Stanley Adkins Culbreth

A lifelong Philadelphian, Stanley liked to be called “Stan the Man,” which seemed a fitting way to describe someone who was in the business of promoting events, engaging in causes, and “getting things done.” He grew up during the Great Depression with two younger brothers and his mother, and graduated from Dobbins Technical School. Islam became his religion in the early 1950s, not long after marrying Victoria Young and having the first of 13 children.

In later life Stanley was most often referred to as the former head of the Philadelphia chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He thought he could do better as a more aggressive leader but he was dropped in 1972 when questions arose about his handling of receipts from a charity banquet. He was later restored to the post but he lost it again in 1976 in a dispute with other SCLC officials. The national office revoked the chapter’s charter until 1983 when someone else took over.

Staging events, “handling talent,” and getting publicity was Stanley’s thing. He pulled off a high-profile event known as Black Expo in 1973. But it reportedly lost $200,000 after several entertainers, including Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack, failed to appear. That resulted in claims of  deceptive advertising that were later dropped. In his defense he said he was a premier promoter, a born salesman, and an “honest hustler.” A second attempt in 1974 failed when he couldn’t pay the rent for  the event space in advance and the city taxes which were past due.

His record of confrontations with law enforcement began in the 1950s. By 1963 Stanley had been arrested 26 times and convicted nine times for crimes including armed robbery, larceny, burglary, forgery, and false pretense. 

At one point, probably in the late 1960s, he operated a record store and, from the same location, Nationwide Charities, Inc. of which he was president. Over a two-year time frame the firm lost $250,000 and went out of business.

His 27th arrest came after an incident where he leased ten cars from Pacifico Ford in late 1976. Several months later the car dealer complained to police that four of them had not been returned. They were leased to Sock It To Them Exterminating Company, which Stanley owned. The 1977 arrest was made because he wrote three checks that year to Pacifico (one drawn on the account of the defunct SCLC chapter) and they all bounced. 

Of course, having a record reflects on the past, but the man was always looking ahead. In his defense, while seeking (and failing) to win an at-large City Council seat in 1979, Stanley viewed it as an asset. “I’m proud of everything I’ve done in my life. My record will help me deal with the people in the ghetto.” A similar statement was made in 1972:

However, 1979 was the year he added to that record yet again. A month after the primary race, he was arrested for failing to appear in 1974 to face a charge of writing a bad check. That was minor, however, compared to what came next. In August a federal grand jury accused him and several others of making and distributing $24 million worth of methamphetamine from 1976 to 1979. 

Stanley rented an office, claiming it was for the non-existent SCLC chapter, and it shared space and also the same phone line as the exterminating company. He set that up to cover purchases of the chemicals to make the drugs. The guilty verdict came in late December and he was sentenced to five years in federal prison but was paroled after three. 

The family also suffered as a result. A bank took possession of his home at 2462 Bryn Mawr Avenue in the Wynnefield neighborhood the day after his August arrest. The house was purchased in 1977, but less than a year later the Culbreths filed for bankruptcy protection. His creditors were held at bay for the next two years because a judge accepted his promises to stage promotions that would raise the money. Among his failed plans was an intended Marvin Gaye concert that he thought would gross $1 million, getting Muhammad Ali at an exhibition bout, and raffling off a Rolls Royce.

After all, “Stan the Man” had plenty of experience in the promotion business where the failures often outweighed the successes. Of course, they were also not as widely reported as the failures. Out of prison after 39 months, Stanley was ready to go fishing in the promotions pond once again.

He staged an intimate gathering in 1983 that made the newspaper, not because it was well publicized, but because it wasn’t supposed to be. He put together a quiet affair, an invitation-only champagne reception for singer Lena Horne. After her performance one night that September at the Forrest Theater, she not only made an appearance at the Panorama Club at 15th and Locust Streets, she stayed for two hours to mingle with the delighted patrons.

Success never felt so sweet, so Stanley must have felt ready to rejoin the big leagues. Two months later he brought the Gap Band to the Civic Center and said he broke even, although only 1400 tickets were sold in a hall that seats 11,000. Then he worked every angle he could to win the bid to be the local black promoter of the 1985 Michael Jackson Victory Tour that was coming to Philadelphia. Unfortunately, he lost that bid and lost $100,000 in the attempt.

Over the years that followed, his days in the limelight were few, although he was a familiar voice on talk radio programs. His obituary says one of his favorite songs was an appropriate one, “My Way.” He died of cancer in 1998, survived by his wife, his mother, all 13 children, 28 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.