- Hi, I'm Minette Seate and welcome to this Black Horizon special.

For more than 40 years, WQED produced Black Horizons, a program created for and dedicated to Pittsburgh's African American community.

Whether it was social issues, politics, or the arts, black Horizons had a space for everyone.

The program you're about to see features longtime host Chris Moore and a selection of the many talented people who crossed our floor in Studio A. Please join us for this Black Horizons special - Welcome to Black Horizons.

I'm your host, Chris Moore.

You know there was one time when my daddy said it was okay to wear your hat inside and that was when you are in the Big Hat Blues Club.

This is a Night for the Blues and this is the place to hear it because our guest tonight is Mr.

Leroy K Wofford.

Get ready to know Leroy in just a minute and the band, but first let's have a taste of the blues.

- You know I tried to treat you right.

But you stayed out all night.

Keep telling me, Lord, ain't my business.

Said what you're doing.

Oh, with your life.

So I did some searchin, I told myself and I found out you've been sleeping with someone else.

You know what feels so bad being with you.

I'm going to stop you from giving me the blues.

I gave you money, bought you a brand new car.

But I'm only human.

A man can only go so far.

There's so many women in the streets from which to choose.

I'm gonna stop you from giving me the blues.

See, I did some searching in my mind and I found out I've been wasting my time.

There's so many women out there from which to choose.

I'm going to stop you from giving me the blues.

You see, ain't nobody perfect on this God's earth, I tried to do my best.

I thought it would work.

But when you come home smelling like some other man's cologne, take some fool not to know, what's been going on.

I did some thinking late last night.

I don't want to argue.

Ain't going fuss and fight.

There's too many women out there in the streets from which to choose.

I'm going to stop you from giving me the blues.

Play blues for me.

Come here.

Alright.

- Hello.

Come on.

- You see, ain't Nobody perfect on this God's earth, I tried to do my best.

I thought it would work.

But when you come home smelling like some other man's cologne takes a fool not to know what been going on.

I did some thinking again last night I don't want to argue ain't going fuss and fight.

There's too many women in the streets from which to choose.

I'm going stop you from giving me the blues.

So many women out there, the streets from which to choose.

I'm going to stop you from giving me the blues too many women in the streets from which to choose.

I'm going stop you from giving me the blues woo woo woo.

Well lord, lord,lord, lord, lord.

- Oh, watch out baby.

Me coming at you real.

Yeah, indeed.

Welcome back to the Big Hat Blues Club, where Leroy K Wofford is my guest.

Who are the guys in the band Leroy.

- Oh, that's my people man.

It's Larry Estes on guitar.

You got Dan Watson on the bass and you got the fabulous Mr.

Greg Humphreys on the drums.

- Related to - Another famous drummer, around here named Humphreys.

- Yeah, Roger no doubt about it.

- Okay.

You know, you and I share idols.

You're not really, everybody thinks of you as the blues man and about the King of the Blues here in Pittsburgh, right?

But originally you and I shared a musical idol.

You probably sang him a lot better than I did.

The Godfather, - James Brown.

Godfather of soul, no doubt about it.

Yeah.

What about James Brown appealed to you man.

- Yeah, everything the man could dance, you know?

And he just had that energy, high energy.

You understand?

You, you felt that immediately.

- Now why is it a well known fact that you gotta have a big hat if you gonna sing the blues or sit up in the club?

- Well, 'cause that's what the theory goes is that you ain't a blues man unless you got a blues hat.

- You gotta have a blues - hat.

(Instrumental music performance) - Mr.

Solomon.

You make these drums right here in Pittsburgh and you send them all over this area and indeed all over the world, right?

Yeah.

Right here in Pittsburgh, they're made, we, we make them for people all over, even back to the islands.

We send them back.

You even send them back to the islands.

Where are you from originally?

Originally I'm from Guyana in South America.

I want you to introduce the members of your group.

They're now, they're straightening up over there.

They were all laughing and talking.

Let's start with the young lady in the front here.

Right here.

Who's that?

- Okay, this is my sister Janae Solomon.

And this is Lee Solomon.

This is Fiona Solomon.

And that's our friend Chris Knot.

- Okay, welcome all.

Now let's take a look at living history in the form of the Dancing Demons.

Here's Mr.

Irvin Taylor and Mr.

Henry Belcher.

Take it away fellas.

- Hello folks.

How you do?

We are here to entertain you.

We'll do some rhythm and we'll do some flash.

Hey, you better pick up on the fancy tracks.

Things are nice and groovy and wow this is on And if you're all set we're going to really turn you on.

We're feeling mellow and we're going to claim Dancing Demons is the name.

Bop stomp and jump is what we have in mind.

Now, won't that be fine if we floor you knock you right out.

Don't say we didn't warn you what it was all about.

So here we go.

For better or for worse, we going to do a little rhythm for your first.

We say it once and we say it again Hey, this is where we began - Alright, I love you guys.

The dancing demons.

Back with us again.

Mr.

Henry Belcher.

Mr.

Irvin Taylor, welcome.

Welcome to Black Horizons.

How you doing?

- Fine.

- You got your breath yet?

Almost.

You guys haven't been here in a long time.

I'm really glad to have you back.

How long y'all been doing this?

You never will tell me.

Ever since we started.

And how long you going to do it?

Until we get tired!

Somehow I figure that you and you are not tired yet, are you?

Not yet.

Not yet.

Okay.

- Check, check, check, check.

Ghetto sound check 1, 2 1 2.

Here we go.

Black horizons in the house.

You know what I'm saying?

Enough respect to my boy Chris Moore.

DJ Slice in the house from the HI double L. Toughy Tough.

We about to do it like this.

Uhuh Uhuh.

Uhuh a DJ slice.

He rocks it right?

A toughy Tough.

He rocks it right now.

Here we go.

'cause you know, knowledge is keeper.

Don't walk in a sleeper 'cause knowledge is keeper.

Don't walk in a sleeper.

Every man has equal rights to live and be free no matter what color, class or race he may be.

That's a true man's philosophy.

No hypocrisy of culture and religion.

They strip it for you and me.

Deficiency to work off chemistry.

Wake up people.

We have the ability with the capability to rock society in the world together.

We are the majority 'cause we were the first set on the earth.

And still today we treated the worst.

We live.

But don't learn.

Some of us, sometimes we burn.

So the whole we earned.

This is a real concern.

Knowledge is the key.

Look up your true identity.

Words of wisdom, knowledge and understanding is real demanding at this time.

So open your ears broaden your minds.

We get our differences artificially created.

The sources in reaches up to us to take it back.

We have to come together in unity and preach and teach history full of dignity.

No longer tolerate the lives and the trickery.

We can't follow leaders that are purposeful.

The adversary.

This itinerary of massive vocabulary will get my point across by any means necessary.

'cause it's necessary for me to speak.

My speech is strong with facts that are concrete, not fake.

'cause everything is real.

Doesn't take much skill to visualize this ordeal.

Knowledge is keeper.

Don't walk in the sleeper.

'cause knowledge is keeper.

Yeah.

A DJ slice, he rocks it Right.

A DJ slice.

I pump it up.

(Hip Hop lyrics) Ghetto, ghetto, ghetto sounds.

Sound check.

This is my ghetto, ghetto, ghetto sound Check.

Anywhere me be me do a ghetto check.

In they present they make me do a sound check.

Listen Toughy Tough need to show much respect.

Come listen to me... Come listen to me... Come listen to me when I'm happy (Hip Hop lyrics) Yes.

A DJ slice, he rocks it, right.

A DJ slice, he rocks it right.

A DJ slice, he rocks it, right.

Yeah.

And we outtie - All right.

Pump it up.

Pump it up.

Toughy tough in the house.

Yes sir.

What up brother?

I'm happy to be here.

DJ Slice how you feel.

Yeah, I'm on.

All right.

All right.

You know I hear a lot in your music, but first of all, describe to me for what your manager Shabazz described as underground music.

Would you tell our audience what it is - It's called underground series, which means that everything is recorded in the basement, graphics in the basement, all of it.

Everything is done in the basement.

Underground, yeah.

Okay.

And, and it's raw, uncensored, you know, type product that we're getting ready put - out.

I hear a lot in your music though, that speaks to young people about some of the things that are going on today.

And people talk about rap as a vehicle that really speaks to people the truth of what they're listening.

And I hear you talking about knowledge being power.

What kind of knowledge are you talking about?

What's your message?

- Well, if you listen to the song, knowledge Is Keeper.

It's basically talking about, you know, find self, find out where you coming from, no matter what you're doing.

- We present the children of the Ozanam Cultural Center's Suzuki violin programming program, performing Twinkle, twinkle, little Star and several other ditties that I'm sure you'll love.

(instrumental music) - We involve the community as a whole so that all the, the children that you see here, they know each other, they're friends, we know all the parents.

And when we get together just like this, it's a lot of fun.

- Well, I could hear, oh, you mean all that proud applause in the, in the background.

A lot of parents and friends who we normally don't have applause in our studio.

You know, someone comes and performs.

But it's so great.

'cause I can see that with all the people who are here in the studio today.

It's, it must be a wonderful experience.

- We're going to let Jazz Incorporated, play us out with a McCoy Tyner tune.

Everybody have a good evening.

Bye.