Say it Loud concert honoured Black Heritage Month

Fergus local Shane Phillips was among the performers during the Guelph Black Heritage Society’s Say It Loud! event at Royal City Church in Guelph on Feb. 23. Phillips sang Hold On I’m Coming by Sam & Dave. Photos by Robin George

Turn Your Lights Down Low by Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill was performed by J-One. Photo by Robin George

Claire Voy of the Guelph band Shebad performed Can You Get to That by Funkadelic, with Shane Phillips and Emmitt as suporting vocals. Photo by Robin George

Shane Philllips joined Emmitt on stage to perform Express Yourself by Charles Wright and NWA. Photo by Robin George

Though the other performers stuck to cover songs Andrew Craig opted to sing an original, which he said was not to suggest his composition was comparable to the greats performed on stage that night, but because all Black musicians of today are key to creating Black history. Craig said he wrote the song Bounce Back, a song about Black resistance, shortly after the murder of George Floyd. Photo by Robin George

Julian Taylor, the last performer of the evening, performed On Your Way Down by Allen Toussaint and Superstitious by Stevie Wonder, and succeeded in getting almost all of the attendees to stand up and dance.

Julian Taylor, the last performer of the evening, performed On Your Way Down by Allen Toussaint and Superstitious by Stevie Wonder, and succeeded in getting almost all of the attendees to stand up and dance. Photos by Robin George

Say it Loud! Celebrating a History of Black Voices included performances from 13 musicians: Joseph Gallo Jr., Shane Phillips, Elaquent, Claire Voy, J-One, Mal Odol, Steph Yates, Geordie Gordon, Emmitt, Alpha Kayondo, Andrew Craig, Bry Webb, and Julian Taylor, all backed by the House Band. Photo by Robin George