“LOVE MADNESS” – THE BIG BEG TOURNAMENT 2020

By Michael – Louis Ingram, Editor – In – Chief and The Staff at

BASN NEWSROOM 

 

PHILADELPHIA PA (and various other locations) http://www.basnnewsroom.com: As March Madness approaches, the promise of Spring brings about a different kind of response…

With the dissolution of the NCAA Mens’ and Women’s Basketball Tournaments (and a financial loss of at least half a billion dollars), The Squad at BASN Newsroom decided to take it upon ourselves to seek a new approach to salvaging the day – and years to come.

A casual conversation about music took us down the path. Coming out of Valentine’s Day, myself, Anthony McClean and Gary Norris Gray spoke of those groups who became part of the “sexy soul” genre. The more we spoke on the groups, the more the number was adding up – and we were missing the obvious; let’s run our own ‘tournament’ starring the best groups in soul!

As a bouquet for Black History Month, we continued to compile, we got to 48, which Mr. McClean thought was more than sufficient; but silly azz me couldn’t stop! We not only got to 64 groups, we got past it – all the way to 80!

So in order to get to the desired 64, we created a “pre-tournament” a “BEG-IN” – to join the group appearing at the big tourney!

 

TO BEG – OR NOT TO BEG: DAYYUM, WHAT A QUESTION!

 

Love songs have been the staple of our emotional rescue. If you could sing, you had a shot (just ask Richard Pryor). If you couldn’t sing, you summoned your begging surrogate to intercede on your behalf be it on the Request Line on your favorite radio station, concert, or whatever “bedside manner” you could muster:

 

 

So our first job was to sort out who else could beg their way in:

 

TOURNAMENT “BEG – IN”™ GAMES

 

The PARLIAMENTS VS. AWB-Day One

The CHOICE FOUR VS. TAKE 6-Day One

The SUPREMES VS. THE THREE DEGREES –Day Two

MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS VS.JIMMY BRISCOE AND THE LITTLE BEAVERS – Day One

 

GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS VS. THE FLAMING EMBER – Day Two

MTUME VS. KOOL AND THE GANG – Day Two

LAKESIDE VS. THE ESCORTS – Day One

ROSE ROYCE VS. MAZE – Day One

 

DAY THREE – MTUME – LAKESIDE

MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS VS. THE THREE DEGREES

The CHOICE FOUR VS. P-FUNK

GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS VS. FRANKIE BEVERLY AND MAZE

 

The competition was intense, and at the end, four acts ascended to the field:

PRELIM “FREAKY FOUR”

PARLIAMENT/FUNKADELIC

LAKESIDE

THE THREE DEGREES

GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS

 

BOGARD BEG-IN RANKINGS:

DAY FOUR – THURSDAY

PLAYING FOR A #13 SEED IN THE “BETWEEN THE SHEETS” REGION:

THE PERSUADERS VS. THE THREE DEGREES

PLAYING FOR A #14 SEED IN THE “DROP DEM DRAWZ” REGION:

THE PLATTERS VS. PARLIAMENT/FUNKADELIC

PLAYING FOR A #15 SEED IN THE BUTT-NEKKID NAAASTY REGION:

JODECI VS. LAKESIDE

 

PLAYING FOR A #16 SEED IN THE “TURN OUT THE LIGHTS”REGION:

THE EBONYS VS. GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS

 

Of these groups, PARLIAMENT/FUNKADELIC, JODECI, THE EBONYS AND THE THREE DEGREES were included. The Platters would get in as a wild card because one act, BUTTERSCOTCH, did not have enough material – and had to give up their spot…

 

A BEGGIN’ WE WILL GO…

 

The field was divided into four regions, with seeding indicated by our staff. The regions are:

BETWEEN THE SHEETS ™ DIVISION

#1 THE ISLEY BROTHERS

#2 EARTH, WIND & FIRE

#3 BLUE MAGIC

#4 THE MANHATTANS

#5 THE STYLISTICS

#6 THE MOMENTS

#7 THE SPINNERS

#8 THE WHISPERS

#9 LABELLE

#10 TAVARES

#11 BLOODSTONE

#12 CON FUNK SHUN

#13 THE PERSUADERS/THE THREE DEGREES

#14 THE TEMPREES

#15 DeBARGE

#16 SOUL GENERATION

 

TURN OFF THE LIGHTS ™ DIVISION

#1 THE DELFONICS

 #2 NEW BIRTH

#3 HEATWAVE

#4 SMOKEY & THE MIRACLES

#5 THE TEMPTATIONS

#6 WINDY CITY

#7 THE FOUR TOPS

#8 THE MONTCLAIRS

#9 THE IMPRESSIONS

#10 THE FIVE STAIRSTEPS

#11 SLAVE

#12 BRAINSTORM

#13 THE FUTURES

#14 ATLANTIC STARR

#15 LOOSE ENDS

#16 GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS

 

THE“DROP  DEM  DRAWZ!”™ DIVISION

#1 THE DELLS

#2 CHI – LITES

#3 JAMES BROWN AND THE FAMOUS FLAMES

#4 THE DRAMATICS

#5 TOWER OF POWER

#6 THE MAD LADS

#7 SKIP MAHONEY AND THE CASUALS

#8 THE MAIN INGREDIENT

#9 THE NATURAL FOUR

#10  COMMODORES

#11 WAR

#12 THE CHANTELS

#13 THE FRIENDS OF DISTINCTION

#14 PARLIAMENT/FUNKADELIC

#15 THE MASQUERADERS

#16 THE ORIGINALS

 

THE BUTT-NEKKID NAAASTY™ DIVISION

#1 THE OHIO PLAYERS

#2 HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES

#3 THE O’JAYS

#4 BLACK IVORY

#5 ENCHANTMENT

#6 SOS BAND

#7 MANDRILL

#8 INTRUDERS

#9 BRENDA AND THE TABULATIONS

#10 THE UNIFICS

#11 THE FLAMINGOES

#12 THE CONTINENTAL FOUR

#13 THE FAMILY CIRCLE

#14 RAY PARKER JR. AND RAYDIO

#15 JODECI/LAKESIDE

#16 THE WHATNAUTS

 

Out of the ‘latecomers’ – in a format where each act had to perform at least three ballads or original instrumentals, JODECI defeated LAKESIDE, P-FUNK prevailed over the PLATTERS,

 

 

GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS WON…and THE THREE DEGREES were the surprise of the BEG-IN tourney with this amazing rendition of a soul standard:

 

 

It was one of many surprises as the Tourney began to take off!

Now the field was locked in at 64…and the Begging was about to ignite the emotions of everyone from the 1950s through the 1990s!

 

Next Time: The Road to “The FREAKY FOUR!” 

 

always outnumbered…never outgunned.

(C) Copyright 2020 Michael – Louis Ingram all rights reserved.

basneditor@basnnewsroom.com