[[Gregory) Hines, Hines & Dad

[jsmith]

Anyone know what sort of act this outfit [[that featured Gregory Hines in his younger days) performed ?
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If their LP was anything to go by, I guess it was MOR type stuff ......
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[marv2]

I remember them most from the Ed Sullivan Show and other TV Variety shows from the sixties, perhaps early seventies. They were more along the lines of Sammy Davis along with his uncle and Dad in that they did a lot of tap dancing and minimal singing as a part of their act. They were very good and kept my interest when they hit the stage.

[ms_m]

Gregory Hines is the ONLY entertainer I ever had a crush on. It started when I was 12 years old and continued to the day he died.

His mom enrolled his older brother Maurice in a tap dancing class when he was around 5, younger brother Gregory wanted to learn too and soon he was also taking lessons. They started touring at a very young age along with their Dad [[a self taught drummer) and even performed in a Broadway play. The Girl in the Pink Tights, I believe it was called.

In the 70's, Gregory became disenchanted with Tap dancing and left the act. He moved to Venice, Ca and started a jazz, funk, rock band with money he borrowed from Bill Cosby. Eventually he moved back to New York and with the help of his older brother got a gig in a Broadway show, it was the first time he had danced in years. He went on to do several Broadway shows and eventually won a Tony for best actor in a Musical for Jelly's Last Jam.....that's just a small sample of this amazing tap dancers resume but he also did several films and tv shows as well. In the 80's he recorded a duet with Luther Vandross called, Nothing Better Than Love, it was a good song too.

His brother Maurice continues to tour and perform, their dad passed a way a few years ago.

[splanky]

Ms M said:

Gregory Hines is the ONLY entertainer I ever had a crush on. It started when I was 12 years old and continued to the day he died.

Actually, lady, I kinda have a hard time believing the first part but I won't press you...
Anyway, Gregory's loss hit me very hard too because I'd looked up to him for so long and appreciated that he was a
part of a long chain in American Black culture and an inspiration to later artists like Savion Glover and Maurice Chestnut.
Tap was to jazz what breakdancing was to hip-hop. Historically it's been said to be African interpretation of Irish Clog
dancing and though it was frowned on later by "upper class Negroes" it continues to this day. In New York every year
there a tap festival that draws people of all ages, shapes and colors. Tappers too are often featured on Jazz musicians
albums like the late Abbey Lincoln's Who Used To Dance with Savion whom I've mentioned. Gregory actually found his
way back to tap, he kinda had to since Michael Jackson, Savion and others kept calling him out! There is footage on the
web of them together and he also had a successful acting career. Probably most have seen him in Waiting To Exhale but
I really enjoyed him in A Rage In Harlem which I make a point to watch every 3 or 4 months...He was quite a talent...

[jsmith]

Read up on them from info on the net .... They [[H,H & D) were performing together as early as 1962, so the trio must have been in existence as an act for about 11 years.
Gregory Hines split & performed as lead singer / musician in a rock band called Severance in 1974/75/76 based in Venice, California. Severance was one of the house bands at an original music club called Honky Hoagies Handy Hangout, otherwise known as the 4H Club. The group had a [[self titled) LP released in 1976.

[ms_m]

Actually, lady, I kinda have a hard time believing the first part but I won't press you

LOL. Splanks it's true. I have every movie Gregory ever performed in, including a Blues Clues movie....hahahaha .

Jelly's Last Jam is the only Broadway show I've ever attended.

His dad lived in the same apartment complex as a friend of mine in Vegas. I saw Gregory walking across the complex once and was so tongue tied all I could do was grin....now imagine ME...tongue tied....hahahahaha

At the time of his death he was engaged to a body builder from Canada, Nygrita Jade, ironically, she too passed away from cancer almost 5 years to the day of his death.

[Kamasu_Jr]

PBS aired a Lennon Sisters documentary which featured Gregory and Maurice Hines duetting with two of the Lennon sisters. That had to be quite daring in those days [[LOL). Hines, Hines and Dad used to appear on the old Mike Douglas show a lot. They [[Maurice & Gregory) were like the Nicholas Brothers while dad sat in behind them on the drums. I like the brother acts of old including Maurice & Gregory and the Mills Brothers.

[ms_m]

Gregory paid tribute to the older tap dancers in his movie TAP. Harold Nichols was in it and well as others but it was also the last film Sammy Davis Jr did before he died.

Gregory and Maurice had some difficult times over the years, although they did finally reconcile. Their part as contentious brothers in the film Cotton Club was written based on their relationship.

[ms_m]

...here's a piece of Gregory Hines triva.....he was originally cast in the Ghost buster's film. He pulled out due to a conflict with another film. Ernie Hudson ended up with the part.

[ms_m]

Splanks here's something for ya. It's in almost pristine condition because I keep it in plastic. LOL
Always thought I would be able to get it autographed one day but sadly that day never came.