Yo' Mama rehearsal, part 1

Title: Yo' Mama rehearsal, part 1
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Description: ...In memory of Jaime Kibben, 1947-2003. 1978...The year of pop icons. The charts were dominated by the Bee Gees, The Commodores and Abba along with one-hit wonders such as Orleans with Dance With Me and Nick Gilder with Hot Child in the City. America was dancing to the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever and singing along with the hits from the Grease album. And long before it became the domain of talk radio, AM radio was home to these hits while FM played album oriented music. While groups like Boston and Chicago were becoming household words, a little known group by the unlikely name of Yo' Mama was rocking out in the Rocky Mountains. Before boy bands and girl groups were the norm, Yo' Mama consisted of mere eighth- and ninth-grade girls and boys attending Sabin Junior High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado but despite their age they were reaching for the stars. The group was the creation of Jaime Kibben, the artist in residence at Sabin. In addition to being a talented multi-media artist, Jaime was a gifted musician who sang and played keyboards for Frenz, a local group known for playing funky rock. Recognizing that rock and roll was "the musical expression of youth," Jaime sought to create a musical outlet for a select group of musicians. "Kids don't go home and listen to choral or instrumental classics schools expose them to," said Jaime, "so why not utilize the creative dimension rock and roll can provide?" After holding auditions, Jaime conducted an after-school workshop for singers and songwriters and a core group of instrumentalists. Where would rock be without guitar, bass, keyboards and drums? Unlike the school's orchestra, choral and band instructors, Jaime did not require his fledgling group of musicians to read music. "When a student can read music, he's more apt to learn what written music is available and less apt to create his own melodies," said Jaime. Jaime's workshops required the musicians to write, play and record their own music. Although rock and roll is known for breaking rules, Jaime would not allow the musicians to play any other music but their own. Imagine any of today's chart-toppers starting out without the benefit of playing cover tunes that most audiences not only appreciate but expect! The initial rehearsals were an exercise in free-form jams that would have made the Grateful Dead grateful indeed. Within a few weeks and after numerous rehearsals, the group wrote enough songs to record an album. Before committing their songs to Jaime's four-track tape machine, the group scheduled a few public performances. Yet, before taking the stage, the band chose a name. While rock and roll has occasionally carried the flag of anarchy, democracy reigned supreme as all but one member of the group chose the name Yo' Mama. And no, there were no teenage parents in the group. Then, of all places, their first performance took place in the school library much to the librarian's chagrin.
Tags: andy, bill, bruce, buchs, chris, christy, jaime, kibben, laura, mcghee, poveromo, richardson, trimble, waltman,
Author: brucetrimble