It was a great day at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, CA,
as their location hosted the Art Laboe Connection Remembering Art
concert. Folks from all over came to pay respect to the legend, as well as,
participate in the festivities surrounding his legacy. Soon the sun set, and
the concert began.
Acts like The Chi-Lites, The Intruders, The Temprees, The Notations,
Sunny and the Sunliners, Sophia Maria, Baby Bash, Cota the Barber,
among other notable artists, were in line to bless the stage.
Las Vegas’ own, Sophia Maria, sang hits like Etta James’ “At Last” to her
very own joints like “Forget About Her” and “You’re the Only One.” I can
see that she had some women in tears from the songs that she sang. Baby
Bash rapped songs like “Cyclone” and “Suga Suga.” Ironically, Bash had
those same women smiling, rapping his words and dancing from their
seats. Sly Slick and Wicked took us back 50+ years with their hits like “Thin
Line between Love and Hate” to “Sho Nuff” to “Confessin’ A Feeling,” plus
a few others. San Diego’s Frankie J, wooed the ladies with “Te Quiero A
Ti,” while Little Anthony gave us “Tears on My Pillow,”
Every artist who performed was energetic and focused on delivering a
terrific show. The entire night radiated nothing but enthusiastic vibes. 93.5
KDAY’s Romeo hosted the event, and his drive is contagious. However, the
best part of the night, was the tribute to Art Laboe, the legend. For a few
minutes, two humongous jumbotrons played videos and photos of Art, as
the iconic disc jockey that he was, which spans close to 80 years on-air.
Oldies But Goodies was a phrase that Art coined, and were the titles for all
of his oldies albums that he released under his record label.
Art left a good impression and made a huge impact on Chicano/Latin
culture, Los Angeles to worldwide Oldies music scene. From car shows to
house parties, Art Laboe will forever be in our hearts and music playlists.
