RICHARD SMALLWOOD
Journey! Live in New York
The story of Richard Smallwood reads like a script for a great movie. It’s a struggle for survival—leading to success beyond one’s wildest imaginings—set against the long odds of poverty and discrimination that were just a routine part of everyday life for most African-American families in the “Old South.” The cast of characters includes parents of often diametrically different dispositions: a stern taskmaster/pastor father, and a mother of a gentler, artistic disposition; and a little boy born into the world with prodigious gifts as well as a profound loneliness.
The scene could open with a baby in his crib, humming melodies to hymns before he’d even learned to articulate a word to go with them; and later, as a youngster in his robe, ...
