Memorial Coliseum

November 14-15, 1975

In the fall of 1975, few performers had the pop of the Pointer Sisters, a popular soul act from Oakland, CA. While the group focused mostly on rhythm and blues, they won an unlikely Grammy in 1975 for Best Country Vocal Performance of “Fairytale” from their 1974 album, “That’s a Plenty.” Elvis Presley was reportedly so impressed with their version that he recorded and released the song in 1975. The Pointer Sisters performed as a trio with Bonnie, Anita, and Ruth on Friday of the Homecoming weekend with youngest sister June sitting it out. The opening act was well-considered jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, who by the time he played in Tuscaloosa had developed a first-class reputation performing with the likes of mainstays like Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, Ron Carter, Bob James, and more. During his opening set at Memorial Coliseum, the otherwise low-key musician gave a shout-out to the Alabama football team with a subdued “Roll Tide” for the audience. Steeped in church music and gospel traditions, the Pointer Sisters brought a fountain of energy to the Memorial Coliseum concert. Their flamboyant dresses, sassy attitudes, and vocal versatility were on parade in songs like “Yes We Can,” Willie Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle,” and the Dizzy Gillespie gem, “Salt Peanuts,” all fueled in part by Wah-Wah Watson’s funky guitar. Watson was a member of Motown’s famous Funk Brothers rhythm section. The ladies sashayed across the stage working in three-part harmony like a later-day version of the Andrews Sisters mixed with a thick slice of soul on the side. The group was on the road, touring to promote various albums and singles that had experienced moderate success, including “How Long (Betcha’ Got a Chick on the Side)” from their “Steppin’” album, which had dropped earlier in the year. The following evening after a handy 27-6 Homecoming Crimson Tide win over Southern Miss, contemporary crooner, actor, and game show host John Davidson performed to a less-than-packed house at Memorial Coliseum. In his bow tie and Tuxedo, the squeaky clean son of Baptist ministers sang standards from The Great American Songbook, a handful of show tunes, and songs from a dozen of his Adult Contemporary albums recorded in the 1960s and 1970s. The evening was lackluster, a significant step back from the raw energy generated by the rhythm and blues of the Pointer Sisters the night before. In the 1980s the Pointer Sisters’ career would skyrocket with MTV videos, and the release of songs like “Jump (For My Love),” “He’s So Shy,” “I’m So Excited,” “Slow Hand,” and “Neutron Dance.”