Abdullah

ABDULLAH
Joseph McLean was born in Brooklyn, New York and became a follower of Elijah Muhammad whilst in prison, converting to Islam and taking the name Abdullah. After arriving in Detroit (he supposedly walked carrying just his acoustic guitar) and becoming friendly with Frank Wilson and Hank Cosby, Abdullah got a deal with the Soul imprint, releasing the single I Comma Zimba Zio (Here I Stand The Mighty One) backed with Why Them, Why Me in October 1968.

When it didn't sell, Abdullah blamed the white staff of Motown for frustrating the promotional effort on his single and got into a heated argument with executive Ralph Seltzer over the matter. The argument ended with Abdullah pulling a machete, knife or letter opener (depending on who's telling the story) on Seltzer and being booted out of the building and off the label in double quick time.

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