My Origins: Back in the Day
Back in the DAY 1983-85. I was in a band called "Fine Print" Moby Walker came up with the name. “The message is in the music all you have to do is read the Fine Print.”
The Fine Print band was as follows. Donald Walker on Drums. Moby Walker on Congas and Percussion. Matthew Thornton on Flute and Percussion. Jim (Hoogie) Korf on Bass. Lispert Dowdell on Alto-Saxophone and Flute. Rhea Harvey on Vocals. Wanda Peake on Vocals and Hank (can't remember his last name to save my life I want to say Harvey also. And me Michael Smith on Keyboards and the Writer of the songs except one that Matthew Thornton wrote. This Particular song PSALM 6 Highlights Rhea Harvey on Vocals.
This Fine Print band had a sound that was quite different in the Gospel circles. A lot of that sound was shaped by the music we listened to as kids and teenagers growing up. Soul, Jazz, a lot of Jazz, R&B Rythym and Blues for those who do not know what that means. Rock, Funk, Latin, Raggae and variations of all the styles mentioned. The best compliment we ever received was "You guy's sound like WAR with female vocals.”
This song, “Psalm 6” is from the Second Album or Fine Print 2. When we recorded Fine Print 1, Lispert Dowdell was not in the band. When he did join, I will admit, Lis was one reason the music shifted more to the Jazz side. The second reason is that I took a sememster at Duquesne Music School and learned some basic Jazz chords. Those chords enabled Lis to run free and stretched out the vocals into the music everyone was familiar with. Like I said, the difference between FP1 and FP2 was the Jazz Shift. I plan to put both of the Fine Prints on Itunes. By the way, a Presbyterian church gave us our only VENUE. I fugured it was the music, but then I figured it was because of the Scripture songs we played.
Our style was never Gospel. We were just ... FINE PRINT. Michael Smith
