TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ DR. GLENN SWEETY G TOBY # 152 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

Dr. Glenn Toby, also known as Mr. Sweety G, is a hip-hop pioneer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist with a successful career that spans decades and industries. He has been involved in music, sports management, and charitable work. The Hip-hop legend:Beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, Toby was known as" Dr. Glenn Toby, also known as Mr. Sweety G, is a hip-hop pioneer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist with a successful career that spans decades and industries. He has been involved in music, sports management. Beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, Glennwas known as "Sweety G" and was one of the first rap pioneers. He worked alongside iconic artists such as Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The Universal Hip Hop Museum has honored him for his contributions to the culture. In House music: Glenn was also signed to Capitol Records in 1989 as a solo artist and continued his music career into the 1990s as a writer, producer, and remixer or house and dance music and began his journey with Cultural Vibe, producer Winston Jones andOwner Michael Gusick of Easy Street Records. He then became a studio owner, along with his brother, Randall Toby, and they built a recording studio in Queens Village, which attracted artists like Luther Vandross's band and Run (ofRun DMC). Glenn then ventures into Entrepreneurship and management where he has had a highly successful career as a talent and sports manager, working with numerous NFL players and entertainers. He is described as an international dealmaker and global business leader. He is also an author, TEDx speaker, and filmmaker.

Dr Glenn Toby as the Philanthropist creating The Book Bank Foundation. As the head of this foundation for over 30 years, Toby has provided literacy resources, food, and assistance to hundreds of thousands of people annually. Advocacy for the poor. Having been homeless as a child, Toby is passionateabout addressing poverty. He has traveled the world to find solutions and works to empower and uplift those in need.  Thestory does not end there as he will tell you his best work has not been done yet.  Listen to him explain it all as it is a masterclass.

TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ ABBIE ADAMS # 151 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

Abbie Adams started with a roller skating store, which was called (Movin), deep within a very urban area of (East Orange, NJ). They would make custom-built roller skates when roller skating was very popular. Abbie happened to open up a second store at The Roxy in New York City, but then, around 1983/84, roller skating started falling back a bit, so the owners of The Roxy started having a Hip Hop night there. That’s when Afrika Bambaataa, Jazzy Jay and Hip Hop were just starting to explode in New York City. Abbie was also starting to managesome breakdancers along with the store (in NJ). Naughty By Nature, Queen Latifah, CeCe Rogers, and Lauren Hill – all lived right in the neighbourhood and as teenagers used to come into the store all the time. So Abbie felt very fortunate to be around the birth of so much incredible music. At the Roxy,Danny Krivit and DJ Julio were the DJ’s, and she owes a lot to Danny – as he really schooled me. He was a good friend of Larry Levan’s, as well his father had been in the music world, and he had such extensive knowledge of R&B. So Abbie became knowledgeable from her time roller skating at the Roxy, and running a record shop , she became more knowledgeable with the music industry because of Danny and other roller skaters. Abbie started hanging out at theParadise Garage. One of Abbie's dear friends was dating Ron St. Germain the engineer of the Peech Boys. He and Larry Levan were mixing Jeffrey Osbourne's "Plane Love" in the studio one night, and they asked Abbie if she wanted to come along. Abbie ran to the studio and was fortunate enough to meet Larry, and not to soon after, he became a really good friend of hers. Larry offered her a comp card to the Garage, because it was very difficult for Abbie to get in to The Garage because she was not gay.  At the time, Abbie was around the age of 22, 23, and she just couldn’t walk in, but suddenly, with this gold card, Abbie could go whenever she wanted! Her skate shop gradually turned into a record store, sort of accidentally, because her boyfriend was a DJ and had Technics 1200s in the store, and we’d have all these breakdancers in there dancing as well and selling the skates. People would come in and ask what the music was that was playing in the background. Abbie saw the demand rise and would go to New York and buy vinyl from Frankie Ramos at Downtown Records or Charlie Grappone at Vinyl Mania.  Abbie would bring it back to NJ and resell it for 25 cents more. It became more and more:less skates, more sales of vinyl records!  So Movin organically went from a skate store to a record shop. Watch as Abbie tells it all right here on True House Stories.

TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ JIMI POLO # 150 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

James Perri A.K.A. Jimi Polo is a Singer, Musician, Songwriter, Composer, Producer, Actor, and DJ. James started his career in Chicago as one of the pioneers of Chicago House Music scene. His breakout involvement in the song “Shake Your Body” by Jeanette Thomas became a cult classic in Chicago and New York.

His life completely changed back in the late 1980s when he took a bold step to move to the UK and pursue writing and producing dance music. Listen to his story as he unfolds step by step his movements from then to now—an amazing, multi-talented, accomplished man.

TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ ALEX SAVVIDES # 148 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

Mr Alex Savvides started his DJ career at the tender age of 16 years old back in 1988. He was helping one of the promoters of legendary Acid House club Zigis, in Streatham, South London, and was blessed to have witnessed a very young Trevor Fung and Carl Cox spinning almost every weekend, and because of that experience he was instantly hooked! Within months Alex became the warm up DJ for them both and in oncurrence he was promoting his own midweek events called 'Casablanca' and '303 Below Zero'. Alex then went on to become the resident DJ at 'The Stoned Crow' in Streatham on Thursday and Sunday nights from around 1989-1993. Not too soon after Alex decided to hang his headphone up for a brief moment. After taking many years out from the music, he decided to come back in 2015 with a strong party called 'We Are Balearic'. This club night now is in its tenth successful year. This year 2025 Alex will be focusing on playing out as a guest DJ, and looking to release his own music productions and edits that will be available to purchase on Bandcamp and Traxsource soon.

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TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ HATIRAS # 148 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

Hatiras stops by to share his story on True House Stories. He has have had many successes in dance music and gives us an insight into his day-to-day life running a record label, being a dj and succeeding in today’s music business.

Hatiras is a 2X Juno Award winner and owner of one of the planet’s hottest and most prolific house music labels - Spacedisco Records. He was also ranked the orld’s #1 Jackin House artist according to Traxsource in 2019 and 2020. Hisfirst UK top ten and global hit record was “Spaced Invader” released on Defected Records. It was named Pete Tong’s Essential new tune twice and launched Hatiras’ career as a globally touring artist.

Prior to this, Hatiras played a major role in Toronto’s rave scene as the owner and mastermind of Liquid Adrenaline raves hosting parties to thousands of people throughout the 90s.

As a producer, Hatiras has collaborated with artists including Low Steppa, Junior Sanchez, Kylie Minogue, Angelo Ferreri, DJ Dan, Sebb Junior, Gettoblaster, Bad Boy Bill + many more and has released music on labels including Defected, Toolroom, Dirtybird, Simma Black, Afro Acid, Farris Wheel,Milk & Sugar, Glasgow Underground, Universal Music, Sony etc.

Through his record label and production efforts, Hatiras has also nurtured and developed the careers of over 100 artists on Spacedisco Records and has mastered hundreds of records behind the scenes.

He has been on fire for over 2 decades having amassed a catalogue of over 500 releases and has performed across the world including shows in Tokyo, Wire Festival Yokohama, across Australia, every major city in the US, Mexico, Colombia, the UK, Germany, Belgium, 7x at Burning Man, Ultra Music Festival Miami, etc.

He recently released his 5th full length artist album “Starlight” which includes 11 tracks ranging from House Music to Nu Disco to Techno. His creativity and versatility is on full display in this project. To say Hatiras is on a roll is an understatement. It is next to impossible to check the Houseand Jackin House sales charts these days without finding at least a few tunes in the charts that Hatiras has touched.

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TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ JOEY CARVELLO # 147 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

Author / DJ Joey Carvello unboxes his book, “The Boston Hustle: The Hairspray, the Cologne, the Disco & the Betrayal“ right here on True House Stories.

In this first-hand account of disco history, learn how Joey Carvello rode the cultural explosion of disco, and how record labels conspired to destroy disco’s independent power. But over the past three decades, Joey helped to reshape themusic landscape in a number of ways. Carvello got his start as a DJ in Boston where, along with jocks like John Luongo, he put the city on the map as one of the most important disco centers outside of New York City. He then transformedthe sound of Boston's radio dial when he took over as program director of KISS 108 in 1980.

It quickly became the city's highest-rated Top 40 station,introducing a dancer sensibility to the airwaves.

In the late ’80s Carvello moved on to Atlantic Records, overseeing a dance department that had a string of hit records from the likes of Little Louie Vega, Marc Anthony and Robin S. Moving on to hip hop, Carvello then joined up with Priority and TVT in the ’90s and ’00s and played an instrumental role in the careers of Snoop Dogg, Lil Jon and Pitbull. Nowadays, Carvello is a resident DJ at New York City’s Mobile Mondays – a party where the selectors only play 45s from their collections. We’ll be teaming up with the crew there when we come to New York later this month with Bobbito Garcia, Amir Abdullah and our very own Chairman Mao also set to play. (More details here.)

You will hear him promoting his book "The Boston Hustle" which is about his first part of this life in the music business. He describes it as a wild ride and I believe you will as well.

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TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ JOHN LUONGO # 146 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

John Luongo is one of the true legendary DJ's andRemixers of the Disco eras. John has remixed tracks for just about everybody, from many of the gems of classic Disco acts like; The Jacksons, Dan Hartman, K.C. & the Sunshine Band, Melba Moore and Jackie Moore to the real Synth POP bands like Visage, Ultravox, Peter Goodwin, The The, and Men Without Hats. He has also worked with some great POP/Rock stuff for Queen, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Huey Lewis & the News, Hall & Oates, Greg Kihn, and Cheap Trick…

Hailing from Boston, John ‘TC’ Luongo is widely seen as one of the most influential DJs and mixers of the Disco era. For over a decade, until he stepped away from mixing, almost everything he touched was a bonified hit. John started with music career back during his time at university. He studied Civil Engineering and graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, Ma. In 1973 with a degree of BS in Civil Engineering he knew he had a greater calling and this was music... While studying at university, John took on a part-time job as a DJ at a club in Boston called The Townhouse, which was, at that time, located above a bar called The Bull and Finch, upon which the TV show 'Cheers' is based. Sometime, while still at university he got his nickname - "TC", which some of his old-time friends still use to call him. The name refers to a cartoon character in the US who was very hip and cool. this cat was named "Top Cat". John's friends would tease him as "Top Cat” who was the leader of the gang, and John was the leader of the Disco scene in the New England area. Thus, the nickname, John "TC" Luongo! John later went on to be the DJ of a club called Rhinoceros, the largest business club in Boston, which eventually became the largest black disco in all of New England nd the East Coast and help him start his career in Radio, and as well help to start the record pools up in the Boston Area. The list goes on and on from this mastermind.

Here is a mantra that John said at the 1978 National Disco Awards:

The day Disco dies is the day people stop dancing.

And people aren't about to do that.

There will always be Disco in one form or another.”

How right he was then and as he is now. He is active even today, running a publishing collection company, but let’s step back in time and have a chance to share a moment of him working on some of these amazing songs that are still in rotation today.

TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ JUNIOR # 145 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

Norman Washington "Junior" Giscombe an English singer-songwriter often known as Junior who was one of the first British R&B artists to be successful in the United States. He is best known for his 1982 hit single, "Mama Used to Say". Giscombe was born in Wandsworth, London, England, and was a backing vocalist with the funk band Linx between 1980 and 1982. "In the early to mid-70s, Junior collaborated with classmates to establish a record label in Balham, South London. They released a record titled Nice and Slow, which Junior later said it had reached number one in Australia. "In 1978 or 1979, Get Up and Dance / Hot as Heated was recorded and later released in 1980. According to Junior, it reached number one in France as well as number one on the Billboard Breakout Chart. "When turning towards a solo career, he was first billed simply as Junior. He scored a no 7 hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1982, with "Mama Used to Say".Junior has claimed that the song was number one on US Cashbox." His follow-up single, "Too Late" also made the top 20 in the UK."Mama Used to Say" was also a Top 40 Pop and top 5 R&B hit in the United States, earning him a "Best Newcomer" award from Billboard magazine. "Junior's single Unison was released in 1983 and achieved some commercial success, particularly on the U.S. Dance Charts. While Junior has claimed that the song reached the number one position, official chart records indicate that it peaked at number 16. After a period outside the charts, Giscombe made a brief return to the top 10 in 1987 when he sang a duet with Kim Wilde on "Another Step Closer to You" which peaked at number 6 in the Uk Singles Chart and, according to Giscombe, number 3 in the French Charts, as well as an unspecified chart position in Germany. Junior became involved with the formation of Red Wedge in 1986 with Billy Bragg, Jimmy Sommerville and Paul Weller, and had been a part of the Council Collective with The Style Council, Jimmy Ruffin and others for the 1984 fundraising single, "Soul Deep".  In 2008 Junior Giscombe sang "A Change Is Gonna Come" which was originally sung by Sam Cooke and Junior gave a performance with the Virtual Jazz Band which was later released presumably using the same vocals in 2011. On 15 April 2010, Giscombe performed his classic hit "Mama Used To Say" with the Virtual Jazz Band at London's Jazz Cafe. In 2014, Giscombe formed "The British Collective" In 2017, Giscombe appeared on Mike City's album The Feel Good Agenda, Vol. 1 on the song "Sang and Dance". Sweet Tender Love is a song by Junior Giscombe that peaked at #15 on the UK Heritage Chart. It was released in 2024.

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TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ JO MILLS # 144 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

Jo Mills began to gain her extensive musical knowledge during the early 90’s at London’s Mecca for music enthusiasts, Flying Records. Working alongside DJs such as Clive Henry, Rocky and Ashley Beedle lead her to become a regular behind the decks at the infamous Full Circle parties on Sunday afternoons. Soon Jo was playing alongside some of the biggest names in house including Danny Tenaglia, Deep Dish, Tony Humphries and DJ Sneak, to name a few. By the late 90’s it was the dawn of a new era, for DJs, and she began playing all over the world. Soon Jo was regularly playing at some of the greatest clubs of the time, especially in Ibiza, which these days is where she calls home. Having firmly stamped her mark on the island playing seminal clubs such as Pacha, Space and Amnesia she then began her residency for the now legendary Circo Loco. As one of the key players her Circo Loco residency spanned five amazing years and propelled her to the next level.

Jo Mills mixed her first Ibiza compilation for Pacha alongside DJ Pippi in 2001 and followed it up the following year with a Circo Loco debut compilation alongside Cirillo. Jo continues to wow audiences across Europe, South Africa, Asia, Australia, Mexico, South America, Canada the US and even Russia. Annual global tours are regularity due to her ever-increasing popularity, fan base, talent and all-round presence in the house scene.

Over the years Jo’s musical talents have continued to flourish, not only as a DJ but also as a producer. In the production realm she sights the likes of Jamie Jones, Bookashade and Sebo K as inspiration and is currently receiving great acclaim for her own releases. Her collaboration with Tomas Hedberg, on Phonetic Recordings caused a huge stir in 2009, 2010 saw “Lullaby’ released on Back to Basics, while other productions of note include‘Dancing In The Dark, Jo’s collaboration with Matti Schwartz under the 4tune500 moniker and ‘House Arrest’, which she co-produced with Steve Mac for Junior Boys Own Records. Jo’s productions regularly receive rave reviews from a diverse range of artists including the likes of Groove Armarda, Slam, Tedd Patterson, Brother’s Vibe and everyone in-between, beyond and basically all those who love quality house. More recently Jo has teamed up with Gareth Whitehead from Bullet Dodge records, with their first single, ‘Pipe Dreams’ being snapped up by Pacha Recordings with mixes from Denney.

Jo decided t0 take a momentarily break for a few years and decided during the year of 2020 to come back and do it all over again. She is now travelling the world once again and has a residency on the White Isle Ibiza each and every week. She is in the studio producing and remixing and has a huge release set to come out on Defected. Watch out for her she is on a roll. 

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TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ SHEDRICK GUY # 143 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA

We spotlight producer, songwriter and engineer Shedrick Guy, who is based in New Jersey. Shedrick started his music career in the 1980s working alongside producer/record executive Ric Wake. New Jersey Producer Ace Mungin from Ace Beat Records helped open the door for Shedrick to start his long career in dance music as they coventured one of there first projects that became very successful. Further projects followed with production partner Guy Vaughn as Fly Guy / Fly Guy Productions.

In the early '90's Shedrick reconnected with Ric Wake and was made VP of urban music for DV8 Records where he signed Raw Stilo and remixed Ce Ce Peniston, Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion. Shedrick decided to leave the business for a

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