Listen My Brother is the name of a musical ensemble that performed several times on Sesame Street during its early seasons. The ensemble was made up of 16 youngsters from New York City, as a means of bringing talented young people from Harlem together and seeking out scholarships to send them on to college. The group was put together by Peter Long of the Apollo Theater. His wife, Loretta Long, plays Susan on the series.
The 16-member group performed at the Apollo Theater in New York City starting in the late 1960s, opening for many of the venue's famous performers, and made several musical contributions to Sesame Street, including a song about counting to 20 (which is included in the 2006 DVD release Old School: Volume 1 and which Loretta Long sang on her 1970 album as well as on The Flip Wilson Show that year), and "You Gotta Learn," which the group composed.
One of the members of the group was Luther Vandross, who sang lead vocals on "You Gotta Learn" and who later became a noted solo artist. Other members included Edgar Kendricks, Carlos Alomar, Robin Clark, and Fonzi Thornton.
Sesame Street songs[]
- "You Gotta Learn" (Sesame Street Test Show 1)
- "Alphabet Song" (Sesame Street Test Show 1)
- "Freedom, Peace, Love, and Joy" (Sesame Street Test Show 2)
- "Counting Song (1-20)" (First: Episode 0026)
- "Children Are Beautiful" (First: Episode 0228)
- "Parts of the Body" (First: Episode 0228)
External links[]
- Cover of Vandross' funeral which discusses his work with Listen, My Brother.
- Q&A with Carlos Alomar in which he discusses Listen, My Brother.