This Tuesday, July 6th, get your groove on with Chocolate Chip & Company Band as the the 2021 Calabash Free Concert Series kicks off! The groove is undeniable. The beat is infectious. The rhythm is unmistakable. It is true: Chocolate Chip & Company Band is providing funky heat and making it look all so cool.
Up front is Anthony Tony Lee Howard, who is affectionately known as Chocolate Chip. The nickname is perfect because his skin is chocolate in color and silky smooth, and the music he and his group produce is sweet like the candy kids crave, but dentists declare are bad for their teeth. That’s why Dorethea Stewart is moving like a snake whenever she comes out to see Chocolate Chip & Company Band. Her head is slithering one way, while her body is gliding in another. She is one of the older folks on the dance floor, but her saucy dance steps defy her age. “I love them!” she replies.
Another fan, Cathy Williams says, “They are fantastic. Their music gets me moving. Their sound is spot on.” Beautiful beats that boggle the brain and cause the booty to boogie are birthed through sheer talent doctored by motivation and dedication.
Chocolate Chips 20 year old daughter, Monique Howard, also known as “Monique The Entertainer,” lights up the stage with her singing and dancing. She does a Prince medley that is sweet and sassy.
Skip Smaldone, is a handsome guy who knows how to get plain out nasty on the keyboard, and kills each song with skill and pizzazz. Dylan, “D Parker” is an assassin at the age of 22 on the bass guitar. His fervor on the bass makes minds manic.
Jennifer Gibson is quite the songbird. She can sing high, and she can sing low. Her stage persona is a hodgepodge of Pat Benatar and Blondie.
Chris Lanier, guitar guru, adds whip cream and cherries, to what is already a delicious dessert of music, that includes rock, soul, funk, and pop, that appeals to all ages. These gifted individuals are flames, and Chocolate Chip is their James Brown.
Chocolate Chip & Company Band is the newest, and hottest band on the Grand Strand. They are definitely a band you do not want to miss. They sure enough “Get Funky” every time they hit the stage!
