WEBVTT - Questlove Supreme: Howard Hewett 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.040 Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:08.440 --> 0:00:11.280 Oh damn, I'm paid Billsie. What the hell? 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:19.640 Snap Son, Jesus Christ, Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to another 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:28.080 episode of course I'm Supreme. Bill, Thank you very much. 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:31.080 Yes, sorry, starring up date Phil Man. 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:36.000 You in the house. You even with even with a Tony, 0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:37.319 You're you're still with us. 0:00:37.720 --> 0:00:40.199 I know I'm just close from not. 0:00:41.600 --> 0:00:44.640 I'm here for now, Billy. 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:47.800 The second you complete you got, You're not gonna mess 0:00:47.800 --> 0:00:48.440 with this anymore. 0:00:48.600 --> 0:00:50.200 The second I he got before you. 0:00:50.400 --> 0:00:53.920 Hell, yeah, I'm getting out. Bill loves Supreme. 0:00:54.400 --> 0:00:56.080 All I'm taking everybody with you. 0:00:56.480 --> 0:01:05.040 Days coming too, He says, exactly, all right, sugar, Steve, 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:11.160 you're still loyal, correct to Bill Sherman. Yes, okay, Hey, Alicia, 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:14.160 lord On, somebody we gotta fund Ticolo in the crib. 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:14.880 What's up? 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:16.040 Brother? You call us good? 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:18.160 Yeah, I'm good Man. Were down twenty six? 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:20.280 Cause yeah, nice? 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:24.280 We move, we move, we moveing weight. Son. I like 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:26.319 the fact that we down twenty six actually is a 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:28.600 good thing, because normally that could mean like Atlanta is 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:32.240 down by twenty six. Are you down twenty six thousand dollars? Exactly? 0:01:35.800 --> 0:01:41.040 What is the game, nah man, you know it's still 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:43.080 try trying to live past fifty? 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:48.640 Yes, which is you know, struggle, super struggle. How are 0:01:48.680 --> 0:01:49.040 you hey? 0:01:49.080 --> 0:01:51.560 I'm good man, I'm feeling all right, feeling all right. 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:56.160 We're good, all right, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, what can 0:01:56.200 --> 0:02:01.600 I say? Yes, it is a freaking known to us, 0:02:01.600 --> 0:02:07.080 of course, as one third of probably one of my 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:11.519 favorite groups. I don't know, I can't categorize Shalamar as 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:14.919 a soul group. I can't categorize them as a pop 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:18.799 group or a bookie group. But you know, I mean 0:02:18.880 --> 0:02:23.639 because they transitioned between disco, between bookie and between new 0:02:23.680 --> 0:02:26.920 wave eighties pop, you know they were everlasting. And you know, 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:33.280 of course our guest today is, without saying, a singer's singer, 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:37.720 a real singer and awesome singer has had such a 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:42.600 story career singing the soundtrack of our lives. I don't 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:46.160 even want to waste one minute in my patent long 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:49.200 nineteen minute intros. I will just say, welcome to Quest 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:55.119 Left Supreme, the one and only Howard Hewitt. Thank you, Yes, indeed, 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:58.600 thank you, thank you for coming. Yeah, I can't wait 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:01.200 till we're off zoom. So we could have like real 0:03:01.240 --> 0:03:05.800 hand claps. Again, I like the last seven episodes were all. 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:11.040 Breathing, and that's what that's what it's a killer because 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:13.280 that's exactly what it sounds like when you're in, when 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:14.000 you're in like a. 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:20.000 Huge crowd, like right, exactly right, All right, well we'll 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:20.680 be effects. 0:03:22.400 --> 0:03:23.239 How are you today? 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:24.240 What's going on? 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:28.120 Very good, very well, Just just like we were talking 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:31.720 earlier about, I do my my daily walk and I'm 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:34.200 trying to stay ahead of this heat out here. It's 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:38.120 like crazy, man, really crazy out here in California. Well 0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:43.000 where I am, it's different temperatures different, Yeah, Long Beach. 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:45.680 Out of the Long Beach yesterday it was like seventy 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:48.920 seven degrees out here all day yesterday was like a 0:03:49.040 --> 0:03:51.560 hundred uh and real field was one hundred and eight. 0:03:51.800 --> 0:03:55.320 So Jesus great, what one hundred and eight man there was. 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:57.800 That's one of those times you just stay in that 0:03:57.920 --> 0:03:59.880 you stay in the house, you don't even go outside, 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:02.440 close the curtains. 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:07.960 You mentioned something that this this actually might be inspirational 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:11.760 for me. How often do you have to commit to 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:15.920 the daily walk. I'll admit that I will often let 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:20.400 my work schedule become become my excuse to get out 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:25.320 of it. So I've been I've been sort of religious 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:28.400 about the daily walk, but in the last two weeks 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:31.320 I've sort of slacked off on it just due to 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:34.599 the scheduling of it. But how important is the daily 0:04:34.680 --> 0:04:37.960 walk because before we were rolling, we were just basically 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:43.279 talking about the struggle to survive, especially for black people, 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:46.160 to struggle to survive past fifty without you know, some 0:04:46.200 --> 0:04:48.800 sort of condition happening. So you know, like I'm I'm 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:50.839 certain that most of us that are on our walking 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:53.800 thing is doing it for health reasons and whatnot. 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:57.560 So conditioning, you know, conditioning and and But for me, 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:02.080 especially for the past years since the pandemic, it was 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:04.440 almost like in the beginning of the pandemic, it was 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:07.359 a spiritual thing for me because it was like it 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:09.680 was almost like God said to me, he said, I'm 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:14.120 going to remove everything from you that can distract you 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:18.680 from me. You did what I'm saying. Me and my 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:22.279 girl broke up a couple of months before before COVID. 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:25.600 You know, my partner. I'm not saying that that's why 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:28.360 he took him away from here, but he passed. Like 0:05:28.400 --> 0:05:31.560 in the beginning the very beginning of of COVID. I 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:33.880 known this this cat since I was twenty years old, 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:34.800 and I'm best friend. 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:35.440 Right. 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:40.359 So, but through my career, I've gone through you know, death, 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:44.240 my mom and dad. You know, I've gone through breakups 0:05:44.279 --> 0:05:46.200 and all that kind of stuff. Some of the saddest 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:50.000 times that I spent in my career was spent on stage. 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:53.159 You did what I'm saying, because and I had my work. 0:05:53.200 --> 0:05:56.080 I always had my work. And so so. 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:59.200 He said, no distractions now and he said, he. 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:02.000 Said, and I'm take that away from you right now. 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:07.200 And then and then my next question in my spirit was, 0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:10.040 now what you're gonna do? You know what I'm saying. 0:06:10.480 --> 0:06:13.960 And so that's when I did it. Daily. I did 0:06:13.960 --> 0:06:18.200 a daily reading. I get up, I read a daily situation. 0:06:18.960 --> 0:06:22.760 I read. I started from Genesis in my Bible and went, 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:25.240 I'm all the way up, almost halfway through the New 0:06:25.279 --> 0:06:29.600 Testament now, you know, and all the way and every 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:31.640 day because when I built my house, I had them 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:35.520 build a deck off of right, I can I can 0:06:35.640 --> 0:06:37.880 roll out of bed in five or six steps. I'm 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:40.240 right outside on my deck, you know what I'm saying. 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:45.679 So that was my daily devotion between me God, Christ, 0:06:45.800 --> 0:06:49.719 the Holy Spirit. And so it was like and with that, 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:53.800 I started a whole situation as far as like we 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:56.680 were being shut in, but that didn't mean that we 0:06:56.760 --> 0:07:00.640 had to be conspectators. So like when I in the 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:03.720 beginning of the pandemic, you know, I got out on 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:06.239 my bike. There's like a fifteen to twenty mile route 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:08.880 that I can take around my crib. I got out 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:11.400 on my bike, and then in the middle of that 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:14.360 fifteen to twenty miles route, I decided I stopped to 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:15.920 take a break, and I said, well, let me go 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:18.920 on Facebook, my Facebook fan page Live. Let me go 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:21.320 on live for a minute. And I went on there 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:27.120 and all these people started flooding into the thing. What's up, 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:28.880 what's going while you're doing you know, what's happening? Blah 0:07:28.880 --> 0:07:31.600 blah blah blah blah. And so then that told me 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:34.640 that people are in But you know, and the thing 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:38.320 about this pandemic, about this virus rather is that it 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:43.480 thrives on It thrived on low immune systems. It thrived 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:49.200 on load vitamin D deficiencies, which is really heavy and 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:54.320 all especially within black people, right, and so like it 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:57.520 was like my that's when I started when I started. 0:07:57.560 --> 0:07:59.240 I said, Okay, I'm gonna do with my walk because 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:01.800 I do it like a four mile walk. And then 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:04.520 and at first I was walking and had my had 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:08.080 my had my phone in my hand walking. I'm walking 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:10.480 and talking at the same time, right, And then I'm like, 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:14.040 I wasn't getting any benefit from the walk actually because 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:17.600 I'm not pacing myself. So then eventually I did in 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:20.559 the middle of the four miles, after about two miles, 0:08:20.600 --> 0:08:23.880 I'd stopped at a specific place and then I talk right. 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:27.880 So first at first it was fac dot dot dot 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:33.160 and life right fresh air cardio. All that leads to life, 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:35.640 you know what I'm saying. And then after we started 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:39.719 talking and I started having these conversations, my my, you know, 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:42.080 take on what was happening as far as the last 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:46.240 administration was concerned, my take on you know, the virus, 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:49.000 my take on this, my take, and people were chiming in. 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:52.880 Then it became a conversation. So then I added fac 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:56.920 c at another C dot dot dot in life fresh 0:08:57.000 --> 0:09:03.880 air cardio conversation, which as the communication understanding each other 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:07.319 and all that leads to life, you know what I'm saying. 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:12.840 So it's almost like now, after all this time. It's 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:16.240 like I feel like I'm obligated to get on there 0:09:16.360 --> 0:09:18.920 for my people, so like, you know, the people that 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:23.440 have have dedicated themselves to being there, So I have 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:27.040 a dedication to that myself. So on top of that 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:31.360 getting you know, my health and keeping my health up 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:34.559 and keeping everything up. You know, it's like, Okay, I 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:37.760 can take the time to do all that stuff. Sometimes, 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:41.559 you know, the schedule will well like get in a 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.440 way as far as like how early I start, how 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:47.080 early I can get out there. But I'm always going 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:49.600 to get out there, you know what I'm saying. Every day, 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:51.520 every day, I'm out there every day. 0:09:51.559 --> 0:09:53.199 I love it. 0:09:52.320 --> 0:09:56.280 Even on the weekend. I know, I don't come online 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:58.320 on the weekend, I don't go live on the weekend, 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:00.920 but I get out there and do something on the weekend. 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:01.559 Do a daily show. 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:05.640 Okay, yeah, all right, well yeah, how are you just 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:08.720 let it be known that you're definitely the straw that 0:10:08.760 --> 0:10:11.480 broke the all right, fine if. 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:14.320 You that's what I need to hear, you know, because 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:15.240 people have been get on. 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:16.640 Me like yo, man, you slacking off. 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:16.839 Man. 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:20.040 You you were committed your da da da, You're falling off, 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:21.920 like you know, my partner's don't walk with and all 0:10:21.920 --> 0:10:24.800 that stuff. So they were getting on me today about that, 0:10:24.920 --> 0:10:27.880 like you ain't walked in like ten days a mirite, 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:31.720 So all right, I now know, I now. 0:10:31.600 --> 0:10:32.480 Know that I have to. 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:35.959 It's important, man, it's really important because you know you all, 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:38.880 you know, all you got. If you don't have anything else, 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:40.960 you know you got and you have your health if 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:43.920 you if everything's jacked up, everything can be going well. 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:46.240 But if you don't have your health, man, that's crazy. 0:10:46.559 --> 0:10:50.000 It's crazy. And then if stuff is jacked up and 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:53.640 your health is jacked up, that's like a whole other thing. 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:54.920 There's a whole other situation. 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:59.600 You're absolutely right, Well, brother, you look awesome, like you 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:01.080 look good, great and great health. 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:04.120 That's five year old gold. That's it. 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:08.920 Sixty five brothers late forties to me, like for real, 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:12.760 for real, they still look great. Six. 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:14.480 So yeah. 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:18.400 The the question I want to pose to you, of course, 0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:21.120 is the first question always ask on the show. Uh, 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:24.520 could you please tell us what your first musical memory was? 0:11:25.720 --> 0:11:32.480 My first musical memory, man, was Actually I would think 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:39.960 Isley Brothers, Sam Cook and my grandmother's garage when we 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:44.000 would have all the holidays we would, we would. It 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:47.679 would always be at my grandmother, my grandma fitz Hugh's house. 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:50.920 And well, you mean records or in person. 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:57.240 No records, I'm talking about records. Say Damn was like, oh, 0:11:57.280 --> 0:11:59.200 you're talking about live as far as no no. 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:03.000 No, no, no no, I mean first all right. 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:06.079 Yeah, that's that's one years ago. Because we played. I wasn't. 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:08.360 I was when I was five years old, four or 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:10.480 five years old. I was in charge of like playing 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:13.440 the forty fives and stuff, and and they clear out 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:16.840 the garage and put a turntable in there, and we 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:20.360 had the forty fives and stuff. So I remember chain Gang, 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:24.040 Sam Cook and Twists and shout of course you know 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:28.240 the brothers. Yeah, I remember, I did you know? I 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:33.240 did about about twenty cities with Ron Iley about some years, 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:36.120 about six seven, eight years ago. And usually when I 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:39.320 do a show, I'm Usually I do my show and 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:43.719 I'm gone, or or if I'm headlining, I get there 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:46.800 twenty minutes before I go on and that's it. I 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:48.680 don't want to get there and hang around and stuff. 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:52.120 And if I'm on before the headliner, then I'm gone. 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:54.559 But with with Ron, when I was out there with 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:59.319 Ron and and uh Isy brothers and with Ernie and stuff. Man, 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:02.200 every night, I was like in the wings. You know, 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:05.480 it's just like watching because he took me all the 0:13:05.520 --> 0:13:07.800 way back to when I was like five years old, 0:13:07.960 --> 0:13:10.840 you know, five six seven four six seven years old, 0:13:11.360 --> 0:13:13.000 and then he caught me. You caught me out on 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:16.400 stage every once in a while, man, and that was like, what, 0:13:18.720 --> 0:13:19.160 all right? 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:19.720 Cool? 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:23.440 You know, but that's my first as far as musical 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:26.920 musical situation. I think that's the foundation that I had, 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:29.360 and then you know, went into the whole gospel thing. 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.040 Okay, yeah, I was going to say that. 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:36.600 Okay, that makes sense because usually every musical great has 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:41.719 some sort of DJ curation experience before they get into 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:43.880 their profession. So that makes sense that you were in 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:46.280 charge of the family collection. 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:50.880 All DJ's wanted to be singers, and all singers want 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:54.440 to be DJ's. I was saying exactly he's saying with 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:58.520 Frankie Crocker a lot back in the day. And frank 0:13:58.720 --> 0:14:01.079 that was one of my best parts. And what was 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:01.679 he like? Man? 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:04.439 Was he you know known him as that personality? Was 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:05.560 he really out there like that? 0:14:06.480 --> 0:14:10.839 Frankie? Frankie was the most down down nigga in the world. 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:15.800 I mean, you know, and I remember because when we. 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:17.760 First so proper all the time I heard him speak, 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:19.120 and you know. 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:22.960 I said, I'm on the Quest Love Show. I got 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:23.880 to be proper nigga. 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:27.640 No, you must an't listen to the. 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:32.840 He's done my homework, you know. 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:35.920 Now we keep it out, Let it go. 0:14:36.360 --> 0:14:39.400 Now. Frankie was down nigga boy, he was like and 0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:42.320 it was like when I first met him, you know, 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.400 we it was we had a second time around out. 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:47.760 So we were a lot of the lot of the 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:51.440 promotion in New York and stuff, and and uh, we 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:53.560 got to the we got to w B l S 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:56.520 and h he wasn't ready yet. So the lady that 0:14:56.720 --> 0:15:00.200 was the rep that was from the record company, she said, okay, hey, 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:02.920 while we're waiting on Frankie, we'll go over down to 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:05.480 this other I forget what the station was, kiss or 0:15:05.520 --> 0:15:08.720 something like that, Kissing. And so we went down there 0:15:08.760 --> 0:15:10.560 and did the interview and stuff, and then we came 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:13.720 back and like Frankie, we're sitting down in the lobby 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:16.400 of the BLS and Frankie comes out. When he walks out, 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:20.440 you know, this is tall, I mean black nigga man. 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:25.640 He's like fine features, you know. And I remember reading 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:28.680 about Frankie when I was like fifteen, sixteen years old 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.840 when he got into the into the thing with the 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:34.920 Paola thing. So I remember. I remember there was like 0:15:35.040 --> 0:15:38.880 an article and Playboy, and of course, you know, I 0:15:39.520 --> 0:15:40.240 never looked at the. 0:15:40.160 --> 0:15:47.800 Picure the article, but it talked about it talked about 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:51.440 his whole ordeal with the Paola situation and the fact 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:53.720 at the time that he when he came back after 0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:56.320 the piel, he came back riding up one hundred and 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:58.120 twenty fifth Street on the White Stallion. 0:15:58.480 --> 0:15:58.680 Yeah. 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:04.600 Class, he was all the saying, so like we when 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:06.600 he came out, he's stood up there and he just 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:08.520 kind of stood there right, and we're sitting. He said, 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:11.400 I got my spies out. I know y'all went to 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:16.240 the other station. Y'all heard you. That's how we started out, right, 0:16:16.400 --> 0:16:18.680 So we went in and then he looked at it 0:16:18.680 --> 0:16:20.800 and he was doing the interview and stuff, and he says, 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:24.040 you know, your voice reminds me of Gladys Knight, And 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:27.440 I'm like, glad it's night, what come on, man, glads Knight. 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:30.680 I'm flattered, But Gladys night. That's a chick, right, so 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:34.160 and uh and so then that's that's how our whole 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:36.360 thing started out. And I kind of clammed up on 0:16:36.440 --> 0:16:39.400 the on the interview because I also heard about the 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:43.320 Isley brother interview, the historic Issy brother interview when they 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:47.080 got in the fight on on you know, they. 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:48.280 Never heard of that one. 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:53.280 I've heard looking at us fight live on the air. 0:16:53.560 --> 0:16:54.880 You know, that's a lot of eyes. 0:16:56.560 --> 0:16:59.160 That was before any that's that's before any of them 0:16:59.200 --> 0:16:59.760 passed away. 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:02.880 So they was all on the all Christ Jasper too, 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:03.920 about six. 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:10.639 But take out. So like later on we said, you know, 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:12.320 I saw him, I think because we were there doing 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.080 the thing. I think it was at Madison Square or 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.760 something like that, one of those big festivals, and so 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:19.920 at the you know, when I saw him later on 0:17:19.960 --> 0:17:22.160 that night or the next night or something, he said, look, 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:24.760 I got a house, you know, and in Beverly Hills, 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:27.520 you know, off bend the canyon, he said, he said, 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:30.119 here's that. You know that We exchanged numbers and stuff. 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:31.760 He said, when you're when you're back in town, when 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:33.359 you're off the road, get me a car. You come up, 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:36.879 you know, have some dinner. I said, cool, you know, 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:38.959 let's go, I said, And so a couple of two, 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:42.080 three weeks later, we're going. I'm home and I give 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:43.920 him a call and he says, yeah, come on left 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:46.879 for dinner. And I'm thinking, you know, all right, Frankie 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:51.880 Cocker's house. I know, he got ladies all over the 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:55.320 the whole thing. I'm bowling, you know. And I got 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:59.760 up there and it was me, him and his moms 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:04.000 Rocker and he took care of his mom, and like 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:07.959 from that point on, we got jam type. It was 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:10.000 like it was that that was my that was my man, 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:12.440 that was my man. So so dope man, you know, yeah, 0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:16.119 he was. He was. He was not the persona basically. 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:18.600 I mean, he lived large, you don't, don't get me wrong, 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:23.200 and he he demanded his respect as far as that's concerned. 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:29.240 But he wasn't someone unorderly, un you know, crazy deal. 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:32.200 He had a house in Beverly Hills and he was 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:33.640 a New York personality too. 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:39.000 Yeah, up on house, up on Benedict off of Benedict Canyon. 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:42.160 Yeah, he was the highest plate like black radio jock 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:42.840 in the country. 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:45.840 So was he doing syndicated back then or was it just. 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:49.439 He was he was doing he would do. I think syndication. 0:18:49.920 --> 0:18:54.960 Syndication was just coming in maybe not too long after that, 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:57.760 but but he had he's had that house up. He 0:18:57.800 --> 0:19:00.000 had that house up there for a long time. 0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:04.399 Say that's what I was thinking. 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:09.240 Coast. 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:10.280 They put you in the. 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:16.840 Paper maybe you know, yeah, I see. 0:19:17.560 --> 0:19:22.439 Do you do you remember the first album that you 0:19:22.560 --> 0:19:25.560 purchased with your own money, with. 0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:29.199 My own money. I don't remember which one of what 0:19:29.320 --> 0:19:34.679 it was exactly. I can't say, uh back in the 0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:36.280 day because. 0:19:36.040 --> 0:19:39.879 I also be stolen to Just in case I'm saying 0:19:40.160 --> 0:19:42.560 people have come stealing their first records. 0:19:42.640 --> 0:19:45.280 Yeah exactly. But see, you know I come, I come 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:48.159 from my household, my I have four older sisters. You 0:19:48.200 --> 0:19:54.520 know what I'm saying. Soyo, wow, Okay, so you know 0:19:54.600 --> 0:19:58.240 times I had to I think of an album. Though 0:19:58.320 --> 0:20:01.680 I do believe an album that I would have purchased. 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:03.760 It might not have been the very first one, but 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:07.639 like Parliament Funkadelic and you know all that kind of stuff, 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:11.600 like Maggot Brains and I love that Eddie Agel situation. 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:16.800 Okay, yeah, ok, yeah, I take it. I know you 0:20:16.800 --> 0:20:18.600 were born in Ohio, but I don't know what city 0:20:18.600 --> 0:20:19.400 you were born in. 0:20:19.800 --> 0:20:22.440 Akron, Akron, Ohio, Akron. 0:20:22.600 --> 0:20:29.359 Okay, yeah, wait a minute, Okay, this explains it all right. 0:20:29.440 --> 0:20:35.200 So I know that James Ingram is also from Akron, Ohio. Yeah, 0:20:35.880 --> 0:20:38.960 and I assume that you two were really good friends fifteen. 0:20:39.000 --> 0:20:40.520 I met James when I was fifteen. 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:43.720 So this is this explains why you two are also 0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:46.400 seeing background on PYT together exactly. 0:20:47.600 --> 0:20:51.400 Okay. I was with James when when he got the 0:20:51.440 --> 0:20:56.400 demo for Just Once, you know, and he's like, man, listen, listen, 0:20:56.520 --> 0:20:58.440 because we lived right around the corner from each other 0:20:58.480 --> 0:21:02.040 at that time. And he's said, man, and he said, listeners, 0:21:02.040 --> 0:21:03.639 what do you think about this? I said, Man, I 0:21:03.640 --> 0:21:05.560 think that's a coblet song? He said, Man, this is 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:16.560 some there's some pop pussy right here. Man. And I said, 0:21:16.680 --> 0:21:19.359 I said, yeah, yeah, that's right, that's true boy. Because 0:21:20.920 --> 0:21:23.280 you know, but see when Jane, when I was back 0:21:23.320 --> 0:21:26.359 in Ohio, my group, my group was called Life. We 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:30.439 spelled the l yf E, so Life. Jennings won the 0:21:30.440 --> 0:21:35.280 first nigga to say that right when we spelled l 0:21:35.480 --> 0:21:38.399 yfy Life Banding Show. And it was like seven of 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:43.840 us and we were like fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, I 0:21:43.920 --> 0:21:47.800 think Ricky Parker Ricky Fletcher was eighteen nineteen years old, 0:21:48.200 --> 0:21:53.840 and so we were proteges of Revelation Funk, which you know, 0:21:54.119 --> 0:21:57.200 James played keyboards and they were all they were all 0:21:57.320 --> 0:22:01.200 like about four years older than us. Games played keyboards 0:22:01.240 --> 0:22:05.360 and sang background because he didn't consider himself a lead singer, right, 0:22:06.040 --> 0:22:09.480 And they had this lead singer called named Bernard lost 0:22:09.480 --> 0:22:12.520 and he's still back and aftr now Bernard lost him too. 0:22:12.520 --> 0:22:15.760 This day could sing me under this, under this, my 0:22:15.880 --> 0:22:19.560 desk over here, this this boy really what is you're 0:22:19.560 --> 0:22:23.760 talking about? Going from natural effortlessly up into your foss 0:22:24.080 --> 0:22:26.280 He had that back, he had that down back then 0:22:26.800 --> 0:22:29.480 tall lanky brother and like a dance of red dance 0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:31.960 and sing the same time. And it was like, I mean, 0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:34.520 they were funky. Revelation Funk was funky. 0:22:34.720 --> 0:22:36.960 You know. Wait a minute, okay, so what's the name 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:39.560 that's the group that James Ingram was in that he 0:22:39.560 --> 0:22:42.320 was playing keyboards and Revelation God, damn it, damn it, 0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:45.520 damn it, damn the ones from uh Dolomite. 0:22:45.840 --> 0:22:50.080 Yeah, weren't they movie movie? 0:22:50.160 --> 0:22:50.760 Yeah? Yeah? 0:22:50.880 --> 0:22:52.679 Yeah, okay, because they came out. 0:22:52.560 --> 0:22:55.400 Here, they came out here. Bernard never came out here 0:22:55.440 --> 0:22:58.880 because he Lord called him back to the church, fortunately 0:22:58.960 --> 0:23:01.199 because it was some crazy stuff that was happening. But 0:23:02.520 --> 0:23:05.800 they had this cat named Wouchie Wayne Arnold that came out. 0:23:05.880 --> 0:23:07.680 Wayne was bad too. I don't know what he means, 0:23:07.760 --> 0:23:19.359 like ARNOLDI So we were like nobody, but they came. 0:23:19.440 --> 0:23:22.120 They came out here, and then they only stayed together 0:23:22.359 --> 0:23:25.879 out here about a year and a half, uh maybe 0:23:25.880 --> 0:23:27.760 two years or so, and then they broke up and 0:23:28.240 --> 0:23:32.320 James stayed out Dap the drummers stayed out t Tucker 0:23:32.359 --> 0:23:35.679 the bass players stayed out here, so you know, and then, uh, 0:23:36.560 --> 0:23:38.720 for James, the rest was history. He started working with 0:23:39.800 --> 0:23:42.439 h Ray Charles and a bunch of other people and stuff, 0:23:42.440 --> 0:23:44.080 and you know, in the studio and stuff. 0:23:44.280 --> 0:23:45.920 It was cool just to get this straight. 0:23:46.040 --> 0:23:49.960 James Ingram sounded like that at fifteen years old. 0:23:50.119 --> 0:23:51.800 No, nothing has ever changed. 0:23:52.320 --> 0:23:54.639 Well, he was about when I first met it, he 0:23:54.680 --> 0:23:57.159 was nineteen, because he was about four years older than me. 0:23:57.800 --> 0:24:02.439 And uh yeah, I mean he had all that stuff 0:24:02.600 --> 0:24:06.760 down hard, it's like, but but he didn't develop it 0:24:06.880 --> 0:24:10.080 and and really kind of take it out where it's 0:24:10.080 --> 0:24:12.840 supposed to be until you know, until he got it, 0:24:12.920 --> 0:24:13.840 until he went solo. 0:24:14.160 --> 0:24:18.879 So well, one more thing, so if you were friends 0:24:18.880 --> 0:24:23.439 with James, uh, were you at all in proximity of 0:24:23.480 --> 0:24:26.120 his brother Philip at the time when Philip was developing 0:24:26.119 --> 0:24:30.640 a switch? M The switch also has achron connections, correct. 0:24:30.960 --> 0:24:33.760 Yeah, Philip Phillip was like Philip was his younger brother. 0:24:34.160 --> 0:24:38.320 So Phillip's younger than me. And uh, phillips group back 0:24:38.359 --> 0:24:42.280 in Achron. Uh Man, what was his name? I forget, 0:24:42.320 --> 0:24:44.560 I forget their name. The name we had, we had 0:24:44.600 --> 0:24:47.159 weird names back there. There was a group called picket Fence. 0:24:47.240 --> 0:24:50.080 I don't know what that was about, but it was like, 0:24:50.240 --> 0:24:53.879 you know, but the Philip was with raw Soul I 0:24:53.920 --> 0:24:57.119 think it was. And I mean Akron, Akron was an 0:24:57.160 --> 0:24:59.960 amazing place to grow up man, and and the rubber cat. 0:25:00.000 --> 0:25:02.080 It was the rubber capital of the world at that time, 0:25:02.200 --> 0:25:05.560 so so middle class was thriving. It was like you know, 0:25:05.680 --> 0:25:08.560 it was it was and you either did you either 0:25:08.640 --> 0:25:12.040 did music, you did you worked in the rubber factory, 0:25:12.640 --> 0:25:14.600 or you were pimp one or the other. You know 0:25:14.720 --> 0:25:16.680 that some cats tried to do all three. 0:25:16.560 --> 0:25:25.800 All three, all three. But rubbers and. 0:25:22.359 --> 0:25:26.640 Philip I think the name of Phillips. The group was raw, 0:25:26.760 --> 0:25:29.000 so if I'm not mistaken, but yeah, Philip had a 0:25:29.040 --> 0:25:31.760 great voice and everything. And and when they came out 0:25:31.800 --> 0:25:34.040 with Switch, I didn't even have a deal at that time. 0:25:34.080 --> 0:25:36.600 We were I was talking to L about that just 0:25:36.640 --> 0:25:39.840 the other day because every time I listened to L, 0:25:40.160 --> 0:25:43.320 I hear Bobby you know what I'm saying, and it's 0:25:43.359 --> 0:25:47.320 just it's crazy. And uh so they came out, and 0:25:47.920 --> 0:25:50.760 you know, it was like Eddie Flewell and the trumpet player. 0:25:51.640 --> 0:25:53.600 Eddie and I. Eddie and I went to grade school, 0:25:53.680 --> 0:25:57.440 junior high and graduated high school together. So when they 0:25:57.480 --> 0:26:00.320 came out, I was I would go, you know, they 0:26:00.320 --> 0:26:02.879 were coming out and bringing them out, and so I 0:26:02.920 --> 0:26:04.960 went and hung out with them at the studio, you know, 0:26:05.119 --> 0:26:09.119 while they were while they were calling uh called it, 0:26:09.240 --> 0:26:11.080 I call your name or something like that, and I 0:26:12.320 --> 0:26:15.080 would just sit there and all just listening to Bobby. 0:26:15.160 --> 0:26:17.840 He could do that because I think it was his false, 0:26:17.880 --> 0:26:20.240 but that wasn't his false. That was that was his 0:26:20.440 --> 0:26:23.000 natural voice, just like I was listening to Elle the 0:26:23.040 --> 0:26:27.280 other night. Elle's false is his natural voice. That's his 0:26:27.520 --> 0:26:31.359 natural voice, right, so you know it's it's it's you know, 0:26:31.520 --> 0:26:33.840 it was amazing. It was amazing as far as I 0:26:33.880 --> 0:26:37.520 was concerned. So yeah, Philip and and and Eddie, Yeah 0:26:37.840 --> 0:26:39.120 came out when switch came out. 0:26:40.119 --> 0:26:45.400 Question, I do remember, I think I remember during one 0:26:45.440 --> 0:26:48.760 of the interviews with Don Krnoli's on Soul Train where 0:26:48.800 --> 0:26:52.040 you talked about you were actually dancing on the show first. 0:26:52.760 --> 0:26:54.760 Is that true? Were y'all just joking with each other? 0:26:54.840 --> 0:26:57.240 I was never a soul trained dancer. 0:26:57.359 --> 0:26:58.919 Okay. 0:27:00.200 --> 0:27:03.280 I heard okay there because because it said it said, 0:27:03.280 --> 0:27:04.960 it was said with a laugh, So I was like, wait, 0:27:05.000 --> 0:27:06.840 I don't know if he's serious or not, but okay, 0:27:07.520 --> 0:27:08.800 I knew if that was true. 0:27:09.680 --> 0:27:12.639 I was dating, uh this this lady that worked for 0:27:12.760 --> 0:27:15.359 down and there and at the Souldier and Dance Studios 0:27:15.400 --> 0:27:17.280 studios in the office in the front. 0:27:17.040 --> 0:27:18.639 Office, Pam Brown. 0:27:19.480 --> 0:27:22.120 No no, no, this is her name was Ann. 0:27:23.960 --> 0:27:26.480 Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait 0:27:26.520 --> 0:27:29.720 a minute. Jesus Christ, I can't believe I'm talking to 0:27:29.760 --> 0:27:32.680 you right now. How are you You've no no, no, 0:27:32.680 --> 0:27:33.280 no, no no no no. 0:27:33.320 --> 0:27:33.919 It just hit me. 0:27:34.800 --> 0:27:40.680 You literally have christened a human being with my all 0:27:40.800 --> 0:27:43.600 time favorite name. I read about this and ride on 0:27:43.680 --> 0:27:45.280 you have a daughter named Rainy Days. 0:27:45.640 --> 0:27:48.320 Rainy Days d a z rather yo. 0:27:48.359 --> 0:27:50.160 When I read that ship when I was ten years old, 0:27:50.160 --> 0:27:51.359 I'm like, I'm gonna have a girl, and I'm the 0:27:51.480 --> 0:27:51.679 name of. 0:27:51.760 --> 0:27:55.560 Rainy Days, Like it just wow, that's crazy. 0:27:56.040 --> 0:27:59.280 Her mom, you know, eventually became my wife and she 0:27:59.400 --> 0:28:03.520 his mother and my two older daughters. But when when 0:28:03.560 --> 0:28:06.560 Rainie was born, Rainy was the only only child that 0:28:06.640 --> 0:28:08.960 I didn't see come out, you know, because I was 0:28:10.080 --> 0:28:12.040 I was on the road. I had my my my 0:28:12.119 --> 0:28:14.000 oldest darted with me. She was like a year and 0:28:14.040 --> 0:28:17.040 a half at the time, right, and so her mom 0:28:17.200 --> 0:28:20.440 was so huge. I was like, look, I'm gonna take 0:28:20.520 --> 0:28:23.320 I'm gonna take Lakeiva. My oldest daughter's name is Lakiva, 0:28:23.400 --> 0:28:26.600 you know, which was the name let Kiva k I 0:28:26.760 --> 0:28:29.640 v E. Which is a name, which is the name 0:28:29.720 --> 0:28:32.119 I made up when I was nineteen years old. I 0:28:32.200 --> 0:28:34.560 used to go to Kent State for a minute, and like, 0:28:34.600 --> 0:28:37.280 I used to walk past Kiva Hall. This hall called 0:28:37.640 --> 0:28:41.520 Kiva Hall, Andy, I say, every morning i'm walking to 0:28:41.600 --> 0:28:44.800 my first class, I say, wow, Kiva Kiva would be 0:28:44.840 --> 0:28:47.560 a beautiful name for a little girl. But had a 0:28:47.640 --> 0:28:48.560 love on the front of. 0:28:48.800 --> 0:28:53.240 Luck that is so black. 0:28:56.480 --> 0:28:58.720 You got all the names correct, Bill, I got it. 0:28:58.800 --> 0:28:59.760 I got it. 0:29:05.120 --> 0:29:11.520 Anything Bill, and my friend Lafonte and quest got. 0:29:11.400 --> 0:29:16.360 You so like but like, I took Lakeiva out on 0:29:16.400 --> 0:29:19.320 the road with me because her mom was so huge. 0:29:19.320 --> 0:29:22.600 I just wanted her to concentrate on being pregnant, not 0:29:22.600 --> 0:29:26.720 not having so she was having to take care of 0:29:27.120 --> 0:29:31.040 one and half kids. So I took my daughter out 0:29:31.040 --> 0:29:32.760 on the road with me so we would we would 0:29:32.800 --> 0:29:36.560 work at the time, Shalamar, we were working Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 0:29:36.560 --> 0:29:41.920 Sunday off, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. So Thursday I finished the show. Monday, 0:29:42.720 --> 0:29:45.760 I mean Sunday rather, I finished the show. Then Monday morning, 0:29:46.040 --> 0:29:48.160 me and Kieva would jump on the plane, fly back 0:29:48.200 --> 0:29:49.840 here to l a sit there. 0:29:50.120 --> 0:29:50.320 You know. 0:29:50.360 --> 0:29:52.400 I take her to the beach, walker on the sand, 0:29:52.480 --> 0:29:55.200 you know, a whole thing, trying to make that baby drop, 0:29:55.320 --> 0:29:58.880 you know what I'm saying. And after after about three 0:29:58.960 --> 0:30:01.080 weeks or so, agoing back and forth, back and forth, 0:30:01.120 --> 0:30:03.560 I was like wiped out. So we were near Ohio 0:30:04.120 --> 0:30:06.520 and I called her and I said, you know, how 0:30:06.560 --> 0:30:09.640 do you feel? She said, it feels you know. I said, look, 0:30:09.680 --> 0:30:11.880 me and Kieva are going to go to my mom's 0:30:11.880 --> 0:30:14.920 house and just chill. So I went to my mom's 0:30:14.920 --> 0:30:17.760 house and said enough. We got there on Monday, and 0:30:18.040 --> 0:30:21.240 like Tuesday or Wednesday, she had the baby right, so 0:30:21.680 --> 0:30:24.280 named her, named her after her mom. Her mom's name 0:30:24.360 --> 0:30:28.479 was Raining. And so my partner and partner mine was out. 0:30:28.520 --> 0:30:30.360 I got him a job working with the group. When 0:30:30.760 --> 0:30:32.520 when when I was with the group and stuff, So 0:30:32.880 --> 0:30:35.120 one of my best partners, so you know, he was 0:30:35.160 --> 0:30:36.920 out on the road with her, and like we were 0:30:37.440 --> 0:30:40.600 sitting in my in either his room in my room, 0:30:40.640 --> 0:30:52.680 and like he said, so, uh. 0:30:47.920 --> 0:30:49.840 I can tell this is already gonna be my favorite interview. 0:30:49.920 --> 0:30:50.080 Man. 0:30:52.600 --> 0:30:56.479 Yes, I feel like member of this Tobias. 0:30:57.720 --> 0:31:02.000 I think howard you were? 0:31:03.480 --> 0:31:06.200 He said, and I and and he said, so you 0:31:06.280 --> 0:31:09.560 know your name the baby Rainie had the baby? You said, yeah, 0:31:09.760 --> 0:31:12.440 said what, so what's you gonna name her? I took 0:31:12.440 --> 0:31:16.880 the time, what are you gonna name her Rainie? After 0:31:17.000 --> 0:31:20.239 my you know, say, what what's the nile name gonna be? 0:31:21.120 --> 0:31:23.080 But I was thinking about. 0:31:23.280 --> 0:31:29.560 Days the the story. 0:31:30.560 --> 0:31:35.160 She sees his interview, she thinks that I was drunk 0:31:35.320 --> 0:31:38.120 or something when Ian the whole time you. 0:31:38.160 --> 0:31:39.800 Was talking, I was just thinking I was like, I 0:31:39.800 --> 0:31:42.280 hope Howard remembers all the stories of how how his 0:31:42.360 --> 0:31:45.040 kids were born, because not for nothing, especially the girls. 0:31:45.320 --> 0:31:46.920 My dad used to call me every year of my 0:31:46.920 --> 0:31:49.200 life up until he got like eighty and tell me 0:31:49.280 --> 0:31:51.920 on my birthday, like how my conception of how I 0:31:51.960 --> 0:31:52.320 was born? 0:31:52.320 --> 0:31:53.480 And it's just it's just a love. 0:31:53.960 --> 0:31:55.320 About the conception, the conception. 0:31:55.320 --> 0:31:58.640 I'm sorry, the conception, but the dad was. 0:31:58.560 --> 0:32:03.760 Born sign Yeah, but ye say those stories, tell them stories. 0:32:03.800 --> 0:32:04.440 People love us. 0:32:05.760 --> 0:32:07.880 I was going to say there was a ten year 0:32:07.880 --> 0:32:11.080 old reading write on magazine that it was really really 0:32:11.120 --> 0:32:14.040 hell impressed with that name. At the time. I was like, wow, 0:32:14.080 --> 0:32:19.000 that's the greatest name ever. Raindy Days. All right, I'm 0:32:19.040 --> 0:32:22.600 gonna have raindy Days two point oh all right. So 0:32:22.680 --> 0:32:23.920 it's it's still in the cards for me. 0:32:24.720 --> 0:32:27.040 She hated it when she was in grade school, but 0:32:27.080 --> 0:32:29.280 when she got into junior high and then high school 0:32:29.320 --> 0:32:32.880 and then all that time adulthood, she loves it. She 0:32:32.920 --> 0:32:33.520 loves her name. 0:32:33.600 --> 0:32:37.280 You know, nice nice is she in the Does does 0:32:37.280 --> 0:32:38.560 she have musical talent? Does she? 0:32:38.800 --> 0:32:42.640 I have no clue what she. 0:32:41.840 --> 0:32:44.000 Came out of schools, came out of high school, wanted 0:32:44.040 --> 0:32:46.840 to do you know, wanted to get into the business 0:32:46.920 --> 0:32:48.680 and stuff, and so like you know, I gave her 0:32:48.800 --> 0:32:52.120 my advice and she, you know, got herself a little 0:32:52.240 --> 0:32:56.520 job started, you know, putting putting together her demos, about 0:32:56.520 --> 0:32:58.960 three or four demos, three or four songs, and she 0:32:59.280 --> 0:33:02.680 got her head shot together and then got herself a 0:33:02.840 --> 0:33:07.360 deal with this company called notting Hill. You know, notting 0:33:07.400 --> 0:33:10.280 Hill was in l a and as well as in London, 0:33:10.360 --> 0:33:13.160 you know, in the UK, so she was They were 0:33:13.200 --> 0:33:16.480 working on an album together, and then halfway through the 0:33:16.560 --> 0:33:19.080 album she comes to me she says, you know, Dad, 0:33:19.120 --> 0:33:22.080 I'm really not into this. I said, what do you 0:33:22.120 --> 0:33:26.040 mean into it? She said, I'm more interested in what 0:33:26.120 --> 0:33:29.520 I'm gonna wear than the music, you know what I'm saying. 0:33:29.640 --> 0:33:33.520 So he was into the fashion for Unfortunately, the people 0:33:33.520 --> 0:33:36.320 at at at notting Hill were cool and they had 0:33:36.320 --> 0:33:38.520 put a single out in uh in the UK that 0:33:38.640 --> 0:33:41.880 did fairly well. But you know, she wasn't she wasn't 0:33:41.920 --> 0:33:43.640 into it, so they let her go and then she 0:33:43.720 --> 0:33:50.760 got a position with Vera Wang company, you know, did 0:33:50.800 --> 0:33:51.160 that for. 0:33:51.120 --> 0:33:53.120 A while then, so she lived in London for a while. 0:33:53.520 --> 0:33:55.240 She went to London, she didn't live there, but she 0:33:55.320 --> 0:33:56.160 spent a lot of time. 0:33:56.240 --> 0:34:04.240 Okay, I see, I see, Okay, I do want to know. 0:34:04.760 --> 0:34:07.160 Okay, first of all, before you get into your entry, 0:34:08.960 --> 0:34:12.040 do you know exactly what the situation was that caused 0:34:13.120 --> 0:34:18.840 Jerald Brown to leave Shalamar that was your vacancy? Because 0:34:19.719 --> 0:34:23.200 even with those first two records, I always felt like 0:34:23.239 --> 0:34:26.320 I had, you know, the first two albums as a 0:34:26.400 --> 0:34:29.640 kid or whatever. I had the Uptown Festival forty five 0:34:29.680 --> 0:34:35.200 and what not, and it's like, I never thought his 0:34:35.360 --> 0:34:39.239 voice blended in with that group. Well even even take that, 0:34:39.239 --> 0:34:40.719 I'm mean, take That to the Bank, of course was 0:34:40.760 --> 0:34:44.360 a classic song, no matter what, but I never felt 0:34:44.400 --> 0:34:47.360 like his voice fit into He was like he was 0:34:47.400 --> 0:34:50.120 like a grown adult, and I always felt like Jody 0:34:50.160 --> 0:34:53.680 and Jeffrey represented like the kids while. 0:34:53.520 --> 0:34:55.160 He was like a proper adult or whatever. 0:34:55.320 --> 0:35:00.359 But what's the situation that caused him to vacate the group? Don't? 0:35:00.400 --> 0:35:05.080 I don't. I don't know the specific situation exactly what happened. 0:35:05.120 --> 0:35:08.839 I think there was some stuff, some questions about management 0:35:09.000 --> 0:35:12.000 maybe or about whatever. Because you know, Gerald had been 0:35:12.160 --> 0:35:14.800 been in the business for a while with Soul Trained, 0:35:14.840 --> 0:35:18.160 with the Soul Trained gang, and and coming from coming 0:35:18.200 --> 0:35:22.520 from Cincinnati and that first Uptown Festival album, the first 0:35:22.640 --> 0:35:25.160 that wasn't Gerald, that was this guy named Gary Mumford. 0:35:25.360 --> 0:35:31.520 So they had they had two lead singers before before me. Right, 0:35:31.600 --> 0:35:36.720 so it was Gary Mumford on Uptown Festival and then uh, 0:35:37.040 --> 0:35:40.160 Jerald Brown. Uptown Festival was one of those things where, 0:35:40.239 --> 0:35:42.960 you know, back in the day with disco and stuff. 0:35:43.000 --> 0:35:45.880 That's why I was never really a big fan of 0:35:45.960 --> 0:35:49.360 disco because I always thought it was pretty fabricated music 0:35:49.960 --> 0:35:53.160 and and you know, I was more into the into 0:35:53.200 --> 0:35:55.359 the band and the real people that did it, because 0:35:55.400 --> 0:35:59.600 you do you know, they would put together uh you know, 0:35:59.719 --> 0:36:03.960 a on with with studio musicians, studio vocalists, throw it 0:36:03.960 --> 0:36:05.719 out there, see if it made some noise. If it 0:36:05.800 --> 0:36:08.480 made some noise, then they go and put a group together. 0:36:08.520 --> 0:36:12.600 And that's how Salomar basically, you know formed. So it 0:36:12.719 --> 0:36:17.320 was like Gary Mumford on Uptown Festival and then uh 0:36:17.360 --> 0:36:19.680 and then he I think he went back to the 0:36:19.760 --> 0:36:24.000 church too, if I'm not mistaken. And and then Jerald 0:36:24.040 --> 0:36:26.200 Brown came in. They took him from you know, because 0:36:26.239 --> 0:36:31.920 it was Don Cornelius and uh Griffy, right, you know, 0:36:32.160 --> 0:36:34.440 at first it was sole trained records, you know what 0:36:34.440 --> 0:36:38.200 I mean. And so they brought Jerald Brown in and 0:36:38.239 --> 0:36:40.560 then they did take that to the bank. They were 0:36:40.560 --> 0:36:43.400 out in the middle of a promotional tour. I was 0:36:43.440 --> 0:36:47.240 working with this cat uh Jeffrey Bowen at the time 0:36:47.760 --> 0:36:50.480 because I was with a group. I was with a 0:36:50.480 --> 0:36:54.600 group down that was formed people that was formed by 0:36:54.600 --> 0:36:58.120 the people in uh Matthew Jeffrey Bowen. 0:36:58.320 --> 0:37:01.440 Jeffrey Bowen produced a song for You by the Temptations, right. 0:37:01.680 --> 0:37:05.640 Yep, and a bunch of colm did Bonnie Pointer was 0:37:05.680 --> 0:37:06.319 his lady, and. 0:37:06.320 --> 0:37:08.560 Here was his wife? Right dom Bonnie Pointer was his wife? 0:37:08.680 --> 0:37:12.560 And wait did he did he produce? I think he 0:37:12.640 --> 0:37:17.600 co produced with George Clinton two songs on guitarist Eddie Hazel, 0:37:17.960 --> 0:37:19.360 Eddie Hazel's record, Hey. 0:37:19.280 --> 0:37:22.399 We were, Well, we were. He had hired me because 0:37:22.440 --> 0:37:27.360 I I was this girl Tammy Gibson who used to 0:37:27.400 --> 0:37:31.080 sing for Stevie in Wonder Love. She was looking and 0:37:31.160 --> 0:37:33.080 she came looking for me because I was with a 0:37:33.120 --> 0:37:36.399 group that ended up we ended up overseas for about 0:37:36.400 --> 0:37:38.880 a year and a half, this show group called Beverly Hills, 0:37:38.960 --> 0:37:41.960 right and the people at Mavericks Flat down in the 0:37:41.960 --> 0:37:46.839 Crenshaw district, John Daniels and and Alonzo Daniels's brother. They 0:37:46.880 --> 0:37:49.440 put together show groups and stuff, so this was one 0:37:49.520 --> 0:37:52.000 of the groups that they put together. We ended up 0:37:52.360 --> 0:37:56.319 touring overseas for about you know, about a little less 0:37:56.320 --> 0:37:57.719 than a year and a half or so, and I 0:37:57.760 --> 0:38:01.279 was making like two point fifty three years is this around? 0:38:01.360 --> 0:38:05.560 This is like seventy seven, seventy seven, because I brought 0:38:05.600 --> 0:38:09.640 seventy eight in seventy seven. Out the end of seventy seven, 0:38:09.719 --> 0:38:12.640 I was in Helsinki, Finland, which was the first gig 0:38:12.680 --> 0:38:15.520 that we did, and then we went to Geneva, Switzerland, 0:38:15.760 --> 0:38:18.360 and I read that because I brought we brought seventy 0:38:18.400 --> 0:38:22.879 eight nineteen seventy eight in in Geneva, Switzerland, and then 0:38:22.920 --> 0:38:27.000 we went on to Bena, Dorm, Spain, Santa Pez, France. 0:38:27.040 --> 0:38:29.560 We're all over the place. I was making two fifty 0:38:29.920 --> 0:38:32.160 three hundred a week, you know what I'm saying. But 0:38:32.280 --> 0:38:34.719 I was having them ball I was like twenty two, 0:38:34.840 --> 0:38:36.120 about twenty two years old. 0:38:36.160 --> 0:38:41.600 Again, I'm pulling out my inflation calculator just to see, 0:38:42.400 --> 0:38:45.520 just to see. So when you're saying the show group, 0:38:45.520 --> 0:38:48.960 you're saying in terms of like you guys, because I 0:38:49.000 --> 0:38:51.120 think heat Wave was sort of in the same situation 0:38:51.160 --> 0:38:53.239 where they were perform more on like army. 0:38:52.960 --> 0:38:56.800 Bases or clubs of the day. Is that the same situation. 0:38:56.520 --> 0:38:58.799 Or no, we never did army bases. But when I 0:38:58.840 --> 0:39:01.640 say a show group, I mean like a top forty group, 0:39:01.840 --> 0:39:04.840 you know what I'm saying. We did everything from Disco 0:39:04.960 --> 0:39:09.719 Infernal to Mandy you know what they so yeah, and 0:39:09.760 --> 0:39:13.200 it's like and you know, did you know Afternoon Delight 0:39:13.360 --> 0:39:15.719 all that kind of stuff. You know, it was like, 0:39:15.760 --> 0:39:18.520 you know, it was my stuff, old stuff exactly. We 0:39:18.560 --> 0:39:21.239 didn't do any original stuff. It was just and it 0:39:21.280 --> 0:39:22.600 was like, you know, so. 0:39:23.160 --> 0:39:25.759 But wait, by the way, guys, two fifty back in 0:39:25.840 --> 0:39:30.879 nineteen seventy seven was one thousand, one eighty seven and 0:39:30.960 --> 0:39:33.800 eighty six cents by today. 0:39:34.040 --> 0:39:36.720 That was that was good. That was cool money. 0:39:37.440 --> 0:39:39.239 I wish I would have felt that. Then I came 0:39:39.320 --> 0:39:42.000 back a year and a half with about five hundred dollars. 0:39:42.000 --> 0:39:42.400 That was this. 0:39:45.239 --> 0:39:48.640 But so, you know, so like I came back and 0:39:48.880 --> 0:39:52.440 and all the Mavericks Flat was was a really interesting 0:39:52.480 --> 0:39:56.600 place where on the weekend it was a club and 0:39:56.640 --> 0:39:59.040 on the week days that's where we rehears. We will 0:39:59.120 --> 0:40:02.359 rehearse the band anytime we had a show that we 0:40:02.400 --> 0:40:06.000 wanted to try out on people at a live audience. 0:40:06.440 --> 0:40:09.040 We would play at Mavericks Friday and Saturday the night 0:40:09.520 --> 0:40:11.880 and so it was like, you know, I mean, Mavericks 0:40:11.960 --> 0:40:14.080 was interesting in that you could look out in the 0:40:14.120 --> 0:40:17.800 audience at any time. Shaka Khan would be sitting out there, 0:40:17.920 --> 0:40:20.759 or lion On Richie when he was with the Commodores, 0:40:20.840 --> 0:40:23.040 or Richard pryor hung out there all the time, and 0:40:23.080 --> 0:40:25.880 it was it was just it was just a great 0:40:25.960 --> 0:40:28.920 place to like cut your teeth as far as like 0:40:29.120 --> 0:40:31.640 you know, uh, the way that you do your show, 0:40:31.760 --> 0:40:36.000 the whole thing, and uh. And where it was located Crenchhall, 0:40:36.120 --> 0:40:39.560 right Crenshawn Stocker, right on the corner of Crenshaw on Stocker. 0:40:39.440 --> 0:40:42.279 So this point in Crenshaw, because I also know that 0:40:42.360 --> 0:40:44.799 what was Total Experience also a club. 0:40:44.600 --> 0:40:47.480 On Crenshaw as well, right up the street. 0:40:48.200 --> 0:40:50.239 As far as the black clubs are concerned, you're saying 0:40:50.239 --> 0:40:52.799 at Maverick Flats and Total Experience, And like, where were 0:40:52.800 --> 0:40:57.839 the other nightlife options for black people to go. 0:40:57.800 --> 0:41:03.480 To Strawberry Hill? Was the club there? I don't know 0:41:03.520 --> 0:41:05.800 a whole bunch of clubs around there a bit, because 0:41:05.840 --> 0:41:07.680 I hung at Mavericks all the time. You know. It 0:41:07.760 --> 0:41:10.000 was like I had a key to Mavericks at one time. 0:41:10.160 --> 0:41:12.520 So you know, that was my that was my hang 0:41:12.640 --> 0:41:15.520 that was my hanging spot. You know. So there's other 0:41:15.600 --> 0:41:18.200 guys in Dolls. I think was a was a club, 0:41:18.200 --> 0:41:20.600 but I think that was a little bit before I 0:41:20.640 --> 0:41:23.160 got there, you know, guys and dolls. But I'm not 0:41:24.000 --> 0:41:26.200 really familiar with the whole bunch of the clubs over there. 0:41:26.360 --> 0:41:29.120 So you're saying that if you if it's nineteen seventy seven, 0:41:29.239 --> 0:41:34.440 seventy eight, seventy nine and you're a black professional, chances 0:41:34.480 --> 0:41:40.400 are like you're hanging in on Crenshaw Boulevard at a club. 0:41:40.480 --> 0:41:43.320 So we weren't really doing like West Hollywood back. 0:41:43.120 --> 0:41:46.479 Then, or no, I didn't do a lot of West 0:41:46.560 --> 0:41:49.239 Hollywood back then because that was like I got to 0:41:49.400 --> 0:41:51.840 I got out here in LA in nineteen seventy six, 0:41:52.360 --> 0:41:56.040 you know, and so I hooked up with the people 0:41:56.080 --> 0:42:00.680 at Mavericks about about two months after I got out here, 0:42:00.880 --> 0:42:03.319 you know, and we and John Daniels told me what 0:42:03.360 --> 0:42:05.560 he what, what he was, what he wanted to do 0:42:05.960 --> 0:42:08.279 he had. He had a bunch of show groups, and 0:42:08.320 --> 0:42:11.040 one of his main show groups was this group called 0:42:11.080 --> 0:42:15.680 the Love Machine. It was like seven seven fine, Fine, 0:42:15.719 --> 0:42:20.920 with Kathleen Bradley, who was the first black model on 0:42:21.000 --> 0:42:28.600 The Price Is Right. She was in yea from Friday. Yeah, 0:42:28.880 --> 0:42:37.240 she was in. That's what she shut up built. 0:42:37.520 --> 0:42:37.840 She was. 0:42:40.840 --> 0:42:44.640 And uh, he's done, He's done over there, it's like man, 0:42:44.800 --> 0:42:47.600 So yeah, she she was in. She was in the 0:42:47.640 --> 0:42:50.880 Love Machine and six other beautiful women. They and they 0:42:51.160 --> 0:42:53.680 went all around the world. When I first went down there, 0:42:54.120 --> 0:42:58.400 the cat T Tucker that played bass for Revelation Funk 0:42:58.840 --> 0:43:01.120 like I said at that time. By that time they 0:43:01.120 --> 0:43:05.080 were broken up and T was playing for the Love Machine. 0:43:05.400 --> 0:43:07.480 And I called T one day. I said, I got 0:43:07.480 --> 0:43:07.919 his number. 0:43:07.960 --> 0:43:08.480 I called him. 0:43:08.520 --> 0:43:10.319 I said, Yo, man, I'm in town. Blah blah blah. 0:43:10.360 --> 0:43:13.440 I said, man, come down to Maverick Flat. I'm rehearsing today. 0:43:13.520 --> 0:43:15.840 You know, I'm playing with this group called Love Machine. 0:43:15.880 --> 0:43:18.720 So me and my cousin went down to Maverick Flatt 0:43:18.719 --> 0:43:22.319 and stuff, and they were rehearsing at that time to 0:43:22.400 --> 0:43:26.239 do a showcase that night for Tom Jones. Because they 0:43:26.280 --> 0:43:29.400 were Tom Jones wanted them to open up for him. 0:43:29.800 --> 0:43:32.759 So you know, that was how that whole thing came about. 0:43:32.800 --> 0:43:35.200 And then we started putting the group and stuff together. 0:43:35.560 --> 0:43:40.000 But I was working there, went overseas, came back from there. 0:43:40.160 --> 0:43:42.520 We broke up the group Beverly Hills broke up after 0:43:42.520 --> 0:43:44.400 about a year a little less than a year and 0:43:44.480 --> 0:43:47.160 a half over in England, and came back and I 0:43:47.200 --> 0:43:50.640 started kicking around in LA and then that's when I 0:43:50.640 --> 0:43:55.360 hooked up with Jeffrey Bowen, you know, to he was 0:43:55.400 --> 0:43:59.440 doing this album with this solo album on Eddie Hazel, 0:44:00.640 --> 0:44:00.920 and he. 0:44:01.000 --> 0:44:04.880 Please describe with what Eddie Hazel was like. Besides George Clinton, 0:44:04.960 --> 0:44:09.040 I really haven't gotten a straight story about Eddie Hazel. 0:44:09.800 --> 0:44:12.960 He was he was an interesting cat in that you 0:44:13.080 --> 0:44:17.200 really couldn't get a good feel for Eddie because he 0:44:17.239 --> 0:44:19.680 was he was. He was high a lot of times, 0:44:19.719 --> 0:44:22.200 you know, he was. He was like, you know, an 0:44:22.320 --> 0:44:27.760 amazing guitar player, maggot brains, that's Eddie, you know, right, Hazel. 0:44:28.320 --> 0:44:31.680 And but he was he he I mean, I I 0:44:31.840 --> 0:44:39.279 just smoke weed, but he smoked weed. You know I 0:44:39.560 --> 0:44:46.400 know what that means. You go back, yes, so, but 0:44:46.400 --> 0:44:49.000 but he was cool, I mean real cool, real cool brother. 0:44:49.080 --> 0:44:52.840 But so you're saying that Eddie Hazel once potentially had 0:44:52.920 --> 0:44:56.520 a deal on Motown Records that fell through. M hm. 0:44:56.920 --> 0:45:00.000 I don't know if it fell through because they were 0:45:00.200 --> 0:45:04.320 they you know, Eddie Jeffrey was producing it. And then 0:45:05.080 --> 0:45:08.080 we were working because after I came, like I said, 0:45:08.080 --> 0:45:10.480 Tammy came and got me because she wanted me to 0:45:10.520 --> 0:45:14.080 do this. She was she was contracting the backgrounds or 0:45:14.760 --> 0:45:17.000 that they were doing. So I went in and did 0:45:17.080 --> 0:45:20.640 the sessions. Me, Tammy, this girl Kathy James, I forget 0:45:20.719 --> 0:45:22.560 I think that was the name. And we went in 0:45:22.640 --> 0:45:25.600 and did the session. And then after after we got 0:45:25.600 --> 0:45:28.520 done with the tunes and stuff, Jeffrey Cone Jeffrey Bowen 0:45:28.600 --> 0:45:30.560 came to me. He said, you know, man, I love 0:45:30.600 --> 0:45:32.719 your vocals. I loved it. This is going to be 0:45:32.760 --> 0:45:36.360 a self contained situation, so you know, I'd love for 0:45:36.400 --> 0:45:38.000 you to be a part of It's going to be you, 0:45:38.160 --> 0:45:40.680 Tammy and the girl that we were working with. And 0:45:40.719 --> 0:45:43.000 I said, cool, you know that's that's great. He said, 0:45:43.040 --> 0:45:45.239 I can get you in. He said, we can start 0:45:45.280 --> 0:45:47.839 working on the contracts, you know, but I can get 0:45:47.880 --> 0:45:53.040 you into the union tomorrow, right and said, I said, cool, Okay. 0:45:53.320 --> 0:45:56.160 So the next day I joined after you know what 0:45:56.239 --> 0:45:59.319 I'm saying, and all the checks and we started and 0:45:59.360 --> 0:46:02.960 it was like I wasn't contracted yet, you know. So 0:46:04.080 --> 0:46:07.320 if you're an uncontracted artist, you have to get paid 0:46:07.320 --> 0:46:10.560 from the time you walk into the studio the time 0:46:10.600 --> 0:46:13.760 you walk out of the studio. So Jeffrey would book 0:46:13.960 --> 0:46:16.120 book the time for like eight o'clock, you know, in 0:46:16.400 --> 0:46:19.520 the evening. He wouldn't show up for whatever reasons, I 0:46:19.600 --> 0:46:23.719 don't know, until midnight, and then we would work till about, 0:46:23.880 --> 0:46:26.480 you know, about four or five o'clock in the morning, 0:46:26.960 --> 0:46:29.319 so that's like nine hours you know, at about one 0:46:29.400 --> 0:46:31.400 hundred and thirty hundred and forty whatever the scale was 0:46:31.480 --> 0:46:34.400 at that time if you were doing a solo or 0:46:35.120 --> 0:46:35.359 you know. 0:46:35.400 --> 0:46:39.120 Inflation inflation count it's a lot of money, bill, it's 0:46:39.120 --> 0:46:40.000 a lot of money, a. 0:46:39.920 --> 0:46:40.919 Lot of money right there. 0:46:41.080 --> 0:46:43.319 So that sound like that, yeah, So, like you know, 0:46:43.400 --> 0:46:46.480 but then after about working about a couple of months, 0:46:46.920 --> 0:46:49.360 you know, started getting kind of flaky, you know what 0:46:49.400 --> 0:46:51.799 I'm saying, kind of shaky as far as like the 0:46:51.920 --> 0:46:55.319 checks we weren't reflecting the time that we you know 0:46:56.520 --> 0:46:59.040 that we were in the studio and so then I 0:46:59.120 --> 0:47:01.080 called him me. I took my lady. I took my 0:47:01.200 --> 0:47:04.439 lady to work. She worked at you know, like I said, 0:47:04.480 --> 0:47:08.919 for dying down at the Souldichrained Dance studios up in 0:47:09.200 --> 0:47:12.200 West Hollywood, and I took her, dropped her off of work, 0:47:12.239 --> 0:47:14.200 told her, I'm going to the Motown Building and have 0:47:14.320 --> 0:47:16.759 a meeting. Right. So, I'm sitting in a meeting on 0:47:16.800 --> 0:47:20.839 the fifteenth floor and I'm like, you know, y'all giving 0:47:20.880 --> 0:47:23.239 me the Motown running around, blah blah blah blah blah 0:47:23.280 --> 0:47:25.239 blah blah, you know, blah blah, getting all this stuff 0:47:25.280 --> 0:47:29.200 off my chest. And the phone rings, right, and this 0:47:29.600 --> 0:47:33.040 Angelo Bond was his co producer. Angelo answers the phone 0:47:33.440 --> 0:47:36.040 and he looks at me and he says, it's for you. 0:47:36.719 --> 0:47:39.080 I said, it's for me. I said, if it's my lady, 0:47:39.120 --> 0:47:41.359 tell her I'll call her. I'll call her back, right. 0:47:41.960 --> 0:47:44.640 He said, well, not a lady. And it sounds like 0:47:44.640 --> 0:47:47.520 it's long distance. That was before cell phones. When you 0:47:47.600 --> 0:47:50.920 hear the crackling on the phone, right launch he said, you. 0:47:50.920 --> 0:47:53.719 Know, it's nine dollars a minute, he said. 0:47:54.080 --> 0:47:55.920 He said, it's not a lady, it's a guy. And 0:47:55.960 --> 0:47:58.200 it sounds like it's long distance. So I take the 0:47:58.280 --> 0:48:04.440 phone and it's Jeffrey. Right. They were in New York 0:48:04.640 --> 0:48:07.399 at the time, in the middle of this promotional tour 0:48:07.880 --> 0:48:10.800 whatever it was that they got into an argument about. 0:48:10.920 --> 0:48:14.319 I never he said, he told me some I forget 0:48:14.480 --> 0:48:17.200 exactly what it was because I wasn't interested in why 0:48:17.320 --> 0:48:19.600 with this was happening. It's like, what are you? What 0:48:19.680 --> 0:48:21.839 are we getting to as far as like this phone call, 0:48:22.400 --> 0:48:25.279 and he said that you know that Jerald Brown, that 0:48:25.400 --> 0:48:27.359 Gerald said, Hey, when y'all can see it my way, 0:48:27.440 --> 0:48:29.800 give me a call. And he jumps on the plane 0:48:30.040 --> 0:48:33.719 and leaves. Oh, they're in the middle of a promotional tour. 0:48:33.840 --> 0:48:36.840 You did, and so like he says, I know, you 0:48:36.880 --> 0:48:41.040 know because they Mavericks Flat. All the soul trained people 0:48:41.120 --> 0:48:43.200 used to come down to Mavericks Flat all the time. 0:48:43.680 --> 0:48:46.960 I first I first met Jeffery and Jody before Shallamar 0:48:47.120 --> 0:48:50.080 at Mavericks Flat, right, and say, so they used to 0:48:50.120 --> 0:48:51.920 come there and they used to show They used to 0:48:51.960 --> 0:48:55.439 see the show that I did with Beverly Hills there, right, 0:48:56.000 --> 0:48:58.920 all this three degrees of separation is crazy, you know 0:48:58.960 --> 0:49:03.040 what I'm saying. So they saw the show Jeffrey Before, 0:49:03.200 --> 0:49:05.799 before Shala Maar resisted, Jeffrey had told me, man, I 0:49:05.920 --> 0:49:08.600 love your vocals. I said, I love your dancing. Man, 0:49:08.640 --> 0:49:10.480 you and Jodie. I used to watch them before I 0:49:10.560 --> 0:49:15.480 even left Ohio on soul train. I see them dancing. Wow, 0:49:15.560 --> 0:49:18.640 that's great, that's great. So he says, I know we 0:49:18.840 --> 0:49:21.000 you know we, I know, you know that we formed 0:49:21.000 --> 0:49:23.120 Shalamar blah blah blah. We got to take that to 0:49:23.200 --> 0:49:25.839 the bank out there when in the middle of promotional tour, 0:49:26.160 --> 0:49:28.800 we want to offer you an equal position in the group, 0:49:29.040 --> 0:49:33.480 you know, as lead singer. And I said, I said, well, okay. 0:49:33.640 --> 0:49:36.240 Then he told me all this stuff, and then he says, 0:49:36.400 --> 0:49:38.400 you're at the Motown building, right, I said yeah. He 0:49:38.440 --> 0:49:40.680 said where are you. I'm up on the fifteenth floor. 0:49:41.080 --> 0:49:43.799 He said, well, so Large's offices are down on the 0:49:43.920 --> 0:49:47.239 ninth floor in the same building. And we talked to 0:49:47.400 --> 0:49:50.839 and we already talked to Dick Griffy and he he's 0:49:50.880 --> 0:49:53.120 waiting for you to, you know, for you to get 0:49:53.120 --> 0:49:55.120 in touch with him. So like, you know, so he 0:49:55.160 --> 0:49:57.400 talked a little while longer. I get off the phone 0:49:57.920 --> 0:50:01.560 and I tell Jeffrey Bowen and I tell angelabaum, what 0:50:01.640 --> 0:50:04.759 to do? No, I said what? And then the Dan 0:50:04.760 --> 0:50:07.440 angel says, man, Chellamar is just a fly by night 0:50:07.520 --> 0:50:09.960 disco group. They'll never amount to anything. And then you 0:50:09.960 --> 0:50:13.160 don't want to get involved with Solar that you're You're 0:50:13.480 --> 0:50:15.840 you got the potential to be with Motown, you know. 0:50:15.840 --> 0:50:18.920 And then Jeffrey started talking some stuff. And when things 0:50:18.960 --> 0:50:21.000 like that happen, I have a tendency just kind of 0:50:21.000 --> 0:50:23.680 sit back, and ever since I was a kid, if 0:50:23.719 --> 0:50:26.319 I if I had to think, you know, I want 0:50:26.360 --> 0:50:29.400 to sit back and take in everything that they're saying. 0:50:29.480 --> 0:50:33.279 So I'm listening and when they get done, I said, well, 0:50:36.200 --> 0:50:38.520 my car is parked on the street. I need to 0:50:38.560 --> 0:50:40.440 go put some money in the middle. 0:50:40.680 --> 0:50:41.759 No. 0:50:43.200 --> 0:50:46.640 I went down to the ninth floor, got in, talked 0:50:46.680 --> 0:50:50.480 to Dick. This was on a Friday, right, and and 0:50:50.600 --> 0:50:54.920 Dick reiterated what Jeffrey the offer Jeffrey made and uh, 0:50:54.960 --> 0:50:58.000 I said, I told him. I said, no, I'm really interested. 0:50:58.400 --> 0:51:00.600 I said, but I got to give these people upstairs 0:51:00.600 --> 0:51:03.800 a chance to rectify themselves, because even though I didn't 0:51:03.840 --> 0:51:08.880 have contracts, my words was still you know, worth word contract, right. 0:51:09.440 --> 0:51:11.960 So I called them and told them, look, I'm gonna 0:51:12.000 --> 0:51:15.480 be home. If you guys want to rectify this thing, 0:51:16.080 --> 0:51:19.640 let me know, call me right And so all night 0:51:19.760 --> 0:51:24.279 Friday night nobody called. Saturday morning, I called Dick and 0:51:24.560 --> 0:51:27.719 I went over to his house, watched the videotape of 0:51:27.760 --> 0:51:30.480 the Shalomar Show. And then I was sitting in this 0:51:30.760 --> 0:51:32.799 rocking chair, right, I remember, I was watching the show, 0:51:33.000 --> 0:51:34.879 was sitting this rock and said, the show goes off, 0:51:35.280 --> 0:51:37.880 and Dick says, well, sing something, you know. Jeffer and 0:51:37.920 --> 0:51:40.239 Joey say, you're a great singer. Sing something. I said, 0:51:40.440 --> 0:51:42.160 I said, right here, I compel them. 0:51:42.200 --> 0:51:42.400 You know. 0:51:42.840 --> 0:51:45.080 He said yeah. And I said to myself, I say, well, lord, 0:51:45.120 --> 0:51:48.319 you know me and you so I broke in. I 0:51:48.360 --> 0:51:51.040 broke in the field of Fire by Peebo Bryce. I 0:51:51.080 --> 0:51:56.920 compel them something that to me, you know, and yeah, 0:51:57.000 --> 0:52:02.279 And got through the first verse half the and Dick says, okay, okay, okay, 0:52:02.320 --> 0:52:05.360 I'll be right back. He goes upstairs, comes back down. 0:52:05.520 --> 0:52:08.360 He has like, goes in one pocket. He has some cash. 0:52:08.400 --> 0:52:10.200 He said, here's some cash, you know, leave with your 0:52:10.239 --> 0:52:12.759 old lady. Pay some bills. And he went in the 0:52:12.760 --> 0:52:15.560 other pocket and brought out an airline ticket and that 0:52:15.719 --> 0:52:18.720 was pre nine to eleven. I could ride on your ticket. 0:52:18.920 --> 0:52:21.080 You know, I could ride up right on my head right, 0:52:21.320 --> 0:52:23.879 I could ride. You didn't have to have a specific name. 0:52:24.280 --> 0:52:26.680 He said, here's an airline ticket. You got to be 0:52:26.760 --> 0:52:29.279 on the red Eye out tonight. Meet the group of 0:52:29.320 --> 0:52:32.040 New Jersey tomorrow, as they moved from New York to 0:52:32.120 --> 0:52:35.040 New Jersey, he said, Meet the group of New Jersey tomorrow. 0:52:35.080 --> 0:52:38.440 He said, because and go over the lift sync and 0:52:38.480 --> 0:52:41.279 the choreography of take That to the Bank, he said, 0:52:41.280 --> 0:52:44.239 because Monday you got a TV show to do. And 0:52:44.320 --> 0:52:47.240 I'm like, you know, I'm like, you know, being from Ohio, 0:52:47.400 --> 0:52:50.520 think about Ohio? Is that the prereconsist as far as 0:52:50.520 --> 0:52:52.200 our being from a house. You got to be cool 0:52:52.239 --> 0:52:56.720 about everything, you know what I'm saying. So like, I'm like, okay, okay, 0:52:57.440 --> 0:52:59.080 you think you can handle it. Oh sure, I can 0:52:59.120 --> 0:53:01.920 handle it. Side, I'm like, I got a job. 0:53:05.080 --> 0:53:07.640 Well, I would have asked, what was Dick Griffy Like, man, 0:53:07.640 --> 0:53:11.160 it's been about let me experience. 0:53:11.360 --> 0:53:12.239 Let me add on to that. 0:53:12.280 --> 0:53:17.520 Fonte Howard, We've we've asked at least seven people this 0:53:17.680 --> 0:53:22.440 question and they kind of glide by the situation. Okay, 0:53:22.480 --> 0:53:24.560 I know, I know the brother's not here right now, 0:53:25.680 --> 0:53:31.359 but can you give us a real, real in quotations 0:53:31.400 --> 0:53:32.800 Dick Griffy's situation. 0:53:33.880 --> 0:53:38.760 Uh, he did. Dick was was a very should I say, 0:53:39.640 --> 0:53:45.160 complex character in certain ways, but very direct in other ways. 0:53:45.280 --> 0:53:49.040 And as far as like you know, he used a 0:53:49.080 --> 0:53:52.640 lot of under the thumb type of tactics to keep things, 0:53:53.000 --> 0:53:55.360 you know, in in tact as far as his so 0:53:55.760 --> 0:53:58.279 but that was his thing, that was how, that was 0:53:58.280 --> 0:54:04.080 where he came from. For uh, for instance, all. 0:54:04.080 --> 0:54:09.400 Right, all right without without you compromising your position, were 0:54:09.440 --> 0:54:16.279 there any buildings with balconies on them office from nine 0:54:16.320 --> 0:54:16.719 to five? 0:54:18.239 --> 0:54:20.880 I don't think that happened with Dick, you know, with 0:54:20.920 --> 0:54:25.560 the five heartbeat situations, you know. But but I've heard 0:54:25.600 --> 0:54:30.120 of certain situations with other characters of who we won't 0:54:30.320 --> 0:54:33.239 you know, going to right now also doing that whole. 0:54:33.760 --> 0:54:35.919 But I don't think Dick ever ever did that type 0:54:35.960 --> 0:54:38.680 of thing. But he was he was, he was you know, 0:54:38.760 --> 0:54:41.040 he was a gangst gangster type of cat, you know. 0:54:41.160 --> 0:54:45.960 And and but he respected if you stood up for 0:54:46.040 --> 0:54:48.960 what you you know, stood for you know. 0:54:49.239 --> 0:54:53.120 Five minutes the first time you stuttered, huh five minutes. 0:54:53.160 --> 0:54:53.720 We've been talking. 0:54:53.760 --> 0:54:56.960 It's the first time because because you want to be 0:54:56.960 --> 0:54:57.319 because I. 0:54:57.600 --> 0:54:58.480 Be careful, I get it. 0:54:58.520 --> 0:55:00.040 I guess respectful. 0:54:59.600 --> 0:55:01.720 I get it. Yeah, because you want to be because 0:55:01.800 --> 0:55:05.080 because I have, I have much respect for it. Because Dick, 0:55:06.000 --> 0:55:08.440 thank god, you know, Dick was a vehicle that was 0:55:08.560 --> 0:55:11.120 chosen to get my foot in the door, you know 0:55:11.160 --> 0:55:13.600 what I'm saying. And as long as you you know, 0:55:14.080 --> 0:55:15.719 once you get your foot in the door, it's up 0:55:15.719 --> 0:55:17.840 to you to put to open up the door and 0:55:17.880 --> 0:55:22.120 get in there. So like, you know, I appreciate the 0:55:22.120 --> 0:55:26.480 the opportunity that Dick presented to me and and and 0:55:26.680 --> 0:55:31.640 respected him, you know, immensely and missing dearly now. But 0:55:31.960 --> 0:55:34.920 you know, I mean we had our drag knockdown, drag 0:55:34.920 --> 0:55:37.360 out fights, man, and and it was like, you know, 0:55:37.400 --> 0:55:39.759 when if I felt something and if I felt this 0:55:39.960 --> 0:55:43.400 was not the way that this should be, he really 0:55:43.480 --> 0:55:47.040 he really didn't like me going out and and working 0:55:47.040 --> 0:55:51.439 with people like Quincy, working with people like uh other 0:55:51.520 --> 0:55:55.000 other producers and stuff, because then I could see, you know, 0:55:55.440 --> 0:55:57.959 how it's really supposed to be done and. 0:55:57.880 --> 0:56:00.680 How and how the real business looked like. 0:56:00.760 --> 0:56:04.000 The business was supposed to be done. And he didn't 0:56:04.160 --> 0:56:05.640 like for me to do that. But I was going 0:56:05.719 --> 0:56:07.480 to do that. I went out and worked with Stanley 0:56:07.800 --> 0:56:11.719 when I work with George, you know, yeah, and all 0:56:11.800 --> 0:56:15.080 those and and like I said, Quincy and you know, 0:56:15.200 --> 0:56:18.960 so I could see how that whole thing was supposed 0:56:19.000 --> 0:56:22.120 to go down, you know, and as far as financially 0:56:22.560 --> 0:56:23.680 everything is concerned. 0:56:23.719 --> 0:56:25.560 So it's kind of like a you feel like it's 0:56:25.640 --> 0:56:28.040 kind of like a learning process that he was the 0:56:28.040 --> 0:56:30.319 beginning of the learning process, because I was wondering when 0:56:30.320 --> 0:56:32.400 you got excited about getting a job and everything, at 0:56:32.440 --> 0:56:34.640 that moment, you don't wonder, well, what do I have 0:56:34.680 --> 0:56:37.399 any say in the songs that we sang? And you know, 0:56:37.600 --> 0:56:39.880 like all the business stuff that like in retrospect you 0:56:39.920 --> 0:56:41.640 may have, but at the same time. 0:56:41.560 --> 0:56:42.640 You didn't have it at that time. 0:56:42.760 --> 0:56:45.400 Yeah, well, at first, at first, I didn't want to 0:56:45.440 --> 0:56:48.880 have any sales far as concerned, because because my whole 0:56:48.880 --> 0:56:51.279 thing was like, I want to learn, I want to 0:56:51.320 --> 0:56:52.719 look at it. I'm not I don't want to come 0:56:52.760 --> 0:56:55.160 here and act like I know what I'm doing because 0:56:55.200 --> 0:56:58.440 I had never been in a recording a real recording 0:56:58.480 --> 0:57:01.840 studio at all up to that point, you know, like 0:57:02.000 --> 0:57:04.840 you know, and and and Leon Silver's you know, like 0:57:04.960 --> 0:57:08.760 you know, it was like a learning process. I saw 0:57:08.800 --> 0:57:12.239 how he worked, I saw how his uh, his crew work, 0:57:12.360 --> 0:57:18.800 his cruel writers, Will Shelby, Kevin Spencer, and I would 0:57:18.800 --> 0:57:21.040 sit back a lot of times. I was back. The 0:57:21.080 --> 0:57:25.160 first song that I really participated on and in participated 0:57:25.400 --> 0:57:28.920 in writing and felt comfortable enough to present it to 0:57:28.960 --> 0:57:31.600 them as far as writing was concerned, was for the 0:57:31.640 --> 0:57:35.960 lover in you, you know, and so yeah, so like 0:57:36.200 --> 0:57:39.360 you know that was me and Dana Myers and like so, 0:57:39.760 --> 0:57:42.560 I mean we had a thing where were reprint presented 0:57:42.640 --> 0:57:46.080 to the people to his his cruel, his stable writers 0:57:46.080 --> 0:57:49.640 and stuff, and they would say veto you know or 0:57:51.160 --> 0:57:53.520 so you know, it was like it was it was 0:57:53.600 --> 0:57:56.640 a learning process for me. I didn't want to jump 0:57:56.680 --> 0:57:58.840 in there. I know, I want to write down. 0:58:00.040 --> 0:58:02.280 I want a lesson that a lot of the youth here. 0:58:02.320 --> 0:58:03.439 So that's why I want you to tell. 0:58:03.680 --> 0:58:07.320 So let me let me ask them so with So 0:58:07.360 --> 0:58:12.200 your first album with is big fun correct? I got 0:58:12.200 --> 0:58:13.760 it Okay. When I was the kids like, oh the 0:58:13.800 --> 0:58:18.919 Dolphin record. 0:58:16.280 --> 0:58:20.000 It would they would killer wells. 0:58:20.760 --> 0:58:21.800 I thought there was dolphins too. 0:58:24.320 --> 0:58:31.520 Black Actually, the barrels that we were sitting on and 0:58:31.600 --> 0:58:34.280 they're superimposed. 0:58:35.880 --> 0:58:36.400 Barrels. 0:58:36.400 --> 0:58:44.720 Okay, the classic moment, So with barrels, okay, with Big Fun. Yeah, 0:58:44.760 --> 0:58:49.880 So walk us through the process of one. Like by 0:58:49.920 --> 0:58:52.280 this point when you're doing Big Fun, how long have 0:58:52.360 --> 0:58:56.919 you been in the group? What's your Gelling situation? Now 0:58:57.600 --> 0:59:02.080 complete disclosure. I'm probably the only human being on earth 0:59:02.120 --> 0:59:08.560 that has not seen Unsung. I've heard it might have 0:59:08.560 --> 0:59:11.960 been a tense episode. I don't know, so I'm kind 0:59:11.960 --> 0:59:15.800 of asking you this, you know, from the total naivete 0:59:15.880 --> 0:59:19.200 of not knowing what the situation was, But what was 0:59:19.600 --> 0:59:23.800 How long was it before after that New Jersey first 0:59:23.840 --> 0:59:27.400 gig with him, until you started recording Big Fun, And 0:59:27.480 --> 0:59:33.800 what was the Gelling situation? Like with you, Jeffrey and Jody. 0:59:33.800 --> 0:59:35.880 It was, you know because when we first when I 0:59:35.920 --> 0:59:38.440 first got there, we were like thrown together, you know, 0:59:38.480 --> 0:59:41.360 when I first got to Jersey and we were, you know, 0:59:41.440 --> 0:59:43.480 we I was in all day Sunday, I was in 0:59:43.600 --> 0:59:48.080 a I forget. It was either Josie's room or Jeffrey's room. 0:59:48.120 --> 0:59:50.880 I forget. But it was crammed into you know, like 0:59:51.600 --> 0:59:55.040 learning the lip sync. I studied the lip sync, you 0:59:55.040 --> 0:59:57.760 know while I was flying across country, and and then 0:59:57.880 --> 1:00:00.280 learning the choreography because I'm used to sing and I 1:00:00.400 --> 1:00:02.640 used to I'm not used to dancing. I'm a singer, right, 1:00:02.720 --> 1:00:07.000 so you know that choreography. And so then we got 1:00:07.000 --> 1:00:11.760 that together, and then we continued on from the rest 1:00:11.800 --> 1:00:17.439 of that promotional tour, which if I'm getting I'm trying 1:00:17.440 --> 1:00:19.480 to get it. I'm at that point now where I'm 1:00:19.520 --> 1:00:22.080 even trying to get the timelines together because I'm I'm 1:00:22.120 --> 1:00:24.120 writing a book. I want to write my book, you know, 1:00:24.200 --> 1:00:27.800 so I need to get these timelines together myself. So 1:00:28.360 --> 1:00:31.840 when I got I think I got there in New Jersey, 1:00:31.920 --> 1:00:34.440 it had to been winter time because I had to 1:00:34.920 --> 1:00:36.840 I had to buy an overcoat because I didn't have 1:00:36.880 --> 1:00:39.920 an overcoat. So I went to this this clothing store 1:00:39.960 --> 1:00:42.439 in New Jersey thing it was called Heaven on Earth 1:00:42.560 --> 1:00:46.240 or something like that, and and bought this overcoat, you know. 1:00:46.360 --> 1:00:49.440 So so that was so it had to been like 1:00:49.480 --> 1:00:59.240 about maybe November, November, September, October, November, December time. And 1:00:59.320 --> 1:01:03.160 then We've finished up that promotional tour at the Copa Cabana, 1:01:03.520 --> 1:01:07.280 you know, in New York. And then as soon as 1:01:07.280 --> 1:01:10.000 we flew back to back to La which was the 1:01:10.040 --> 1:01:16.240 beginning of seventy nine, I believe, because it was seventy eight. Yeah, 1:01:16.280 --> 1:01:22.520 the beginning of seventy nine. We started immediately recording the 1:01:22.520 --> 1:01:26.240 Big Fun album, went in and started putting that whole 1:01:26.480 --> 1:01:29.080 whole thing together, and it took us. It took us, 1:01:29.240 --> 1:01:32.680 you know, four or five six months or so, four 1:01:32.760 --> 1:01:34.600 or five months or so to do the whole album 1:01:35.080 --> 1:01:40.360 and then put then we put, so we went, So 1:01:40.440 --> 1:01:44.280 that takes us into towards the end of seventy nine, 1:01:44.560 --> 1:01:47.160 you know, the middle mid towards the end of seventy nine, 1:01:47.640 --> 1:01:51.240 and then put Second time Around out there, and Second 1:01:51.320 --> 1:01:54.800 Time Around at first was kind of creeping up the charts, 1:01:54.840 --> 1:01:57.240 you know what I'm saying. But it wasn't It wasn't 1:01:57.320 --> 1:02:00.560 until we did a remix that back then, that's when 1:02:00.920 --> 1:02:04.040 remixes were real big, you know what I'm saying. So, yeah, 1:02:04.440 --> 1:02:06.920 twelve instance and sof so, I forget who did the remix. 1:02:06.960 --> 1:02:09.160 We did a remix on it, put it out there, 1:02:09.200 --> 1:02:11.800 and then it like screamed up the charts. So like 1:02:12.320 --> 1:02:15.600 that was towards the end of seventy nine into eighty, 1:02:16.000 --> 1:02:18.320 you know what I'm saying. So it was like from 1:02:18.640 --> 1:02:22.680 that time. Then we had a hit record in eighty Wow. 1:02:23.240 --> 1:02:26.120 Can you describe what working with Leon Silvers is? 1:02:26.240 --> 1:02:26.320 Like? 1:02:28.400 --> 1:02:30.120 Do you have any do you have any big friend 1:02:30.200 --> 1:02:31.320 Lewis stories to go with it? 1:02:31.400 --> 1:02:32.200 And I'm playing. 1:02:35.080 --> 1:02:37.920 It was like I know that at one point, you know, 1:02:37.960 --> 1:02:41.000 because Leon is like a stickler for backgrounds and stuff 1:02:41.040 --> 1:02:44.280 like that. I mean, just like stickler for backgrounds. And 1:02:44.320 --> 1:02:47.720 like I remember going in there one time and there 1:02:47.800 --> 1:02:49.920 was a part I was supposed to be doing that day, 1:02:50.400 --> 1:02:52.520 and like he we started out, I could tell it 1:02:52.600 --> 1:02:57.280 was gonna be one of those days. We're like, that's good, 1:02:57.360 --> 1:03:03.720 it sounds great, Let's do it again. Uh, And then 1:03:03.760 --> 1:03:07.160 he's like you know, and and that after about after 1:03:07.160 --> 1:03:10.439 about forty five minutes, so I said, Lee, I said, man, 1:03:10.680 --> 1:03:13.680 I can't do this today. They'll start a getting tomorrow. Man. 1:03:14.080 --> 1:03:14.320 He was. 1:03:14.840 --> 1:03:17.120 He was just a test actually, Like all right. 1:03:17.800 --> 1:03:22.240 I mean I mean phrasing, you know, And when you 1:03:22.280 --> 1:03:26.440 talk about Howard Hewitt sound, I would give a big 1:03:26.480 --> 1:03:30.640 portion of that. The kudos up to Leon for helping 1:03:30.680 --> 1:03:34.080 me develop the Howard Hewitt sound. You know, I had 1:03:34.120 --> 1:03:37.600 my sound, you know, going from the natural to the Falls, 1:03:37.720 --> 1:03:40.320 you know, before I left out Ohio you know, when 1:03:40.320 --> 1:03:42.480 I was a kid, I developed that in my mom's 1:03:42.520 --> 1:03:45.360 bathroom with all the all the tile and everything, with 1:03:45.440 --> 1:03:48.200 the you know, built in reverb that you got in 1:03:48.280 --> 1:03:51.360 the bathroom. So I developed that natural going into the 1:03:51.440 --> 1:03:55.760 falls back then. But he helped me develop that other 1:03:55.960 --> 1:03:59.240 like staying like Stickler as far as phrasing is concerned, 1:03:59.440 --> 1:04:02.200 you know, looking that at every nuanced all those ad 1:04:02.280 --> 1:04:04.760 libs that you think are ad lives on there on 1:04:04.840 --> 1:04:07.760 those there ain't no ad libs. We we thought that 1:04:07.880 --> 1:04:11.760 stuff out, you know what I'm saying. He put it there, 1:04:12.040 --> 1:04:13.200 put it here, put it there. 1:04:13.560 --> 1:04:13.800 Yeah. 1:04:14.160 --> 1:04:16.320 Do you remember like a moment of time when that 1:04:16.400 --> 1:04:18.080 when that happened, when you thought, all right, I don't 1:04:18.080 --> 1:04:18.800 know about this. 1:04:18.760 --> 1:04:21.840 But like no, you gotta you gotta do that. 1:04:21.880 --> 1:04:25.880 And it worked, but oh yeah, worked every time. But 1:04:25.920 --> 1:04:28.880 like those type of things were like are you sure 1:04:28.960 --> 1:04:31.120 that's that's that's gonna work in there? You know yeah, 1:04:32.920 --> 1:04:35.400 and that poomomoom boom, and it just fell right in 1:04:35.560 --> 1:04:37.160 places like but do. 1:04:37.040 --> 1:04:39.680 You have any memories of recording because like two of 1:04:39.720 --> 1:04:43.120 my favorite shadow my songs of all time over and 1:04:43.160 --> 1:04:48.720 over and let's find the Time for Love, Remember those. 1:04:48.560 --> 1:04:51.520 Sessions yeah, I remember over and over like it was 1:04:51.560 --> 1:04:55.400 like yesterday, because that was when I was the only 1:04:55.440 --> 1:04:58.760 one in the group basically, you know, Jeffrey and Jody 1:04:58.800 --> 1:05:01.920 had already split. So like at that time I wanted 1:05:01.960 --> 1:05:04.600 to do I wanted to do my solo thing. But 1:05:05.120 --> 1:05:07.840 Dick says, well, you know, you still got two and 1:05:07.880 --> 1:05:11.000 a half three years left on this contract, so you 1:05:11.040 --> 1:05:13.400 either got it. You're either gonna do it, you know, 1:05:13.760 --> 1:05:16.600 go you just sit around and ride it out, go 1:05:16.640 --> 1:05:19.880 to Court, you know, or move to England or wherever 1:05:19.920 --> 1:05:22.360 where Jeffrey and Joey moved to. Well else you can 1:05:22.400 --> 1:05:24.960 do another you know, another album. And so of course 1:05:25.000 --> 1:05:27.240 I hate Court. I don't like Court. You know, Court 1:05:27.520 --> 1:05:31.720 is like of course, like the Court's like a nightmare Vegas. 1:05:31.760 --> 1:05:33.560 You know what I'm saying, You're just doing to you 1:05:33.600 --> 1:05:36.480 don't know what's happening. So so like you know, but 1:05:36.680 --> 1:05:39.560 we recorded that over and over at that time, did 1:05:39.600 --> 1:05:41.920 the video and that whole thing that was when in 1:05:41.960 --> 1:05:44.640 the videos like Me and Mickey Free, you know me 1:05:44.800 --> 1:05:48.760 Mickey and Leonne in that video, and and Let's Time 1:05:48.920 --> 1:05:51.760 Let's find the Time for love? Was that the song 1:05:51.800 --> 1:05:52.720 you said, Let's time. 1:05:52.840 --> 1:05:53.080 That's it. 1:05:53.120 --> 1:05:54.160 Yeah, Let's find a Time for Love? 1:05:54.240 --> 1:05:57.080 Yeah, that's not on the look is it? 1:05:57.120 --> 1:06:01.680 Is it? Yeah? 1:06:01.800 --> 1:06:03.600 That was was that? 1:06:03.960 --> 1:06:06.400 I think that was on three for Love let me 1:06:06.640 --> 1:06:08.720 let me hold them let me Yeah? 1:06:08.880 --> 1:06:11.280 No, no, no, it wasn't. It was on Friends. 1:06:13.080 --> 1:06:15.880 No, I think it's going on uh fante. 1:06:16.000 --> 1:06:18.160 Let me find out that you're a fan of go 1:06:18.320 --> 1:06:23.200 for It, yo, like on the loaf, like you bullshit 1:06:25.800 --> 1:06:30.479 you deep cut cat col Dog Hey man, I rocked 1:06:30.480 --> 1:06:34.800 that album. Yo, here you go man, all right? 1:06:35.280 --> 1:06:37.440 Was finding Time for Love? That wasn't on Go for It? 1:06:37.520 --> 1:06:42.960 Wasn't that was? It wasn't Friends. I mean what that was. 1:06:44.680 --> 1:06:47.120 For love? It's just a beautiful song, man, just. 1:06:47.080 --> 1:06:48.280 It really it is. 1:06:48.320 --> 1:06:49.160 I love that record. 1:06:49.960 --> 1:06:51.800 Do you remember recording it? Do you remember like recording 1:06:51.840 --> 1:06:53.480 that joint or like that session. 1:06:53.520 --> 1:06:56.040 I don't. I don't really really remember anything that stuck 1:06:56.080 --> 1:06:58.240 out in my mind about recording except that it was 1:06:58.360 --> 1:07:07.800 just a nod boom boom damn. 1:07:07.920 --> 1:07:08.840 Now I'm looking for it. 1:07:09.480 --> 1:07:09.680 Yeah. 1:07:11.400 --> 1:07:13.640 And the thing and the thing that that really that 1:07:13.720 --> 1:07:15.640 really stood out to me as far as that song 1:07:15.760 --> 1:07:18.720 was concerned, also was just the combination of me and 1:07:18.800 --> 1:07:20.360 Jody Widley. Man, it was like. 1:07:20.360 --> 1:07:22.000 It was on Big Fun. It was on Big Fun, 1:07:23.240 --> 1:07:23.600 Big Fun. 1:07:23.640 --> 1:07:25.760 It was the first album. Yeah, I think that was 1:07:25.800 --> 1:07:29.200 the first time we really realized the magic that the 1:07:29.240 --> 1:07:33.760 combination of our of our voices really projected out there. 1:07:33.800 --> 1:07:37.240 It was it was you know them. The timbre of 1:07:37.320 --> 1:07:40.880 her voice and my voice together even on the background 1:07:40.920 --> 1:07:43.160 situation was like, amazing, amazing. 1:07:43.320 --> 1:07:45.880 That's a gorgeous song man, a great performance by all Right. 1:07:46.360 --> 1:07:50.640 I don't necessarily want you to throw him under the rug, 1:07:51.800 --> 1:07:56.440 but can you answer two questions for me? Because you know, 1:07:57.400 --> 1:08:01.040 I just gotta know because again, like it's also my 1:08:01.160 --> 1:08:04.360 perception of Shalamar coming from a ten year old. But 1:08:04.920 --> 1:08:07.400 every time I turn around, like Jeffrey Daniel had a 1:08:07.440 --> 1:08:10.280 guitar in his hand, but I don't recall him playing guitar. 1:08:10.680 --> 1:08:12.160 Was he always air guitaring? 1:08:13.480 --> 1:08:16.760 Well, he was air guitar sometimes. But you know he 1:08:16.840 --> 1:08:19.400 knows how to play. You know, he really stuck to 1:08:19.479 --> 1:08:22.519 it and he really he can he can play it now. 1:08:22.680 --> 1:08:24.280 You know what I'm saying. He really knows how to 1:08:24.400 --> 1:08:24.960 play now. 1:08:25.400 --> 1:08:27.120 And that's him singing on pop Along Kid. 1:08:27.680 --> 1:08:29.720 Yeah, that's him singing on a long Kid. 1:08:29.800 --> 1:08:31.240 Yeah, Okay, I get I get it. 1:08:31.280 --> 1:08:33.000 Okay, No, I just wanted to make sure I didn't 1:08:33.040 --> 1:08:34.160 know if that was him, that was you, if he 1:08:34.240 --> 1:08:38.639 was giving much singing duties or not. Okay, now from 1:08:38.680 --> 1:08:43.800 from one from one too impossible? How hard were they 1:08:44.040 --> 1:08:48.400 on the choreography front of things, because you guys, you 1:08:48.479 --> 1:08:50.759 guys really had a together. 1:08:52.400 --> 1:08:52.600 You know. 1:08:52.680 --> 1:08:54.479 It's almost like I wish it was five of you 1:08:54.600 --> 1:08:59.360 because you guys were doing shit. That's like, for a 1:08:59.439 --> 1:09:01.439 listeners out there, if you if you can, if you 1:09:01.439 --> 1:09:04.799 could demo, if you could demo, if you could google. 1:09:05.880 --> 1:09:08.759 A song called Shoe Shoe Shine by. 1:09:08.600 --> 1:09:11.960 The Dynamics Superiors, in my opinion, is one of the 1:09:12.040 --> 1:09:16.839 greatest performances ever on Soul Train, in which they literally 1:09:17.040 --> 1:09:20.719 act out every word that's saying, like, this is past 1:09:20.840 --> 1:09:23.639 Charlie Atkins, this is past Brook Payne as far as 1:09:24.040 --> 1:09:27.400 choreography is concerned. But yeah, I was saying that the 1:09:28.000 --> 1:09:30.559 choreography that you guys had, even if you say like 1:09:30.600 --> 1:09:34.200 I'm not a dancer, somehow, in my mind I just 1:09:34.240 --> 1:09:40.000 always walked away with like, Schallamar really had great, polished choreography, 1:09:41.040 --> 1:09:44.200 Like how hard were how hard? And like how much 1:09:44.240 --> 1:09:48.160 time did you guys spend on those routines. 1:09:48.520 --> 1:09:51.240 Spending a lot of time on the routines Jody. Jody 1:09:51.360 --> 1:09:55.240 was really instrumental as far as like putting together a 1:09:55.280 --> 1:09:58.599 lot of routines. Jeffrey would throw his his his situation 1:09:58.760 --> 1:10:01.320 in there a lot, and I at fir. I mean, 1:10:01.360 --> 1:10:03.759 I was just you know, because one of the things 1:10:03.800 --> 1:10:06.439 that that I was concerned about was the fact that 1:10:06.520 --> 1:10:09.479 I sing, and when you sing, it is like you 1:10:09.600 --> 1:10:12.240 got to breathe, and you got and you're breathing if 1:10:12.280 --> 1:10:15.519 you're out of breath, you know what I'm saying. And 1:10:15.600 --> 1:10:18.680 so that's when I, you know, I did the I 1:10:18.680 --> 1:10:20.840 did the choreography and went through the quote. But I 1:10:20.880 --> 1:10:25.760 told them, let's make be conscientious of the fact that 1:10:26.760 --> 1:10:30.000 I'm singing. You know what I'm saying. You got you know, 1:10:30.120 --> 1:10:32.360 you guys, I'm saying, I'm singing, I got to hit 1:10:32.400 --> 1:10:35.559 those notes that I created on those albums and all 1:10:35.560 --> 1:10:39.920 that kind of stuff. So you know, so that's yeah, 1:10:40.200 --> 1:10:44.040 like you you know, and then then get it, you 1:10:44.080 --> 1:10:46.519 know what I'm saying. So you know, it was like 1:10:47.000 --> 1:10:49.760 then we started being I think we started being conscientious. 1:10:50.040 --> 1:10:52.960 They started being conscientious of that, and that's when the 1:10:53.000 --> 1:10:57.800 whole situation of like, you know, there's in choreography a 1:10:57.880 --> 1:11:01.280 lot of times less is more, you know what I'm saying. 1:11:01.720 --> 1:11:04.880 And the human mind, the human brain can only just 1:11:04.960 --> 1:11:08.400 take so much, you know. So I would rather people 1:11:08.880 --> 1:11:12.200 walk away from a concert saying, man, you remember when 1:11:12.200 --> 1:11:15.280 they did this thing together, boom boom, boom boom. They 1:11:15.320 --> 1:11:17.880 were together, and then Howard broke off and they broke on, 1:11:17.920 --> 1:11:20.320 and then they came back and did it together. And 1:11:20.400 --> 1:11:23.600 so I would rather that than a whole bunch of 1:11:23.640 --> 1:11:26.960 stuff that they're not really gonna remember anyway. And so 1:11:27.400 --> 1:11:31.280 Jeffrey and Jody were on it, Jeffrey's whole backsliding thing 1:11:31.400 --> 1:11:34.000 that he had. Eventually, he's the one that taught Michael 1:11:34.040 --> 1:11:36.680 how to do that, and Michael named it the moonwalk. 1:11:37.040 --> 1:11:40.040 Jeff taught him how to do that. So but at 1:11:40.040 --> 1:11:43.040 the you know, during the show, we would play the 1:11:43.120 --> 1:11:47.559 song called what was it called I Forget It? But 1:11:47.600 --> 1:11:50.320 it was first first part of writing the Socket. It's 1:11:50.320 --> 1:11:53.720 called writing the Socket, yeah, yeah, And we and they 1:11:53.720 --> 1:11:56.040 were being in the band would break down into this 1:11:56.120 --> 1:11:58.920 funky groove and me and Jody would be on one 1:11:59.000 --> 1:12:01.720 side of stage right and Jeffrey be all the way 1:12:02.120 --> 1:12:04.120 on the other side of the stage, and Jody and 1:12:04.200 --> 1:12:08.120 I would pull this imaginary rope right and pull it 1:12:08.160 --> 1:12:11.000 and boom like that, and Jeffrey would backslide all the 1:12:11.120 --> 1:12:14.960 way across the stage. Man First, all people on the 1:12:15.080 --> 1:12:18.360 on the floor. It's guaranteed they're standing up because they 1:12:18.400 --> 1:12:22.920 think he's on like a conveyor belt. That's how until that. 1:12:23.080 --> 1:12:25.800 From that point on, we could do anything. We would 1:12:25.840 --> 1:12:27.160 do it. It was on. It was on. 1:12:27.280 --> 1:12:31.120 So do you have any do you have any knowledge 1:12:31.160 --> 1:12:36.800 of because I know that Jeffrey was also trying to 1:12:36.840 --> 1:12:39.519 get another group off the ground, the one that with 1:12:39.680 --> 1:12:44.840 Casper Cooley and Casper like his other dancers there was 1:12:44.920 --> 1:12:46.800 there was like I think it was like a singing 1:12:46.840 --> 1:12:49.599 group whatever. I assume that he was trying to bring 1:12:49.640 --> 1:12:52.120 them through the solar channel. Did anything ever happen. 1:12:51.960 --> 1:12:55.080 To that project, I'm not sure. I remember Casper and 1:12:55.160 --> 1:12:59.479 Cooley though definitely Casper and Cooley actually went over first 1:12:59.560 --> 1:13:02.600 because we were we were going overseas for a promotional 1:13:02.640 --> 1:13:05.960 thing for about six weeks, so that's when Michael wanted 1:13:05.960 --> 1:13:09.639 to learn the backslide. So first Cap and Coley, Crassperan 1:13:09.720 --> 1:13:11.599 Cooley went over there to try and teach it to him, 1:13:11.600 --> 1:13:14.360 but for some reason he couldn't grasp it from them. 1:13:14.400 --> 1:13:18.559 So when we came back from uh, from the promotional tour, 1:13:18.640 --> 1:13:21.080 that's when Jeffrey went over and taught him how to 1:13:21.120 --> 1:13:27.040 do Okay, but I think the the group was called, uh, 1:13:27.920 --> 1:13:29.400 what was the what's the name of the group? I 1:13:29.439 --> 1:13:30.120 forget to forget. 1:13:30.320 --> 1:13:32.360 I'm forgetting. Yeah, I'm a blink right now. 1:13:32.240 --> 1:13:34.680 It's a it's a It was a dance group basically, 1:13:35.280 --> 1:13:39.120 and yeah, and like I don't know whether Jeffrey was 1:13:39.160 --> 1:13:41.840 trying to make it into a singing group too and 1:13:41.960 --> 1:13:45.320 maybe bring it to Dick or whatever, but nothing really 1:13:45.320 --> 1:13:45.880 came of it. 1:13:51.479 --> 1:13:51.839 Okay. 1:13:51.920 --> 1:13:56.680 So at the time when second time Around becomes a 1:13:56.680 --> 1:14:02.759 big ass hit and it's definitely established that you're in 1:14:02.760 --> 1:14:06.040 in a you know, a well established group that's not 1:14:06.040 --> 1:14:09.479 going to have to struggle at least in our eyes, 1:14:09.560 --> 1:14:11.400 it's like, oh, you made it right out the box. 1:14:12.200 --> 1:14:16.160 How different does your life change? 1:14:17.080 --> 1:14:17.160 Like? 1:14:17.280 --> 1:14:23.599 What is it to be a young successful blackmail with 1:14:24.120 --> 1:14:29.400 a hit group? In Los Angeles, California nineteen. 1:14:29.200 --> 1:14:32.439 Eighty goopies were crazy, you know, but. 1:14:33.640 --> 1:14:39.479 Wet ass pussy did you just say that? 1:14:40.080 --> 1:14:42.840 And it made so much sense between me and Steven Howard, 1:14:42.840 --> 1:14:45.639 and I'm afraid the resid or feeling there too. 1:14:46.160 --> 1:14:49.520 I just don't know if every was there to really. 1:14:51.400 --> 1:14:54.360 Leading out of context, leave it out in context. They 1:14:54.439 --> 1:14:57.120 just trust me, listeners. The conversation was had earlier. 1:14:57.120 --> 1:15:01.920 But but in a sense that was one of the 1:15:02.000 --> 1:15:03.960 changes because you know, I had dealt with with the 1:15:04.000 --> 1:15:06.920 whole groupie thing since I was like, you know, young, 1:15:07.320 --> 1:15:10.680 very young, Like even in the gospel situation there you 1:15:10.720 --> 1:15:13.320 had your gospel groupies, you know, and when. 1:15:13.200 --> 1:15:17.160 I, oh, yeah that's what they was holy from the 1:15:17.160 --> 1:15:17.679 waste stuff. 1:15:18.240 --> 1:15:23.360 Man would think, you know, the Lord told me to 1:15:23.400 --> 1:15:30.360 give this to you. Okay, you know so, But but 1:15:30.400 --> 1:15:32.400 then you know, and then I had, you know, when 1:15:32.439 --> 1:15:34.240 I when I went into the R and B situation 1:15:34.400 --> 1:15:37.959 back in back in Ohio, we had our our fans 1:15:37.960 --> 1:15:41.360 that follow us around and then going overseas with the 1:15:41.439 --> 1:15:46.000 group with Beverly Hills, you know yeah yeah, foreign, yeah, 1:15:46.160 --> 1:15:49.519 foreign situation. When I get with the group, I'm like, 1:15:49.640 --> 1:15:52.200 you know, I'm like, man, I got this down. This 1:15:52.360 --> 1:15:54.599 is like I've been dealing with this for a long time. 1:15:54.960 --> 1:15:58.040 There ain't nothing like hit record groupies. Hit record groups 1:15:58.080 --> 1:16:00.800 are the ones that like you know, you can all 1:16:00.840 --> 1:16:02.680 of a sudden it's like, oh, how did you get 1:16:02.720 --> 1:16:07.240 in here? You know? And so you know it that 1:16:07.760 --> 1:16:11.080 after a couple of years of that, that really made 1:16:11.160 --> 1:16:15.480 me look at that whole thing and and look and see, uh, 1:16:15.560 --> 1:16:17.559 you know, that's not something I really want to deal 1:16:17.600 --> 1:16:20.559 with as far as that's concerned, because it's not like 1:16:20.880 --> 1:16:23.840 they know me. They just know what they think about me. 1:16:24.160 --> 1:16:26.840 They knew me, they might not even like me, so 1:16:27.000 --> 1:16:29.760 like so that so I ended that whole thing that 1:16:29.800 --> 1:16:32.280 was That was a change in my life. But you know, 1:16:32.439 --> 1:16:36.320 as far as the responsibility, I think you started getting 1:16:36.680 --> 1:16:39.400 at least I did, anyway, started getting a sense of 1:16:40.000 --> 1:16:43.639 responsibility of what you're saying because you know that people 1:16:44.000 --> 1:16:46.320 are really listening to you, you know what I'm saying, 1:16:46.360 --> 1:16:51.240 and it's like and that's with that comes responsibility. It's like, 1:16:51.800 --> 1:16:53.920 you know, I got to like I said, I came 1:16:54.000 --> 1:16:57.559 from I came from a whole housefuld of women, you know, 1:16:57.720 --> 1:17:01.240 like my mom, my mom, four sisters, and then me 1:17:01.280 --> 1:17:04.639 and my dad were the only testosterone, you know, walking 1:17:04.680 --> 1:17:06.960 around there for about three or four years until my 1:17:07.040 --> 1:17:10.920 younger my younger brother came. But you know, but I 1:17:10.960 --> 1:17:15.639 always looked at that and that always kind of shaped 1:17:16.160 --> 1:17:19.960 what I would allow myself to, you know, to say 1:17:20.439 --> 1:17:22.639 in my music and what I do and what I 1:17:22.680 --> 1:17:24.640 and what I project and project as far as the 1:17:24.760 --> 1:17:27.720 music is concerned, so you know, but I mean it 1:17:27.760 --> 1:17:29.920 was it was because at the time, was we were 1:17:29.960 --> 1:17:33.800 only second time around was out there. I think it 1:17:33.880 --> 1:17:36.559 was like I think I was about twenty three, twenty 1:17:36.600 --> 1:17:40.920 three years ago, you know, so young. We were really 1:17:41.040 --> 1:17:43.679 really young. Jeffrey's only like a couple of months older 1:17:43.720 --> 1:17:46.400 than I am, and Jody's like, I forget, like about 1:17:46.400 --> 1:17:49.240 three four years younger. But you know, we were young, 1:17:49.520 --> 1:17:52.280 you know when that whole thing went down, So it 1:17:52.320 --> 1:17:55.280 was it was a big adjustment and big adjustment. 1:17:55.920 --> 1:17:59.200 Is there any I mean not preparing you, but did 1:17:59.240 --> 1:18:02.400 it ever get to the point where, especially when you're 1:18:02.439 --> 1:18:06.479 young and impressionable, you have ideas of what starter was 1:18:06.560 --> 1:18:09.160 like like ah, there's a limousine and there's a bodyguard. 1:18:09.240 --> 1:18:11.320 But I mean, was there just ever a time when 1:18:11.360 --> 1:18:14.880 you just couldn't do something simple like just go to 1:18:14.920 --> 1:18:20.160 the seven eleven to get you know, that would stick 1:18:20.200 --> 1:18:22.720 of gum or something like that. Was it like that? 1:18:22.920 --> 1:18:23.840 Or was it just. 1:18:25.280 --> 1:18:28.280 Could you still have a personal life or was it 1:18:28.479 --> 1:18:33.639 like constantly being chased around and that sort of thing. 1:18:34.080 --> 1:18:36.160 Not being chased around. I think it was like, you know, 1:18:36.280 --> 1:18:39.040 here in the States, you had to realize you had 1:18:39.040 --> 1:18:41.519 to get a sense of where you could go and 1:18:41.560 --> 1:18:44.280 where you couldn't go. You dig It's like, you know, 1:18:44.520 --> 1:18:48.519 there's places, there's places that even now I won't go 1:18:48.600 --> 1:18:51.200 because I won't be it won't be you know, like 1:18:51.360 --> 1:18:55.640 you want a piece, yeah, you're eating it was I 1:18:55.640 --> 1:18:59.559 don't mind, you know, autographs and stuff. That's the part 1:19:00.120 --> 1:19:02.080 you asked for it. You got it, Toyota, you know 1:19:02.160 --> 1:19:05.280 what I'm saying. So that's a proper whole thing. But 1:19:05.520 --> 1:19:09.240 like you know, the place that was really difficult to 1:19:09.280 --> 1:19:13.080 get around was was in the UK once when it 1:19:13.200 --> 1:19:16.600 when everything hit in the UK, because the UK is 1:19:16.640 --> 1:19:19.640 so condensed, you know what I'm saying. I mean, the 1:19:19.080 --> 1:19:23.680 whole the whole island is what Bobble's biggest California, but 1:19:23.720 --> 1:19:25.800 you got all kind of people in there and then 1:19:25.960 --> 1:19:29.200 and so once once we hit there, it was like, 1:19:29.760 --> 1:19:33.040 I mean, it was hit hit. Jeffrey went on top 1:19:33.080 --> 1:19:35.320 of the pops, did his thing. The next day. It 1:19:35.360 --> 1:19:38.720 was like bam, it was crazy, and uh. 1:19:38.080 --> 1:19:43.760 Can you explain that situation? Because I've seen him do 1:19:44.240 --> 1:19:47.639 uh night to remember where he's just pop locking by himself, 1:19:47.680 --> 1:19:50.800 and you know, even I went to live there for 1:19:50.840 --> 1:19:53.479 a couple of years and they still talk about like 1:19:54.320 --> 1:19:56.599 that being such a game changing moment. I know that 1:19:57.120 --> 1:20:02.280 Jeffrey also hosted, uh the this version of Souldiering Soultring 1:20:02.360 --> 1:20:05.240 six twenty or whatever it was called. But what was 1:20:05.280 --> 1:20:10.479 the situation that both you and Jody didn't make that 1:20:10.560 --> 1:20:14.680 promotional tour and Jeffrey just decided to pop lock and 1:20:14.720 --> 1:20:16.960 there Well to give you guys a backstory, I believe 1:20:17.000 --> 1:20:20.280 that the legend is that you guys were supposed to 1:20:20.320 --> 1:20:23.439 perform on top of the Pops, but something happened, so 1:20:23.520 --> 1:20:26.320 he decides, I'm just gonna pop lock and he does 1:20:26.320 --> 1:20:29.719 the moon walk on the show, and suddenly you guys 1:20:29.800 --> 1:20:32.320 become instant make us celebrities. 1:20:32.800 --> 1:20:35.360 That's how I always say, whatever we were, whatever we 1:20:35.439 --> 1:20:37.840 are over there in the UK, I mean we still 1:20:37.920 --> 1:20:41.599 Jeffrey and I and Carolyn Griffy still tour over there now, 1:20:42.080 --> 1:20:45.160 and we out we've carved out a real niche out there, 1:20:45.200 --> 1:20:48.280 real good niche over there where we're doing festivals with 1:20:48.320 --> 1:20:50.880 sixty seventy thousand people over there is now you know 1:20:51.040 --> 1:20:55.760 so and but what happened was a right. 1:20:58.240 --> 1:20:58.599 Happened? 1:20:58.680 --> 1:21:02.519 Was it happened? Uh? We have been on the road 1:21:02.680 --> 1:21:05.960 so much. Also Jody was like pregnant with her first 1:21:06.439 --> 1:21:10.920 her first child or daughter, Lauren, and uh, and I 1:21:10.960 --> 1:21:14.000 was trying to piece together what little bit was left 1:21:14.040 --> 1:21:17.320 of my first marriage, you know, and which didn't happen. 1:21:17.560 --> 1:21:20.519 You know, it didn't work. But but we have been 1:21:20.560 --> 1:21:24.479 on the road so much for so long, we said, 1:21:24.560 --> 1:21:26.720 and at the time I can make you feel Good. 1:21:26.760 --> 1:21:30.439 There's another song that that me and get we wrote, 1:21:30.520 --> 1:21:33.960 we wrote together, and and I Can make You Feel 1:21:34.000 --> 1:21:36.760 Good came out over there. I can make you Feel 1:21:36.760 --> 1:21:38.920 Good blown up, you know, going up to charts, and 1:21:39.000 --> 1:21:41.680 took so long for us to decide what we were 1:21:41.720 --> 1:21:44.439 going to do. By time he got there, I Can 1:21:44.520 --> 1:21:47.479 make You Feel Good had had fallen to number two, 1:21:48.000 --> 1:21:52.320 and Top Fox was the number was a program where 1:21:52.520 --> 1:21:55.479 they only did number one records on there, so so 1:21:55.560 --> 1:21:58.920 he couldn't do he couldn't do I Can make You 1:21:58.960 --> 1:22:03.200 Feel Good. But then somehow I forget what happened? They 1:22:03.880 --> 1:22:06.400 they arranged it so he could come back on there 1:22:06.720 --> 1:22:08.559 since he was all the way all the way over there, 1:22:08.560 --> 1:22:11.519 because it felt the number two on his way over there, 1:22:11.960 --> 1:22:19.120 you know, I know, so like like they said, you know, 1:22:19.240 --> 1:22:21.280 they said, well, you know, yo, we can get him 1:22:21.280 --> 1:22:22.880 on here. You can do you know, do a dance 1:22:23.080 --> 1:22:24.439 because he was going to do a dance thing to 1:22:25.080 --> 1:22:26.720 I Can make You Feel Good, But he ended up 1:22:26.720 --> 1:22:27.280 doing it. 1:22:27.160 --> 1:22:31.439 To a night remember, yes, and I. 1:22:31.439 --> 1:22:34.000 Think that was going to be the next single anyway 1:22:34.080 --> 1:22:36.639 or something like that. So he went on there, and 1:22:36.640 --> 1:22:38.559 and Top of the Pops is the type of show. 1:22:39.120 --> 1:22:42.760 It came on every Thursday, you know. And and if 1:22:42.800 --> 1:22:46.400 you went on Top of the Pops and and Kill Friday, 1:22:46.760 --> 1:22:49.559 you saw your album sales go go through the roof. 1:22:49.800 --> 1:22:54.200 That's how how how instantly impactful you know that that 1:22:54.360 --> 1:22:57.639 show was to the UK. So man, he went on there. 1:22:57.680 --> 1:23:01.080 They went crazy. Man, they went crazy. It was like 1:23:01.520 --> 1:23:04.439 it was like, you know, we couldn't we couldn't walk 1:23:04.479 --> 1:23:07.120 down the street Apps and then over there. 1:23:07.200 --> 1:23:10.960 You know, I was going to say that in some 1:23:11.080 --> 1:23:15.439 weird way, you guys, not going over there almost served 1:23:16.280 --> 1:23:24.759 the group better because of that very specific Hey, guys, 1:23:24.800 --> 1:23:26.439 I don't know if you. I don't know if you remember, 1:23:26.600 --> 1:23:32.960 but when Leon had did our show, he had mentioned 1:23:34.000 --> 1:23:36.400 a Shalamar video that. 1:23:38.680 --> 1:23:40.160 It's escaping me right now. 1:23:40.320 --> 1:23:44.639 But I went, I forget the title, but I went 1:23:44.720 --> 1:23:47.920 to actually look it up on YouTube, and I have 1:23:48.040 --> 1:23:49.960 to say it, it's probably in my mind. 1:23:50.000 --> 1:23:53.120 I thought the emergency. 1:23:52.800 --> 1:23:56.400 Video for the Whispers was the weirdest video from the 1:23:56.439 --> 1:23:59.960 Solar Cannon with him arguing inside of a phone booth. 1:24:01.000 --> 1:24:04.559 But you guys have a very it might have been 1:24:04.640 --> 1:24:07.880 for the song you just mentioned. It was like you 1:24:07.880 --> 1:24:10.000 were in a garden or do. 1:24:09.960 --> 1:24:13.160 You not remember in a garden? 1:24:13.520 --> 1:24:15.920 Like you were in a flower shop or something like that. 1:24:15.960 --> 1:24:18.360 It's like, I don't want to be the last to know. 1:24:19.200 --> 1:24:22.920 Yo, Okay, who conceptualized? Have you guys seen this video? 1:24:23.000 --> 1:24:23.280 Y'all? 1:24:23.680 --> 1:24:28.040 Now forget forget keep on love of me, forget all 1:24:28.040 --> 1:24:33.960 the weird videos that have come from Solar Records like this, chops, 1:24:34.120 --> 1:24:35.439 every God. 1:24:36.720 --> 1:24:37.200 Everything. 1:24:37.920 --> 1:24:40.960 I only I only wish I had a time machine 1:24:41.800 --> 1:24:44.280 to go back to Leon Silver's interview so we could 1:24:44.320 --> 1:24:47.320 talk about this video some war because I looked it 1:24:47.400 --> 1:24:50.800 up way after after we did the interview. What was 1:24:50.960 --> 1:24:54.799 who conceptualized that videos? 1:24:55.800 --> 1:25:02.439 It's like it's like meats and had one of them 1:25:02.439 --> 1:25:04.080 flop hats on and something like that. 1:25:04.640 --> 1:25:07.559 It's like an anti bellum, Like what's going on in 1:25:07.560 --> 1:25:08.040 this video? 1:25:09.920 --> 1:25:12.920 I don't want to be the last, you know, if 1:25:12.920 --> 1:25:18.120 you're gone. Yeah, man, it was like that was back in. 1:25:18.360 --> 1:25:21.720 That was back We did three videos in the same day. 1:25:23.000 --> 1:25:27.320 Man, this was the last one. 1:25:30.920 --> 1:25:31.519 This time. 1:25:32.680 --> 1:25:37.000 I don't know who came up with their concept, because man. 1:25:36.360 --> 1:25:37.840 Wow, your hair looks great though. 1:25:38.240 --> 1:25:40.600 I mean, but but it's just like, what was it 1:25:42.439 --> 1:25:45.439 the night to remember I think when Jeffrey was the 1:25:46.720 --> 1:25:49.679 the waiter or the bar, he came out the closet 1:25:49.680 --> 1:25:51.559 and I'm like, oh, that's not cool. 1:25:53.760 --> 1:25:55.280 Yeah, that that video was weird. 1:25:55.280 --> 1:25:56.920 But this, this, this takes. 1:25:56.720 --> 1:26:00.320 Me click this man, this white face the time. 1:26:00.360 --> 1:26:02.240 I wish the show had a visual component. 1:26:02.880 --> 1:26:05.720 Everybody looking at it now this this is the oddest thing. 1:26:06.240 --> 1:26:06.400 Yo. 1:26:06.640 --> 1:26:11.840 Man is crazy. Like I said, but we did three videos. 1:26:12.040 --> 1:26:14.360 I remember it was it's nice to remember I don't 1:26:14.400 --> 1:26:19.320 want to be the last. And this tune called work 1:26:19.720 --> 1:26:22.960 work it Out, work it out, you know, check out, 1:26:23.040 --> 1:26:23.960 work it out, work it out. 1:26:24.080 --> 1:26:27.280 Is like that that's even that's even crazy. 1:26:27.800 --> 1:26:28.759 It's even weirder. 1:26:29.040 --> 1:26:32.559 You know, so who directed these videos? 1:26:32.600 --> 1:26:34.920 Bill Parker, Jesus Christ. 1:26:34.960 --> 1:26:37.519 It's weird, You're right, I'm sorry, I'm like, you're looking 1:26:37.560 --> 1:26:38.200 at it right now. 1:26:39.400 --> 1:26:44.240 But work it out. Yes, we got balloons working out, yes, yes, 1:26:46.920 --> 1:26:48.599 and then the balloons go back. 1:26:49.880 --> 1:26:52.240 But I mean, but really though, I mean, those videos 1:26:52.240 --> 1:26:52.599 are weird. 1:26:52.640 --> 1:26:55.439 But I really, looking back at it, videos were really 1:26:55.479 --> 1:26:57.840 something that I think it took a lot of like 1:26:58.000 --> 1:27:00.240 black artists a while to figure out, you know what 1:27:00.280 --> 1:27:02.600 I'm saying, like what it was because a lot of 1:27:02.640 --> 1:27:04.920 those like early age, I mean, they you could tell 1:27:05.000 --> 1:27:06.800 that they didn't know what the fuck to do, you 1:27:06.880 --> 1:27:11.040 know what I mean, you know what I'm saying. I mean, 1:27:11.040 --> 1:27:12.920 you look at it, don't look any further video, it's 1:27:12.920 --> 1:27:13.360 just like what. 1:27:13.400 --> 1:27:14.439 In the hell, you know what I mean? 1:27:14.880 --> 1:27:15.639 Right right? 1:27:17.280 --> 1:27:20.759 Uh, don't look any further video from Dennis Edwards inside. 1:27:21.800 --> 1:27:24.040 Yeah, but I will. 1:27:23.840 --> 1:27:29.360 Admit, like you guys, the whole Solar Cannon, all the groups, 1:27:29.400 --> 1:27:33.320 including the Lakeside videos, and even though I'm coming like 1:27:33.400 --> 1:27:36.840 at least like the fact that you guys we're thinking 1:27:36.880 --> 1:27:39.759 forward as far as the visual component that most groups 1:27:39.760 --> 1:27:42.760 weren't even thinking of back then. You know, so it's 1:27:42.800 --> 1:27:48.120 almost like and that probably explains I'm gonna get into Yeah, 1:27:48.120 --> 1:27:49.920 for the life of me, I don't even know how 1:27:50.040 --> 1:27:53.680 you guys were successful in getting a deck giveaway on 1:27:53.960 --> 1:27:56.680 MTV at a time when MTV was very slow to 1:27:56.680 --> 1:27:59.920 play back black videos. But wait, I do have a question. 1:28:01.080 --> 1:28:05.760 I gotta go to Charlene and Willis's theme. Please. Why 1:28:05.920 --> 1:28:09.040 wasn't somewhere There's a Love for Me ever released as 1:28:09.080 --> 1:28:09.479 a single. 1:28:11.479 --> 1:28:15.639 Amazing song the way that people respond to it, man, 1:28:15.880 --> 1:28:18.720 you would single, You would think it was it was 1:28:18.760 --> 1:28:22.800 a single at some point because it's like they go crazy. 1:28:22.720 --> 1:28:25.919 That Different Strokes episode, did y'all justice? 1:28:26.000 --> 1:28:27.920 Like that's you. 1:28:27.880 --> 1:28:30.519 Know, for those who don't know, you know, when Janet 1:28:30.600 --> 1:28:33.639 Jackson first was on Different Strokes like that was her 1:28:34.120 --> 1:28:39.360 and will in Todd Bridge's song on on on that show. 1:28:39.479 --> 1:28:41.439 So I didn't. I didn't know that, you know, I 1:28:41.439 --> 1:28:42.040 didn't know that. 1:28:42.120 --> 1:28:43.040 You never knew that. 1:28:43.200 --> 1:28:45.240 I never knew that. I didn't I never really watched 1:28:45.240 --> 1:28:46.280 Different Strokes that much. 1:28:46.320 --> 1:28:50.200 But song placement, man, song again, I was a ten 1:28:50.280 --> 1:28:55.320 year old, so it's like, you know, can you explain 1:28:55.720 --> 1:28:59.200 why me being aware of what you guys's records were 1:28:59.280 --> 1:29:02.519 as they came out. I do remember being very shocked 1:29:02.520 --> 1:29:05.120 and surprised when Gofert was just like in the record 1:29:05.120 --> 1:29:08.240 Ben and I was like, well, wait, where's the single 1:29:08.240 --> 1:29:10.760 at how how come? Like I almost felt like it 1:29:10.800 --> 1:29:15.040 was just put out there. It was just arbitrarily like 1:29:15.120 --> 1:29:17.799 what was was go for a bunch of throwaway songs? 1:29:17.880 --> 1:29:21.360 Or it was it was there was we were going, Uh, 1:29:21.479 --> 1:29:26.840 Solar was going from r c A Distribution to Electure Distribution, 1:29:27.600 --> 1:29:31.600 to complete, to complete their obligation to r c A 1:29:32.320 --> 1:29:35.439 each group on the on the on the Solar label 1:29:36.000 --> 1:29:39.200 old r c A. Another another album, one more album 1:29:39.600 --> 1:29:41.960 and then we could then Solar could move on to 1:29:42.200 --> 1:29:47.400 Electure Distribution. So it was like it was we called 1:29:47.479 --> 1:29:50.240 we used to call it the throwaway album. But on 1:29:50.280 --> 1:29:53.240 that album you had you had Sweeter as the Days 1:29:53.240 --> 1:29:57.680 Go By, you had you know, uh, this talk to Me, 1:29:57.800 --> 1:30:02.040 which was which was like a crazy crazy things. James 1:30:02.040 --> 1:30:05.360 and I did a song on there called you Got 1:30:05.400 --> 1:30:09.360 Me Right, you know, one of those urgency things you know, 1:30:10.000 --> 1:30:12.960 and and but that's what it was. We used to 1:30:12.960 --> 1:30:16.320 call it the throwaway album, you know, And that was 1:30:16.400 --> 1:30:20.920 because we had to fulfill the obligation to h rca 1:30:21.080 --> 1:30:24.519 disabusing company and so that they can move on to 1:30:24.600 --> 1:30:25.840 the electric election. 1:30:26.439 --> 1:30:30.400 So at the time, though, and you know, like Thuraway albums, 1:30:30.400 --> 1:30:34.080 are you know, Frank Zappa was famous for it. Uh, 1:30:34.200 --> 1:30:37.960 you know, Prince did cast and disorder. Like Thuraway albums, 1:30:38.080 --> 1:30:40.160 there's nothing new about it. But at the time, are 1:30:40.200 --> 1:30:42.240 you feeling like, well, we do have a are you 1:30:42.240 --> 1:30:45.160 thinking about it in terms of legacy, Like, well, I 1:30:45.160 --> 1:30:46.920 don't I don't want to just put a stinker out 1:30:46.920 --> 1:30:51.000 there or something that doesn't have all this promotion or something, 1:30:51.600 --> 1:30:54.080 because you guys are basically releasing it knowing that it's 1:30:54.080 --> 1:30:56.920 going to be dead in the water anyway. But did 1:30:56.920 --> 1:30:58.960 you feel any sort of way about that as a group, 1:30:59.080 --> 1:31:01.880 like we don't want to waste a shot, especially when 1:31:01.920 --> 1:31:04.400 we have this much momentum mmmm. 1:31:05.000 --> 1:31:07.920 We we really didn't think about that a lot because 1:31:08.080 --> 1:31:10.840 I guess we were depending on the guidance of the 1:31:10.880 --> 1:31:14.360 record company as far as that's concerned. You know, they said, Okay, 1:31:14.360 --> 1:31:16.799 we're gonna do this, It's gonna be cool, blah blah blah, 1:31:16.920 --> 1:31:20.960 and like I said, some some uh sweeter as the 1:31:21.040 --> 1:31:23.559 days go by. That was that was a that was 1:31:23.560 --> 1:31:25.639 a pretty you know turned out to be a pretty 1:31:26.280 --> 1:31:29.519 especially overseas, turned out to be a pretty popular song 1:31:29.600 --> 1:31:32.639 and stuff. So it wasn't it wasn't like we put 1:31:33.040 --> 1:31:35.120 it wasn't like if you listen to the album, wasn't 1:31:35.160 --> 1:31:37.040 like we put a stinker out there. There was some 1:31:37.080 --> 1:31:38.240 stuff on. There was some stuff. 1:31:38.280 --> 1:31:41.760 Sorry I didn't mean, but in terms of releasing it, 1:31:41.960 --> 1:31:44.040 knowing that you're just gonna go put all the energy 1:31:44.880 --> 1:31:46.920 in front of the friends album that's. 1:31:46.880 --> 1:31:49.479 Yeah, yeah, in front of the album with the new 1:31:49.600 --> 1:31:53.080 distribution company. Now, I think we were you know again, 1:31:53.400 --> 1:31:55.640 we were so we were still at that point, we 1:31:55.640 --> 1:31:58.640 were still pretty young in the business, and like so 1:31:58.720 --> 1:32:02.400 we were we were depending if Dick said we're gonna 1:32:02.439 --> 1:32:04.160 put it with you know, get a throw Way album, 1:32:04.200 --> 1:32:06.200 lean I said, we're gonna do a throw Way album. Okay, 1:32:06.280 --> 1:32:08.719 all right, cool, let's do. Let's get in there and work, 1:32:08.840 --> 1:32:09.040 you know. 1:32:09.160 --> 1:32:11.000 But I also noticed that this is the album that 1:32:11.040 --> 1:32:13.320 the three of you really got to contribute a lot 1:32:13.320 --> 1:32:14.559 of your personal songs to. 1:32:14.520 --> 1:32:17.200 It, right right, especially Jeffrey. Jeffrey did a lot of 1:32:17.200 --> 1:32:17.920 stuff on there. 1:32:18.400 --> 1:32:21.120 And so in your in your mind, like what's what's 1:32:21.160 --> 1:32:23.799 your favorite album of v Shallamar Cannon. 1:32:24.720 --> 1:32:29.400 I think like I really dig Three for Love. I 1:32:29.439 --> 1:32:34.280 dig Three for Love because of the the politics of it. 1:32:34.400 --> 1:32:37.680 And as far as because Lee Young Junior told me 1:32:38.200 --> 1:32:41.519 when I first got with the group, because up until 1:32:41.520 --> 1:32:44.479 that time, it was a lot of caricatures as far 1:32:44.520 --> 1:32:49.639 as album covers concerned. You know, the Uptown Festival album 1:32:49.680 --> 1:32:53.959 cover was a cartoon type of character, the disco gardens 1:32:54.000 --> 1:32:57.439 and Disco Guarden and and uh and and also you 1:32:57.479 --> 1:33:02.160 know even the big Fun album on those yeah and 1:33:02.200 --> 1:33:05.000 stuff still you know, but Lee told me, man, you 1:33:05.120 --> 1:33:08.400 have to establish your faces as far as the group 1:33:08.479 --> 1:33:11.200 is concerned when people, you have to establish it so 1:33:11.240 --> 1:33:15.479 that when people say Shalomar, they think of Howard, Jeffrey 1:33:15.479 --> 1:33:18.880 and Jody because they see it. And then and on 1:33:18.920 --> 1:33:21.519 the on the legal tip, you know, that was very cool. 1:33:21.560 --> 1:33:24.760 So that was that was really important to me as 1:33:24.800 --> 1:33:29.120 far as that album was concerned, which album, which album 1:33:29.200 --> 1:33:31.080 was for the lover and you on? Was that on 1:33:31.680 --> 1:33:33.840 three for Love? That was on three for Love? 1:33:33.840 --> 1:33:37.360 I believe, I believe, Yeah, it's on three yeah, yes. 1:33:37.760 --> 1:33:40.400 And what we were talking about in the very beginning 1:33:40.520 --> 1:33:42.800 of the of this whole of this whole show was 1:33:43.439 --> 1:33:46.479 very important because when I first got with the group, 1:33:46.640 --> 1:33:50.160 it was like, you know, Shalomar the disco group, you 1:33:50.200 --> 1:33:52.880 know what I'm saying. And like, like I said, I 1:33:52.920 --> 1:33:55.360 wasn't a big fan of disco, you know what I'm saying. 1:33:55.400 --> 1:33:58.560 So my thing was like, that's we need to establish 1:33:58.680 --> 1:34:02.160 this as a as as a group, as a as 1:34:02.200 --> 1:34:05.120 a whatever you want to pop, R and B whatever, 1:34:05.320 --> 1:34:08.840 not disco. So when we did for the Lovering You, 1:34:09.439 --> 1:34:12.000 for the Lovering You was very instrumental in doing that, 1:34:12.160 --> 1:34:15.599 taking us from the disco group into you know, when 1:34:15.600 --> 1:34:18.800 they started talking about Shalamar, you know, after for the 1:34:18.840 --> 1:34:22.920 Lovering You, it was like, yeah, the group Shalamar, the 1:34:24.320 --> 1:34:27.600 singing group, pop group, R and B group, but you know, 1:34:27.720 --> 1:34:29.439 put the disco group out of the picture. 1:34:29.720 --> 1:34:32.080 What was the name? Where did the name come from? 1:34:32.080 --> 1:34:33.799 What was the meaning of the name Salamar? 1:34:34.400 --> 1:34:38.880 This is there's this cat named Simone Susan who brought 1:34:39.200 --> 1:34:45.360 h Uptown Festival to Dick and Don Cornelia's Uptown Festival 1:34:45.479 --> 1:34:49.080 was like a medley of motown hits, you know, so 1:34:49.280 --> 1:34:52.639 like uh you know, in the disco, in the disco format, 1:34:53.120 --> 1:34:56.599 and uh so Simone Soussan was this cat and there 1:34:56.680 --> 1:35:00.120 was a there was a garden over in the at 1:35:00.280 --> 1:35:04.040 least or something like that called Shalomar Garden. It's a 1:35:04.080 --> 1:35:07.479 s h l I M A R you know, shally Mar. 1:35:09.000 --> 1:35:11.280 It was this there was this, uh, there was this 1:35:12.280 --> 1:35:16.559 botanical garden that this potentate or somebody you know, put 1:35:16.600 --> 1:35:19.559 together for his lady, you know, and and so like 1:35:19.640 --> 1:35:22.639 there was this beautiful garden. That's how they got Disco 1:35:22.800 --> 1:35:25.600 Garden out of it. And then they changed the I 1:35:25.920 --> 1:35:29.080 to the A and s A A L A m 1:35:29.160 --> 1:35:31.800 A L s h s h A l. 1:35:31.720 --> 1:35:32.360 A m A L. 1:35:32.840 --> 1:35:33.040 Yeah. 1:35:33.240 --> 1:35:36.200 Okay, what can you what can you tell us both 1:35:36.560 --> 1:35:41.240 legally and and respectfully about Jody's situation and why she's 1:35:41.280 --> 1:35:43.160 not torn with the band currently. 1:35:43.520 --> 1:35:44.400 With us currently. 1:35:44.760 --> 1:35:44.920 Yeah. 1:35:45.000 --> 1:35:48.320 Yeah, at the time, we we got an offer Jeffery, 1:35:48.439 --> 1:35:51.799 like I think it was about twenty years ago, seventeen 1:35:51.880 --> 1:35:56.320 twenty years or so ago. We we uh uh got 1:35:56.360 --> 1:35:59.599 a well, Jeffrey got an offer to do five gigs 1:35:59.600 --> 1:36:03.240 over in Asia and throughout Japan and stuff, and and 1:36:03.320 --> 1:36:05.640 so you know, we called Jody, we said, you know, 1:36:06.120 --> 1:36:08.880 jeff called me. I said, yeah, I'm down, I'm coold, 1:36:08.920 --> 1:36:14.040 it'll be fun. And then we called Jody, and Jody said, well, 1:36:14.240 --> 1:36:16.599 I don't think I really want to revisit that part 1:36:16.640 --> 1:36:19.760 of my life, you know, and and which you know 1:36:20.240 --> 1:36:24.040 you can't say. I mean, she she, you know, everybody 1:36:24.080 --> 1:36:26.800 didn't have the same you know. It's a situation you 1:36:26.800 --> 1:36:30.880 can do. You know, three people, two people can experience 1:36:30.920 --> 1:36:31.760 the same. 1:36:31.560 --> 1:36:35.479 Exact thing and come on with different experiences. 1:36:35.360 --> 1:36:38.720 Different experiences. So you got three people who experienced the 1:36:38.800 --> 1:36:44.600 same exact thing and came away with three different, uh experiences. 1:36:44.600 --> 1:36:47.920 So at that time, Jeffrey and I went and we 1:36:47.960 --> 1:36:50.040 did the shows by herself. We put the band together 1:36:50.120 --> 1:36:52.960 and we did the shows ourselves, you know, and uh. 1:36:53.040 --> 1:36:55.439 And then in fact we went on to do a 1:36:55.479 --> 1:36:59.000 bunch of stuff in the UK. We went to Africa 1:36:59.040 --> 1:37:01.519 a couple of times with that light, with just me 1:37:01.600 --> 1:37:04.599 and Jeffrey. And then when we wanted to bring the 1:37:04.840 --> 1:37:09.200 female entity back into it, Carolyn Griffy, who is Dick 1:37:09.280 --> 1:37:13.200 Griffy's daughter, and she was she was singing background for 1:37:13.320 --> 1:37:15.360 me on a lot of my solo stuff, you know, 1:37:15.920 --> 1:37:19.320 and so she had the history of the group, she 1:37:19.439 --> 1:37:21.920 had the passion of the group, so we didn't even 1:37:22.160 --> 1:37:26.000 we didn't even. And also she had she has an 1:37:26.080 --> 1:37:29.000 amazing voice. I love her, I love her instrument. And 1:37:29.320 --> 1:37:33.280 we didn't even audition to anybody else. We just offered 1:37:33.320 --> 1:37:33.799 the position. 1:37:35.400 --> 1:37:38.880 Yeah, how was your How was your relationship before mister 1:37:38.880 --> 1:37:41.320 Griffy when he passed? How was our relationship at that 1:37:41.439 --> 1:37:43.639 time right before he passed? 1:37:44.360 --> 1:37:47.920 Me and Dick, Yeah, yeah, we were. We were We 1:37:47.920 --> 1:37:51.560 were at each other's about something. I forget what it was. 1:37:53.400 --> 1:37:55.680 I forget what it was. He didn't, And it was 1:37:55.720 --> 1:37:58.439 funny because you know, he was just he was just 1:37:59.040 --> 1:38:05.519 learning about and stuff at that time and accidentally sent 1:38:05.600 --> 1:38:05.960 it to me. 1:38:06.080 --> 1:38:14.200 I'm like, nigga, you know, and I just I just laughed, 1:38:14.240 --> 1:38:16.640 you know, and and uh, I forget what it was 1:38:16.680 --> 1:38:18.439 we were arguing about at that time. 1:38:18.520 --> 1:38:22.720 But I loved him. I loved it, you know. And 1:38:22.720 --> 1:38:24.920 then we had a bitter sweet thing. 1:38:26.280 --> 1:38:27.240 Was he when he passed? 1:38:29.080 --> 1:38:36.040 So yeah, seventy so you know, and like, you know, 1:38:36.120 --> 1:38:37.720 it was it was, it was. It was sad I 1:38:37.760 --> 1:38:40.880 never got a chance to see him right when before 1:38:40.920 --> 1:38:43.200 he passed. We had a couple of meetings before he 1:38:43.280 --> 1:38:46.960 got before he got sick, and uh, you know, but 1:38:47.800 --> 1:38:50.320 we were arguing about something then I forget what it was. 1:38:50.400 --> 1:38:54.519 But wow, you know, I know, I know I brought 1:38:54.520 --> 1:38:56.519 it up earlier, but I kind of want to if 1:38:56.520 --> 1:39:00.519 you visited, I know that you and James Ingram are 1:39:01.240 --> 1:39:04.280 singing on p YT. Are you at all involved on 1:39:04.320 --> 1:39:09.640 the original version of p YT the slower before it 1:39:10.400 --> 1:39:13.799 turned into the version that's on Thriller? There's another alternative, slower, 1:39:14.760 --> 1:39:20.120 smoother version of the Yeah, yeah, a slower version. Are 1:39:20.120 --> 1:39:21.840 you on that version at all? Or is it just 1:39:21.920 --> 1:39:23.200 the version that's on Thriller? 1:39:23.760 --> 1:39:26.000 Just a version is on Thriller. I didn't even know 1:39:26.040 --> 1:39:27.559 there was a slower version out. 1:39:27.560 --> 1:39:28.479 You know, you know good? 1:39:28.560 --> 1:39:32.280 Well, yeah, they left no stone unturned, like they kept. 1:39:33.400 --> 1:39:36.439 Where the background sampled from the from the no. 1:39:36.600 --> 1:39:40.280 No, no, it's completely different recording. Just the title, they 1:39:40.280 --> 1:39:41.320 shared the title. 1:39:41.080 --> 1:39:41.439 That's all. 1:39:41.520 --> 1:39:45.759 Like they turned into something totally totally different. But speaking 1:39:45.800 --> 1:39:51.000 of speaking of Griffy again, you know, MTV was was 1:39:51.160 --> 1:39:54.839 just a baby, and of course they were world famous 1:39:54.880 --> 1:39:59.880 for really not focusing on that many black acts. And 1:40:00.000 --> 1:40:03.680 and yet I remember at the same time when they 1:40:03.760 --> 1:40:07.679 started slowly playing Billy Jean and beat It, you guys 1:40:07.760 --> 1:40:10.679 were one of the few groups that they slowly letting 1:40:10.720 --> 1:40:15.600 the door along with like Prince and Lionel, Ritchie, Eddie Griant. 1:40:16.280 --> 1:40:18.880 How do you do you know how that happened? Like 1:40:18.960 --> 1:40:23.200 how was was that the making of Dick Griffy or like. 1:40:24.520 --> 1:40:26.880 I don't know what the politics were as far as 1:40:26.960 --> 1:40:28.880 what the politics were as far as getting all that 1:40:28.960 --> 1:40:32.040 into in uh into the playlist, but at the time, 1:40:32.120 --> 1:40:35.080 it was just it was just us and Michael. And 1:40:35.840 --> 1:40:38.360 but you know down you had that you had that 1:40:38.720 --> 1:40:43.680 famous uh interview with David Bowie and Bowie Yeah, and 1:40:43.720 --> 1:40:46.240 I think at that point they started kind of re 1:40:46.240 --> 1:40:50.000 re looking at certain situations. When David Bowie comes up 1:40:50.040 --> 1:40:53.000 to us this, how can you call yourself a music channel? 1:40:53.080 --> 1:40:56.200 And and you not playing black music? It's like it's crazy, 1:40:56.360 --> 1:41:01.240 you know, so so like, but I'm not about the politics. 1:41:01.240 --> 1:41:04.519 It was just you know, people they the promotion. People 1:41:04.640 --> 1:41:07.040 kept pushing it, kept pushing it. But at the time, 1:41:07.160 --> 1:41:09.080 like I said, it was just it was just us 1:41:09.120 --> 1:41:11.240 and Michael at the time that they were playing. 1:41:12.000 --> 1:41:18.240 Okay, So can I assume that the look was technically 1:41:18.479 --> 1:41:22.160 kind of sort of maybe your first solo record, but. 1:41:24.680 --> 1:41:29.880 Kind of okay, it was the last It was the 1:41:29.920 --> 1:41:33.840 last album that we did that Jeffrey and Jody and 1:41:33.920 --> 1:41:36.360 I did together, but they participated just. 1:41:36.320 --> 1:41:40.560 Like they equally. 1:41:38.840 --> 1:41:40.720 As far as like just like we used to do 1:41:40.840 --> 1:41:43.200 all the rest of the projects and stuff. There's a 1:41:43.240 --> 1:41:45.960 tune on there called you Are the You're the one 1:41:45.960 --> 1:41:48.439 for me, man, check that tune out if you get 1:41:48.439 --> 1:41:49.400 a chance to check that TOI. 1:41:49.560 --> 1:41:51.400 Oh, I know, I know it well, I know it well, 1:41:51.520 --> 1:41:53.920 but I just wanted to know, like the working process. 1:41:54.200 --> 1:41:56.640 Speaking of the Look, I know, I know, and you 1:41:56.680 --> 1:41:59.960 know I'm a Philadelphian, So I feel like a bad 1:42:00.120 --> 1:42:02.120 Philadelphia because I'm gonna ask you this question. 1:42:02.520 --> 1:42:06.160 But I know that you wrote the Look with Stanley Clark. 1:42:07.160 --> 1:42:11.320 Now personally one of my all time favorite how Hewitt 1:42:11.400 --> 1:42:15.240 songs non shall marve related. But really, if I'm honest 1:42:15.240 --> 1:42:17.360 with it, this is probably my all time favorite song. 1:42:17.200 --> 1:42:20.599 Of yours is Heaven Sent? Now? 1:42:20.920 --> 1:42:24.080 You know, as a jazz head, you know this is 1:42:24.080 --> 1:42:26.519 a guy that's you know, done, returned it forever, doesn't 1:42:26.600 --> 1:42:30.400 change the world of bass music. I feel really silly 1:42:30.479 --> 1:42:33.360 that this is also might be my favorite Stanley Clark 1:42:33.479 --> 1:42:37.799 songs though he has such an intricate history with his bass, 1:42:37.840 --> 1:42:42.519 but this one particular song says, could you what I 1:42:42.640 --> 1:42:45.320 really want to know is why didn't you say that 1:42:45.400 --> 1:42:47.840 for your own project? Yes, even though it made noise 1:42:47.920 --> 1:42:51.280 on his record, I almost felt like because when it 1:42:51.320 --> 1:42:53.680 came out, I felt like, oh, this is the how 1:42:53.720 --> 1:42:54.800 are you are? Solo joint? 1:42:54.920 --> 1:42:58.240 And then my aunt couldn't find it. She's looking for forever. 1:42:58.320 --> 1:43:02.040 And then finally it's like it's buried on you know, 1:43:02.120 --> 1:43:03.240 the Stanley Clark record. 1:43:03.400 --> 1:43:04.599 Did you talk about that song? 1:43:05.040 --> 1:43:08.599 That song? It was was one of the first times 1:43:08.640 --> 1:43:13.320 that I ventured, one of my first ventures off from Solar, 1:43:13.560 --> 1:43:16.759 you know what, I'm right, And so, like I said before, 1:43:17.000 --> 1:43:19.599 Dick wasn't really a big fan of that, but you know, 1:43:19.680 --> 1:43:22.360 it was like you gotta you can't just you know, 1:43:22.479 --> 1:43:26.160 keep people sold up in certain situations. So it was 1:43:26.760 --> 1:43:30.240 when Stanley because Stanley and I met first, and then 1:43:30.280 --> 1:43:34.760 he me to George and when we met we had 1:43:34.800 --> 1:43:38.400 a mutual friend that was his accountant, I think, and 1:43:38.400 --> 1:43:40.559 then he did some he doesn't work for me, and 1:43:40.560 --> 1:43:44.439 then he introduced me to Stanley. Stan was a fan 1:43:44.520 --> 1:43:48.320 of you know, the Shalomar stuff, and I was definitely 1:43:48.640 --> 1:43:51.920 a fan of Stanley's because my first instrument that I 1:43:52.000 --> 1:43:54.200 learned how to play when I was like twelve years old, 1:43:54.600 --> 1:44:00.240 was bass, so you know, I was the Stanley was 1:44:00.280 --> 1:44:03.519 like the cat, right. So we just started working together. 1:44:03.640 --> 1:44:06.240 And there was another cat that wrote that song. I 1:44:06.240 --> 1:44:08.919 think he passed away. I can't remember that wrote. 1:44:08.720 --> 1:44:12.160 A lot was Heaven sent? 1:44:12.560 --> 1:44:16.519 Heaven said, yeah, okay, I gotta look it up. Yeah, 1:44:16.600 --> 1:44:21.280 I can't remember his name. There was some I remember 1:44:21.320 --> 1:44:23.479 there was some stuff that was going on with him 1:44:23.479 --> 1:44:26.920 and Stanley, but you know, we got we you know, 1:44:27.000 --> 1:44:30.200 we went in and started recording, started messing around with it, 1:44:30.560 --> 1:44:32.519 and it was just it was it was just slated 1:44:32.560 --> 1:44:34.479 to go on his album. It wasn't slated to go 1:44:34.520 --> 1:44:37.599 on my album. And that was before I think, you know, 1:44:38.000 --> 1:44:41.080 the whole concept of putting a song. You could put 1:44:41.080 --> 1:44:44.040 it on this album, I'll do it that album, put 1:44:44.120 --> 1:44:46.400 it on my album. You know what I'm saying. We 1:44:46.400 --> 1:44:47.519 weren't doing that then. 1:44:48.280 --> 1:44:50.440 Is this song is it? Is it still in your repertoire? 1:44:50.680 --> 1:44:54.240 Oh yeah, oh yeah, definitely definitely. I love that. 1:44:54.880 --> 1:44:56.880 You know, I was just gonna ask, what was the 1:44:57.040 --> 1:45:01.479 creative chemistry, like, uh, Stanley and George working together? 1:45:01.520 --> 1:45:03.080 What were they like in the studio together? 1:45:03.760 --> 1:45:06.439 Man? It was like because because I did a lot 1:45:06.479 --> 1:45:12.160 of the Clark dou uh and a lot of involved 1:45:12.160 --> 1:45:14.160 in a lot of that, especially the videos I do. 1:45:14.280 --> 1:45:19.720 These little crazy cameo appearances on the videos didn't make 1:45:19.720 --> 1:45:21.840 any sense all of a sudden, I'm there, you know 1:45:21.920 --> 1:45:26.920 what I'm saying. It was amazing. I mean, George just 1:45:26.960 --> 1:45:30.240 working with George. So George was just I mean, if 1:45:30.520 --> 1:45:33.280 if you didn't know anybody that didn't all the whole 1:45:33.280 --> 1:45:37.040 bottom part of George's house and U in Hollywood, uh, 1:45:37.600 --> 1:45:42.080 lower Hollywood Hills, basically off of Franklin. The whole bottom 1:45:42.080 --> 1:45:46.760 part of his house was his studio. Everything room, studio, 1:45:47.520 --> 1:45:52.200 you know, everything, the lounge, everything was. The studio had 1:45:52.200 --> 1:45:55.360 a he had his wine cellar down there and stuff, 1:45:55.400 --> 1:45:58.680 and I mean it was it was just we We 1:45:58.720 --> 1:46:01.240 would just going there and it was a place to 1:46:01.320 --> 1:46:04.760 go in and just be creative and working with and 1:46:04.880 --> 1:46:09.799 then watching him and Stanley together was just a double 1:46:10.400 --> 1:46:15.400 double situation, double dose of what you know, George did 1:46:15.640 --> 1:46:19.160 and it and it and it was was enhanced by 1:46:19.240 --> 1:46:23.000 Stanley's stuff. Stanley do some stuff, George would enhance it 1:46:23.080 --> 1:46:26.479 with his thing. I mean, it was It was a major, 1:46:26.680 --> 1:46:30.360 major creative, total creative atmosphere in there. 1:46:31.040 --> 1:46:35.080 That's beautiful. Man, Wow, could you what was the audition 1:46:35.240 --> 1:46:41.120 process like for Mickey Free and Delisa Davis once Jeffrey 1:46:41.360 --> 1:46:44.720 and Jody left, uh Shallamar. 1:46:45.880 --> 1:46:50.040 Well, for Mickey, there wasn't really an audition situation. Mickey 1:46:50.160 --> 1:46:54.160 was working on a project I think with Leon, you know, 1:46:54.760 --> 1:46:58.720 and Mickey was like, basically, you know this prince like 1:47:00.360 --> 1:47:03.800 our player cat and he was working out of a 1:47:04.600 --> 1:47:07.439 studio masters, and so I would come there. I was 1:47:07.479 --> 1:47:10.040 working on something and then we see each other, I 1:47:10.040 --> 1:47:12.760 think with these studio masters of Lairbie a studio I 1:47:12.760 --> 1:47:15.719 can't remember, but we crossed each other across the path. 1:47:15.960 --> 1:47:18.840 Hey man, was up, Hey man, what's up? And then 1:47:19.000 --> 1:47:22.759 keep on going right, and then we started talking and stuff. 1:47:22.880 --> 1:47:27.679 And Mickey is Mickey, if he ever decided to put 1:47:27.680 --> 1:47:30.320 this guitar down and not do music anymore, he could 1:47:30.320 --> 1:47:34.920 be a stand up comedian for real. That nigga had 1:47:35.000 --> 1:47:39.840 me cracking up the whole time. And so then that's 1:47:39.880 --> 1:47:42.080 when I talked to Leon, because like I said, they 1:47:42.120 --> 1:47:45.040 were they were working on something. And then I said, well, 1:47:45.040 --> 1:47:48.559 why don't I bring you know, uh Mickey in, which 1:47:48.720 --> 1:47:53.479 changed the whole situation of the group, you know, because 1:47:53.560 --> 1:47:56.840 Mickey was more of this rock cat and I was 1:47:56.880 --> 1:47:59.040 just looking to do something to pass the time for 1:47:59.080 --> 1:48:02.880 two and a half years, you know, So you know, 1:48:03.400 --> 1:48:05.360 and we went into the whole you know, we went 1:48:05.400 --> 1:48:07.360 into the whole rock thing. You know. I always had 1:48:07.640 --> 1:48:09.960 my dressing room when Jeffrey was in the group. Its 1:48:10.000 --> 1:48:13.360 me and Jeffrey had a dressing room, right we went together. 1:48:13.479 --> 1:48:16.040 Joey would have her own dressing room, but it's just 1:48:16.080 --> 1:48:18.920 you know, the camaraderie of it, you know. So Mickey 1:48:18.920 --> 1:48:21.840 and I had our dressing room together. Our theme song 1:48:21.920 --> 1:48:29.320 in the dressing room was Rebel Yelle, which would call 1:48:26.120 --> 1:48:36.360 it leather Gloves on and the built can you know 1:48:36.360 --> 1:48:38.400 what I'm saying? And we ready to go out there 1:48:38.400 --> 1:48:41.400 and deal man. So like it changed the whole thing. 1:48:41.600 --> 1:48:46.639 Now with Delisa, we Dick came up with this idea 1:48:46.880 --> 1:48:51.519 of involving a lot of the local different local radio 1:48:51.560 --> 1:48:56.560 stations across the country and do this contest, the contest 1:48:56.640 --> 1:49:01.760 to find the girl for Shalamar, you know, and it 1:49:02.200 --> 1:49:06.720 involved the local radio stations and and all of them. 1:49:06.760 --> 1:49:10.400 They put together this thing. They had auditions Don Lewis. 1:49:10.760 --> 1:49:14.559 Don Lewis auditioned in New York. That's when I first 1:49:14.640 --> 1:49:17.599 met Don Lewis. 1:49:19.200 --> 1:49:22.679 I don't remember I was that was it all the episode? 1:49:22.680 --> 1:49:26.240 I missed that episode? Yeah, was our last pre COVID interview. 1:49:26.840 --> 1:49:32.400 Oh yeah, I remember Don coming out with these hot 1:49:32.400 --> 1:49:35.639 pants and these and these uh uh what they called 1:49:35.720 --> 1:49:40.240 fish net stockings. Right. For years I called her fish 1:49:40.280 --> 1:49:42.960 net right because she didn't she didn't win the audis 1:49:43.080 --> 1:49:47.080 in delease because she won the New York audition, and 1:49:47.120 --> 1:49:49.760 then she was then they flew they flew her to 1:49:50.360 --> 1:49:53.040 l A and one it was here's l A in 1:49:53.240 --> 1:49:54.920 l A. One of the time she was in l A. 1:49:55.000 --> 1:49:58.280 That's when she I guess she connected with the different 1:49:58.320 --> 1:50:01.840 world people are are, yeah, the different world people. But 1:50:01.920 --> 1:50:04.640 for years after I knew and you know, after I 1:50:04.720 --> 1:50:08.040 knew Don for years, I can never really remember her name. 1:50:08.360 --> 1:50:12.720 But I called her fishnets, you know, so you know, 1:50:13.320 --> 1:50:17.080 but that was the process. De Lisa was from Nashville. 1:50:17.600 --> 1:50:19.760 So when we went to Nashville, did the did the 1:50:19.840 --> 1:50:21.040 audition and there so. 1:50:20.960 --> 1:50:26.560 This this was nationwide's nationwide Yeah, oh wow, okay. 1:50:25.680 --> 1:50:29.479 Georganashville all all over the place. We're all over the place. 1:50:29.960 --> 1:50:32.519 By the way, did did Mickey ever share any of 1:50:32.520 --> 1:50:35.120 that basketball Charlie Murphy story with you at all. 1:50:35.560 --> 1:50:39.120 The day after, he said, he told you. 1:50:38.600 --> 1:50:41.479 After the day after it happened. Man, That's why when 1:50:41.479 --> 1:50:44.719 people called me, when people called me after Dave Chappelle 1:50:44.760 --> 1:50:47.800 did it, and years later when people called me and 1:50:47.880 --> 1:50:51.400 told me, Man, you see that skit, the Charlie Murphy 1:50:51.920 --> 1:50:54.880 Hollywood stories and on Dave Sappelle, they did a thing. 1:50:54.920 --> 1:50:57.120 They talked about Mickey going up and going up to 1:50:57.120 --> 1:50:59.880 the Princess House. I said, Man, Mickey called me today 1:51:00.000 --> 1:51:02.559 after they the day after they did that, And so 1:51:03.000 --> 1:51:06.320 we were up at short Cast House man last night, 1:51:06.720 --> 1:51:09.439 and and Eddie Murphy and Charlie Murphy, everybody came up 1:51:09.439 --> 1:51:12.280 and played basketball, he said. Prince Prince went out there 1:51:12.360 --> 1:51:20.160 in his heels and was dumping. He said, Man, anybody 1:51:20.240 --> 1:51:21.240 wants some pancakes? 1:51:25.400 --> 1:51:25.920 He called me. 1:51:26.400 --> 1:51:28.479 He called me the day after, a day after that 1:51:28.560 --> 1:51:29.040 went down. 1:51:30.080 --> 1:51:34.479 Wait, can I get this fronte because I'm gonna forget this. Also, 1:51:34.680 --> 1:51:39.800 on the Look, you worked with the legendary David Hawk 1:51:39.880 --> 1:51:44.960 Wazinski formerly of Rufus. Yes, yeah, could you talk to 1:51:45.240 --> 1:51:47.639 like that? That's a cat I definitely want to interview 1:51:47.640 --> 1:51:49.840 as well. Like, did you talk about the process of 1:51:50.120 --> 1:51:51.960 songwriting with him and working with him? 1:51:52.160 --> 1:51:56.719 It was wild. Hawk was wild. His studio was called 1:51:57.000 --> 1:51:59.479 it was up in the hills, off of a little 1:52:00.200 --> 1:52:03.080 off the off, the one on off, the one on one. Uh, 1:52:03.439 --> 1:52:07.040 Laurel wasn't Laura can I can't remember. Okay, it was 1:52:07.120 --> 1:52:09.479 up in the hills, and the name of the studio 1:52:10.120 --> 1:52:12.960 was called Food in the Hill. You know what I'm saying, 1:52:13.040 --> 1:52:17.400 Called the Hill Okay, Pool in the Hills studios. So 1:52:17.479 --> 1:52:21.960 it was like me him, Mickey, we had it. Yeah, 1:52:22.040 --> 1:52:25.599 it was just the whole writing process and would get 1:52:25.720 --> 1:52:27.519 serious then all of a sudden it would just go 1:52:27.600 --> 1:52:30.120 off the chain somewhere else and we were just you know, 1:52:30.160 --> 1:52:32.320 we were just up there. We had we had, you know, 1:52:32.560 --> 1:52:44.920 interesting situation visitors up there in and out and. 1:52:40.560 --> 1:52:41.719 I as you're going. 1:52:44.240 --> 1:52:46.960 And so like, you know. But it was but but 1:52:47.040 --> 1:52:49.960 the creative situation of it when we would be on 1:52:50.439 --> 1:52:53.800 track was amazing. It was amazing. We got a lot 1:52:53.840 --> 1:52:57.600 of work done, a lot of creative looking at uh 1:52:57.680 --> 1:52:59.960 we did. One of the songs we did was called Mike. 1:53:00.360 --> 1:53:04.160 My Girl Loves Me, That's my ship, you. 1:53:04.120 --> 1:53:13.360 Know, yeah, I know, probably to you like this was like, 1:53:13.439 --> 1:53:16.599 all right, I'm just gonna do this bid and then 1:53:16.680 --> 1:53:20.400 get out here and do my solo join. But you know, 1:53:20.840 --> 1:53:24.800 for a whatever past the time record, at least in 1:53:24.840 --> 1:53:29.320 your words, like I the the Heartbreak record was actually 1:53:30.040 --> 1:53:34.360 kind of dope. And I do, I do want to 1:53:34.360 --> 1:53:36.559 know the story. Okay, So I know the history of 1:53:36.560 --> 1:53:39.639 Dean Pitchford because I went to perform an arts high school. 1:53:39.680 --> 1:53:43.920 So Dean Pittsford, of course you know he's he's he's 1:53:43.960 --> 1:53:46.960 a fellow e gotter Bill. You should know this person. 1:53:48.320 --> 1:53:51.519 He wrote, I mean from Godspell, the Fame. He wrote 1:53:51.520 --> 1:53:53.639 like a lot of Broadway stuff. He won Matt Grammys 1:53:53.680 --> 1:53:54.679 and a Tony and Emmy. 1:53:55.360 --> 1:53:56.080 I know that him and. 1:53:56.040 --> 1:53:59.599 Bill Wolford wrote uh about to say footloose? 1:53:59.600 --> 1:54:02.439 Well, they were of that too. They were dancing in 1:54:02.479 --> 1:54:03.320 the sheets. 1:54:03.400 --> 1:54:08.200 Sheets like the streets to a child here, excuse me, 1:54:08.320 --> 1:54:09.040 mister Hewett. 1:54:09.040 --> 1:54:10.840 And I know I called you Howard the whole time. 1:54:10.960 --> 1:54:13.920 But a young child who hears that song you sang 1:54:13.960 --> 1:54:15.840 the first time you heard somebody said it was dancing 1:54:15.840 --> 1:54:16.679 in the street. 1:54:16.840 --> 1:54:18.599 I mean they talking about getting it on and they 1:54:18.680 --> 1:54:19.519 talking about the sheets. 1:54:19.600 --> 1:54:21.400 Kids don't even hear that part you just hear the 1:54:21.760 --> 1:54:24.080 I was a kid and I heard body of friends. 1:54:24.280 --> 1:54:25.360 You know, Yes, I. 1:54:27.240 --> 1:54:29.720 Now grab your coat when we're going home, That's what 1:54:29.840 --> 1:54:30.320 he said. 1:54:30.920 --> 1:54:33.640 Yeah, I'm enlightened. As of today, I am enlightened. 1:54:34.000 --> 1:54:35.960 Yes, she thought I was dancing in the streets. 1:54:36.200 --> 1:54:39.080 But wait, can I can I just ask though, Yes, 1:54:39.240 --> 1:54:41.839 the song was a bona fide hit, But did anyone 1:54:41.880 --> 1:54:44.200 ever raise the question that it might be a tab 1:54:44.200 --> 1:54:46.320 bit derivative of nineteen ninety nine at all? 1:54:47.080 --> 1:54:49.640 Well, you know, the thing, the whole the way that 1:54:49.680 --> 1:54:53.120 whole thing came about was at the time, like I said, 1:54:53.160 --> 1:54:55.040 it was just me. I don't even think I had 1:54:55.120 --> 1:54:57.440 Mickey in the group at that time. It was just 1:54:58.080 --> 1:55:02.320 it was just me and and Dean Pittsford called and 1:55:02.400 --> 1:55:05.920 wanted me and Leon to come to the Paramount Studios 1:55:06.480 --> 1:55:09.800 and listen and look at this movie that he had 1:55:10.280 --> 1:55:14.120 and he had temporary music in it, you know, just stuff. 1:55:14.160 --> 1:55:16.520 And then when it came to the park where he 1:55:16.960 --> 1:55:20.400 had written you know, for dancing and sheets, he said, 1:55:20.400 --> 1:55:23.320 this is where I want, you know, shalomar thing to be. 1:55:23.920 --> 1:55:26.960 And so like you know, we watched a movie, we talked, 1:55:27.120 --> 1:55:29.760 got blah blah, blah blah, and Leon and Leone and 1:55:29.840 --> 1:55:33.080 I are walking back to the UH to the the 1:55:33.120 --> 1:55:36.240 parking lot, and I said, well, what do you think? 1:55:36.320 --> 1:55:36.520 You know? 1:55:36.760 --> 1:55:39.800 He said, Wow, I got a whole lot on my plate. 1:55:39.840 --> 1:55:41.560 I don't think that's going to be a big movie. 1:55:41.680 --> 1:55:43.760 You know what I'm saying. It's it's like and I 1:55:43.760 --> 1:55:47.040 got I got a whole lot on my plate. I 1:55:47.040 --> 1:55:49.640 don't really I'm not I'm not really gonna have time 1:55:49.680 --> 1:55:51.040 to do it. He said, well what do you think? 1:55:52.040 --> 1:55:53.680 I said, well, I don't think it's gonna be a 1:55:53.680 --> 1:55:55.160 big movie either, you know. 1:55:55.240 --> 1:55:57.800 But oh god what. 1:55:58.960 --> 1:56:03.080 I ain't gonna throw Leon under the bus like that. 1:56:03.120 --> 1:56:05.200 It was me too, I said, I don't think it's 1:56:05.240 --> 1:56:06.200 going to be a big movie. 1:56:06.520 --> 1:56:09.080 You saw Footloose and you were just like, man, whatever, 1:56:09.760 --> 1:56:12.280 you know, okay. 1:56:11.440 --> 1:56:13.200 You know because it because it was it was just 1:56:13.600 --> 1:56:16.640 you know, this guy, this cat teaching white folks how 1:56:16.640 --> 1:56:19.440 to dance and and all that. You know, it's like, 1:56:19.880 --> 1:56:22.080 you know, it's like, hey, you know, I don't think 1:56:22.080 --> 1:56:23.680 it's going to be that big of a movie. But 1:56:23.760 --> 1:56:27.600 I said, but being with the position that the group 1:56:27.760 --> 1:56:30.720 which I was gonna have to keep on at that time, 1:56:30.800 --> 1:56:33.640 I knew Dick Griffy wasn't gonna allow me to get 1:56:33.680 --> 1:56:36.160 out of my contract, so I had to keep on 1:56:36.280 --> 1:56:40.160 with the group. I said, But given the position that 1:56:40.280 --> 1:56:43.080 the group is in at this time, I said, I 1:56:43.120 --> 1:56:45.480 think it would be a good even though I don't 1:56:45.520 --> 1:56:47.680 think it's gonna be a I don't think it's a 1:56:47.720 --> 1:56:51.200 great movie. They're gonna put a push behind it, a 1:56:51.200 --> 1:56:51.600 good look. 1:56:51.880 --> 1:56:53.920 It'll be a good look promotional thing. 1:56:54.000 --> 1:56:56.240 So it would be, you know, why not do it? 1:56:56.280 --> 1:56:57.880 I'll do it. I put it, you know, do the 1:56:58.040 --> 1:57:00.400 do the song, put it in there. All of my 1:57:00.560 --> 1:57:04.400 name lives. However, you know what I'm saying. So I know, 1:57:05.360 --> 1:57:11.040 I had to go to Solar, to the legal department 1:57:11.080 --> 1:57:14.640 in Solar when somebody called me one morning and then 1:57:14.760 --> 1:57:17.600 the soundtrack had been out there and it is sold. 1:57:17.640 --> 1:57:21.280 Because at that time, soundtracks weren't really big. People really 1:57:21.280 --> 1:57:24.680 didn't look at soundtracks, you know, and that was like 1:57:24.720 --> 1:57:27.920 the first the first bid of the first one of 1:57:28.000 --> 1:57:30.880 the first big soundtracks out there. But I had to 1:57:30.920 --> 1:57:33.320 go to Solar and say because somebody called me that 1:57:33.800 --> 1:57:38.400 particular morning said, uh, you've been checking out the Footloose 1:57:38.560 --> 1:57:42.200 soundtrack and said, now I was hey, man, they sold 1:57:42.200 --> 1:57:45.520 platinum already. I said, what he's there, you know, and 1:57:45.560 --> 1:57:47.680 so I go I go to and talk to Virgil 1:57:47.760 --> 1:57:51.200 Roberts at the at the record company. I went down 1:57:51.200 --> 1:57:53.440 to the record company. I said, man, Virgil, you've been 1:57:53.520 --> 1:57:59.600 checking the Dancing the Footloose soundtrack. Virgil goes said, yeah, 1:57:59.640 --> 1:58:02.880 you know how these these things really don't don't sell 1:58:02.920 --> 1:58:07.640 a lot. You know, it's not a sound and that's it. 1:58:07.880 --> 1:58:11.680 As a dude, it's it's platinum. Somebody told me, yeah, 1:58:11.680 --> 1:58:15.120 there's no way, no way, platinum, and then that's it 1:58:15.160 --> 1:58:16.880 took off from there. Man, it's crazy. 1:58:17.360 --> 1:58:19.520 But I was about to say, you guys, double dip, 1:58:19.640 --> 1:58:25.240 because isn't the only Grammy for Shallamar also for your 1:58:25.280 --> 1:58:29.200 participation on the Beverly Hills cop so yeah, for don't 1:58:29.240 --> 1:58:31.800 get Stopped in Beverly Hills. So it was almost like 1:58:31.800 --> 1:58:32.520 eighty four. 1:58:32.440 --> 1:58:39.840 Was the year of Yeah that was Hawk with Linsky. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, 1:58:39.920 --> 1:58:43.280 double dip. That's that's that's right. We didn't I don't 1:58:43.400 --> 1:58:45.640 I don't think we know. We didn't win anything for. 1:58:47.360 --> 1:58:52.240 Well that well, the soundcheck one a Grammy, So I 1:58:52.640 --> 1:58:57.600 assume that someone gets that, uh you know, that sort 1:58:57.600 --> 1:58:58.000 of thing. 1:58:58.760 --> 1:59:00.440 I was gonna I was gonna ask you out, man, 1:59:01.040 --> 1:59:03.839 what can you tell us about your marriage to near people's. 1:59:03.840 --> 1:59:05.920 I used to always watch the Party Machine when I 1:59:06.000 --> 1:59:06.400 was a kid. 1:59:06.640 --> 1:59:09.480 Jesus got first. 1:59:09.320 --> 1:59:11.840 Like so I felt like a little celebrity couple. 1:59:12.040 --> 1:59:13.640 Yeah, the original James b. 1:59:16.000 --> 1:59:18.840 I gotta say, h. 1:59:21.120 --> 1:59:26.240 No, no, no, no, never mind, keep going. That's a good. 1:59:26.080 --> 1:59:26.560 Story, right. 1:59:26.560 --> 1:59:26.920 There was. 1:59:28.600 --> 1:59:31.280 There was a cat. There was a cat Jerome Gasper, 1:59:31.400 --> 1:59:33.760 who was an r cat for PolyGram. I think at 1:59:33.760 --> 1:59:35.920 the time it's a good friend of mine and so 1:59:36.920 --> 1:59:40.000 and maybe prefaced it. Also. I had a I had 1:59:40.040 --> 1:59:43.080 a condo and Handcock Parker that at that time, and 1:59:43.120 --> 1:59:45.200 I had this in my bedroom. I had this big 1:59:45.360 --> 1:59:49.360 you know, remember the rear projections, big screen TVs. I 1:59:49.400 --> 1:59:52.600 had a big rear projections, big screen TV at the 1:59:52.600 --> 1:59:56.240 bottom of my bed. And uh, every morning I wake up, 1:59:56.560 --> 1:59:59.560 you know, turn on the TV, flip through the channels, 2:00:00.040 --> 2:00:04.080 get the channel eleven or nine or whatever, and I 2:00:04.160 --> 2:00:06.680 see Fame was on. You know, you know what I'm saying. 2:00:07.040 --> 2:00:10.000 And there I say, man, there's this fine woman that 2:00:10.160 --> 2:00:15.720 comes on Fame. You know, I never knew. I never 2:00:15.800 --> 2:00:18.000 waited for the credits or anything. I just wanted to 2:00:18.000 --> 2:00:20.240 look at her, you know what I'm saying. And then 2:00:20.600 --> 2:00:23.240 I keep it on Fame on the channel where Fame 2:00:23.480 --> 2:00:26.200 was for about you know, ten fifteen minutes. If she 2:00:26.240 --> 2:00:28.800 didn't come on the screen, I'd start flipping through the channel. 2:00:28.880 --> 2:00:34.360 But I'm sitting there. Yeah, fine, you know what I'm saying. 2:00:34.400 --> 2:00:38.840 So this guy's your own Gaspar called me and uh 2:00:38.880 --> 2:00:41.200 he said he talked. I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 2:00:41.240 --> 2:00:44.760 yeah yeah yeah yeah. Howard, how Howard? You know? He said, man, 2:00:44.800 --> 2:00:47.000 we just we just signed the girl from Fame, you know, 2:00:47.120 --> 2:00:49.600 to a contract or a PolyGram. I want you to 2:00:49.600 --> 2:00:51.000 do a few songs on her. I wanted to do 2:00:51.040 --> 2:00:53.320 a couple of two three songs on her. I said, well, 2:00:53.360 --> 2:00:55.880 which girl is there's near people's I said, well which 2:00:55.920 --> 2:00:56.600 girl is? 2:00:56.440 --> 2:00:56.760 This is it? 2:00:57.240 --> 2:01:02.560 There's you? That's same, he said. He said, I sent 2:01:02.640 --> 2:01:07.160 you overnight a compilation, uh via a tape to you 2:01:07.680 --> 2:01:11.000 and I said, okay, cool. Next morning the FedEx Con, 2:01:11.160 --> 2:01:13.400 they they get the tape. I put the tape in 2:01:13.440 --> 2:01:16.800 my vah seeing and they said, ladies general near people 2:01:16.920 --> 2:01:19.760 and she comes walking out on stage. I pushed cars 2:01:20.120 --> 2:01:21.760 and I called, I'm in, I'm in. 2:01:25.160 --> 2:01:26.240 I'm on my way. 2:01:28.400 --> 2:01:30.720 Whatever you want me to do, I'm there, you know. 2:01:30.840 --> 2:01:32.880 And soul Train was first. 2:01:32.880 --> 2:01:34.600 I said, I messed up that timeline and my kid 2:01:34.640 --> 2:01:36.120 here because I was like, oh, I thought soul Train 2:01:36.240 --> 2:01:36.560 was first. 2:01:36.560 --> 2:01:39.200 With soul Train was after the two of you, our hosts. 2:01:39.200 --> 2:01:41.240 And she was never on soul Train. 2:01:41.680 --> 2:01:44.600 Was never she was on Party Machine. 2:01:46.520 --> 2:01:51.640 Sorry but to our long but to our younger gen 2:01:51.720 --> 2:01:54.720 Z listeners, she's all she's the hot mom on Pretty 2:01:54.720 --> 2:01:58.920 Little Liars. So that's that's what That's what everyone knows 2:01:59.000 --> 2:01:59.760 her as like. 2:02:03.320 --> 2:02:07.240 We worked on we worked on the album and really 2:02:07.280 --> 2:02:10.320 got you know, got got really close. So's she's a 2:02:10.320 --> 2:02:12.840 good ladies, she's a good woman. We have our son. 2:02:12.920 --> 2:02:16.040 We have Christopher is uh our son, you know, and 2:02:17.040 --> 2:02:20.320 it's amazing. We just we just had lunch about two 2:02:20.360 --> 2:02:23.360 weeks or so ago, she and I, Christopher, her other 2:02:23.440 --> 2:02:26.200 daughter and stuff. It's like this, it's very cool. It's 2:02:26.280 --> 2:02:26.680 very cool. 2:02:27.840 --> 2:02:30.760 First response and be like, let's cool, we just had lunch. 2:02:34.840 --> 2:02:37.840 No wait, I gotta say though, Damn, I didn't wait 2:02:37.920 --> 2:02:42.680 because I know we got to end this episode eventually sometime, however. 2:02:42.920 --> 2:02:45.600 I will, I got this. What is okay? 2:02:45.640 --> 2:02:48.440 This is always what I always wanted to know when 2:02:48.680 --> 2:02:55.360 an artist does their signature, like when they do the 2:02:55.400 --> 2:03:00.200 token gospel song on their record. I ee in. 2:03:00.760 --> 2:03:02.160 Love that sort of thing. 2:03:03.160 --> 2:03:05.320 Where is are you at a place in your life? 2:03:05.320 --> 2:03:08.280 What it's sort of like because we we didn't even 2:03:08.280 --> 2:03:11.960 get into the personal comings and going through your life 2:03:12.000 --> 2:03:15.480 in the turmoil whatever, Like we're just on the creative 2:03:15.480 --> 2:03:19.400 and the things. But at that point, the fact, the 2:03:19.400 --> 2:03:22.440 fact that Save Men became such a signature song for you, 2:03:23.040 --> 2:03:26.480 mm hmm, Like where were you in your life that 2:03:26.480 --> 2:03:31.880 that song made made its appearance and the way that 2:03:31.920 --> 2:03:34.400 you delivered it, like we really believed it. So were 2:03:34.440 --> 2:03:38.360 you at a transitional phase in your life where that 2:03:38.520 --> 2:03:39.640 song came right in time? 2:03:40.560 --> 2:03:44.320 Okay? So before I left the group, before I left 2:03:44.320 --> 2:03:47.440 Salomar at the time, like two or three years, two 2:03:47.520 --> 2:03:50.760 or three years before I left Salomar, I always had 2:03:51.000 --> 2:03:53.920 the situation I wanted to do a solo album. So 2:03:54.280 --> 2:03:57.640 I remember praying seriously, I prayed prayer. I said, Lord, 2:03:57.920 --> 2:04:00.760 when I'm by myself, when i'm so when I'm when 2:04:00.760 --> 2:04:04.280 I'm responsible for what I say. I said, I promised 2:04:04.320 --> 2:04:07.680 that I will honor you on every solo project that 2:04:07.760 --> 2:04:11.200 I do, you know, and and I have so say 2:04:11.320 --> 2:04:14.320 man was the first was on the eye, Committal Love 2:04:14.360 --> 2:04:16.600 album was the first sol and then on and on. 2:04:17.120 --> 2:04:21.480 But when I finally rolled my contract out, I had 2:04:22.280 --> 2:04:25.440 a lecture. You know, if you know the term electure 2:04:25.480 --> 2:04:29.280 had first rights or refusal one everything that came off 2:04:29.320 --> 2:04:32.800 of Solar right, So I had to give them. I 2:04:32.840 --> 2:04:35.120 had to. I had to go through them before I 2:04:35.160 --> 2:04:37.760 could go anywhere else, you know, as far as my 2:04:37.840 --> 2:04:42.320 solo situation was concerned. So you know, at the time, 2:04:42.400 --> 2:04:45.080 e lecture was like cold as ice. They didn't they had. 2:04:45.240 --> 2:04:47.720 All they had over there was the eagles and and 2:04:47.720 --> 2:04:50.920 and that whole thing, and and and so. Like I 2:04:50.960 --> 2:04:53.040 told my attorney, I said, okay, so they have to 2:04:53.080 --> 2:04:56.800 have first rights or refusal and in other words, they 2:04:56.840 --> 2:05:00.360 have to you know, decline the deal that we bring 2:05:00.440 --> 2:05:03.040 to them. You know, you know what I'm saying. So 2:05:03.120 --> 2:05:05.480 I said, if that's the case, why don't we just 2:05:05.560 --> 2:05:11.360 make this deal so ridiculous that they're gonna decline it? 2:05:11.560 --> 2:05:17.920 You did, so, you know, put all kinds of stuff 2:05:17.920 --> 2:05:20.800 in there, bumps here. You know, the money was like 2:05:21.400 --> 2:05:24.440 unheard of for the first time solo arts. Even though 2:05:24.440 --> 2:05:27.920 I had the success with Shalamar was crazy and we 2:05:28.040 --> 2:05:30.920 took it to him. Bob Krasnow, who was head of 2:05:30.960 --> 2:05:31.560 the company. 2:05:31.640 --> 2:05:36.280 Yeah, Bob, Bob says, he calls you bluff. 2:05:36.720 --> 2:05:43.040 He says, okay, what else? Wow? You know, so so like, 2:05:43.160 --> 2:05:45.960 you know, okay, they accepted it. So it was a 2:05:46.000 --> 2:05:49.040 great deal monetarily, and the company was a great turnout 2:05:49.080 --> 2:05:51.520 to be a company, a great company. But it was 2:05:51.560 --> 2:05:57.800 almost like I just describe a solo electra like a 2:05:57.880 --> 2:06:01.800 twelve cylinder car and you running on six cylinders, you 2:06:01.840 --> 2:06:05.160 know what I'm saying. And like because they did their job, 2:06:05.240 --> 2:06:08.240 they did their situation as far as the urban R 2:06:08.280 --> 2:06:11.800 and B situation is concerned, but the pop department over 2:06:11.800 --> 2:06:14.320 there never came to the party. So you know, it 2:06:14.400 --> 2:06:16.960 was like it was a whole thing. But getting back 2:06:16.960 --> 2:06:21.000 to when I first went to the thing, I had 2:06:21.400 --> 2:06:24.800 the new record company and I had a new management company. 2:06:25.240 --> 2:06:28.440 So this was in nineteen eighty five when I first 2:06:28.560 --> 2:06:31.520 left the group, and so I had a meeting with 2:06:31.640 --> 2:06:33.880 the new record company, I had a meeting with an 2:06:34.000 --> 2:06:37.160 RCAT and a new record company, had a meeting and 2:06:37.200 --> 2:06:40.280 with the new management company that I had hired, and 2:06:40.600 --> 2:06:42.840 I went in I was excited about doing my first 2:06:42.840 --> 2:06:47.080 solo project. Shook everybody's hand and I sat down and 2:06:47.120 --> 2:06:50.440 I said, first of all, before we get started in 2:06:50.440 --> 2:06:53.480 this meeting, I said, I want to say I want 2:06:53.520 --> 2:06:56.280 to do a song to the Lord on this album. 2:06:56.600 --> 2:06:58.520 It was like, that's how you started the. 2:06:58.480 --> 2:07:02.880 Meeting, That's how I started to meeting, okay, and so 2:07:03.440 --> 2:07:04.920 I want to do a song to the Lord on 2:07:05.000 --> 2:07:08.600 this and like it's like you can hear crickets in there, 2:07:08.640 --> 2:07:10.760 and this is eighty five. This I don't know when 2:07:10.840 --> 2:07:12.480 Jesus Is Love came out, but. 2:07:12.680 --> 2:07:15.440 This that was eighty But again, it was a rare move. 2:07:15.640 --> 2:07:20.200 Like the door, you normalized it when you did it. 2:07:20.320 --> 2:07:23.440 Then everyone started doing it. 2:07:23.480 --> 2:07:25.320 But it was but at the time it was like, 2:07:25.600 --> 2:07:27.800 you know, I'm talking about putting you know, Denise would 2:07:27.840 --> 2:07:30.640 do a gospel album and then she going she come 2:07:30.680 --> 2:07:32.280 back and do an R and B album. I was 2:07:32.320 --> 2:07:35.360 talking about combining putting that on there. You know what 2:07:35.400 --> 2:07:38.960 I'm saying. And so like you know, this one cat 2:07:39.000 --> 2:07:41.680 starts talking, well, you know Howard, you know we might 2:07:41.760 --> 2:07:44.080 get into we want to take your career in the 2:07:44.160 --> 2:07:49.720 sex symbol direction might not be conducive to religious overtones 2:07:49.760 --> 2:07:51.560 and this and that and that and this, and then 2:07:51.600 --> 2:07:54.280 my management companies, the cat from my management. He started 2:07:54.280 --> 2:07:56.960 talking because I hadn't even talked to him about this yet, right, 2:07:57.680 --> 2:08:01.880 And so I'm sitting again, I said. I sat back 2:08:01.920 --> 2:08:04.200 and I listened. I listened to what they were saying, 2:08:04.480 --> 2:08:06.800 and all the time, in my head, I'm saying, Okay, lord, 2:08:06.840 --> 2:08:09.600 you know what am I supposed to do here? You 2:08:09.680 --> 2:08:12.560 know what I'm saying. And so when they got done talking, 2:08:13.320 --> 2:08:16.680 I said, you know what, I hear you, and I 2:08:16.760 --> 2:08:20.440 understand you, and I can dig where you're coming from. 2:08:20.720 --> 2:08:23.520 I said, but maybe because in my mind, too, man, 2:08:23.760 --> 2:08:26.680 is that these people got to promote my record. I 2:08:26.720 --> 2:08:29.320 don't want to get anybody, you know. 2:08:30.080 --> 2:08:31.920 If you want to give them something that they're enthusiastic 2:08:32.000 --> 2:08:32.640 about as well. 2:08:32.720 --> 2:08:36.240 Yeah, sour about promoting the record and stuff. But I 2:08:36.320 --> 2:08:39.320 had to stand, you know, I had to stand for 2:08:39.440 --> 2:08:42.880 what I had promised. And when I said, I said, look, 2:08:43.400 --> 2:08:45.280 I said, I understand it. I hear where you're coming 2:08:45.320 --> 2:08:47.640 from this nineteen eighty five, I said, But let me 2:08:47.840 --> 2:08:50.560 just let me let me go back and let me 2:08:50.800 --> 2:08:55.120 rephrase what I said. I said, let me say that 2:08:55.600 --> 2:09:02.040 I'm going to do a song ask him and asked, like, 2:09:02.160 --> 2:09:04.040 I'm going to do a song to the Lord on 2:09:04.080 --> 2:09:09.320 this album. Hit My promise to him sits up here 2:09:09.440 --> 2:09:12.880 as far as like my priorities and if it's like 2:09:13.080 --> 2:09:15.960 you know, and and I'm going to do a song 2:09:16.040 --> 2:09:18.120 to the Lord on this album. So I said, we 2:09:18.160 --> 2:09:20.200 can talk about everything else now, you know. So we 2:09:20.280 --> 2:09:23.040 talked about everything else, and then then you know, we 2:09:23.080 --> 2:09:28.400 went away once once Monte Seward, who's co writer on that, 2:09:28.560 --> 2:09:31.560 on that on same men. When we put it. When 2:09:31.600 --> 2:09:34.960 we put it together, man, it was like it was great. 2:09:35.120 --> 2:09:39.280 But I will say that it was nineteen eighty five 2:09:40.080 --> 2:09:44.800 around that time or so. And then I I was 2:09:44.880 --> 2:09:48.080 dating as a girl in Miami, lit was her family 2:09:48.200 --> 2:09:51.960 was in Miami. So I remember we were going to 2:09:52.080 --> 2:09:54.760 spend Thanksgiving there with her family. She had moved to 2:09:54.880 --> 2:09:57.280 la and we were going to spend Thanksgiving. So I 2:09:57.360 --> 2:09:59.800 was in the in the studio, you know, all the 2:09:59.800 --> 2:10:02.400 whole day, and she had already flown down there and 2:10:02.440 --> 2:10:04.800 I was gonna get on the red eye and meet 2:10:04.800 --> 2:10:08.480 her there, right So I get on a plane and 2:10:09.320 --> 2:10:12.440 Monty and I had come up with the track, like 2:10:12.480 --> 2:10:16.480 a real rough track for sa Men, and I knew 2:10:16.560 --> 2:10:20.320 that's what I wanted to be, you know, the inspirational song. 2:10:20.840 --> 2:10:23.800 So I jump on the Red Eye going to Miami 2:10:23.840 --> 2:10:26.560 and I get on the plane, I put my headphones on, 2:10:26.640 --> 2:10:29.440 I put the cassette in. It was on a cassette, 2:10:29.480 --> 2:10:31.720 you know, and so I was listening to about three 2:10:31.760 --> 2:10:34.080 or four songs that I still had to write melodies 2:10:34.120 --> 2:10:36.960 and lyrics to. And at the end of that cassette 2:10:37.120 --> 2:10:41.240 was a was like a real rough track of say Men, 2:10:41.520 --> 2:10:43.360 I mean one of the and it didn't even go 2:10:43.400 --> 2:10:45.120 all the way through it just you know, it's just 2:10:45.160 --> 2:10:49.080 a real rough track of Samen. And when it came on, 2:10:50.240 --> 2:10:53.920 all these lyrics started coming to me, and it's like, 2:10:54.160 --> 2:10:56.640 you know, it's time to say goodbye for now. You know, 2:10:57.560 --> 2:11:00.360 we'll have our second time around, sac in time around. 2:11:00.400 --> 2:11:03.000 You know, we'll have our second time around. But before 2:11:03.040 --> 2:11:05.200 we go, there's something I got to say. Everything's not 2:11:05.280 --> 2:11:08.360 what it seems. There's a stronger force behind the scene. 2:11:08.440 --> 2:11:10.960 He's in our lives every day. He's right there when 2:11:11.000 --> 2:11:13.440 we call on him. It's where and I'm writing and 2:11:13.440 --> 2:11:15.880 I'm writing, and there was this lady sitting next to me. 2:11:16.360 --> 2:11:18.600 And then when I got to the second I got 2:11:18.600 --> 2:11:21.760 to the second verse where it says talks about cattle 2:11:21.800 --> 2:11:24.680 on a thousand hills. My mom used to always tell 2:11:24.720 --> 2:11:27.360 me when I was a kid. She says, you're the 2:11:27.440 --> 2:11:30.440 King's kid. You're the King's kid, you know, and the 2:11:30.520 --> 2:11:33.520 king had he had, you know, your God's child. This 2:11:33.560 --> 2:11:36.240 is what she was saying. And she would always tell 2:11:36.280 --> 2:11:40.040 him there's golden cattle on a thousand hills, and that's yours. 2:11:40.160 --> 2:11:42.680 You know, that's yours because you're you're the King's kid. 2:11:42.760 --> 2:11:45.120 That's ours. You know, we're children of the God's God. 2:11:45.560 --> 2:11:47.640 And so when I started writing now and I said, 2:11:48.040 --> 2:11:50.520 you know, I know there's someone who don't believe. Sometimes 2:11:50.560 --> 2:11:53.920 it's very hard to see living those life every day. 2:11:54.240 --> 2:11:56.680 Some things don't go away, but to be without it 2:11:56.760 --> 2:12:01.200 is not his will. There's cattle on a thousand hill. Man, 2:12:01.240 --> 2:12:03.960 it hit me. I'm like writing it's cattle on the 2:12:04.000 --> 2:12:08.120 thousand It hit me. There, tears started coming down, and 2:12:08.160 --> 2:12:10.680 this lady sitting next to me, like, what the hell 2:12:10.840 --> 2:12:17.000 is happening over here? You know, can I can I 2:12:17.040 --> 2:12:21.400 move my seat or something like that. But by the time, 2:12:21.520 --> 2:12:26.680 by time it touched down in uh at Miami, international lyrically. 2:12:26.680 --> 2:12:27.920 The song was totally done. 2:12:28.120 --> 2:12:29.880 It's crazy because you know, most people when they hear 2:12:29.920 --> 2:12:31.920 that song, no matter how many times they hear that song, 2:12:32.040 --> 2:12:34.640 they feel the same way you felt when you wrote it, 2:12:34.720 --> 2:12:37.000 Like it's one of those songs where it just catch 2:12:37.040 --> 2:12:38.200 you no matter where you are, Like. 2:12:39.400 --> 2:12:41.720 It's an ultimate It's an ultimate crazy song. 2:12:42.240 --> 2:12:44.320 How they go to a single. They didn't even want 2:12:44.320 --> 2:12:46.200 the gospel song, and then it became a. 2:12:46.080 --> 2:12:48.880 Single because they playing they were playing the album cut 2:12:48.920 --> 2:12:49.800 on black radio. 2:12:49.880 --> 2:12:51.760 Right, they had to make so that Black radio made 2:12:51.760 --> 2:12:52.280 it a single. 2:12:52.560 --> 2:12:54.920 Yeah, they played it. I mean, you know Donnie Simpson 2:12:55.040 --> 2:12:58.800 ended in show. They did that the show he ended 2:12:58.880 --> 2:13:02.560 with a whole bunch of black radio uh shows across 2:13:02.600 --> 2:13:06.680 the across the country, you know, Uh ended it with it. 2:13:06.800 --> 2:13:11.040 And and then I did it at one of Black 2:13:11.360 --> 2:13:14.680 Black Radio Exclusive b r E. Remember I'm sitting in 2:13:15.240 --> 2:13:18.120 Miller's things. I closed up the closed up the whole 2:13:18.320 --> 2:13:20.959 h uh convention with that song. 2:13:20.800 --> 2:13:24.160 And stuff I remember from from like you did it 2:13:24.200 --> 2:13:28.400 also on the Robert Townsend part of the Crime Robert Towns. 2:13:28.880 --> 2:13:31.080 Yeah, when Robert, when Robert got in touch with me. 2:13:31.120 --> 2:13:33.680 That's because I'm still my boy. We we you know, 2:13:33.760 --> 2:13:38.040 we're really good friends still now. But like when he 2:13:38.160 --> 2:13:41.040 approached me about it, he called and called and asked 2:13:41.040 --> 2:13:42.800 and asked for a meeting. So I went over to 2:13:42.800 --> 2:13:45.720 where he was doing some stuff and went into the 2:13:45.760 --> 2:13:47.920 office and stuff, and he says, man, you know, I'm 2:13:48.280 --> 2:13:51.600 getting ready to do my my uh my Partners the Crime, 2:13:51.680 --> 2:13:55.080 my you know, HBO special. He said, I would love 2:13:55.120 --> 2:13:57.960 for you to do, you know, say man, I said, oh, man, 2:13:58.040 --> 2:14:01.160 that's what's up. Okay, let's gold. I love to be honest. 2:14:01.560 --> 2:14:04.440 And then he says, I want to sing it with you. 2:14:05.680 --> 2:14:13.760 Oh and my mind, you know, do you sing? I mean, 2:14:13.800 --> 2:14:18.040 I don't know, And I guess because I don't, you know, 2:14:18.240 --> 2:14:20.400 my face kind of tells all kind of stuff when 2:14:20.440 --> 2:14:23.840 I'm thinking. Sometimes I unfortunate. But like, you know, he 2:14:23.960 --> 2:14:26.080 looked at me and he said, hey, man, you know, 2:14:26.280 --> 2:14:29.680 this is my first special, this is my first HIO special. 2:14:29.720 --> 2:14:32.400 And I couldn't find I couldn't think of any other 2:14:32.440 --> 2:14:35.200 way to thank God, you know, for this first special 2:14:36.160 --> 2:14:39.000 thing in this with you. And it came off so 2:14:39.280 --> 2:14:44.200 cool and and what was interesting about that was that 2:14:45.040 --> 2:14:48.879 at the time when the Partners in Crime uh special 2:14:49.000 --> 2:14:54.400 air I was my second solo album had already been released. 2:14:54.400 --> 2:14:57.960 I Commit to Love was in the bend, second out. 2:14:58.520 --> 2:15:03.000 Yeah enough, already been released. But once that, once Partners 2:15:03.000 --> 2:15:06.800 in Crime aired across the country, you know, record stores 2:15:06.880 --> 2:15:11.080 had to reorder I commit to Love because everybody flowed, 2:15:11.160 --> 2:15:14.520 you know, flooded in, you know, looking for say amen, 2:15:14.920 --> 2:15:15.440 you know I. 2:15:15.480 --> 2:15:17.960 Was gonna say, was it was? Was this the this 2:15:18.040 --> 2:15:18.960 is pre Sylvia Rome. 2:15:19.040 --> 2:15:23.640 So this is like the Bob Maryland era of Electra Merton. 2:15:23.840 --> 2:15:27.400 Bob Marland I always called Marland. Was he there at 2:15:27.400 --> 2:15:30.160 the time or is it now? Well rock President was ahead, 2:15:30.200 --> 2:15:32.720 but Merlin, Bob wasn't there at the time, was. 2:15:32.640 --> 2:15:34.560 He or did he come in like eighty eight nine? 2:15:34.640 --> 2:15:36.760 Okay, I don't. I don't remember him, but that I 2:15:36.760 --> 2:15:37.080 didn't know. 2:15:38.440 --> 2:15:42.200 But afterwards did they of course acknowledge that. 2:15:42.280 --> 2:15:46.040 Okay, you was? He was on point with this then, you. 2:15:46.000 --> 2:15:49.320 Know, because Bob and I had had had created a 2:15:49.520 --> 2:15:52.760 routine of like whenever I would start, whenever I get 2:15:52.760 --> 2:15:55.320 ready to start an album, I would I would call it. 2:15:55.400 --> 2:15:57.560 If I was in New York, I'd go have a 2:15:57.640 --> 2:16:00.080 meeting with him. And I was here and here's in 2:16:00.120 --> 2:16:02.960 New York, we we talk on the phone and just 2:16:03.040 --> 2:16:05.360 talk about and talk about the direction, talk about what 2:16:05.400 --> 2:16:07.440 I want to do, blah blah blah blah blah. And 2:16:07.520 --> 2:16:10.440 at the end of every after say man, at the 2:16:10.520 --> 2:16:14.000 end of every conversation, Bob said, well, I know you're 2:16:14.000 --> 2:16:21.000 gonna do another one of those gods songs, right, I'm 2:16:21.000 --> 2:16:24.960 gonna do another guy song. It's gonna be because, of 2:16:25.000 --> 2:16:28.960 course after the success and the popularity is say man, 2:16:29.040 --> 2:16:31.200 of course it was. It was everybody's idea. 2:16:31.280 --> 2:16:34.280 Then you know, wait they took credit for it. 2:16:34.680 --> 2:16:37.000 Yeah yeah, yeah, so wait. 2:16:36.840 --> 2:16:39.760 Before we wrap, I got one. Unless you had something. 2:16:39.760 --> 2:16:44.760 I just wanted to say, man, show me, yes, thank you. 2:16:45.720 --> 2:16:46.200 I don't know. 2:16:46.360 --> 2:16:49.640 I don't know if you know like how popular that is. 2:16:49.959 --> 2:16:53.520 Me and my wife we danced, we step. That is 2:16:53.520 --> 2:16:56.680 a very popular stepping song, you know what I mean. 2:16:56.720 --> 2:16:59.960 But that's just I just a gorgeous song and beautiful 2:17:00.320 --> 2:17:01.200 performance everything. 2:17:01.720 --> 2:17:03.959 What was the inspiration for that and what was it 2:17:04.000 --> 2:17:04.600 like recording it? 2:17:06.000 --> 2:17:11.760 Don nettlesby and uh Terry Kofay. You know, it was 2:17:11.800 --> 2:17:15.119 this writing partner, Terry kole Fay. It was actually coffee 2:17:15.160 --> 2:17:20.160 he spelled, but he wanted to co face so that's cool, 2:17:20.200 --> 2:17:23.720 that's all good, you know. So they wrote this track. 2:17:23.920 --> 2:17:26.520 I forget how we got. I forget how we connected, 2:17:27.120 --> 2:17:30.160 but they got this track to me, man, and like, 2:17:31.120 --> 2:17:33.760 and when when I heard this track, I just moved 2:17:33.760 --> 2:17:36.600 into this new crib and I didn't have any recording 2:17:36.600 --> 2:17:39.760 equipment up or anything. So I'm like, I got this 2:17:39.920 --> 2:17:42.880 track and I was like, man, this track is amazing. 2:17:42.959 --> 2:17:46.800 It's an amazing, amazing track. And so I didn't have 2:17:46.840 --> 2:17:49.280 any recording equipment set up, so I had but I 2:17:49.320 --> 2:17:53.400 had two boomboxes that recorded you did. So I lay 2:17:53.560 --> 2:17:55.440 down in the in the middle of my floor and 2:17:55.560 --> 2:17:59.400 up in my up in my bedroom, and I had 2:17:59.400 --> 2:18:03.640 a like probably a bottle red wine, you know, and 2:18:04.440 --> 2:18:06.760 I put one box on one side, one box on it. 2:18:06.959 --> 2:18:10.600 I put concess in and I started bouncing things, you know, 2:18:10.640 --> 2:18:13.960 from that, and I started coming up with with, you know, 2:18:14.080 --> 2:18:17.960 different scenarios, different things I wanted to think about, things 2:18:18.000 --> 2:18:20.560 that romantic stuff that I wanted to do with my 2:18:20.640 --> 2:18:23.720 woman for my woman and all that and like and 2:18:23.760 --> 2:18:26.600 then that hook came. And then the hook was just 2:18:26.720 --> 2:18:30.320 so money, man. It was just it was you know, 2:18:30.400 --> 2:18:32.880 it was like, you know, like you do some songs 2:18:32.920 --> 2:18:36.720 in it, and it's like fighting you pulling teeth to 2:18:36.800 --> 2:18:41.720 make just go here and may it fit melody and 2:18:41.959 --> 2:18:45.600 you know, uh, praising life. Man, show me. It was 2:18:45.680 --> 2:18:48.600 like butter and it just came down and like you 2:18:50.000 --> 2:18:56.440 to let me know, just to let this go, help me, 2:19:00.160 --> 2:19:03.840 show me, you know what I'm it's like. And then 2:19:03.920 --> 2:19:06.160 the video was like crazy man. 2:19:06.440 --> 2:19:09.600 Of course I remember that video. Yeah, of course it was. 2:19:13.520 --> 2:19:15.440 You know what was hated? 2:19:16.800 --> 2:19:19.280 Yeah, we did, yeah, very much, so very much. 2:19:19.280 --> 2:19:21.680 So I just wanted to say, if I was ushow 2:19:21.720 --> 2:19:24.160 must be a very religious experience. And the way that 2:19:24.240 --> 2:19:26.520 you put these songs together and the way that the 2:19:27.040 --> 2:19:29.160 at least the ladies or if some of the fellas 2:19:29.240 --> 2:19:31.840 received them live, like do. 2:19:31.959 --> 2:19:33.800 You see that in the crowd? Do you see people 2:19:33.920 --> 2:19:34.840 responding in a way. 2:19:34.800 --> 2:19:40.080 That's like like most shows crazy? It's crazy. If I 2:19:40.200 --> 2:19:42.480 had a dollar for every time a cat came up 2:19:42.520 --> 2:19:48.320 to me, man, you helped me out, man, I'd be 2:19:48.520 --> 2:19:51.360 I'd be a multi millionaire at this time. And and 2:19:51.680 --> 2:19:54.480 like I always say, you know, my thing is like 2:19:55.640 --> 2:19:58.480 you know, some cats don't know what to say, you 2:19:58.560 --> 2:20:01.800 know what I'm saying, So my thing is like Okay, 2:20:01.840 --> 2:20:03.880 I'll give you what to say. You can say, listen 2:20:03.920 --> 2:20:07.520 to Howard, listen out show me uh once twice three times, 2:20:08.600 --> 2:20:11.640 you know, and and listen to how Listen and I 2:20:11.760 --> 2:20:13.720 tell them, now, I can get you to the bedroom. 2:20:14.200 --> 2:20:15.760 I can get you through the bedroom door. 2:20:16.320 --> 2:20:17.039 But you got the. 2:20:18.720 --> 2:20:20.080 Bedroom with you, right, So. 2:20:22.480 --> 2:20:24.680 All the credit and. 2:20:24.720 --> 2:20:26.880 Then when I do when I do the shows, I mean, 2:20:26.920 --> 2:20:31.040 it's so it's so beautiful because you know, before BC, 2:20:31.280 --> 2:20:34.440 before COVID, anyway, I would spend most of my time 2:20:34.560 --> 2:20:38.240 in the audience rather than on stage because I like 2:20:38.360 --> 2:20:39.920 to I like to feel my audience. 2:20:40.000 --> 2:20:42.800 I like to have them participate. And it's a beautiful 2:20:42.879 --> 2:20:45.560 thing because you know a lot of cats there with 2:20:45.680 --> 2:20:48.480 their women and they with the lady and their pointing 2:20:48.600 --> 2:20:54.920 come sing to her. Yeah, you know, because she ain't 2:20:54.959 --> 2:21:00.240 gone home with me? Right? All right? 2:21:00.360 --> 2:21:03.040 Well, I got to ask this one last question because 2:21:03.240 --> 2:21:05.520 you know, I've asked one too many soldiering questions. But 2:21:06.680 --> 2:21:10.000 I know that you took over the theme to the 2:21:10.080 --> 2:21:14.320 show in eighty seven with George Duke. What was what 2:21:14.480 --> 2:21:17.120 was the well, like what was the process? Like basically 2:21:17.240 --> 2:21:18.960 Don just asked you guys to do it? Or like 2:21:19.120 --> 2:21:20.400 how how did that go down. 2:21:20.840 --> 2:21:23.080 Don asked George to do it, and George asked me 2:21:23.200 --> 2:21:25.400 to do it, you know what I'm saying. So it 2:21:25.520 --> 2:21:28.280 wasn't it wasn't a collaborative situation as far as I 2:21:28.320 --> 2:21:31.040 ask concerned. But you know, George said, George, you know, 2:21:31.160 --> 2:21:32.880 George and I wrote a bunch of stuff, you know, 2:21:33.040 --> 2:21:35.680 through the years, and a bunch of theme songs for 2:21:35.800 --> 2:21:39.320 this and and that and and I mean we did 2:21:40.080 --> 2:21:43.520 a song for he said. He said, how I want 2:21:43.560 --> 2:21:46.360 you to come write these lyrics, you know, for this 2:21:46.959 --> 2:21:50.039 pop artist over in Japan, right, I forget the cast's name, 2:21:50.520 --> 2:21:53.160 he said, But you can't get deep. This dude is 2:21:53.240 --> 2:21:55.480 not deep. You can't get deep. It's got to be shallow. 2:21:58.400 --> 2:22:01.360 So I love you, you have baby O my mind, 2:22:01.400 --> 2:22:03.600 I think about that time. 2:22:04.600 --> 2:22:09.520 I wrote called New York Girl. You know, it's like 2:22:09.680 --> 2:22:12.640 it's like, you know, I can't even remember lyrics, but 2:22:13.160 --> 2:22:16.000 but it was. That's the perfect But now with the 2:22:16.080 --> 2:22:20.480 Souldier and award thing, uh, Don, George was taken over 2:22:20.600 --> 2:22:23.000 all the stuff as far as that's concerned. And then 2:22:23.080 --> 2:22:24.920 he asked me to come in and do uh, do 2:22:25.640 --> 2:22:30.879 some ad libs and stuff on the on the so yeah, So. 2:22:31.040 --> 2:22:33.480 What is it I guess in closing, what is it 2:22:33.600 --> 2:22:37.440 that you've what is it that you've learned that made 2:22:37.480 --> 2:22:40.200 you a wiser human being? Like it just in your 2:22:41.440 --> 2:22:44.760 your your your journey m hmm to this point that 2:22:44.959 --> 2:22:47.720 that's brought you here to this day, that still has 2:22:47.800 --> 2:22:48.040 you here. 2:22:49.000 --> 2:22:51.360 You know, that's that's the deep question, because you know, 2:22:51.480 --> 2:22:55.920 you learn so much on your way, in different scenarios, 2:22:56.400 --> 2:22:59.760 in different places. I think one of the things though, 2:22:59.840 --> 2:23:03.280 that is most important as as an artist for me 2:23:04.120 --> 2:23:07.200 and as a man, as with your integrity, as far 2:23:07.280 --> 2:23:10.240 as as concerned, is to let your yes be yes, 2:23:10.320 --> 2:23:13.640 and your nobo no. You know what I'm saying, Understand 2:23:13.879 --> 2:23:16.400 and do and say what you're gonna do, what you're 2:23:16.440 --> 2:23:19.760 gonna You know, like I said in the earlier situation, 2:23:19.959 --> 2:23:23.080 my word was was worth more even before I knew 2:23:23.160 --> 2:23:26.400 that my word was worth more than than anything any 2:23:26.400 --> 2:23:29.960 piece of paper I could sign. You know, your integrity 2:23:30.040 --> 2:23:34.320 will follow you through this business closer than anything else will. 2:23:34.680 --> 2:23:36.800 All you can do, you can do all that, you 2:23:36.879 --> 2:23:38.920 can have, all the hit records you want, all the 2:23:39.440 --> 2:23:41.720 you know, the love people love. But if you are 2:23:42.000 --> 2:23:46.720 a flaky person and and and and deal in uh 2:23:46.879 --> 2:23:51.440 situations where your integrity is not you know, intact. You 2:23:51.520 --> 2:23:55.120 know it's it doesn't mean anything. It really doesn't mean 2:23:55.160 --> 2:23:57.240 because at the end of the day, it's gonna be 2:23:57.280 --> 2:24:01.000 about who this man? What you as a man is about? 2:24:01.200 --> 2:24:03.800 What are you about? You know, you can do all 2:24:03.840 --> 2:24:06.880 the music and people say, what do you want? What 2:24:06.959 --> 2:24:09.800 do you want your music? Want people to remember about 2:24:09.840 --> 2:24:12.160 your music? I want to remember the integrity of my 2:24:12.320 --> 2:24:13.720 music that I stayed. 2:24:14.240 --> 2:24:15.280 I stayed in. 2:24:15.640 --> 2:24:18.320 Av I had people saying you should put rapper, and 2:24:18.360 --> 2:24:20.000 you used to put a rap thing, you should do 2:24:20.200 --> 2:24:22.880 some talk about you know, sex and all this kind 2:24:22.920 --> 2:24:25.920 of stuff. Now that's not my lane. You know what 2:24:26.000 --> 2:24:29.080 I'm saying. My lane is like here and stay here, 2:24:29.160 --> 2:24:33.080 and and I have to. When I got in this business, 2:24:33.360 --> 2:24:39.600 I wanted to be I wanted to achieve longevity. I 2:24:39.680 --> 2:24:42.240 didn't want to just come into this business, make a 2:24:42.360 --> 2:24:44.400 couple of hit records and then go laid out on 2:24:44.520 --> 2:24:46.840 the beach. You know what I'm saying. I wanted to 2:24:46.920 --> 2:24:49.000 work at it. I wanted to work the work ethic, 2:24:49.120 --> 2:24:52.920 what it takes to keep and stay and keep your 2:24:52.959 --> 2:24:58.400 integrity in this business. And as a man, you know, 2:24:58.560 --> 2:25:01.960 man It's like, you know where I where I've come 2:25:02.160 --> 2:25:04.680 as far as where I am now, is that I 2:25:04.760 --> 2:25:08.080 can look in the mirror and say, I like that cat. 2:25:08.280 --> 2:25:10.840 He's cool. It's all right, it's cool. You know what 2:25:10.920 --> 2:25:14.960 I'm saying. And I've had my my, my, my craziness 2:25:15.560 --> 2:25:19.760 and all that. But hey, it's about you know, praise God. 2:25:20.520 --> 2:25:22.959 That's that's all I can say. Praise God. 2:25:23.840 --> 2:25:24.640 That's all you can say. 2:25:24.720 --> 2:25:27.840 Man, Well, thank you very much, brother Ewett, thank you 2:25:28.000 --> 2:25:31.520 for doing our show. It's been a pleasure. 2:25:32.800 --> 2:25:34.280 Pleasure zoom pleasure. 2:25:34.560 --> 2:25:37.279 Sugar, Steve, are you are you gearing up to say. 2:25:39.440 --> 2:25:40.840 Knocked out over there a minute ago? 2:25:41.760 --> 2:25:43.000 Now that's just the weed talking. 2:25:45.160 --> 2:25:45.879 I'm serious. 2:25:45.959 --> 2:25:50.039 I'm on the scissor tonight. So you got a cold. 2:25:50.160 --> 2:25:51.840 I never went fully unconscious, but. 2:25:54.320 --> 2:25:55.040 You're Oh. 2:25:55.080 --> 2:25:57.120 I told you you wosibly tell people that you got 2:25:57.200 --> 2:25:58.160 to do disclaimers and stuff. 2:25:58.160 --> 2:25:59.120 You can't just put that out there. 2:26:00.320 --> 2:26:02.000 Just a good thing. 2:26:02.040 --> 2:26:04.440 We're on zoom, right, And I said, but look, they 2:26:04.520 --> 2:26:07.240 worked receive like three hours ago. 2:26:07.480 --> 2:26:14.680 So I was gonna say, Howard man, like some years ago. 2:26:14.879 --> 2:26:17.200 This has been over a decade ago. I actually met you, 2:26:17.400 --> 2:26:19.160 I ran in you. It was real quick. It was 2:26:19.160 --> 2:26:22.640 an lax and if I'm not mistaken, I think it 2:26:22.720 --> 2:26:25.240 was it was lax. But you were just just as 2:26:25.280 --> 2:26:27.640 you are now, man, super cool, and I just walked up. 2:26:27.640 --> 2:26:29.640 I was like, yo, man, I'm a big fan, and 2:26:30.520 --> 2:26:32.560 like you were just kind of low key. So I 2:26:32.680 --> 2:26:34.160 didn't want to blow your spot up, you know what 2:26:34.160 --> 2:26:35.440 I mean? Because I was like, all right, I don't 2:26:35.440 --> 2:26:37.960 want to make people notice. And then it's like thirty 2:26:38.000 --> 2:26:40.080 more people coming, so I just I was like, yo, 2:26:40.120 --> 2:26:40.440 I'm a fan. 2:26:40.480 --> 2:26:40.680 Brother. 2:26:40.720 --> 2:26:42.800 He was like, thank you man, like super cool, and 2:26:42.879 --> 2:26:44.440 I started the tweet. I was like, yo, I just 2:26:44.520 --> 2:26:46.360 met how you and I thought, I was like, I 2:26:46.440 --> 2:26:49.160 don't know what was he doing out here, so let's me. No, 2:26:51.879 --> 2:26:55.240 I don't want to blow the spot up or whatever, but. 2:26:58.080 --> 2:26:59.680 Sneaking, you know, right right? 2:27:00.040 --> 2:27:02.480 But you were super cool and I just I never 2:27:02.600 --> 2:27:04.760 forgot that man, and just where you were a class 2:27:04.800 --> 2:27:05.680 act and you still are. 2:27:05.720 --> 2:27:07.520 And I just thank you for the music and for 2:27:07.560 --> 2:27:08.760 all your man for. 2:27:09.160 --> 2:27:12.480 Absolutely thank you. I always say, man, we're all in 2:27:12.560 --> 2:27:15.240 this thing together, none of us getting out of this 2:27:15.400 --> 2:27:17.400 thing alive, you know what I'm saying, So we might 2:27:17.440 --> 2:27:20.000 as well might as well do this together and be 2:27:20.120 --> 2:27:25.560 as as cordial and respectful and right, you know, as 2:27:25.720 --> 2:27:29.520 as possible. Unfortunately, some of my peers, you know, use 2:27:29.600 --> 2:27:33.320 their celebrity as an excuse to be rude to people. 2:27:33.440 --> 2:27:36.240 But you know it's like, especially in this business, it's 2:27:36.360 --> 2:27:37.880 like we're not athletes. 2:27:37.959 --> 2:27:38.120 You know. 2:27:38.280 --> 2:27:42.120 Sometimes athletes they want people to hate them because they'll 2:27:42.160 --> 2:27:45.360 come to the stadium to hate them. But in this business, 2:27:45.400 --> 2:27:48.160 if somebody hate you, they ain't gonna buy your records. 2:27:48.200 --> 2:27:51.760 Are customer service true truthactly? 2:27:52.160 --> 2:27:55.360 Well, we thank you for doing our show on behalf 2:27:55.440 --> 2:28:01.600 of Scissor Steve and unpaid Bill. Putting the kids to 2:28:01.680 --> 2:28:05.880 bed right now, Fontagelo and Laiya this Quest Love once 2:28:05.879 --> 2:28:10.080 again the immortal Howard hewittt Quest Love Supreme and we 2:28:10.160 --> 2:28:15.400 will see you next go round. Thank you y'all. What's up? 2:28:15.440 --> 2:28:16.080 This is fante. 2:28:16.560 --> 2:28:18.760 Make sure you keep up with us on Instagram at 2:28:18.879 --> 2:28:20.680 QLs and let us know what you think. 2:28:20.840 --> 2:28:22.760 Who should be next to sit down with us? Don't 2:28:22.800 --> 2:28:32.440 forget to subscribe to our podcast all right, peace. Quest 2:28:32.520 --> 2:28:39.119 Love Supreme is a production of iHeart Radio. For more 2:28:39.160 --> 2:28:42.560 podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple 2:28:42.640 --> 2:28:45.280 Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,