Charles Barksdale God's Gift To Us

By Starla Muhammad -Managing Editor- | Last updated: May 29, 2019 - 11:11:31 AM

CHICAGO—Charles “Chuck” Barksdale may have been best known as bass singer in the legendary R&B group The Dells that gifted the world with beautiful, smooth ballads and mellow harmonies during a career that spanned decades. But to those that knew him best, he was much more. Family, friends, fans, fellow artists and dignitaries, including the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, gathered at the Harold Washington Cultural Center in Bronzeville to pay their final respects to Mr. Barksdale in a moving homegoing and memorial service filled with spiritual songs, uplifting messages and fond reflections. The May 20 gathering served as a fitting tribute for a person Mr. Barksdale’s granddaughter described as, “a true definition of a real father, a real man.” He died May 15 at age 84.

Mr. Barksdale’s granddaughter Brianna reflected on the impact her “Pa-Pa” had on her life and the times they shared; from taking her to Daddy-Daughter dances and Chicago Cubs baseball games, taking her out for ice cream, driving her to school when she was a little girl, and other fond memories. Despite his notoriety as an entertainer, family was Mr. Barksdale’s priority.

“My Pa-Pa made sure to have a seat at every event I had, from dance recitals, soccer games, basketball games, football games I cheered at, fashion shows and then my high school graduation. He didn’t miss a beat. It hurt him so much he couldn’t attend my college graduation because he was sick. But he made sure to represent as he would. He told me, ‘when you walk across that stage Short Stuff keep your head held high and shine baby,’ ” reflected Brianna.

His niece Constance Dillard said she knew her uncle was special. “I didn’t know how special until one day our mother took us to the Regal Theatre to see him perform with The Temptations. That’s when I knew that was my Uncle Charlie on stage just doing his thing,” she said. Ms. Dillard said she gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for her uncle when researching the history of Black entertainers of the 1950s and 60s for her thesis. She gained a great respect for him as he shared with her the struggle, hurt and racism they endured.

The Dells were a testimony of longevity and endurance, in the entertainment industry and in their friendship with one other. Formed in 1952 at Thornton High School in Harvey, Illinois, located just outside Chicago, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Marvin Junior, Lucius and Michael “Mickey” McGill and Charles Barksdale formed The Dells while students. Johnny Carter later joined the group. By 1960 The Dells were touring with the great Dinah Washington and over the years released chart-topping hits like, “Stay in my Corner,” “Wear It on Our Face,” and “Open Up My Heart.”

The group was reintroduced to a new generation in the early 1990s through the hit movie “The Five Heartbeats,” directed by filmmaker and producer Robert Townsend. The movie was loosely based on The Dells and other well-known singing groups as it chronicled the rise, fall and rise again of a 1960s R&B vocal quintet. The film spawned another hit for The Dells, “A Heart Is A House For Love.”

Mr. Townsend shared his sentiments on the passing of Mr. Barksdale via Twitter, posting: “We lost a giant today, rest in paradise, Mr. Chuck Barksdale the bass voice of THE DELLS, they were my technical advisers on THE FIVE HEARTBEATS. The real stuff in the film about the music industry came from them. I will celebrate his memory by listening to their hits today!”

In 2004 The Dells were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

In the early 1960s Mr. Barksdale accepted the teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and joined the Nation of Islam. Wali Muhammad met Mr. Barksdale in the late 1980s and went on to work with The Dells for over 20 years. “We grew up in the same hometown of Harvey, Illinois. In fact, his barber was my barber,” said Wali Muhammad. He described meeting him for the first time.

“I met him in like 1987 or ‘88 in the barbershop. I’m in there teaching what I know that the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has taught me of Islam and Brother Charles just jumped straight up. He said ‘Brother, my name is Charles 26X and I got my X in 1961,’” recounted Wali Muhammad.

(l-r) Pastor Claude D. Ambrose, Vocalist Kimberly Stratton, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Michael Muhammad, a cousin of Mr. Barksdale

Michael Muhammad is a cousin of Mr. Barksdale who he called “Uncle Chuck.” He reflected on his loved one citing passages from The Holy Qur’an, the book of scripture of Muslims, from a Surah (Chapter) called, “Al-Najm,” meaning “The Star.”

“We’re here today to celebrate a star,” he told those gathered. “A star in the music world, a star in the Black world, a star in the family of the Barksdales. This Surah starts with these words: ‘By the star when it sets.’ We’re here witnessing the physical setting of a star but a star nevertheless that continues to shine,” said Michael Muhammad.

God created man and woman to reflect him in everything we do, and Mr. Barksdale touched the world with his God-given gifts, Minister Farrakhan explained during his remarks.

“When Charles sang it was God reaching us through the beauty of this servant and The Dells and the Chi-Lites, Marvin Gaye, just name them all, they are servants of God who made life easier for us as children of slaves. That’s who you are. I’m telling you our artists should be honored,” said Min. Farrakhan.

“My brother found his calling in life. He sacrificed a lot for his music, but that sacrifice lifted us who knew his voice and knew his musical talent; the songs that he wrote, that’s Chuck. But more than that, that’s God’s gift to us in the form of a man named Chuck.”

Michael Junior, Jr., is the son of Dells member Marvin Junior, who passed in 2013. Mr. Junior, Jr., traveled with the group for almost 25 years. He reflected on stories the men shared with him about their early years traveling on the road. “They expressed a lot of it, when they had to get out the car and sing for the police and Whites on one side, Blacks on the other. But they were able to deal with all that. Singing in the ‘50s until the 2000s you’re talking about four or five different eras they had an opportunity to sing in. They were one of a kind,” he told The Final Call.

Mr. Barksdale leaves a timeless musical legacy and is survived by his wife Barbara, their children and a host of grandchildren, nieces and nephews and surviving members of The Dells. Verne Allison and Michael McGill spoke briefly with The Final Call after services concluded to share their thoughts on their friend of over 60 years. “He was our brother and we loved him dearly. Death is death and he passed away, but he’ll never be missed because we’ll always have him in our heart,” said Mr. McGill.

Charles Barksdale will never be forgotten, said Mr. Allision. “Chuck was our spokesman. Chuck was the type of a person that Verne and myself and Johnny and Marvin were sort of shy and Chuck was the type of person, ‘give me the mic, I’ll take it,’” he explained. His friend was a gregarious, go-getter and was instrumental in helping the group go after new record deals and other business endeavors, said Mr. Allison. They had lots of fun traveling around the country performing in their younger years, but Mr. Allison explained that showbusiness is not an easy life. For a time, they moved from Harvey to Harlem in New York when they were 18 and 19 years old, sharing one room with five cots on the floor. Through the decades, their relationship endured.

“We loved each other, we stayed together 60 years. We saw 60 years. That tells you something, doesn’t it?”

The Final Call