Six Part Harmony - Riff (The Untold Story)

By Dale "Skip" Van Rensalier

Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, a school that had transformed over the years into one of the worst high schools in the state, became the subject of a full-length Warner Brothers motion picture entitled Lean on Me. The main character of the movie was the beleaguered principal known as Crazy Joe Clark, who had been assigned by the district superintendent to come in and turn things around. He introduced what eventually became very controversial administrative methods that ultimately led to significant changes at the school. Six-Part Harmony: The Untold Story of Riff chronicles the relationship of the R&B recording artists known as Riff with their manager, mentor, and vocal arranger, Dale "Skip" Van Rensalier, as they, together, navigated the maze of the recorded music industry while trying to attain some significant recognition for the group. Riff parachuted to fame after appearing in one of the more recognizable scenes of Lean on Me, singing the Eastside school song in the school bathroom at the behest of Principal Clark (portrayed by actor Morgan Freeman). They were students at Eastside High School at that time. Skip, a 1966 Eastside High School graduate, had returned to his alma mater as a school social worker and met Riff after hearing them sing their rendition of the school song over the school intercom during a homeroom period. With the success of Lean on Me and the exposure that Riff achieved from their appearance in the movie, once contracts had been negotiated and signed between Riff and Skip, the entertainment business journey began. What the six of them never realized was that it would be a journey filled with twists, turns, hills, valleys, lies, ego trips, and empty promises. In other words, a reality check that blindsided all of them. This is their untold story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645444978

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Six Part Harmony - Riff (The Untold Story)

Dale Skip Van Rensalier

Copyright © 2019 Dale Skip Van Rensalier

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2019

ISBN 978-1-64544-496-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64544-512-8 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-64544-497-8 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

Chapter XIV

Dedication

This book is humbly dedicated to the memory of original Riff member, Kenneth Kelly; who passed away suddenly on July 30, 2016. His wit, compassion, contagious humor and charm were traits that not only made him Kenny, but also endeared him to practically everyone he came in contact with.

He was our rock and is missed every day.

Acknowledgements

I’ve noticed on many occasions while watching awards programs on television, how first-time recipients seem to always appear a little apprehensive/tentative about acknowledging those persons who were instrumental in their career/lives, for fear of forgetting someone. I would even wager that those who felt like they had remembered everyone, upon leaving the stage, immediately thought of someone they had failed to mention.

As a first-time author, I was concerned about remembering and acknowledging all those individuals who have been supportive of my effort.

I have to first give honor to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for providing me the abilities and skills to complete this project while placing in my path those individuals He knew could and would assist me where needed. I’m so thankful!

With that said I wish to acknowledge my support family: Mrs. Janet McDaniel (my eighth grade teacher), Tom Ursetti (former colleague), Patricia Fletcher (my daughter’s godmother and former colleague), Ken and Deidra Joyner (brother and sister-in-law), Mrs. Gwendolyn Rose Ojeda (Norman S. Weir Elementary School teacher) – all of whom took the time to review early copies of my manuscript and provide constructive criticism; Dr. Gloria Andrade (former colleague) and Diane Malzone (Rosa L. Parks High School of Fine and Performing Arts teacher) for their support and encouragement when the book was just an idea; J.C. Printing Company (Paterson, New Jersey) for printing out and professionally binding my first manuscript draft so that it looked like a book; Ms. Grace Giglio (Norman S. Weir Elementary School principal) for providing invaluable information regarding her relationship with Riff; Felix Gil (Norman S. Weir School teacher and computer instructor and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.) for technical assistance and professional photography; Yolanda Kelly (widow of deceased Riff member, Kenneth Kelly) for personal insight and Gail M. Van Rensalier-Fairley (my twin sister) for her expert computer skills and creative ideas for the book cover design.

Finally, I want to acknowledge my wife (Zina), son (Darien) and daughter (Damani) for all their support and encouragement throughout the entire process. Having family behind you in any endeavor makes all the difference in the world!

Foreword

This is my favorite scripture:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto thy own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path.

-Proverbs: 3: 5-6

There is a certain irony with the above scripture being my favorite; one that I’m not real proud of when I think of myself as a Christian. I have found it difficult at times to trust the Lord with events and circumstances in my life. Don’t get me wrong; I know full well that God can do all things (except fail). But my propensity to want to control situations has left God on the outside, too often, looking in while patiently waiting for me to acknowledge and ask for help.

This book journey started out the same way. I began by contacting persons I thought could lend constructive advice as to what direction I should go with my writing. I did all this before uttering a single word of prayer to the One who promised to direct my path.

My rationale (excuse) was, with all the mess God has to deal with on a minute-by-minute basis, how could my simple book have any significance on His list of priorities?

Well, there were immediately two glaring mistakes with that line of thinking: first, God does not have a list of priorities, as we are all important in His sight, and secondly, the scripture says to acknowledge Him in all your ways, not just ways you think are important.

Once I realized my shortcoming, I immediately corrected my approach so that with each new word, phrase, and chapter, I made sure to ask God for His direction, so that I could not only bring my book to completion but also that it would be pleasing in His sight.

With that said, this book was not written with the intent of making any best-seller lists. It was only to share with the public the story of a very talented group of young men who I became personally and professionally involved with and how we experienced, first-hand, the ups and downs of trying to make it in the recorded music industry/business.

This is our story.

Introduction

One of the most talented R&B male groups never to have made it big in the music business hailed from Paterson, New Jersey (the city where this author was born and raised). They, like many in the music industry, learned and honed their God-given singing gifts in the church. Brought together by blood relationships as well as their love for singing, they soon found themselves fellow students (in the late 1980s) at Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey (the author’s alma mater as well), a school known at that time more for poor attendance and behavioral problems than for academic achievement.

Eastside High School, once one of the finest high schools in the state of New Jersey, had sadly transformed over the years into a school notorious for its lack of discipline, poor academic ratings, low graduation rate, and extremely high absenteeism. What was once a school where most parents would have been proud to send their children was now not even considered an option for those fortunate enough to even have a choice. With test scores and academic achievement at an all-time low, the Paterson School District’s superintendent, Dr. Frank Napier, made the decision to hire Joe Clark as the new principal in 1982. Mr. Clark had earned the reputation as a no-nonsense, hard-nosed, in-your-face administrator with disciplinary methods that were, let’s say, a little nontraditional. Principal Clark’s impact on Eastside was immediate and drastic. Not only did he get rid of nearly three hundred or so students he deemed as incorrigible, but he also eliminated or severely disciplined any faculty member who he felt was not supportive of his vision for Eastside High School. These changes, along with the upgrade to the physical appearance of the school (which was amazing), drew national attention, and before long, newspaper reporters, national magazine representatives, TV crews, etc. were an almost-weekly occurrence in and around the school. Eventually, almost predictably, the notoriety of Eastside High School and its infamous principal attracted the always-looking-for-a-good-story sharks of the movie industry and a deal was cut with Warner Brothers Pictures to do a full-length motion picture chronicling the rebirth of Eastside and its principal, Crazy Joe Clark, perceived by many to be the school’s savior.

During this time, Michael Best, Dwayne Jones, Anthony Fuller, Kenneth Kelly, and Steven Capers, students at Eastside High School, had formed a vocal quintet. They were dubbed the Playboys by Principal Clark (not exactly sure why, although I have some ideas). With them having displayed their talents at various shows and programs throughout the Paterson area, it was obvious that these young men had the skills to go far in the music business if given the opportunity.

Enter the movie Lean on Me, starring Morgan Freeman as the controversial and beleaguered Principal Joe Clark. The movie, after its release, quickly became the number one movie in America. One of the more popular scenes in the movie featured the Playboys singing their own rendition (yes, they arranged those harmonies themselves, not the high school music teacher) of the school song in the bathroom after being demanded to do so by Principal Clark, who had made it abundantly clear to all students that they should learn the school song, sing it on demand, or face serious consequences.

The talent of these five young men piqued the interest of movie executives, and the rest, as they say, is history.

This is the story of the rise and eventual descent of this very talented group of young men from P-Town (Paterson) who could have been (and should have been) one of the top male groups in the industry, as told through the journalistic entries of their manager, songwriter, vocal arranger, and mentor, Dale Skip Van Rensalier.

It is unclear whether one person or a multitude of people is to blame for why this group did not achieve the status in the music industry they so deserved. There were a variety of occurrences and decisions that ultimately led to what turned out to be a mediocre and short-lived career for the quintet known (or unknown) as Riff. Perhaps this book will provide a little clarity, so the readers can draw their own conclusions.

(Author’s Note: Italics throughout the book indicate actual journal entries written at that time.)

This book will make mention of many individuals who were instrumental, or, maybe more appropriately, detrimental in my opinion, to the career of Riff. To provide some clarity as well as serve as a guide for the reader, I have provided a character glossary in alphabetical order by first names.

Producers for Riff CD Albums:

Bernard Belle

Charles Farrar (The Characters)

Cliff Lighty III (Flex)

Dallas Austin (White Men Can’t Jump)

David Lawrence

Dennis Lambert

Eric Williams (Flex)

Fred Hammond

Marley Marl (Every time My Heart Beats remix)

Monty Seward

Randy (Dallas Austin’s assistant)

Steve Lindsey

Troy Taylor (The Characters)

Walter Mucho Scott (Judy Had a Boyfriend remix)

Winston Johnson

Chapter I

The Playboys

June 27, 1990

Here I am, sitting at the Newark International Airport, waiting for flight no. 495, departing at 8:45 a.m. to Los Angeles, California. With me are Dwayne Jones, Michael Best, Steven Capers, Kenneth Kelly, and Anthony Fuller, collectively known as Riff. Let me go back for a moment and explain how the six of us arrived at this point.

About four years ago, while working at Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey (home of the Mighty Ghosts), as a school social worker under the administration of Principal Joe Clark, I happened upon the vocal talents of a group of young men (all students at that time) known as the Playboys (name courtesy of Principal Clark). They were singing the school alma mater, Fair Eastside, over the public-address system during homeroom period. This had become a daily ritual initiated by Principal Clark, with different students either volunteering or being selected to sing. The rendition I heard that morning with its amazing harmonies and blending of voices aroused my musical senses to the extent that I had to meet these Playboys personally!

When I finally had the chance to introduce myself to these young men, I told them that I had written some songs and would love to collaborate musically with them. I just wanted to teach them some of my songs, so I could hear how the songs sounded with strong vocals and harmonies. I assured the young men that there were no strings attached. Since they had no official commitment to anyone at that time, we set up a date and time to meet right there in the third-floor vocal music room at Eastside HS, so I could teach them some of my original songs. The chemistry was immediate, and our relationship was born (although I found out later that Michael Best was skeptical of my intentions and had cautioned the rest of the group not to buy in too quickly to any offers I might present).

Soon afterward, preparations began at Eastside HS for the full-length motion picture production of Lean on Me, starring Morgan Freeman in the lead role as Principal Joe Clark. By that time, the Playboys and I had negotiated and agreed upon a legal and binding contract officially making me their manager. Once the filming of the movie began, there was immediate interest shown toward my group by three key executives involved in the production of the movie. Miguel Cliff, Nate Torm, and Barth Rooks had collectively formed their own production/management group called One-Shot. I imagine their intent was to cash in on some of the raw talent they were being exposed to during the filming of the movie. The Playboys were at the top of their list, and it was obvious that they had their sights on personal management. What they had not figured on was that the Playboys were already under contract with yours truly. I was approached by members of One-Shot regarding a comanagement deal. Although I was somewhat leery of their intentions, on July 28, 1988, a management agreement was signed by the Playboys with One-Shot, giving them sole personal management of the group for the term of the contract. A rider to this contract was drawn up engaging Skip Van Rensalier as comanager, which was signed by all parties on August 13, 1988. Part of that agreement, also, was that I would have the opportunity to write and have produced at least two tracks on every album (CD) released by the group (subject to the consent of the recording company that would hopefully and eventually sign and release the Playboys as recording artists).

******

Author’s Reflection: This agreement never really felt right to me, and I worried that I had given up a major piece of the management with the group, not to mention providing important career decisions to these three executives, whom none of us had any real history with short of the movie. But having had no experience in the music industry, and wanting my boys to reach the stardom I felt they so deserved, I hoped (and prayed) that these industry bigwigs were legit and could make it happen much more quickly than a school social worker from Paterson. Having discovered, in a sense, these young men, I also wanted my little piece of the pie along with, hopefully, getting my music exposed to the world.

This turned out to be, as we would discover later, a very bad contract. The obvious question would be, Why didn’t you retain the services of a lawyer to review the contract? As a matter of fact, we did. Not having a whole lot of money to invest (and the Playboys having none), I retained the services of an entertainment lawyer (recommended by a friend) at $400 to review the contracts prior to signing. I’m sure that his normal retainer fee was probably much more than $400, but because that was all I could afford at that time, he did a quick look-see and told us that although it was not a very lucrative contract for me or the Playboys, it was pretty much standard for a new group in the music industry. What he was basically saying was that first-time artists who had not yet established themselves as bona fide stars usually wound up signing lopsided contracts in favor of the record and/or production company. If they were fortunate enough to have a hit or two, then their position to renegotiate a contract became much stronger. We even asked the pastor of my church to pray over the contracts.

******

With the new contract signed between the Playboys, One-Shot, and me, the first order of business was a name change for the group. After tossing around numerous suggestions, the name Riff was chosen. The word riff is defined in the dictionary as a musical term that means to improvise on a musical note or line. The improvising, or riffing, of notes had become somewhat of a staple with the Playboys when they sang, so it seemed appropriate to just name the group Riff. The second and more important order of business was to get the group as much exposure as possible while attempting to secure a contract with a reputable record label. I kept the group busy doing local performances in and around the Paterson area, while One-Shot, through their contacts and association with Warner Brothers, was able to secure appearances for Riff on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Nickelodeon, and other cable TV shows.

After the group was shopped for a few weeks with limited success, a trip was planned to Hollywood, California, so the guys could do some touch-up work on the movie. While they were in California, it was also arranged to have Riff participate in an open showcase in front of writers and producers from the music recording industry. Because some of my songs were part of the showcase, I was also very excited at the prospect of professional industry people hearing my music. The trip went well, and Riff did an outstanding job at the showcase, but it did not result in any firm recording deals.

Lean on Me was released in March of 1989 and received immediate acclaim. Due to the success of the movie and the very popular bathroom scene featuring the group performing the Eastside school song, they now had tremendous exposure. Once again, through industry contacts with One-Shot, an audition was set up in June 1989 with Mr. Ronald Dubin, executive at SBK Records in New York City. Riff blew away the audition, and a verbal commitment was made on the spot to sign the group to a recording contract!

New contracts were drawn up now, making One-Shot the production company as well as copublishers for all of Riff’s songs, including the ones I had written. I would continue as comanager and copublisher of my songs, with SBK Records as the official label of Riff. Basically, One-Shot was signed to SBK Records and we were signed to One-Shot Productions. They were the proverbial middlemen. This contract turned out to be worse than the first contract, as it, without going into detail, gave One-Shot control of basically all of Riff’s musical operations (and money) along with considerable interest in all my songs and any songs that Riff themselves would pen.

******

Author’s Reflection: I realize that it’s very easy for the reader at this point to question why contracts were being signed that obviously slanted in the direction of the record company (SBK) and production group (One-Shot). Unfortunately, initial contracts are one of the main contributing factors of artists, whether successful or not, being robbed, albeit legally, of rights and, yes, monies they’re entitled to and should be receiving. So here you have five young men hungry for stardom, right on the heels of a very successful movie (financially and otherwise), along with yours truly, who, truth be told, was also very hungry to get my music exposed to the world. As levelheaded and cautious as you want to be in this type of situation, things are happening so fast you start making decisions just as fast and common sense is thrown to the wind. We were all excited, hungry, and inexperienced, a combination that the music industry exploits on a daily basis.

******

With contracts signed, the process of meeting with producers for the first CD album began. At the same time, writers were submitting their material for review by all of us as possible tracks to be included on the CD album.

The contract negotiations turned out to be a very long and tedious process, with the reviewing of songs for the CD just as lengthy. I kept Riff busy with performances in and around the Paterson area until all recording contracts had been signed and preproduction on Riff’s first CD album had begun. Although I had basically signed over a large part of my publishing and mechanical rights to One-Shot as a songwriter, I was ecstatic to have three of my original songs selected to be on the CD! I was beginning to get a little starstruck, which is a very dangerous position to leave yourself in, as it makes you more vulnerable and an obvious target for those in the industry looking to exploit. I would learn this lesson many times over. Truth be told, Riff and I were all starstruck from the very beginning, making us easy prey for One-Shot or anyone else looking to benefit from these very talented but naive young men and their manager, whose inexperience became more and more glaring as time passed.

Since the producers who were eventually chosen for the project were based primarily in Los Angeles, California, it was decided that after instrumental tracks were laid, the group would be flown to California to lay the vocal tracks. I would be accompanying them as more or less their vocal arranger/coach. This brings us back to June 27, 1990, at the Newark International Airport, as we await our flight to California.

Chapter II

California, Here We Come Recording the Debut CD Album

June 27, 1990, Los Angeles, California

We arrived in Los Angeles around 11:20 a.m., and after settling in at the hotel and getting some rest, we all went to the home of Miguel Cliff for a barbecue/meet-and-greet. We met with producers David Lawrence, son of Steve Lawrence and Edie Gorme (producing Temporary Insanity), Steve Lindsey (producing Baby It’s Wonderful along with Barth), Monty Seward (producing All or Nothing), and Ron Robinson (an associate of producer Winston Johnson, who would be producing April’s Fool as well as my three songs: Little Girls, Read My Eyes, and Can’t Believe We Just Met). Nate was also there. It was a casual, low-key, fun evening, with everyone excited about the upcoming project.

June 28, 1990

The first full day of business had me and the group meeting with Winston Johnson for the first time at his studio to discuss the four songs he would be producing and to basically get to know one another a little better. I’m not sure if it was planned this way, but having the first producer someone who looked just like us (African American) turned out to be a plus and eased some of the anxieties we all felt going into this recording project. Up to this point, we had not seen many of us at all. Our first rehearsal was scheduled for later that evening.

When we returned to the studio for rehearsal and microphone checks, I heard the instrumental tracks to two of my songs, Little Girls and Can’t Believe We Just Met. It took everything I had to contain my excitement! The only other time I had one of my songs professionally produced was while a student at Howard University in Washington, DC, when Van McCoy (of Do the Hustle fame) produced a recording session of the R&B group I belonged to, called New Perspective, and I heard my original song It Will Never Be the End performed for the first time by professional studio musicians. This was 1969, so they were still using live musicians in the studio. If I wasn’t starstruck then, I certainly was now. Already dreaming about and preparing my Grammy Awards acceptance speech, I couldn’t help but feel extremely blessed and thankful about what was happening in my life at this time. I had always loved music and dreamed, like so many, of becoming a big recording and/or songwriting star. The opportunity that was now presenting itself was one that I did not take for granted. I realized that there were many other writers and performers out there trying desperately to get their music heard.

June 29, 1990

Today, Riff began laying vocal tracks on the first song, April’s Fool, for their debut CD album. It was a milestone event, and everyone was excited about the job Winston did on the instrumental tracks. There was already talk of a possible hit.

June 30, 1990

Today was a very exciting day for me personally. First, my son, Dale Jr., who lives in California with his mother (my ex-wife), and whom I have not seen for nearly three years, arrived at the hotel and will be spending a few days with us. It’s always good to have family around, especially for an occasion as momentous as this.

Secondly, Riff laid vocal tracks on the first of my three songs, Little Girls. I could write a few pages about how I felt hearing my song being recorded, but suffice it to say I completely loved the job Winston did with the tracks and, as usual, Riff brought it home with their amazing vocals. What also made this song so special was the fact that it was the song I taught the group after meeting with them for the first time at Eastside High School. I wrote this song five years ago for a little girl’s beauty pageant at my church (First A.M.E. Zion Church). We obviously had a long way to go before the CD album would be complete, but I was already feeling like Little Girls was going to be one of my favorite songs.

Barth also came to the session to lend, I suspect, his expertise. We finished the session around midnight and returned to the hotel about 12:30 a.m. The next day, we were scheduled to begin work at 3:00 p.m. on my second song, Read My Eyes. My hope and prayer were that it would turn out as well as Little Girls.

Speaking of prayer, we were all extremely happy that Winston began every session with prayer. I acknowledge that none of this would have happened without God’s blessings.

******

Author’s Reflection: Sometimes this entire experience felt surreal. As much as I attempted to keep everything in perspective, my excitement level, as well as the guys’, continued to rise to new heights with every recording session. I was beginning to detect some evidence of feeling like we were really going to be famous, although we all tried to pretend that we were taking all this in stride.

******

July 1, 1990

Today had me a little down from the high I had been experiencing since we landed in California. The recording session for Read My Eyes had some intriguing twists to it. First, the background vocals took a very long time to get right. In my opinion, the presence of Barth in the studio had a lot to do with the longer session. Besides being part of the trio that makes up One-Shot, Barth is also one of the executive producers on the CD album, which obviously gives him the right to be at all recording sessions and to provide input to assure that all tracks on the CD are produced to the highest standard. What was disturbing my spirit was the feeling that many of his comments during the recording session were for the sole purpose of reminding Winston that as executive producer, he had the last say-so on all the production decisions. I also began to sense that, creatively, Winston found Barth a little annoying, but held his tongue, realizing where his paycheck was coming from. Adding to my concerns was the fact that Winston had been given four days to complete four songs, whereas our next producer, Dennis Lambert (friend of Barth), had been given six days to complete his four songs. My thinking was, since tomorrow is a day off, it could have and should have been used for Winston to clean up some of his work with Riff. Even more disturbing was Barth telling me not to mention to Winston that it was a day off. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Regardless, we will be meeting with Dennis soon to discuss the tunes he will be producing.

In the end, everything came together, and with Anthony’s lead vocals, Read My Eyes took serious form. Still, it did not excite me as much as Little Girls did. One of the main reasons for me feeling this way was, prior to finalizing the song selection for this project, I had personally financed a professional demo production of Read My Eyes to present to SBK executives. I made my presentation at a meeting with company CEO Mr. Carl Kupple, unbeknownst to the One-Shot group. They were kind of upset at me for not informing (translation: getting permission from) them of my intentions. I was not sure if they would have allowed it anyway, so I took matters into my own hands. The result was that Mr. Kupple loved the song and had it included on the CD. My disappointment was that the demo originally presented to the CEO was a much more soulful and authentic version than the final production by Winston. The vocals on the demo were vintage Riff displaying their gospel background, vocal range, and trademark riffs. The product coming out of the studio with Winston was a watered-down version, in my estimation. It really hadn’t occurred to me in the beginning, but it was becoming more and more clear to me