MAPLEWOOD — The weather was hot, and so were The Men of Soul. Hundreds of people grooved to covers of soul legends. The Men of Soul delivered songs from Stevie Wonder, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass and so much more.
The show was part of the Maplewood Division of Arts & Culture’s summer evenings of live music at the Springfield Avenue Gazebo. In addition to the live music, there were arts and crafts from Create it with Phoebe, and food from Mexican Spice and Grandma Emma’s.
Andrea Teutli, manager of Maplewood’s Division of Arts and Culture, was really excited to present The Men of Soul. She said, “It’s the second time in a row we’ve had them. They light up Maplewood!”
Lorenzo Bell started the band in 2018. He said, “I started because I felt like there was a missing part of R&B. The only music being performed was Motown. I wanted to bring the rest of soul to the masses. There’s so much out there.”
When Bell first saw The Jackson 5 on television, he knew he wanted to sing. Next, he saw them perform at Madison Square Garden.
He began singing in church and got better. “I’ve been singing all my life,” he said.
When Bell was a member of Double Exposure, he performed, as part of the line-up, with the remaining brothers in The Jacksons, The Stylistics, Melba Moore and Kool & The Gang. “We’ve been blessed to do a lot of things,” he said.
Bell not only sings in The Men of Soul, but he manages the band, which he finds challenging. “I have to reach out to venues and book the bands,” he said. “It’s a challenge knowing there are a lot of different bands out there. Some are similar and it takes time to know the difference. It’s great when they [the audience] have heard of us. That makes it easier [to get a booking]. We hope we can show the difference of what we do. We reach out to all different venues in different areas, even in Philadelphia.”
The Men of Soul’s fan base is slowly growing steadily and Bell said, “We’re happy about that.”
He wants to continue to add songs to their repertoire. He said, “I sit and talk with the guys and figure out what else we can add to the show.”
Even in his free time, he continues to work on the show – on how to improve it.
Bell grew up in the Bronx, N.Y. He’s currently living in Harlem, N.Y., and moving to Manville.
To learn more about The Men of Soul, visit: https://themenofsoulband.com/.
Visit the Maplewood Division of Arts and Culture at: https://www.maplewoodartsandculture.org/.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
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