Helen McNair will present a Black History/Valentine's Day concert Thursday, Feb. 11 at the Fifth Street Senior Center in San Bernardino.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Professional singer, Helen McNair, presents a Black History/Valentine’s Day Concert on Thursday, February 11, 2010, at 10:45 A.M., at the Fifth Street Senior Center, 600 West Fifth Street, San Bernardino.
The concert is sponsored by Linda Wilson-Gomez, Activities Director of San Bernardino Parks and Recreation.
Ms. McNair performs for weddings, banquets, community organizations and church functions throughout the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Nevada and much of the East and West coasts. She has performed for such organizations as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Council of Negro Women, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
McNair began her professional career in the 1960s, along with her two sisters, in New Brunswick, New Jersey where they were known as the “Georgettes.” They began by singing in their church and traveling to New York City to record as background singers for professional and upcoming artists. “The group recorded ten records, none of which became national hits,” she said, “but were popular in the New Jersey and New York areas.”
McNair relocated to California in the 1980s, where she continued to sing as a solo artist. She recalls, “During one of my engagements at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, Mrs. Gertrude Ward, the manager of the Clara Ward Singers, approached me when I had finished singing and asked me to come to Los Angeles for an audition. I went and auditioned and became a Clara Ward Singer.” The Clara Ward Singers were instrumental in bringing gospel music out of the church and into the main stream, performing in nightclubs, Las Vegas and Disneyland.
McNair relocated to California in the 1980s, where she continued to sing as a solo artist. She recalls, “During one of my engagements at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, Mrs. Gertrude Ward, the manager of the Clara Ward Singers, approached me when I had finished singing and asked me to come to Los Angeles for an audition. I went and auditioned and became a Clara Ward Singer.” The Clara Ward Singers were instrumental in bringing gospel music out of the church and into the main stream, performing in nightclubs, Las Vegas and Disneyland.
McNair has performed on stage with some of the gospel greats as well as The Clara Ward Singers. Other artists include Professor James Cleveland, Professor Raymond Rasberry, Gregory Perkins-Bowen, Vernard Johnson, Shirley Caesar and Albertina Walker.
She is a member of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in San Bernardino, CA., where she is an active member of the Sanctuary Choir, the Mass Choir, and Mission Chorus.
McNair can be reached for concerts and bookings at (951) 315-5961 or fax (909) 888-2331.
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