25 pges vol 28 no 1 12-22-21

Page 14 December 22-Januray 4, 2022
Chicago Street Journal
Dearborn Homeboy
Great time taping on on
Moody Radio's Urban
Praise with my good
friend Rev. Roy Patterson
discussing my new
book, THE OFFICIAL
GUIDE TO CHICAGO
GOSPEL MUSIC.
Get ready to go back, way
back. Even way, way back. Join Pastor
Mack Mason as he crisscrosses the gospel
city, sharing memories and personal insights
from his nearly five decades in gospel
music and on Chicago radio.
Over 300 pages with Photographs.
Pastor Mack Mason of Chicago, IL was
raised in a musical household, with his
mother and sister being accomplished musicians.
Around the age of 5, he began singing
with his siblings as the Mason Specias.
As a teenager, he began directing the
Youth Choir at his grandfather's church,
and also sang in State and National COGIC
choirs under both Kitty Parham and Dr.
Mattie Moss Clark. Later he sang with the
Billy Carson Singers, and also with Pastor
Maceo Wood's Christian Tabernacle Conc
e r t C h o i r .
He began broadcasting on August 1,
1976, at the age of 16 on WXFM, and is yet
being heard 44 years later, every Sunday
morning on WBGX. Pastor Mason has
performed on Gospel Television shows
such as Saturday Night Sing, Gospel City
Videos, and I'm Just Sayin.
In 1985, Pastor Mack Mason was called to
preach, and has ministered across the country,
as well as overseas.
He has appeared as a conference
speaker, and has authored numerous books.
However his love and passion for gospel
m u s i c r e m a i n s .
Pastor Mack Mason now pastors his late
grandfather's church - Greater Prayer Garden
COGIC in Chicago, IL. He is a proud
husband, father and grandfather. He enjoys
cooking, travel and reading.
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On The 75th St. Black Wall Street District
(Continued from page 1)
Convention participants,
including President Clinton,
he has again expanded his
mission to empower our people
by introducing self preserving
opportunities with a
goal of creating a path to
entrepreneurship.
BEE is an acronym for
Building Economic Empowerment
and it is that vision
that brings him back home to
Chicago. He co-owns and
operates a mall in the south
west suburbs where he is
headquartered to serve the
greater Chicagoland area. He
has partnering in a warehouse
on the South Side of Chicago
for the purpose of starting a
business management and
tailoring academy that will
provide instruction for sewing
and selling in a retail environment.
Calvin, also an activist, has been hosting
a celebration entitled ‘MLK 50’ to show
appreciation for the life and sacrifice of Martin
Luther King Jr. The next event will be
held on April 2, 2022 . The date will commemorate
the 54th anniversary of King’s
assassination. BEE Manufacturing has designed
exclusive sportswear—MLK
Gear for the occasion that he
hopes everyone there will be
wearing! We will gather on
King Drive in our MLK Gear to
recognize our great leader!
His popularity in the apparel
business is second to his fame in the
‘Steppin’ dance craze where he is
known as “Taboo”. Search
‘Taboo Chicago Steppin’ ,
and you’ll find that he has
over 5 million hits on You
Tube!
Back in the day, the
dance was called ‘the Bop’
where one foot crossed over
the other one while moving
from side to side. He went to
a sock hop at Wendell Phillips
where he witnessed the innovation
of Slim and Romeo doing their version
of the dance. He was hooked!
Calvin attended Dunbar High School,
where he played on the basketball
team and also learned how to sew. He
was good on the court, that passion
was replace by tailoring and mastering
that dance! His friend, Bernard from the
Dearborn Homes, says “Calvin used to
play basketball in the playground with
tailor made suits on!”. Calvin and his
cut buddy the late Lil’ Mike used to
practice the dance together. They
would study James Brown and Fred
Astaire and develop their skills.
The turns were so rugged, they
would just practice with the
fellas!
The practice became known
as “Man On Man!” He met life
long friends in the Steppin’
circle, including Ken Bowie
from the Wentworth Gardens.
They were well known in the
projects and would compete
every week at a club in Roseland
called the Dungeon. It was
there that they encountered the
well known DJs Kirk Townsend
and the legendary Sam Chatman,
who coined the phrase Steppin’
while watching their innovative
moves! “Y’all not Boppin’, y’all Steppin’!”
Sam said.
The difference is that they were
moving forward and backward not
just side to side! Sam invited Taboo
to the West Side to compete.
The word got around that
the winner of the contest was
going to get stuck up! When
Taboo won, a well respected
personality named Willie Cage put a stop to
the stick up and said about Taboo, “That
dude is just too cold on the dance floor!”
Taboo became so popular on the West
Side that they claimed him for their own! He
has won Steppin’ contests across the country
and instructs classes in Michigan and Maryland.
He even taught Mayor Lightfoot how to
Step! Look for Taboo’s Steppin’ instruction
video to hit the market early
next year.
Cavin Jarrett kicked
off the MLK 54
campaign at the
South Loop Hotel
at 2600 S. State
St. around the
corner from the
D e a r b o r n
Homes, last November
27, 2021.
There he spoke to
the youth from the
heart because he
identifies with
them, he knows
their experiences,
and he wants to help them
stop the violence and
create economic empowerment!
Stay tuned for the
upcoming documentary
about his life!