A musical tribute to the war effort

FORT LEE – So much for the Dixie Chicks.

Showing the patriotic side of the music industry, several entertainers donated their time and talents yesterday to perform in a free R&B-gospel “Salute to the Troops.”

Chauncey “Black” Hannibal and Teddy Riley, two members of the Virginia Beach-based R&B group BLACKstreet, said they were excited to be here.

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“This has allowed us to be more connected with our country and government,” Riley said.

“This is giving love back to the kids and people who are fighting for our country.”

In addition to BLACKstreet, the event included performances by R&B artists Heather Headley and Ruff Endz and gospel artists Jeff Majors and Jean Carn.

The concert was sponsored by the Richmond stations of Radio One. It was the brainchild of “DJ Foot,” an on-air personality for WCDX-FM “Power” 92.1 who had served in the Navy for seven years.

“I know how it feels when you get deployed and have to be separated from friends and family,” Foot said. “I thought it would be good for morale because they were steadily deploying troops to the Middle East.”

The event was open to the public free of charge. The crowd was a mix of families of military personnel stationed at Fort Lee and music fans of the performing artists.

Four of Radio One’s Richmond stations – “Power” 92.1, WKJS-FM “Kiss” 104.7, WJMO “Magic” 105.7 and WRHH “Hot” 99.3FM – broadcast the event live.

Children also were able to jump in the moon bounce or slide down giant inflatable slides.

“We have one of the biggest bases in America in our back yard,” said Bob Rich, general manager for Radio One’s Richmond stations. “We wanted to show our appreciation.”

Planning for the concert began weeks before the war began.

“I think this is what radio’s meant to be,” said Rich, who added that while all radio stations cater to listener preference, Radio One staff wanted to show its gratitude for the sacrifices made by military families.

“Today audience preference is about appreciation for our troops and our families.”

The concert was produced without commercial sponsorship.

“I didn’t want to hint we were trying to capitalize on the war,” Rich said.

Darius McBride, a drill sergeant at Fort Lee, waited for the music to begin in front of the stage lined with American flags and an archway of red, white and blue balloons.

“This gives families the opportunity to get out of the house and get away from what’s going on over there [in Iraq],” he said.

Jowaner Tribble, wife of another drill sergeant and mother of two children, said the event was nice, but she wished that events like yesterday’s would be held more often.

The patriotic tone yesterday was a far cry from comments made by Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks last month after a concert in London.

Maines said she was “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.”

As the entertainers prepared to go on, Sgt. Timothy Jones waited with his wife, Felice, and 14-year-old daughter Heather – one of their last family gatherings for a long time. Jones will leave for Florida on Monday and is scheduled to deploy soon to the Middle East for at least a year.

“An event like this helps get our troops over and back,” he said. “It shows no one has forgotten.”

His family was visiting Jones, who had spent the last few weeks in Fort Lee, from their home in Smithfield, Pa.

Although too emotional to speak about her husband leaving, Felice Jones added that this event was a break from anti-war sentiment.

“I’m happy about seeing this going on because I’m sick of seeing the protests on TV,” she said.

Joe Steed, a drill sergeant, agreed.

“This is a good thing for the troops,” he said. “It’s showing them some positive feedback.”