A Different Tribute: The Bands War and Raw

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Apr 5

Welcome to a new feature where Let’s Talk About The Music steps away from the current independent music scene to pay homage to the legacy of music from the past. Today’s musicians owe their presence to those who came before them, paving the way.

A Different Tribute: The Bands War and Raw

On February 27, 2025, I was invited by LTATM creator Shels to see the band War in Seattle, Washington, at the Jazz Alley—a pretty spiffy location, by the way. I was only somewhat familiar with the group and knew of “Why Can’t We be Friends?” and “Low Rider.” I had heard of the latter before it became the theme song for the George Lopez sitcom; and as for the former song, 2025 marks its 50th anniversary. That’s just what the band was celebrating in February, although it still felt very much like a celebration of the band overall.

It was a great time: the live music was nice to listen to, the food was good, and the general environment was positive and energetic. It did feel a bit weird at times due to my unfamiliarity with much of War’s work, yet being surrounded by folks who are strong fans and clearly have been for many years. So, if you’re like me and don’t know much about War, then let’s answer that question: Who or what is War?

Initially named the Creators, War was started by Harold Brown and Harold E. Scott (amazingly, they didn’t call it the Harolds) while they were still in high school. The other original members included Papa Allen, Morris Dickerson, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, and Lonnie Jordan. Lonnie would ultimately become the face of the band for many years. Unusual for most groups of the time, they were racially diverse, resulting in a much more eclectic variety of music styles.

The name change to War came about because (in Lonnie Jordan’s own words), “[B]ack in the 60s and 70s, we were pretty much rebels of music… [A] lot of people didn’t want to play our music… There was a war going on, Nixon was in office… [W]e are waging wars against wars in the streets and abroad… I said, you know, look at what we’re doing. We don’t need guns, we don’t shoot people, we have our instruments as our weapon. And from those instruments, we shoot melodies, rhythms, and most of all, harmony. Those are three elements… [of our] music.”

Watching these performers live was a very different experience from some other classic era singers I’ve seen live in the past. While every group I’ve seen in person has given spectacular performances, you can usually still tell in their voices that they’ve aged, and don’t quite sound as they did in the 60s, 70s, or even 80s. Additionally, they seldom maintain the same stage energy. When listening to these guys, however, it sounded like I was hearing the original studio recordings, particularly with “The Cisco Kid” and “Summer.”

RAW Tribute to WAR

Typically, I’ve discussed tribute bands who are great alternatives to the real deal, but War is an interesting case. If you want to try out a tribute band but still want the actual experience of hearing the original performers, War actually has a tribute band that can offer that. They are known as Raw and were formed by musician Ron Scott.

Years ago, Scott was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, and heard “Low Rider” playing while he was in recovery post-surgery. He was inspired by a friend who runs a tribute band, and Scott was also looking for his own band to celebrate. What drew him to War was that, unlike other bands of the 70s, their songs weren’t sexual or violent, and they “transcend different genres: the rock, the funk, the jazz.” Other musicians that he knew were fans of War, and so the tribute band Raw was born.

Amazingly, several founding members of War—Harold Scott, Lee Oskar, Morris Dickerson, and Harold Brown—helped get the band started up, and still routinely perform with Scott and his friends. (Given that both Harolds were also involved in this band, I still think it was a missed opportunity to not call the band the Harolds, but Raw works, too. LOL) As far as how the band sounds, I think they are pretty spot-on with War. Check the sidebar for a couple of clips to give you a taste.

A cynical person might say, “Well, of course they sound close to the original, when they have some of the original band members helping out!” Well, wouldn’t that be more incentive to see this group live? As of right now, they do not appear to have a website, but they do have a Facebook presence that lists upcoming shows—and even contact info where you can book them yourselves for your own events!

Also, I know it’s still spring, but man, it feels like “summertime is here” already. Not my time of year.

Side comment: In case you are wondering, Ron Scott is 100% cancer free.