Biography
In the late 1960s race riots plagued major cities; in Harlem, these events forced educators to think of new and exciting ways to keep kids off the streets and interested in their education. Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (the Har-You Act) was a series of educational programs designed for that purpose. The Harlem Youth Percussion Group grew out of that zeitgeist. Jamaican-born percussionist Montegro Joe was asked by Julien Euell (executive director of the arts and culture division of Har-You Act) to teach Afro and jazz percussion. After four years of training, these 11 young men, age 16-19, created a self-titled album. Album royalties from the project went into a scholarship fund for the students. The group was reunited on the Cu-Bop label in 1996.
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