European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 25, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse And now special guest Pettus by Anita Gosch stall writer Giorge Pettus has inc tight Stull to make it in the music business a lot of Talent Holly dose of Luck and. Most important Good contacts How else would the Minneapolis based Singer who Only has one album to his credit be chosen As the special guest on Whitney Houston s european tour the announcer at Houston s recent concert in fian Murl May have claimed the pop Star specially requested Petlus As her opening act. But Pettus says that us in t irus. I had a lot of people pulling Lor me Pettus said in an interview in Frankfurt saturday. My management company my record company. Marshall arts a British promotion company they were pushing for me. And Whitney s people went Lor Pettus a native of Southampton by who refuses to reveal his age. Performed a Hall hour of soul ballads irom his sell titled debut album. The set included his first single. My night for love As Well As an embellished version of Marvin Gaye s classic what s Coin on Pettus said he was very combo Lable with his performance in Frankfurt. Despite the fact that he was unknown to the audience in the fes Halle he eels the crowd appreciated his music. But he admits his show needs More uptempo songs. The thing is. The record company their initial idea about Giorge Petlus was to present him As a premiere Balladeer which is Why i have All those slow songs he said. I love ballads i was All Lor the idea. But i will admit now that i need More up Stull. The second album will do mat Petlus already had his loot in the door of the music business before he set out to become a Singer. In new York he was a stall songwriter Lor Chappel music then worked As a writer session player Lor he records. Among his accomplishments he lists the song that soul Balladeer Lorge Pettus it the opening act on Whitney Houston european tour. Initially got the Black pop group the jets a record Deal. The song was recorded but never released Pettus then hit the Road As Lead Singer and Iron Man Lor the satisfactions performing on the Midwest club circuit for 3va years. Meeting the right people at the right time and getting them to see what he could do helped Pettus get his first in As a Singer with a major Label. When he moved irom new York to Minneapolis in inc Early 1980 s. To set out to establish Contact with people irom the local music scene producer Louis Silas or. Who has worked with such artists As Jody Walley. The jets and new edition and representatives of Mca records saw a video pelts recorded at first Avenue the club in Minneapolis where Prince did purple Ham they were so impressed Petlus said Hal within a week they were negotiating a record Deal. They loved the video so he said they loved the voice but the image was locally Diller enl. I had Blond streaks in my hair and Hal did t go with the music at All so we changed pelts also changed the a in George loan but All the contacts in inc world Are of no use without Talent Petlus whose lather and both grandfathers were ministers with their own churches in new York City began singing gospel music As a child Al age 6, he said to gave his Lisl performance Lor some 5.000 people in a Church in Brooklyn. It was t until his teens Hal he became interested in pop music in particular the sounds of Marvin Gaye and Stevie wonder. Petlus proudly recalls meeting wonder and getting his picture taken with him us two months ago he was at this club and he requested that i come Over and meet him because i was singing this song called can you Wail and to just absolutely loved it pelts said. Thai was a big High Lor with All the right Stull and the exposure he s receiving on the Houston Lour Petlus May Well hit the big time. Even so he says his religious beliefs will always help him remain a Down to Earlh kind of Guy. " religion has helped me a great Deal As Lar As the kind of person i am especially dealing with the music Industry. It s helped me keep my Leel on the ground and not get really Star stricken or gel caught up with All the b s he said. I like to slay in touch with reality. I Don t want to lose that. I feel if you lose touch with reality you lose touch with making a hard Day s night easier by Joe Edwards associated Pressi t s 2 a.m., and your baby is crying and won t sleep. What to do play the beatles of course and within 15 minutes a hard Day s night becomes much easier. Award winning pianist Floyd Domino has turned the music of the fab four into an album of lullabies designed to Send bawling infants straight to sleep town. A lot of adults say it works says the 35-year-old musician irom Austin. Texas the album. Baby Road is a Takeall of the beatles 1969 up Abbey Road it contains 12 songs including 11 Hils of the lamed group and the title track written by Domino. The up also parodies the Abbey Road cover which showed the Lour Liverpool lads walking single file across a Street. Baby Road shows Lour diapered lots strutting one behind the other across the Road. These lullabies Are dedicated to All children and their tired moms and dads Domino writes on the album cover. Beatles songs on the up Are hey judo. Yesterday Michelle. Something. With a Little help from my friends norwegian Wood for no one. In my Lite she s leaving Home Here there and everywhere and Good night. I did t try to compete with the beatles just be True to their music and not use a lot of hoi licks said Domino who played with country Star Waylon Jennings Lor Lour years. He got the idea for the album when his wife was pregnant. This is so much Betler than Mary had a Little Lamb he said. I tried to make them sound As simple As possible but a lot of production was involved. I let the melodies come up by using the upper modes of the piano. The beatles Are very identifiable. You can play the Melody and not be a slave to any original arrangement. I thought of their songs that could be acoustical and simple where you Don t tamper with the song and it brings it out. Some of the melodies worked and others would the Only other musicians on help Are Edgar Meyer who played upright Bass and guitarist Mark Howard. The selections Are strictly instrumentals without any lyrics. A lot of the songs Are better without words like she s leaving Home. People think of their daughter leaving or about an unhappy teen Ager Domino said in a Telephone interview. He said to chose yesterday Tor the purity of the Medley la s a song you have to include when you do a beatles Lullaby record. The sound is very simple the guitar carries the rhythm and the piano plays the Melody Well and draws attention to the he said he Jude has a Strong emotional Impact on people especially parents. The theme is take a sad song and make it better. The song Means so much to a person because they think of the words the song triggers memories and emotions and in makes parents so Happy to be sharing them with their Domino who s been playing piano since age 5, says he rates Michelle As the beatles hit with the Best Melody. I would play in a lot Belore i recorded this he recalled. I always loved playing some beatles songs did not lit Well. Hip was too uptempo for a peaceful arrangement. Domino was wary of the stringed instruments used in the Long and winding Road. Let it be. He said had an identifiable arrangement and i was reluctant to tackle to Hopes to do a follow up project which like the first will be on his own Golliber records in Austin. The next album will include some of the beatles songs he had to omit irom the Lisl. Domino born and raised in Berkeley Calil. Had a featured part in the song one o clock jump which won a grammy award in 1978 for the country group asleep at the wheel. After leaving the group he played piano in the Broadway production the Best Little whorehouse in Texas he then joined Jennings band but quit two years ago in order to spend More Lime Al Home the baby Road project has been More rewarding lot him than playing on the Road. I gel great letters irom parents saying they Are glad i did this he said it s been a lot of Tun and much More personal i save every letter i get " his 2wyear-old son. Will who helped inspire the project has a Mavorite song on the up something but it s a Winner by do Lull. He d All asleep so quickly he never listened All the Way through Domino said. Wednesday May 25, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 17
