By Mark Ruffin
years ago, the Impressions were releasing new music with sparkling arrangements by the legendary arranger Johnny Pate.
From the category of the more things change the more they stay the same, the Impressions will have new music with sparkling arrangements by Johnny Pate by the end of this year.
Since 1958, there have been two constants with the group, Fred Cash and Sam Gooden. When the Impressions perform at the 17th Annual N’DIGO gala on Saturday, June 30 at the Arie Crown Theater, those two Chattanooga natives and residents will be joined by Chicago vocalist Reginald Torian.
Torian was the lead singer for the group for 11 years before rejoining them earlier this young century. While we may have to wait a bit for new music from the Impressions, Torian has a new single out now titled Woke From A Dream.
In this N’DIGO interview, Torian reveals where he’s been and where the Impressions are going.
N’DIGO: You were the very first person to replace Curtis Mayfield with the Impressions, right?
Reginald Torian: Nope. You’re off by about 18 months. Leroy Hutson came in first and he was there for a year and a half. Curtis left in ’70, and Leroy came right after that and I came in August of ’72.
Where did you come from?
I’m from Chicago Heights and I had a group of my own that I had started right out of high school called the Soul Enchanters. It was made up from guys out here in the south suburbs, some from Harvey and some from Chicago Heights.
Did you guys have any local hits?
Yeah. We had a hit called Fool Like Me on the Golden Ear record label. What got me in with the Impressions was that they were looking for a falsetto.
How old were you, Reggie?
I was 21 when I did the record and I got with the Impressions in August just before my 22nd birthday. Today I’m 62.
So how long were you with them before you broke off?
I was with them from ’72 until September of ’81, and then I got back with them in January of ’06.
What was happening in the years between your stints with the group?
Well, the first thing I did was become involved in the ministry in the Seventh Day Adventist Church. I went back to school. I moved to Los Angeles and went to Southwest Los Angeles Community College. I went west on kind of a vacation to make some decisions and I ended up staying 10 years.
During that process I first went back to school, then I became an elder in the church and then I taught school. Over that 10-year period, I taught school, I managed a transportation company, and I had my own security company. I did quite a few things, but I was always involved with music.
In church I did some recordings for the Breath of Life ministries. I was also involved with Jim Brown and helped him to develop his Amer-I-Care program. That was the last thing I did in L.A. from ’86 until I came back to the Chicago area in ’92, back here where my family is.
Why did you move back?
L.A. proved too much for the man! (laughs.)
He couldn’t make it.
But I didn’t catch that Midnight Train; I caught that dog. I caught that Greyhound because I wasn’t in a hurry to get back here because it was December. I didn’t need to get on a plane to be back in a few hours. It took me three days.
Besides Midnight Train To Georgia, that also sounds like the story in By The Time I Get To Phoenix, because it started in L.A.
Yep, I did think about that when we pulled into Phoenix! (laughs)
So when you came back, did you get right back into the music business?
My son was 16 years old, so my first priority was to hook back up with him. He was at Thornwood High School and had a yet undiscovered talent in track and field. I became heavily involved with him and helped to turn him into an All-American. I was in track in high school and there were certain things I could identify with.
So I spent the first two years back fully focused on him, and I did personal development and life skills work for the Department of Corrections as an educational consultant, like when I was working with Jim Brown.
You met Jim Brown when the Impressions sang on the soundtrack to the movie Three The Hard Way, right?
Yes, and we had a little four-minute cameo in the movie back in the 70’s. Jim is my son’s godfather.
How did you get back with Fred and Sam?
I always was in touch with them through the years. In a couple of spots they got in, they needed me to come out because the guy that replaced me had an accident and some issues, so I go out and replace him temporarily.
But what it came down to is, in the new year of 2006, I just became discontent with where I was. Right before that, in August of ’05, I attended one of the Impressions’ performances and they were basically doing the same show they were doing when I was with them.
I was running around helping with the lights. I was with the sound man. I was all over the place. In January of ’06, I called Fred Cash because I was working on a project with a jazz group I produced called Too Cold. I was trying to get Fred to help me get it out there.
We finished the conversation and I hung up, but he was still talking. I called him back and said, “Man, were you still talking?” He said, “Yeah, Reg, do you think you could still handle this?” I said, “Handle what?” He said, “You know, how’s your falsetto?” I told him, “I haven’t used it in a while, but I imagine it’s still there. I can go find it!”
He said they wanted to talk. They had some West Coast gigs in a month and he wanted me to come down to Chattanooga. They had another guy there by the name of Willie Kitchens. You know they have never stopped working. That guy was there, but they had come to some discontent with each other.
So I went down for rehearsals and they just plain flat out kicked my butt. They put me in a hotel and they came up and brought a guitar player and they wore me out for about six hours. They got ready to leave and I thought they were going home. They said, “Hey man, go get you some dinner. We’ll come back in a couple of hours and we’ll pick this up again.” I’m sweating. They’re cool.
At the next rehearsal, they asked how I felt. I told them I didn’t know if I wanted to do it. I didn’t know if I wanted to get back to that level. It’s like a pro ball player and you go out and you’re hanging and you’re playing ball on the court and you’re playing with college kids and you’re hooping and showing everybody up because you used to be pro.
Now you’re back with the pros and it’s a whole different thing. When I went out, the first couple of shows were shaky. They assured me by the fifth show I’d be back as strong as ever. And they were right. To make a long story short, I went back with them because I was having a period of discontent. I felt like I needed to sing on a professional level again. I just didn’t know how it was going to happen until they invited me back.
Reg, I just missed you because I did a story on them for Channel 11/WTTW in the summer of ’05 and I have to tell you those are two of the nicest guys ever.
And they have that reputation all over the world. When we go to Europe, we become the Beatles. These Europeans show up to our dates by the thousands and they know all the music. They scream from the time we walk out on stage until the time we walk out.
We go right out and we sign autographs for as long as the period we’re on stage. People just line up to talk to Fred and Sam, who treat every one like they know them. The Impressions are known the world over as great singers and nice guys.
I know. I met Eric Clapton soon after I met them and mentioned that incredible album he did with them, Reptile, and all he could talk about was how nice they are. You weren’t with them then.
Right, but let me tell you, over the years they’ve done some incredible stuff, but it just hasn’t gotten noticed. Right before the Clapton record, they did this tune called Something Said Love that is an awesome tune.
I’ve heard from my good friend Johnny Pate that the new stuff is slamming, too.
Yeah, Johnny’s doing the arranging on the new stuff we’re doing. So you must be aware that we’ve hooked up with Binky Griptite out of Brooklyn. He’s with Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. Binky had these songs and he loves the Impressions. He said, “Man, I just want to record you guys.”
We went into the studio to do two songs he wrote and we did Curtis’ (Mayfield) Homeless. When you hear it, you’ll hear Johnny Pate’s arrangements and the familiarity and you’ll hear the Impressions. If you look at all these retro styles coming back, Binky may have something.
When does it come out?
We tried to get it out by summer but that didn’t happen. I have one out now called Woke From A Dream. The Impressions’ will probably come out by the Christmas season.
(Mark Ruffin is program director for the Real Jazz station on the Sirius/XM Satellite Radio Network.)
