Blase' (a.k.a. Michael) Lizzmore left his family and friends in Jacksonville,
He never forgot those haunting words of wisdom. Other words of wisdom came from another soul brother. As he was entering the airport in Jacksonville on his way to the Big Apple, he ran into Joe Tex. They slapped hands and he told Joe he was headed to N.Y.C. to pursue his dreams. They kicked it for awhile and as they parted Joe left him with these words; “Shoot your best shot and never take anything for granted.” He lives by that wisdom to this very day. Shortly after arriving in
He landed his first gig at the Tip Top Nite Club in Brooklyn. At the suggestion of Jackie Wilson, his idol and the man who had the greatest influence on his musical life, he entered and won first prize at the world famous Apollo Theater 4 weeks in a row. He, also, wrote some songs for Jackie. He signed with Capitol Records under the management/production team of Phil and Marion Colbert (a.k.a. Phi-mar Productions). That collaboration led to him record Skip Jackson’s “Promise that You’ll Wait.” You can still hear this song often being played by Felix Hernandez on
He toured and opened for such greats as B.B. King, The Main Ingredient, Joe Tex, Bobby Womack, The Spinners, Billy Paul, David Ruffin, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and many others from that soulful era. “Never Tasted Sugar Any Sweeter” is a tune he recorded on the Verdith label, with the lead singer of The Invitations (Lew “Jiggs” Kirton) on drums. He appeared on The Meet-n-Place with the group, “The Controllers.” His voice is big and his range is wide. Within that voice you can hear shades of Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Linda Jones. But the dominant force stirring within his soul is that of the great Jackie Wilson. You be the judge as you listen to the heartfelt song that he wrote and recorded (entitled “Jackie Wilson, the Master of Rock-n-Roll”) for his idol.
Lynn Hampton, popular radio personality and host of The “Q” Revue (which aired on B.E.T.), interviewed Blasé about his deep admiration for Jackie and used the song as a backdrop, allowing the T.V. viewers to hear and share in that tribute.
Blasé’s current musical vision is to write, record, and collaborate with Reggie Abrams (a.k.a. Motsi Ski/Jackie Wilson’s grandson) and Johnnie Gee (Brunswick Records’ child prodigy, superstar, and Jackie’s right hand man), along with Blasé’s partners Lucious Larkins (formerly of Archie Bell and The Drells) and Jesse Mathis (from the group M.D. 20-20). Together they will recapture the magic of the golden era of soul and R&B music. The real deal! Also, to keep the memory and excitement! of Jackie Wilson alive. Vowing to do everything he can to shock those who have developed “amnesia” with the stun gun of reality! He plans to cover some of Jackie’s songs and perform them live. Shock & awe! Stay tuned…
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