Sometime in the late 1970’s, my late partner, Gene Allan and I received an unusual phone call at our Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert office in New York! It was from Rudy West, an artist who we had once recorded some years earlier.
Rudy and his group, the Five Keys, were one of the original, “Do Wop” groups in the early, 1950’s. He told us about an exciting young family which he knew, who lived right nearby his home. Rudy claimed that this young family of five boys, made the Jackson Five sound like “amateurs”!
“These kids all play different instruments and, at the same time, they sing five-part harmony!” he said.
Rudy urged us to come down there and see and hear them for ourselves. He assured us that we would be absolutely amazed and the trip would surely be worthwhile!
As a result of this call, Gene and I drove from Flushing, Long Island, New York to Hampton, Virginia, an eight-hour ride, to hear this young group. When we arrived, we found the five young boys, from age 11 to 23. We heard them, live, in a finished basement of a nice home.
They played and sang, performing, exactly as was described by Rudy. Gene and I were absolutely amazed and astounded with the most unusual, God-given talented family which either of us had ever witnessed, in our lives! We saw and heard something we could never have imagined!
A cassette tape was given to us to take back to New York.
Somehow, many years later (in 2019), some 40 plus years after my partner, Gene, had already passed away. In my garage, in 2019, I discovered the original pink colored “Wooten Brothers” tape in the storage area of my garage. Somehow, this old cassette tape was very close to its original condition!
I played the cassette and remembered how incredibly gifted this young family group actually was.
I had tears in my eyes hoping and praying that they were not forced to work some menial odd jobs, rather than pursue the path which the Lord, himself, had laid out for these young, super-talented young men.
Thanks to “Facebook”, I found Victor, the youngest of the Wooten Brothers online. Thank God, Victor told me that they were doing exactly what they were meant to do, playing, singing and having fun in life!
Victor Wooten, was certainly astounded that, first, he and I, actually found each other and, secondly, that the original tape still existed, after all these years!
I can only thank the Lord that I was the one who gave the Wooten Brothers a very important part of their lives back, which was sorely missing.
Only Rudy Wooten, their flute and saxophone player who, sadly, passed away in 2010 didn’t get to hear the original cassette tape of the first recording of “The Fabulous Wooten Brothers!” Incidentally, Rudy was just the second sax player who played two saxaphones at one time. The only other one was “Roland Kirk” a star professional, jazz sax player in the 1950s and 60’s.
Finally, I want to thank the Wooten brothers for their generous contribution to my wife’s kidney transplant charity. “Maria” and I are truly grateful to the Lord, just to have touched the lives of “The Fabulous Wooten Brothers”!
I hope that my friends, the Wooten Brothers will be recognized as the most talented musical family who ever graced this Earth! Victor Wooten, at age 11, played solo electric bass and in his 60’s, won Jazz Magazine’s Bassist of the Year Award in 2018!! I am glad to share this incredible story. I am truly glad it has now been told!