Expressing Themselves
August 7, 2012
By JOSEPH SITARZ
Index-Journal
Greenwood, SC - Greenwood's own The Fabulous Expressions has gone through some changes recently, and fans in the Greenwood area can see those changes Thursday during Live After Five in Uptown Greenwood.
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"They're one of Greenwood's best," said Hack Bartley, Live After Five's musical director.
"They've got a new lineup this year. It ought to be really good. We hope to have a big crowd out there and that they enjoy it."
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The Fabulous Expressions
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The Fabulous Expressions have added Brad Anderson, Pete Dyess and Rhonda McDaniel.
"This show, there will be nine of us up on stage. It should be really good," Fabulous Expressions leader Ronnie Goldman said.
"I'm sure we'll have some new Expressions fans there because of the new lineup," Bartley added.
The changes allow more focus to be on the instrumental side of the band.
"We've got four horns now. We used to have one. It just sounds a lot better to me. I like it," said Goldman, who sings and plays bass.
Dyess is a former Fabulous Expression back with the band.
Anderson, who recently left the Swingin' Medallions, has performed with a multitude of Greenwood area bands. Anderson performs whenever his work schedule allows.
McDaniel is the reigning Carolina Beach Music Academy’s Female Vocalist of the Year. She has won the award four consecutive years.
“Rhonda is a huge addition to any and,” Bartley said.
Goldman said he has options with the number of people in the group.
“The way I have it is that I’ll have different people to use,” Goldman said. “I might not use all of them.”
The Fabulous Expressions have shared the stage with some of the biggest names in show business including James Brown, Gary Puckett, Ben E. King, The Tams, The Platters, The Drifters, Junior Walker, Chubby Checker, Martha Reeves, John Sebastian, Percy Sledge, Faith Hill, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, John Denver, The Clovers, Marie Osmond, The Beach Boys (three times), The Four Tops, The Temptations, Jo Dee Messina, Susan Anton, The Association and The Shirelles.
For Thursday’s show, the group is sharing the stage with Hodges Elementary School rising fifth-grader Madison Medlin. She is a student of Debbie Babb. Bartley said Medlin will sing and play guitar to open the show.
“The school kids really enjoy it,” Bartley said.
The Fabulous Expressions have performed at many concerts, festivals, clubs, conventions, country clubs, and corporate, civic, collegiate and private affairs all across the country.
Goldman said most recently the group performed at Thunder Over Thurmond in McCormick and at a festival of Marietta, Ga.
The Fabulous Expressions perform songs from the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s and cover R&B, jazz and beach music and songs from today.
“They’re a standalone band,” Bartley said. “They don’t need anybody else.”
The quality of entertainers he lined up for this year’s Live After Five concert series is unbeatable, Bartley said.
“To me, I don’t understand why everybody in the county doesn’t show up and enjoy these concerts. If somebody is looking for entertainment these Live After Five shows are the perfect place to see the groups,”
Bartley said. “It gives you an opportunity to see and enjoy a lot of different entertainment and groups you don’t get to see very often.
“We’re looking forward to a great turnout Thursday,” Bartley said.
“We’ve had a great year so far.”
Admission is free.
Thursday’s forecast, according to the Weather Channel, is for a 30 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms.
The next Live After Five is Sept. 13 with Greenwood’s own Swingin’ Medallions.
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