● Warm Welcome

Legendary American R&B artists the Manhattans at Hemmingways Hotel in East London, after receiving a warm welcome at the King Phalo Airport by vibrant cultural dancers, government officials and adoring fans.

King Phalo Airport was a flurry of activity as residents welcomed legendary American R&B artists The Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston to Buffalo City Metro.

The award-winning group, who were last in SA in 2019, were the headline act at the Heart & Soul Experience at the Abbotsford Christian Centre on Friday night.

Ready to greet them were Xhosa dancers, government officials, organisers and fans as they stepped out the airport doors.

The members include Alston and Troy May, two of the leading original members, and fellow artists André de Bourg, Charles Butler, Curtis Dukes, Colt Younger, Jason Simons, Jeffrey Scott, Lawrence Newton and Mark Bowers. Dispatch sat down with The Manhattans at a welcome lunch hosted by mayor Xola Pakati at the Southern Sun Hotel on Friday afternoon before the show. “The dance moves are part of the signature of The Manhattans, the singing, and the uniforms — not the old ones!”

May took off his hat to show a gleaming head without hair.

Pointing to his bald head, he laughed and said “There will be no more afros — that ship has sailed.”

“We’ve been performing together for more than 60 years,” said Alston. “This is what we love to do. The production of music has changed over the years but the meaning and the lyrics remain the same. That’s been our constant — our story and our writing has stayed.

“Songs made by younger artists today are direct and to-the-point, but we sing songs about making love, breaking up, getting back together and it’s done in a way that everyone can understand and is non-offensive.

“The language The Manhattans have been speaking for years is love, and love doesn’t change. As long as we stick to that, we’ll be all right,” May said.