73-year-old soul singer assaulted after dedicating song to Trayvon Martin
A 73-year-old soul singer is recovering after being assaulted by a woman at a blues festival on Saturday after dedicating a song to Trayvon Martin.
Lester Chambers, best known for his work with the 1960s soul group The Chambers Brothers, was performing at the Hayward/Russell City Blues Festival in Haywood, Calif., and had just dedicated Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" to the slain Florida teenager when a woman jumped on stage and attacked him, police say.
The woman, 43-year-old Dinalynn Andrews Potter, was subdued by security, arrested and taken into custody. She was cited for battery and released, but could face additional charges, Hayward Police Lt. Ruben Pola told the San Jose Mercury News.
"She had a crazed look in her eye," Kurt Kangas, a friend of Chambers, told the paper. "I saw the devil there."
According to witnesses, Andrews Potter yelled "it's all your fault" before the attack.
Chambers was taken to the hospital and released late Saturday. He suffered a bruised rib, muscle and nerve damage, according to his son, Dylan Chambers.
Dylan Chambers posted a photo of his father to Facebook with what appears to be a large welt on his side.
"He is sore all over," Dylan Chambers wrote.
Lester Chambers was not the only musician to pay tribute to Martin over the weekend.
Beyoncé held a moment of silence during her concert at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday. The show started shortly after George Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges in the shooting death of 17-year-old.
On Sunday, Beyoncé's husband Jay-Z paused during his set at the Yahoo! Wireless Festival in London. "Rest in peace, Trayvon Martin," the rapper said.
A Tribe Called Quest dedicated their entire set at the Wireless festival to Trayvon. "I don't want to be a downer but yesterday, in America, we saw a miscarriage of justice," Q-Tip said. "It's not the first time this has happened. Pray for us ... we need help."
