For Immediate Release

Contact: Constance Matthews

(619) 794-8437

Gordon “Specs” Powell Famed Studio Musician

Helped Revolutionize Percussion Music

San Marcos, CA (September 18, 2007) --- Gordon “Specs” Powell, died in Escondido, CA on September 15, 2007. He was 85 years old.

“Specs left us peacefully last Saturday evening,” shared Constance Matthews, a spokesperson for the family. “He had been hospitalized for several weeks after complications associated with kidney disease.”

Specs is historically credited for breaking the color barrier at CBS New York in 1943 when he was hired as the first black musician at a national network. He later became a full time member of the musical staff at CBS where he worked from 1947 to 1972 as a member of the Ray Bloch orchestra on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, Candid Camera, and a host of other radio and television specials at the network.

At CBS Powell’s ability to musically adapt with the likes of such artists and musicians as Alfredo Antonini, Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, Carroll Burnet, Melba Moore, and Barbara Streisand, to name a few, gained him notoriety and fame as one of the most versatile and skilled percussionist of all time.

In an era when most television shows featured live music, Specs earned a reputation for convincingly playing classical to jazz, Broadway to calypso, and a variety of other formats in one show. As the lead drummer-percussionist at CBS, Specs’ signature “bag of tricks” provided special effects and sounds for a variety of stage productions including the historical first American televised performance of The Moscow Circus and skits with Jim Henson’s Muppets.

Specs began his career in Harlem during the swing era and progressed through bebop only to make the difficult decision to leave the jazz genre to pursue a career as a studio musician. Prior to joining the staff at CBS, Specs was a regular on New York’s famed 52^nd street and an established musician who recorded with such greats as Red Norvo, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, and Billie Holiday to name a few. “Not many musicians were able to successfully transition from jazz to show drumming like Specs Powell did,” shared Dan Del Fiorentino, Historian at the NAMM Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA.

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Specs’ versatile and unsurpassed skill landed him some of the most recognizable radio and TV commercials and soundtracks in American recording history. I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing for Coca-Cola; the soundtracks to Jane Fonda’s Barbarella, Hanna Barbera’s The Man Called Flintstone (the first animated movie); Gordon Parks’ Shaft, and Loud Mouth: The Lenny Bruce Story are just a few of the audibly distinguished tracks listed on his extensive discography.

Always an innovator amongst his peers, Specs is also known for his revolutionary impact on the business side of percussion music. “I met and became friends with Specs in the early ‘60’s when he was lead drummer at the Ed Sullivan show,” shared Martin Cohen, founder of Latin Percussion. “During the early stages of my career as a percussion manufacturer, Specs explained the challenges he faced when playing a gig that required him to quickly switch from vibes to bongos. There was simply no time to put the bongos between his legs. He approached me to create a bracket that would allow the bongos to be attached to a stand for the ease of play he needed in his versatile performance requirements. So I set about devising it and his request resulted in the creation of the first bongo bracket that is now a standard for musicians in percussion instruments.” The original instrument is on permanent display at the NAMM Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA.

Celebrated by his peers as a musician’s musician, Specs was honored and admired not only for his work but also his mentorship and amazing work ethics. “I learned so much from Specs when I first got in the business,” shared bassist Chuck Rainey. “He took us young cats under his wing and never hesitated to offer advice or reproof. We needed him and many of us (African American musicians) would not have had access if it was not for the path he blazed for us.” In 2006, Specs was recognized by the National Association of Music Manufactures with the NAMM Support Music Award in honor of his lifetime achievements.

Born in Harlem New York, June 5, 1922 to Rosetta and Raymond Powell, he is survived by his wife of 41 years Peggy Powell; two daughters Donna Mosley and Tina Allen; and son Theodore Smith. He was preceded in death by his eldest son Gordon A. Powell, Jr. He also leaves behind grand-daughters Helen Mosley, Sarah Mosley, Linda Mosley, Josephine Allen, Tara Allen, Rosecleer Powell, Athena Powell, Natasha Lawson, Delicia Smith, and one grandson Koryan Allen; six great grandchildren, and a host of family and friends that span the world, across cultural and social continuums.

The family will gather for a private ceremony at sea on Sunday, September 23, 2007 in San Diego, CA. A public memorial service will be held at the NAMM Museum of Making Music in late October to celebrate the life, achievements, and historical contributions of one of America’s most significant musicians of the 20^th century.

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