Ohio Players bring their R&B show to Choffin students for Black History Month

YOUNGSTOWN

Choffin Career and Technical Center students, teachers and staff took a ride on the “Love Rollercoaster” to mark Black History Month.

Billy Beck’s Ohio Players presented “The History of Rhythm and Blues: How It Influenced Rock and Roll, Pop and Hip Hop” Friday at the school. Beck and band mate Ricky Ward are city natives.

February is Black History Month, and programs are planned throughout the school district.

Though some Ohio Players hits such as “Fire,” “Love Rollercoaster” and “Heaven Must Be Like This” are more familiar to students’ parents and maybe grandparents than the students, the group’s hits have been sampled and remade by more-current artists, inlcuding Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg.

But a musical career is about more than just talent.

“It takes discipline,” said Debor’ah Benton, who introduced the group. “You have to sacrifice, and you’re going to have to put away the distractions.”

Beck describes himself as a nerd growing up. He loved reading, and when other kids were outside playing, he was inside practicing on the piano.

“One of the reasons I don’t like bullying is because I was bullied,” he said. “Bullying isn’t cool.”

Read more about the group and their performance in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.