HBO debuts the annual 'Sinbad's Summer Jam 4: 70's Soul Music Festival.'

Jet, July 13, 1998

Sinbad believes there's nothing like some good old 70's soul music.

And the famed comedian celebrates his favorite music in his annual "Sinbad's Summer Jam 4: 70's Soul Music Festival," which airs this week, July 11 on HBO (11:30 pm, ET).

The three-hour music festival was taped in Aruba and features showstopping performances by Stephanie Mills, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, Cheryl Lynn, KC & The Sunshine Band, Rose Royce, Sugarhill Gang, Roger Troutman & Zapp and The Whispers. Rapper Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash fame makes a surprise visit and teams up with the Sugarhill Gang.

"I am a product of the '70s and I grew up during that time," Sinbad tells JET during a telephone interview from Atlantic City, NJ where he was set to open a two-day engagement at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino.

"It wasn't just the music but it was a period of awakening for us as Black people," he points out as he explains his love for 70's soul music.

"We started using Black hair care products and all of that stuff in the '70s. Our music was a celebration of who we were. That's why when you listen to music from the '70s, you go through the whole album, they are talking about something. There was a message of hope that we have a chance, an awakening, a revolution."

He continues, "We were trying to be equal, we were trying to prove that we were of equal worth. That's why most of the music is uplifting. That's why when you listen to '70s music, your head gets to bobbing, you start to smile because it is about being something."

"Like The Emotions talking about being Blessed and Stephanie Mills talking about Home and Earth, Wind & Fire, every tune they sang was about Shining Star, that's what you are' or Devotion, You Can't Hide Love, all those things. It was about celebrating something, something positive, some ray of hope."

The 70's sound is "truly strong" and is here to stay, the comedian-actor points out. "It's like if you build a house and use some oak, some fine wood, oak wood never goes out. Anything with quality never leaves. Like when a craftsman hand crafts something you can hand that down from generation to generation because it's fine. And also when you build something with your heart, it will last. There's something about four or five people sitting together and breathing life into a song, that's an incredible thing, and that's a strong foundation."

The soul music festival is "almost like a family reunion, a celebration," Sinbad observes. "And what I wanted was more than a concert, I wanted a celebration."

And what a celebration "Sinbad's Summer Jam 4" is. Music lovers will be able to sit down and enjoy some of the best soul performers in the world who each turn the concert out with their unique sound. Fans will get a chance to reminisce with some of their favorite performers and hear their legendary hits on the fourth annual Summer Jam.

"Every year we throw in a surprise," he notes. "Every year there's a group or artist that people haven't seen in a while. This year it is Stephanie Mills."

Sinbad reveals, "I begged for Stephanie Mills. I said, 'Stephanie, please, like in her song, Home, 'Stephanie, please do this,'" he says. "And not so much for us, but for her. I said, 'You need to know how much people love you.' Here's a woman who is just a wonderful, wonderful performer." He says of her soulful performance, "She wore it out. Last year, it was Larry Graham," he recalls.

Sinbad, who has starred in a number of HBO stand-up specials and also in such hit movies as Jingle All The Way, First Kid and Houseguest, says the idea for a 'Summer Jam' came out of his love for the Kool Jazz Festivals of the '70s as well as the annual Canto cun Jazz Festival and the National Brotherhood of Skiers Summit.

"I remember going to the Kool Jazz Festivals in Chicago. There's nothing like it. I would drive from my home in Benton Harbor, Michigan, when the JET Magazine would come out with the list of where the Kool Jazz Festival was. That's how we planned our summers. I would hit Milwaukee, I'd hit Chicago and I'd hit Cincinnati," he fondly recalls with a laugh. "And I said I would like to do something like the Kool Jazz Festival. I remember how we use to sit outside. There would be no fights and people would just jam until the sun went down."

He also liked the idea of people traveling to a major festival like Cancun or the Black Skiers summit. His festivals attract people "who want to have fun and don't want to hurt nobody," he notes.

The famed comedian, who served as the host of the former talk show "Vibe," reveals that he first wanted to be a musician.

"I was a drummer when I started out. When I was growing up all I wanted to be was a drummer for Earth, Wind and Fire. My life would have been complete. Either that or play pro basketball and I would have been a happy brother," he reveals.

Sinbad, whose father is a minister, got a chance of a lifetime to play drums for gospel great James Cleveland.