Thursday, May 28, 2015 was a busy day at Detroit’s RobertO’s
Beauty and Barber Shop on East 7 Mile Road. The shop was busy with customers, family, and friends. A typical day
late in the week. Friday and Saturday are even more busy.
RobertO’s styles
hair. Larry Webster (age 70) sculpting a customer, and partner Robert “Fast Fingers” Davis (age 73) have
been the hair stylists to Motown
artists and hundreds of customer for nearly 50 years.
It not uncommon for George Clinton and Dennis Edwards to make appointments.
Very few men and women take the time to style their hair. The production hours it takes, and the maintenance required to maintain the molding of the
hair requires commitment. Styles have changed and clientele is dying off.
“Original hair straighteners were developed in the South. A
combination of potato juice and lye worked well. If you had scalp burns, it was a sign of effectiveness”,
noted Roger Willingham.
It was day nine of a ten day shoot in the shop by Belgian
documentary filmmaker Luc Vrydaghs, crew and I.
Willie Ford (age 65), the oldest member of The
Dramatics had casually arrived and sat down in a barber chair awaiting the
other musicians.
The remaining quartet members quickly arrived and began
casually singing along with customers.
Larry (pictured with his brother Ronald) is also the
manager of The Dramatics a 1970’s era Detroit quartet. Million sellers include
“Me and Mrs. Jones", and "Watcha See, Is Watcha Get”. The Dramatics are getting
ready for a summer tour, with a rehearsal at RobertO's at 7pm.
The quartet lined up, the choreographer stepped into the line,
and the group ran through three numbers for the documentary with pre-recorded
music. I had to stay out the large
barbershop work area. Too many mirrors
for me to be seen in. And no flash. I was content to be in the customer waiting area looking in as the shop jumped. A once-in-a-lifetimes experience.
Detroit is the only North American location for Barbershop, a Timescapes Production
from Belgium (www.timescapes.be). The
shooting schedule calls for six 30:00 episodes in six Countries. The series
will be aired initially on Belgium television and marketed worldwide.
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