OUR STORY

Years ago, the study of percussion led Bill Summers to a particular ceremony in Brooklyn, where he was introduced to the rich history of religious, spiritual drumming by vocalist Leon Thomas. The path led him to Cuba, where he studied with a venerated master, immersed in a spiritual drum fraternity (Anya) that took him all the way back. He innately recognized the origin, the source, the foundation of all rhythm. 

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'The oldest sounds and rhythm known to man are in ancient times, and you have to go back to get it. And to get it you have to study and to study you have to become a man or woman, you have to become close to God' (Bill Summers)

Learning the history of Bata in this deep way has been a 50-year process for Summers - in the discussion he will only say he is 'getting there. All through his illustrious career with The Headhunters, Los Hombres Calientes, and countless top names in music, he has, with his longtime friend Scott Roberts (One Drop Scott), sought a way to blend spiritual music with the sounds of the modern western world. 

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Forward Back is the result of this process, as Summers and Roberts create music with a purpose, taking the world on a journey BACK into traditional instruments to move the culture FORWARD by unearthing the rhythmic relationship between Africa, the Caribbean, and America. The Forward Back concept is built on the back of African tradition: Summers plays three drums (bata), representing Father, Mother, and Child on each track. The call and response is a conversation, a reflection, and a representation of mutual respect. The message exists to restore responsibility and duty to the family for the Black American community that has been separated from family and tradition. 

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With the foundation in place, Summers and One Drop Scott were inspired to collaborate with music duo group Cruzmatik and solo vocalist Simoné Mosely to cultivate not only a musical group but a family of artists who authentically make music influenced by their life experiences. Cruzmatik is Reggie Stephens AKA Reggae Steel Bon, a former NFL player, rap artist, and producer, and J-Willz is a Rock & Reggae singer and also a filmmaker. The duo brings a fresh currency sound to the recording, rooted in its own way to their community. 

 

Simoné Mosely is a Bay Area native who strives to combine her sultry voice, poetic insight, and life experience to bring healing and a sense of culture into the realm of self-reflection.

Forward Back’s collective experiences have created a sound that is ancient and new. "You can Listen to it, Dance to it, Pray to it, Smoke to it & Heal with it." 

There is much to learn about the ancient and powerful history of rhythm and its place in human culture, and Bill Summers is leading the way back, and therefore the way forward, for his community and the world. 

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The lead single from Forward Back: Volume 1 is Yellow Flowers. The intricate balance of the concept is immediately evident, as is the seamless interplay between this group of friends on a common journey. Steel drums (with a history of their own) open the scene, as Simoné Mosley's vocal drifts in like a divine breeze. The rhythm is startling, a perfect balance of Summers's vision to bring the ancient into the modern. While there is a rich history at the core, this is less a study piece and more a modern dance of joy. Yellow Flowers is devoted to Oshun, the river orisha, and Yoruba equivalent of Woman in all her forms. She is associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality, and is considered one of the most powerful of all orishas.