WAR will receive its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday June 5 – 56 years after the band was formed in Long Beach, Calif.
Comedian George Lopez, whose eponymous sitcom (2002-07) featured War’s 1975 smash “Low Rider” as its theme song, is set to speak at the event. In a fun twist, the group is scheduled to arrive at the star ceremony in low riders provided by four car clubs – Imperial Car Club, Groupe ELA, Spirit Car Club, and Southern Life Car Club.
Music producer Jimmy Jam will emcee the ceremony, which will take place at 11:30 a.m. PT at 6212 Hollywood Boulevard. It is the 2,814th star ceremony and will be streamed live exclusively at walkoffame.com.
The honor is shared by original members Lonnie Jordan, Harold Brown, Howard Scott, Lee Oskar and Jerry Goldstein; late members Charles Miller, Morris Dickerson and Thomas Sylvester Allen; and current members Salvador Rodriguez, Marcos Reyes, Rene Camacho, Scott Martin, Mitchell Kashmar and James Zota Baker.
WAR had four top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including one that reached No. 1 in 1973, The World Is a Ghetto. It had six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with the funky “The Cisco Kid” climbing as high as No. 2 in 1973 – kept from the top spot by Tony Orlando & Dawn’s resolutely unfunky “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree.”
“Low Rider,” released in 1975, was its only No. 1 on what was then called Hot Soul Singles (and is now called Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs). “Low Rider” has since become the band’s signature song. It was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.
WAR’s signature fusion of funk, soul, jazz, Latin, rock and street music made their music stand out in the 1970s, along with their ability to weave social messages into their songs, notably on “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” WAR have been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame three times (2009, 2012, 2015), but have yet to get the nod.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce administers the Walk of Fame for the City of Los Angeles and has hosted these star ceremonies for decades.