As one of the original members of En Vogue and a later member of Lucy Pearl, Dawn Robinson is truly one of the most legendary R&B voices of our time. You’ve heard her voice on songs like "Whatta Man,” “My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It),” "Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” and "Free Your Mind.” But you’ve never heard her story like this.

Dawn Robinson takes The ToddeFunk! Show on a trip down memory lane, revealing what it was like to audition for what quickly became one of the most successful girl groups of all time. From the way relationships developed to their turbulent early relationship with their record label, Dawn tells all in this transparent look at the making of a legendary voice.

Connect with Dawn Robinson:

dawnrobinson.com

www.instagram.com/dawnrobinsondiva

https://twitter.com/dawnrobinsondva

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm0IwHkX3Yi-MaQTVG0jYGQ

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Sy Smith’s creative path has taken her from New York, to D.C., to Los Angeles— all of it leading her deeper into fully claiming her identity as a powerhouse soul singer capable of commanding any room she’s singing to.

Sy has history singing background for Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan. She’s also put out 5 solo albums, acted, and established herself as an expert songwriter. In this episode of the ToddeFunk! Show, you’ll find out that one of her greatest accomplishments is marching to the beat of her own drum, while inviting other black musicians to do the same. Buckle up: this conversation may change how you see soul music, and how you see yourself.

Connect with Sy Smith:

biglink.to/sysmith

https://www.facebook.com/sysmithmusic

https://www.instagram.com/syberspace/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vGS9mc7YHh5Mpfd51X8MF?si=qPntQJeLQTmLawg8aDdRyQ

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Heart Hayes is a multi-talented actress, dancer, and musician who is consistently pushing the limits of others’ expectations. Her impressive creative resume includes performing Brazilian and Bollywood dance, roles in music videos with Trey Songz and Chris Brown, and features in episodes of Lucifer and Animal Kingdom. She brings her identity as a biracial black Indian woman into her art, which earned her the honor of the first biracial Miss India Globe crown recipient in 2015.

We talk about all of that in this episode of the ToddeFunk! Show, walking through Heart’s story from a shy, bullied kid to a confident powerhouse who knows that the sky’s the limit. You’ll hear her stories from growing up as a biracial kid in L.A., and learn her advice for other artists ready to chase their own dreams.

Connect with Heart Hays:

https://www.tiktok.com/@hearthayes

https://www.instagram.com/thehearthayes

https://www.facebook.com/TheHeartHayes

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Legendary R&B, rock, and hip-hop drummer Zoro has earned his title as “The Minister of Groove.” His touring and studio credits include work with artists like Lenny Kravitz, Bobby Brown, Sean Lennon, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Lisa Marie Presley, and many others. He’s also the author of acclaimed book Commandments of R&B Drumming, multi-year title holder for Modern Drummer magazine’s Number 1 R&B Drummer and Number 1 Clinician, and a sought-after speaker.

In this episode, you’ll get to know the man behind all of the impressive titles– a man with a story of tenacity. Zoro grew up as one of seven children, raised by a single mother who was an immigrant from Mexico City. As a child in Compton, Zoro first taught himself to drum using Folgers cans and Tupperware. Later, he’d move on to drumming on a cardboard appliance box with drums painted on it. Todde gets the full scoop on how those challenging beginnings launched Zoro into becoming one of the most successful R&B drummers in the world.

Connect with Zoro:

https://zorothedrummer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/zorothedrummermusic

https://twitter.com/zorothedrummer

https://www.youtube.com/user/SuperFunkyFan

https://www.instagram.com/zorothedrummer/

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Steve Arrington is known for his innovative vocals on funk classics like "Watching You” and "Just A Touch of Love" with Slave, as well as his solo hits "Weak at the Knees,” “Way Out,” "Nobody Can Be You,” and the top 10 single “Feel So Real.” Steve's songs have been sampled by Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, & N.W.A. He’s continuing to push the envelope with recent collaborations with Dam Funk and Snoop Dogg.

In part 2 of the ToddeFunk! Show’s conversation with Steve, he gives us an inside look at what it was like recording with chart-topper Slave, one of the pioneering funk bands of the 70s. He also tells the story of transitioning into his solo work and the challenges of navigating the music industry, while sharing snapshots of his experience with other industry legends [Such as Sheila E (Prince), Coke Escovedo, legendary drummer Billy Cobbins] along the way.

Connect with Steve Arrington:

SteveArringtonMusic.com

https://www.facebook.com/SteveArringtonMusic

https://www.youtube.com/user/SteveArringtonMusic

https://twitter.com/steve_arrington

https://open.spotify.com/artist/030gEPJwNJnBcyra7CB9vM?si=QkjzCh9nTreY1-yui0_JaA

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Steve Arrington is known for his innovative vocals on funk classics like "Watching You” and "Just A Touch of Love" with Slave, as well as his solo hits "Weak at the Knees,” “Way Out,” "Nobody Can Be You,” and the top 10 single “Feel So Real.” Steve's songs have been sampled by Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, & N.W.A. He’s continuing to push the envelope with recent collaborations with Dam Funk and Snoop Dogg.

In part 1 of the ToddeFunk! Show’s conversation with Steve, he gives us an insider’s look into coming up in the prolific funk scene in Ohio. He also shares how his migration to the Bay Area brought rock and roll influences into his life. You’ll get to hear them both reminisce about Steve’s role in introducing Todde into the musical world, plus many other anecdotes from Steve’s storied touring career.

Connect with Steve Arrington:

SteveArringtonMusic.com

https://www.facebook.com/SteveArringtonMusic

https://www.youtube.com/user/SteveArringtonMusic

https://twitter.com/steve_arrington

https://open.spotify.com/artist/030gEPJwNJnBcyra7CB9vM?si=QkjzCh9nTreY1-yui0_JaA

Follow the ToddeFunk! Show:

https://www.facebook.com/TheToddeFunkShow

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