Joseph McCalop:
CLASS OF 1976
Plainfield High SchoolClass of 1976
Plainfield, NJ
Joseph's Story
Life
Joseph G. McCalop Jr., was born on March 6,1958 in Sampson County North Carolina. He moved to Newark, New Jersey at the age of six. Joseph attended Avon Avenue School, and Clinton Place Jr. High School. He and his family moved to Plainfield New Jersey after the Newark riots where he graduated from Plainfield High School in 1976. He attended Montclair State College for one year before joining the U.S. Air Force. Joseph spent time in Texas, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Florida, and traveled around the world. While in the Air Force he injured his back. Soon after the injury he was awarded a 100% service connected disability and retired. He is presently living in Atlanta, Georgia and has started his own Entertainment and Promotions business. He calls his company, ÂBe Positive Entertainment and Promotions.Â
As a child, Joseph showed an interest in music and acting. He learned to play the drums in his fatherÂs church where his father was the Pastor. In High School, he was taught to perform on stage for the audience and to believe in his talents by Glenn Coins, one of the lead singers, and guitarist for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. He played in local bands and has done some recording. While in the Air Force he joined a group called Good To Go and a gospel group called The Virginia Reeves Singers, starring William Hardy Jr. of the Broadway play - Your Arms To Short To Box With God. With these groups, he toured Germany and the Netherlands.
After leaving the Air Force, Joseph moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina. He enrolled in Fayetteville State University under Vocational Rehabilitation as a Disabled Veteran. He...Expand for more
joined a local band Called The Chocolate Buttermilk Band and traveled with Evelyn Champaign King, sat in with The Ohio Players, Joe Simon and Clarence Carter. After leaving that band, he joined a gospel group called The Divine Voices of Faith.
Joseph soon left North Carolina to move to Atlanta, Georgia. There he was reunited with a group from Plainfield, New Jersey called The Voltage Brothers, (then called Funky Heavy). He traveled with them for a while then decided to give up the road. He married his girlfriend that he had met in North Carolina and settled down. He still had the urge to perform, but knew that life on the road was no longer for him due to his back injury.
Joseph met Crystal Fox of the television series, In The Heat Of The Night. After talking to her and some motivation from her, he tried out for an acting role for the movie Gordie. He was given a small part in the movie and was liked by a casting agent for In The Heat of The Night. He was given several parts and was tutored by Howard Rollins and they became fast friends. He was offered parts in other movies and television. He appeared in a Television commercial with Elijah Woods of the movie Lord of the Rings that aired during Super bowl 1994.
His most recent roles were in the movie The Fighting Temptations- Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Drum Line-staring Nick Cannon, Fled-starring Lawrence Fishburne, the TV series Savannah and the Disney movie Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington.
Joseph is still pursuing his acting interests. He feels that acting and playing music is great, but education, faith, prayer, and trust in God is most important.
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