New Bedford, Providence renames street in honor of Tavares Brothers

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — City officials in New Bedford and Providence gathered with the community to honor homegrown musicians the Tavares Brothers by renaming a part of Griffin Street after them.

Tavares Brothers’ Way runs from John F. Kennedy Boulevard to South 2nd Street just south of Downtown New Bedford, while the same name is located at the intersection of South Main Street and Power Street in Providence.

New Bedford renames a street for local R&B group the Tavares Brothers. (City of New Bedford)

The brothers, Arthur “Pooch” Tavares, Ralph Tavares, Antone “Chubby” Tavares, Feliciano “Butch” Tavares, Victor Tavares, and Perry “Tiny” Tavares, have been performing together since 1959, and lived in both cities.

“The Tavares Brothers gained worldwide fame through their timeless hit songs, but we in New Bedford know them for their many contributions to the city, especially its Cape Verdean community,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “We’re proud to honor their enduring achievements with the renaming of a street in the country’s first Cape Verdean neighborhood.”

Providence Councilman John Goncalves, meanwhile, said the name change “commemorates the contributions and legacy of the Tavares Brothers in the Providence community.”

Tavares won a Grammy in 1978 for their performance of “More Than a Woman” from the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, and went on multiple worldwide tours with acts like Jackson 5, KC and The Sunshine Band, the Bee Gees, and Marvin Gaye.