Blog - Page 2 of 8 - E. Mark Windle - Biographer and freelance writing services

Gaza and the Floating Pier: The 230 Million Dollar Turkey

E. Mark Windle 22 June 2025.

Following the events of 7 October 2023, the effects of Netanyahu’s declaration of war and instructions of a complete blockade by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant were immediate. The water supply via the Mekerot pipeline network into the Strip was halted. Gazans were now wholly dependent on existing stocks of bottled drinking water, or tank loads that had already been brought in by aid agencies. For those in the north who followed Israel’s order to evacuate homes, only small supplies of food and water could be carried by family members on foot or by those who had some form of transport. Aid needed to reach these civilians via one route or another, and options were limited.

BORDER AND ROAD BLOCKADES

Even before the conflict, only three official border crossings out of the seven were open. Those were strictly controlled for commercial or humanitarian passage, or in the case of Rafah on the Egyptian border, subject costly unofficial processing systems and lengthy security checks. All routes were now closed and guarded. This remained the situation for two weeks, until calls from the international community forced a partial reversal of the decision for a blockade to allow the entry of humanitarian aid.

As far as Israeli security was concerned, Rafah was logically the first crossing to reopen. From the Egyptian point of view, doing so would carry an unmanageable surge of Gazans attempting to seek safety. It would also exacerbate the longstanding fear that Hamas and other paramilitary groups would enter the country and draw Egypt into a complex military and political situation. The Rafah border crossing was opened although goods entering Gaza were limited, with both Egypt and Israel searching cargo and dictating the number of trucks and the volume of aid allowed to pass. Since the opening of the Rafah crossing and until February 2024, around 200–300 trucks passed each day. This was less than half of usual. Some other crossings were opened under negotiation, including Kerem Shalom — one of the four crossings which had been closed prior to the conflict — and Nitzana and Kissufim.

TRUCK CONVOY CHALLENGES

Convoys faced a precarious journey even on the Israeli side of the border. Protest groups opposing the supply of aid while Israeli hostages were still being held captive by Hamas, attempted to sabotage operations. A series of demonstrations by Tsav 9, Forum Tikva and Warrior Mothers were made at the crossings of Kerem Shalom, Nitzana, Tarqumiyah and others.

These protests frequently turned hostile or violent. Truck drivers were stoned, and food and clothing supplies taken or destroyed. In one instance, trucks were torched by a teenage gang from the Israeli settlement at Evyatar. The passiveness of local Israeli police and inadequate protection for trucks travelling to the border were reported by two senior security commissioners to have been the result of a direct order from Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security.

On entering Gaza, the danger for aid workers only heightened. The Gaza Ministry of Health, the United Nations and charities have repeatedly reported a number of attacks on aid workers enroute to central storage hubs, and on workers and those waiting for food at distribution centres. A small convoy of World Central Kitchen cars travelling between their warehouse and a food distribution area was targeted by missiles fired from an Israeli drone, killing seven workers. IDF later claimed there had been a serious violation of standard military operating procedures and had dismissed a number of senior officers and commanders. By November 2024, it was estimated that over 320 aid workers had been killed by Israeli snipers, open fire and airstrikes.

ALTERNATIVES TO GROUND CONVOYS

With the persistent problem of the limitations placed on entry at the border, and because of the dangers convoys were exposed to by the military and looting once inside Gaza, adjunct methods of aid delivery were proposed. Delivery of aid by airdrops and flotillas had been attempted previously in Gaza, all with limited or no success. However, by January 2024, the border blockades and conflict inside Gaza were hindering the supply of more than half intended truck deliveries.

The US, the UK and France have frequently employed airdrops throughout the Israel-Hamas conflict, though ironically this has usually been to deliver arms to Israeli forces rather than the provision of humanitarian aid. In the latter respect, packages have included legumes, cereal products, water, ready-to-eat meals, tinned food and women’s sanitary products.

Airdrops are costly and extremely inefficient. One truck has a capacity of up to 20 tons of aid: according to UK government figures, each flight drop by the Royal Air Force has averaged around 10 tons. Given that open areas are required for parachute landings, the flat Gazan coastline has been a popular target.

However, packages can land in the sea or present a danger to civilians — in active conflict zones, parachuted palettes of goods may be released from a height of 300 to 5,000 metres. Crowd desperation and the presence of semi-organised gangs waiting for airdrops also result in less-than-fair distribution of items. On the other hand, airdrops have provided one limited option to address the dire situation on the ground.

THE FLOATING PIER CONCEPT

The concept of using a floating pier and causeway as another temporary route of access was driven by the US Biden Administration, initially with reluctant agreement from Netanyahu. Within two months, the US military had constructed a floating modular platform, fixed in position three miles offshore. Goods would be unloaded from incoming ships, then transferred by smaller boats to a 500-metre long coastal pier on the beach. On the 9th May, the USS Sagamore was the first vessel to leave with cargo from the Cypriot port of Larnaca. A week later, the causeway was operational.

SCEPTICISM AND ABANDONMENT

The project was fraught with controversy from the outset. NGOs had little faith in promises of the protection of aid convoys travelling to and from the pier, particularly following the recent attack on World Central Kitchen staff. Some viewed the pier as a PR stunt by the US administration.

There was also scepticism that the pier would be used purely for a humanitarian purpose. Homes in the al-Zahra neighbourhood were completely demolished in the name of creating a buffer zone for pier access. It may also have been used by the IDF — in coordination with US forces — for a hostage rescue operation at Nuseirat refugee camp which had left over 200 Palestinians dead. US forces denied it had been used for military purposes, despite video footage of military equipment on the pier.

By 17th July 2024, beset by bad weather, sea swells, structural damage and the need for removal of parts for repair, the pier was closed. The US Department of Defense originally claimed it would facilitate the delivery of up to two million meals per day. In all, the concept had cost 230 million US dollars and was fully operational for only 20 days.

The pier delivered the equivalent of one day’s aid.

Modified excerpt from the book “The Hundred Year Hunger: A Timeline of Food Insecurity and Malnutrition in Gaza” by E. Mark Windle. Available to order now via A Nickel And A Nail (UK customers only). Rest of the world, order via Lulu.

(Copyright 2025) E. Mark Windle is a freelance writer and former clinical dietitian specialising in major burn injury and critical care nutrition. He has written for The Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, The Journal of Burn Care and Research, Dietetics Today and Complete Nutrition. Mark was commissioned by the British Dietetic Association to contribute to The Manual of Dietetic Practice (Fifth Edition), the core reference book of the UK dietetic profession. He is also author of Food, Digestion and Nutrition, published by Worth Press.

James Bates, Songwriter and Lead Singer of The Spontanes, Dies Aged 83.

E. Mark Windle 12 June 2025.

James Bates of North Carolina and lead singer of The Spontanes, has died after a period of illness on 6^th June 2025. Bates was most closely associated with the beach music group The Spontanes, a popular Gastonia group that initially ran from 1960 to 1968, but which has continued in various other guises in subsequent years.

James Edward Bates was born February 11, 1942 in Gaffney, South Carolina. His love for soul music and entertainment led to a long tenure with The Spontanes, including stage appearances at numerous Spartanburg, Charlotte, and Greensboro venues and at the University of Georgia campuses. As well as live performances, The Spontanes went on to record for the Eclipse, Beaver and Deck labels throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Their first outing, “Share My Name”, was written by James Bates and recorded in 1965 with Bates also taking lead vocals. The song was released as a 45rpm single on the Casino label. It was also included on the mid-1960s LP “The Spontanes Play Solid Soul”, released by Hit Records (an imprint of the Hit Attractions booking agency). Bates provided most of the vocals on the album, alongside Ronnie Owenby.

The Spontanes second 45rpm single, “Where Did I Go Wrong”, was written by Bates while he was in his twenties. Again he provided lead vocals, and the song was picked up the major label United Artists in the late 1960s. Bates stayed with this version of the band until 1969 until a temporary move to The Rivieras, a Charlotte band who were busy performing at frat party and high school bookings throughout North Carolina.

In later decades, Bates settled in the Gastonia-Dallas area of North Carolina, where he pursued his love of golf, though still continued to perform music. A 2011 reunion brought together old band mates, and a DVD recording was made in Gaston County of the “Original Spontanes” and other local R&B bands from the 1960s. James Bates was inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame in the same year.

He is survived by his three children, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and was interred at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas Cemetery.

(Copyright 2025) E. Mark Windle is an independent freelance writer and biographer. He has also worked as a senior writer with Story Terrace (London, UK), and for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA). For more information on writing services or to discuss potential commissions reach out to Mark at https://windlefreelance.com/

Press Release: The Hundred Year Hunger by E. Mark Windle

E. Mark Windle 6 June 2025

“The paradox is that the tale of Palestine from the beginning until today is a simple story of colonialism and dispossession, yet the world treats it as a multifaceted and complex story — hard to understand and even harder to solve.” (Ilan Pappé)

It is a tragic sign of the times when little introductory narrative is required for the near apocalyptic scenes in the Gaza Strip today. The world has watched from a distance, while Israel’s onslaught and the civilian death toll in the Israel-Hamas conflict progresses to a level that once seemed unimaginable. Each day, the nightmare that Palestinian civilians endure takes on a new dimension.

Since the beginning of the last century (and even before), Gaza’s history has been dominated by political decisions and conflicts relating to Arab and Jewish perceived ancestral rights. For decades now, historians, philosophers, and academics have argued the fine detail of Gaza’s politics and the feasibility of future coexistence. Claims and counterclaims have been made by prime ministers, government officials (de facto or otherwise), Zionists, radical Palestinian factions and ordinary civilians on both sides of the border. While “The Hundred Year Hunger” is not intended to be a political microanalysis, it would have been impossible to present its theme—Gaza’s nutritional welfare—without political context. The two are inseparable.

My motivation to investigate Gaza’s history of food insecurity and malnutrition stems from a former background as a specialist dietitian. The bulk of my 25 years in the NHS was spent working in critical care and burns nutrition at Pinderfields Hospital in the north of England. I witnessed at first-hand how much nutritional status can influence recovery and survival from major physiological trauma. From the relative comfort of my First World clinical setting, it was clear how timely surgical intervention, medicine, nutrition support and the efforts of a skilled multidisciplinary team can significantly optimise clinical outcome. The scenario created by Israel’s long- term offensive in Gaza struck me as a stark antithesis. Constant blockades, the widespread destruction of infrastructure, and people-herding have resulted in a chronic and severe lack of access to medical and nutritional care.

But while it seems like society has entered a new level of immorality, Gaza’s story of food insecurity and oppression started way before the events of 7th October 2023. Like other parts of the Middle East, the Levant has been shaped over several centuries by a range of ethnic cultures, trade activity, religion, and invasion. Numerous colonial nations have claimed some or all of the land now referred to as Palestine. From the Bronze Age to contemporary times, the region has been occupied by Canaanite, Israelite, Roman, Philistine, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Ottoman, and British Empires. And of course, the State of Israel itself.

The decision to home in on the last hundred years for this project was not an arbitrary one. Prior to the 1900s, Arab, Jewish, Bedouin and other communities in the Levant led fragile, self-sufficient existences. The phenomenon of large-scale enforced food insecurity particularly came to the fore in the last century. To investigate it, we have to consider latter-day Ottoman rule over Palestine; the British mandate; Israel’s proclamation of independence and mass displacement of Palestinians at the start of the Nakba; the Egyptian / United Arab Republic and Israeli occupations; and a subsequent series of critical incidents that have perpetuated Jewish and Arab tensions. A perfect storm doesn’t quite describe the Palestinian struggle. Rather, a cumulative assault through political upheaval, war, and mass displacement followed by population containment.

In “The Hundred Year Hunger” the timeline is explored of chronic food deprivation and malnutrition among the most vulnerable in Gazan society. Drawing from Palestinian, Israeli and international sources, the efforts and challenges faced by humanitarian aid organisations through the decades and in the current conflict are also presented.

Regardless of how Israel chooses to justify the latest conflict, food and water have consistently been weaponised through blockade and deprivation, with the result of inflicting harm on the Gazan population. As is the trend in such crises, the most vulnerable in society— women and children—are most affected by malnutrition. Anaemia and other manifestations of nutrient deficiency have led to adverse effects on maternal, foetal and child health. Miscarriage and birth defect rates are high. Suboptimal nutritional status also impairs immune function and the ability of mother and child to recover from disease. This baseline amplifies the number of civilian losses already caused by bombings and ground attacks from the IDF. Malnutrition also affects the ability to recover from injuries, limb loss, and surgery, thereby increasing mortality rates through wound infection and sepsis.

The unrelenting violence and destruction of the Gaza Strip, aided by arms funding from the US, the UK, Germany, Italy and others, paints a bleak picture for any survivors of the current war. There are a number of unknowns regarding Gaza’s eventual reconstruction. But even for that to begin, Gaza needs a ceasefire, immediate healthcare intervention and a solid plan to sustain the long-term nutritional welfare of the Gazan people. Without that, starvation and malnutrition may well be the end game.

“The Hundred Year Hunger. A Timeline of Food Insecurity and Malnutrition in Gaza” by E. Mark Windle is available via A Nickel and a Nail.

Stop and Start Over. The Berkshire Seven Story

E. Mark Windle 24 May 2025.

Unless you live in the clandestine world of the rare soul record collecting and are familiar with the label’s output, you’d be forgiven for being unaware of any recordings or artists associated with Stop Records Inc. After all, Stop didn’t have any huge hits. It operated on a shoestring budget. And it could even be considered a risk-taking side venture, albeit by one of the most respected behind-the-scenes musicians and producers in Nashville. But when Pete Drake decided to take a risk with a bunch of complete unknowns from Kentucky, he thought he could be onto a good thing. Drake was all about experimentation and innovation, and one particular band that caught his attention exemplified that entirely.

The Berkshire Seven bridged a gap between ‘60s garage/psyche and soul—without a hint of Nashville country music in sight. A ton of bad luck and deteriorating band member relationships abruptly ended what perhaps could have been. But the latter-day rediscovery and embracement of one particular Berkshire Seven song on an underground music scene on the other side of the Atlantic has at least ensured their legacy is preserved.

PETE DRAKE

Stop Records was founded around 1967 by session guitarist and producer Pete Drake, an Augusta, Georgia born and raised son of a Pentecostal minister. In the late 1950s Drake relocated to Music City to pursue his dreams in the industry as a musician and producer. Several country, folk, pop and religious hits have featured Pete Drake on guitar, including Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man”, Bob Dylan’s “Lay, Lady, Lay” and Elvis’ take on “How Great Thou Art”.

By 1970, Drake’s talents were enough to have him inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Walkway of Stars. Pete Drake may have been a country boy at heart. But his diversity of taste and willingness to give relative unknowns a shot at the music industry was reflected in Stop Records Inc. output, which also included a number of soul and pop records.

The Berkshire Seven story starts not in Nashville, but Loyall, Kentucky. Enter lead singer Dennis Lee (aka Denolee) Pressnell, and writer of “Stop And Start Over”:

“I was raised in a middle class environment in Loyall, Kentucky. I didn’t want for much. Life was difficult only because I had a father who really didn’t love me, but it was balanced by some great ladies, including my mom, and both grandmothers.

I had polio when I was two years old. When I was sent home from hospital, I was bed-ridden for a year or so. My mother was a switchboard operator at that time. The women at the telephone company bought me a 45 rpm record player and a pile of records to keep me amused during my recovery. The record player was small enough to sit between my legs in bed. I listened and sang with those records all day and every day—there was little else to do. This was beginning of rock ’n’ roll. I couldn’t get enough of Bill Haley and the Comets, Little Richard, Elvis, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson. I soaked in every musical note.

THE WARLOCKS

Fast forward a few years to my college years. I was a voice major at the University of Kentucky. One day this girl, Betty Fried, approached me and asked if I’d be interested in singing for her band The Warlocks. They were about to lose their lead singer. I agreed to rehearse that night and was hired on the spot as the replacement.

I wouldn’t say The Warlocks were particularly talented, but they were enthusiastic, it was work and gave me an opportunity to perform. We’d practice in the evenings at Betty’s home in the Idle Wilde section of Lexington. Most nights there would be big crowds out in the front yard and on the street. A slightly surreal situation for us, but such a buzz.”

The band wanted to take things further and to record in the studio but first we needed a manager. Warlock’s bassist Danny Williams had an acquaintance who worked at Foushee’s Flower Shop in Lexington. Owner Henry G. Foushee was always looking for interesting new side ventures. Managing a group could just fit that bill.

One afternoon, the whole band drove down to the flower shop and put their proposal to Foushee:

“Henry took over the management of The Warlocks, but his stipulation was we must come up with a new name. Henry Foushee was one of the kindest, finest human beings I’ve ever known. He became a substitute dad to most of us, certainly to me. He was also a mentor, and always our close friend. I swear he was God-sent, not only to us, but to Lexington in general.

With the whole British influence going on at the time in pop music, and Henry’s request to come up with a more respectable name, I came up with The Berkshire Seven. We had a huge plan to record a song or two, get them on local radio, chart, appear not to be from Lexington, Kentucky…then maybe blow everyone’s mind at the Gardenside Swim Club’s Battle of the Bands event. Bill Behymer (lead guitar) had written a sing-a-long called ‘Bring Your Love To Me’ and I had another song called ‘I’m Alone’. Those appeared on our first 45, recorded in Louisville.”

Within three weeks “Bring Your Love To Me” reached #1 on WVLK. “I’m Alone” also reached #1 on WLAP. Both songs were both #1 in Lexington on the night of the Gardenside Battle of the Bands. The Berkshire Seven beat current top bands The Magnificent Seven and The Torques.

NASHVILLE CALLING

The move to Nashville to record was a suggestion by Foushee’s friend Esco Hankins, the owner of a record shop opposite Foushee’s place. Hankins knew Pete Drake well, and suggested that Drake may be able to help the boys out. Foushee called Drake’s office, and mailed him a copy of their first release along with some promotional pictures.

“Next thing we knew, we received our invite to record in Nashville, with Pete Drake as a producer” says Denolee. “That was probably the spring of 1968. The session took place at Music City Recorders on 19th Avenue South. Almost overnight here we were in the company of our heroes. The sound engineer was Scotty Moore, the world famous guitarist and legendary buddie of Elvis. Pete introduced us to Porter Wagoner, Jerry Reed and Dolly Parton. Porter had an office in the building beside Pete’s Window Music.

By the time we left Nashville, we had laid down ‘Stop And Start Over’, ‘Battle Of Chicago’, ‘I’ve Tried’ and ‘Crazy Kind Of Feeling’. The band line-up at that time was yours truly (lead singer), Sonny Bayes (lead guitar), Betty Fried (keyboards), Danny Williams (bass guitar), John Calkins (saxophone) and John Joseph (trumpet). Billy Armstrong replaced our original drummer, who was drinking too much and not showing up for practices.”

“You have to understand that nothing happened quickly with Pete Drake. At the time, he was very busy individual. We respected that. He had all those CBS artists he worked with in Nashville. Then he was involved in projects like Bob Dylan’s ‘Nashville’ Skyline LP, and spent quite a bit of time in England working on the George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass”.

It was probably nine months to a year before ‘Stop and Start Over’ was actually released. In that particular period, most of the group members were about to be drafted for the Vietnam War. I received my draft notice the day the record became #1 in Lexington. That was tough: watching a dream coming to fruition, then the hard facts of reality, such as going to war pulling at you.”

The timing may have been wrong for Denolee, but ‘“Stop and Start Over”’ did receive a second round of appreciation when it was rediscovered on the UK rare soul scene in the 1980s. Championed by DJs Jim Wensiora, Colin Law and others, the appeal to record collectors and dancers was undoubtedly its frantic tempo and stop-start phrasing, structurally similar to another popular record on the scene—Mel Wynn and the Rhythm Aces’ ‘Stop Sign’.

“The Berkshire Seven returned to Nashville in the summer of 1969 to work on an album” says Denolee.

“We recorded three songs that were never released. Only one of those three songs were good enough to work with. One thing led to another and nothing was ever done with it. We were supposed to go back to Nashville for more studio work, but the group was full of strife and the trip was never made. By 1973 we scattered to the four winds. Betty Fried got married just after ‘Stop And Start Over’. She moved to Michigan with her husband. John Calkins committed suicide in San Francisco. Larry Sallee was my best friend in the group—I visited him just a week before reading of his passing. He had liver disease, big time. Pat Schneider just disappeared. Billy Armstrong lived in Lexington as did Sonny Bayes. Sonny still works in his sister’s printing company. I have no idea about Danny Williams. John Joseph lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He contacted me several years ago when the Berkshire Seven myspace.com page was set up. I’m sure he’s doing well. Bill Behymer married his childhood sweetheart. At last report, they were living somewhere in California. Bill and I were never close. He was the original spaceman, and a difficult guy to get to know.”

BACK IN NASHVILLE

After leaving the group, Denolee was a record salesman for Transcontinent Record Sales. Then he returned to Nashville, where he continued to work with Pete Drake and Window Music Inc. on artist promotion for around six months, before a longer period with Acuff-Rose as Pop Music Promotion Director. there, Denolee connected with artists from a diverse range of genres and to a high level of commercial success. However, there are mixed feelings:

“For all my efforts and success at Acuff-Rose, I was rewarded with a $10.00 a week raise. I wasn’t impressed. In hindsight, I should have walked out the door for the insult. But that wasn’t playing the game in the music business, especially when working for a power structure as large as those guys. Wesley Rose was the personal manager for Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Sue Thompson and several other famous recording artists. It didn’t end well for me working there to be honest. But even though I still feel I was black balled, I have no regrets.”

Denolee went on to record through the next two decades, in association with country song-writing duo Foster and Rice, and with friend and legendary session bass player Tommy Cogbill.

“Mid 1982, Tommy called me to work as a producer on a project of his. We re-worked ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ and a new song given us by Fred Foster who owned Monument Records and had Combine Music, Inc., one of the finest music publishing companies in Nashville. Tommy played Fred one of my demos and got permission for us to record ‘Our Love Goes On’. There is a second version of my singing ‘I Can’t Help Myself’, produced by Tommy. However, before the session could be mastered and worked, Tommy died from cancer.

If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. After Tommy’s passing, I wasn’t worth a nickel. It was devastating to lose him. Especially when he was the one person in the business I believed in, and I was placing my hopes and dreams in him. I am most proud of the work we did though. And will always wonder: what if?”

Mac Gayden, Nashville Singer-Songwriter and Music Producer, Passes

Mac Gayden (far right), promoting the book House of Broken Hearts: The Soul of 1960s Nashville.

E. Mark Windle 23 April 2025.

On April 16, 2025, Nashville lost a legend with the death of McGavock “Mac” Gayden, at 83 years of age. I’m sure the anticipated outpouring of accolades will most likely be in regard to his contributions to country music and rock scenes as a musician, singer, songwriter and producer. That would only be right, and well deserved. For others, his life will be celebrated for his role in the lesser documented 1960s Black music scene in Nashville, and supporting those same artists in other ways in later decades.

Mac Gayden’s foray into music was initially with Charlie McCoy and the Escorts, then later signings to major labels (ABC, Polydor and Capitol) as a member of Area Code 615, Barefoot Jerry and Skyboat. But as well as performing upfront, Gayden was just as interested—if not more so—in guitar session work, songwriting and producing other artists.

Perhaps his most globally recognised creative achievement is “Everlasting Love”, written with pal Buzz Cason. Originally written for singer Robert Knight, the story goes that the original roots of the song lay in a childhood composition of Gayden’s. “Everlasting Love” would be an instant hit for Robert Knight, entering the top end of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1967. It was an even bigger one in Europe the following year, when a version by London’s Love Affair reached the top of the UK Singles Chart. The song has been covered by numerous recording artists since.

Mac Gayden’s resume of recording and performing collaborations stretched from JJ Cale to Bob Dylan, Rita Coolidge to Elvis, and Bobby Vinton to Connie Francis. If that’s not an impressive enough demonstration of versatility, he also connected personally and professionally with burgeoning local R&B music scene in Nashville during the 1960s.

There has also been underground soul scene interest in Gayden-related material for a number of recordings that he was involved in writing, producing or both. He was the mastermind behind Herbert Hunter’s “I Was Born to Love You” for Spar Records, now an established northern soul classic. That song happened to be Gayden’s first production effort. Mac was also particularly prolific on the Fred Foster/John Richbourg-operated Sound Stage 7 imprint, working on Joe Simon’s “When” and material for other artists such as The Valentines, Margie Hendrix and The Fabulettes.

My personal connection with Mac was a brief but most productive one. I was fortunate enough to hook up with him just before embarking on the “House of Broken Hearts: The Soul of 1960s Nashville” book project, five or six years ago. In my desire to explore the alternative history of Music City, Mac’s help was invaluable in supplying backstories, filling in knowledge gaps, and providing leads for former recording artists that I’d likely never have been able to track down otherwise. He struck me as a quiet, unassuming individual, but one who was willing to go the extra mile to help anyone with a genuine interest in his work or the work of others close to him in the industry.

Mac Gayden’s 2014 induction to the Country Music Hall of Fame is already testament to his creative genius. His contribution to the Black music scene of Nashville will not be forgotten either.

Early Days—UNRWA and the Camps of Gaza

E. Mark Windle 21 April 2025.

For the past 6 months that I’ve been working on the Gaza book project “The Hundred Year Hunger” it’s been a constant challenge to sift out the propaganda, lies, claims and counterclaims. When it comes to UNRWA, one of the longest-serving aid agencies in Gaza, it has some failings. But equally, Israel’s ban on the organisation’s activities jeopardises the health and wellbeing of Gazan civilians. I’ll save the bigger picture for the book. Meantime, a reminder from me about the very reason why UNRWA was established in the first place.

Following the Arab-Israeli war of the late 1940s, a top priority for the displaced in Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon and Syria was to tackle the need for physical shelter. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was a response to the war of 1948 and the Nakba. Objectives were long-term: to follow up the work done by previous aid agencies such as the AFSC and International Red Cross, but also to minimise the chance of a humanitarian crisis relapse by engaging in projects that sustained adequate, decent living conditions, and provided education and medical care.

SHELTER PROVISION IN 1950s GAZA

UNRWA set out on the task of creating 53 refugee camps across these regions. Eight camps appeared within a few weeks in the Gaza Strip at Rafah, Jabalia, Khan Yunis, Al-Shati (also referred to as Shati, or Beach Camp), Nusierat, Bureij, Maghazi, and Dier al-Balah. For a number of years, living conditions were extremely basic. Some camps were large, some containing up to 20,000 occupants. Camps offered a better alternative to living in the open, but the situation was still dire with the majority of refugees entirely reliant on UN rations. Tents were often shared by multiple families, which introduced social issues including that of privacy (pregnant women had to give birth in the presence of strangers).

Conditions progressively improved through the 1950s. External financial support facilitated the construction of simple concrete houses. Water supplies, clinics, and schools were introduced. Groups of families who had come from the same villages converged, allowing small supportive units to form within the camps. In Syria and Lebanon, a small number of refugees were eventually able to leave their camps in the search for work and more permanent accommodation.

For the vast majority of those isolated in Gaza that wasn’t an option. Restrictions on movements meant that the search for work across the Egyptian border was rarely possible. Despite UN handouts, starvation and malnutrition were persistent themes.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE

Among the first commentators to paint a vivid picture of the humanitarian situation in Gaza was James Baster, one-time economic advisor to UNRWA. In a series of articles for Middle East Journal in the 1950s, his assessment was that Gaza City was no longer thriving. Its limited infrastructure had been ravaged, and the Strip was in deep economic crisis. The refugee labour skill mix could potentially contribute to the local community: the demographic was primarily composed of unskilled workers, but there were also skilled craftsmen, doctors and merchants. However, given the population density and the absence of an existing local economy, any job opportunities were limited. Geography was also an issue, with more than half of the Gaza Strip unsuitable for farming, as it comprised of sand dunes along much of the coastal edge and poor soil elsewhere. Baster found that poverty was endemic, and described the Strip as a rural slum:

“There is plenty of evidence that the Gaza community is living on its capital. Clothing is worn out, livestock is killed for food, the area is almost completely deforested as the refugees collect wood for fuel and building purposes, and the railroad track has largely been put out of action by the removal of several thousand ties which are invaluable for building timber and carpentry work.”

IMPROVING CONDITIONS

Over time, some aspects of the Gazan social and urban landscape was changing, primarily through UNRWA’s continued and externally funded efforts (which extended beyond the camps) and limited support from the Egyptian government. Journalist and former war correspondent Martha Gellhorn returned to the Middle East in the early 1960s, to comment on how Palestine had fared since the Nakba. The essay “The Arabs of Palestine”, published in a 1961 issue of The Atlantic, pointed toward early indicators of social and economic mobility. Infrastructure was being developed in urban areas. Cafes and restaurants were thriving. There was a noticeable increase in the number of cars on the streets.

The camps were ever-present of course, with around half the number of original refugees — and now, descendent family members — still living in them. Conditions remained far from ideal, though Gellhorn noted that most of the UNRWA camps were now more organised and working from a common template. Each had a supplementary feeding station where hot meals were provided for the particularly vulnerable, a few small shops and even a cafe or two which served as community meeting points. Once a month, refugees were given a basic ration of flour, pulses, sugar, rice, oils and fats, calculated to provide a total of 1500 calories per day per person. During the winter months, rations were increased by an additional 100 calories. Additional milk allowances were given for children and pregnant women. Those households motivated or able enough to increase their diet further kept small vegetable patches, chickens and rabbits.

Throughout the ‘official’ Israeli occupation from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, UNRWA was there to circumnavigate restrictions imposed by military order on water access in Gaza, to facilitate nutrition status assessments and household food security surveys and to refine approaches to combating malnutrition in vulnerable groups including women and children. Through time it was joined by other UN sister groups and other NGOs.

CRITICISM AND COUNTERCLAIMS

Almost since its inception, Israel has criticised UNRWA’s activities and its very existence. Accusations have included encouragement of anti-Israeli eduction in UNRWA schools, organisational failings and infiltration by members of Hamas. There have been counterclaims from UNRWA and its supporters in equal measure, and a feeling of deliberate Israeli intent to discredit the UN and block ongoing aid efforts to the civilians of Gaza.

Most recently, the situation culminated in Israel’s labelling of UNRWA as a terrorist group, and a ban of all activity in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem—including any dialogue between UNRWA and Israeli authorities to coordinate the supply of aid to Gaza. To date however, UNRWA continues to work in the Strip, and in schools on Israeli-claimed soil. (END OF PT. 1)

(Copyright 2025) E. Mark Windle is a freelance writer, with a former career as a clinical dietitian specialising in burn injury and critical care nutrition. He has also worked as a senior writer for Story Terrace (London, UK), and as a ghostwriter for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA).

The ‘Review of Famine Reports’ and Gaza— the UKLFI are at it Again

E. Mark Windle 31 March 2025.

In the recent Review of Famine Reports, the UK Lawyers for Israel organisation (UKLFI) lodged their complaint regarding use of the Integrated Phase Classification categorisation of the risk and existence of famine in Gaza.

Their allegations have included the use of inaccurate statistics, misinterpretation of raw data and poor data processing to arrive at a ‘risk of famine’ designation. The finger was also pointed at high level United Nations representatives for amplifying famine narratives.

Most discussions of Gazan welfare are riddled with never-ending claims and counterclaims over events and statistics. Representatives of FEWS NET and the UN have their weaknesses, and mixed messages over whether or not Gaza has or had ‘official famine status’ is one of them. It would be foolish to pretend otherwise.

But equally, the UKLFI agenda is clear. Challenge anything that could possibly discredit Israel, and hunt entities that promote Gazan rights.

The fact that the organisation has a poor ratio of success when it comes to their complaints being upheld — usually against charities or other causes that support Gazan humanitarian aid — says a lot.

I read that one particular backfire ended up with a defamation case and the order of a public apology. Even more poignant / ironic, when you consider the domestic backdrop: the pro-Israel stance of the UK government and its complicity in the mass slaughter of Gazan civilians. As an aside, that is ably demonstrated by its record of arms supply to Israel and phrasing of public statements regarding the hostilities which are at best weakly diplomatic and typically one-sided in tone.

At the time of posting, it seems we’ve still to hear a response to the UKLFI report or a challenge to the validity of their claims. But while this particular beef with FEWS NET and the UN plays out, over 50,000 people in Gaza are dead. Also, consider a recent prediction by medical professions in The Lancet was that even if the conflict stopped immediately, the long term consequences of malnutrition, infection and injury could quadruple the final death toll. UKLFI will no doubt argue those statistics too. But there’s a elephant in the room.

(For a detailed exploration of how the IPC food scales work, read my article A Question of Famine? IPC Food Security Scales and the Gaza Debate here ).

From a Whisper to a Scream: Toussaint and Hurricane Katrina

E. Mark Windle 28 March 2025.

Joining the dots between a North Carolina soul band, New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint and the wrath of nature.

For Roger Branch, sound engineer and founder of the sixties R&B band The Tempests, New Orleans had an attractive pull for studio engineering and production work. Like most musicians in the South, there was a deep affinity for the city’s musical cultural vibrancy. Branch had forged professional links with key industry figures there like Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn, from his early days as an engineer at Reflection Sound back in North Carolina.

THE TOUSSAINT-SEHORN CONNECTION

Toussaint and Sehorn had already been working closely some ten years before Roger had first connected with them in the early 1970s. Toussaint’s musicianship had helped define the Nola R&B sound of the late 1950s and early 1960s, a consequence of him feverishly absorbing the milieu of country music, blues, Creole rhythms and of course the honky-tonk piano which had initially put New Orleans on the musical map. As a musician, song writer arranger and producer, Allen Toussaint was the driving force behind many hits of the day, during the same time that The Tempests were doing their thing on the east coast. Indeed, his career and influence has continued through popular music over the last five decades.

Toussaint had come from a poor but musical background, heavily influenced by his parents, neighbours and other musicians who visited his family home. As a young adult he developed keyboard and producing skills and played with most of the major artists of the day in New Orleans, until an RCA talent scout picked up on his potential. Toussaint’s first true foray into the commercial world was as Joe Banashak’s producer and A&R man in 1960, giving Banashak’s Minit and Instant labels a string of hits which typified the early to mid 1960s New Orleans R&B sound.

Toussaint met Sehorn after returning from a two-year draft in the US army; Sehorn was a Carolinian who played guitar in various bands at college before securing a position with the A&R team at Fire and Fury Records in New York. Their initial professional collaboration was when Sehorn brought Toussaint in for some Lee Dorsey sessions. After both labels closed, the pair moved to New Orleans to form Sansu Enterprises and Sansu Records, Tou-Sea, Deesu and other imprints. With Toussaint as songwriter, pianist, and producer, and Sehorn’s industry knowledge, Lee Dorsey was brought back into the studio. Licensing to the Bell subsidiary label Amy ensured that Ride Your Pony, Working In The Coalmine and Holy Cow benefitted from national exposure and distribution.

SEA-SAINT STUDIOS THROUGH THE 1970s

Cash and acclaim started to roll in, but Toussaint and Sehorn were in danger of becoming victims of their own success. The list of hits was growing, yet the pair were still having to depend on other recording studios around the city such as Cosimo Matassa’s studios, or facilities outside of Louisiana. The need to operate their own studio for convenience and to facilitate more control of production was clear.

By 1973, a contract with Warner Bros. for composition, production and recording work enabled Toussaint and Sehorn to finance and build Sea-Saint studios on an old service station site at 3809 Clematis Street in the Gentilly area, on New Orleans’ East Side. Work soon poured in, from local sources but also from national labels wanting to use the the contemporary recording facilities they had just installed. The major labels were the ones that would keep Sea-Saint afloat financially, and the studio targeted its services towards them. Sea-Saint rapidly became associated with numerous national hits across soul, pop and country music charts. The 1970s saw in Labelle’s Lady Marmalade, a couple of albums by Paul McCartney and Wings, and a series of Billboard chart smashes by Glen Campbell, Paul Simon and Joe Cocker.

Sea-Saint formally joined forces with Cosimo Matassa when he closed one of his studios in 1978, and their services could now be offered to a wealth of R&B producers resulting in further seminal recordings by Bobby Powell, Lee Bates and Tony Owens. The 1970s may have represented the peak of Sea-Saint’s success, but the studio remained active through the 1980s and beyond. Whether pop, rock or R&B artist, it was a longtime go-to for anyone after quality recording facilities, engineering and production.

Roger Branch’s first connected with Toussaint and Sehorn when Sansu Enterprises first started using Reflection Sound Studios in Charlotte for production and engineering duties as early as 1971, whilst Sehorn and Toussaint were waiting for completion on Sea-Saint studio’s construction. Eventually Branch also made the move there. A background in electronics served him well; Sea-Saint studios needed someone with technical know-how as well as musical ability. And so, a position at Sea-Saint was secured in 1990, initially as a sound engineer to work on New Yorker Willy DeVille’s new album. The ex-Mink Deville lead singer was moving into a new creative phase, drawn to explore the latin, blues and soulful roots of old New Orleans. This culminated in Victory Mixture, a project initially started after a conversation about the possibility of covering old delta songs and a session playing old 45s together of Louisiana artists between DeVille and his friend Carlo Ditta. DeVille called in Earl King, Eddie Bo and Allen Toussaint for the project.

THE HARD PACK PROJECT

Sea-Saint Studios would also be the location for a latter day professional reunion for Roger, and former Tempests members Van Coble and Nelson Lemmond:

“Even though our version of The Tempests had disbanded a long time ago, a some of us would get together to work on projects every few years” Nelson comments. “Probably the most fun was doing a promotional casette album for Camel cigarettes in the late 1990s. Through my point-of-sale advertising company I’d done a lot of work with tobacco giants R.J. Reynolds on their shop displays and billboard signs. I kept hounding them that I had a band in mind who sounded fantastic and we should record them for their advertising. Eventually they gave in. Basically, it was a case of “here’s a piece of money, go do some demos — now shut the fuck up and get out of our hair”. I got Van and Nat Speir from The Rivieras working on writing some material right away and called in on Roger Branch so we could get a few local musicians together. A month was spent on that album at Sea-Saint. We stayed at the Pontchartrain, one of the grand old hotels in the centre of New Orleans. Our daily ritual was to get up at around 11am for the recording sessions. We’d eat breakfast at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, then go over to the studio and work through until 2 or 3am. After that, it was back to the hotel for turtle soup and gumbo. Rinse and repeat.”

From left, Nelson Lemmond, the author, and Van Coble (image credit E. Mark Windle)

“Initially we looked at the idea of using all-star New Orleans line up. Marshall Sehorn and I tried to drag Fats Domino out of bed at noon one day which he really didn’t thank us for. We abandoned that idea. In the end we wanted the project to seem like it was featuring one band, and came up with the concept of a band of animated Camel characters. A bar band was used that played on Bourbon Street. Luther Kent was their singer, who previously played with Blood, Sweat and Tears after David Clayton Thomas left. Luther now had a big blues band called Trick Bag — whenever B.B. King or Bobby Bland were in town they would be hired to back them up. For the Camel session, Allen Toussaint also played on some of the songs to help us out. On the first day the rhythm section was having a real problem with tempo. Very politely Allen asked if he could sit in. He straightened everything out immediately. The guy was a genius.”

The RJ Reynolds / Camel promotional cassette album (image credit Nelson Lemmond).

HURRICANE KATRINA

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, it made global news. More than a century of musical and cultural heritage was wiped out in an instant. The storm surge and Mississippi levee failure had catastrophic effects: 53 breaches occurred in what were mostly ill-designed and constructed flood protection barriers. Eighty percent of the city was flooded, and water levels remained high for weeks after the storm.

The death toll attributed to the violent effects of the storm is still disputed but placed conservatively between 1000–1500 in New Orleans area alone. Hundreds of thousands were made homeless, forced to move from the area, and many were either unable or did not wish to return. Given that more than half of New Orleans residents prior to the storm were African-American, the impact on the black music industry was devastating.

On 28th August 2005, Sea-Saint Studios was wrecked by flooding and winds. Toussaint found himself without a home, a business and most of his possessions. Like thousands of others in the immediate aftermath, he initially sought safety at the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel, then relocated in the longer term to New York before eventually returning to New Orleans.

Roger Branch managed to remain in New Orleans. “Four feet of water had flooded the ground floor, and Katrina had damaged the Sea-Saint building beyond repair. But by a stroke of luck, I had a place — originally an office — on the other side of town. It was built in an elevated position. Although it only a few blocks away from the Mississippi River, it escaped damage by Katrina, other than some roof issues that we quickly repaired”.

Those office premises would become Oak Street Recording Studio, which to this day continues to record new and established artists.

Oak Street Recording Studio, 1990s (image credit Lu Roja)

The devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina didn’t deter Toussaint from picking up his career again. Within six months he was performing on the David Letterman Late Show. Offers of a number of live performance opportunities around New York were accepted before he eventually returned to a rebuilt, smaller New Orleans. Things recovered financially to some extent when he was approached by advertisers for use of his song Sweet Touch of Love, which became an award-winning TV advertisement. Toussaint continued to support the revived New Orleans music scene. He was already inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998; by 2013 Toussaint was also inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. The National Medal of Arts awarded by U.S. President Obama was the icing on the cake.

(Modified excerpt from the book The Tempests: A Carolina Soul Story, available as an ebook from A Nickel And A Nail)

(Copyright 2025) E. Mark Windle is an independent freelance writer and biographer. He has also worked as a senior writer with Story Terrace (London, UK), and for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA). To discuss services, contact Mark via https://windlefreelance.com/contact/

A Question of Famine: IPC Food Security Phases and the Gaza Debate

E. Mark Windle 25 March 2025.

(Audio version is also available here for Medium members)

Humanitarian crises management requires input from a range of invested but not necessarily directly connected agencies. One element of coordinating interventions involves common understanding of the current state of food insecurity. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) scale addresses this by capturing nutritional data, highlighting levels of severity. IPC designations have been used in Gaza since before the current conflict, and have played an essential role in facilitating action plans to improve nutritional welfare. Inevitably, they have also been a source of sparring between aid agencies and pro-Israel lobbyists.

ORIGINS

IPC designations were a concept of a division of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) working in Somalia. The country has a long history of nutritional fragility due to poverty, politics and drought. FAO’s Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit had a desperate need for a system that could capture robust data from different sources, and so enable effective utilisation of humanitarian aid.

The IPC was first rolled out in February 2004. It proved an invaluable tool later that year, when the Indian Ocean Earthquake created a tsunami, devastating coastal and rural areas of the Puntland state to the north, and displaced 50,000 people from their homes. Timely, coordinated input was required to manage the immediate and longer-term situation.

Since then, the IPC has been refined a number of times and is now the tool of choice in standardising the monitoring and description changes in food security in over 30 countries. The IPC global partnership comprises 20 intergovernmental institutions and organisations, including WHO, Save the Children, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), Action Against Hunger, and UN agencies such as UNICEF, FAO and the World Food Programme.

MALNUTRITION AND FOOD SECURITY PHASES IN BRIEF

The classification system comprises three scales which reflect reflect separate themes — global acute malnutrition (GAM), acute food insecurity (AFI), and chronic food insecurity (CFI). The severity of each is determined via the collection of raw data sets sourced from a range of settings.

Prevalence of malnutrition (GAM): from body weight and other indirect physiological measures of nutritional status. This information is verified, pooled, and categorised according to five phases of malnutrition severity. Phase 1 represents a low prevalence of GAM (less than 5–6% of children). Guidance in phase 1 emphasises continued monitoring and existing actions. Phase 5 is the upper extreme, representing a GAM prevalence of greater than 17% or 30% dependent on the basis of measurement.

Acute Food Insecurity (AFI): questionnaires are used to capture household ease of coping with sudden changes in food security. This information is converted to quantifiable data and combined with acute malnutrition values. Results are pooled and categorised according to five phases of AFI severity. Households with full and free access to essential and non-essential foods score lowest (phase 1). Phase 3 indicates an acute food security crisis, with a recommendation for urgent action to correct reduced food consumption. The priority for phase 4 (emergency) is to save lives. Phase 5 is the most severe category described as ‘catastrophic’ on a household or small group level, or ‘famine’ on an area level. Phase 5 indicates an urgent need for action to prevent or minimise widespread deaths related to malnutrition.

Chronic Food Insecurity (CFI): tools used here are similar to that for AFI phase determination. There are four levels of CFI severity. Levels 3 and 4 (moderate and severe CFI) require urgent action to address issues of ongoing deficits in food quantity which are sustained, or seasonal, and likely to provide inadequate nutrition in the household.

FAMINE DESIGNATION THRESHOLDS

From a humanitarian aid perspective, a formal definition of famine risk and famine occurrence is essential. Heralding it is not only a trigger for coordination of international action; in conflict-related situations the acknowledging the existence of famine can be used to inform legal proceedings for war crimes under international law. The ultimate purpose though of the IPC system is to identify impending situations of famine, so that governement agencies and NGOs are alerted to the need for intervention in a timely manner, with the intention of averting or minimising mass malnutrition and death.

Thresholds for an IPC-designated famine are found in phase 5 of the AFI scale:

1. At least 20% of households have an extreme lack of food and other basic needs according to food security inquiry

2. Acute malnutrition prevalence exceeds 30% based on weight-for-height “z-scores” (or lesser percentage threshold where Mid Upper Arm Circumference is used for assessment)

3. A mortality rate exceeding 2 deaths per day per 10,000 people, where those deaths are due directly to starvation or to the interaction of malnutrition and disease.

IPC guidelines also refer to the phrase “risk of famine”, but are clear that this descriptor sits outside the core classification system. It should be arrived at by consensus on a projected worst-case scenario with a reasonable and realistic chance of famine occurring. The designation of risk of famine allows for consideration of lesser quality (and quantity) of evidence. Food security and nutritional status monitoring should be routine and continuous. The IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) regularly convene to consider 3–6 monthly projections for the likelihood of famine developing.

‘RISK OF FAMINE’ DESIGNATIONS IN GAZA , POST 7 OCTOBER 2023

So how does this all fit into the current conflict in Gaza? The FRC first indicated that a risk of famine existed two months after the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In March 2024, projected analysis concluded famine would be expected at some point between mid-March and May in northern Gaza and wider Gazan governates. Monitoring the situation, FEWS NET conducted an IPC-compatible analysis of food security in the same timeframe. It was concluded famine was indeed established and had been ongoing in northern Gaza during April.

The FRC followed this up with a review of the FEWS NET findings. While the FRC felt the FEWS NET evidence was not necessarily contradictory, it was not robust enough to categorise famine with certainty. The FRC had noted that the amount of food and non-food commodities entering Gaza had actually increased, and WASH systems had also been scaled up in line with IPC guidance. Based on the FRC review, the opinion was that it was more plausible that all areas in Gaza were in a lesser emergency situation (IPC phase 4) during May and June; and that this would likely remain the position until the next FRC analysis in October. It was, however, emphasised that famine would continue to pose a genuine threat for as long as conflict continued or humanitarian access was restricted.

Despite the FRC conclusions made a month earlier, in July 2024 the UN issued a press release stating that a group of independent experts—UN advisors—concluded that famine had spread throughout the entire Gaza Strip. The rationale was that at least 40 children had died directly as a result of malnutrition since the start of the war. That information in itself was not fit for IPC-designation of famine.

In October and November, one year into the conflict, the UN were now classing the whole territory of Gaza as in an IPC phase 4 (emergency) situation. UN estimates were that 1.8 million Palestinians were experiencing extremely critical levels of hunger, with limited access to food and 70% of crop fields destroyed. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commented on social media:

“Alarmed by today’s IPC report findings that high displacement and restrictions on humanitarian aid flows mean people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of hunger… widespread famine looms. This is intolerable.”

Between 2011 and 2024, the FRC categorised four episodes of famine in the world; one in Somalia and three in Sudan. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, various agencies have expressed concerns of famine developing in Gaza. Warnings have usually been accompanied by a statement that famine will occur if there is no immediate ceasefire to allow aid passage. As yet however, IPC famine has not been designated by the FRC.

ISRAEL DENIES FOOD SHORTAGE

Contradictory official reports and ad hoc comments from representatives of humanitarian aid organisations, plus media quests for headline-selling soundbites have all had the potential to create ambiguity and public confusion. Israeli officials and pro-Israeli lobbyists frequently voice that the pushing of a narrative of impending famine is inaccurate, discredits Israel, and fosters anti-Israeli sentiment.

In the spring of 2024, Colonel Moshe Tetro of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) agency went on record denying that there was any shortage of food in Gaza. His comment likely came from a report, unpublished or peer reviewed at the time, that between January and April of that year there had been an average of 3,163kcal per person per day of aid delivered. Well in excess of individual baseline requirements. The figure was informed by COGAT data on the number of aid trucks entering Gaza, consignment weights of specific foods, and the nutritional composition of standard food parcels.

However, the apparent abundance of food was in stark contrast with that observed on the ground in most, if not all parts of Gaza. The COGAT view was essentially that if food wasn’t reaching civilians once it was inside the Gaza Strip, that was not a matter for Israel — internal distribution chains were not their responsibility.

Crowd looting, the interception of food drop-offs by organised gangs, the hoarding of food by Hamas, and the threat of executions of those who liaise with Israel in the distribution of aid have indeed been reported. But equally, access to food delivered by truck has been hampered on multiple occasions by Israeli forces inside Gaza, by roadblocks, forced offloading of aid in military zones where civilians have no access, and drop-offs at schools and other public buildings which are immediately targeted by Israeli soldiers and civilians forced to leave empty handed.

ALLEGATIONS OF DATA MISHANDLING

In Review of Famine Reports earlier this year, UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) claimed a number of fundamental flaws appear in work by the IPC/FRC, FAO and FEWS NET. Criticisms include the use of inaccurate statistics, misinterpretation of raw data and poor data processing to arrive at a risk of famine designation. According to UKLFI, food and water supply data was overlooked, erroneous baseline data used to support a projection of rapidly developing malnutrition, mortality statistics were based on partly unverified data and were poorly handled, and an overestimation of population size reduced the amount of food available per person.

The group also stressed that famine narratives from Guterres and other high level UN representatives were building an atmosphere of urgency, when according to IPC’s own guidance, “risk of famine” terminology refers specifically to a worst-case scenario, rather than the most likely outcome. Of course, UKLFI’s pro-Israel agenda is obvious, with a past history of lodging complaints (with limited success) against protests and charities that support the Gaza causes. But with a formal response to the report still awaited, the validity of their comments remain unchallenged.

DIFFICULTIES OF DATA COLLECTION AND INTERPRETATION

IPC threshold values are generally accepted as logical and the face-value descriptors for each phase designation clear. One limitation is system clunkiness, characterised by caveats, exclusions, and scenario deviations requiring specific considerations when collecting data. Unfortunately this leaves users of a system which is designed to be constructive tool open to criticism. It also leaves famine-related designations subject to debate, especially by pro-Israeli entities who work to block anything that could further cement any references to the possibility of genocide.

IPC phase designations are best informed by strong evidence. The threshold for famine requires the availability of solid statistical information on food insecurity, malnutrition and deaths. The most robust evidence comes from first hand sources, is complete, and can be relied upon to be accurate.

The reality, however, is that high quality evidence is often difficult to obtain in conflict zones. In an IPC context, weights and anthropometric measurements for malnutrition statistics can only be taken where health services are operational. Where these services are located in centralised hubs rather than in camps, individuals can only access these services if it is safe to do so, and then often only if the facility is near enough to access on foot. Sample sizes may be small, and findings require additional assumptions for scaling up and inference.

Death rates are equally tricky to interpret. Rates used in inform famine classification should only reflect those only those caused directly by starvation, or the interaction of malnutrition and disease, rather than total death rate. Where the total mortality is known, deaths from trauma (such as combat or sudden civilian deaths in targeted residential areas) should be excluded — or assumptions made where trauma deaths are unobtainable. Determination of the number of deaths related to malnutrition is particularly complex because of the interrelationships between malnutrition, disease and, where present, injury. Death from sepsis or from dehydration can occur in overwhelming infective disease, with or without the presence of malnutrition. So, at an individual level, documentation is required of both the primary cause of death and whether or not malnutrition is present.

Regardless of when or whether the FRC bell will ring to announce the arrival of famine in Gaza, only blinkered deniers will contest that the numbers dying from frank malnutrition, disease-related malnutrition, and injuries complicated by infection and poor nutritional status will be high. Potentially, much more than the 50,000 total deaths currently reported. The strive for best evidence—or failing that, best consensus—is crucial for humanitarian and legal calls to action. Undeniably, the collection and interpretation of food insecurity and malnutrition data in Gaza has been problematic. But we shouldn’t be throwing the baby out with the bath water.

(Copyright 2025) E. Mark Windle is a freelance writer, with a former 25-year career as a clinical dietitian specialising in major burn injury and critical care nutrition. He has also worked as a senior writer for Story Terrace (London, UK), and as a ghostwriter for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA).

One Dollar Cover, Warm Beer and Good Old Soul Music

E. Mark Windle 22 March 2025.

I reckon there will be a few tears shed in the Carolina Rock n Roll Remembered and I Remember the Cellar Facebook groups this week. I just discovered on my social media feed that The Cellar burned down early Saturday morning. Once upon a time, this place really meant something to the music-loving teenagers of Charlotte.

The first time I set eyes on this venue was 12 years ago. I’ve got to admit, by then it looked it had seen better days. Complete with tattered awning, overgrown weeds out front, and dwarfed by the glass and metal high-rise monoliths on the opposite side of Morehead Street, The Cellar’s presence seemed at odds with the rest of the urban landscape.

It was business that brought me to North Carolina that day. A couple of old timer musicians were teed up for interview as part of a new book project. I was here to meet Nat Speir, first on my list. His claim to fame was his role as sax player and co-founder The Rivieras, a Charlotte band who enjoyed repeat bookings at The Cellar. Their one record, “Behold”, got a fair amount of airplay during the mid ’60s, but without a manager or decent promotion, national success eluded them. Nat had no issue with that though (in a twist of fate, the record had a new lease of life when the flipside was “rediscovered” 20 years later by an underground soul scene in the UK).

Nat was just happy enjoying life on the stage and the road, creating music and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Gladys Knight (before her Motown days), Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs of “Stay” fame, and Curtis Mayfield with the rest of The Impressions. In fact, throughout his whole life Nat been involved in the industry in one way or another. When I met him, he was just about to retire as a music teacher.

With Nat Speir outside The Cellar (2013).

This was my first visit to Charlotte. After being treated to a whirlwind tour of the main sights Nat suggested it might be fun to try find the old place. It had been decades since The Rivieras last played The Cellar. It took an age to get our bearings, but eventually we were climbing over the wall of an abandoned parking lot and peering through the grated windows of the old red-brick building.

I was already aware of some of The Cellar’s history. Its heyday was in the ’60s, when the cover was one dollar. And it was something of a mecca for those who came to hear their regular favourite bands and guest appearances from out of state. OK, so it wasn’t always swinging from the rafters. But the local bands had a very loyal crowd, and whenever soul acts came to town the place was sure to be rocking. For many kids, this was the first chance to see singers perform who had previously only been heard on Big Ways or on late night WLAC. Old Cellar bill posters read like a who’s who of R&B singers, groups and beach music bands: The Rivieras, The Tempests, The Tams, The Soul Set, The Catalinas, The Georgia Prophets, Billy Stewart, Archie Bell and the Drells and many more. One band, Soul Inc., even recorded a live LP there.

Image courtesy of Malcolm Collins.

When Motown or Stax artists came to town it was logistically easier—and cheaper—to hire local bands as backup. The nearby Park Center had the capacity to host the larger shows, but The Cellar saw more than its fair share of household names. The Rivieras played both; at one point maybe twice a week and at weekends.

Once they were connected with Ted Hall’s Hit Attractions and other agencies, bookings for The Rivieras came in to open for or back up a huge array of visiting recording stars. Nat recalls: “We ended up playing with just about every major soul and R&B act of the day that came to the southeast — Stevie Wonder, The Tops, The Temps, The Marvelettes, The Platters, The Olympics, The Five Royals, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, Barbara Lewis, Peaches and Herb, Wilson Pickett… Did I miss anyone out?”

I live on the wrong side of the Atlantic and would have been far too young for The Cellar anyway, but multiple references from former Cellar-goers had provided some sense of the atmosphere. Hot sticky summer nights. Warm beer. And, on busy nights, the crowd packed in like sardines.

Image courtesy of Malcolm Collins.

“Growing up in the south—in my neighbourhood and in that era—meant you loved soul and Motown,” says Jackie Freeman Panos. The Cellar was our weekly fix. We had fake ID cards to get in, but alcohol laws were different then anyway; you could drink beer at eighteen. The place was dark, crowded and LOUD! We’d wiggle through until we got next to the stage during the live band performances. It was just a magical age to socialise, listen to music and dance the night away. If a group of boys were on that could really play soul music, the girls would go crazy!”

Eventually those teenagers entered adulthood, and life moved on. College, jobs, Vietnam, and marriage were calling. The halcyon days of soul music were fading, at least in these parts. Stax and the Motor City were still producing the goods, but like much of the South, Charlotte youth were hungry for something new.

Southern rock was now the thing. But The Cellar’s attempts to keep up with musical, social and cultural shifts of the times were met with only varying degrees of success. By the late ‘70s a new generation of kids were done with the Allman Brothers and the Marshall Tucker Band. The Cellar tried disco for a while. Then in the 1980s it was country music time, along with temporary venue name change to Country Underground. It changed again to Machine Gun Kelly’s. Then, I’ve been told, it was back to The Cellar and finally the Morehead Tavern. Somewhere along the line, that building by the rail track had lost its soul and fizzled out as social gathering place.

Nat preferred happier memories. As we headed back to his place, tales of the good old days continued. The afternoon was spent sampling Mrs Speir’s fine Key Lime pie, holding court over how much the city had changed through the decades, and discussing our mutual respect for soul music. When done, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Two weeks later I was back in the UK. Three months on, It’s Better To Cry was written, and by Christmas it was published. In time, Nat was even inspired to write his memoirs. We continue to stay in touch to this day.

8am, Saturday 15 March 2025: Charlotte Fire Department are called to a huge blaze at Morehead Tavern. As the emergency services attempt to deal with the incident, the roof and upper floor collapse. Within a matter of hours, the whole building is razed to the ground. At this point nobody knows how it started, though there’s no shortage of speculation (“insurance fraud — it’s hardly ever open”) and incurious comments (“nobody ever goes there anymore”). Meanwhile older folks feel the need to mourn the loss of an old friend, and start sharing their treasured memories on social media.

Surrounded by prime real estate, I’m sure the demolition will soon make way for another office building and it’ll seem like The Cellar never existed. Gone maybe, but for one generation never to be forgotten.

(Copyright 2025) E. Mark Windle is an independent freelance writer and biographer. He has also worked as a senior writer with Story Terrace (London, UK), and for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA). To discuss services, contact Mark via https://windlefreelance.com/contact/