I Ain't Gonna Play Sun City!

**dave_clegg** · 07-21-2011, 01:06 PM

Marv, How many times have you watched it??
It'll send you blind LOL

**marv2** · 07-21-2011, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by dave_clegg

Marv, How many times have you watched it??
It'll send you blind LOL

Dave, I guess I am a little besides myself because I had not seen this video since perhaps the mid -80's. I have it on VHS somewhere. It was just soooooo.... good to see it again. There were more than a few "All Star" videos from those days. I guess we should try to list them?

**thaperson** · 07-21-2011, 06:40 PM

I agreed with the message, but I was annoyed at how self righteous the US music scene was with it. Calling out artists who had played there and accusing them of being racist? I didn't agree with their decisions, but were the acts who played the south during segregation supporting racism too? Of course, Springsteen's man was behind it, so the rock critics ate it up. But it sullied a few names [[linda ronstadt, ray charles and Queen to name a few) at the time.

It was either Millie Jackson or Roberta Flack who dismissed the "Sun Ctiy" crusade as being very hypocritical and saying that there were plenty of places in the US that were still racist, but no one was writing any songs about not playing there. And she was right.

**dave_clegg** · 07-22-2011, 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by marv2

Dave, I guess I am a little besides myself because I had not seen this video since perhaps the mid -80's. I have it on VHS somewhere. It was just soooooo.... good to see it again. There were more than a few "All Star" videos from those days. I guess we should try to list them?

You've got me at it now! LOL

David Ruffin, Ringo, Eddie Kendricks, Gill Scottt Heron,Darrel Hall, and John Oates.

**splanky** · 07-22-2011, 07:10 AM

I've been watching that video at least once every 3 months over the past 4 or 5 years and I bought the original release when it came out-damn-can it be 26 years ago?!!- oh
I am getting old... It was indeed part of a larger anti-apartheid mission both right on point and right on time. And yes, Millie Jackson and Tina Turner [[ among others) had
played Sun City both later regretting it, Tina in fact admitting how naive she'd been about the whole situation there. All I remember about Roberta Flack is hearing she'd turned them down ...Doesn't matter, nobody said artists playing there were racists just
naive as Tina stated in the least or irresponsible at worst. They were right. Curtis Mayfield played Sun City and Jerry Butler gave him hell about it and though Curtis will remain one of my favorites this time he was wrong. As far as racism in the south in this country is concerned and American music history, it's not the same thing.And it wasn't
only in the south restrictions were applied from the journey post slavery, through reconstruction, Jim Crow up til this day...

**Cosmic Truth** · 08-09-2019, 02:35 AM

Originally Posted by splanky

I've been watching that video at least once every 3 months over the past 4 or 5 years and I bought the original release when it came out-damn-can it be 26 years ago?!!- oh
I am getting old... It was indeed part of a larger anti-apartheid mission both right on point and right on time. And yes, Millie Jackson and Tina Turner [[ among others) had
played Sun City both later regretting it, Tina in fact admitting how naive she'd been about the whole situation there. All I remember about Roberta Flack is hearing she'd turned them down ...Doesn't matter, nobody said artists playing there were racists just
naive as Tina stated in the least or irresponsible at worst. They were right. Curtis Mayfield played Sun City and Jerry Butler gave him hell about it and though Curtis will remain one of my favorites this time he was wrong. As far as racism in the south in this country is concerned and American music history, it's not the same thing.And it wasn't
only in the south restrictions were applied from the journey post slavery, through reconstruction, Jim Crow up til this day...

That's exactly what I would say too, if I got bad publicity for it. Poor little naive Tina. I hope all the money she got helped heal her hurt feelings?
As for Curtis Mayfield that is absolutely incredible. I would have remortgaged my house and bet that Curtis wouldn't have played in Sun City.

**Guy** · 08-09-2019, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Cosmic Truth

That's exactly what I would say too, if I got bad publicity for it. Poor little naive Tina. I hope all the money she got helped heal her hurt feelings?
As for Curtis Mayfield that is absolutely incredible. I would have remortgaged my house and bet that Curtis wouldn't have played in Sun City.

Tina was genuinely poor and naive, and I believe her apology was sincere. We cannot expect artists without any substantive secondary education -- even ones that we love -- to be informed on the entirety of the political situation in South Africa. To add to the confusion, Sun City allowed integrated audiences.

Tina played Sun City in the late 70s/early 80s -- years before this video. I am not apologizing for her or excusing her, it is not my place to do so, but I think some perspective is necessary. Particularly since Tina herself had come of age under U.S. apartheid. She had to pay bills and feed children, and she had a single skill set. When she knew better she did better.

**marv2** · 07-22-2011, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by dave_clegg

You've got me at it now! LOL

David Ruffin, Ringo, Eddie Kendricks, Gill Scottt Heron,Darrel Hall, and John Oates.

How did I miss Gil-Scott? Will somebody please come and slap me? LOL!!!! Good looking out Dave!

**thaperson** · 07-22-2011, 04:47 PM

There most certainly was an underlying message being perpetuated by the music press around that time that if you played Sun City you were a racist. "Rolling Stone" did a nasty piece on Linda Ronstadt that all but said she was a racist. Queen was ripped apart by the British media for playing there. All the artists were called out for playing there. That's why they were all blacklisted until they apologized and promised not to play there anymore.

Like I said, it was a worthwhile message and a good cause but for anyone in the US press to get so overtly arrogant about it to me was the height of hypocrisy. Espcially since it was barely twenty years since segregation had ended and we were in the midst of the Reagan Era and the "Welfare Queens".

**splanky** · 07-23-2011, 07:01 AM

I vaguely remember the UN taking some folks to task and I'll take your word for the tongue lashing Linda Rondstat got by Rolling Stone but since I really don't know what was going on in the UK at the time I can only say I don't recall anyone here in America being punished or their careers put on hold because they had played Sun City. Certainly
not Rod Stewart, The Ojays, Dionne Warwick,Elton John or the man himself Frank Sinatra. There was an augmented version of the Sun City video posted on youtube a few years back with graphics of artists who had played the resort, which Little Steven declined to name, but it may have been taken down. I remember when I watched it I
was like Tim about Curtis, "Damn...." Anyway it was a powerful message and one of the rare times American Music has been cited as instumental in effecting real change in the world. We Are The World just filled a few folks pockets and made some folks feel good
about themselves for a minute...

**the_classic_master** · 07-23-2011, 10:01 AM

wow! i swear i was singing this song monday, marv! the bald head dude is from the group midnight oil, i saw some of the ramones and nobody mention bob dylan and miles! i didn't know david ruffin was the first to sing on this track! good trivia question!