Dave Woodhall talks to a man who had to step into some very large shoes.
Angelo Starr is the brother of soul legend Edwin, who died in 2003. At the time he was playing guitar in Edwin’s band The Team and in tragic circumstances found himself up front and attempting the impossible job of replacing his legendary sibling. He and the band are currently touring and we began by asking about his earlier career, when Angelo was a respected session musician and songwriter with such artists as Alexander O’Neal, Chaka Khan and Lemar.
“I’m one of the fortunate ones who had a chance to work with a lot of names people would know, some of that came through my brother, but some came from the types of music I was doing. It’s always been interesting because everyone always knew that whatever else I was doing, working with Edwin was home, and now with the Team we go out there and we keep the music alive.”
You came over to Britain some twenty years ago, and must have liked the place because you’ve stayed here pretty much ever since.
“Like Edwin, I found that the people here were very welcoming and knowledgeable about the music. Everybody knew the style, where it came from. Edwin and I were working on an album project and he asked me to stay. I’d been here a few times before and always gone back to the US, but this time it was right to stay and I’ve been here ever since.”
Edwin lived in Polesworth, and he didn’t just live there, he became part of the community.
“When he first moved I went to see the house and one of the things he said was that the neighbours were all very welcoming and the environment was fine. He’d travelled the world and met lots of different people, but when you step into your own home it has to be the place where you can relax and it turned out to be right for him. It was also well placed musically in the centre of England. He had access to everything he needed, the business side was in the south and he did a lot of gigs in the north. And now several of the band are based there as well.”
You were originally in the background, playing guitar. It must have been very difficult to step front stage when Edwin died.
“It was, partly because when Edwin was alive I wasn’t trying to be in the limelight. I was very concerned that people might misinterpret why we were carrying on after he died, but everyone said we should go on because they appreciated the whole show, Edwin was of course included in that but the show was all of us. The enjoyment, the camaraderie and the friendship we all had on stage was a part so we tried to think how we could take that forward and at the risk of bringing someone in who might change the dynamic we had established, perhaps it was naivety but I was nominated to be the guy who would step in and do the best possible way to keep it going. This was something Edwin had always said to us, that it was all about the music, and that allowed me to step in and make sure that we kept it going.”
Edwin had strong support amongst certain sections of the musical fraternity in Britain. Was it the same in the States?
“He had a very strong fan base here, but if you imagine the communities here, people in London tend to be interested in what’s happening right now whereas in the north of England people tend to be more into music that’s not only being played now but what’s gone before and you get that in America. It’s such a big country that Edwin was always well-respected, he didn’t always have to have a record in the charts to get work.
“Northern soul and scooter clubs have been very supportive since Edwin passed away but the dynamic of the audience is so wide. There are young people who weren’t around when Edwin was playing and there are people who never got the chance to see him but who always loved the music of that era and they say what a great time they’ve had. We try to not only pay Edwin’s music but we always play the music from that time and are derivative of the music created by that era. But it’s not just nostalgia, we keep our eyes and ears open to what’s going on out there now.”
You’re not a tribute act, but your show does pay tribute to one of the greats.
“We play Edwin’s music, we do some of our own and Edwin was a part of the music scene from the sixties onwards so it would be crazy of us to perform only his music, out of context of what in some cases inspired him or what came about as a result of his music. Not everyone knows, for example, that the bad that eventually became Rose Royce was originally Edwin’s backing band, so perhaps we do one of their songs. Or the fact that the Four Tops were one of his favourite Motown bands, Steve Wonder was a big friend, he performed for Michael Jackson, so we do some of their music. We play music that inspired Edwin or that he acknowledged. That was something he did while he was alive, for example, for a time he played Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer.
“Okay, so I’m his brother and I would say that, but I’m encouraged by many people who don’t have to say anything but they tell me how good we were. They saw Edwin and although they say they miss him of course, they enjoyed our show. We’ve done an album and people have been supportive of those songs as well. Everyone loves the fact that when they see us they remember the last time they saw us perform and it’s great to allow people to see that we’re really authentic and we’re not taking advantage of an opportunity. It was very important to me that we weren’t just trading under Edwin’s name and didn’t want to be seen as a tribute band. We’ve continued to record and the repertoire has been changed over the years so we show we’re doing this with the utmost sincerity. If we weren’t a credit to the legacy I think we’d quit.”
Angelo Starr and the Team play the Robin 2 on 12th October and the Land Rover Social Club, Solihull on 7th December.