Singer Carol Maillard is one of the original members of Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Grammy-winning ensemble that will perform at the Rialto Center for the Arts on Jan. 25. Maillard remembers when, in 1993, the Black, all-female a cappella group known for its socially conscious repertoire toured the country performing at several historically Black colleges and universities, including Atlanta’s Spelman College.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Maillard says the group was excited about the opportunity, in part because founder Bernice Johnson Reagon was a Spelman alumna. On their first visit to the college, Maillard says their dressing room was minimal, “but it was always decorated with such care and beauty by a beautiful sister by the name of Zelda. The other ladies were surely a part of the whole thing, but she is the one I remember.”
The ensemble returned to Spelman several times, performing in the college’s Sisters Chapel. “It was sacred,” Maillard recalls, “and it was always filled to the brim. Enthusiastic singing in the audience, spontaneous shout-outs. Everyone dressed to the nines in their finest African-inspired attire, men and women. And it was hot in there too! People all close together. I loved it.”
Credit: Photo by Christopher Robinson
Credit: Photo by Christopher Robinson
Maillard’s son, violinist Jordan Maillard Waré, accompanied Sweet Honey a few times when he was on school breaks. “I loved having him with me on the tour wherever I could take him. His nickname was Shorty Brody, and he would help wherever he could,” she says. His connection to Atlanta continued after those weeklong visits: When he graduated high school he, like his father, became a Morehouse man.
Being at the Rialto is a different kind of experience from Sisters Chapel, but the group, founded in 1973, gets the same warm and enthusiastic crowds, Maillard says. Atlanta is “one of our universal homes. This homecoming will mean a lot to us during our 50th anniversary celebrations, which we are sharing with our fans over a three-year period.”
Maillard says each ensemble member has her own publishing company; they own some of their music individually and some as a collective. Even more than 50 years in, however, the group continues to struggle with the day-to-day administration. It’s not something Maillard enjoys, and she wishes they had more help, a staff to handle some of the daily work that the core members do.
Her enthusiasm for Sweet Honey’s message, however, is undimmed.
“There are things you can do to uplift the planet and raise the energy. There’s so much more I would love to say. But the bottom line for me: Know your worth, know your beauty, know that you are uniquely created and beautifully created. Give that love, beauty, kindness, compassion to yourself and to everyone that you meet. Make a difference. Amen.
“That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Sweet Honey in the Rock
8 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Rialto Center for the Arts. $39.10-$81. 80 Forsyth St. NW, Atlanta. 404-413-9849, events.rialtocenter.gsu.edu
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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ArtsATL (artsatl.org) is a nonprofit organization that plays a critical role in educating and informing audiences about metro Atlanta’s arts and culture. ArtsATL, founded in 2009, helps build a sustainable arts community contributing to the economic and cultural health of the city.
If you have any questions about this partnership or others, please contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
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