The legendary soul band WAR performed for a sold-out crowd at the Isleta Casino in Albuquerque, NM. From the moment the members of the band walked on stage, the place seems to transform into a 1970’s music festival. The musicians played saxophone, harmonica, and bongos—essential instruments required to be a 70’s funk soul band.
The band has been drawing audiences for 55 years. Leroy “Lonnie” Jordon, the only original member of the band, has been the keyboardist and vocals for as many years. Jordon loves the audience, in between songs he loves telling the stories of the amazing journey the band has taken over the years—from drinking wine, smoking weed, and all-night jams.
I believe you will ask yourself, but what songs did WAR do? I think you would be surprised to realize; you have been listening to their songs on the radio, in the elevator or subway station for over 50 years—their music has inspired so many other artists. Many of the current members of the band have been around since the mid 90’s and mid 2000’s. There most popular songs on many websites in “Spill the Wine,” which they performed about midway through the concert with the audience chiming in. The songs they are most well-known for is “Lowrider,” “Cisco Kid,” “Summer,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends?,” and “Spill the Wine.”
Now, with all that said, do you know any of these songs? Yes, they have pushed out hits for 55 years. I was excited to shoot this concert, this show was a personal full-circle moment. The first time I heard of the band WAR was when I stole my older brother’s album and played it on a record player a thousand times. Oh, I have revealed my age now. This concert was truly a journey back in time. While waiting for the concert to begin, I met Jimmy Stallings (aka JJ Light) a fellow 70’s Musician and friend with the band. He had such an interesting life, I may have to write an article solely about him.
If you want to know more about the band WAR and learn where they are touring next, head to the following links.
https://www.facebook.com/WARTHEBAND
https://www.instagram.com/wartheband
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