Go Friday night show. A trim guitarist with red shoes was tearing up the stage, bending strings, backed by the house band that featured a 10-year-old harmonica player, Mighty Michael Mendelson. I would […]

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Ronnie McNeir – 20 year veteran of The Four Tops

I first saw Ronnie McNeir – a 20-year veteran of The Four Tops – perform solo at the Detroit A Go Go 2017. He took the stage in a blue graduation cap and gown. I had no idea what he was doing. Turns out Ronnie was performing his first 45 song, Sitting in My Class, […]

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MultiColor Motown – Focus on Red

Detroit’s transportation arteries are bright red. Streetscape architecture needs a gimmick to attract the fleeting attention of passing motorists.  In this instalment of Multicolor Motown I’ve gathered examples of the use of red in advertising and landscape. What few examples of red neon signage still found in Detroit stand boldly against the elements. Kowalski “Kowality” […]

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Multicolor Motown – Focus on Yellow

The progression of Detroit’s commercial archeology is linear. One-story buildings have replaced others demolished to accommodate widened transportation routes now striped in yellow. These wide corridors service manufacturing, retail, and Downtown Detroit. To attract the attention of passing motorists, retail buildings are painted in yellow striping paint. It is durable and hard to miss. The […]

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Willie Jones – The Secret Heart of Detroit Soul

There he was on stage, dressed in a red satin suit: the 82-year-old veteran showman Willie Jones. He was in his element performing Friday night at Detroit A Go Go 2018, four live shows of ventage Detroit performing artists  at Bert’s Warehouse in Detroit’s Eastern Market. The event was produced by Brits Phil and Kim […]

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Trust Where Your Charity Goes – W.F. Reynolds Plumbing – Detroit

I stopped at Euclid and Brush St. in Detroit to photograph the exterior of W.F. Reynolds Plumbing. Great light! I was preparing for an interview with owners Frank and Stephanie Reynolds later in the month. I was standing on that corner framing up the shot when an SUV drove up. Out popped a woman who […]

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Aretha: Last Call in Detroit

  Thousands lined up in the August heat of Detroit for the two-day Aretha Franklin Memorial at the Wright Museum of African-American History. The memorial audience was in a great mood. RESPECT blasted from a local radio station tent. The vendors marketed food, clothing, and jewelry to the surging audience. Nation of Islam was also […]

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