Bob Abrahamian 00:00
Okay, you are tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago. You’re listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob, and today we have a special show. For the first part, I have a phone interview with Mark Green, original member of The Moments.
So first of all—Mark, can you hear me?
Mark Green 00:22
I can hear you. The original lead singer of The Moments.
Bob Abrahamian 00:25
Okay, original lead singer of The Moments. And that’s even before Ray, Goodman & Brown joined the group, right?
Mark Green 00:30
Absolutely.
Bob Abrahamian 00:32
So today we’ll be talking about the origin of The Moments, playing their records, and going through the history of everything Mark has done in his career. It should be an interesting show. I usually interview Chicago groups, but I thought Mark had a really interesting story, and it would be cool to have him on. So, thanks so much, Mark, for coming on.
Mark Green 00:50
It’s my pleasure.
Bob Abrahamian 00:52
So first of all—can you talk about where The Moments are originally from?
Mark Green 01:05
The original Moments are from Washington, D.C. That’s Richard Gross, John Morgan, the late Eric Olfus, and myself, Mark Green.
Bob Abrahamian 01:24
Okay, so originally there were four members in the group?
Mark Green 01:27
Yes, it was Eric Olfus, John Morgan, myself, and Richard Gross.
Bob Abrahamian 01:34
How did the group form, and what part of D.C. are you guys from?
Mark Green 01:41
We were from Anacostia. It’s like the suburbs, kind of between St. Elizabeth’s and the cemetery. There was a lot of land out there. They used to raise livestock, plant crops. There was Military Highway going to Andrews Air Force Base, and South Capitol Street that led to Bolling Air Force Base. It was a beautiful landscape and full of talent.
Willie Stewart was from there—don’t know if you remember him?
Bob Abrahamian 02:42
Well, my show is named after Billy.
Mark Green 02:47
Yes! He was very close to Marvin Gaye. And then there was John Thompson, who I went to school with—later became the famous basketball coach at Georgetown and played pro ball. But anyway, I started with a group called The Varios when I was about 16. We won a talent show at the Strand Theater in Northeast D.C.
Then I joined another group called The Congressionals. We had a deal and recorded with a guy named Scott Goings. You might remember him?
Bob Abrahamian 03:33
The Varios group you were in—there was a Varios that cut a record on Amy Records in 1962. That wasn’t your group, was it?
Mark Green 03:43
No, by 1962, I was young. I wasn’t on that record. I had joined The Congressionals by then.
Bob Abrahamian 03:55
Did The Congressionals work with that Scott Goings guy?
Mark Green 03:59
Yes, he had a record store in Southeast Washington, in Shipley Terrace. He said, “Let me hear what you guys sound like.” We cut a song called I'm Going to Leave This Town.
Bob Abrahamian 04:13
Was that released on a 45?
Mark Green 04:17
It was on a 45, but never released. One of the guys’ fathers had issues with the contract, so we didn’t move forward. We went to New York but didn’t have the right contacts, so we came back to D.C. I kept singing with The Congressionals, and that’s when I met the three guys who called themselves The Moments.
Bob Abrahamian 04:42
So they already had the name and were already singing together?
Mark Green 04:48
Yes—John, Richard, and Eric. They were working with Freddie Perren, and the Mizell Brothers were involved, too.
Bob Abrahamian 04:56
I know Freddie Perren later became a big producer—he was part of The Corporation at Motown.
Mark Green 05:06
Exactly. And it’s funny, because the early records they recorded on the Hog label here in D.C. had a production sound similar to Motown’s.
Bob Abrahamian 05:21
So The Moments cut a record on the Hog label called Baby, I Want You and Pray for Me. Were you on that record?
Mark Green 05:39
No, I wasn’t on that one. Eric Olfus sings Pray for Me, and on Baby, I Want You, John Morgan opens the song, then Eric joins in. The guy who sings the “My baby, my baby” part is Richard Gross.
Bob Abrahamian 06:29
So that record wasn’t officially released?
Mark Green 06:38
No. I talked to Richard and he said he didn’t know it had been released. I found out from a DJ who heard it—he’s the one who told me.
Bob Abrahamian 06:50
Oh, right. The DJ from Raleigh, South Carolina.
Mark Green 06:54
Right. He surprised me. I told Richard, and he was surprised, too. Then I met you—and the story continues.
Mark Green 07:00
So when I joined The Moments, it was late 1966 going into 1967. I met them at the studio right after they had finished cutting that single—Pray for Me and Baby, I Want You.
Bob Abrahamian 07:17
Do you remember what studio it was?
Mark Green 07:23
Yes, it was in downtown Washington, between 14th and Vermont Avenue.
Bob Abrahamian 07:26
Was it Edgewood Studio?
Mark Green 07:28
Edgewood—exactly. Edgewood was a popular studio in D.C., in Northwest. I got a chance to meet Freddie Perren and one of the Mizell brothers there.
After that, a month or two passed. I was singing with Herb from Peaches. You remember him?
Bob Abrahamian 07:44
Yeah, Herb Tinsley.
Mark Green 07:47
Right. Herb and I had a group—we were working and doing things. Then I reconnected with The Moments, and they said, “Hey man, we need your voice. Someone’s looking for the kind of sound you have.” So we got together. There were four of us now.
We had a tremendous sound—amazing harmonies. Each guy could sing lead. I brought a knowledge of modern pop harmony—like The Four Freshmen and The Four Aces. My grandmother was a music major from Howard University and a pianist, and my father could sing and play piano. But he had a big family—11 kids—so he worked to support us.
We used to have contests at home—six girls and five boys—imagine that. We practically had a choir in our house.
Bob Abrahamian 09:16
So you got into singing at an early age—singing with all your family members?
Mark Green 09:20
Absolutely. My introduction to music came from listening to birds and jazz that my father played—Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett. My dad had a great ear. He could whistle like he was playing a saxophone or a flute.
So anyway, we got a deal to go up to Teaneck, New Jersey to meet Ed Townsend.
Bob Abrahamian 09:55
Before we talk about New Jersey, can I play the Hog label record so people know what we’re talking about?
Mark Green 10:00
Absolutely.
Bob Abrahamian 10:01
Okay, so you already described who’s singing which parts on the record. It’s a nice cut, and like you said, it never really got officially released—just a limited pressing.
So I’m going to play it now. This is The Moments with their very first record. The track is called Baby, I Want You.
[music playing – Baby, I Want You by The Moments]
Bob Abrahamian 13:00
Okay, that was the very first record released by The Moments—who eventually went through a complete lineup change and became the version of the group signed to Stang Records.
So again, singing lead on that was—who?
Mark Green 13:25
John Morgan sang the first lead, then Eric Olfus came in. And the low part—“my baby, my baby”—was sung by Richard Gross.
Bob Abrahamian 13:36
So you met them right after they recorded that?
Mark Green 13:40
Exactly—right after.
Bob Abrahamian 13:43
And before I played that record, I cut you off. You were starting to talk about going to New Jersey. Were you guys looking for a record deal?
Mark Green 13:53
Right. The three guys came to me and said, “We’ve got a deal, and we’re looking for your voice.” So we got together, had a meeting, and the following week we headed up to Teaneck, New Jersey.
That’s where we met the legend—Ed Townsend. He recorded a few things with us, especially the song For Your Love. He also played piano.
Then he called Sylvia Robinson—from Mickey & Sylvia—remember Love Is Strange? She also did Pillow Talk. She and her husband came over and listened to us. They were just starting a music company—All Platinum—right there on Palisade Avenue in New Jersey.
We kept running between D.C. and Jersey. One of the first songs we recorded was My Confession of Love, and then we went to their finished studio and recorded Not on the Outside.
Now, here’s the interesting part—Billy Brown, who later became part of Ray, Goodman & Brown, was originally supposed to sing Not on the Outside. But Sylvia didn’t lean toward his voice at that time. He was still with a group called The Broadways. She preferred the sound of The Moments.
So we did Not on the Outside, and it took off. The single charted on Billboard—number 45 R&B—and sold over 250,000 copies. It even reached number 57 or 58 on the pop charts.
Bob Abrahamian 15:46
So you’re saying she was going to record Not on the Outside with Billy Brown—not as part of The Moments, but maybe as a solo artist?
Mark Green 15:58
Right. I don’t know if she was going to use The Broadways or not, but something happened, and we ended up recording it. It took off—it was doing great. Number one on the R&B charts at one point, and like I said, number 57 or 58 on the pop charts.
We did nine days at the Apollo Theater, and that’s when the group kind of fell apart. There were business problems with the company.
Bob Abrahamian 16:43
You're saying you didn’t get paid for the Apollo engagement?
Mark Green 16:46
Right—nothing. It was horrible.
Bob Abrahamian 16:50
Were you performing Not on the Outside at the Apollo?
Mark Green 16:54
Yes, we were headlining the show. We also did RKO Bushwick, RKO Proctor, and appeared on Upbeat and Come Alive in Pittsburgh—those were national television shows.
Bob Abrahamian 17:05
Do you remember what year those TV shows were?
Mark Green 17:09
That was 1968, in the fall. I’ll never forget it. We had to take a taxi up to the top of the hill in Pittsburgh to get to Channel 11—that’s where Come Alive was filmed.
Then in Cleveland, we were on Upbeat with Edwin Starr and The Elgins. In Pittsburgh, the lineup was more pop/R&B crossover artists.
Bob Abrahamian 17:30
Back to the Apollo—what happened during those nine days?
Mark Green 17:34
Well, Michael, Marlon, and the Jacksons were opening up the show. They were just kids—but already dancing and singing. Also on the bill were Sam & Dave, Margie Hendrix from The Raelettes, and The Unifics—a great group from D.C. You probably know them.
They had Clarence Carter doing Patches—you know that one?
Bob Abrahamian 18:00
Yeah, I know Patches.
Mark Green 18:02
It was a great show—nine amazing days—but miserable at the same time. It was freezing in New York. It was nine days before New Year’s.
Somebody stole our car battery—it was so cold, we had to buy it back from the guy who stole it! He came around the corner and sold it back to us. We figured he was strung out on something.
Anyway, we were mad because we didn’t get paid for the Apollo shows. That’s when the group kind of broke up.
Bob Abrahamian 19:00
So John Morgan stayed, and then that’s when the replacements came in?
Mark Green 19:03
Yes. Billy Brown and Al Goodman were brought in. John Morgan stayed. There was friction in the group—I don’t know exactly what happened, but the group fell apart. Management had a lot to do with it.
Bob Abrahamian 19:40
Was Freddie Perren still managing you at that point, or had things changed?
Mark Green 19:45
By that time, Joe and Sylvia Robinson were handling us—management and booking. They were really trying to get the business going.
The sad part is, when the group broke up, it was mostly due to them. But they kept me on board and released My Confessions of Love. At the same time, they kept John Morgan and brought in Billy Brown and Al Goodman, and released a song called Sunday under the name The Moments.
Bob Abrahamian 20:40
Did you know Billy Brown and Al Goodman before that?
Mark Green 20:45
I didn’t know Billy Brown. Al Goodman was kind of hanging around—he was in some group, but I didn’t really know him.
Then there was a show at the Civic Center in Baltimore. We were in the studio when Sylvia called us—me, John, and Eric—to come in. We knew there was a show happening in Baltimore at the time.
Bob Abrahamian 21:20
Wait—so there was another version of The Moments doing a show at the Civic Center, and you guys were being held in the studio?
Mark Green 21:26
Exactly. We were being held in the studio—basically as hostages—so that we wouldn’t show up in Baltimore and cause confusion. They didn’t want us to surprise them or be mistaken for the group performing.
Bob Abrahamian 21:43
So they were switching out the members—trying to quietly replace you?
Mark Green 21:47
Yes, it was a very messy, unprofessional situation. Sylvia had been in the business a long time, but there was no respect for us as artists.
If you don’t want to work with someone, fine—cut ties cleanly. But don’t take the group name, run up a tab with someone else, and try to act like nothing happened.
We had put in so much time and money traveling back and forth to Jersey. They weren’t rich at the time, so we were often paying our own way. They’d put us up in hotels, but only because we weren’t going to sleep in the car.
And I had a family. I was married with kids. Then Sylvia told me, “You don’t need those guys. You’ve got the most beautiful voice this side of heaven.”
Great. Where are my royalties?
Bob Abrahamian 22:30
So she wanted to keep you on as a solo artist?
Mark Green 22:32
Yeah. After they released My Confessions of Love, she said, “Mark, you don’t need those guys. You’ve got the most beautiful voice this side of heaven.” But I told her—“Great, baby… where’s my royalties?”
Bob Abrahamian 22:47
So her plan was to keep you solo?
Mark Green 22:49
Exactly. And then she wanted to put me with Ray, Goodman & Brown. They had pushed Johnny out of the group and brought in another guy—Johnny Moore. Then he got pushed out and they brought in Harry Ray.
So she called me again, trying to get me back. I told her, “What are you going to do about that old contract? This is crazy.” But I won’t get into all of that.
The bottom line—it was a financial and business dispute. They hadn’t paid me. I told the other guys, “Look, if I didn’t get paid, you’re not going to get paid either.” And they didn’t.
Bob Abrahamian 24:47
So she was trying to get you to join the new version of the group?
Mark Green 24:49
Yeah. After they released My Confessions of Love, she wanted me to join the newer version of The Moments, which became Ray, Goodman & Brown. I told her, “You want me to join a group you didn’t pay? You’ve got to be crazy.”
Bob Abrahamian 25:13
Okay. Well, let me play your solo record—the one they actually released—My Confessions of Love. You said the backing vocals on this were done by the original three Moments?
Mark Green 25:16
Yes—Eric, John, and Richard are singing backup on this one.
Bob Abrahamian 25:20
Okay, so here’s Mark Green with My Confessions of Love. Then we’ll talk more.
[music playing – My Confessions of Love by Mark Green]
Bob Abrahamian 28:37
Okay, that was Mark Green with his one solo record on Stang Records, My Confessions of Love. The flip side is also nice—it’s called I’m So Lost. And if you’re just tuning in, Mark is on the phone right now talking about his career and story with The Moments.
So ultimately, Sylvia switched up the group—released that solo record under your name—then tried to get you to come back into the newer version of The Moments. But due to all the contractual disputes, you didn’t want to deal with it and left the company. Is that right?
Mark Green 28:55
Exactly. Even after they released Rapper’s Delight—you know, “Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn”—and it sold something like 40 million records, I still didn’t get paid. That was Sylvia’s Sugar Hill Records.
I saw them after that—they had moved into this mansion with 32 rooms, maids, everything. I thought, “Okay, now I’ll get paid.” Nope. Just another contract. Still no royalties from the original music.
Bob Abrahamian 29:28
Wow. So she wanted you to join Ray, Goodman & Brown even after all that?
Mark Green 29:30
Yeah. She said, “You brought The Moments to them—join them.” Even if it’s just common law, I owned the name. She wanted me to take over. But I wasn’t falling for it.
Bob Abrahamian 29:51
I think even in the 1980s, when Ray, Goodman & Brown were active, she made another version of The Moments with totally different guys and released a single on Sugar Hill.
Mark Green 30:00
She did. She tried to keep the name alive in any way she could. But Ray, Goodman & Brown were already signed to PolyGram around 1979—that’s when they released Special Lady. They were gone by then.
And after Harry Ray passed, things shifted again...
Bob Abrahamian 30:06
I wanted to get to the later stuff, but first I wanted to go back and ask—on all the records, you sing in a falsetto style. How did you get into singing that way? Because on that first Moments record we heard, they were singing high, but not falsetto. But you're clearly singing falsetto on your later records, right?
Mark Green 30:38
I’d say it’s part falsetto, part natural. I had a high natural first tenor voice, and I did sing some things in falsetto. I didn’t just stick to the high stuff—I learned to sing all harmony parts.
Bob Abrahamian 30:54
How did you get into that kind of style?
Mark Green 30:56
I kind of created my own sound. I played alto, tenor, soprano sax, flute, and piano. I listened to a lot of vocal harmony groups, and I realized I didn’t have to stick to just one part—I could do it all.
In that period, a lot of high-tenor and falsetto groups were emerging—like The Delfonics and The Stylistics. Blue Magic came a little later. The Unifics had Al Johnson, but he was more of a natural tenor.
Groups like Bloodstone and even Earth, Wind & Fire—Philip Bailey sang high falsetto. But I was doing that before a lot of them.
Bob Abrahamian 31:51
Yeah, you were doing it before Bloodstone, and definitely before Earth, Wind & Fire. Were there any specific singers or groups that inspired you?
Mark Green 32:07
Interesting you ask. At Sylvia’s Blue Morocco on 48th and Broadway, I met Frankie Lymon before he passed. He was begging to get back into the business—“Joey, Joey, I’m clean, I’m straight. Let me in.” I looked up to him.
Little Anthony & The Imperials were also a big influence—songs like Two Kinds of People in the World. Frankie Lymon was my idol. I also listened to The Four Freshmen, The Lettermen, The Four Aces—those harmony groups really shaped me.
But the tenor-falsetto style really took off in the mid to late ’60s. We recorded Not on the Outside in 1968. The Delfonics were around then, but The Stylistics came after—around 1969.
Bob Abrahamian 33:11
So you were definitely among the early soul groups singing in that falsetto style.
Mark Green 33:15
Absolutely.
Bob Abrahamian 33:18
So we were just talking about how you left Stang Records. I think soon after that, you ended up on Volt Records—part of Stax—and recorded with a new group called The Leaders. Can you talk about how that happened?
Mark Green 33:46
Sure. After all the legal and financial headaches, we couldn't stop making music. I didn’t personally own the name “The Moments,” and the other guys didn’t want to fight Sylvia in court. So we decided to form a new group called The Leaders—because we were all lead singers.
The lineup was myself, Eric Olfus, Richard Gross, and a new member—Donald Spriggs—who replaced John Morgan.
Bob Abrahamian 34:20
So Donald replaced John Morgan, and the rest of the group stayed the same?
Mark Green 34:22
Exactly. We came up with the name The Leaders, and we were looking for a new record deal. That’s when we got involved with Myrna March and Bert Keyes in New York. Myrna was a country-western singer and songwriter, and they had material for us.
Bob Abrahamian 34:55
So where did you meet them?
Mark Green 35:01
Bert knew we had gotten a raw deal, so he invited us to Myrna’s place at 60 West 57th Street—right across from The Martini Bar in New York.
She had a piano there, and we worked on songs like Which Way, How Do You Move a Mountain, and Anyone Can. One of her songs, Making Love, was later recorded by Cissy Houston. I did my own arrangement of that for our album too.
Bob Abrahamian 35:25
I think Bert and Myrna also produced the Cissy Houston version, right?
Mark Green 35:29
Yes, they did. But they didn’t produce the version I recorded. That version went on my album.
Bob Abrahamian 35:33
So how did you guys get connected with Volt?
Mark Green 35:36
That came through Al Bell—a former DJ at WUST in D.C., and an executive at Stax. He knew Bert Keyes and picked up on the sessions. He was working with artists like Isaac Hayes and The Dramatics at the time.
We recorded the tracks in New York, and they got picked up by Volt. We even got some write-ups in the Washington Star.
Bob Abrahamian 36:33
Those are great records. They were released around 1973, right?
Mark Green 36:35
Yes. We didn’t get the kind of push we hoped for, though. Someone hijacked a truck full of our promotional materials, and we heard one of the songs on the radio—we were like, “How’d that even get out?” It was strange.
Maybe we were ahead of our time, or maybe it was just bad timing in the industry. But I still think those songs—Anyone Can, How Do You Move a Mountain, Which Way—were really strong.
Bob Abrahamian 37:02
I agree. Let me play Anyone Can—it’s a great record. Then we can talk more about what happened after that.
This is The Leaders with Anyone Can.
[music playing – Anyone Can by The Leaders]
Bob Abrahamian 40:10
Okay, that was just The Leaders with Anyone Can. And if you’re just tuning in, I have on the phone Mark Green—original member of The Moments, and a member of The Leaders, who were basically The Moments with one singer replaced.
That record came out around 1973. The follow-up, Which Way, was a great record too. But you were saying there were more weird situations with the label?
Mark Green 40:42
Yes, not so much with the contract itself—but we never really got a clear picture of how much the record sold, when it was officially released, or how it was distributed. It wasn’t until this millennium that I really started getting information—mainly from DJs like yourself.
I also heard the Mizell brothers were involved in reviving The Moments and did a write-up. But they didn’t even remember who the original group members were.
Bob Abrahamian 41:40
Yeah, in one interview, they said they didn’t remember who sang on it. So after that Volt single came out, did you guys stay together as The Leaders?
Mark Green 41:50
We stayed together as long as we could, hoping something else would break. But eventually we got tired. I mean, I was still writing, still singing, whether with a group or solo.
Eventually I got together with Clifford Doll and recorded a solo album called Love Is More Than Spoken, down at Ben Hill Studio in Atlanta.
Bob Abrahamian 42:28
When was that recorded?
Mark Green 42:29
That was in 1979.
Bob Abrahamian 42:33
And before that, you recorded a full album in 1976 too, right?
Mark Green 42:37
Yes, with a group called The Exceptions. I saw them on a local TV show backing up Eddie Kendricks. Afterward, they found me and said they needed a first tenor. Once I joined, I started arranging their harmonies and tightening things up.
We got a deal through José Williams—a legendary engineer in D.C.—and recorded the album. James “Purdie” Purdy was involved too; he worked on drums and piano. He had been a drummer on Skip Mahoney’s Your Funny Moods, and I believe some of the same musicians played on our session.
Bob Abrahamian 44:17
So this album was recorded in 1976 with José Williams, but never released?
Mark Green 44:24
Right. We were calling ourselves The Exceptions again. We did a 21-state tour—mostly military bases—and came back to D.C. excited to release the album. But José suffered a stroke and sold his studio. He couldn’t locate the master tapes.
Luckily, I had a cassette copy. Years later, I was able to digitize it and release it as a CD called Urban Legacy.
Bob Abrahamian 45:13
I want to play a track off that. Here’s one from 1976, unreleased until recently, called We’re in Love.
[music playing – We’re in Love by Mark Green & The Exceptions]
Bob Abrahamian 49:29
Okay, that was just a track from the unreleased 1976 album recorded by Mark Green with members of a group called The Exceptions. That was called We’re in Love.
So who else was singing on that?
Mark Green 49:49
That was Loren Brown, Solomon Cunningham, his half-brother, and myself.
Bob Abrahamian 50:04
And were you planning to release it under The Exceptions name?
Mark Green 50:13
Yes, it was The Exceptions, and we were preparing to release the album when José had his stroke. After that, we couldn’t get the master back. Eventually, I released it myself in the 2000s as Urban Legacy on CD Baby and DCJazz.com.
Bob Abrahamian 51:13
All the tracks were recorded in 1976?
Mark Green 51:16
Yes, and I did the vocal arrangements. Harmony is my specialty.
Bob Abrahamian 51:38
Yeah, it sounds great. So people can find that on CD Baby. And then in 1979, you recorded a solo album?
Mark Green 51:58
Yes, with Clifford Doll. But the label dragged its feet on the release. So I put out a single myself called Afraid of Falling in Love Again. Eventually, I put all the songs together and released it as Love Is More Than Spoken.
Bob Abrahamian 52:53
Was it ever released back in 1979?
Mark Green 52:56
No, it was shelved until recently. I also went out to California—Compton—and re-recorded Not on the Outside and some other tracks. That became Unspoken Moments, released in the 2000s.
Bob Abrahamian 53:58
That’s another one of your albums?
Mark Green 54:00
Yes, it includes a cover of Lionel Richie’s Hello, I’m on the Outside Looking In by Little Anthony, and Smokey Robinson’s Baby, Baby, Don’t Cry.
Bob Abrahamian 55:13
Let’s play your remake of Not on the Outside from your album Revealing Moments. When was it recorded?
Mark Green 55:31
In the late ’90s, but released more recently.
Bob Abrahamian 55:45
Okay, here’s Mark Green’s remake of Not on the Outside.
[music playing – Not on the Outside (Mark Green remake)]
Bob Abrahamian 1:01:36
That was Mark Green with his own remake of Not on the Outside, from the album Revealing Moments, which you said is being released now?
Mark Green 1:01:44
Yes, it should be available this week on CD Baby.
Bob Abrahamian 1:02:01
Didn’t you also fill in for Harry Ray in Ray, Goodman & Brown at one point?
Mark Green 1:02:06
Yes, after Harry passed in 1995. I ran into Al Goodman and Billy Brown backstage at Constitution Hall in D.C. They asked me what I was doing and invited me to rehearse with them.
We flew out and did a couple of shows—one in North Carolina, then one with Millie Jackson in Atlanta. But it didn’t last long. I told them, “I’d rather keep our friendship.”
Bob Abrahamian 1:03:50
So you stayed solo after that?
Mark Green 1:03:53
Yes, I kept recording. In ’92, I released Afraid of Falling in Love Again. Then I went to Atlanta, recorded at Ben Hill, and worked with folks like Jermaine Jackson (a guitarist, not the Jackson 5 member), and Eddie Irons from the group Brick.
Bob Abrahamian 1:05:23
It’s hard to get radio play today—everything’s so controlled now.
Mark Green 1:05:41
Exactly. The world of payola is still out there—only now it’s “official,” as you put it.
Bob Abrahamian 1:05:58
So you also did jazz CDs?
Mark Green 1:06:07
Yes. I did two albums: A Tribute to Johnny Hartman and The Mark Green Project. I sang standards like Who Can I Turn To, My One and Only Love, and Sunny Gets Blue.
I worked with top musicians—Steve Novosel, Larry Hinnant, Charlie Young, Mike Smith. All fine artists from the D.C. area.
I also did The Love We Save, a message album with themes for kids about abstinence and self-worth.
Bob Abrahamian 1:07:34
So all of that is on CD Baby?
Mark Green 1:07:36
Yes, and also DCJazz.com. And people can visit my website: www.themomentsfeaturingmarkgreen.com.
Bob Abrahamian 1:07:49
And there’s a photo of you with the original three other members?
Mark Green 1:07:52
Yes. As soon as you open the site, you’ll see us in front of the Apollo Theater. I’m number three in the photo.
Bob Abrahamian 1:08:00
Thanks so much for sharing your story.
Mark Green 1:08:04
Thank you, Bob. I just want to mention—there’s another group out there calling themselves The Moments, and they’re not legitimate. Part of the Ray, Goodman & Brown camp. But I own the name “The Original Moments.” I have legal counsel, and we’re addressing it.
There’s one other original member still alive—Richard Gross—and we’re still performing under The Original Moments name.
Bob Abrahamian 1:09:01
So people should look out for The Original Moments when they come to town.
Mark Green 1:09:05
Absolutely. If you want to book us, go to themomentsfeaturingmarkgreen.com or call 202-789-5454. We’d love to perform R&B, jazz, or pop for your venue.
Bob Abrahamian 1:10:05
Thanks so much for coming on.
Mark Green 1:10:13
Thank you too. I hope to talk to you again soon.
Bob Abrahamian 1:10:17
Me too. To close the show, here’s one last track from the Urban Legacy album, recorded in 1976. This is called The Sun Don’t Shine.
[music playing – The Sun Don’t Shine by Mark Green & The Exceptions]