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Partners With Moffitt Cancer Center:
Music Industry Superstar And Health Advocate, Full Force’s Paul Anthony Uses Both To Educate And Change Lives
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Staff Writer
For more than 30 years, Paul Anthony has been known as the front- man and co-founder of R&B group, Full Force.
The group – which in- cludes Anthony’s broth- ers, B-Fine and Bow-Legged Lou – came into prominence in the 1980s, producing top records for artists, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam and boy band, N’Sync while ap- pearing in movies, House Party and its sequel and releasing their own hits, like “Ain’t My Type of Hype.”
The brothers and other
group members – cousins Shy-Shy, Curt T-T, and
Baby Gee – sported Force. bodybuilder-like profiles complete with ripped muscles
PAUL ANTHONY
Paul Anthony and his brothers and cousins are members of Full
and bulging biceps.
Health and fitness wasn’t
an act, but a genuine image embraced by the members, Anthony said in a recent telephone interview.
Turns out, that was a good thing.
Five years ago, Anthony was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer that upsets the produc- tion of normal blood cells.
The years of conditioning his body – as well as mind and spirit – proved to be just what was needed to endure years of treatment including a bone marrow donation from Bow- Legged Lou.
“When (the cancer) came, I was ready,” he said.
These days, the cancer is in full remission and An- thony uses his experience to help other cancer patients.
Anthony said his diagno- sis was devastating, but cred- its his strong faith and family support for helping him get through that difficult time.
“It enhanced my outlook on life,” he said.
These days, Anthony crisscrosses the country per- forming with his brothers and spreading his message of the importance of cancer aware- ness, especially among African-Americans.
Here in Tampa, that’s blossomed into a partnership with H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. Over the last year, he’s visited the city on behalf of the hospital to help it develop
and launch the George Edge- comb Society, a cancer out- reach program targeting the African-American commu- nity. Edgecomb was Hills- borough County’s first Black judge, who died at a very young age in 1976 of leuke- mia.
It’s also resulted in team- ing up with husband and wife, Keith Harris and Atty. Monica Williams Harris’s KeMon Connects to host The Explicit Experience at The Ritz Ybor. Originally sched- uled to take place this Satur- day, it’s been postponed until May.
Anthony said these inti- mate settings are effective in getting information and re- sources to his fans.
“When I have their undi- vided attention, I give them a message,” he said. “We’re raising the awareness and vi- bration.”
Anthony said the bonus is he’s able to reach both old fans and millennial who have discovered the group, thanks to the internet.
“Thank God, because of the internet, they find us,” he said. “That’s how you live for- ever.”
Anthony said he enjoys visiting Tampa and jokes that he’d move if “there’s a job for deputy mayor.”
For now, the focus is on preventing more deaths to cancer.
“If my journey can help impact a life, my job is done,” he said.
FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-A