PRIDE Gore January-February 2013
The Men's Issue
Presents
Health and wealth in the new year
the
Charlotte’s African-American Magazine
BOYZ
Getting to know Rodney Monroe
2013 CIAA Calendar inside this issue
by Angela Lindsay
TGB
photos by Jon Strayhorn
has the look, sound and talent
(Editor’s note: Pride thanks Belk for presenting this local story and outfitting the up-and-coming talented siblings.)
I
t has been a long time since five young, musically inclined brothers were “discovered” and directed on a path to stardom. But now a trio of black boys from Belmont may be setting a new course toward making history. Going to school, doing homework and hanging with friends may be the ordinary routine for most school-age kids, but for the Gore brothers, life is becoming more awesome than average. The talented siblings, known as The Gore Boyz (TGB), have become local celebrities — winning talent shows, creating YouTube videos that have gone viral and even selling out a performance at the Knight Theater at the Levine Center for the Arts in Charlotte.
Born with talent Not yet old enough to drive, Sean Michael, 7, Edwin, 9, and Herman III, 12, were raised in a family of musicians. Grandparents and great grandparents instilled in them the importance of playing an instrument, “to develop the other side of the brain so that they’re not always in serious thought,” explains their mother, Dr. Shawnya Gore, a Gastonia internist. “Every time we have family gatherings, it always centers around music.” Adding she enjoys playing the piano, the boys’ mom says, “Our family supports and encourages young children to have such hobbies and perform.” With cousins like stars Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen, the boys’ performance bug is in their blood. Herman plays keyboard and piano, and Edwin plays guitar. They’ve been taking lessons at Gaston School of the Arts since they were 8 and 6 respectively. Sean Michael has been learning to play the drums at The Music Center since he was 4. Their mom says they take classes every week because, although they initially learned to play by ear, she wanted to make sure they also learned to read music. The creation of TGB was spurred by a rather simple occasion: a good, oldfashioned elementary school talent show. After the boys told their father, Dr. Herman Gore, an interventional spine and pain specialist, they wanted to participate in the talent show, he tapped family friend Earl Vernon to teach the kids to play a song. John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change” came easy to Vernon’s surprise, because the boys already could read music.
Ode to the president
Local band of brothers goes big time 32
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Describing Herman, Edwin and Sean Michael as “quick learners,” Vernon says the brothers have grown into “little professionals” in a very short time. In addition to instrument and vocal continued on page 34
Dr. Shawnya Gore browses at Belk at SouthPark.
Herman,III,12 continued from page 32
TGB has a promising year ahead, as the sibling trio perfects its performance skills. Clothing provided by Belk. (J Khaki solid thermal, $20; Buffalo David Bitton shirt, $49.50; Red Camel cargo twill pant, $59.50) 34
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training, they take hip hop dance classes. “When (the boys) see the affect they have on people through their music — the kids who go to school with them, their peers, their family — and they see the joy that comes on others’ faces through their music, it inspires them,” says Vernon, who is the owner of 1 Luv Production Company and an original member of the R&B group Jodeci. “They get so excited … and it excites me to know they’re excited about their music.” The boys’ parents also get goose bumps. “In front of the crowd, it’s like we don’t even recognize these kids!” exclaims mom Shawnya. In 2010, the family toured the White House on a visit to Washington, D.C. They boys’ excitement about the Democratic National Convention coming to Charlotte resulted in the creation of the “We Will Never Give Up” online hit song and video that was dedicated to President Barack Obama. The video, which has received more than 93,000 hits on YouTube, was shot in Belmont and throughout Charlotte during the DNC, where the boys recruited people standing in credentials lines to be extras in the video. TGB also played a sold-out crowd last summer at the Knight Theater with their eightmember band, 1 Luv, which includes their choreographer and background singer Big Mike of Day26 from Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’ “Making the Band” TV reality show. The brothers cite Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, John Mayer, Chris Brown, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus as musical influences. They also admire legendary singing group New Edition; the boys’ first live concert was the group’s show in Greenville, where they were special guests of band member Ralph Tresvant and got to meet the group backstage.
Edwin, 9
Sean Michael, 7
Harmony and homework The boys don’t take their blessings for granted. TGB participated in Gaston County’s Run for the Money fundraising competition last year, and, upon winning the People’s Choice Award, they donated their $750 cash prize to a local school in need. In addition, they sold T-shirts and raised some $500 for the women’s shelter in Gastonia. “It’s better to give back than to receive,” says Edwin. They also understand the importance of education, even though their musical commitments average 10 hours during week and several more hours on weekends. And they never complain. The brothers exhibit “a maturity and focus beyond their years,” mom Shawnya proudly muses. “Excuses are tools of incompetence,” chimes in the youngest, Sean Michael, who is in the second grade. Schoolwork comes first in the Gore family. Edwin is in the fourth grade; and the eldest, Herman, is in the seventh grade. The brothers enjoy school and do well, and they earn the grades to prove it. Herman Gore, who also is the boys’ manager, has taught his sons that if they want to aspire to great things, they must do what it takes — get a good education and practice hard. “When it’s time for school, you have to study hard; when you study hard, you get good grades,” he says. A typical first-born, Herman immediately chirps, “I want to be a doctor, just like my dad!” when asked what he aspires to be. Edwin, the creative one, likes reading and drawing, while Sean Michael favors math.
‘A tight bond’ In between the schoolwork and singing, the boys are just normal kids, filling their free time
with basketball, soccer and swimming, as well as all the other trappings of youth — going to Carowinds, playing laser tag and making s’mores over backyard bonfires. “With my husband and I both being physicians, we have to deal with a lot of people,” says Shawnya, noting that becoming wellrounded adults starts as a child. “One of the things we like about them being involved (in music) is it teaches them time management at an early age, and also the importance of obligating themselves and making commitments.” Herman recently had to decide for himself to participate in a soccer game with his team over attending a carnival he’d gone to every year, she cites as an example. “All (the music) brings them together, and they’re closer as brothers. Because of their ages, they may not all play on the same sports team, but because of the music, they are on that one team together,” adds Shawnya. She also desires her sons to “have a close, tight bond that no one can break apart,” often telling them that, when she and their father are no longer around, they will have each other. Unlike the heyday of family
musical groups years ago, the Gores feel there is a lack of young role models for AfricanAmerican youth. Though Shawnya says she believes her “very energetic and smart” sons could fit the bill, she claims the music, for now, is a hobby for them as a family. The future for these pint-size prodigies, however, looks bright, according to Vernon. “The sky is the limit for them!” P
The boys with their father and manager, Dr. Herman Gore. Clothes by Belk. (Izod argyle sweater vest, $42; Izod stripe woven shirt, $36.)
January-February 2013 | Pride Magazine
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