1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,159 Speaker 1: Of Course Love Supreme is a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. Hey, 3 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: welcome to Quest Love Supreme. I'm Quest Love and I'm 4 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: really really excited about the next two episodes of q 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: l S with our guests Kenneth, baby Face, Emonds. That's right, 6 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: the man. We learned a lot about this man in 7 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: this craft, enough to fill two episodes, So without further delay, 8 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: here is part one. Suprema su Prima roll call, Prima 9 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: Sama roll call, So Prima su Prima, roll call, Sumama 10 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: roll quest Love in the place. Yeah, what y'all want 11 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: to do? Yeah, gotta ask baby Face? Can I get 12 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: the ladies if I say no? Roll call? My name 13 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: is Fante. You here me now. Yeah, that's the end 14 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 1: of my verse. So I'll take a bow. Some Prima 15 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: roll call, some prima prima roll call. My name is Sugar. Yeah. 16 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: I ain't no dumbing. Yeah, if I could change the world, 17 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: you'd all be dummy. Momma Prima road call skills my 18 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: name doing things, hold my way, yeah, but I just can't. 19 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: Won't stop until I have my own highway roll Prima 20 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: road call. Pretty much some Prema roll called yeah, and 21 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: I'm in this place. Yeah, somebody with me. It's okay 22 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: because his baby face roll some Prima roll call, so 23 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: premo roll my name, my name is face. Y'all in 24 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: my place, up in my space. Yeah, round road roll roll. 25 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to another edition of Question Love Supreme, 26 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: only on Pandora. This is Quest Love on lead vocals. 27 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: We got uh Fontikolo Jenkins on vocals and saxophone. Got 28 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 1: Sugar Steve. We got Sugar Steve on percussion, harp and tambourine, 29 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: jazz harp, jazz Hart not Jeeves Hart, dass Hart. Okay, 30 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: just making sure we got Boss Bill on a slide guitar. Yeah. 31 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: Have you got a late lady layah a k Margaret 32 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: on French horn? Nah. Yeah. We're a collective team known 33 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: as Team Supreme. We're kind of the rabbit hole seeking 34 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: uh music, music factory, knowing mused to the stars, unsolicited 35 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: life advice, given music dweebs. You all know and love 36 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: and Uh. Our very special guest today is one of 37 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: the most It's one of the few luminaries UH to 38 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: have co written I'll say the soundtrack of your life. 39 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: Whether you care to admit that or not. That's not 40 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: an exaggeration. Actually said it earlier as I was walking 41 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: through that hallway with all those plaques on the wall, 42 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: with pretty much every record that was released in the 43 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: last thirty years. Wait, I love the fact that, uh 44 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: my baby Daddy's also alright at the end, and there 45 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: was base compilation about that right right, that was on 46 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: the face. Yeah, you see, we already fell into rap alright. 47 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: H Kenneth Baby Faced SEVMN is a one man tim 48 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: pan alley, one man bale building with the song catalog 49 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: to rival all histories Great Slennon McCartney's the Joe Beck Catalog. UM. 50 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: He's either written or core authored or produced hit after 51 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: hit after hit after hit. UM. He was just recently 52 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: inducted into the Illustrious Songwriters Hall of Fame UH this 53 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: year of Our Lord two thousand seventeen UM and Our Guest. 54 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 1: He's a forty time Grammy Award nominee, three of which 55 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: three of which he was rightfully bestowed the honor of 56 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,279 Speaker 1: Producer of the Year. UH. He last year napped or 57 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: a few years ago Naptier eleventh Grammy for UH for 58 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: the collaborative album with Tony Brixton entitled Love, Marriage and Divorce, 59 00:04:50,400 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: which sounds like the man exactly. Um. It's incidentally the 60 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:02,919 Speaker 1: temph album that bears his name as a solo artist. 61 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: And it doesn't stop there. Uh. Two. He entered the 62 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: record books having pinned into the Road by my high 63 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: school band meets Uh Boys Too Men, which literally spent 64 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: the entire summer at number one for thirteen weeks, only 65 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: to have that record broken again with his I'll Make 66 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: Love to You, which remained number one for fourteen weeks, 67 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: dominating the summer of nine. Uh. He's written twenty six 68 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,600 Speaker 1: number one R and B hits, countless top ten pop hits, 69 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: and his top forties are in the hundreds. Uh. There 70 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: is literally no artists that could make a dent uh 71 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: penetrating modern radio in the nineties without this man behind 72 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: the wheel as a songwriter, producer, or label head. UM 73 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: name him Karen White, Whenne Houston, TLC, Eric Clapton, Madonna, 74 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: Mary J. Blise. The list goes on and on. Uh. 75 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: If I were to list his entire resume, the show 76 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: would be over. Lazes and gentlemen, get it up for 77 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:09,200 Speaker 1: Kenneth baby Face everything, Thank You. I It's like our 78 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: dream man. Yeah, I feel like I've wasted my entire life. 79 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. This is walking through the hall. It's like, 80 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: I feel so small killer. I love how that Jackson's 81 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: photo hits you right when you walk into the door. 82 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 1: Just it just literally hit you. Thank you. Um. Okay, 83 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,839 Speaker 1: So we have so many questions to ask you. Um. 84 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: And because you have history in in Middle America, in Indiana, uh, 85 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,720 Speaker 1: I will ask you about your beginnings, like where did 86 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 1: you where did you grow up? Indianapolis, Indiana. Okay, that 87 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:50,360 Speaker 1: was that's the real Midwest. When Kokomo will my hometown. Yeah, 88 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: Boss Bills from Kokomo. I never knew there was a Cocomo, 89 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:58,840 Speaker 1: not like yeah, it's a real, real place. Unfortunately, Reading 90 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: Franklin wrote a song about it, too, great song. That's 91 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: how I knew it learned about it was the opposite. Wait, 92 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: there's a song called Kokomo Byta France called Personal in 93 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: Kokomo on a Young Gifted on Black album. Okay, yeah, 94 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: what was that song about. It's basically just like a 95 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: slice of life. I think she was her husband was 96 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: from uh from Cokemo at the time, so I guess 97 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:19,480 Speaker 1: they would go back and visit family a lot, and 98 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: so this song is basically a Bob and her sister 99 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: lived there for a while. I didn't know that you 100 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: two might be cousins, might be we all might be cousins. Um, 101 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: So can I can I assume because of a lot 102 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 1: of studies that I've done, Um on the rise of 103 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: black music in the Midwest, Chicago, Indiana, Ohio? Um that 104 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: your parents migrated to Indiana or were they? Was your 105 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: whole family history there? Or well? Yes, to Kentucky? And 106 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: you know, and then I don't actually might be really 107 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: providence Kentucky far? How far is that from Bowling Green? 108 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 1: Do you know? I have no idea looking up later? 109 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: All right? Wow, I feel like so okay, So your 110 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: family started in Kentucky. Yeah, and my mom my dad 111 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: came from He was in Kentucky, he was, and he 112 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: ultimately met my mom. He moved. My mom was there 113 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: already in Indianapolis. My grandfather used to have a soul 114 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 1: food restaurant called Chicken Shack, and and uh, wow, I 115 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 1: might be the son and my dad met met her 116 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 1: at the Chicken Shack. And he was much older, he 117 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: was about those seventeen years older. And a soulful story 118 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: of all times, many and he was and he was 119 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: from you know, Providence, Kentucky. And as a kid, he 120 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 1: got out of there because he was a coal miner. 121 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,400 Speaker 1: And as a kid for about four years he was 122 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: doing from like eleven too, you know, fifteen or so, 123 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 1: and then got out of there finally and and made 124 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: the Indiana eperson and and did some things. And I 125 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,840 Speaker 1: don't think he sung a little bit. Actually he had 126 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: a really good voice and stuff. But it wasn't like 127 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,319 Speaker 1: we heard music around the house all the time. It 128 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,560 Speaker 1: we just would here records being played. But it was 129 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 1: just kind of, uh, just one of those things we 130 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: just kind of gravitated to. So you didn't grow up 131 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: in church or church came a little bit later, like 132 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 1: probably about six seventh grade. My mom, she wasn't in 133 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: church through through all that time. And then then I 134 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: got introduced to church and and and I would I 135 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: used to sit outside the once choir was done, I 136 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: go sit outside so and listen to the radio. So 137 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: I was amazed to see objection well because because I 138 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,240 Speaker 1: sat up in the balcony and she she could see. 139 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 1: So I snuck out there. Yeah, smart, That's that's how 140 00:09:57,080 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: I learned about James Taylor. Oh man, because I was 141 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: listening to the AM station because you know, on all 142 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 1: the black stations were playing church music at that time 143 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 1: on Sunday. Okay, then I found the pop station that 144 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: played this guy that played acoustic guitar, which was James Taylor, 145 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 1: which kind of blew me away. So what was the 146 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:20,280 Speaker 1: do you know the first record that you purchased? That's 147 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 1: a good question. I didn't purchase it or purchase for you. Um, 148 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 1: I think this is Jackson five Records, okay, sixth grade? 149 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: What James Taylor song? If you're talking about a specific 150 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: James Taylor, it was I heard like fire and rain 151 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: and um, I think think what was that was firing ring? 152 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: So you came of age once the Jackson's had signed 153 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: the Motown and yeah, okay, did I read an interview 154 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 1: once where you said you were in the audience when 155 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,200 Speaker 1: they did Going Back to Indiana? Yeah, they were at 156 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 1: the concert that was in Indianapolis. Yeah, what was that like? 157 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 1: Because it was I think the audience Mike was louder 158 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: than the Ronnie Rossefor's keyboard and everything, like, you know, 159 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:08,960 Speaker 1: you heard the audience more like even in the Public 160 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,680 Speaker 1: Enemy sample, the girls screaming like that's what. So what 161 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: was that? Like, I think they recorded it a couple 162 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 1: of places, but that was the main place that they 163 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:19,840 Speaker 1: did it. And so I had a terrible seat. I 164 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: was sitting in back, so all I could see was 165 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: the back of their froze every now and if they 166 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:28,719 Speaker 1: do act, so I could catch a glimpse if they 167 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: did a spin. Other than that, all you could see 168 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 1: was the back of the heads. And but it was 169 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 1: I mean, I was like blown away and I think 170 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: I had tears running them, you know, face, because I 171 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: just couldn't believe I was there and they went there. 172 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 1: They were real because at that particular point, you know, 173 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:49,359 Speaker 1: you you'd seen them on TV and in those days 174 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 1: that's the only time you saw anybody. So when they 175 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: came to your town, it was it was amazing. And 176 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:58,080 Speaker 1: the crowd was like crowd lost. They had to stop 177 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: the show about four times because crowd kept rushing the stage. 178 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: So it was amazing. So just to be their age 179 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:08,720 Speaker 1: and to see them, like, was that was that a 180 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 1: turning point for you? Like? Oh it was? It was it? 181 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:14,440 Speaker 1: That was the point when I knew that that I 182 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:16,679 Speaker 1: wanted to do that, I want to do something like that. 183 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 1: I didn't know exactly what, but I knew that was 184 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,559 Speaker 1: I wanted to be in that lane somehow, And I 185 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 1: also promised myself at that point that I would meet 186 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 1: them one day. You know, wow, you did more than that? 187 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: How many? How many brothers and sistant? So y'all a 188 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: kound it and a lot of y'all can sing? Right? 189 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: Or is it just a couple Kevan and Melvine they 190 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: could sing and mud because the other ones they couldn't 191 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,320 Speaker 1: say they thought they could, but they couldn't really sing. 192 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: So were you the youngest of your fifth so that 193 00:12:55,280 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: had one one younger than me? Okay, so so in 194 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 1: high school? Were you like starting bands by that point? 195 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:08,680 Speaker 1: And I started first started singing in um sixth grade, 196 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 1: first picked up the guitar. My brother Melvin brought a 197 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:22,400 Speaker 1: guitar in the house and told nobody not to touch it, 198 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,359 Speaker 1: and uh, of course, of course you gotta leave the room, 199 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: and uh, and I had to touch it because you know, 200 00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:31,359 Speaker 1: there was this girl I kind of had a crushhall 201 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 1: Round the new Boot was her name, and I wanted 202 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,319 Speaker 1: to write a song about her. So I grabbed the 203 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: guitar and started learning these chords that Melvin had already played, 204 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,680 Speaker 1: and I wrote a song to those chords that he 205 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 1: told me I could never play. Do you remember the 206 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: song Here I Go falling in Love? Did you ever recorded? 207 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:53,319 Speaker 1: I haven't recorded. I know it though, I never have 208 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: you ever thought about recording? It's a simple sprucing up 209 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:01,079 Speaker 1: and no, it's it's it's a said make it any 210 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,000 Speaker 1: but it was. Yeah, and I do have the original lyrics. 211 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: My mom kept the lyrics that I've written down, so 212 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 1: I really does Did she ever hear the song? Did 213 00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: the girl ever hear it? Nay, it doesn't go like that. 214 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 1: Did your brother ever find out that? Yeah? He did 215 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: get beat up. Well, he didn't beat me up, but 216 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:25,640 Speaker 1: that's when he told me. He he came to me 217 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:27,960 Speaker 1: and said, you know, I don't care how long you try, 218 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: how hard you tried, you will never be as good 219 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 1: as I am. Whole talente famous last words. Y'all still 220 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: bring that up? No, no point. His name is baby faces, 221 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:50,800 Speaker 1: bring it up like he's baby. Let's take a picture 222 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 1: of the hallway and that's it, just right, hashtag hallway Right. 223 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: So you were self taught, like you? Uh? Do you 224 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: have formal lessons in anything? I was self taught because 225 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: it was a I'm left handed and it was a 226 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: right handed guitar, So I had to I had to 227 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 1: kind of teach myself. I had to just kind of 228 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: and I played, so I played upside down, So I 229 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 1: can't I couldn't really learn from him other than just 230 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 1: to watch how he what cores he played and listened 231 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 1: to it and try to figure it out the other 232 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: way around and so and that's kind of like how 233 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: you end up learning. So when did you officially uh 234 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: start singing? What? I what? I can I assume that 235 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: man child enter the picture earlier? Was this That was 236 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 1: right out of high school. But there were groups all throughout, 237 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,760 Speaker 1: you know, um, like sixth grade, I had a group 238 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:48,040 Speaker 1: in my class. We had we sang smooky Robinson song 239 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:53,920 Speaker 1: Here I Go falling in Love, um, and hence my 240 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: song world I wrote here I hope on similar I 241 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: think spoke he stole it anyway, But so yeah, I 242 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: started kind of started singing there. And and the very 243 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 1: first time I sang, Melvin had come home and came 244 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: to me and Kevin and said that he had this 245 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 1: group called the Soul Innovations and they were playing at 246 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 1: the mixer at our high school and so in Jackson 247 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,640 Speaker 1: five were hot, so he needed one of us to 248 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 1: sing one of the Jackson five songs. So we had 249 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 1: a contest with each other, and that year I beat Kevan. 250 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 1: I could not beat him this year, but so UM 251 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: I ended up singing Who's Loving You at this mixer, 252 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 1: and uh, that was kind of like the start of it, 253 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,640 Speaker 1: you know. Um. And after after that, then we we 254 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:42,040 Speaker 1: tried our There was a group called Indie five, not 255 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 1: Jackson five. I was in the ind five for a 256 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:51,080 Speaker 1: little bit and then uh in the five broke up. 257 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 1: And then I probably about eighth grade, I had a 258 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:59,480 Speaker 1: couple of groups jim Ni eight, UM, LC, Soul Unlimited, UM, 259 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 1: the Elements. These are all groups in junior high that 260 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: I was in. So I'm assuming that because of I 261 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:13,359 Speaker 1: guess that I guess the I guess you could say 262 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: that from what I know, uh, in the Midwest, because 263 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:21,800 Speaker 1: the employment and industry was up in the factories pretty 264 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:27,919 Speaker 1: much all families bestowed uh their kids with musical instruments 265 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 1: and that sort of thing of like was there did 266 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: you ever personally witnessed like a decliner fallout like the 267 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: particular industry leave Indiana at that time? And then you 268 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,359 Speaker 1: just saw the decline of interest of music go down, 269 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 1: or that didn't happen until I think late seventies. UM, 270 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:53,160 Speaker 1: because prior to that, the thing that that I remember 271 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 1: the most and I love the most about growing up 272 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 1: was that used to hear music all around the neighborhood. 273 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:01,760 Speaker 1: So you could walk around on a summer day and 274 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:05,880 Speaker 1: just go listening for a band rehearsing somewhere, and that's 275 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 1: how you found your you know, your group members. Somebody 276 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 1: was practicing inside of the garage, so you might hear 277 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 1: a guitar player, bass player, drummer. You walk around the 278 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 1: neighborhood all day long and hear different bands playing. And 279 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: we used to have rival bands where bands were going 280 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 1: against each other and stuff, and my my brother's band 281 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 1: with the Sole Innovations and the Dianasans and they would compare. 282 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: Somebody was singing like James Brown, somebody was more like 283 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 1: the Temptations. So it was music all around the neighborhood 284 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 1: and everybody was like trying to make it and um 285 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:38,399 Speaker 1: and the city was pretty supportive because even when I 286 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:40,880 Speaker 1: was in ninth grade and with my group the Elements, 287 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:45,680 Speaker 1: they had a contest for local bands too. The best 288 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: local bands would be able to open up for curs 289 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: Mayfield on his UM super Fly UH tour, and so 290 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:55,959 Speaker 1: and my group we we actually won and so we 291 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 1: were one of the openness for the for that show. 292 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:03,080 Speaker 1: And so it was that musical where there we was. 293 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:07,440 Speaker 1: There was music and musicians and everybody wanted to play 294 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:12,159 Speaker 1: play an instrument. And that I think when that started 295 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:14,640 Speaker 1: to change is when, actually, to be honest, is when 296 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 1: disco happened all the clubs every but there used to 297 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 1: be clubs where bands were playing all the time. Then 298 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: when disco started happening, then DJ DJ's kind of like 299 00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:28,359 Speaker 1: came into the uh took the band members away, and 300 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,880 Speaker 1: that's when it started to change. Did it change for you, 301 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:34,919 Speaker 1: Like did you still feel as though, like, well, I 302 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:38,159 Speaker 1: still want to be a musician even though yeah, I 303 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,840 Speaker 1: think I was. I don't know that I had ever 304 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: had any choice UH in this It was like something 305 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 1: that was just part of my DNA to music. Was 306 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: your family your parents supportive or was this like, um, 307 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:56,160 Speaker 1: get a real job? Where it was it? Well? When 308 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: I was right out of high school, I joined man Shout. 309 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:00,920 Speaker 1: In seventy six, I joined man Shout, which was I 310 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:03,720 Speaker 1: was very lucky because I don't know that I even 311 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:07,160 Speaker 1: thought about college, and and all my friends were they 312 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: had thought about it and they were going away, and 313 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:10,960 Speaker 1: the next thing I know, maybe I should have to 314 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:14,520 Speaker 1: talk about college. But then um, I got asked to 315 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,200 Speaker 1: join this group called man Child, and they had immediately 316 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,880 Speaker 1: got a record deal in seventy seven. So I got 317 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,719 Speaker 1: lucky and we had a record deal and put out 318 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:25,960 Speaker 1: a couple of records and did it was regional hits. 319 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:30,000 Speaker 1: And but then that only lasted for a little bit, 320 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: and we had a downside. And in that downside, I 321 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 1: was staying home with my mom. And then one day 322 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:40,119 Speaker 1: my mom said get in the car and I said, okay, 323 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:41,680 Speaker 1: She said just get in the car. Get in the car, 324 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,679 Speaker 1: and she drove me in front of this uh um 325 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: story that had a little photo matt the little cubic 326 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 1: those things where they used to get your films made, 327 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 1: and so they had to help one it signed there, 328 00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:59,800 Speaker 1: and she said, get one, pick it up, and then 329 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 1: say get a job, get a job. You're gonna sign, 330 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: You're gonna you're gonna get a job, and you're gonna 331 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:05,919 Speaker 1: do that. Then I left the house that morning. The 332 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: next morning that's when I'm going to move in with 333 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: a girlfriend. And so did you never have a day 334 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,120 Speaker 1: job like a regular I had. I was a camp counselor. 335 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,119 Speaker 1: That was my only job, like a summer job, playing 336 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:29,920 Speaker 1: guitar fans kind of stortady. Okay, so you're you're you're 337 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:37,160 Speaker 1: you're not the plume, your your nickname. Uh I, I've 338 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: heard the legend of Bootsy Collins giving you this title. 339 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 1: But how exactly did you come into contact with? Um? 340 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 1: My partner l A Read and and uh and Ko 341 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:52,879 Speaker 1: one of the bass player in the deal. They were 342 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,160 Speaker 1: actually doing demos with Bootsy when we were in living 343 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 1: in Cincinnati, and um, we were working on a record 344 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:01,639 Speaker 1: there and sonaty So who was kind of looked downtime 345 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,040 Speaker 1: and they were boots here called l A. I think 346 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: he already knew him already and asked them to come 347 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:09,440 Speaker 1: do some tracks. So I just walked in the studio 348 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:13,720 Speaker 1: one day, not knowing him really, and um, I think 349 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:17,280 Speaker 1: I met him before and uh and then he uh, 350 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: as soon as I walk in, he just goes baby 351 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:30,000 Speaker 1: face exactly exactly. And Uh. I didn't like it. I 352 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,240 Speaker 1: didn't like the sound of it. Just just didn't hit 353 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:34,640 Speaker 1: me right, and then he just started. Then he said 354 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:39,440 Speaker 1: it again after you knew I didn't like it, and uh, 355 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:41,360 Speaker 1: and then the guys in the band they kind of 356 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:43,919 Speaker 1: they kind of stuck with it because everybody in the 357 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,719 Speaker 1: deal had a good nickname. It was you know, Ko Stick, 358 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:58,439 Speaker 1: D l A D. Carlos and Kenny he so, so 359 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:00,359 Speaker 1: it didn't flow. And they were trying were trying to 360 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:02,399 Speaker 1: find a nickname for me for a while and nothing 361 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:06,159 Speaker 1: was ever working. And then you know, Boosey said that, 362 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,720 Speaker 1: and I still wasn't I wasn't good with it. But 363 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 1: then we were out on tour and like five this 364 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: is when it happened, and we were doing this song. 365 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: I used to sing this song called Sweet November, and 366 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 1: I would sing it, you know, every night, and sing 367 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:24,960 Speaker 1: it the same way, and after you know, D would 368 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 1: go that was Kenny Etmans and it was get a 369 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: little Bit of Love. And then one night he changed 370 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: and he said that was baby Face, and that night 371 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: a whole bunch of girls came back backstage looking for 372 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 1: where's baby Face at? So I was good with my name. Okay, alright, alright, 373 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:46,800 Speaker 1: that's good. Um in Cincinnati, you're you're one of our 374 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:52,920 Speaker 1: you're one of our first guests. Um, that's actually from 375 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 1: the Ohio area. Um. Again, a lot of myth has 376 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,720 Speaker 1: been made of that area and starting like a lot 377 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: of those groups. But I mean what was in Cincinnati 378 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:08,520 Speaker 1: was it was something in the water at the time. 379 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: It was just like it was like breathing in, chewing 380 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: gum and walking like it's it's the whole Midwest area, 381 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 1: because it was just as Ohio, it was Chicago, it 382 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 1: was Indianapolis. Um there was because you know even from Indianapolis, 383 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:28,600 Speaker 1: you know you had West Montgomery and um, um there 384 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: was Freddie Hubbard's Uh. There was just something something about UM. 385 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:43,120 Speaker 1: Maybe maybe it was the hard times initially and and 386 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 1: and um people finding themselves, but there was something that 387 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: we were given as just as musicians. And I say 388 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: the same thing about you know Detroit, and like what 389 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,359 Speaker 1: happened in Detroit where you had so many artists that 390 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: were from this general area around in Motown. You know, 391 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: they were all in a ten mile radius. You had 392 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 1: so many from Dina Rolse to Stevie One, they were 393 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:06,119 Speaker 1: all in the same area. What happened? What was in 394 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 1: the water there? And it seems like that that same 395 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 1: idea went around that whole Midwest area about the musicians 396 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,200 Speaker 1: that ultimately came from there. But unlike Detroit, I mean, 397 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:19,719 Speaker 1: there really wasn't. I mean, they were started King Records, 398 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: which I assumed that King Records had falling apart after 399 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,520 Speaker 1: James Brown went to Polydor in seventy, So I mean, 400 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 1: but I don't think there really was an epicenter per se, 401 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:37,879 Speaker 1: like for Bootie's generation, James Brown's, you know, being in 402 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:41,159 Speaker 1: that area and recording there all the time, that was 403 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:44,400 Speaker 1: like inspiration for him in the Ohio like cats then, 404 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: but I mean for for the generation that's in the 405 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,119 Speaker 1: late seventies going into the early eighties, like did you 406 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:54,960 Speaker 1: feel like being from Ohio was like, oh okay, we 407 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 1: could still be a thinking or was it like we 408 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:58,199 Speaker 1: gotta go to l A or we gotta go to 409 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:01,920 Speaker 1: New York too? Well? Interesting like l A. L. A. 410 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: Red who was from Cincinnati, he came to Indianapolis and 411 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 1: lived in Indianapolis because he felt like that was a 412 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 1: place to go. And the reason was because in Indianapolis 413 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,720 Speaker 1: there were clubs, there was a place to play, and 414 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:20,480 Speaker 1: that didn't exist in Cincinnati. So at least in Indianapolis 415 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 1: you had a place where you could practice your trade, 416 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 1: and that wasn't really possible in Ohio. So a lot 417 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:32,640 Speaker 1: of the guys from from Ohio came to Indianapolis many times. 418 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: In fact, midnight start they were always in Indianapolis playing 419 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:39,879 Speaker 1: at this club called Mark four Um and um. That 420 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:42,120 Speaker 1: was kind of it. So that but the whole thing, 421 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: even in Indianapolis, the whole the whole idea of making it. 422 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,479 Speaker 1: You knew you I had to either go to California 423 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:53,160 Speaker 1: at that point. It was always about California in Chicago 424 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,000 Speaker 1: and because you aren't gonna make it just by standing 425 00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:01,120 Speaker 1: there in any case, whether that was Ohio India. Now 426 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 1: you meant you mentioned like seven or eight groups that 427 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 1: you've been in between Elementary and before man Child. But 428 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,159 Speaker 1: what was it about you meeting your partners in the 429 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,040 Speaker 1: deal that made it stick? Like okay, this is my 430 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:18,800 Speaker 1: this is my official band. Well that was it was 431 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:21,960 Speaker 1: a long road getting there. Like when in going through Manchild, 432 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:25,480 Speaker 1: I met man Child, didn't morph into the deal. No, 433 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,639 Speaker 1: I was in three of you though, right, No and 434 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:34,840 Speaker 1: man Child. Um. Darryl Simmons was in Manchild, but he 435 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: was the only one and uh so l A used 436 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,399 Speaker 1: to come to Indianapolis, as I said, and we would. 437 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:44,919 Speaker 1: He had this group called I don't know what the 438 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,920 Speaker 1: essence and uh before he turned it into the deal 439 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,280 Speaker 1: and then he started the deal. And I saw the 440 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:57,679 Speaker 1: deal at this club called the Zodiac and probably and 441 00:27:57,720 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 1: they were already kind of jumping on the whole time 442 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: and the Prince and Time thing and like they were 443 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: wearing leg warm as they had they had eyeliner on it. 444 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:11,520 Speaker 1: They had gone all the way over. And I walked 445 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:13,680 Speaker 1: in there and I had my members only jacking on it. 446 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 1: Um And so I was clearly not in the in 447 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,439 Speaker 1: their realm maybe some gap jeans and maybe Georgia's at 448 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:25,639 Speaker 1: the time, but um, I was not. I was not 449 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:29,520 Speaker 1: in that lane whatsoever. But I saw how great they were. 450 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 1: They they were entertainers and um and I met him 451 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,359 Speaker 1: at that particular point and and just kind of said hello. 452 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 1: And then it's probably about a year later so I 453 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:44,280 Speaker 1: heard I went and joined this another band man should 454 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: have been Nomad. You like it. It's been in Michigan 455 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: called crywd Pleases, which was basically a top forty band 456 00:28:55,440 --> 00:29:02,040 Speaker 1: and which was probably the best. You know, more people 457 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:04,760 Speaker 1: should play in top forty bands because in playing the 458 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:08,479 Speaker 1: top forty band. You learned other people's music, it teaches you. 459 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: The Beatles did that in Hamburg exactly, they had to, 460 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:14,560 Speaker 1: so it was it was great. So we played the Time, 461 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 1: we played Earth winning Fire, we'd played you know, cooling 462 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:25,120 Speaker 1: the Gang and songs that you hate playing nightly and so. 463 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: Um So, while I was in that band, I also 464 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,320 Speaker 1: kind of felt like this was never gonna go anywhere. 465 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:33,080 Speaker 1: I was trying to get everybody, you know, to think 466 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: about maybe we should try to do a band at 467 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 1: this point, maybe we should try to get a record deal. 468 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: But at that point there were some guys that was 469 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 1: already sixty years old, so it was probably a little 470 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:45,520 Speaker 1: late to be going for um. So, then one of 471 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:47,440 Speaker 1: the guys in the band's got named Hollywood. He was 472 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 1: in banding. He was talking to l A on the 473 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 1: phone and he was a keyboard player and he was 474 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:56,120 Speaker 1: trying to join the deal. So um I heard talk 475 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:57,880 Speaker 1: to l A on the phone, and I heard this 476 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 1: demo that they had the song called turn It Up, 477 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: and it was like so funky and so it was 478 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:05,520 Speaker 1: just it was just perfect, and I was like, damgn 479 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 1: I wish I was part of that group. And I 480 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:10,360 Speaker 1: asked Hollywood to ask l A if they had room 481 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 1: for a guitar player. M and just put a word 482 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:17,200 Speaker 1: in for me. So Hollywood asked them, and the word 483 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:22,480 Speaker 1: came back that I wouldn't breed enough, so I couldn't 484 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: join the band because I just didn't have enough breed. 485 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: I don't know what you're hip enough exactly. Thank you. 486 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,760 Speaker 1: Breed was like it was like kind of like it 487 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:40,440 Speaker 1: was the Prince in time, you know you. I didn't 488 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:45,640 Speaker 1: wear leg warmers. Okay, I always think a breed is 489 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:49,720 Speaker 1: kind of elitist, but it's okay. So I wasn't breathe enough. 490 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: So but I was because up and knock. But you know, 491 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 1: I had changed. I didn't have members only jacket on 492 00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 1: it anymore. I had changed and that I was wearing 493 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 1: leg warmers and stuff with them. But LA hadn't seen 494 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:06,280 Speaker 1: that yet. So um and how that happened, how I 495 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:09,719 Speaker 1: ultimately how he was able ultimately to see that as 496 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:13,520 Speaker 1: I had written this song UM called slow Jam from 497 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:18,480 Speaker 1: the next Start song and uh, the manager UM knew me, 498 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 1: and he gave them the song, and they had heard 499 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 1: the song and they wanted to record the song, so 500 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 1: they asked me to come down to Cincinnati to help 501 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:28,440 Speaker 1: them record the song. And when I went down there, 502 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:30,960 Speaker 1: that's when I went and I was singing the demo 503 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: in the studio. That's when La saw me and heard 504 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:36,760 Speaker 1: me singing. He said, who is that singing? And he 505 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:38,920 Speaker 1: walked in he saw me and he saw I had 506 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:52,880 Speaker 1: bread it up. So wait, you you play slow Jam 507 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:55,000 Speaker 1: one no Parking on the dance floor before you join 508 00:31:55,080 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: the deal? Yes, I believe it's on the no park Yeah, yeah, okay, 509 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:05,640 Speaker 1: So that was they were at that time. They had 510 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:07,480 Speaker 1: signed the deal up and they were doing demos on 511 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,320 Speaker 1: the deal, trying to get them a record deal midnight start. 512 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 1: And so when I came down there, they asked me 513 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:16,880 Speaker 1: to stay down because I was really good and on 514 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 1: making four track demos on that little tich four track cassette. 515 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 1: I was good on doing backgrounds and everything, and and 516 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 1: they were like bouncing and yep, it sounds like the 517 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:31,080 Speaker 1: final product. It was all the way there. But wait, 518 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 1: what were you and eight one? Like? How how progressive 519 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:44,480 Speaker 1: was technology for you too? Were you already mastering drum machines? 520 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: And there was there was a drum machine. It was 521 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:49,920 Speaker 1: like the seven or seven rolling seven or seven, So 522 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,960 Speaker 1: you just had to teach yourself like how to yeah, 523 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:57,600 Speaker 1: just you know the O, B X and UM, so 524 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:01,600 Speaker 1: you kind of worked with that and and then just 525 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:04,840 Speaker 1: doing the vocals, you know, just bouncing the bouncing the vocals. 526 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: So I was able to make good demos on the 527 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:10,120 Speaker 1: four track, and that's why I was asked to stay 528 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:12,520 Speaker 1: to help make help the deal, make demos and maybe 529 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:16,480 Speaker 1: do some songwriting with them as well. And so I 530 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 1: stayed there. I told the crowd please, I wasn't coming 531 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:20,960 Speaker 1: back for a little bit. I'm gonna help do these demos. 532 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 1: And then actually I did. After we finished the demos 533 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:28,560 Speaker 1: and I went back to the crowd pleas and I 534 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,040 Speaker 1: was kind of saying because like my world was back 535 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:34,840 Speaker 1: into top forty. And then l A called me probably 536 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:39,080 Speaker 1: about a month later and said, good news. We got 537 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:42,960 Speaker 1: a record deal. And I was like, good for y'all. 538 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:49,840 Speaker 1: And then he said they got some other good news 539 00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:52,040 Speaker 1: and I said, what's that. He said, talked to the 540 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:54,440 Speaker 1: guys and they want you to join the group. So 541 00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:56,320 Speaker 1: that was it. I was able to get away at 542 00:33:56,320 --> 00:34:00,760 Speaker 1: that point. So that was And so when you asked, 543 00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,960 Speaker 1: was that why was was that the group? It was? 544 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 1: It wasn't so much just the group. It was my 545 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:10,239 Speaker 1: relationship with l A. Me and l A. We we 546 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:12,880 Speaker 1: clicked at that point, and we we wrote and we 547 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 1: produced and we kind of just kind of saw that 548 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:18,839 Speaker 1: saw the things the same way. And it was kind 549 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:21,440 Speaker 1: of like that partner that I needed. I needed to 550 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:24,640 Speaker 1: give him confidence and he gave me confidence. A thing. 551 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:29,279 Speaker 1: But being as though you were the last member to 552 00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:34,480 Speaker 1: join the group, yep, and we all know, especially in 553 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:37,799 Speaker 1: today's model, like groups aren't even encouraged anymore. It's all 554 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:41,799 Speaker 1: about solo x because they're easier to control. How are 555 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:47,600 Speaker 1: you able to even suggest or exercise your powers in 556 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,880 Speaker 1: this ensemble? Like even though l A is your your advocate, 557 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:56,160 Speaker 1: are the other fellows filled in a certain way? Like? Um, 558 00:34:56,200 --> 00:35:00,120 Speaker 1: you know, yeah, I didn't come in there. There was 559 00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:03,960 Speaker 1: a couple that one in particular that didn't want me 560 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,120 Speaker 1: there at all. And I was also voted his name 561 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:12,000 Speaker 1: is Kamal and I'm playing. I was also voted to 562 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:17,200 Speaker 1: not sing either. Well, how many singers were there? There 563 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:20,479 Speaker 1: was two and I was voted I didn't come into 564 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:25,920 Speaker 1: beation and so but I was okay with that because I, 565 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:28,200 Speaker 1: you know, I just wanted to I just want to 566 00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:31,959 Speaker 1: play guitar and write some songs and and so part 567 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:33,480 Speaker 1: of that. Part of that was they knew that I 568 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,479 Speaker 1: wasn't trying to I wasn't trying to take anybody's place, 569 00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:39,200 Speaker 1: was gonna shoot him up? Movies? Who's that singing lead 570 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:47,280 Speaker 1: as Carlos? Uh? Okay? So but to me your backgrounds, 571 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:52,879 Speaker 1: So were you ready in three had that moment came 572 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:57,040 Speaker 1: to sing lead? Like? No, not really, I mean I 573 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:03,319 Speaker 1: was doing demos that we're getting songs placed, you know, 574 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:06,640 Speaker 1: because I did a song for the Whispers at that time, 575 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:10,120 Speaker 1: a very place a song for the Whispers a couple 576 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:16,400 Speaker 1: of times, and uh before even before like this, and uh, 577 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:21,480 Speaker 1: I even did this parody record of I Gotta Find 578 00:36:21,520 --> 00:36:28,239 Speaker 1: It you will never find it never. But so we 579 00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:32,919 Speaker 1: got our phones ready. Okay, So we were out on tour. 580 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:34,719 Speaker 1: The very first two we went out on was with 581 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:40,919 Speaker 1: Luther and DeBarge. You were on part of that tour, Yeah, 582 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:45,400 Speaker 1: I got I got questions. So um so I was 583 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:49,359 Speaker 1: like a major fan of l and I loved all 584 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:53,520 Speaker 1: this love and so for the fun of it, I 585 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:56,360 Speaker 1: did this little song called All My Children because we 586 00:36:56,520 --> 00:37:00,400 Speaker 1: used to write, we used to watch All My Children musician. 587 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,799 Speaker 1: That's what you do if you afternoon daytime. Yeah, you 588 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,000 Speaker 1: find your soap. And all my children, I only want 589 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:12,320 Speaker 1: to admit that, thank you all my children. So, uh 590 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:15,719 Speaker 1: so we watched that crazy and then I wrote, so 591 00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:17,880 Speaker 1: I did you know instead of all this love, I 592 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:28,920 Speaker 1: did all my children, um chude and comes on. And 593 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:37,520 Speaker 1: it was very bad, and uh it was great. I 594 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:39,719 Speaker 1: even played it for L one day and L looked 595 00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:42,600 Speaker 1: at me like, are you like, are you making fun 596 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:49,799 Speaker 1: of me or what? Yeah? We stay ready. I could 597 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,640 Speaker 1: give you a whole thing on light skinned thing, but anyway, 598 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:56,520 Speaker 1: it was rough on us at that time. I'll be 599 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:59,680 Speaker 1: shorter than that's before. That was before it was a 600 00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:02,319 Speaker 1: whole different thing. But light Skin Brothers ruled the early 601 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:07,799 Speaker 1: eighties completely. Yes, we did the iron fist the gun maybe, 602 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:10,839 Speaker 1: and then the nineties so so we did this song 603 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:15,520 Speaker 1: and then uh for somehow another did Griffy heard it right, 604 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:18,560 Speaker 1: and I want you to do that on my wife. 605 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:22,719 Speaker 1: So he asked me to do it on char right, 606 00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 1: and so she recorded that song. Yes, yeah, we'll find it. 607 00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:40,760 Speaker 1: We'll find it. I'm googling right now. Wait a minute, 608 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:43,800 Speaker 1: this is crazy, all right? Did he get commercially released. 609 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:46,279 Speaker 1: I think it did. It was the first It was 610 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:48,480 Speaker 1: the first production that me and l A were able 611 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:50,920 Speaker 1: to do, and the first time we felt like we 612 00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:54,239 Speaker 1: was Jimmy and Terry. We got we got to get 613 00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:57,000 Speaker 1: on a plane and go go away and you know, 614 00:38:57,040 --> 00:38:59,440 Speaker 1: go to California while the band was somewhere else. And 615 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 1: you know, we used to hear that jim and Terry 616 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:02,560 Speaker 1: used to do that with the Times, and we was 617 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:06,720 Speaker 1: we was Jimmy and Terry. Turn down. Wait a minute, 618 00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:10,040 Speaker 1: that's weird you're saying that, because dog all right. So 619 00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:18,120 Speaker 1: when Griffy passed away, his daughter was slowly e baying 620 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:22,959 Speaker 1: a lot of not stuff like matifacts from there. But 621 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:27,239 Speaker 1: there were so many half inch tapes of I just 622 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:31,120 Speaker 1: wanted the soul trained stuff um. But I didn't even 623 00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:37,200 Speaker 1: bother to go through the solar Um half inch reels 624 00:39:37,239 --> 00:39:40,840 Speaker 1: and stuff that I bet you it's there. What was 625 00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:42,640 Speaker 1: what was that Griffy like? Man, he's just one of 626 00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:45,279 Speaker 1: those people that we've read about and I mean, what 627 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:49,319 Speaker 1: do you think he was like? Well, at the time 628 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:52,440 Speaker 1: I heard that he might be Sugar knight ish, Well 629 00:39:52,440 --> 00:39:55,040 Speaker 1: he was. I mean, he put you, he put your 630 00:39:55,280 --> 00:40:01,000 Speaker 1: cover sound I've heard that, but I've never heard Dick Griffy. 631 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:03,360 Speaker 1: I mean, my my impression of him was always like this. 632 00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:08,360 Speaker 1: I never heard no big red stories like you know. Okay, 633 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:10,359 Speaker 1: So if you're gonna learn that, I'm I'm a I'm 634 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:13,360 Speaker 1: a soul train of file. So there's a lot of 635 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:19,680 Speaker 1: episodes in which Don will sarcastically, uh talk about Dick, 636 00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:22,759 Speaker 1: mainly to like Walter and Scotty from the whispers or 637 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:28,160 Speaker 1: remembers of shalamar Um, you know, like does does your 638 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:30,160 Speaker 1: boss did grief? You know that you're here in wink 639 00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:37,640 Speaker 1: wink wink that sort of thing. So exactly what was 640 00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:42,200 Speaker 1: Dick Griffy Like, Well, Dick and down we're very close initially. 641 00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:45,319 Speaker 1: Then you know, the whole soul train thing was there, 642 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:49,240 Speaker 1: and basically Dick decided to go off and do records 643 00:40:49,239 --> 00:40:53,680 Speaker 1: and and down went the TV. Um. Dick Griffy was 644 00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:59,279 Speaker 1: a black man, about as black as they come, and um, 645 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:06,200 Speaker 1: and he was he's scared some white executives. They were 646 00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:08,120 Speaker 1: they were a little afraid to deal with him because 647 00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:11,480 Speaker 1: they thought because he might actually do something if you 648 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:14,279 Speaker 1: mess with him, messed with the stuff. Uh. And he 649 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:17,400 Speaker 1: was also kind of scary sometimes too to talk to 650 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:21,719 Speaker 1: you know, he checked your hand, you know, please meet 651 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:34,200 Speaker 1: you exactly. So he was conduct business with the gun 652 00:41:34,239 --> 00:41:38,719 Speaker 1: on the table. But so and people didn't want to, 653 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:43,000 Speaker 1: like they didn't want to mess with us because we 654 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,680 Speaker 1: were signed over solo records. So for a long time 655 00:41:45,719 --> 00:41:47,759 Speaker 1: we couldn't get any work anywhere else because when they 656 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:50,680 Speaker 1: hear you would did Griffy, Oh that's all right, not 657 00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:53,160 Speaker 1: to pass on you. So for a second, did he 658 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:56,319 Speaker 1: kind of jackie to his house producers, like, were you 659 00:41:56,800 --> 00:42:02,279 Speaker 1: kind of the nude? He he got l A on 660 00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:07,759 Speaker 1: a contract. I refused to sign UM, but he did 661 00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:10,440 Speaker 1: get l A. At one point in l A was 662 00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:12,160 Speaker 1: doing it kind of because l A was kind of 663 00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:14,719 Speaker 1: like the guy that was kind of looking out for 664 00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:17,640 Speaker 1: the band the whole time and making sure that, you know, 665 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:21,200 Speaker 1: everybody was okay. So in the in the interest of 666 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:24,279 Speaker 1: being manager and trying to taking care of the band, 667 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:26,840 Speaker 1: being the band leader, he got ended up getting in 668 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:29,480 Speaker 1: this contract with with Dick and I didn't. I never 669 00:42:29,520 --> 00:42:33,120 Speaker 1: signed UM. So he had l A and I was 670 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:37,680 Speaker 1: like not for it. And at one point I just 671 00:42:37,719 --> 00:42:41,040 Speaker 1: kind of like just started standing up to him. Um, 672 00:42:41,239 --> 00:42:44,800 Speaker 1: Dick was he he was a brilliant guy at the 673 00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:48,960 Speaker 1: same time, though you know he knew Um, I can 674 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:51,000 Speaker 1: say that I don't think that our careers would be 675 00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:54,920 Speaker 1: where they are without him. He did have us come 676 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:58,279 Speaker 1: out here. He did, um open up his doors with 677 00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:01,640 Speaker 1: a studio where we worked over there for for years 678 00:43:01,680 --> 00:43:04,319 Speaker 1: and learned our trade. We learned how to produce under 679 00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:07,400 Speaker 1: his under his house. What was his what was his 680 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:13,319 Speaker 1: muscle like at radio? Because I want to know how 681 00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:19,799 Speaker 1: much of say, okay, let's take rock steady. How much 682 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:22,560 Speaker 1: is that, Hey, this is a really great song, let's 683 00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:25,640 Speaker 1: make it a hit? Or how much was like how 684 00:43:25,719 --> 00:43:30,279 Speaker 1: much he say? How how does that work out? You know? 685 00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:39,319 Speaker 1: Without you? Uh? You know you you obviously had your independence, 686 00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:44,200 Speaker 1: you know, um, your promoters that you'd send out there, 687 00:43:45,080 --> 00:43:47,560 Speaker 1: uh here, and our guys that would find them find 688 00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:49,319 Speaker 1: the songs. And you had to have the guys that 689 00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:51,800 Speaker 1: you would pay to go out and get the songs played. 690 00:43:53,239 --> 00:43:55,279 Speaker 1: There was a lot of that and a lot of 691 00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:57,680 Speaker 1: a lot of paying different folks. But the reality is 692 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:03,160 Speaker 1: that you can't he can't really buy a hit. Um 693 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:07,080 Speaker 1: a song was gonna ultimately take off because it was 694 00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:09,719 Speaker 1: a good song, and so he might have had a 695 00:44:09,719 --> 00:44:13,080 Speaker 1: song that he believed in and if it wasn't that one, 696 00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:16,239 Speaker 1: then it just wasn't that one. But the difference was 697 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:20,480 Speaker 1: that he was finding artists and and finding producers that 698 00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:23,960 Speaker 1: actually were giving him great music, and he's the one 699 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:26,000 Speaker 1: that picked it out and would say, that's the record. 700 00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:28,719 Speaker 1: This is the one part of the reason why I 701 00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:31,000 Speaker 1: have a solo career in the first place. It is 702 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:33,960 Speaker 1: called it did Griffy. Part of one of the stories 703 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:37,920 Speaker 1: is when we were doing our second album, UM, the 704 00:44:37,960 --> 00:44:44,680 Speaker 1: Second Deal Second Deal album Material UM. The only reason 705 00:44:44,719 --> 00:44:47,600 Speaker 1: why we were producing that because the manager that we 706 00:44:47,680 --> 00:44:51,319 Speaker 1: had had fell into a lawsuit with Midnight Star and 707 00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:53,799 Speaker 1: we had we shared the same manager. So Midnight Star 708 00:44:53,880 --> 00:44:58,760 Speaker 1: decided that they were not going to uh step Gordon Nope, 709 00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:03,680 Speaker 1: that was perform Pablo Davis was afterwards, they were not 710 00:45:03,760 --> 00:45:07,359 Speaker 1: going to produce us produce our next album. So we 711 00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:09,719 Speaker 1: were kind of like left there open without a producer. 712 00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:12,000 Speaker 1: So the Callaways did the first album. Callaways did the 713 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:16,440 Speaker 1: first album, and we're Reggie Callaway did the first album, 714 00:45:17,040 --> 00:45:20,440 Speaker 1: and uh so then it was on us to do it, 715 00:45:21,680 --> 00:45:24,040 Speaker 1: are someone to do it? And then Dick called me 716 00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:26,239 Speaker 1: and l I said, well, won't you guys do it, 717 00:45:27,320 --> 00:45:33,600 Speaker 1: and we said, okay, uh sure you could do the record, 718 00:45:33,719 --> 00:45:37,719 Speaker 1: go do it. So we decided to go in and 719 00:45:37,719 --> 00:45:40,480 Speaker 1: start recording the record. So we started putting it together 720 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:44,000 Speaker 1: and there was one song called Sweet November that I 721 00:45:44,080 --> 00:45:47,400 Speaker 1: had saying that I had sent in for the whispers 722 00:45:48,560 --> 00:45:52,600 Speaker 1: Um and he said, well, why why are y'all doing 723 00:45:52,600 --> 00:45:55,600 Speaker 1: this song? And they said that, well that doesn't really 724 00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:58,279 Speaker 1: fit l I said, they don't really fit Carlos in 725 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:02,600 Speaker 1: d and he goes, oh, then why come why aren't 726 00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:05,680 Speaker 1: you singing it? Why? Wow? Wow, won't won't Kenny sing it? 727 00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:10,080 Speaker 1: I wouldn't baby face yet? And then uh, he said, 728 00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:13,400 Speaker 1: well Kenny's not the least singer, so that don't make 729 00:46:13,480 --> 00:46:15,839 Speaker 1: no sense. Then Kenny's just singing song. And then they said, 730 00:46:15,880 --> 00:46:18,040 Speaker 1: well we gotta have a meeting on that, so we 731 00:46:18,160 --> 00:46:22,399 Speaker 1: had to get inside. You were like, yes, not really 732 00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:24,520 Speaker 1: because I knew it was gonna be some trouble. So 733 00:46:25,320 --> 00:46:28,239 Speaker 1: but I'm singing that? Is that you the what do 734 00:46:28,280 --> 00:46:32,200 Speaker 1: you call it? Matt? Yeah? Like like the survivors remorse, 735 00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:35,279 Speaker 1: Like did you? Deep down inside? I want to sing 736 00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:39,160 Speaker 1: that song and be lead singer. Here's the thing I 737 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:43,279 Speaker 1: always put songs first, and so I didn't want to 738 00:46:43,320 --> 00:46:46,440 Speaker 1: give the song away unless someone could do justice to it. 739 00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:49,160 Speaker 1: So that's why it's always been easy for me to 740 00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:50,960 Speaker 1: give songs to someone. If I feel like they took 741 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:54,160 Speaker 1: it to the next level, then song first, and so 742 00:46:54,920 --> 00:46:57,759 Speaker 1: in the band the guys, That's why I wasn't gonna 743 00:46:57,800 --> 00:46:59,280 Speaker 1: give it to the guys because I knew they couldn't 744 00:46:59,280 --> 00:47:02,760 Speaker 1: pull that one off. And uh and I was hoping 745 00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:05,960 Speaker 1: that you know, Scotty would sing it. So um when 746 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:08,200 Speaker 1: it came back, we had a meeting about it and 747 00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:14,360 Speaker 1: they voted that I do not get to sing voting 748 00:47:14,440 --> 00:47:21,920 Speaker 1: and so a college So the l A talked to 749 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:25,360 Speaker 1: Dick and uh, I told him what the answer was, 750 00:47:25,440 --> 00:47:27,400 Speaker 1: and Dick said to him, so, well, let me put 751 00:47:27,560 --> 00:47:30,600 Speaker 1: this wave. You guys want a record deal, then he 752 00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:32,759 Speaker 1: better sing that. That boy better sing that song. So 753 00:47:34,960 --> 00:47:39,560 Speaker 1: so so that's how I started singing a song. Okay, 754 00:47:39,640 --> 00:47:42,680 Speaker 1: you mentioned something and I always wanted to know. Um. 755 00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:47,040 Speaker 1: Whenever I've seen the Whispers perform in concert on television, 756 00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:50,799 Speaker 1: both watch Walter and Scottie are singing the exact same time. 757 00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:56,640 Speaker 1: Who is singing between us two? They both sang, but 758 00:47:56,760 --> 00:48:01,399 Speaker 1: there's no flange effect, like they're literally singing. They they 759 00:48:01,520 --> 00:48:10,400 Speaker 1: both sing that is creepy one is whispering, and so 760 00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:13,120 Speaker 1: like all their leads are pretty them both singing pretty 761 00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:16,360 Speaker 1: well on the records. Um, they will switch off. Scotty 762 00:48:16,480 --> 00:48:18,520 Speaker 1: is the main guy, but when it comes to the 763 00:48:18,560 --> 00:48:20,879 Speaker 1: double and Walter would come in and you know, it's 764 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:23,200 Speaker 1: that's how that's how it worked. So like Rock State 765 00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:25,040 Speaker 1: didn't want to track them the same at the same 766 00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:28,240 Speaker 1: time or would it beat separate, you still do it separate, 767 00:48:28,280 --> 00:48:33,080 Speaker 1: but they just matched. So they're both singing Simultan. So 768 00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:34,600 Speaker 1: I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna take the bridge and you 769 00:48:34,719 --> 00:48:36,640 Speaker 1: take the verse and I'll do this that live and 770 00:48:36,680 --> 00:48:39,279 Speaker 1: you do that. It depends on you know, if it's 771 00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:41,120 Speaker 1: the course going and you'll see both of them going. 772 00:48:41,160 --> 00:48:43,799 Speaker 1: But they would they'd be split off because it's all right, 773 00:48:43,920 --> 00:48:47,560 Speaker 1: so I just got another bachelor soul train and um, 774 00:48:47,719 --> 00:48:52,920 Speaker 1: so they're doing Lady and so part is happening, but 775 00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:55,319 Speaker 1: they're literally just doing it both at the same time. 776 00:48:56,160 --> 00:48:59,360 Speaker 1: I'm like, there's no one freaked out that they're just 777 00:48:59,600 --> 00:49:04,000 Speaker 1: literally singing like at the same time. Mean kids, babe, 778 00:49:04,320 --> 00:49:08,320 Speaker 1: Like they're staying at the same time. Like, how okay, 779 00:49:09,239 --> 00:49:11,600 Speaker 1: And so that didn't not freak you out. It's just 780 00:49:11,719 --> 00:49:14,960 Speaker 1: like they just saying together. Yeah, they're just saying together. 781 00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:17,200 Speaker 1: And that's I mean, like I said, most of the 782 00:49:17,280 --> 00:49:20,520 Speaker 1: time it would uh Scotty would lay it and then 783 00:49:20,719 --> 00:49:25,720 Speaker 1: walk to would coming and shadow it. That's crazy, that's crazy. 784 00:49:26,080 --> 00:49:29,799 Speaker 1: So was was I Love You babe? That was your 785 00:49:29,880 --> 00:49:34,879 Speaker 1: official first single? Okay, so what would you at least 786 00:49:34,920 --> 00:49:38,719 Speaker 1: then did you? Guys? Well, I'm glad you mentioned the 787 00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:40,960 Speaker 1: Time thing because I was like it was kind of 788 00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:45,719 Speaker 1: hard to ignore. And no, well, I mean like the 789 00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:55,640 Speaker 1: just the overall imaging was heart was unavoidable. Um when 790 00:49:56,760 --> 00:50:00,320 Speaker 1: those both those even prints himself and with the Time project, 791 00:50:00,880 --> 00:50:06,719 Speaker 1: So was there? I mean, how do you guys create 792 00:50:06,800 --> 00:50:10,600 Speaker 1: your own path without getting compared and that sort of 793 00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:16,120 Speaker 1: thing too? How do you make away without going down 794 00:50:16,160 --> 00:50:21,719 Speaker 1: the same path exactly? Um? Interesting enough. I think that 795 00:50:22,200 --> 00:50:24,879 Speaker 1: we were certainly influenced by them, but when you listen 796 00:50:24,960 --> 00:50:29,160 Speaker 1: to it, it was it was completely different. Music was um, 797 00:50:29,840 --> 00:50:34,120 Speaker 1: but we were certainly as there was this that word 798 00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:39,040 Speaker 1: breed and the way you dressed, the way you uh 799 00:50:39,680 --> 00:50:43,560 Speaker 1: you know, we we will make up. We had eyeliner 800 00:50:43,640 --> 00:50:46,600 Speaker 1: and makeup all the time. It wasn't like just on 801 00:50:46,719 --> 00:50:48,680 Speaker 1: the stage. It's like, no, that's what you do daily. 802 00:50:48,760 --> 00:50:53,719 Speaker 1: My mom was like do we need to talk about something? UM, 803 00:50:54,880 --> 00:50:56,320 Speaker 1: But it was like, you know, it was kind of 804 00:50:56,400 --> 00:50:59,040 Speaker 1: like what you you owned it in that way, and 805 00:51:00,560 --> 00:51:03,040 Speaker 1: and it was kind of like it was your your attitude. 806 00:51:03,760 --> 00:51:05,279 Speaker 1: It was all part of part of the attitude. And 807 00:51:05,360 --> 00:51:07,800 Speaker 1: so that would go as well into the music. And 808 00:51:08,480 --> 00:51:12,399 Speaker 1: and so our lead singer d who was really great 809 00:51:12,440 --> 00:51:15,520 Speaker 1: at coming up with great hooks and and just that 810 00:51:15,640 --> 00:51:18,640 Speaker 1: whole field it was. It was really driven a lot 811 00:51:18,680 --> 00:51:21,640 Speaker 1: by him, and I think I'm I brought more of 812 00:51:21,680 --> 00:51:25,160 Speaker 1: the ballot, the ballot thing to it to the table, 813 00:51:25,239 --> 00:51:28,399 Speaker 1: but then I learned how to be breeding and from 814 00:51:28,560 --> 00:51:32,600 Speaker 1: on the keyboards and um as well as guitar. It 815 00:51:32,719 --> 00:51:34,520 Speaker 1: was because there's a certain way that you know, Prince 816 00:51:34,640 --> 00:51:36,440 Speaker 1: used to play the guitar, how he would how he 817 00:51:36,480 --> 00:51:38,719 Speaker 1: would groove in a very breed style in terms of 818 00:51:38,719 --> 00:51:41,359 Speaker 1: whether it's funky, but there's also little licks that came 819 00:51:41,440 --> 00:51:44,480 Speaker 1: from the whole Minneapolis sound that was we have to 820 00:51:44,680 --> 00:51:46,480 Speaker 1: we have to say it was Prince because you know, 821 00:51:46,719 --> 00:51:49,279 Speaker 1: when we talk about the time, you know, Prince did 822 00:51:49,360 --> 00:51:52,200 Speaker 1: those albums that was and so he created it was. 823 00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:55,960 Speaker 1: That's how genius Prince was that he created a whole 824 00:51:55,960 --> 00:52:00,160 Speaker 1: another sound that was him. But it's sounded like it 825 00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:04,200 Speaker 1: was the time. Did you guys ever get to meet 826 00:52:04,280 --> 00:52:08,319 Speaker 1: any of those guys during your during that time touring period? Um? 827 00:52:09,239 --> 00:52:13,200 Speaker 1: Not really. I think we we ran into Jimmy and 828 00:52:13,320 --> 00:52:16,600 Speaker 1: Terry here at Carlos and Charlie's. There was a club 829 00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:20,680 Speaker 1: here called Carlos and Charlie's. Uh, and we were scared 830 00:52:20,719 --> 00:52:24,759 Speaker 1: to go up and say, hello, there there, y'all all 831 00:52:24,840 --> 00:52:30,040 Speaker 1: have on Susan sunglasses. Oh my god, Oh my god, 832 00:52:30,120 --> 00:52:32,480 Speaker 1: it's Jimmy and Derek. Should we say something now? They 833 00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:36,319 Speaker 1: ain't gonna know who we are? Just forget it, really, yeah, 834 00:52:36,320 --> 00:52:37,960 Speaker 1: And so we kind of stayed where we were in 835 00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:41,040 Speaker 1: so he saw him a couple of times in Carlos 836 00:52:41,040 --> 00:52:42,520 Speaker 1: starts boy where he got the nerve to go up 837 00:52:42,520 --> 00:52:45,200 Speaker 1: and say he was up. When did y'all first meet? 838 00:52:45,200 --> 00:52:48,160 Speaker 1: Because I mean, elephant in the room, you two were 839 00:52:48,239 --> 00:52:53,840 Speaker 1: the superpower. No, we were just getting started. We was 840 00:52:54,360 --> 00:52:57,920 Speaker 1: so we hadn't quite like girlfriend hadn't come out yet, 841 00:52:58,000 --> 00:53:02,960 Speaker 1: and um and the boys. Uh, So that all that 842 00:53:03,120 --> 00:53:06,080 Speaker 1: stuff kind of like when it finally came then it 843 00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:08,120 Speaker 1: then it kind of hit. But for a minute, we 844 00:53:08,200 --> 00:53:10,799 Speaker 1: were just you know, we were watching Jim and Terry 845 00:53:10,840 --> 00:53:12,560 Speaker 1: win with Janet. We was like, we want to do that, 846 00:53:12,800 --> 00:53:17,759 Speaker 1: you know, um, and it didn't seem like we were 847 00:53:17,800 --> 00:53:20,200 Speaker 1: looking for our Janet and didn't think we could never 848 00:53:20,280 --> 00:53:23,160 Speaker 1: find our Janet. And I guess Fans was our first Janet, 849 00:53:24,120 --> 00:53:30,080 Speaker 1: but um, but we kept we were just so amazed 850 00:53:30,160 --> 00:53:33,120 Speaker 1: by them in their production that that's it's pretty much 851 00:53:33,120 --> 00:53:36,080 Speaker 1: who we want to be. So when the Eyes of 852 00:53:36,160 --> 00:53:38,399 Speaker 1: the Eyes of a Stranger was that the official last 853 00:53:38,440 --> 00:53:44,680 Speaker 1: deal album before you all right before well, I mean 854 00:53:44,760 --> 00:53:48,719 Speaker 1: did they officially break up? Or yeah, we we we 855 00:53:48,920 --> 00:53:58,439 Speaker 1: broke up? Okay, Um, how did that happen? Oh, there's 856 00:53:58,440 --> 00:54:01,800 Speaker 1: a there's a story and everything. But um, but we 857 00:54:01,920 --> 00:54:07,239 Speaker 1: were when we went out on tour with uh two 858 00:54:07,280 --> 00:54:09,759 Speaker 1: Occasions was like our big song at that point, and 859 00:54:10,120 --> 00:54:13,440 Speaker 1: uh so it was the biggest that it had happened 860 00:54:13,440 --> 00:54:15,480 Speaker 1: for us coach Initially when we went on tour with 861 00:54:16,360 --> 00:54:20,280 Speaker 1: Luther and DeBarge, it was kind of a learning moment 862 00:54:20,360 --> 00:54:26,280 Speaker 1: because we were getting killed every night. I gotta ask you, okay, 863 00:54:27,400 --> 00:54:30,040 Speaker 1: what was because we we had Chef Gordon on the show, 864 00:54:30,239 --> 00:54:35,759 Speaker 1: and he shared many luther nightmare scenario we know from 865 00:54:37,000 --> 00:54:43,440 Speaker 1: his reputation of controlling things. Uh, what was touring on 866 00:54:43,560 --> 00:54:47,080 Speaker 1: a Luther Anders tour like well? And how controlling was it? He? 867 00:54:47,239 --> 00:54:52,399 Speaker 1: First of all, he was nice as hailed us um. Yes, 868 00:54:54,160 --> 00:54:57,880 Speaker 1: he was really nice to us um, except for like 869 00:54:58,000 --> 00:55:00,960 Speaker 1: the very first date that we did. The very first 870 00:55:01,040 --> 00:55:04,880 Speaker 1: date we played was in Indianapolis, which was it's so 871 00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:07,080 Speaker 1: sucked because we didn't want that to be our first date. 872 00:55:07,560 --> 00:55:09,759 Speaker 1: We had like five dates in front of it, but 873 00:55:09,920 --> 00:55:13,840 Speaker 1: it was a freak snowstorm in the South, so everything 874 00:55:13,960 --> 00:55:17,359 Speaker 1: got canceled and so we ended up playing our first 875 00:55:17,440 --> 00:55:21,880 Speaker 1: date in Indianapolis. And and what happened that night was 876 00:55:24,040 --> 00:55:26,680 Speaker 1: we were in our breed moment and and some of 877 00:55:26,760 --> 00:55:33,320 Speaker 1: the guys went a little too far with the breed okay, 878 00:55:34,200 --> 00:55:37,120 Speaker 1: and they put kind of some lipstick on along with 879 00:55:37,320 --> 00:55:39,839 Speaker 1: Day and so it was just kind of a little 880 00:55:39,840 --> 00:55:42,360 Speaker 1: too rock and roll, and we were saying, y'all shouldn't 881 00:55:42,360 --> 00:55:44,160 Speaker 1: do that, and they said, now we're doing it. So 882 00:55:44,640 --> 00:55:47,000 Speaker 1: we went up and played. And I still remember playing 883 00:55:47,040 --> 00:55:50,040 Speaker 1: that day and just not really being able to breed 884 00:55:50,160 --> 00:55:52,400 Speaker 1: on stage and it feel like it just was. It 885 00:55:52,520 --> 00:55:56,120 Speaker 1: just felt like and then it was over. And uh 886 00:55:57,239 --> 00:56:01,879 Speaker 1: and after we got off stage, Um, the tour manager came, 887 00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:05,040 Speaker 1: our our our road manager came said that all right, 888 00:56:05,120 --> 00:56:07,600 Speaker 1: word came from Luther that if y'all don't take that 889 00:56:07,760 --> 00:56:09,960 Speaker 1: makeup off and stuff like that, y'all gonna get kicked 890 00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:13,879 Speaker 1: off the tour. And said what he said, Look, they 891 00:56:13,920 --> 00:56:16,760 Speaker 1: are they already think this tour is gay enough already. 892 00:56:16,840 --> 00:56:20,560 Speaker 1: So and in the average that was a thing at 893 00:56:20,600 --> 00:56:23,680 Speaker 1: that point. And r it wasn't trying to Luther wasn't 894 00:56:23,719 --> 00:56:26,040 Speaker 1: trying to show that because it just it seemed like 895 00:56:26,120 --> 00:56:31,400 Speaker 1: boy and so and we were we were actually comfortable 896 00:56:31,480 --> 00:56:34,800 Speaker 1: without the lipstick. So we actually ended up doing that. 897 00:56:34,920 --> 00:56:38,120 Speaker 1: But the whole thing was Luther when he when we'd 898 00:56:38,160 --> 00:56:42,560 Speaker 1: run into him in the hallways, he was great. Uh. 899 00:56:42,840 --> 00:56:47,400 Speaker 1: In fact, he he ended up getting mad at the barge. 900 00:56:48,600 --> 00:56:50,080 Speaker 1: He was so kind of pisted at them for some 901 00:56:50,160 --> 00:56:55,840 Speaker 1: reason that we ended up getting better dressing rooms. And 902 00:56:56,600 --> 00:56:59,360 Speaker 1: then and then we got then we started getting invited 903 00:56:59,400 --> 00:57:01,439 Speaker 1: into where he would eat, so it would be fried 904 00:57:01,560 --> 00:57:03,600 Speaker 1: chicken in and everything. We we we got to eat 905 00:57:03,680 --> 00:57:06,880 Speaker 1: really good with him. So we were like the darlings 906 00:57:07,320 --> 00:57:09,600 Speaker 1: of the tour, but we were still getting our bus 907 00:57:09,719 --> 00:57:13,359 Speaker 1: kicked nightly because we would play Luther. First of all, 908 00:57:13,400 --> 00:57:17,000 Speaker 1: there's no beating Luther, but we play and we at 909 00:57:17,040 --> 00:57:20,920 Speaker 1: the at that time, my song was body Talk, and 910 00:57:21,040 --> 00:57:23,400 Speaker 1: we would play nightly, and then at the end of 911 00:57:23,480 --> 00:57:26,160 Speaker 1: Body Talk, every night it would be this whole thing 912 00:57:26,240 --> 00:57:31,760 Speaker 1: of we finished and they say next up is the bars. 913 00:57:32,840 --> 00:57:36,560 Speaker 1: Place would go crazy, and it was just it was 914 00:57:36,680 --> 00:57:39,400 Speaker 1: hurtful and so got it hurt to go out nightly 915 00:57:39,480 --> 00:57:42,560 Speaker 1: to play and get your book kick and so kind 916 00:57:42,560 --> 00:57:45,840 Speaker 1: of like, you know, me and l A didn't like that, 917 00:57:46,480 --> 00:57:48,560 Speaker 1: and we felt like we needed to rehearse a lot 918 00:57:48,640 --> 00:57:51,280 Speaker 1: more so um and try to figure it out. And 919 00:57:51,320 --> 00:57:52,800 Speaker 1: that's when we start figuring out because we you know, 920 00:57:52,880 --> 00:57:56,320 Speaker 1: we come from cities where you battle. You don't just 921 00:57:56,440 --> 00:57:58,800 Speaker 1: get your buck kicked you. You gotta figure out how 922 00:57:58,840 --> 00:58:00,800 Speaker 1: to you know, how to in when you go up 923 00:58:00,840 --> 00:58:02,560 Speaker 1: on stage. It's not it's not a thing where you 924 00:58:03,080 --> 00:58:07,400 Speaker 1: just accept that. So one night we got really lucky 925 00:58:07,480 --> 00:58:16,760 Speaker 1: because l got sick. That means everybody else tried to 926 00:58:16,840 --> 00:58:23,400 Speaker 1: sing his parts and it was best night we ever had. 927 00:58:28,000 --> 00:58:30,800 Speaker 1: And then then it ultimately then years later when we 928 00:58:31,400 --> 00:58:36,520 Speaker 1: had our When we started doing two occasions, it kind 929 00:58:36,520 --> 00:58:38,640 Speaker 1: of turned around. And one of the best things that 930 00:58:38,680 --> 00:58:42,240 Speaker 1: ever happened for two occasions on that tour was, um, 931 00:58:43,280 --> 00:58:45,600 Speaker 1: I think I had my wisdom teach. Something happened with 932 00:58:45,680 --> 00:58:47,800 Speaker 1: my wisdoms. People were impacted and I had to get 933 00:58:47,840 --> 00:58:51,640 Speaker 1: them taken out in the middle of the tour. So 934 00:58:51,800 --> 00:58:54,440 Speaker 1: there there was two shows that I could not do 935 00:58:54,640 --> 00:58:57,240 Speaker 1: and I was just all messed up. And so they 936 00:58:57,280 --> 00:58:59,400 Speaker 1: went on without me, you know, on a couple of shows, 937 00:59:00,160 --> 00:59:03,160 Speaker 1: and then they said, uh, you gotta come back and 938 00:59:03,200 --> 00:59:05,080 Speaker 1: do the show because you know, we got two occasions 939 00:59:05,120 --> 00:59:07,240 Speaker 1: and stuff. So I said, okay, but I can't do 940 00:59:07,320 --> 00:59:09,040 Speaker 1: the whole show. I can only just come in on 941 00:59:09,640 --> 00:59:14,400 Speaker 1: two occasions. So one night it was in New Orleans 942 00:59:15,520 --> 00:59:18,960 Speaker 1: that the UM that's the big place of the Palace 943 00:59:20,400 --> 00:59:24,320 Speaker 1: super Dome, and so I couldn't go on. They did 944 00:59:24,400 --> 00:59:26,800 Speaker 1: most of the show and then they said, we're sorry, 945 00:59:26,880 --> 00:59:28,600 Speaker 1: but you know, very Face, we said he couldn't make 946 00:59:28,640 --> 00:59:31,200 Speaker 1: it tonight, but baby Face, he felt so bad that 947 00:59:31,240 --> 00:59:33,720 Speaker 1: he's gonna come out here and and for farm anyway, 948 00:59:35,880 --> 00:59:38,840 Speaker 1: So I had on a white suit and I like 949 00:59:39,680 --> 00:59:45,280 Speaker 1: walked across the stage in pain. This is the Michael 950 00:59:45,320 --> 00:59:50,560 Speaker 1: Jackson remembered the time exactly, and I sat down at 951 00:59:50,600 --> 00:59:58,200 Speaker 1: the fiano and then Boom Doom, Doom doom, and started 952 00:59:58,280 --> 01:00:01,800 Speaker 1: and started singing place wing crazy. It was the first 953 01:00:01,840 --> 01:00:04,160 Speaker 1: time we got our DeBarge moment back where it was 954 01:00:04,240 --> 01:00:09,520 Speaker 1: like it felt like it's DeBarge here. And and so 955 01:00:10,200 --> 01:00:13,560 Speaker 1: it went so well. I just made it a part 956 01:00:13,560 --> 01:00:25,720 Speaker 1: of I was sick every day. Yeah, it works so 957 01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:32,000 Speaker 1: business it worked well. And then ultimately we were going 958 01:00:32,040 --> 01:00:34,800 Speaker 1: through that whole tour and and we were starting l A, 959 01:00:34,880 --> 01:00:37,760 Speaker 1: and we were getting more dates for in terms of producing. 960 01:00:38,240 --> 01:00:42,160 Speaker 1: And the truth was we we felt like we put 961 01:00:42,240 --> 01:00:45,160 Speaker 1: more time into we were working on our trade more 962 01:00:45,200 --> 01:00:47,440 Speaker 1: than the other guys were at that point. And so 963 01:00:47,560 --> 01:00:49,560 Speaker 1: it got to a point where we felt like this 964 01:00:49,720 --> 01:00:51,520 Speaker 1: is what we need to do, this is this is 965 01:00:51,560 --> 01:00:54,040 Speaker 1: what's calling us. So it was ultimately l A and 966 01:00:54,080 --> 01:00:56,720 Speaker 1: I decided that if the guys want to stay together, 967 01:00:56,720 --> 01:00:58,360 Speaker 1: and that's fine, but we wanted we needed to leave 968 01:00:58,400 --> 01:01:01,800 Speaker 1: at that point and start producing. So how they take 969 01:01:01,880 --> 01:01:04,440 Speaker 1: the news that we just wanted to produce and they 970 01:01:05,080 --> 01:01:09,280 Speaker 1: I don't know, you guys, Darrell Darryl was like he 971 01:01:09,400 --> 01:01:14,200 Speaker 1: wasn't actually in the group, um d and a couple 972 01:01:14,200 --> 01:01:18,720 Speaker 1: of guys that he was never breed enough anyway, a 973 01:01:18,800 --> 01:01:25,320 Speaker 1: bunch of real judgmental um so. But Darrell, Me and 974 01:01:25,400 --> 01:01:27,600 Speaker 1: Darrell grew up together. I knew the known Darrel since 975 01:01:27,720 --> 01:01:31,200 Speaker 1: eighth grade, so um so he came and um he 976 01:01:31,360 --> 01:01:33,440 Speaker 1: was always kind of co writing with us or doing 977 01:01:33,480 --> 01:01:36,160 Speaker 1: something with us. So so we came out here ultimately 978 01:01:36,240 --> 01:01:40,680 Speaker 1: in and started, uh started trying to work out here. 979 01:01:41,840 --> 01:01:46,600 Speaker 1: So was it scary to like, we've such an established 980 01:01:46,720 --> 01:01:50,240 Speaker 1: especially when you had such a major hit, Was it 981 01:01:50,360 --> 01:01:52,840 Speaker 1: scary for you or by that point or just like okay, 982 01:01:53,160 --> 01:01:55,320 Speaker 1: by that point we were kind of having success with 983 01:01:56,080 --> 01:01:58,640 Speaker 1: because that was probably eighty eight, so things were just 984 01:01:58,640 --> 01:02:00,520 Speaker 1: starting to come together. You know. Girl friend had been 985 01:02:00,520 --> 01:02:03,520 Speaker 1: out and um how did how did pebbles coming into 986 01:02:03,520 --> 01:02:06,280 Speaker 1: the picture Because for the longest one I used to 987 01:02:06,320 --> 01:02:08,880 Speaker 1: beat right on magazine. I used to see a lot 988 01:02:08,920 --> 01:02:11,600 Speaker 1: of stock photos with her and Charlie Wilson. I always 989 01:02:11,600 --> 01:02:15,240 Speaker 1: thought that was Charlie Wilson's artist. Well, Charlie did Mercedes Boy, 990 01:02:16,200 --> 01:02:20,120 Speaker 1: and so we were here uh in l A and 991 01:02:20,200 --> 01:02:24,160 Speaker 1: we went to meet with a little Silas and Cheryl 992 01:02:24,200 --> 01:02:26,600 Speaker 1: Dickerson we met with Little, and Little told us about 993 01:02:26,880 --> 01:02:29,840 Speaker 1: Bobby Brown, said, this gave Bobby Brown's you know, you 994 01:02:29,880 --> 01:02:33,120 Speaker 1: know in new addition, he's you know, he's doing this record. 995 01:02:33,120 --> 01:02:35,840 Speaker 1: He's got this record called Girlfriend Out, and we think 996 01:02:35,880 --> 01:02:39,200 Speaker 1: he can be hot, and we weren't really sure about 997 01:02:39,280 --> 01:02:43,479 Speaker 1: that yet. And then we um also met with Cheryl 998 01:02:43,520 --> 01:02:46,280 Speaker 1: Dickinson the same day and she said, you need to 999 01:02:46,320 --> 01:02:48,480 Speaker 1: go check out this girl named Pebbles. She's in the 1000 01:02:48,560 --> 01:02:50,240 Speaker 1: studio now. I think her record is done, but you 1001 01:02:50,320 --> 01:02:52,480 Speaker 1: need to go check her out. So we got in 1002 01:02:52,560 --> 01:02:55,520 Speaker 1: our car and start to leave, and and when we 1003 01:02:55,600 --> 01:02:58,760 Speaker 1: were in the car that moment, then we heard Bobby 1004 01:02:58,760 --> 01:03:00,200 Speaker 1: Brown just happened to be on the Red to You 1005 01:03:00,920 --> 01:03:05,440 Speaker 1: doing a live show and he was singing girlfriend and 1006 01:03:05,520 --> 01:03:09,760 Speaker 1: he went for a note my girlfriend and didn't hit it. 1007 01:03:10,320 --> 01:03:16,560 Speaker 1: Then he said I hadn't sing this song anyway, and 1008 01:03:16,600 --> 01:03:21,280 Speaker 1: then we all we gotta work with him. That's that's 1009 01:03:21,320 --> 01:03:25,600 Speaker 1: what sold us, Yeah, because the fact that he just 1010 01:03:25,720 --> 01:03:28,840 Speaker 1: like he didn't care, and that's like, okay, that attitude. 1011 01:03:29,040 --> 01:03:31,520 Speaker 1: Put that attitude on the right record, and that's that's 1012 01:03:31,920 --> 01:03:33,640 Speaker 1: that's crazy. So we decided to work with him. And 1013 01:03:33,680 --> 01:03:35,680 Speaker 1: then then a couple of days later, we went over 1014 01:03:36,720 --> 01:03:42,360 Speaker 1: and met PEPs in Studio students studio called studio masters, 1015 01:03:42,560 --> 01:03:46,720 Speaker 1: uh and um. When we walked in there, she like 1016 01:03:46,880 --> 01:03:50,680 Speaker 1: had she was like rich because she like had Monty. 1017 01:03:59,400 --> 01:04:01,640 Speaker 1: It had this fruit plate and we never had all 1018 01:04:01,680 --> 01:04:04,800 Speaker 1: that stuff. She had fruit plate fruit boy, and we 1019 01:04:04,880 --> 01:04:07,600 Speaker 1: were like, whoa, whoa, whoa, this is crazy. What is 1020 01:04:07,640 --> 01:04:10,320 Speaker 1: she rich or something? And then she played us, She 1021 01:04:10,400 --> 01:04:14,040 Speaker 1: played us Mercedes Boy. I said, oh my god, this 1022 01:04:14,120 --> 01:04:16,240 Speaker 1: girl's gonna be She's gonna be a hit. And so 1023 01:04:16,400 --> 01:04:19,040 Speaker 1: as we were starting to walk out, I told l A. 1024 01:04:19,160 --> 01:04:21,840 Speaker 1: I said to l A, I said this is girlfriend. 1025 01:04:22,520 --> 01:04:25,360 Speaker 1: She's girlfriend. And he said, no, you can't do that. 1026 01:04:25,480 --> 01:04:28,160 Speaker 1: I said, she's girlfriend. We need to do that. And 1027 01:04:28,280 --> 01:04:31,120 Speaker 1: what it was that we had already met with them, 1028 01:04:33,200 --> 01:04:47,920 Speaker 1: ed Exstein going, she did all right without it. We 1029 01:04:49,200 --> 01:04:51,880 Speaker 1: never with her, and we had played those played those records. 1030 01:04:51,880 --> 01:04:54,040 Speaker 1: We had played a few records, and a bunch of 1031 01:04:54,080 --> 01:04:56,960 Speaker 1: the records they were kinding and we were I was 1032 01:04:57,040 --> 01:04:59,840 Speaker 1: kind of to stuff about that, and so because I 1033 01:05:00,320 --> 01:05:02,000 Speaker 1: because we had played rock Steady and stuff, and they 1034 01:05:02,000 --> 01:05:03,120 Speaker 1: were like, I don't see I don't hear it. I 1035 01:05:03,120 --> 01:05:06,000 Speaker 1: don't hear it, and and well, we were just playing 1036 01:05:06,040 --> 01:05:10,560 Speaker 1: this stuff demos, demos. Did they sound like the final three? 1037 01:05:11,160 --> 01:05:17,000 Speaker 1: Did good demos? You? And so they what kind of 1038 01:05:17,040 --> 01:05:18,760 Speaker 1: funny on some of the songs. I said, okay, okay, 1039 01:05:19,000 --> 01:05:20,880 Speaker 1: but they heard girlfriends said, well we can, we can 1040 01:05:20,920 --> 01:05:23,320 Speaker 1: do girlfriends. So they were doing I'm gonna give real numbers. 1041 01:05:23,640 --> 01:05:27,479 Speaker 1: We were They wanted to do three songs for twelve grand, 1042 01:05:28,600 --> 01:05:32,080 Speaker 1: twelve grand all in okay, um and but that was 1043 01:05:32,200 --> 01:05:34,959 Speaker 1: great for us at the moment. Its twelve three songs, Okay, 1044 01:05:35,000 --> 01:05:40,240 Speaker 1: we'll do it, so all including studio costs, that studio everything, yes, 1045 01:05:40,600 --> 01:05:42,640 Speaker 1: but we were like we're done. We were good for it. 1046 01:05:43,040 --> 01:05:49,520 Speaker 1: So then um, then we got this uh, so we 1047 01:05:49,600 --> 01:05:52,640 Speaker 1: played we played that song for them and then when 1048 01:05:52,640 --> 01:05:55,520 Speaker 1: I when I heard Paps, I said, this is girlfriend. 1049 01:05:55,960 --> 01:05:59,160 Speaker 1: So I decided to take I told that we gotta 1050 01:05:59,160 --> 01:06:01,360 Speaker 1: take this song and give too. We gotta give it 1051 01:06:01,440 --> 01:06:03,080 Speaker 1: to PEPs. We gotta give it to PEPs. And so 1052 01:06:03,120 --> 01:06:05,920 Speaker 1: PEPs was like at that time I heard I ended 1053 01:06:05,960 --> 01:06:07,520 Speaker 1: up coming back and playing a song for PEPs, says 1054 01:06:07,560 --> 01:06:09,080 Speaker 1: I gotta have the song. I gotta have a song. 1055 01:06:09,880 --> 01:06:12,800 Speaker 1: And then PEPs and l A said we can't do this. 1056 01:06:12,920 --> 01:06:15,160 Speaker 1: Man we can't do this. And then PEPs was married 1057 01:06:15,200 --> 01:06:19,880 Speaker 1: at the time, this guy named George Smith, and so 1058 01:06:20,040 --> 01:06:24,800 Speaker 1: Pebs George have money. M So George came and said, 1059 01:06:25,520 --> 01:06:29,920 Speaker 1: what do you want for the song? And then we said, well, um, 1060 01:06:30,280 --> 01:06:32,840 Speaker 1: this is what they've given They've given us this much 1061 01:06:32,880 --> 01:06:34,800 Speaker 1: for the song, giving us twelve gram for three songs. 1062 01:06:35,120 --> 01:06:40,960 Speaker 1: You were honest, yea, and so he said, I'll tell 1063 01:06:40,960 --> 01:06:47,280 Speaker 1: you what I'm gonna give you for the one okay 1064 01:06:48,160 --> 01:06:53,200 Speaker 1: exclusive so but and the money was good, But honestly, 1065 01:06:53,360 --> 01:06:56,280 Speaker 1: it wasn't completely about the money for me, like I said, 1066 01:06:56,320 --> 01:06:59,000 Speaker 1: it was always about the song and where did the 1067 01:06:59,080 --> 01:07:05,200 Speaker 1: song belong? And Pebbs she was girlfriend her, Yeah, she 1068 01:07:05,360 --> 01:07:08,360 Speaker 1: was girlfriend and so and I said, we we got 1069 01:07:08,480 --> 01:07:11,040 Speaker 1: to do it. So I said, l A, we're doing it. 1070 01:07:11,120 --> 01:07:12,680 Speaker 1: So l A did it, and he called ed x 1071 01:07:12,680 --> 01:07:17,520 Speaker 1: Stein and ed Xtein customed out and and Raman Hervey 1072 01:07:17,600 --> 01:07:22,560 Speaker 1: everybody hated l A. Um, you'll never work in this town. 1073 01:07:22,880 --> 01:07:25,200 Speaker 1: It was. It was completely like that, and and l 1074 01:07:25,280 --> 01:07:29,000 Speaker 1: A got the whole It was all on him because 1075 01:07:29,160 --> 01:07:31,640 Speaker 1: they thought he did it, but they didn't try to 1076 01:07:31,720 --> 01:07:35,439 Speaker 1: get well soon or none of that stuff wasn't wasn't 1077 01:07:35,440 --> 01:07:37,840 Speaker 1: no paper sign. Okay, cool, cool? But can I ask 1078 01:07:37,920 --> 01:07:40,040 Speaker 1: you the song Girlfriends as you're talking about it? Because 1079 01:07:40,040 --> 01:07:42,720 Speaker 1: that was was that your first? The first female Anthony 1080 01:07:42,760 --> 01:07:44,560 Speaker 1: feel like you wrote? Because we were dancing to this 1081 01:07:44,640 --> 01:07:46,040 Speaker 1: today in the house, me and my girlfriend, and we 1082 01:07:46,120 --> 01:07:49,120 Speaker 1: were like, how did he write this? What was he thinking? 1083 01:07:49,200 --> 01:07:51,760 Speaker 1: And how did he know? I mean I was I 1084 01:07:51,920 --> 01:07:54,080 Speaker 1: was writing stuff like that all the time, so it was, Um, 1085 01:07:55,160 --> 01:07:57,360 Speaker 1: you think about what the girls wanted to say and 1086 01:07:57,720 --> 01:08:03,680 Speaker 1: how they felt. You know. That's the one thing I 1087 01:08:03,760 --> 01:08:08,640 Speaker 1: didn't ask you. What is and especially for you because 1088 01:08:08,920 --> 01:08:13,160 Speaker 1: there's there's so much freaking output and volumes of work 1089 01:08:13,240 --> 01:08:17,400 Speaker 1: that you have. What is your daily routine? Do you 1090 01:08:17,520 --> 01:08:19,280 Speaker 1: wake up at six in the morning? Do you always 1091 01:08:19,360 --> 01:08:23,120 Speaker 1: keep a dictaphone on you at all times? Are you 1092 01:08:23,200 --> 01:08:26,080 Speaker 1: singing and you have a bunch of answer machine messages 1093 01:08:26,200 --> 01:08:30,800 Speaker 1: of basin? Sometime sometimes I do that, but then most 1094 01:08:30,840 --> 01:08:32,680 Speaker 1: of the time not because I don't usually go back 1095 01:08:32,760 --> 01:08:35,479 Speaker 1: to it. Um. I always used to feel like if 1096 01:08:35,520 --> 01:08:37,920 Speaker 1: it was good enough idea, I'll remember it and it 1097 01:08:37,960 --> 01:08:41,040 Speaker 1: will come back to me. Uh So you don't know 1098 01:08:41,240 --> 01:08:50,719 Speaker 1: dictaphone from no but but but you're right, because sometimes 1099 01:08:50,840 --> 01:08:52,439 Speaker 1: come sometimes I will do it, and I'll go back 1100 01:08:52,479 --> 01:08:54,960 Speaker 1: and I'll hear something that's actually was a good idea. 1101 01:08:55,040 --> 01:08:59,120 Speaker 1: So looking back, I do wish I kind of had 1102 01:08:59,160 --> 01:09:01,519 Speaker 1: some somethings because I would remember things. But it's not 1103 01:09:01,640 --> 01:09:04,720 Speaker 1: necessarily the process. The process is usually just getting in 1104 01:09:04,800 --> 01:09:07,040 Speaker 1: a room and and if it's co writing, if it's 1105 01:09:07,080 --> 01:09:09,320 Speaker 1: game with people, it's it's the moment and it's the 1106 01:09:09,960 --> 01:09:12,560 Speaker 1: and just thinking of the who we're writing for and 1107 01:09:13,000 --> 01:09:15,840 Speaker 1: what the story is and and uh and and you 1108 01:09:15,960 --> 01:09:20,160 Speaker 1: go there. It's I think so much has has had 1109 01:09:20,240 --> 01:09:22,800 Speaker 1: to do with my growing up and being in love 1110 01:09:23,920 --> 01:09:28,000 Speaker 1: throughout from kindergarten on and always having a heart and 1111 01:09:28,240 --> 01:09:30,160 Speaker 1: and being willing to be in love when to be 1112 01:09:30,280 --> 01:09:32,439 Speaker 1: loved and broken hearts and all that stuff. My hearts 1113 01:09:32,479 --> 01:09:35,080 Speaker 1: were always being broke by girls that didn't even know 1114 01:09:35,160 --> 01:09:39,439 Speaker 1: they broke my hearts because I they didn't even because 1115 01:09:39,439 --> 01:09:45,040 Speaker 1: I never so but it was but it was like 1116 01:09:45,280 --> 01:09:47,400 Speaker 1: the whole round of new Boat thing was a major 1117 01:09:47,479 --> 01:09:48,640 Speaker 1: thing for me because this is a girl I had 1118 01:09:48,680 --> 01:09:50,479 Speaker 1: like a crush on the sixth grade, went all the 1119 01:09:50,520 --> 01:09:52,400 Speaker 1: way up to eighth grade, and so she was like 1120 01:09:52,479 --> 01:09:55,160 Speaker 1: my first kiss and my first disc and it was like, 1121 01:09:55,880 --> 01:09:58,920 Speaker 1: um so it was major and like after that, so 1122 01:09:59,160 --> 01:10:02,679 Speaker 1: I wrote my first song about her, and I wrote 1123 01:10:02,720 --> 01:10:06,439 Speaker 1: my first really sad song after her as well. So 1124 01:10:06,600 --> 01:10:08,640 Speaker 1: it's like here I go, falling in love to the 1125 01:10:08,680 --> 01:10:12,040 Speaker 1: Bitter Taste of Life. So it was like, yeah, wrote 1126 01:10:12,080 --> 01:10:19,519 Speaker 1: the Bitter Taste of Life. Can I ask you a question, 1127 01:10:20,080 --> 01:10:23,559 Speaker 1: do you find it easier or do you find actually rather, 1128 01:10:23,680 --> 01:10:26,320 Speaker 1: do you find like your love songs to be better 1129 01:10:26,479 --> 01:10:31,479 Speaker 1: than your breakup songs or vice versa? You know, like, 1130 01:10:32,240 --> 01:10:36,519 Speaker 1: what's more, it's the same, the same. Yeah, it's it's all. 1131 01:10:36,760 --> 01:10:39,560 Speaker 1: It's all about the heart. So whether it's love or 1132 01:10:40,000 --> 01:10:44,240 Speaker 1: broken hearts, it's all comes from the same place. I 1133 01:10:44,360 --> 01:10:46,960 Speaker 1: want to ask you about the Bobby Don't Be Cruel 1134 01:10:47,000 --> 01:10:48,920 Speaker 1: album when you say you heard him, you know he 1135 01:10:49,040 --> 01:10:51,320 Speaker 1: just didn't care and you know he missed a note 1136 01:10:51,360 --> 01:10:54,400 Speaker 1: and you just heard that attitude. Uh, did y'all comes 1137 01:10:54,439 --> 01:10:57,160 Speaker 1: in with the songs already done or did y'all do 1138 01:10:57,320 --> 01:11:01,519 Speaker 1: it together? Um? The songs were kind of already done. 1139 01:11:01,600 --> 01:11:04,439 Speaker 1: There were songs that I had written, like like, there's 1140 01:11:04,479 --> 01:11:10,240 Speaker 1: a whole story on RONI Man, remind you know every 1141 01:11:10,280 --> 01:11:14,280 Speaker 1: little step, Yeah, yeah, let's go there, Let's go there 1142 01:11:16,400 --> 01:11:19,479 Speaker 1: is their virgin every little step with Ralph singing lead. 1143 01:11:20,800 --> 01:11:23,080 Speaker 1: So that all that was a lot. It's not a 1144 01:11:23,160 --> 01:11:29,439 Speaker 1: complete lot you've heard, I've heard it is a complete lie. Alright. 1145 01:11:31,720 --> 01:11:37,519 Speaker 1: That's like se Roni was. That song was old by 1146 01:11:37,560 --> 01:11:40,040 Speaker 1: the time it came out, right, it was well, yeah, 1147 01:11:40,040 --> 01:11:42,720 Speaker 1: because this song was actually I think Roni came out 1148 01:11:42,760 --> 01:11:49,280 Speaker 1: in eight and it was written in eighty two. It 1149 01:11:49,400 --> 01:11:54,080 Speaker 1: was written on the uh Luther Debarce tour, Oh wow, 1150 01:11:54,439 --> 01:11:59,280 Speaker 1: because we were We went to Miami and uh, they 1151 01:11:59,320 --> 01:12:01,720 Speaker 1: wouldn't let us on that show for some reason. I 1152 01:12:01,760 --> 01:12:03,720 Speaker 1: don't know why. I'm still a little hurt about it. 1153 01:12:05,439 --> 01:12:08,080 Speaker 1: And uh, but and so we had to go play 1154 01:12:08,080 --> 01:12:10,640 Speaker 1: a skating rink when nobody came because they were all 1155 01:12:10,640 --> 01:12:13,759 Speaker 1: at the Lutheran to Bar show. So that show got canceled, 1156 01:12:13,800 --> 01:12:15,360 Speaker 1: and so we thought, okay, what we're gonna do. So 1157 01:12:15,479 --> 01:12:18,680 Speaker 1: we took our tour bus and parked outside of the 1158 01:12:20,080 --> 01:12:23,920 Speaker 1: the arena and we had d stand out front because 1159 01:12:24,000 --> 01:12:27,600 Speaker 1: d was our official lead singer, light skinned dude, and 1160 01:12:29,120 --> 01:12:31,519 Speaker 1: and so he would he could pull the girls in. 1161 01:12:32,000 --> 01:12:35,040 Speaker 1: And so we stood there and uh kept the door open, 1162 01:12:35,200 --> 01:12:36,760 Speaker 1: and then girls would come by and coming that the 1163 01:12:36,800 --> 01:12:38,240 Speaker 1: bars and now it's not the bars that did. We 1164 01:12:38,280 --> 01:12:39,920 Speaker 1: were supposed to be on show, but we could didn't 1165 01:12:39,960 --> 01:12:42,840 Speaker 1: make it here on time. So um, they come and 1166 01:12:42,880 --> 01:12:44,240 Speaker 1: they said, well, you know, we have a little after 1167 01:12:44,320 --> 01:12:46,519 Speaker 1: party over at the hotel. You guys won't come to 1168 01:12:46,520 --> 01:12:49,439 Speaker 1: the hotel and stuff and stay fine. So a few 1169 01:12:49,479 --> 01:12:52,000 Speaker 1: girls got on, and there was one particular girl that 1170 01:12:52,080 --> 01:12:56,280 Speaker 1: got on. It was like very sweet girl. And I said, wow, 1171 01:12:56,520 --> 01:12:59,720 Speaker 1: she's she's a nice girl. And so we got to 1172 01:12:59,800 --> 01:13:04,320 Speaker 1: the tell. Um. I don't know how this happened, but Daryl, 1173 01:13:04,400 --> 01:13:07,040 Speaker 1: for some reason, Darrell had already met somebody in and 1174 01:13:07,280 --> 01:13:09,519 Speaker 1: I was rooming with him, and he said, so I'm 1175 01:13:09,520 --> 01:13:13,599 Speaker 1: gonna need the room for a little bit, and uh, 1176 01:13:14,120 --> 01:13:16,160 Speaker 1: so I couldn't go to my room. So I was 1177 01:13:16,200 --> 01:13:19,080 Speaker 1: sitting in the lob before a while and different girls 1178 01:13:19,120 --> 01:13:20,960 Speaker 1: who come by and they go upstairs and stuff. And 1179 01:13:20,960 --> 01:13:24,840 Speaker 1: then this one girl comes in and I sit with 1180 01:13:24,960 --> 01:13:27,519 Speaker 1: her and I'm sitting there. She comes in. We sit 1181 01:13:27,560 --> 01:13:31,200 Speaker 1: down and start talking and um, talking about life and 1182 01:13:31,880 --> 01:13:35,080 Speaker 1: and um she lives in Miami and who been really 1183 01:13:35,200 --> 01:13:38,000 Speaker 1: nice talking And then all of a sudden d comes downstairs. 1184 01:13:38,760 --> 01:13:40,439 Speaker 1: He said, oh, there you are. I was looking for you. 1185 01:13:40,520 --> 01:13:46,080 Speaker 1: Didn't know you, he was gonna so he grabs her. So, 1186 01:13:47,080 --> 01:13:50,240 Speaker 1: so he's going upstairs with her. I'm sitting there by myself. 1187 01:13:50,960 --> 01:13:59,840 Speaker 1: So about ten minutes later, she comes running downstairs. She 1188 01:14:00,040 --> 01:14:03,000 Speaker 1: comes running downstairs, and she goes and she's going, oh 1189 01:14:03,080 --> 01:14:06,439 Speaker 1: my god, oh my god. And uh. And I said 1190 01:14:06,479 --> 01:14:08,120 Speaker 1: what he said? I got in there, and he's like, 1191 01:14:08,400 --> 01:14:10,000 Speaker 1: you know, he's all over me and this and none. 1192 01:14:10,040 --> 01:14:12,360 Speaker 1: And I said, well, what do you expect. You don't 1193 01:14:12,439 --> 01:14:14,559 Speaker 1: know him. You should go go to his room that easily. 1194 01:14:14,600 --> 01:14:16,479 Speaker 1: She said, well, I thought he was a nicy. He 1195 01:14:16,520 --> 01:14:19,240 Speaker 1: thought he's gonna be at least nice like you. I said, well, 1196 01:14:21,040 --> 01:14:24,360 Speaker 1: I said so. So we're sitting there and then finally 1197 01:14:24,439 --> 01:14:26,599 Speaker 1: Darrel comes downstairs and he leaves the room. And I said, 1198 01:14:26,640 --> 01:14:29,800 Speaker 1: you know, I've been sitting down here forever, so I'm 1199 01:14:29,840 --> 01:14:31,400 Speaker 1: really kind of tired. I'm gonna go ahead and go 1200 01:14:31,560 --> 01:14:33,680 Speaker 1: to my room. She says, well, but I'm stick here 1201 01:14:33,760 --> 01:14:36,320 Speaker 1: by myself. I said sorry. She says, what do you 1202 01:14:36,400 --> 01:14:40,519 Speaker 1: mind if I come to you? So I said, okay, 1203 01:14:40,640 --> 01:14:42,599 Speaker 1: you can come up. So we go up. We sit 1204 01:14:42,680 --> 01:14:48,439 Speaker 1: and we talked about all my children and uh and uh, 1205 01:14:49,160 --> 01:14:51,840 Speaker 1: and then she says, you know says you're in. If 1206 01:14:51,880 --> 01:14:53,639 Speaker 1: you're here in town tomorrow, we can I can show 1207 01:14:53,680 --> 01:14:56,280 Speaker 1: you around. I said sure. And then finally she gets 1208 01:14:56,280 --> 01:14:58,320 Speaker 1: a knock on the do it from her her friend 1209 01:14:58,840 --> 01:15:02,000 Speaker 1: that was there and another exactly, and she says, I'm 1210 01:15:02,040 --> 01:15:05,040 Speaker 1: ready to go. So okay, So I decided I'm gonna 1211 01:15:05,080 --> 01:15:09,280 Speaker 1: walk her downstairs. As I'm walking her downstairs, then d 1212 01:15:09,439 --> 01:15:13,920 Speaker 1: steps out and he says, what is this. This ain't right, 1213 01:15:14,000 --> 01:15:15,920 Speaker 1: This ain't right in some of the other choice words, 1214 01:15:16,520 --> 01:15:20,280 Speaker 1: and uh and says this Jacoby stuff gotta stop. And 1215 01:15:20,600 --> 01:15:29,800 Speaker 1: uh so Jacoby exactly. Now, I'll explain Jacoby. Now, Jacoby 1216 01:15:30,479 --> 01:15:37,840 Speaker 1: was a character on All My Children. I love it 1217 01:15:37,920 --> 01:15:41,160 Speaker 1: a lot. We need a baby faces that this episode 1218 01:15:41,360 --> 01:15:48,439 Speaker 1: we never get the night. So Jacoby was It got 1219 01:15:48,520 --> 01:15:51,479 Speaker 1: named Steve Jacoby who actually broke up Cliff and Nina 1220 01:15:51,960 --> 01:15:56,559 Speaker 1: and Cliff and and and Cliff and Nina they would 1221 01:15:56,600 --> 01:16:00,240 Speaker 1: never get broke up, but Jacoby actuertained between. And so 1222 01:16:00,439 --> 01:16:02,760 Speaker 1: the word was if some if you was with the girl, 1223 01:16:02,960 --> 01:16:05,240 Speaker 1: and then you have to be worried about getting Jakobe 1224 01:16:05,320 --> 01:16:07,320 Speaker 1: because one of the guys might take your girl in 1225 01:16:07,400 --> 01:16:11,120 Speaker 1: a second. And it was it was rampant it was rampant, 1226 01:16:11,240 --> 01:16:13,160 Speaker 1: and so people were kind of scared. You know, you 1227 01:16:13,240 --> 01:16:14,639 Speaker 1: kind of like you have to hide your girls because 1228 01:16:14,640 --> 01:16:18,080 Speaker 1: you didn't want somebody to come in and take your girl. Exactly. 1229 01:16:18,120 --> 01:16:22,400 Speaker 1: That's funny. We were saying, New Jersey, drive to Kobe. 1230 01:16:22,760 --> 01:16:26,720 Speaker 1: So New Jersey. So he's out there, he's out there. 1231 01:16:26,760 --> 01:16:28,840 Speaker 1: He goes, Oh, this this stuff gotta stop. This is wrong. 1232 01:16:28,920 --> 01:16:31,479 Speaker 1: That's wrong, you know, And we need a meeting tomorrow. 1233 01:16:31,520 --> 01:16:33,280 Speaker 1: We need to have a meeting. So the next day 1234 01:16:33,320 --> 01:16:38,080 Speaker 1: we had a bad meeting, and uh, we had about 1235 01:16:38,160 --> 01:16:41,720 Speaker 1: to Kobe and so so it came up. So it 1236 01:16:41,800 --> 01:16:43,720 Speaker 1: came up, Yeah, this gotta stuff that sold j Kobe. 1237 01:16:43,800 --> 01:16:46,639 Speaker 1: Stuff is like it's it's it's getting out of hands, 1238 01:16:46,680 --> 01:16:50,320 Speaker 1: getting out of hand. And so uh and I stopped 1239 01:16:50,320 --> 01:16:52,240 Speaker 1: and I said, wait a minute, I didn't. I didn't, Jakobe. 1240 01:16:52,320 --> 01:16:57,680 Speaker 1: You first of all, um, this girl, this girl is 1241 01:16:57,720 --> 01:17:04,439 Speaker 1: sweet and and she's a rony and and and you know, 1242 01:17:04,840 --> 01:17:06,320 Speaker 1: this is the kind of girl if you treat it right, 1243 01:17:06,800 --> 01:17:15,200 Speaker 1: you know, right, I mean the truth about a little 1244 01:17:15,200 --> 01:17:19,040 Speaker 1: girl and bag. And then bang it hit me right there. 1245 01:17:19,040 --> 01:17:22,240 Speaker 1: And I went upstairs right after that meeting on my 1246 01:17:22,360 --> 01:17:32,799 Speaker 1: prophet uh team and wrote, ron dude, that was amazing. 1247 01:17:34,720 --> 01:17:40,040 Speaker 1: Gods years later that ended up being with the word 1248 01:17:40,200 --> 01:17:43,920 Speaker 1: ronan was an old word at that point, but how 1249 01:17:43,920 --> 01:17:47,360 Speaker 1: about James Ingram made it up? So it was an 1250 01:17:47,400 --> 01:17:50,120 Speaker 1: old word at that particular point. But then you know 1251 01:17:50,600 --> 01:17:54,280 Speaker 1: it was used again and uh um, because I said 1252 01:17:54,320 --> 01:17:57,120 Speaker 1: if if if a word just sounds good, feels good, 1253 01:17:57,120 --> 01:17:59,920 Speaker 1: you can use it again and again and as a man, 1254 01:18:00,000 --> 01:18:02,760 Speaker 1: the fact that I used it again and can we 1255 01:18:02,880 --> 01:18:07,479 Speaker 1: talk and Tevin Campbell said no, that were was old. 1256 01:18:08,080 --> 01:18:14,320 Speaker 1: Watch just like so you can use them again. I see. 1257 01:18:15,040 --> 01:18:20,640 Speaker 1: So the I guess the phenomenon that was don't be 1258 01:18:20,760 --> 01:18:26,320 Speaker 1: cruel Um. I mean, no one, no one saw that 1259 01:18:26,439 --> 01:18:31,439 Speaker 1: coming never. Uh how did that change? Like what do 1260 01:18:31,560 --> 01:18:37,680 Speaker 1: you feel your moment was? Like, w we arrived? Like 1261 01:18:38,000 --> 01:18:39,720 Speaker 1: was it with that record? Was it? I think I 1262 01:18:39,840 --> 01:18:41,519 Speaker 1: think it was a lot with that record. It was 1263 01:18:41,640 --> 01:18:43,880 Speaker 1: it was a lot with Bobby to watch it happened 1264 01:18:43,920 --> 01:18:47,360 Speaker 1: for Bobby because see Bobby was an underdog at that 1265 01:18:47,439 --> 01:18:51,839 Speaker 1: particular point, and so we were I think in North Carolina, 1266 01:18:51,920 --> 01:18:53,479 Speaker 1: we were at the show in North Carolina. They did 1267 01:18:53,520 --> 01:18:57,840 Speaker 1: that tour where it was Bobby and um addition, and 1268 01:18:57,920 --> 01:19:01,840 Speaker 1: I'll be sure Bobby opened the show in six months 1269 01:19:01,880 --> 01:19:05,760 Speaker 1: maybe less, Bobby was closing the show. So I was 1270 01:19:05,840 --> 01:19:09,639 Speaker 1: there and we were there this show where Bobby had 1271 01:19:09,800 --> 01:19:12,280 Speaker 1: already been on and no one was there. And then 1272 01:19:12,360 --> 01:19:14,519 Speaker 1: we walked in on the side of the stage while 1273 01:19:14,880 --> 01:19:17,040 Speaker 1: I'll be Sure it was on the stage, and Bobby 1274 01:19:17,080 --> 01:19:21,080 Speaker 1: walks out and this whole side starts losing it and 1275 01:19:21,160 --> 01:19:24,800 Speaker 1: I'll be Sure thinks since thinking of him, But it 1276 01:19:24,920 --> 01:19:28,479 Speaker 1: was Bobby Brown just standing off to the side. So 1277 01:19:28,640 --> 01:19:32,840 Speaker 1: Chris Rock has a story where he was with I'll 1278 01:19:32,880 --> 01:19:35,800 Speaker 1: be Sure the first moment that I'll be Sure heard 1279 01:19:35,840 --> 01:19:41,400 Speaker 1: that Don't Be Cruel album. Yeah, like literally there in 1280 01:19:41,439 --> 01:19:44,240 Speaker 1: the back of the tour bus, and Chris Rock is like, 1281 01:19:44,360 --> 01:19:48,040 Speaker 1: I literally seen I'll be Sure watch his career go away. 1282 01:19:48,960 --> 01:19:51,720 Speaker 1: By the time Side two came on, he was like deflated, 1283 01:19:51,800 --> 01:19:55,599 Speaker 1: like this whole body language. Well, look, it was a lot, 1284 01:19:56,760 --> 01:19:58,400 Speaker 1: it was a lot of the material, but it was 1285 01:19:58,560 --> 01:20:03,600 Speaker 1: really the the thing about Bobby Brown. He was and 1286 01:20:03,800 --> 01:20:06,880 Speaker 1: still to this day, I don't think I've seen a 1287 01:20:06,960 --> 01:20:11,360 Speaker 1: performer like Bobby Brown like he was in the earliest prime. 1288 01:20:12,560 --> 01:20:15,080 Speaker 1: He's like a like a fighter, like like Muhammad Ali 1289 01:20:15,200 --> 01:20:19,240 Speaker 1: and his prime. There still I haven't seen any artists 1290 01:20:19,800 --> 01:20:23,719 Speaker 1: have that thing that he had about himself, UM swag. 1291 01:20:25,040 --> 01:20:27,200 Speaker 1: It was. Yeah, it's amazing because we're not We're not 1292 01:20:27,280 --> 01:20:29,800 Speaker 1: talking about the best singer in the world, you know, um, 1293 01:20:30,680 --> 01:20:34,000 Speaker 1: but we're talking about an entertainer and who owned it 1294 01:20:34,640 --> 01:20:37,760 Speaker 1: and uh and that was so we got more than 1295 01:20:37,840 --> 01:20:39,840 Speaker 1: we bargained for it, you know, out of it. We 1296 01:20:40,640 --> 01:20:44,120 Speaker 1: I think we helped him finding himself in that in 1297 01:20:44,200 --> 01:20:47,120 Speaker 1: that way. Did you watch that New Addition special? Seeing 1298 01:20:47,120 --> 01:20:49,479 Speaker 1: a lot of truth in some of the Yeah, I 1299 01:20:49,520 --> 01:20:52,840 Speaker 1: did the music. Was about to say, your executive, what 1300 01:20:52,960 --> 01:20:56,200 Speaker 1: does that unentail? Like? Well, we do and jam and 1301 01:20:56,280 --> 01:20:59,360 Speaker 1: Lewis have a meetings about stuff they handled, like the 1302 01:20:59,400 --> 01:21:01,080 Speaker 1: stuff most of the stuff they did, and I did 1303 01:21:01,160 --> 01:21:03,919 Speaker 1: all the all the other things I did the earlier 1304 01:21:04,640 --> 01:21:07,240 Speaker 1: UM New Edition stuff to you know, the UM with 1305 01:21:07,360 --> 01:21:09,439 Speaker 1: the kids stuff and then all the Bobby Brown and 1306 01:21:09,680 --> 01:21:14,080 Speaker 1: Johnny stuff as well. Um. Briefly, I want you to 1307 01:21:14,439 --> 01:21:19,200 Speaker 1: uh talk about the boys because whenever they were on 1308 01:21:19,439 --> 01:21:23,000 Speaker 1: television like our Sening or whatever show, I always felt 1309 01:21:23,000 --> 01:21:26,520 Speaker 1: that they were like way more. They were definitely intelligent 1310 01:21:26,640 --> 01:21:30,920 Speaker 1: beyond the kids group, the Sons of Light, what they 1311 01:21:31,160 --> 01:21:35,800 Speaker 1: what they were that's what they were. Yeah. Really they're 1312 01:21:35,840 --> 01:21:38,920 Speaker 1: like in Africa, I believe somewhere and like they're they've 1313 01:21:38,920 --> 01:21:41,439 Speaker 1: been there for like last fifteen years. I did not 1314 01:21:41,640 --> 01:21:44,959 Speaker 1: know that Kyrie, the oldest one, he ended up producing. 1315 01:21:45,479 --> 01:21:46,800 Speaker 1: I want to say he did some stuff on like 1316 01:21:46,920 --> 01:21:49,920 Speaker 1: the solo album The Gem. I mean, we can ask 1317 01:21:49,960 --> 01:21:52,160 Speaker 1: them about, but he did some co production on there. 1318 01:21:52,880 --> 01:21:55,479 Speaker 1: I can you did some actually belout to No, I 1319 01:21:55,640 --> 01:21:57,640 Speaker 1: can not on that, but he just did a lot 1320 01:21:57,640 --> 01:22:00,000 Speaker 1: of production work. Because I was gonna say, what happened 1321 01:22:00,000 --> 01:22:03,560 Speaker 1: of those guys because if you don't know, now you know, 1322 01:22:06,439 --> 01:22:09,080 Speaker 1: yeah we can. I guess we could just start cherry 1323 01:22:09,120 --> 01:22:16,040 Speaker 1: picking our favorites because there's so many ask about the boys. Okay, 1324 01:22:16,120 --> 01:22:18,800 Speaker 1: what was it? I mean, was it just like here's 1325 01:22:18,800 --> 01:22:24,120 Speaker 1: your song get out or I'm just saying at this 1326 01:22:24,240 --> 01:22:28,800 Speaker 1: point of turning into a machine. But they were at 1327 01:22:28,840 --> 01:22:31,479 Speaker 1: the very beginning. So when when when we got the deal, 1328 01:22:32,160 --> 01:22:33,840 Speaker 1: when we started working with him, because that was through 1329 01:22:34,400 --> 01:22:36,519 Speaker 1: it was through Motown and it was kind of a 1330 01:22:36,600 --> 01:22:40,599 Speaker 1: favor to shaff Dickerson, you know, since I got this kids, 1331 01:22:40,640 --> 01:22:44,120 Speaker 1: this kid group, and you know they could sing okay, uh, 1332 01:22:44,280 --> 01:22:48,880 Speaker 1: they needed um. They wasn't you know, they weren't the 1333 01:22:48,960 --> 01:22:52,120 Speaker 1: Jackson five when nobody everybody's always looking for Michael when 1334 01:22:52,120 --> 01:22:54,760 Speaker 1: there wasn't really a Michael there. But they had those 1335 01:22:54,840 --> 01:22:59,600 Speaker 1: kid voices that like, you know, um, just required just 1336 01:23:00,000 --> 01:23:02,600 Speaker 1: are the right kind of thing. And and I always 1337 01:23:02,680 --> 01:23:04,479 Speaker 1: wanted to work with like new addition and wanted to 1338 01:23:04,520 --> 01:23:07,080 Speaker 1: write new edition records. So that was my chance to 1339 01:23:07,200 --> 01:23:09,200 Speaker 1: kind of like do a new new addition to kind 1340 01:23:09,240 --> 01:23:11,960 Speaker 1: of songs and and uh and so you know the 1341 01:23:12,240 --> 01:23:17,280 Speaker 1: whole down in my heart and exactly there was and um, 1342 01:23:17,520 --> 01:23:19,240 Speaker 1: it was fun too. It was it was fun to 1343 01:23:19,280 --> 01:23:23,560 Speaker 1: do it, and we didn't The funny thing is that 1344 01:23:23,720 --> 01:23:26,200 Speaker 1: we don't. I don't think we were ever thinking as 1345 01:23:26,280 --> 01:23:28,640 Speaker 1: we were doing these things that everything was going to 1346 01:23:28,760 --> 01:23:31,600 Speaker 1: turn to a massive hit. Uh. There was on a 1347 01:23:31,720 --> 01:23:33,840 Speaker 1: point I think maybe we would have had a different 1348 01:23:33,880 --> 01:23:35,720 Speaker 1: attitude with things, but we were always kind of like 1349 01:23:35,840 --> 01:23:40,120 Speaker 1: so happy that things worked and felt blessed that it 1350 01:23:40,280 --> 01:23:42,400 Speaker 1: wasn't really anything where we were popping up, you know, 1351 01:23:42,520 --> 01:23:45,679 Speaker 1: chest out about anything because we were all like, really, whoa, 1352 01:23:46,360 --> 01:23:49,040 Speaker 1: that's nice and then we were working on the next thing. 1353 01:23:49,160 --> 01:23:52,160 Speaker 1: So we never stopped to time to be like not 1354 01:23:52,360 --> 01:23:55,960 Speaker 1: to Okay, what was the division of labor between you 1355 01:23:56,040 --> 01:23:58,640 Speaker 1: and l A in the studio? Who did what? I 1356 01:23:58,760 --> 01:24:01,880 Speaker 1: was mostly the writer and Um. Sometimes I might do 1357 01:24:01,960 --> 01:24:03,960 Speaker 1: a drum track and I might start to create, but 1358 01:24:04,280 --> 01:24:07,479 Speaker 1: usually I would I would kind of get things started, 1359 01:24:07,520 --> 01:24:09,760 Speaker 1: and then I might come up and and do the 1360 01:24:09,800 --> 01:24:12,960 Speaker 1: drums on it. Then I would have a lot of 1361 01:24:13,000 --> 01:24:14,680 Speaker 1: the song kind of figured out in terms of the 1362 01:24:14,720 --> 01:24:16,479 Speaker 1: writing of it, than him and Darrel would come and 1363 01:24:16,520 --> 01:24:18,960 Speaker 1: help me finish it up. And in terms of like 1364 01:24:19,160 --> 01:24:21,760 Speaker 1: recording the vocals and the vocal production would have that 1365 01:24:22,160 --> 01:24:24,479 Speaker 1: would be that could be either one of us. Um 1366 01:24:24,600 --> 01:24:26,719 Speaker 1: and Darrel helped a lot in terms of vocal production 1367 01:24:26,760 --> 01:24:30,639 Speaker 1: as well. How much patience do you have to have? Now? Okay, 1368 01:24:31,000 --> 01:24:34,000 Speaker 1: let's take all right. You guys didn't knocked out right, 1369 01:24:35,320 --> 01:24:37,280 Speaker 1: you would have these paul I do as an example. No, no, no, 1370 01:24:37,520 --> 01:24:39,160 Speaker 1: I'm just saying I'm trying to get a hard example. 1371 01:24:39,240 --> 01:24:44,120 Speaker 1: So pre pro tools, how hard was it to coach 1372 01:24:44,360 --> 01:24:47,320 Speaker 1: her through that? I mean today, I'm certain that you 1373 01:24:47,360 --> 01:24:50,639 Speaker 1: could have knocked that song out vocally in in two 1374 01:24:50,720 --> 01:24:55,240 Speaker 1: hours with today's technology and whatnot. But it was work 1375 01:24:55,920 --> 01:25:00,280 Speaker 1: and Um and more than anything was working trying to 1376 01:25:00,680 --> 01:25:03,519 Speaker 1: keep give her confidence that she could do it. She 1377 01:25:03,840 --> 01:25:05,600 Speaker 1: she didn't have a lot of confidence in it. And 1378 01:25:06,200 --> 01:25:09,560 Speaker 1: and l A really have to give it to l A. 1379 01:25:09,640 --> 01:25:11,680 Speaker 1: He's kind of really stayed with her and worked on 1380 01:25:11,760 --> 01:25:14,000 Speaker 1: it too to get it where it got to. But 1381 01:25:14,160 --> 01:25:17,280 Speaker 1: she was she wasn't a confident, you know, artist to 1382 01:25:17,360 --> 01:25:20,000 Speaker 1: begin with them. Okay, So the recording habits of some 1383 01:25:20,120 --> 01:25:25,920 Speaker 1: of your clients, your clientele, like, is it like the 1384 01:25:26,080 --> 01:25:28,200 Speaker 1: lights have to be totally off for the room has 1385 01:25:28,240 --> 01:25:31,479 Speaker 1: to be totally clear. For for Paula's nobody. You can't 1386 01:25:31,479 --> 01:25:34,320 Speaker 1: even look at me, you know, you know, and and 1387 01:25:34,439 --> 01:25:36,519 Speaker 1: that's understandable and something. And there are some people like 1388 01:25:36,640 --> 01:25:38,240 Speaker 1: that are great singers like turn the lights out. I 1389 01:25:38,280 --> 01:25:39,760 Speaker 1: don't want to see you. I don't want you to 1390 01:25:39,800 --> 01:25:44,320 Speaker 1: see me it you know, it doesn't You kind of 1391 01:25:44,400 --> 01:25:46,720 Speaker 1: gotta get in your own space. However, however, you get 1392 01:25:46,760 --> 01:25:49,720 Speaker 1: it done. Who's a breeze? Like you can knock that 1393 01:25:49,800 --> 01:25:52,120 Speaker 1: on the two sides, like who's your one? Take Charlie 1394 01:25:53,920 --> 01:25:58,120 Speaker 1: probably one of the best people that have ever worked 1395 01:25:58,160 --> 01:25:59,840 Speaker 1: with it is like that. I was just blown away 1396 01:26:00,000 --> 01:26:01,960 Speaker 1: about how good they were and how in tune and 1397 01:26:02,080 --> 01:26:07,080 Speaker 1: tune they were Selene Dion, She's like, uh, wait a minute, 1398 01:26:07,680 --> 01:26:11,160 Speaker 1: is that is that just her thinking it? Really? Because 1399 01:26:11,200 --> 01:26:17,120 Speaker 1: she was like so on it and uh um and 1400 01:26:17,200 --> 01:26:22,960 Speaker 1: there's and and oh Brandy, Brandy is ridiculous. She's my 1401 01:26:23,080 --> 01:26:27,519 Speaker 1: favorite of all She's one of my She's just one 1402 01:26:27,520 --> 01:26:30,360 Speaker 1: of my favorite voices of all time. Uh. And then 1403 01:26:30,520 --> 01:26:32,760 Speaker 1: the way that she can move her voice and she's 1404 01:26:32,800 --> 01:26:34,439 Speaker 1: got so much heart with it. I think that she's 1405 01:26:34,800 --> 01:26:38,840 Speaker 1: one of the most underrated singers period. Salange would agree. 1406 01:26:40,880 --> 01:26:49,400 Speaker 1: So who who was challenging to record? It's far and like, 1407 01:26:49,560 --> 01:26:53,360 Speaker 1: what do you look forward to in a good vocal take? 1408 01:26:53,479 --> 01:26:56,640 Speaker 1: Like I hate in the world of production, Like I 1409 01:26:56,800 --> 01:27:01,360 Speaker 1: hate the process of vocals, Like it's like after the 1410 01:27:01,479 --> 01:27:07,120 Speaker 1: music has done, then I don't have the patience to 1411 01:27:07,200 --> 01:27:10,720 Speaker 1: babysit and sit there. And as you as time goes by, 1412 01:27:10,760 --> 01:27:12,880 Speaker 1: it does get more difficult to work with people that 1413 01:27:13,040 --> 01:27:16,120 Speaker 1: cannot sing as well and you have to put more 1414 01:27:16,200 --> 01:27:19,880 Speaker 1: work into it. Um. But you have people that are 1415 01:27:19,920 --> 01:27:21,920 Speaker 1: great singers that hate to be in the studio. Johnny 1416 01:27:21,960 --> 01:27:25,519 Speaker 1: Gail haste to be in the studio. Yeah, he so 1417 01:27:25,720 --> 01:27:28,679 Speaker 1: wants to get in and out of there. Um. She said, 1418 01:27:28,720 --> 01:27:31,439 Speaker 1: Like my mind took like five seconds to completely let 1419 01:27:31,479 --> 01:27:33,640 Speaker 1: me get out of what I gotta do. You know 1420 01:27:33,720 --> 01:27:38,160 Speaker 1: he really wants to He doesn't like recording. Um and 1421 01:27:39,520 --> 01:27:42,519 Speaker 1: and that's that's you know, Whitney didn't always love recording. 1422 01:27:42,600 --> 01:27:45,519 Speaker 1: She was like, you know what I gotta do? What face, 1423 01:27:46,280 --> 01:27:47,960 Speaker 1: what we're gonna do. Let's let's get this down, let's 1424 01:27:47,960 --> 01:27:52,200 Speaker 1: got a half hour, let's let's piget this out. Um so. 1425 01:27:52,760 --> 01:27:54,800 Speaker 1: And so that's what you try to do. You try 1426 01:27:54,840 --> 01:27:57,920 Speaker 1: to prepare it so that you know exactly what you 1427 01:27:58,000 --> 01:27:59,560 Speaker 1: need and what you need to get, and you go 1428 01:28:00,080 --> 01:28:02,800 Speaker 1: go for it. How long do you feel you need 1429 01:28:03,000 --> 01:28:09,120 Speaker 1: with an artist to hit bulls eye? I don't even 1430 01:28:09,200 --> 01:28:12,240 Speaker 1: know if your goal is to hit bulls eye? Like, 1431 01:28:12,560 --> 01:28:17,439 Speaker 1: I'm sure, at what point are you making these songs 1432 01:28:18,640 --> 01:28:23,519 Speaker 1: where you are now officially the machine, Like it's not like, okay, 1433 01:28:23,560 --> 01:28:25,320 Speaker 1: well maybe we'll get baby Face to ritis a song. 1434 01:28:25,360 --> 01:28:28,880 Speaker 1: It's like when we're getting baby Face, we expect least 1435 01:28:29,360 --> 01:28:32,560 Speaker 1: a top five hit. We expect. So it's almost like 1436 01:28:32,640 --> 01:28:35,200 Speaker 1: you gotta get a good performance out the artist, But 1437 01:28:35,240 --> 01:28:37,639 Speaker 1: then you got to satisfy the manager. And I'm sure 1438 01:28:37,760 --> 01:28:39,960 Speaker 1: the you know, I'm sure Clive or whoever the label 1439 01:28:40,000 --> 01:28:45,320 Speaker 1: president is like, what is this, um, and what's that 1440 01:28:45,439 --> 01:28:50,160 Speaker 1: pressure like on you? I always try to just make 1441 01:28:50,200 --> 01:28:54,800 Speaker 1: sure it feels good to me and and but I 1442 01:28:54,880 --> 01:29:00,519 Speaker 1: am also the kind of artist that I'll go back 1443 01:29:00,560 --> 01:29:03,519 Speaker 1: in again and again to do something, and people aren't 1444 01:29:03,520 --> 01:29:06,200 Speaker 1: happy with something that I'll fight to get it, get 1445 01:29:06,280 --> 01:29:09,360 Speaker 1: it to where they're happy for I don't I don't 1446 01:29:09,400 --> 01:29:11,760 Speaker 1: really have an ego as it relates to that. UM 1447 01:29:12,120 --> 01:29:13,880 Speaker 1: and I always tell everyone that when they walk in 1448 01:29:13,960 --> 01:29:17,160 Speaker 1: a room, UM, if they like something, that they don't 1449 01:29:17,200 --> 01:29:19,320 Speaker 1: like something, let's let me know you you can be 1450 01:29:19,560 --> 01:29:23,519 Speaker 1: totally honest. Most of the time they're not. What's an example, 1451 01:29:24,840 --> 01:29:27,600 Speaker 1: what's the example of a song that you recorded that 1452 01:29:28,000 --> 01:29:30,320 Speaker 1: the client didn't like that you have to go back 1453 01:29:30,400 --> 01:29:32,559 Speaker 1: and spruce up a little bit and then it came 1454 01:29:32,600 --> 01:29:36,400 Speaker 1: out Okay, it's not bad or I don't know that. 1455 01:29:36,520 --> 01:29:39,240 Speaker 1: I it's hard to do so many different things. I'm 1456 01:29:39,280 --> 01:29:41,519 Speaker 1: not sure because different things. We might work on it 1457 01:29:41,880 --> 01:29:45,080 Speaker 1: a lot, but um, we probably we probably worked on 1458 01:29:45,280 --> 01:29:47,920 Speaker 1: XL a little bit. You know. Uh, this is actually 1459 01:29:47,960 --> 01:29:51,760 Speaker 1: the piano that played all that um uh, that whole 1460 01:29:51,800 --> 01:29:54,760 Speaker 1: Excel album. I did it over record, planting it was 1461 01:29:54,800 --> 01:29:59,720 Speaker 1: such a good piano that I I stole it. Name 1462 01:29:59,800 --> 01:30:04,120 Speaker 1: was great feeling games he played okay, Um, But so 1463 01:30:04,479 --> 01:30:10,479 Speaker 1: I think that the whole idea of if someone if 1464 01:30:10,560 --> 01:30:14,360 Speaker 1: someone's not happy with it, then then I'm it's it's 1465 01:30:14,400 --> 01:30:15,920 Speaker 1: fine for me to go back and do it again. 1466 01:30:16,400 --> 01:30:20,920 Speaker 1: I think that Um. Probably the person I fought with, 1467 01:30:21,160 --> 01:30:27,000 Speaker 1: I fought with more than anyone. It's Tony Braxton. We 1468 01:30:27,400 --> 01:30:32,720 Speaker 1: fight really Oh yeah, yeah, I mean a place where 1469 01:30:32,720 --> 01:30:37,360 Speaker 1: you're comfortable. Yes, she can she I can fight with 1470 01:30:37,439 --> 01:30:39,360 Speaker 1: her and she'll she'll give in to me. She won't 1471 01:30:39,360 --> 01:30:41,240 Speaker 1: give in to most people, so she will give in 1472 01:30:41,320 --> 01:30:43,720 Speaker 1: to me. But but she's a fighter, has she been 1473 01:30:43,760 --> 01:30:46,240 Speaker 1: one from the beginning. Though. In the beginning I was 1474 01:30:46,280 --> 01:30:47,840 Speaker 1: able to just kind of like, this is what we're 1475 01:30:47,840 --> 01:30:50,240 Speaker 1: gonna do, and and she was like, Okay, I'm gonna 1476 01:30:50,240 --> 01:30:54,040 Speaker 1: do it. And that's why she keep making me high. 1477 01:30:54,160 --> 01:30:57,439 Speaker 1: I'm trying to guess the song that like they were 1478 01:30:57,479 --> 01:31:03,800 Speaker 1: all like number one, but your voice. No, No, we 1479 01:31:03,880 --> 01:31:08,519 Speaker 1: did that together because it was Bryce brought in. Tony 1480 01:31:08,560 --> 01:31:11,000 Speaker 1: brought the track to me. She said said, this is 1481 01:31:11,040 --> 01:31:14,080 Speaker 1: a song that we cannot figure out what to do, 1482 01:31:14,200 --> 01:31:17,360 Speaker 1: what to do with it, and so I took it 1483 01:31:17,479 --> 01:31:19,960 Speaker 1: upstairs and were the record plant. I took upstairs, I said, all, 1484 01:31:20,000 --> 01:31:24,160 Speaker 1: this is easy, and and went up and I just 1485 01:31:24,280 --> 01:31:26,760 Speaker 1: heard it and wrote it out right there, and then 1486 01:31:27,120 --> 01:31:29,160 Speaker 1: came downstairs, and then we went down and started recording, 1487 01:31:29,160 --> 01:31:31,240 Speaker 1: and then I started adding other guitars and stuff on 1488 01:31:31,280 --> 01:31:33,599 Speaker 1: it as well. So one thing I was always curious 1489 01:31:33,600 --> 01:31:36,560 Speaker 1: about in your working relationship with Tony. To me, she 1490 01:31:36,760 --> 01:31:40,559 Speaker 1: always sounded like the female version of you, like if 1491 01:31:40,600 --> 01:31:43,840 Speaker 1: you had a sister that's saying like, y'all, y'all kind 1492 01:31:43,840 --> 01:31:45,800 Speaker 1: of mirrod each other in that way. How much of 1493 01:31:45,920 --> 01:31:48,439 Speaker 1: that is her? And how much of it is the 1494 01:31:48,520 --> 01:31:51,439 Speaker 1: stuff that you were right for her because of a 1495 01:31:51,479 --> 01:31:55,040 Speaker 1: little ranger. Yeah, just yeah, just the voice. And I 1496 01:31:55,120 --> 01:31:59,280 Speaker 1: mean she just sounded like, yeah, it could be him, 1497 01:31:59,320 --> 01:32:00,840 Speaker 1: you know what I mean? So how much of that 1498 01:32:01,000 --> 01:32:04,600 Speaker 1: is her versus you? Um? I think, I mean, we 1499 01:32:04,720 --> 01:32:10,280 Speaker 1: obviously helped guide her to finding that voice. Uh, when 1500 01:32:10,360 --> 01:32:14,680 Speaker 1: we did the Boomerang project. Um, that's where Tony was 1501 01:32:14,840 --> 01:32:18,559 Speaker 1: kind of discovered. She discovered by doing songs that weren't her. 1502 01:32:18,640 --> 01:32:21,600 Speaker 1: Songs like God Loves Should Have Brought You Home was 1503 01:32:21,640 --> 01:32:26,960 Speaker 1: written for Anita Baker. Yikes. Yeah, they at movie to 1504 01:32:27,040 --> 01:32:32,360 Speaker 1: talk about that, and she didn't. Um Anita didn't want 1505 01:32:32,400 --> 01:32:35,240 Speaker 1: to do it. And so when when Tony sing it, 1506 01:32:36,000 --> 01:32:37,920 Speaker 1: she you know, I told Tony to sing it like 1507 01:32:38,000 --> 01:32:44,400 Speaker 1: she had water in her mouth? Has she seen that 1508 01:32:44,520 --> 01:32:46,560 Speaker 1: scene before she sang that song? Did she see that 1509 01:32:46,680 --> 01:32:49,400 Speaker 1: sing before she saw sang the song? That sounds she 1510 01:32:49,439 --> 01:32:52,160 Speaker 1: didn't see that. I saw the scene, that's what. Yeah. 1511 01:32:52,560 --> 01:32:54,519 Speaker 1: I saw that scene as oh my god, should have 1512 01:32:54,560 --> 01:32:58,120 Speaker 1: brought your ass home. That was almost like a gift 1513 01:32:58,160 --> 01:33:00,240 Speaker 1: to your Yeah. Right after sing that scene and went 1514 01:33:00,280 --> 01:33:01,760 Speaker 1: over the l A souse and wrote that song with 1515 01:33:01,840 --> 01:33:05,320 Speaker 1: the boson we went because it was perfect, perfect words 1516 01:33:06,080 --> 01:33:10,080 Speaker 1: um and then um um you mean the World to 1517 01:33:10,160 --> 01:33:13,000 Speaker 1: Me was another one that was written for and maybe 1518 01:33:13,040 --> 01:33:15,880 Speaker 1: I get this one on and need it. Oh my god, 1519 01:33:17,680 --> 01:33:21,639 Speaker 1: now I see it. I can see it. So Tony's 1520 01:33:21,640 --> 01:33:25,679 Speaker 1: whole first record was uh Anita Bigger Demo and actually 1521 01:33:26,000 --> 01:33:31,599 Speaker 1: another set love song was written initially for TLC. Okay, 1522 01:33:31,600 --> 01:33:34,320 Speaker 1: I can see that, Yeah, I can see that. I 1523 01:33:34,400 --> 01:33:39,160 Speaker 1: can totally. Chili. Yeah, Chili was mad. I would have 1524 01:33:39,200 --> 01:33:40,880 Speaker 1: been if I was heard. Yeah, but I'm glad as 1525 01:33:40,880 --> 01:33:44,360 Speaker 1: a consumer, not mad. Did they not want the song 1526 01:33:44,640 --> 01:33:49,160 Speaker 1: or I'm good for taking a song and putting it 1527 01:33:49,240 --> 01:33:58,240 Speaker 1: on somebody else. The song comes first, comes first. What 1528 01:33:58,560 --> 01:34:02,479 Speaker 1: what do you not regret? But what other notable trade 1529 01:34:02,520 --> 01:34:06,320 Speaker 1: offs were there? Well, there was one song that almost 1530 01:34:06,400 --> 01:34:10,519 Speaker 1: didn't happen because it was voted to be off the 1531 01:34:10,600 --> 01:34:14,439 Speaker 1: record and it became one of their biggest songs. Um 1532 01:34:15,960 --> 01:34:19,960 Speaker 1: and they had actually everywhere recorded it and they said, uh. 1533 01:34:20,120 --> 01:34:25,160 Speaker 1: And then I got a call from they hit of 1534 01:34:25,200 --> 01:34:28,880 Speaker 1: the record company saying, look, they had a meeting and 1535 01:34:28,960 --> 01:34:30,840 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, but I'm gonna try to find for us 1536 01:34:30,880 --> 01:34:32,760 Speaker 1: if I can change. But the song got voted off. 1537 01:34:32,880 --> 01:34:35,439 Speaker 1: So what was the song? The song was I'll Make 1538 01:34:35,520 --> 01:34:47,200 Speaker 1: Love to You. No, they didn't like it. They felt 1539 01:34:47,240 --> 01:34:48,960 Speaker 1: they felt like it was felt like it was too 1540 01:34:49,200 --> 01:34:52,400 Speaker 1: similar to like end of the road. They didn't want 1541 01:34:52,400 --> 01:34:54,160 Speaker 1: to go down the same road. That's what now, that's 1542 01:34:54,200 --> 01:34:59,040 Speaker 1: what Gerald Buzzby told me. What and then he then 1543 01:34:59,120 --> 01:35:01,959 Speaker 1: he called me and said, well, I made an executive 1544 01:35:02,000 --> 01:35:04,120 Speaker 1: call and I kept it on there. Thank God for 1545 01:35:04,200 --> 01:35:08,479 Speaker 1: that executive right. But is it still I wonder in 1546 01:35:08,560 --> 01:35:14,479 Speaker 1: their minds, is it's still regrets like they got them paychecks? Uh? No, no, 1547 01:35:15,560 --> 01:35:21,360 Speaker 1: you know, I mean they were once but yeah, but 1548 01:35:21,560 --> 01:35:23,479 Speaker 1: that is that is the thing. What started happening was 1549 01:35:25,680 --> 01:35:27,360 Speaker 1: is that artists start to see that wait a minute, 1550 01:35:27,439 --> 01:35:30,600 Speaker 1: money is in the right. So everybody wanted to be 1551 01:35:30,680 --> 01:35:34,000 Speaker 1: a part of that instead and um, so they wanted 1552 01:35:34,040 --> 01:35:36,639 Speaker 1: to write with you. They want to just write period. 1553 01:35:36,680 --> 01:35:39,479 Speaker 1: They wanted to make sure that it might what probably happened. 1554 01:35:39,760 --> 01:35:43,760 Speaker 1: It was one of their songs that one, and you know, 1555 01:35:44,160 --> 01:35:47,439 Speaker 1: something had to something had to go. And so I 1556 01:35:48,120 --> 01:35:50,320 Speaker 1: get how you can how they can get to that point, 1557 01:35:50,400 --> 01:35:53,960 Speaker 1: but it's hard to call what what were your feelings 1558 01:35:54,120 --> 01:35:59,720 Speaker 1: of into the route as far as the domination and 1559 01:36:00,000 --> 01:36:04,240 Speaker 1: and breaking Elvis's records and how god the week week 1560 01:36:04,800 --> 01:36:08,360 Speaker 1: like at this point, I was like religiously reading Billboard 1561 01:36:08,479 --> 01:36:13,680 Speaker 1: just so to see all these like these uh like 1562 01:36:13,840 --> 01:36:25,479 Speaker 1: these fundans like speak of two more weeks. Um, Like, 1563 01:36:26,600 --> 01:36:29,479 Speaker 1: are you numb by this point or do you get 1564 01:36:29,560 --> 01:36:35,040 Speaker 1: excited like thet call you like like that's probably my 1565 01:36:35,240 --> 01:36:38,800 Speaker 1: problem is I never really get that excited about things 1566 01:36:38,880 --> 01:36:47,240 Speaker 1: in general. Yeah, and so so so I can only 1567 01:36:47,320 --> 01:36:51,760 Speaker 1: remember screaming. One time was when I got a check 1568 01:36:51,880 --> 01:36:58,400 Speaker 1: for UM for a song and my business manager called me, 1569 01:36:58,479 --> 01:37:01,120 Speaker 1: tell me that you gotta check FOO for uh, this 1570 01:37:01,280 --> 01:37:03,320 Speaker 1: one song you got checked for thirty five thousand. I said, 1571 01:37:03,439 --> 01:37:08,320 Speaker 1: what what you did? You say? I had never had 1572 01:37:08,600 --> 01:37:10,400 Speaker 1: got that money. And I was like, I said, oh 1573 01:37:10,520 --> 01:37:12,760 Speaker 1: my god, first, I'm gonna start doing this all the 1574 01:37:12,840 --> 01:37:18,760 Speaker 1: time now. And uh. But but other than that, the 1575 01:37:18,880 --> 01:37:22,120 Speaker 1: funny thing is that is when those things would happen, 1576 01:37:22,280 --> 01:37:25,599 Speaker 1: like into the road, and I would be very I'd 1577 01:37:25,640 --> 01:37:28,000 Speaker 1: be very happy that it happened, but I also would 1578 01:37:29,600 --> 01:37:31,760 Speaker 1: be ready to move on to the next thing. And 1579 01:37:31,960 --> 01:37:33,560 Speaker 1: and me and l A talked about this all the 1580 01:37:33,600 --> 01:37:36,280 Speaker 1: time now. We talked about we talked about how we've 1581 01:37:36,320 --> 01:37:39,960 Speaker 1: had the successes in our lives and um, and we 1582 01:37:40,120 --> 01:37:45,840 Speaker 1: missed out on them because we constantly kept working and 1583 01:37:46,040 --> 01:37:48,320 Speaker 1: didn't ever stop to smell the roses, you know, And 1584 01:37:48,520 --> 01:37:50,720 Speaker 1: it was just always just kind of like move into 1585 01:37:50,760 --> 01:37:54,519 Speaker 1: the next thing. And so so when I walked down 1586 01:37:54,560 --> 01:37:58,559 Speaker 1: the hallway and and and see and look at the work, 1587 01:37:58,920 --> 01:38:00,840 Speaker 1: a lot of the things kind of forget that you 1588 01:38:00,960 --> 01:38:02,880 Speaker 1: were even part of you just because you just because 1589 01:38:02,920 --> 01:38:08,680 Speaker 1: you're just you're in workshone and and there's and being 1590 01:38:08,760 --> 01:38:10,800 Speaker 1: respectful in terms of the artists that you work and 1591 01:38:10,840 --> 01:38:13,840 Speaker 1: stuff like, there's so many artis have come in my life, 1592 01:38:14,080 --> 01:38:16,639 Speaker 1: or I wouldn't ask for pictures, you know, say let's 1593 01:38:16,640 --> 01:38:18,080 Speaker 1: stop and do a picture. And I just feel like 1594 01:38:18,640 --> 01:38:20,720 Speaker 1: just in the work zone. Now, I wish why didn't 1595 01:38:20,720 --> 01:38:23,759 Speaker 1: I stop in Roses? Why didn't I stop and appreciate 1596 01:38:23,880 --> 01:38:26,400 Speaker 1: this moment? I'm here, I'm I'm standing with Whitney Houston. 1597 01:38:27,320 --> 01:38:29,400 Speaker 1: You know she's in here in my studio. Didn't take 1598 01:38:29,439 --> 01:38:34,200 Speaker 1: a phone? Why didn't I capture that moment? Because because 1599 01:38:34,240 --> 01:38:35,880 Speaker 1: that wasn't the kind of person that I was was 1600 01:38:35,920 --> 01:38:39,560 Speaker 1: trying to, you know, capture it for. I wasn't. I 1601 01:38:39,720 --> 01:38:41,479 Speaker 1: was into the work zone work of it, I guess. 1602 01:38:42,040 --> 01:38:45,960 Speaker 1: Speaking of which, uh, can you talk about the I'm 1603 01:38:46,040 --> 01:38:50,800 Speaker 1: Your Baby Tonight project and where it was? I mean, 1604 01:38:50,920 --> 01:38:54,280 Speaker 1: were you and and l A pulled in too? I mean, 1605 01:38:54,280 --> 01:39:00,719 Speaker 1: because by that point it was, you know, Whitney Houston 1606 01:39:01,240 --> 01:39:04,760 Speaker 1: was the largest thing in life, but to the point 1607 01:39:04,840 --> 01:39:07,439 Speaker 1: where it was turning against her, like it was we 1608 01:39:07,560 --> 01:39:09,679 Speaker 1: were was now getting booed to the Soul Trained Awards. 1609 01:39:09,720 --> 01:39:13,439 Speaker 1: We were there at the that Soul Trained Awards. We 1610 01:39:13,600 --> 01:39:18,120 Speaker 1: witnessed that, and so we we understood we were brought 1611 01:39:18,160 --> 01:39:23,760 Speaker 1: into black and n eyes her right. Um, it was 1612 01:39:23,800 --> 01:39:29,200 Speaker 1: amazing when she got booed. I understood why she got 1613 01:39:29,280 --> 01:39:33,120 Speaker 1: booed at the time, um, and which was really you 1614 01:39:33,200 --> 01:39:36,439 Speaker 1: know when when she would say think she was thank you, 1615 01:39:36,600 --> 01:39:40,280 Speaker 1: she it didn't Black people, you know, you better be thankful, 1616 01:39:41,240 --> 01:39:45,559 Speaker 1: and she didn't seem thankful. It happened. It had happened 1617 01:39:45,600 --> 01:39:48,720 Speaker 1: so much that she was gonna thank you and then 1618 01:39:48,800 --> 01:39:51,479 Speaker 1: walk home. Wait a minute, is that why she got booed? 1619 01:39:51,520 --> 01:39:54,120 Speaker 1: Was a performance? Because I can't remember, Well, she wasn't 1620 01:39:54,160 --> 01:39:56,519 Speaker 1: there the year that they really let the booze out. No, 1621 01:39:56,680 --> 01:39:59,439 Speaker 1: there was like, no, she was actually in the audience. 1622 01:40:00,400 --> 01:40:03,080 Speaker 1: She was in the audience and she got booed and 1623 01:40:03,560 --> 01:40:05,840 Speaker 1: it blew her away. We were there, she was there, 1624 01:40:05,920 --> 01:40:08,960 Speaker 1: Paves was there. We were there, and it was there. Yes, 1625 01:40:09,840 --> 01:40:12,519 Speaker 1: and it was kind of like, oh, this is kind 1626 01:40:12,520 --> 01:40:18,400 Speaker 1: of so and and and because they were kind of 1627 01:40:18,680 --> 01:40:20,880 Speaker 1: they were kind of done done with her at that time. 1628 01:40:21,520 --> 01:40:23,920 Speaker 1: It was too much. It was like at that point 1629 01:40:24,000 --> 01:40:26,320 Speaker 1: she had done everything. It was too much. And that 1630 01:40:26,479 --> 01:40:28,200 Speaker 1: was the kind of after we had we had already 1631 01:40:28,200 --> 01:40:30,680 Speaker 1: got it met her and she was that she came 1632 01:40:30,720 --> 01:40:35,400 Speaker 1: down to Atlanta to um, listen to the listen to 1633 01:40:35,479 --> 01:40:38,960 Speaker 1: the songs that we have for and played her a 1634 01:40:39,040 --> 01:40:42,000 Speaker 1: couple of records. UM played her I'm Your Baby to 1635 01:40:42,080 --> 01:40:46,360 Speaker 1: Night and played her a song called Miracle, and at 1636 01:40:46,439 --> 01:40:50,679 Speaker 1: that time she said, uh, I love I'm Your Baby 1637 01:40:50,720 --> 01:40:52,800 Speaker 1: to Night and Miracle. She said, I'm not feeling that one. 1638 01:40:53,640 --> 01:40:56,360 Speaker 1: Uh I can't relate to that. I want to ask 1639 01:40:57,080 --> 01:41:02,639 Speaker 1: so in if you're trying to Black and Eyes Whitney Houston, 1640 01:41:03,920 --> 01:41:07,760 Speaker 1: especially coming off the heels of like my of Don't 1641 01:41:07,800 --> 01:41:10,160 Speaker 1: Be Cruel album and where new Jack Swing was at 1642 01:41:10,200 --> 01:41:21,240 Speaker 1: the time, like a shuffle song. Yeah, it's so unusual. 1643 01:41:21,800 --> 01:41:23,960 Speaker 1: Like I mean, besides the way you make me feel, 1644 01:41:24,160 --> 01:41:28,280 Speaker 1: I don't I'm your Baby Tonight like the last Black 1645 01:41:28,360 --> 01:41:31,760 Speaker 1: Shuffle song that's the shuffle song. It's like more of 1646 01:41:31,800 --> 01:41:41,920 Speaker 1: a jazzy dude that things like it's condition Randy Newman 1647 01:41:42,080 --> 01:41:48,200 Speaker 1: like you made me feel think of like rounds doing 1648 01:41:48,200 --> 01:41:51,439 Speaker 1: it death Monkey, good Time, like some of that you 1649 01:41:51,520 --> 01:41:54,720 Speaker 1: two step two with the barbecue, like I'm thinking in 1650 01:41:56,000 --> 01:41:58,960 Speaker 1: like yo, like because most cats are like straight up 1651 01:41:59,200 --> 01:42:03,639 Speaker 1: using break B and guest verse from this person that person, 1652 01:42:03,720 --> 01:42:07,040 Speaker 1: you know, like like yo, I'm I'm I'm hip hop, 1653 01:42:07,280 --> 01:42:11,400 Speaker 1: you know, but y'all went to the two steps barbecue 1654 01:42:11,600 --> 01:42:15,960 Speaker 1: like was that. Was there any resistance from Clive at 1655 01:42:16,000 --> 01:42:19,040 Speaker 1: the time or was it just like because even then, 1656 01:42:19,200 --> 01:42:23,080 Speaker 1: like besides the way you made me feel like there 1657 01:42:23,200 --> 01:42:26,400 Speaker 1: was no shelf, there was no song like I'm Your 1658 01:42:26,400 --> 01:42:29,760 Speaker 1: Baby Tonight that you could even blend with, Like I mean, 1659 01:42:29,800 --> 01:42:32,439 Speaker 1: there was like a house mixed to it. But it's 1660 01:42:32,439 --> 01:42:36,000 Speaker 1: still like it's just stood out like a sore thumb. 1661 01:42:36,040 --> 01:42:38,320 Speaker 1: That's such a risk. Like what made you guys think 1662 01:42:38,439 --> 01:42:44,000 Speaker 1: like this is our lead single? It was never about 1663 01:42:44,000 --> 01:42:48,160 Speaker 1: trying to follow anybody. Um, And it was never about 1664 01:42:48,160 --> 01:42:53,800 Speaker 1: trying to lead either. It was about the song and 1665 01:42:53,920 --> 01:42:57,439 Speaker 1: that just that just happened to be a really good feeling. 1666 01:42:58,680 --> 01:43:01,080 Speaker 1: And and so as we started writing it, I don't 1667 01:43:01,400 --> 01:43:04,479 Speaker 1: it was it just it just turned into that. And 1668 01:43:04,560 --> 01:43:06,840 Speaker 1: then I started writing on top of it, and and 1669 01:43:07,040 --> 01:43:09,360 Speaker 1: that's what it turned into. And Whitney just happened to 1670 01:43:09,680 --> 01:43:13,599 Speaker 1: be the perfect person to deliver it. That songs hard 1671 01:43:13,720 --> 01:43:18,680 Speaker 1: than been a hit by anybody else, So certain songs there, 1672 01:43:19,080 --> 01:43:22,519 Speaker 1: you know, it was faded that it was Whitney. Houston 1673 01:43:22,640 --> 01:43:26,720 Speaker 1: was waiting for her that um, you know, I was 1674 01:43:26,800 --> 01:43:29,880 Speaker 1: born to to write that song, and Whitney was born 1675 01:43:29,920 --> 01:43:32,120 Speaker 1: to sing that song. And and and it made the difference. 1676 01:43:33,040 --> 01:43:35,160 Speaker 1: We we did that last part. We had to come 1677 01:43:35,240 --> 01:43:39,040 Speaker 1: up with the you know, some ad libs and uh 1678 01:43:39,240 --> 01:43:41,840 Speaker 1: and that whole ending and so we need something and 1679 01:43:42,080 --> 01:43:44,519 Speaker 1: face face right something right right, something because I gotta 1680 01:43:44,560 --> 01:43:46,360 Speaker 1: go and I don't know if she wanted to go 1681 01:43:46,439 --> 01:43:50,320 Speaker 1: somewhere to eat, and I'm there. I got so right 1682 01:43:50,400 --> 01:43:52,800 Speaker 1: something quick. So then that then I came up with 1683 01:43:52,880 --> 01:43:55,000 Speaker 1: that whole Uh looks like I'm paid on, I'm on 1684 01:43:55,200 --> 01:43:58,000 Speaker 1: the table and there hold the cause. And then and 1685 01:43:58,120 --> 01:43:59,720 Speaker 1: so that's why she was saying, let's get this over. 1686 01:43:59,760 --> 01:44:04,680 Speaker 1: They looked out on fados are we ready? And uh, 1687 01:44:05,240 --> 01:44:08,120 Speaker 1: but it is you know, I rarely go back and 1688 01:44:08,240 --> 01:44:16,080 Speaker 1: listen to things that I've done. Um, but sometimes when 1689 01:44:16,120 --> 01:44:18,400 Speaker 1: I go back, sometimes when I do. And I listened 1690 01:44:18,439 --> 01:44:22,439 Speaker 1: to Whitney singing that song. Is so amazing that the 1691 01:44:22,560 --> 01:44:24,280 Speaker 1: voice that she had and the way that she sung 1692 01:44:24,360 --> 01:44:28,679 Speaker 1: this song, it's like, um, it's I can only listen 1693 01:44:28,760 --> 01:44:31,439 Speaker 1: so much because it makes me miss her. Um But UM, 1694 01:44:33,040 --> 01:44:37,240 Speaker 1: I'm just so amazed that I feel so blessed that 1695 01:44:37,320 --> 01:44:39,720 Speaker 1: I was able to be a part of that, you know, 1696 01:44:39,840 --> 01:44:41,400 Speaker 1: and and and part of that journey and part of 1697 01:44:41,439 --> 01:44:45,839 Speaker 1: her journey that she was that it made a difference. 1698 01:44:46,160 --> 01:44:49,200 Speaker 1: It was it was nowhere as big of a record 1699 01:44:49,280 --> 01:44:51,360 Speaker 1: as the records that she had done before. She maybe 1700 01:44:51,360 --> 01:44:53,479 Speaker 1: get soil six or seven million on that one. Were 1701 01:44:53,520 --> 01:44:57,920 Speaker 1: they more believed that that happened or where normalized her? 1702 01:44:57,960 --> 01:45:01,840 Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, it's it's sold well, but it was 1703 01:45:03,640 --> 01:45:05,880 Speaker 1: what it was. It was something that kind of normalized 1704 01:45:05,920 --> 01:45:08,840 Speaker 1: her and and and made her like, Okay, she's still 1705 01:45:08,960 --> 01:45:11,280 Speaker 1: she's still with us. It's the song the sisters could 1706 01:45:11,280 --> 01:45:14,840 Speaker 1: sing in the car when she's still with us and 1707 01:45:15,000 --> 01:45:19,000 Speaker 1: she's not so pop Because what they it was a 1708 01:45:19,040 --> 01:45:21,519 Speaker 1: good question. Now, they didn't want us to They didn't 1709 01:45:21,520 --> 01:45:25,400 Speaker 1: want to want us to make her uh petty, right, 1710 01:45:26,200 --> 01:45:29,800 Speaker 1: you know. They just wanted her to be a little 1711 01:45:29,840 --> 01:45:34,560 Speaker 1: bit more accessible. And and I think and we fortunately, 1712 01:45:35,320 --> 01:45:37,479 Speaker 1: you know, we're able to do that. We went to 1713 01:45:37,680 --> 01:45:40,759 Speaker 1: Clive when we first met Clive, we went and asked 1714 01:45:40,800 --> 01:45:47,920 Speaker 1: if we could do Whitney and uh he said, nah, yeah, 1715 01:45:48,400 --> 01:45:51,000 Speaker 1: you guys already have songs ready for We didn't have 1716 01:45:51,080 --> 01:45:53,400 Speaker 1: songs ready, but we would. I would have written in 1717 01:45:53,439 --> 01:45:56,040 Speaker 1: a second, which she is. So now I tell you 1718 01:45:56,160 --> 01:46:01,880 Speaker 1: what we can, We'll let you do Jennifer Holiday, you 1719 01:46:01,920 --> 01:46:03,560 Speaker 1: could do her verse And at the time he was like, 1720 01:46:04,120 --> 01:46:10,960 Speaker 1: na and uh and so with which today I do 1721 01:46:11,080 --> 01:46:14,280 Speaker 1: Jennifer Holiday in a second. Um, because Prince said something 1722 01:46:14,360 --> 01:46:19,760 Speaker 1: to me, Um, I went up there too as a 1723 01:46:19,840 --> 01:46:21,760 Speaker 1: Jimmy and Terry studio and then I talked to Prince 1724 01:46:21,800 --> 01:46:25,800 Speaker 1: for a minute and he said, you know, we are 1725 01:46:25,960 --> 01:46:28,240 Speaker 1: so blessed that we actually can get in the studio 1726 01:46:28,360 --> 01:46:31,559 Speaker 1: that Chaka Khan called me and asked me, Princess Chuck 1727 01:46:31,560 --> 01:46:32,960 Speaker 1: a Coon asked me if I would do a record 1728 01:46:33,000 --> 01:46:35,280 Speaker 1: on her, and you know, how much would it cost? 1729 01:46:36,280 --> 01:46:37,519 Speaker 1: And I was like, what are you talking about? I 1730 01:46:37,560 --> 01:46:40,400 Speaker 1: should pay you, you know, to be able to go 1731 01:46:40,520 --> 01:46:43,040 Speaker 1: in the studio with you and work with you. And 1732 01:46:43,200 --> 01:46:45,800 Speaker 1: so when you have these artists that we you know, 1733 01:46:46,479 --> 01:46:49,519 Speaker 1: that are amazing artists, it's it's just a much a 1734 01:46:49,600 --> 01:46:52,240 Speaker 1: privilege for us as writers and producers to be able 1735 01:46:52,280 --> 01:46:56,280 Speaker 1: to work with those legendary artists. I ain't saying with 1736 01:46:56,400 --> 01:47:00,719 Speaker 1: doing it for free, but okay, all right, check please 1737 01:47:07,080 --> 01:47:08,559 Speaker 1: let's go and do it. For part one of our 1738 01:47:08,600 --> 01:47:11,720 Speaker 1: interview with baby Face, tune in next week for more 1739 01:47:11,880 --> 01:47:16,919 Speaker 1: on q L s Parce. Love Supreme is a production 1740 01:47:17,000 --> 01:47:20,240 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. This classic episode was produced by 1741 01:47:20,360 --> 01:47:26,160 Speaker 1: the team at Pandora. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 1742 01:47:26,320 --> 01:47:29,599 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever 1743 01:47:29,680 --> 01:47:30,960 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.