The Ohio Players Play Juneteenth Celebration at The Point (Mon., 6/19/23)

The Ohio Players are headlining WPA Juneteenth & Black Music Festival this evening at Point State Park. The Dayton, Ohio funkateers had two big hits: “Love Rollercoaster” and “Fire.” One minute and 24 seconds into “Love Rollercoaster,” somebody screams. The most circulated explanation involved Ester Cordet, the model on the Honey album cover. The story goes the heated honey left her burned—her scream is either from the burns or the band’s manager stabbing her to death (!) after she threatened to sue for her disfigurement. Complete urban legend; it was really keyboardist Billy Beck. Cordet, a former Playboy Playmate, is still alive as of this writing. Other acts on the bill are Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (3 p.m.), Phyllis Hyman Tribute band (5 p.m.), Ruff Endz (6:30 p.m.), Ohio Players (8 p.m.), fireworks (9:35 p.m.). Juneteenth celebrates the historical occasion that black slaves in Texas finally heard they were freed from slavery during the Civil War. Downtown. (CM)

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