"I had a nice body"

Without question, one of the most colorful moments in this documentary center around the time spent with Lottie "the Body" Graves, a former exotic dancer who, "co-starred," as she once said, with many musicians for Motown and jazz performers in and outside of Detroit, among them Grant Green.

 

I had heard the name Lottie "The Body" before we met her at Bomac's Lounge in Detroit in 1995 while shooting the film. I just didn't know it. She is the Lottie "the Body" to which Fred Sanford referred in his hit show "Sanford and Son." Born in Syracuse, New York, Graves' family relocated to New York City where she learned modern dance and ballet, among other types of styles. 

How did she get the name? As Ms. Graves  - who was still beautiful at the time of our meeting -  told Grant Jr., a male dance classmate recognized her curvy appeal (said Lottie, "I had a nice body"). He named her "The Body," deciding that he would also add "Lottie" to the title. The name stuck.

Ms. Graves first met Grant Green, the father, in the 1960s at the Champagne Supper Club in San Francisco, an after-hours spot that found artists fellowshipping while dining over great meals that included lobster. They crossed paths more often in the 1970s after Grant relocated from New York to Detroit, his final home (he is a native of St. Louis). I won't say too much more as she says it all in the documentary, but know that she found him to be an incredible human being. 

For more on Ms. Graves, see this writing.

I recently sent a letter to Ms. Graves and everyone still living who appeared in this film, which, again,  was shot 20 years ago and is only now being completed. I wanted to share the news that the film is finally almost done. One letter has already been returned.

I hope that I will be able to meet some of the folks we met years ago in the near future. I am also trying to find some members of the film crew. If you participated on this project, please email me.