The First Time I Heard...

This episode was recorded live at the Respect: Women’s Podcast Festival at Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse in Philadelphia, PA. My guest, R&B singer, Beano French and I talk about the first time we heard soul singer Musiq Soulchild. A special thanks to the Respect: Women’s Podcast Festival for letting me be a part of this great event and to my DJ, DJ Dommis for providing the tunes in between to make this show really come to life.

My guest, television host, producer and writer Torrence Glenn and I talk about the first time we heard R&B soul singer Tevin Campbell. In this episode, Torrence, a self described “Tevin Campbell Stan”, and I talk about Campbell’s incredible vocal ability that grabbed us at the first listen, what we hope to hear from him soon, and what parts of his catalog should not go overlooked. We also talk about Torrence’s work as a producer on the newest season of BET’s Sunday Best.

I’m talking all things “Square Biz” in this episode about the one and only Teena Marie. My guest is singer, songwriter, author, and the biggest Lady T fan I know, Tim Dillinger. Along with talking about the first time we heard Teena Marie, we talk about her early days with Motown, parts of her career that we feel often get overlooked, and ask the question “With so much conversation being had over cultural appropriation, could a Teena Marie come out today and be successful?”

I welcome guest Craig Seymour, author of the book Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross, to discuss the first time we heard my favorite singer of all time, Luther Vandross. In this very special episode released on the 14th anniversary of his death, we talk about his rise from being a very much in demand background singer to becoming one of the most important artist of our time. I’d like to dedicate this episode to my first concert buddy and favorite person to talk about music with, my dearly departed father and favorite friend Leonard Glenn Haynes.

If you hear the name Kenny Loggins and automatically think of "Footloose", you may be surprised by what else in his catalog of music which spans over 45 years. Grammy-Award winning producer Alvin Love III (CeCe Winans, Mary Mary, The New Respects) and I talk about the first time we heard Kenny Loggins and why there is a particular and very soulful era of his career that made us fall in love with his music.  We also talk about what inspires Alvin musically and what it was like to produce an award winning album for his mother, gospel music legend CeCe Winans. 

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Do you remember the first time you heard Brian McKnight? My guest, author Melissa Watkins, and I reminisce about the first time we heard his music and discuss his career. We also talk about her book Jack and Ahlia and how her love of music influenced her creative process.