Page 13 - 4-3-15 Friday's Edition

FLORIDA SENTINEL FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015
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Entrepreneur Plans Birthday Bash And Comedy Weekend
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Each person has a different method used to cele- brate his or her birth. Some allow the date to past without notice while others want the world to know about that special day.
One of those individuals who places a lot of em- phasis on the anniversary of his birth is Tampa en- trepreneur, Too Smooth. He recently celebrated his birthday on March 28th, but the real celebration will take place Friday, April 3rd, and Saturday, April 4th.
The events for Friday will take place at the TACE Lounge & Restaurant, 14380 N. Dale Mabry High- way. The evening will begin with live entertainment by R & B group Fanta-C, Jeffrey Nugent will demonstrate his talents as a violinist, and imperson- ator James Alderman will round out the evening’s entertainment.
The party will kick off at 9:30 p.m., with DJ Rock-It-Rod, and the concert will begin at 11 p.m. The following day, the birthday celebration will
culminate with the “So Much Laughter In The Burg” Comedy Show. The featured comedian is Bruh Man, from the Martin Lawrence sitcom entitled, “Martin.”
The show will also feature color blind BET come-
TOO SMOOTH
dian Red Bone and Batman, of St. Petersburg, who will appear at the Palladium Theater, 253 5th Av- enue, North in downtown St. Petersburg.
Too Smooth said he hosts the event every year because Tampa was missing adult entertainment. The Tampa native decided to do something about it and the Birthday Bash & Comedy Weekend was born.
He created the stage name of Too Smooth while attending Florida Memorial College, majoring in Business Management. The next step in his career as a promoter was to open a channel for entertainment in the Tampa Bay Area.
The 11th child of Ms. Mildred Roundtree, Too Smooth credits his success to his grandmother Ms. Eunice Golden. The life lessons she taught him has allowed him to hone his talents in the areas of mar- keting, promotion, advertising and negotiating cou- pled with his honesty, integrity, dedication, determination and faith.
He decided to specialize in comedy because of its ability to serve as a stress reliever from life’s chal- lenges. “Laughter is an inexpensive way of healing the mind, body, and soul,” the father of two daugh- ters said.
He also feels that prayer and praise, along with staying focused and being disciplined helped to cre- ate his formula for success. For more information about the birthday celebration call (813) 244-7474; or visit www.mypalladium.org.
The ‘Bodyguard To The Stars’ Still Going Strong
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Born in St. Mary and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Nathan McCalla remembers as a small child how he’d get beat up all the time.
“I got tired of that, so I de- cided to take martial arts classes. By the time I was 12, I had avenged all of the beatings I took, and felt I had learned enough. I later decided to stick with it, and look at what that decision has done for me.”
Known the world over as “Karate Mac,” for 10 years he was a quartermaster and drove ships in and out of ports in Jamaica.
“That was quite an experi- ence. I remember when I was a kid, passengers on the ships would throw money into the water, and we’d jump in to get it. That’s when I decided I’d rather be on the ship than div- ing into the water.
“I had already started doing bodyguard work in Ja- maica for all the big events, and when I came to the states, I found out I could get paid for it.”
Karate Mac came to the United States in 1968 after vis- iting the country as a kid working aboard the cruise ships. He also did some secu-
NATHAN MCCALLA “Karate Mac”
Karate Mac drives undefeated world champion Floyd May- weather, Jr. around town.
rity work in the New York City area before coming to Tampa as the bodyguard for Tampa bar and nightclub entrepre- neur, Eugene O’Steen.
“From my work with Gene, I was able to get even more work and expand my services.
“Aside from being a body- guard and limousine driver, I operated a martial arts school and also taught in adult school for 32 years. I also did some work in the West Tampa com- munity.
“Because of all the work I started getting as a bodyguard, I closed the schools, and started driving limousines.”
Karate Mac said in the years since he’s become a bodyguard, he’s appeared in 35 movies, appeared in 12 music videos, and in the 35 movies, he was killed in 17 of them.
“I would have never en- joyed this kind of success in Jamaica. I would have never met all of the celebrities and athletes, or worked for some of the wealthiest people in the world.
“I’ve had the opportunity to travel to every corner of the world, including Russia, and although some might not know it, I’ve worked with a lot of white artists and groups.”
Karate Mac has had a stellar career protecting artist such as the late Whitney Houston, Jodeci, R. Kelly, Willie Nelson, Julio Igle- sias, George Michaels, Diana Ross, Stevie Won- der, The O’Jays, Boyz II Men, Destiny’s Child, Rick Ross, Meek Mills, White Snake, David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Def Le- pard, Elton John, Judds, KC and The Sunshine Band, Jon B., Tempta- tions, SOS Band, Com- modores, Beastie Boys, Millie Jackson, BB King, Stevie Nicks, Luther Van- dross and many more.
The business of being a bodyguard has slowed down a lot over the past 8 years, and the last show Karate Mac did was for Ginuwine and Keith Sweat.
“I think the work slowed down, because people felt less threatened. Most of the work I get now is being a chauffeur. What I’d like to do is work with one affluent family as their bodyguard and chauf- feur.”
Karate Mac has a brother involved in the personal secu- rity business, and his daughter works at a Juvenile Detention Center in Tampa.