Viva l’Italia!
Crown and Sceptre Ball kicks off Carnival Week
A celebration of Italian culture and a new Christopher Columbus statue at the Memphis Italian Festival.
Carnival Memphis king John Bobango and queen Lockie Dearman were presented at the Crown and Sceptre Ball, which was held May 29 at the Hilton Memphis. The event kicked off Carnival Week, which is more than a week of parties and charitable visits.
This year, Carnival Memphis celebrated the legal industry. John is chief manager of Memphis-based Farris Bobango PLC. The Bobangos are the parents of Allen and Mary Lauren Bobango.
Lockie, daughter of Laura and two-time Carnival Memphis president Buddy Dearman, attends the University of Mississippi School of Accounting. Her brother, Tripp Dearman, along with Jackson Loeb, Joe Morrison Jr., J. Morgan Harter and Gray Anderson, is a member of the Loyal Order of Scarabs, whose duty is to protect and serve the king and queen.
During his remarks, Carnival Memphis president Rob Johnston, who attended with his wife, Jean, said Carnival brings people from the Mid-South together “to celebrate commerce, charity and community.”
Money from this year’s Carnival Memphis Children’s Charity Initiative goes to Madonna Learning Center, Peer Power Foundation and Red Zone Ministries.
During the Crown and Sceptre Ball, the Royal Court, grand krewe royalty, Scarabs and pages as well as past Carnival Memphis presidents and royalty were introduced.
John gave a shout out to the Boll Weevils, the long-snouted merry makers dressed in green. “I think the Boll Weevils define the party,” he said.
The Boll Weevils celebrated at their own annual party May 9 at The Warehouse off South Main. Weevil Hugh Mallory was unmasked, which means he no longer conceals his identity by wearing the Boll Weevil costume and mask.
CARNIVAL GOES GOSPEL
“Oh Happy Day” could have been dubbed “Oh Happy Night” when Tony Dickerson & The Essential Band performed the song at the Carnival Memphis Crown and Sceptre Ball.
The group sang during a Secret Order of the Boll Weevils skit at the May 29 white-tieand-tails party at the Hilton Memphis. In flowing robes, the choir, led by Tony, also sang “Gin and Juice” and “Enjoy Your Life,” one of Tony’s originals. The jubilant mood was so infectious that king John Bobango and queen Lockie Dearman left their thrones to dance with Royal Court members, Boll Weevils and guests.
“We sing the Gourds version of ‘Gin and Juice’ on the way home every night on the bus,” said X-ray, one of the Boll Weevils. “We wanted to replicate that experience with a gospel choir.”
The skit began with the Boll Weevils entering the ballroom lip-syncing “Oh Happy Day,” which was performed by The Essential Band in another room. Then the actual choir members burst into the room singing.
Tony enjoyed the experience. “I feel great about it,” he said. “For the opportunity and experience to see people coming together for a good cause like that. It kind of threw us off a little bit when they wanted ‘Gin and Juice.’ And they wanted it in a choir form. But that’s what I do. I arrange music. I’m a singer, songwriter, choir director, choir conductor, voice and piano teacher. I can arrange anything to fit any kind of format.”
He was elated when the crowd got into his original song. “I know the power of music, but to see that happen and to be on a song I wrote — and to see everybody on their feet dancing — did something to me. I’m still on a high right now.”
Royal Court member Robert Schutt summed up what a lot of people at the party were thinking: “If I could ever squeeze myself into a gospel choir, life would be good.”
TWIN SOUL
If you can’t figure out which Maguire twin is which, Yuki Maguire, mother of the 19-yearolds, said to remember “ABCD” : Alan on bass and Carl on drums.
Alan and Carl Maguire, graduates of the Stax Music Academy, performed a jazz concert June 2 at a “Live in Studio A” show at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. They performed selections by Duke Ellington, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and others along with Reginald White on saxophone and Jeremy Wright on guitar. Yuki brought baskets of rice balls and brownies for the musicians and guests.
The twins were born in Tokyo and lived in Hong Kong before moving to Memphis when they were 15.
“We started a band when we were 14. ‘Trail,’” Carl said. “It was like a progressive rock band.”
“When we first moved to Memphis, we wanted to get into the music scene,” Alan said.
Stax Music Academy was what they were looking for. “All the students there were just Carl said. “They’re crazy good.”
“They gave us a lot of opportunities to meet well-known musicians,” Alan said.
They didn’t learn about jazz until they moved to Memphis, Alan said.
“Not until we joined Stax,” Carl said. “We didn’t even know what it was back then. It just looked like a lot of fun and it sounded great to me.”
“I love how jazz has a lot of freedom,” Alan said. “Like you can play blues and then play a Latin groove over it and it still works. Or a funk groove. You can play a rock groove. Swing.”
The twins aren’t completely identical. “He’s more unorganized than me,” Carl said.
“I would have to agree with that,” Alan said.
The Maguires released an album, The Sound of Music, which includes guest artist Kirk Whalum.
To see a video of Alan and Carl Maguire, go to commercialappeal.com/party-line
COLUMBUS DEBUTS
The bronze statue of Christopher Columbus spent its first Memphis Italian Festival from May 28-30 at Marquette Park. With one hand shading its eyes, the statue appeared to be looking over the mass of spaghetti gravy booths and tents.
The UNICO Memphis Chapter Foundation teamed with Memphis Italian Festival, Holy Rosary Men’s Club and some business leaders to relocate the statue, which stood for 26 years in Columbus Park at Third and Adams, said Michael Spano, UNICO Memphis president. The statue was moved to the park May 13 — just in time for festivalgoers to enjoy it.
“Oh, man, it was so much better than we had anticipated it would be,” Michael said. “People were just so enthusiastic. It was so impressive to them. There must have been 1,000 photographs of people standing by the statue putting their hands over their eyes like Columbus.”
Some people didn’t know the statue was supposed to be Columbus, Michael said. “We don’t have any of the plaques up yet, ’cause we’re still raising money. So, some people asked who it was. Some people thought it was Marquette the explorer.”
Actually, the park was named for the late Pep Marquette, the first female city of Memphis athletic director, Michael said.
UNICO Memphis, which has raised $50,000, needs to raise $20,000 more to complete the installation of the statue, which will include names of donors engraved in stone. For more information, contact Michael at 901-832-2594 or go to unicomemphischapter.org.