LOOK BACK KAPPA HISTORY
Conclave Entertainment Headliners, 1956-2023
DECEMBER 1956, 46th GCM
Atlanta, GA
Dizzy Gillespie
AUGUST 1961 , 50th GCM
Bloomington, IN
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
AUGUST 1974, 59th GCM
Las Vegas, NV
The Four Tops
AUGUST 1976, 61st GCM
Denver, CO
B.B. King
AUGUST 1979, 62nd GCM
Chicago, IL
Nancy Wilson
AUGUST 1980, 63rd GCM
Atlanta, GA
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, jazz violinist Noel Pointer, and The SOS Band
AUGUST 1986, 67th GCM
Indianapolis, IN
Nancy Wilson
AUGUST 1988, 68th GCM
Dallas, TX
Midnight Starr
DECEMBER 1989 , 69th GCM
Los Angeles, CA
Jazz singer Joe Williams and jazz organist Jimmy Smith
AUGUST 1995, 72nd GCM
Philadelphia, PA
Jazz musicians Billy Taylor (Alpha Phi 1939), Donald Byrd (Omicron 1955), and Kenny Burrell (Alpha Beta 1953)
AUGUST 1997, 73rd GCM
Detroit, MI
Issac Hayes*
AUGUST 1999, 74th GCM
Atlanta, GA
The Dramatics, The Stylistics, and Regina Belle
AUGUST 2001, 75th GCM
Cleveland, OH
The O’Jays
AUGUST 2003, 76th GCM
Charlotte, NC
Jeffrey Osborne
AUGUST 2005, 77th GCM
St. Louis, MO
Angela Bofill, Cedric “The Entertainer” Kyles (Beta Nu 1984)
AUGUST 2007, 78th GCM
Minneapolis MN
Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band
AUGUST 2009, 79th GCM
Washington, DC
Stephanie Mills and Comedian Alfred "Finesse" Mitchell (Iota Chi 1991)
AUGUST 2011, 80th GCM
Indianapolis, IN
Toni Braxton, En Vogue, Kappa Kings of Komedy: Cedric “The Entertainer” Kyles, Thomas "Nephew Tommy" Miles (Beta Upsilon 1986), and Finesse Mitchell
AUGUST 2013, 81st GCM
Houston, TX
Chante Moore, Eric Benet, and Ledisi, Comedian Red Grant (Gamma Chi 1990)
JULY 2023, 86th GCM
Tampa. FL
Tamia and Anthony Hamilton
SOURCE: GCM itineraries listed in Kappa Alpha Psi Journals *Held in conjunction with General Motors
Louis, MO, the Loving Cup Ceremony, now in service, was presented to the Grand Chapter.” Closed Banquet: The earliest Grand Chapter Meeting Closed Banquet occurred at the 4th Grand Chapter Meeting in 1914, with Grand Pole- march Elder Watson Diggs as the keynote speaker. The Closed Banquet has been a staple of the Grand Chapter Meeting ever since, typically occurring on the last night of the Conclave. Grand Prom/Ball: The Grand Prom/ Ball concludes the Conclave activities
and has been a staple of Conclaves since the first house party in 1911. Brothers and their female guests wore formal attire and elaborate gowns, respectively. The early affairs were named “Proms” and held at local dance halls and auditoriums. By the early 1950s, the designation changed to “Ball.” This tradition did not change until 1995. On the final evening of the Conclave, the newly elected Grand Polemarch has an official recep- tion, followed by an Official Family
Promenade to open the Grand Chapter Closed Ball. Step Shows: As the expressive per- formance of stepping by Black Greek letter organizations grew in popularity throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, step shows began to appear and began to proliferate during the early 1980s Conclaves. The first Conclave where a step show appeared as part of the official schedule of events was the 66th Grand Chapter Meeting in 1985. Kappa Quiz Bowl: In August 1997, during the 73rd Grand Chapter
40 THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2024-2025
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