Still riding after all these years
You may not be familiar with the Lowrider Band, but when they hit the Starlight Bowl bandstand on Saturday, you’ll know their music. The group’s core — guitarist Howard Scott, bassist BB Dickerson, drummer Harold Brown and harmonica shaman Lee Oskar — were all, respectively, the songwriters, lead vocalists and founding members of triple-platinum selling 1970s funk paragons War, a band whose singular, smoldering jams have yet to be equaled.
Having lost all rights to the band name in a 1997 lawsuit (when a judge swallowed manager Jerry Goldstein’s lawyers’ insulting assertion that “It’s like the Glenn Miller band — it doesn’t matter who the musicians are”), these men refuse to squander what is inarguably one of the richest legacies in American pop music history. Despite the fact that they live in different states, the Lowrider Band will not be denied.
“Lee’s up in Washington, Howard lives in Texas, I’ve got a place in New Orleans but spend a lot of time here in Southern California,” Brown said. “I have a compound near the Pomona Fairgrounds, with a whole music room that’s like a museum. The guys come in and we rehearse there. We do a couple of shows a month but since we are so scattered, it’s phenomenally expensive — all the money goes to the airlines and hotels. It’s a constant motion, there’s always a lot going on. You’ve got to love playing music to do this, and so we take select gigs where we haven’t been — to spread the word that we’re still here.”
The band first began life in the early 1960s, as the Creators, when Brown rounded up Scott (a casual teenage acquaintance made in Long Beach blues joint the Cozy Lounge; both had donned their fathers’ clothes and drawn on fake mustaches and snuck in) and in short order, drafted Scott’s nephew BB Dickerson and from the neighborhood, keyboardist Lonnie Jordan. After a chance meeting with conga master Papa Dee Allan (previously one of Wayne Henderson’s fabled Jazz Crusaders) and the subsequent addition of soulful sax man Charles Miller, the combo began creating a distinctive sound, one infused with funky Southern syncopation, hypnotic Latin rhythms and deep, hard-hitting Rhythm and Blues.
Following a fateful 1969 San Fernando Valley performance where Lee Oskar, a Danish tourist, spontaneously stormed the bandstand to sit in, impressing one audience member — British rock star Eric Burdon — so much that he hired the band as his own on the spot, War was born. After a fruitful stint with Burdon (including the 1970 hit “Spill the Wine”), they struck out on their own and scored their first million seller, the haunting classic “Slippin’ into Darkness” in 1971. Despite the ugly litigious swamp they eventually found themselves in (the sanctioned touring unit of War features only one original member, Jordan), Brown and his bandmates (augmented today by percussionist Chuk Barber, saxist Lance Ellis and Pete Coleon, keys) persevere.
“We’ve got to move forward. Destiny is like a shadow, it follows you wherever you go,” Brown said. “We’ve been blessed with this great talent and all of those hits —“Slippin’ into Darkness,” “Low Rider,” “The World is a Ghetto,” “Cisco Kid,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends” — they have become iconic. That’s the way it’s supposed to be: inspiring. It’s important to inspire — not just other musicians, but also the fans. It’s what Socrates and Plato used to argue about, the arts. And that’s what our [current] ‘Peace in the Streets’ tour is all about, old-school values. These songs, really, represent old-school values. Love thy neighbor, take care of your neighbor. That’s what America needs to get back to. Say ‘Please’ and say ‘Thank You.’ It’s so simple, it does good. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Laden with penetrating socio-cultural messages yet never preachy, always soulful and rhythmically irresistible, War’s artistic achievements were undeniable. Almost all of them were written by Scott (often collaborating with Allan and Miller, both of whom have passed away), an extraordinary catalog of songs that have taken on varying degrees of pop immortality, turning up on radio airwaves and motion picture and television soundtracks repeatedly. And they never wear out their welcome, irrefutable testimony to these cats’ formidable talent. And they are still creating.
“Howard was always our primary writer. Musically, we just used everything we heard. And when Lee came in, he brought that European feel, the melodies, and so we get the best of both worlds,” Brown said. “I’ve written a few new things and Howard’s still writing, but nowadays, in this digital world, how do you get it out? Make a CD? We may have a record deal coming up soon and we’re working on a biography and always moving forward — time is of the essence. I am 69 but I still get up every day and take a two-mile run, and that’s what really matters, good health. That’s my status symbol.”
After more than 50 years in the business, Brown’s drive and tenacity are nothing less than flabbergasting, but in truth, he really doesn’t have another choice. “We grew up playing together. I mean, Howard and BB’s dads used to drive us to all our gigs, so we’re not just a band, we are a brotherhood. We’ve still got that magic connection.”
“I am not going to mention any names, but some people wish we’d just go away into the sunset. That’s not going to happen — they can take our name, but they can’t take our souls!”
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What: The Lowrider Band
Where: Starlight Bowl, 1249 Lockheed View Drive, Burbank
When: Saturday, July 25, 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $15 general, $8 seniors, disabled and children ages 3 to 12.
More information: (818) 238-5300, starlightbowl.com.
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JONNY WHITESIDE is a veteran music journalist based in Burbank and author of “Ramblin’ Rose: the Life & Career of Rose Maddox” and “Cry: the Johnnie Ray Story.”