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Namon Flowers Jr. sits back relaxed and poised in his chair. He speaks slowly and clearly, as he reminisces about how he first began his music career. Flowers said he started out playing his first instrument when his father purchased him a used guitar from a second-hand store at the age of 8-years old.
“My first instrument was a string instrument. It was a Box Guitar, known today as an Acoustic Guitar. However, what inspired me to venture into the Box Guitar was singing at a young age through the help of an old lady by the name of Miss Barker. To this day, if I ever see that lady, I would give her a hug, because she put me where I am, and inspired me letting me know that I got something here.”
Flowers recalls that his first guitar had no strings. Therefore, he had to learn to improvise, first by strumming in the motions, until he discovered an unconventional way of creating his own strings.
“I kind of just went through the motions until I decided I could string it up with some fishing string. My dad had some fishing string in the basement of the house. I took some of that and wired it up like that, and just started going through a strumming motion.”
The first music Flowers ever remembers playing was Gospel. He credits that to his mother and father who were devout Christians, who often kept him and his siblings in church. He notes that Christmas and Easter were some of his favorite holidays to perform in church programs, and seeing the young children at his church perform in the, Annual Christmas Celebration reminded him of those good times.
“I see me and my brother and sisters participating in the programs we used to have back then. We were singing and playing in church. We were young and had a little Quartet back then too.”
Flowers recall his father, Namon Flowers Sr. as being his first inspiration because he also sang in a family Quarter, The Spiritual Homnizers.
“My dad was a song bird. He really could sing. He’d put you to tears if you let him.”
Namon Flowers Sr. said he used to talk to his sons about his Uncle John who played guitar and he thinks that had some influence on them have a desire to play.
“I also think them following us around to sing played a part too. I wanted some of my children to be musicians. I use to look at this way; the Edwin Hawkins singers were popular back then, and I could see my children and myself with a big choir doing the same thing they were doing. I just love singing. I love Gospel, but I love music period.”
Flowers said he was inspired himself to sing by going to gospel singings as a young boy growing up in Alabama. He started singing as a teenager in a gospel group called the Royal Homizers when he was 12 years-old.
“We had a group back in the forties, and we could sing like the Platters and the Drifters, but we chose Gospel.” When Flowers Sr. moved to Trenton, New Jersey he joined a family Quartet, The Spiritual Humanizers. He recalls how happy he was that his son Namon was playing guitar for the group when he was in his early teens.
“It made me feel good. That’s what I wanted to see him and James do. And I’ve lived long enough to see that.” Says Flowers Sr. now 83 years old. And he adds although he always wanted to see his sons playing in church he has seen them perform in secular groups and that made him just as proud.
“I went to hear them play a couple of times, when they were in different groups, and I was so proud. It made me feel so good to see how good they were. And now that they are back playing in church, I couldn’t ask for anything more. All I ever wanted was to see them together playing again in church.”
Flowers recalls that his inspiration did not stop with his fathers Quartet. He notes that there were Uncles and Cousins who also played a role.
“My cousin, Brenda Flowers inspired us so much because she played an instrument and her brother Kenny, he inspired us also, as far our peers. Without them participating in it so much, I don’t think we would have bothered about it so, because they were excellent players, and still are today. But bless Kenny, he is no longer with us.”
Flowers’ younger brother James also plays the guitar. He notes they both got their inspiration around the same time. “There were other ones around our time like, Dennis Rogers, who inspired us both quite a bit because he was playing guitar back then.
“When I first met Namon Flowers we met at Jerusalem Baptist Church.” Recalls Dennis Rogers. Rogers said that by the time they reached high School, he and Namon formed a Gospel group called the Jerusalem Allstars. However, it did not stop there.
“We also teamed up in Trenton High School and played with the TNJ’s which turned from, Funky Music Machine, to the well-known music hit band, Instant Funk. We also played with brothers, Albert and Arthur McCoy in a band called the Fitzerald 201 Band.”
James Flowers recalls playing in his first band with his brother and a group of other teenagers in their neighborhood.
“We were the Junior Meditators, playing alongside, Keith Williamson and his brothers, Vernel, and Wayne. Gregory Bronner, and a drummer, ‘Hickey’ were in the band too. When I first met Keith, he wasn’t playing Bass, he was playing Congo. He wanted me to teach him how to play the Bass, but he didn’t need me. He actually picked it up all by himself. And now Keith is awesome. Keith is off the charts. He is one to he baddest Bass players you will find out there.”
Flowers notes as he got older and continue to pursue his music career, there were many other musicians that influenced him.
“An older gentleman by the name of Mr. Mayfield also inspired us because he played the bass guitar. We took a liking to the Bass because we liked the heavy sound it gave. I started out with it and James started out with guitar. But we switched up because I liked playing guitar and James liked that bottom so we wound up switching up.”
Flowers insists that he still enjoys playing the bass, however, James professes to be the master of it. In addition to the guitar, Flowers also plays piano and the Kalimba, an African musical instrument. Flowers recalls he first learned about the instrument through the music group, Earth, Wind, and Fire.
“Maurice White was one of the first who introduced it. It had this unique kind of sound that touches your soul.”
Flowers notes that, Latin guitarist Carlos Santana was also a big influence in his music career in addition to Jimmy Hendrix who became one of his favorite guitar players.
“He really inspired us because we were rocking back then as youths and it was something about the way he played.” Flowers adds that there were many Motown Artists who also played a role in his decision to branch out and explore other genres of music.
Flowers has performed on stage and toured with many music greats such as Blues legend, Marvin Sease, David Brinston Reggae Artist, Yellowman, and the R&B, soul group, Kool and The Gang. And he says he has grown in his craft over the years.
“Because the inspiration God continues to inspire me to write for my own content; for my love of just the music itself. And without it, I don’t think I would be at peace right now. To have this tranquility right now and to have these moments to just say, heaven, and happy and all that good stuff. I just thank God for all this, all the music and all that I’ve been through with it. And I think I do pretty good with it. I love playing the music. I love it. I just love it.”
Don Perez played percussions along side Flowers in the R & B band, New Solutions in the late seventies into the early eighties. He said he’d like to work with Flowers again.
“Namon is one of the most round-about, methodic, rhythmic, guitarist that I have ever played with.” Perez also played alongside Flowers in the Reggae Band, Kayawah & The Movement Band.
Flowers says although he has a passion for playing the music, he also enjoys writing, producing in the studio, composing and collaborating with other artists as well.
Flowers notes there is more he would like to do in the music business but for now he is content playing alongside his brother, James at the Hines Chapel AME Church in Dothan Alabama. The Reverend, Paul Horn is the Pastor. Pastor Horn’s daughter, Raven sings with the Praise Team while musicians, Namon, James, and Keyboard Player, Alvin Wigeons, Drummer, Courtney Joyner, and Congo player, and youngest of the musicians, Tyler Williams, render powerful Gospel music.
“It might be AME, but it has a Pentecostal atmosphere at times, ” said Flowers.
Flowers currently lives in Ozark, Alabama with his wife of 38 years, Denise, who says she has never heard anyone play guitar like her husband. She notes that she fell in love with the person he was but once she heard him play the guitar, she feel even deeper in love.
“It made me love him more. He is so good he makes the guitar play by itself” And when asked what great guitarist she would compare her husband to? She replied, “BB King. That’s who I will compare him with.”
Flowers says although he has a passion for what he does, it has not always been easy to be in such a competitive field. He gives strong advice to anyone thinking seriously about pursuing music as a career.
“You can live a certain life where you’re comfortable in the music business. However, All that glamour and glitter is a fad; an illusion. There are levels of the industry where you can live very good and comfortable. And you can have more control, which is what you want to do; have control of the business. You want to be able to, ‘call the shots’ as they say. Cut out all those middle people. You have to have people who work with you. However, be very particular about who those people are. Follow that passion, if that is your quest; this music business. Like I said it’s rough, but I would tell anyone, also, have you some back up. You can’t just rely just on that. You gotta have a balance, so you need to work, you need to have a job, you need to get schooled. You need to have all these things that make this character which calls himself a musician.”
