There's Something About March

While it is officially Cancer season (aka Joseph's birthday season), this week Joseph is joined by Naturally Alise and JR of the R&B Reps to give love to a cluster of Aries who are musical icons. Follow The R&B Representers on IG/X @rnbreps. Subscribe to The R&B Representers show here - https://www.youtube.com/@rnbreps. Follow Joseph on IG/X/Threads - @josephtheythem and send your prayer requests/praise reports to [e-mail]. HELLA BLACK, HELLA QUEER, HELLA CHRISTIAN is an iHeart podcast apart of the Outspoken! Network which amplifies LGBTQ voices in podcasting.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hella Black, Hello, Queer, Hello Christian is a production of
iHeart Podcasts and Outspoken.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Show me how good it is going to get today. God,
Dear Universe, you have permission to amaze me today. I
am a beautiful and blessed being who deserves great things always.
I love my life and I am thankful for my life.
I am safe, and I have everything I need. Something
amazing is happening for me today. Today's episode is a celebration,

(00:48):
a remembrance. We're lifting up the names and legacies of
some of the most iconic black musical artists whose birthdays
fall around the same time of year, and whose voices
have carried us through joy, grief, love, and Saturday Morning Clean.
Whether you're listening in March or any other month, what

(01:09):
we're talking about today is timeless, because this isn't just
about birthdays. It's about legacy, about how music holds memory,
about how black art keeps us connected to something sacred.
And if you've been following along this season, then you
already know that's what Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian

(01:30):
is here to do. Honor our full selves, our full stories,
and the full choir of voices that got us here,
say hello to the congregation.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
Hey y'all, what's going on? After that prayer? We came in,
I got my communion up. Let's get this started right now.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
How about y'all let the people know just a little
bit about who y'all are, what y'all do, how y'all
show up into work.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
So we are the R and B representas jrs. She's
naturally the least. We actually came up with the R
and B reps through pain. My grandma passed and her
grandfather passed and like literally the same week. So me
and her was really going through it. And one day,
you know, we was like, yo, let's just go online
and do something. Let's see what would happen. And we

(02:23):
got online and this thing hit and everybody came on
an ig and then me and e Leits just took
it further. We want to start of the show in
title catch that which Joseph hath been on. We talk
about songs, we talk about albums. We want to really
talk about the history of R and B for real,
because as you can see, in the state of the
world that we in, they kind of try to throw

(02:45):
our history to the side. So what me and elites
try to do is try to, you know, give you
some facts, be funny, be a little shady at times,
me a little more than her. But at the end
of the day, we just love this R and B thing. Man,
We love our show catch that. We also created a
fan culture, which Joseph has been on and we you know,

(03:06):
we are not about to stand culture. You know, everybody,
every artist is you know, not always great at times,
and you want to talk about the good and the positive,
but it's just the R and B rappers. We just
love R and B. We just love music period and
we just love talking about it and having a good
time talking about it. So we came up with it
and we've been rocking ever since. So it's we are

(03:26):
on year four, since maybe three.

Speaker 4 (03:29):
On YouTube we started off, we just we would have
a topic of something about R and B music, and
you know, we would just kind of have an informal
discussion and at one time I would play my records
for the artists that we might have been talking about.
It was just a lot of fun. I'm actually kind
of glad we started that way because we were able

(03:49):
to do it in a community building.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Way and it is definitely a community of considering the
fact that you all come on at Sundays at two,
so you'll come in just as I'm geting and in
the door from church. It's a nice after church deep
brief when I tell you they are known in the
world of R and B. They have been able to
pull Jimmy jam they have been able to pull Brian

(04:14):
Michael Cox, they have been able to pull journalists like
Craig Seymour. So you have these two individuals through their
love of R and B and really a perfect example
of turning their pain into purpose, connecting their pain to
passion and turn that into their purpose. These two individuals
are truly interviewing heavyweights within the world of R and B, and,

(04:37):
as Jay y'all said, are truly preserving R and B.

Speaker 3 (04:40):
Where's the collection plate?

Speaker 2 (04:42):
I'm with you when you're right, Yes, definitely. So we
are going to get into just some icebreakers because before
we really get into the word, which will be the
meat of this shows episode, I really do feel like
we need to take some time as R and B lovers,
as black music lovers, as black people who loved black history.

(05:03):
Coming out of a February March which saw a lot
of our pivotal legends leave us. So it started on
the twentieth of February. It started on that next to
last Friday of February with Jerry's the Iceman Butler.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
Oh yes.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Then that same Friday was for Leta Wallace, the mother
of Biggie's mom. And then later that evening we got
the news about Gwenn ber Cray. So it caused me
being black. I'm like, that was quick, but okay, we
got all three.

Speaker 3 (05:47):
Yes, we were like, okay, we got.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
All three quick, but you know, we got all three,
so we should kind of cool out right. That Monday,
hm hm roberta flat mm hmm.

Speaker 3 (06:06):
That hit.

Speaker 4 (06:08):
And still I still haven't processed that one, because that's
a that is an artist that is deeply entrenched and
just like just because of the writer she was, and
I don't know, it was just my kind of meditation
music or what I play when I'm stressed or upset,

(06:30):
and now it's like, now it makes me sad for
the moment. So it takes some time to get her
back in my rotation.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
And it's one of those things where we knew, we
knew she had been set and she had been out
of the public eye due to her illness for some time,
but still it was like, damn.

Speaker 4 (06:50):
They've been trying to kill her off for five six years.
I didn't even believe it at first because they've been trying,
they've been trying to say she did. I don't hear
every year the last five years of oh, we didn't
lost Roberta and she was still with us.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
And then I'm trying to who was.

Speaker 3 (07:09):
Then right after Roberta, we lost Angie.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
Okay because because Angie Okay, so she kicked off March,
I mean Billy March one. They won the women's history
months you know, Energie passed and then also she wasn't
a music person, but from the civil rights tip, doctor
Hazel Dukes from the N A, C and P. She
also passed that day. And then Roy then.

Speaker 4 (07:40):
Up to meet and taught to Roy Airs and like
hang out with him.

Speaker 2 (07:43):
So I'm just so so I got to take a
little time on that one. So I got to see
him at Blues Alley a couple of years.

Speaker 3 (07:52):
Back, which was pretty.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
And then Dwyane Hick and then Draane.

Speaker 3 (08:00):
That one out of all of them, even though Jerry
Butler was a hit for me, but Dwayne hit me
the hardest because of what Tony Tony Tony meant to
me and meant to me as far as learning this
music thing, because they were the first group that I
looked at a lot of notes and fell in love

(08:20):
with reading them and knowing that what he played the guitar,
and Rafael played the bass, and Timothy was doing the
DRAMs of the piano or this and that. Just when
I heard it, I just could not believe it. I
was just like no, no, no, no no. And then
to know that he was sick for a while and
they didn't tell it, you know what I mean. So

(08:40):
I'm so glad that I got to go see them
when they were on tour, you know what I mean.
So that one hit me the hardest out of all
of them.

Speaker 4 (08:50):
Me and JR. Both went to that tour because JR
went like two weeks before me, and I told him,
I said, don't you dare tell me anything sing a
song that they sing. I don't want to know what
they wore. I just need to know if you had
a good time or a bad time, and then in
two weeks we can go in and talk all about it.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
And I can't give you a little bit.

Speaker 4 (09:10):
She was like, yeah, yeah, but you did good. You
ain't tell me a thing. I was like, that's that's.

Speaker 3 (09:15):
Love, yes, yeah, because I knew they was.

Speaker 4 (09:17):
I just wanted that excite map of talking together about it,
like about the songs, since we go together, you know.
So it's like I wanted to have that experience.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
I was talking with about other music friends on Twitter,
and I was like, it is given the rapture the
way these elders are flying up out of here.

Speaker 4 (09:38):
Shoot, and the not so elders too, that's the same.

Speaker 2 (09:41):
And then I was even thinking about that because like
in today's age, sixty isn't you isn't necessarily the way
the way we the way we consider oh, today's sixty,
ain't ain't the sixty.

Speaker 4 (09:58):
Of you know, of the former generation.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
Right right?

Speaker 2 (10:03):
And then I mean you can eat because funny that
you should bring that up, and funny that we're bringing
that up because I've actually pope and at least I
actually think you engaged it. I actually did a post
where I put a picture of Mary J. Blige in
her fifties up against what like Patty and Aresa and
Gladys looked like in their fifties completely because honey, Because

(10:31):
when they hit their fifties, Patty and Honey, they were
in their mother era and May and and May and
Mary was like, Mary is like, no, Honey, it's there's
still some juice here. There's still some lubrication.

Speaker 4 (10:46):
Yeah, don't stop it. But I'm just saying that because
that's what you're supposed to say.

Speaker 2 (10:52):
But okay, So, and then before we actually go into
the word, if it's all right with your we are asked,
you're gonna take just a brief moment of silence, just
gonna take about thirty seconds or more like fifteen. So,
but you're gonna take a quick fifteen seconds just to

(11:15):
honor those that we've lost. Just give me one moment. Okay, y'all,

(11:49):
thank you for the love. Thank you for the music.
Through your music, you all will live forever. We will
never forget you, and we will never allow you to
be forgotten. Okay, So now we can move into this
week's conversation.

Speaker 3 (12:05):
I'm about to say, I ain't got no more money, Joseph.
He was taking all my money. I ain't got no
more than give the collection, plead.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
So this week's episode is called There's just something about March,
and when I was granted the opportunity to be able
to have this podcast through iHeart, definitely think our partners
at iHeart, who keep the lights on for us. I

(12:34):
knew that this was a topic I wanted to bring up.
Even though it's incredibly niche, I still think it's incredibly
important and I don't think we talk about it enough.
There is a week in March, and once again you

(12:56):
all may be hearing it. Y'all are probably gonna hear
this later year. Right now, it's the twentieth of March,
so we're a couple of days from this week starting.
But there is a week in March that for me,
is just packed with births of black musical genius. So

(13:18):
it actually starts on March the twenty third of March,
the twenty second Forgive Me, with the birth of one
Stephanie Mills. Just going to give a brief bio for
those who may not be familiar. So Stephanie Dorothea Mills
was born on March the twenty second, nineteen fifty seven

(13:41):
and is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to
start Them as Dorothy in the original Seventh Time Tony
award winning Broadway run of the musical of The Wiz
from nineteen seventy four to nineteen seventy nine. The song
Home from the Show Lady became a number one USR
be hit and her signature song. During the nineteen eighties,

(14:04):
she had five number one R and B hits, including Home.
I have Learned to respect the power of love. I
feel good all over, You're putting a rush on me, and.

Speaker 3 (14:14):
Something in the way you thank you for him.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
She won a Grammy Award for Best Female R and
B Vocal Performance for her song never Do Love Like
This Before in nineteen eighty one. Her albums What You're
Gonna Do In My Loving Sweet Sensation and Stephanie went gold,
all platinum all through twentieth Century Fox Records. So, as
I stated, I am on, we are in the presence

(14:40):
of two Stephanie Mills super fans. So I'm just gonna
step back and I'm gonna just let y'all go.

Speaker 3 (14:49):
Well. I love Stephanie because first of all, she's from Brooklyn,
so that's the hometown. You know what I'm saying, me
being from Brooklyn, So I love Stephanie. I just think
Stephanie doesn't get the proper respect that she deserves. To me,
you know, a lot of times they don't really honor
her a lot, and I think it's a little unfair.

(15:11):
I think, you know, Soul Trainer, somebody should have already
given her something. But I'm shout out to the Black
Black Honors. They honored her with the Soul a Legend Award,
but it was kind of overpowered because Aretha had just died,
so everybody was kind of focused on that, and that
was in her acceptance speech. But I think Stephanie deserves

(15:32):
a lot because what she did with Home, a lot
of careers wouldn't have been made if she would have
not made that record.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
That was a talent show showtime at the Apollo, That's right,
a talent show.

Speaker 3 (15:51):
Yes, and we all know the the biggest thing was
Whitney when she did it on the MERV Griffin Show,
and that was a big moment for her. And I
just think a lot of people just miss out, you
know what I'm saying, just really really miss out on,
you know, the things that Stephanie does. And she's been
consistent with, you know, with the culture. She's culture. Stephanie

(16:12):
is about the culture and for the culture and that's it,
you know what I mean. She's not with the crossover
appeal and all of that. She she gets down with
us and just like the song just what You're gonna
do with My love? And me and the least go
nuts when we do put a little rush on me,
Like we go nuts with that, Like you know what
I'm saying, Like, well, living in.

Speaker 4 (16:36):
The eighties, but something's never changed.

Speaker 3 (16:45):
She actually liked it when we did it, like she
she actually liked it, put a heart under it. It
was so dope because me and elist was acting a
pure fool, you know what I'm saying. So it was
just yeah, Stephanie's I love her. She's actually in my
top ten things favorite female vocalists of all time, and
you know, I think she's deserving. You know, I'm so

(17:06):
happy now this tour that's about to happen with her
and Patty and Gladys and Shaka.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
I was trying to wait until we got the Shocka
to bring it.

Speaker 3 (17:18):
Oh yeah, but I ain't gonna talk about it too long.
I'm just happy that she's on it for real, to
be honest. So I'm happy that she's on you know,
this tour's happening. But I love Stephanie man, and I
think she's deserving of a lot more than what she gets.
And me and Alice talks about Stephanie any kind of
chance we get if we even freestyling, We just like Stephanie.
We love you girl, just to say, I'm saying so. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (17:43):
And one thing about Stephanie that I love is that
she took care of her voice.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, because I mean even even now
she can still give, you know, performances that are comfortable
to the to the original versions of the songs that
we came to know and love. And then for me
step so the tantalizingly hot album on Casablanca Now which

(18:16):
had keep Away Girls, which.

Speaker 3 (18:19):
You better talk about it.

Speaker 2 (18:20):
But for me, my song off that album was last Night,
last Night, You turned the Power last Night, and then
so and then yeah and for me, and then I
actually got to see Stephanie in a revival of the

(18:42):
Whiz So this is like two ninety three, and they
brought it back to the Beacon Theater, okay, and and
and she reprised her role as Dorothy and it was
just something amazing. And then for me, it's almost like
I remember her window may have been small, but baby,

(19:05):
her window, Stephanie Mills, was everywhere and then round. Then
she just kind of left for a couple of.

Speaker 3 (19:15):
Years, which she said that she you know, she went
and wanted to raise her baby, right, and then she
did the gospel album right right, She said she wanted
to do that. So because she was like this this
industry would definitely take you, you know what I'm saying.
So she's like, I needed a break.

Speaker 4 (19:36):
And we were no longer living in the eighties.

Speaker 2 (19:41):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, And that's a great point at least
because because that also that also may have played a part,
but we still got six more people that we got
to get through. Yes, so let us now move to
March the twenty third, where and not teen fifty three

(20:02):
your vet. Maurice Stevens, better known by her stage name
Shaka Khan, who is an American singer known as the
Queen of Funk. Her career has spanned more than five decades,
beginning in the early nineteen seventies as the lead vocalist
of the funk band Rufus. With the band, she recorded
the notable hits tell Me Something Good, Sweet Thing, Do

(20:24):
You Love what You Feel? And the platinum certified Ain't Nobody.
Her debut solo album featured the number one R and
B hit I'm every Woman, which became a pop hit
for Whitney. Houston con scored another R and B chart
hit with what You're Gonna Do for Me, before becoming
the first R and B artist to have a cross
over hit featuring a rapper with her nineteen eighty four

(20:46):
cover of Princes I Feel for You. More of Coon's hits,
including through the Fire and a nineteen eighty six collaboration
with Steve Winwood that produced a number one hit on
the Billboard Hot one hundred, Hi Your Love. Now. Now
I know I'm on here with the R and B representatives,
so I gotta clean something up a little bit because
and I have to know, I have to give note

(21:09):
I'm reading from Wikipedia because it's been a week. Okay,
it's it's it's it's been a week. So I just
had to go on Wikipedia right before we got into
the room and and and put and pull these bios
because I because because there was a lie that I
read that that that that we know wasn't quite all

(21:32):
the way right. Well so, but so I I just
need to acknowledge. You know, y'all just pray for me.
You know, you just put you just put me on
you put me on the morning's bench because sister can't
fly on one wing and I'm doing what I can

(21:53):
and what I can is wikipedia. Okay, thank you so much.
But I think we can. I think we can all
attest and stand in the gap for sister Shaka where
we can say I'm every woman was an anthem before
Whitney got ahold of it and put her genius on it.

(22:14):
Because we love Whitney Elizabeth here, we love hers some
Nippy and Nippy definitely did her thing with that cover
and included Shaka in the video. But the reason why
that was even a point of reference for that Bodyguard
soundtrack is because of the iconic performance that Shaka gave
with that, So you know, did just want to clear
that up. And then you know, gives the floor for

(22:38):
the RV representatives to give their flowers to Miss Khan.

Speaker 3 (22:42):
Well for me, we give Shaka because one of our songs,
because you know, our theme song is you know, uh
what is it? Make that move by Shalam Shalamar. But
our second one is we got each other from Shaka
Khan from the What You're Gonna Do for Me album
with we talked about with our friend and Alisa's enemy,

(23:04):
Mark Chappelle, and.

Speaker 2 (23:08):
We definitely do love you and definitely Mark Chappelle if
you don't know, Bhona five Music Journalists definitely doing his
thing over at albumism dot com on other venues, and Mark,
we definitely look forward to being able to get you
on a future episode.

Speaker 3 (23:25):
Yeah, yeah, so we we love Shaka over here like
we we do. Like I mean, I love the Naughty album.
That's my favorite album from Chaka. Nobody hasn't came on
to talk about the album yet, but I think somebody is.
But but yo, I love that album down. I just
love Haka. She's a horn y'all. Like that woman's voice

(23:47):
is a horn Like he's nothing to play with man
in Shaka. She Chaka is just real, you know what
I'm saying, Like she's so real and I just love
when she like just do interviews, like even went on
my phase. She said Mary was flat with sweet thing.
I mean, did she lie? But I'm just you know,
as far as dad, it's just Shaka's just real. She

(24:09):
don't she know this industry is what it is, but
she do her music and she just shakas just I
just gotta say this too. They work the hell out
of Shaka. They worked her from when she was still
with Rufus doing her solo stuff. It was like Rufus Shaka, Rufus,

(24:29):
Shaka Rufus all the way to nineteen eighty four. So
Chaka's like, all right, I'm be solo and that's it,
you know what I'm saying, Like they was working on.
So Shaka deserves all that she gets. Man, And she
was a baby. I mean people, real people really.

Speaker 2 (24:48):
Don't take into account how younger, how much younger she
is than her contemporaries from that time mm hmm.

Speaker 3 (24:56):
And they put her on that level with them, you
know what I mean. Mean, so they put her up
there with the Arethas and the Patties and the Gladys.
They put her up there. But she's the young one,
you know what I mean, She young one. She she
made a reatha wear no breath no, you know, wear
her brass stop, you know, so you know, had to
compete with the girls.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
And then also Shaka. And maybe you could say this
about Natalie as well, but what also said Shaka. A
part is that she did not have that traditional narrative
of coming out of the church.

Speaker 3 (25:32):
Other contemporaries agreed, agreed, agreed, Shaka's jazz period, that that's her,
that's her.

Speaker 4 (25:40):
Mmm, yeah, you know what, as much as I love
Shaka solo output, like my favorite solo is what you're
gonna do for me, But what goes hardest for me
is the Rufus albums.

Speaker 3 (25:56):
You do say that, and it's.

Speaker 4 (25:59):
Like, I mean, Chaka sounds great solo and with them,
but I love the Rufous stuff. I just love the
musicianship of Rufus, So I get that in I get
Shaka and I know later years like average White band,
I love that music. But something about the Rufous it's
just a it's just a it's just the funks. It's

(26:20):
and it's my kind of funk. And so I probably
listened to like the Rufous albums more, but I just
love Shaka period, Like if I can hear her, I'm happy.
But I just love the Rufous like I get the instrumentations,
I get them horns and things, you.

Speaker 2 (26:35):
Know, and so for and and then I'm gonna lean
in the same way. Definitely love Shaka solo but I
do lean more toward the rufous work, and I just
love how witchy she was during that era, because I mean,
people love to talk about Stevie Nix's kind of like

(26:56):
this mystic magic woman, but Shaka was giving Stevie next
a run from her money for her money on that front,
especially kind of like doing like her her her rufous years.
And then as far as rufus, really, my standouts are
Earth Song, Best of your Heart okay, and then like

(27:24):
at least as far as solo work, even though I
love Nordy, so I love because I love Clouds and
then I love and then I love. Love has fallen
on me from the debut album, Yes, as well as
her cover of I Was Made to Love Him Stevie.
But really, if there's just a standout Shaka album I

(27:47):
go to it is that what You're gonna do for
me album? And for me it's a song that at
least ain't too crazy about. But I love it. Night Moves.

Speaker 4 (27:59):
Okay, we wind okay, the night Moves thing, okay, the
reason why on shows and I start going nine moves.
It's a huge inside joke. No no, no, I look,
that's one that's one of my tophaka songs. Yeah, no, no, no,

(28:20):
it's it's an inside joke between me and my friend
Renee because we talk about about the women singers that
go from the diaphragm and go all the way deep,
and so we'll sit there and do Tony runs and
we'll do Chaka runs and stuff like ladies. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (28:47):
Now, now I thought you was gonna say father, he said,
because that's the one that least.

Speaker 4 (28:53):
That's the one I don't like.

Speaker 2 (28:54):
And then okay, so I asked you might have been
the one that I was thinking about because I asked
you love Father, He said, too.

Speaker 3 (29:02):
I do too. Mark heard feelings.

Speaker 4 (29:06):
Mark was a guest. He was not feeling what I
had to.

Speaker 3 (29:11):
Favor at all at all.

Speaker 4 (29:17):
Just so everybody know, my favorite and it never changes
is I Know You, I Live You. And number two
was always Stay. Everything changes, but those two are always
my two favorite.

Speaker 3 (29:28):
That and Stay.

Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yes, And if you're gonna talk about Stay, I just
need to talk about how one era could I do? Man?

Speaker 1 (29:38):
Look, I was worried about to go there, screamed from.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
The depths of her paturists on that damn live that
thing screamed from her pussy on that.

Speaker 4 (29:56):
Cover one thing I love. It's just such an honest
cover and moment, it's live, it's she adores Shaka and
like it just it just was so organic and it
was just from a soul. And no, she won't hit
and every note, you know what, I ain't want her

(30:17):
to because she don't anyway, And I don't want her
to because I know, you know, you have certain singers
you go for certain things.

Speaker 2 (30:25):
I don't go to Erica for belting. I go to
Saka for belting or.

Speaker 4 (30:30):
You know whomever. I go to Erica for a different thing,
for a different vibe, move writing, style, production, Like it's
different reasons. Like every singer I love is not a belter.
But it was just such an honest, just organic cover
of her covering like from her singing, and you could
tell that like and probably one of her favorite songs

(30:50):
in the whole world, you know. And she even said
that she was scared in it, Like how real is that?
Like it's just it's just such a real moment.

Speaker 2 (31:02):
So we get a break on the twenty fourth. The
twenty fourth is silent all but on the twenty fifth
March the twenty fifth, nineteen forty two won Aretha Louise
Franklin added as the Queen of Soul. She was twice

(31:27):
named by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest singer of
all time. Franklin is one of the best selling musical artists,
with more than seventy five million records sold worldwide. Can
I Get My Words Together? Franklin received numerous honors throughout
her career. She won eighteen Grammy Awards out of forty

(31:48):
four nominations, including the first eight awards given for Best
Female arm by Vocal Performers, as well as a Grammy
Living Legend Award and Lifetime Achievement Award. We already know
what it is. In her later years, she did become
known as hate reesa but.

Speaker 3 (32:07):
Lies, lies, lies like no, I'm kidding.

Speaker 4 (32:11):
But.

Speaker 2 (32:13):
What what would be like to say about miss Franklin.

Speaker 3 (32:18):
Aretha's a queen. I mean, at the end of the day,
you give her that. She might be one of the
shadiest ones, you know what I'm saying, But at the
end of the day, Aretha She's the queen. You know
what I mean? Like you you give her that, and
I mean she birthed the generation after her. You know
what I mean? If it wasn't for her. A lot

(32:41):
of the gospel influences wouldn't been in R and B
like it was, because before then they had Toreatha that
Columbia trying to sound like Dion Walwick. To be honest,
that's what they were doing. And Dion Warwick was that
girl before we go there, she was that girl.

Speaker 2 (32:56):
But also Reesa and cl were trying to get a
Resa to say out like Dion Vold.

Speaker 3 (33:01):
That basically you know what I'm saying right, That's why they.

Speaker 2 (33:04):
Sit because a Resa was like, look, I need a hit. Yes,
I want to be on the radio.

Speaker 3 (33:11):
Right, me a hit. That's why because they didn't send
her to Motown, but they he was like, let's send
her to Columbia. So they wanted her that crossover. And
I'm so glad that Jerry Rexler came in and was like, no,
we need that gospel background from her to be in

(33:31):
her music that can hit and a readA kind of
changed kind of the spectrum of where music was going
because now it was like this is sixty seven. It's
a whole new you know. Now, Blacks wanted to say more.
We wanted more to say in our music. It wasn't
love and this, this and this. There was different things

(33:53):
that were happening in our government like it is today,
and it was just a lot of things. And I
guess we needed that gospel in it so we can
feel it more. And when Aretha came out with I
Never Loved the Man, it was just different. It was different.
It was like, oh, okay, we don't need bird Bacarat,
you know what I mean. We don't need that type

(34:14):
of production. We can have this girl just singing from
the depths of her soul and it still be commercial,
you know what I mean. And once that happened, Aretha
took off and she will let you know, I am
the Queen and I'm gonna wear any outfit. I don't
care how ugly it looks. But I'm gonna wear what
I want. And that's just what it is. And I'm

(34:35):
bringing my purse on on the stage with me because
I want to after my money on there, and I
want to after my money when I leave. So Yes,
in her camp quarder, Hello, she recording you. She like
I got you, I see you, We see each other.

Speaker 4 (34:51):
I always love seeing all those old pictures of her
with her big old camp corner that's it's hilarious, like
sit in the restaurant with the camp right.

Speaker 3 (35:00):
Yeah, I'm like.

Speaker 2 (35:05):
I like it and and like Jay y'all said, is
she liked it and it was in her size she
was or or not.

Speaker 4 (35:15):
And that ain't no fast shape.

Speaker 3 (35:16):
That's just saying it ain't I can even put that
out there.

Speaker 2 (35:21):
Well oh now now now I'll say this, Yes, contrary
to the popular line, I like seventies of Reasa more
than I like sixties of Reason.

Speaker 3 (35:39):
I think I can agree what Waite see. You're being unfair, Joseph,
You're being very unfair. You're being unfair because I love
the Lady's Soul album and that's in ninety. That's in
sixty eight.

Speaker 2 (35:58):
So but I'm I'm not saying sixties or Resa was horrible.

Speaker 3 (36:02):
I'm just saying I prefer seventies of Resa to see.
It's weird though, because because.

Speaker 2 (36:11):
For me, seventies are recess. Where you get the live
and film are West album is when you get amazing.

Speaker 4 (36:17):
Grace and the three funds. Yes, the live of the
film Moore is my favorite just live album from anyone
ever in life. I play it so much, and and

(36:39):
that's also.

Speaker 2 (36:40):
My favorite so they did like a deluxe edition of it.

Speaker 3 (36:45):
It was.

Speaker 2 (36:47):
So those are like so live and film were West
have my favorite versions of Doctor Feel Good and Spiring
because version because on that de luxe edition of the
Spirit in the Dark where it's just her, not the
version with Rachel where it's just her, they go full

(37:09):
church oh really, So it's called don't Fight the Feeling.
The complete film.

Speaker 3 (37:17):
More oh okay.

Speaker 2 (37:20):
And so it has the recording because you know it
was recorded over to nights and then that and then
the original issue just kind of compiled from right to
where like with this it's both nights in.

Speaker 3 (37:37):
Full oh okay.

Speaker 4 (37:41):
The film More version of Door Feel Good. I love
it so much that when I hear the original or
other live versions of it, I.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
Mean I be mad.

Speaker 4 (37:53):
I have a stink face. I was like, this ain't
my version?

Speaker 2 (37:56):
Like you like after you hear the like after you
hear the Filmore version of Doctor Feel Good and then
try to go back and listening to the studio version.

Speaker 3 (38:07):
No, no, like.

Speaker 2 (38:10):
There you turned me off just when I was getting
ready to get off. I need the full things.

Speaker 4 (38:18):
And it's so funny to me that performance, like it's
so churchy for that song, and that's.

Speaker 2 (38:27):
Just it's churchy, but it's incredibly sensual.

Speaker 1 (38:31):
Right yeah, yeah, You're not down just yet.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
Friends. We've got more legends to cover, more stories to
share them, So don't touch that die.

Speaker 1 (38:41):
We'll be right back after this break.

Speaker 2 (38:43):
And up next the Queen of Soul herself, Detroit's finest,
Miss Aretha Franklin.

Speaker 1 (39:05):
Hey, y'all, welcome back to Hella Black, Hello Career, Hello Christian.

Speaker 2 (39:10):
I'm also gonna say, as my musical year has matured,
I really come to appreciate her. Aristery is a lot more.

Speaker 3 (39:18):
Yes, yes, I do too, I do too. I you know,
when she first signed with him, she then you knew
I was gonna do it because I love her version
of a fool Believe on that eighties Arena album. I
love it. I love it, you know what I mean.

(39:40):
And then Luther came and blessed her, you know what,
jumped to it, you know what I mean. And it
was just like because Aretha needed it, because y'all know,
after Sparkle, it was like Aretha took a little dip.
So then she came, you know, signed with Arista and
then how she called it Arista and and once to that,

(40:07):
and then Luther and then all of that. And you know,
then when she came out with the second of readA project,
when knew you were waiting for me and Jimmy Lee
and and all that, it brought Aretha back on on
top again.

Speaker 2 (40:18):
So and and funny and then funny you would bring
up lutheror because for some reason, I was listening to
to Luther's early stuff and I can't remember the name
of the song I want to say, the sweetest one
that he recorded for Forever for Always.

Speaker 3 (40:35):
For Love, and I was listening to it.

Speaker 2 (40:37):
And I'm like, this sound a whole lot like loved
Me right from jump to it.

Speaker 3 (40:42):
I mean, they were recording around the same time, so
I mean it could be.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but but but but that's and then
even with even in those arish the years, all them
years of smoking them cigarettes started to catch up with
a Resa, but you know she still had had had
that sound. But you know, definitely love you, miss Franklin.
Hope you're doing good up there, because we don't want

(41:08):
to get into too much shade, because I don't need
her throwing a shoe down at me.

Speaker 3 (41:12):
You better believe it. I don't need nothing being thrown
at me on my lights cutting off while we recording.
Let's not do this.

Speaker 1 (41:19):
All right now, don't you go nowhere?

Speaker 2 (41:21):
You got so much more to get into after the
break stick around. Welcome back to Hella Black, Hella Queen,
Hello Christian. I'm Joseph Freese and I'm here with the

(41:42):
brilliant R and B representers Jr.

Speaker 1 (41:45):
And Naturally Elice. And today we're giving flowers to the legends.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
Okay, so then we moved to Now we move from
the twenty fifth because a Resa was the diva, so
her day was by herself. Wasn't nobody else born on
her day? On March twenty six we have a we
have a triple header, and it starts with doctor Maddie

(42:14):
Morse Clark, who was born on March twenty sixth, nineteen
ninety five, was an American gospel choir director and the
mother of the Clark Sisters, a gospel vocal group. She
was the longest serving international minister of Music for the
Church of God in Christ. Her arrangements, perhaps influenced by
her classical training, replaced the unison or two part textures

(42:37):
of earlier gospel music with three part settings of the
music for soprano, alto antenor voice rangers, a technique that
remained in gospel choir of music for decades afterwards. So yeah,
like the whole splitting up to where that three part,
it was doctor Clark that did that, and she was off.
I believe she was also the first female gospel artist

(43:02):
to get a gold record. If she was not z first,
she was one of the first. And I'm a Clark
sister fan, so I did want to so I did
want to include doctor Clark. But really it seems, especially
once you get outside of Kojin, people really know her

(43:23):
more for being the mother of the Clark sisters than
necessarily for what she did or well more or less.
They know that she would throw shoes at people, but
they don't really know her. They don't music.

Speaker 3 (43:43):
Oh yes, Lord had mercy. Yeah, I know her from
my grandma. My grandmother, you know, loved gospel music and
that's how I got into it. So I know a
lot of the stuff when she did when she was
on Westbound Records, Okay, and so I know, like the
the hands of God reached out and touched me. What

(44:04):
else do I know? My grandma, Grandma, Please don't be
mad what is it? See Kim and he will let
you come in and it's one more And I'm not
too sure, but I know a little bit of that
from her. But like you said, once I know about
her being the mother of the Clock Sisters, that's when

(44:25):
I really kind of got into Ms. Maddie and man her.

Speaker 2 (44:31):
So her big song was going to Heaven to beat
the Camp.

Speaker 3 (44:34):
Yes indeed, yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 2 (44:36):
So so yeah, we want to give her her flowers.
But I think we can move from the before we
go back to Detroit. We can head up to Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania real quick. Sorry, we're on March the twenty sixth,

(44:57):
nineteen fifty. Theodore de Reese Pendergraphs was born my Guy,
an American soul and R and B singer songwriter who
we know in love as Teddy Pendergrass. Pendegrads lived most
of its licensed the Philadelphia area and initially rose to
musical fame as the lead singer of Hal Melvin and

(45:18):
the Blue Notes. After leaving the group in nineteen seventy six,
Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label,
releasing five consecutive platinum albums, a record at the time
for an African American R and B artist. Pendergrads career
was suspended after a March nineteen eighty two call crash
left him paralyzed from the chest down. Pendergrads continued his

(45:41):
successful solo career until announcing his retirement in two thousand
and seven. He died from respiratory failure in January twenty ten.
So what do we have to say about mister turn
them off?

Speaker 4 (45:56):
I love it this girl right here love so Teddy
p and I always when I was a little girl
like I just and it's probably because my mom loved
it so much and it's just resonating. We had the records,
so what we have one solo Teddy record, but we

(46:18):
had like the Harold Melvin and the Blue notes.

Speaker 3 (46:22):
Go ahead, do it what you go ahead and do it?

Speaker 4 (46:29):
What else gonna do?

Speaker 2 (46:30):
There?

Speaker 4 (46:31):
We get together soon make it real?

Speaker 3 (46:41):
Agether Listen, listen. If Melbourne was not mad, he was
angry because he thought that song was his baby, Taddy
said no, no, no, no, no no.

Speaker 2 (46:57):
And at all the fact that I'm still not one
hundred percent sure how Melvin was in the lineup. When
I'm looking at a picture, Oh.

Speaker 4 (47:08):
I know, because he looked evil. He looked he looked
because he looked like a not nice person. He just
got that. He got that vibe.

Speaker 3 (47:20):
He looked like a cheap and then with.

Speaker 4 (47:22):
The fact like a crooked landlord that's what he looked like.

Speaker 3 (47:26):
A I agree, And it's crazy because he got Teddy
to be a drummer in the group. Yeah, that's what's crazy.
And then they did a performance and I'm like, yeah,
Teddy should have been the lead from the break, like
you know what I'm saying, like with a voice like that,

(47:46):
like yeah, and you you know a voice like that.
He couldn't stay. He had to go solo. Man, there
was no no, he's a drummer.

Speaker 4 (47:55):
In the list of people we talked about.

Speaker 3 (48:01):
And then it's like and I don't you know, Teddy
had his moment and people don't understand he had his time.
Between seventy seven and eighty two, Teddy could not be
fooled with. He was on the charts all the time.
He was representing for the R and B for real.
He woned Ama him and Lou Rolls. It was a

(48:25):
tie and they both won in like seventy nine. I
think because y'all can see the clip of them jumping
up and down and up and down. You know he
was drunk, like what but what a just a.

Speaker 4 (48:36):
Position of styles Teddy Lou rolls.

Speaker 3 (48:40):
And they both was on freaking uh yeah, so yeah,
so Teddy Teddy is a great one man, so a
lot of people kind of switch over him. But with
that come on.

Speaker 2 (48:51):
I always wondered what the dynamic was between Teddy p
and Eddie LeVert.

Speaker 3 (48:58):
Oh, And That's what I'm loved about Gambling huff. They
knew how to handle powerful voices like theirs, they knew
what to do with it. So I would have loved
what would like The only song that I think them
too was actually on together was clean Up the clean Up.
What is it, clean up the get, clean Up the

(49:19):
Ghetto or something like that, and it was the Philly
All Stars and they were all on it.

Speaker 4 (49:23):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it's clean Up the Ghetto.

Speaker 3 (49:26):
Yeah yeah, clean Up, clean Up the Ghetto. And I
think that's the only time we get Eddie and Teddy
on the same song. I just would imagine let them
to like if Teddy would have been still living right
and you know, you know, he didn't get paralyzed or
something like that. I just wanted a performance just with
them too, because it would have been hello, dramatic. It

(49:48):
would have been crazy like at the Apollo them girls
would have them old women would have been in their
church hills going nuts for them. Like. It would have
been crazy, Like I'd have loved that.

Speaker 2 (50:00):
Also, it would have been like Leon and that other
nigga in the five Heart Beats Justine.

Speaker 3 (50:04):
There We're gone just that Longay? What what was it called? Sis?

Speaker 4 (50:09):
What's the song called Let's Clean Up the Ghetto?

Speaker 3 (50:12):
Last Clean Up the Ghetto? Okay? Yeah, and there's.

Speaker 4 (50:15):
Also an MFSB version of.

Speaker 3 (50:17):
It too, Okay, okay, all right, but yeah, Saddie b
one of the best male voices. You can't deny that.
And he's definitely on all of your playlists. When it
comes to getting it in, he's on it. He should
be come on and then.

Speaker 2 (50:35):
So it was born in New York, born in eighty five.
My parents were in their forties. So it wasn't hip
hop a baby. It was gambling tough. So I remember,
you know, you know that Hal Melvin and the Blue
Blue Notes Wake Up Everybody album cover, the Teddy album

(51:01):
with the red background, and he's in that the woman
would come and go with me. And then the Teddy
Pender debut album, so he was definitely a staple.

Speaker 3 (51:11):
Like how do you start that album off with you
can't hide from yourself? Like the way them drums and
horn come in, I'm like, oh my god, like Teddy
was not playing with us like off the break. I
love how the album begins.

Speaker 2 (51:25):
So my two and then my two Teddy pendergras and
this is so somebody told me, which isn't gonna surprise
you because y'all know I love you your good church record.

Speaker 3 (51:35):
And then just be sure, okay, okay mine is uh
the whole town's laughing at me.

Speaker 4 (51:44):
The wow.

Speaker 3 (51:57):
Y'all go off, yes that and I probably it's his
uptemple you can't har from yourself like lyrically that song
is like powerful musically, it's just that song. Anytime that
record comes on and just hit me yo, and I'm
just raising the party, you know what I mean? Like that?

Speaker 2 (52:16):
And then from his Melvin and the Blue Note stays
on bad.

Speaker 4 (52:20):
Luck Dancing and crime Dancing and c.

Speaker 2 (52:27):
And then and then with songs like so like the
songs like bad Luck or even songs like the old
j Slipper for the Weekend really capture the genius of
Gambling Huff that's missing from a lot of today's R
and B to where with Gamble and Huff you got
everyday people music. You got the working person's music to
whow to where now everything's about champagne and popping bottles

(52:52):
and every and and everybody's a baller and everybody's a diva.
And it's like you don't have with a lot of
like mainstream R and B that you see getting the access,
you don't really see like those everyday working people like you,
like you saw back in the day, back in the seventies.

Speaker 3 (53:10):
Yeah, they took They was the ones that actually just
took over for what Motown was actually doing, because like
you said, Joseph, it was like Motown was just it
was more of like, yeah, clap your hands, something your feet, Yeah,
bay love love love love love, and Gambling Huff was
their production and songwriting was for the everyday people. They

(53:33):
were able to cater to the hood you know what
I mean, and boom, you know what I mean, And
with voices like Eddie LeVert and of the Teddy Pendergrass,
I don't think it would have came across the way.
It did so.

Speaker 2 (53:45):
Because listen, once Barry got into Vegas, he was like,
we're not fucking up this.

Speaker 3 (53:50):
Money that part baby.

Speaker 2 (53:52):
Once Barry got into Vegas, and once they moved mosttown
from Detroit to Los Angeles, it was past revolution.

Speaker 4 (54:01):
Yeah, and.

Speaker 2 (54:04):
Jay y'all, I know you're gonna reach through the computer
at me. And I'll even say this as someone who
prefers seventies motown the sixties motown, but still them moving
out to Los Angeles was a choice.

Speaker 3 (54:17):
I'm not mad at you about when people really say that,
because when you think about the seventies motown, who are
the two artists that you at, well three, I'm not
three artists that you're really gonna think about Stevie, Marvin
and Diana I mean and the Jackson's And yes, i

(54:38):
mean the Jackson's was actually the help for the transition
from the sixties to the seventies because of that you
know psychedelic thing, you know, the commodoes.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
Rick came in at the end of the seventies.

Speaker 3 (54:55):
Rick Hell keep the funk in motown, yes, and to
the Light Song, yes, yes, about mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
But since since we're talking about Motown since we're here.

Speaker 3 (55:14):
Oh yeah, I know that it was a great transition.

Speaker 4 (55:17):
Oh yes, Oh you want to tell you?

Speaker 3 (55:25):
Absolutely, you can, absolutely you can tell her tell.

Speaker 4 (55:28):
Us because it's Teddy. I what not my favorite, but
one of my favorite Teddy songs is a cover and
if I love his rendition of is It Still Good
to You?

Speaker 2 (55:43):
Why was that song in my head? As as as
I was hearing you speak, I was like, she probably
gonna say is it still good to you?

Speaker 4 (55:50):
And that's the first song TP when it comes it
comes in on that.

Speaker 2 (55:55):
I was like, she either gonna say is it still
good to you? Or she's gonna say fell the fire
with stuff for me. No, I'll say this, Teddy ain't
Teddy's grown ass ain't have no business singing that song
with young ass Stephanie. But let's move, let's you can't
give me.

Speaker 4 (56:14):
Stephanie and Teddy then didn't give me a lot, but
you could keep feel the fire.

Speaker 3 (56:26):
I don't like they do it. I don't like.

Speaker 2 (56:31):
I mean, he was, he was, he was coming all
over the mic at the end all I don't like.

Speaker 3 (56:38):
It, and you see Stephanie had to run, don't.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
I don't like that version.

Speaker 3 (56:46):
I don't either.

Speaker 2 (56:50):
That's that's people's song and you need to let him
have it.

Speaker 3 (56:54):
Mm hmmm, is is but yes?

Speaker 2 (56:59):
That version ever? But yes. March the twenty sixth, nineteen
forty four, in Detroit, Michigan.

Speaker 1 (57:09):
Died.

Speaker 2 (57:09):
Anne Ross, who would become known as Diana Ross, an
American singer and actress known as the Queen of motowns reckon.
She was the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes,
became Motown's most successful actor in nineteen sixties and one
of the world's best selling girl groups of all time.
They remained the best charting female group in history, with

(57:31):
a total of twelve number one pop singles in the
US Billboard Hot one hundred. Following her departure from The
Supremes in nineteen seventy, Ross embarked on a successful solo
music career with the release of her eponymous debut solo album.
She went on to release twenty six studio albums, and

(57:51):
she would become the female solo act with the most
number one songs in the United States at the time.
Her success continued throughout the nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties.

Speaker 3 (58:03):
So Yes, Miss Roe, y'all see how happy. He sound
with you were seeing us, he had a little bit
more happiness and doing Johnson.

Speaker 4 (58:16):
The pep levels in his depth.

Speaker 3 (58:18):
They gave us a little bit more with her. Were
gonna bother them, yallers, Like we said, he came on
the show with you know, Joseph came on the show
and he talked about Diane as a fan coach episode,
which was amazing. It was amazing. It was the first
one too, so and he and they killed it. You

(58:40):
hear me, he killed it.

Speaker 4 (58:42):
People really dug that.

Speaker 3 (58:43):
They still comment and Joseph still.

Speaker 2 (58:46):
I gotta go and look, I gotta go and look.

Speaker 3 (58:48):
Yes, they're still coming, they commented yesterday. I was like,
well damn you were h Yes, she's Diana is one
of the blueprints. Man, there wouldn't be none of these
girls if it wasn't for her glamour, her style, or
grace all of that that she gives on. You know,

(59:12):
I will.

Speaker 4 (59:13):
Say she is a master class in stage presence.

Speaker 3 (59:18):
Yes, Lord, master class Mm yeah, yeah, she is like
her Caesar's Palace and all of that. Like her shows
were so who like as much as people want to
give us, she had it. You know what I'm saying.
She had the it even when she was with the

(59:39):
Supreme she had it. You saw it. It was like
focus on her, you know what I mean. Much as
I love Mary and And and Florence and Cindy, I guess,
but you know, knew that.

Speaker 4 (59:51):
Was coming, never at all.

Speaker 3 (59:55):
But it's like she had it. So you focus on
her and she just man and she's still out there.
So it's still out there holding you know, her jack,
her nice gowns and you know all of that, and
you're just giving and all that.

Speaker 2 (01:00:11):
But since Jay All brought it up, Cindy really, Cindy
Bird's song really was one of the worst moves in
music history.

Speaker 3 (01:00:21):
I agree. Patty agrees too, but Paddy.

Speaker 2 (01:00:24):
Was like, thanks, so so I mean it's kind of
like you leave the Bluebells to go, and I mean, okay,
the Blue Belts weren't the Supremes, but the Blue Belts Birds,
the Sweethearts of the Apollo. The Blue Bells were a
Chipman's circus stable and the did have their thing. But
you go to replace Florence Boutad and the Supremes and

(01:00:45):
you're only there two years before dian Or Ross leaves.

Speaker 3 (01:00:48):
The group, and then Diana says she technically wasn't a Supreme.
That it's like you ain't even respected as one. You
left a group that you should have stayed with, but
it wasn't meant because it was meant for them to
be the bell and you know, and she goes to
the Supremes, which you got too good. Yeah, I mean

(01:01:10):
she was also there when the Gene you know, Jean
Sorell came in and they got a couple of it's there,
but it was right.

Speaker 2 (01:01:17):
I mean she Cindy was there for the two big
TV specials that the Supremes did. She was there there
was nice, she was there for TCP and she was
there for getting it together on Broadway. But it's like, yeah,
these are Supremes to go. You leave the Bluebells to
be with the Supremes. You get a solid two years
of being a Supreme and then the former group takes

(01:01:40):
off into the stratus fever.

Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
Without without you that right there, but again that is it.
She's it, man. I you know, I always you know,
give a little shade everything now and then, because I'd
be like I loved her with the Supremes.

Speaker 2 (01:01:55):
But Na, and as I said on our episode, you
have to be honest. If you want to talk about
consistent chart success, she was more successful with the Supreme
than she was as a solo arts and as you
just saw about the Wikipedia bile and even if you
look in some of her writers today, they still largely

(01:02:17):
acknowledge her as formerly singer of the Supremes.

Speaker 3 (01:02:21):
They do, they do, but she had I think even
though the impact of the Suprese is big, but her
solo I think that's where people go as more as
her artist thry, you go to her solo career because
her artistry is Sickney. She's just sickning and not Diana
or Diane whatever she wanted to be called gez It.

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
Because here, because he's the thing. If I were her
and Mary Wilson was still out there calling be Diane,
I would have been like, bitch, you know that ain't
my work name.

Speaker 3 (01:02:57):
Coco do that with Leey because go call her Leanne
and she'd be like, that is not my work name.
I'm leally, like you know what I'm saying. So, but
you know, Mary was also being shady. She like Diana,
I call her Diane, Like uh huh.

Speaker 2 (01:03:15):
That was that passive aggressive Oh you know what that
was Oh for sure.

Speaker 3 (01:03:19):
Yes, all right, be to you, Mary, But girl, you
knew what she was doing.

Speaker 2 (01:03:24):
Girl, And since were here, I think that's that's one
of music's biggest heartbreaks that we were never really able
to get a Supremes reunion. Yeah, because they the way
they talked about the Beatles during their sixtieth anniversary, they

(01:03:47):
should have been talking about the Supremes just as much.

Speaker 3 (01:03:50):
But can we really get real? They don't do that
with us anyway, you know what I mean, Like, they
really don't when it comes to us. It's like the
Rolling Stones and all of them can have such a
success story in their older age. It's such a success
and they have these big toys and everything is great,

(01:04:10):
but when it comes to us, it never is. It's
never a success story. It's never that, you know what
I mean. And it sucks and I hate that when
it comes to our to us, they give it. They
can be on drugs and this and that, and it's like,
oh they're coming back and it's so great and they're
clean and at this. But when it comes to us,

(01:04:32):
they don't do that. They never celebrate us like that.
They tolerate us. Shout out to Stephanie Mills and not
for nothing. You even saw it with Whitney.

Speaker 2 (01:04:41):
Yeah, because Amy Winehouse got to be this tortured soul.
Jaddi is Jocqulin got to be this tortured soul even
at Billie Holiday, like this torture, tormented soul. And they
just reduce Whitney to a crackhead.

Speaker 3 (01:04:59):
Yep. They brought her up just to bring her down.
That's why I agree. I love our you know Stephanie
Mills that we talked how she said it. We are tolerated.
We're not celebrated at all.

Speaker 4 (01:05:12):
You know what they you know what they do with
our legacy artists. They put them on them shows with
fifteen people on the bill yeap that I do not
enjoy those shows. You know, I do not enjoy those
shows because nobody has more enough time to do more
than a few songs, and so you don't get so
you're just gonna get three hits and they're onto the

(01:05:34):
next act. And those people deserve to play their catalogs, you.

Speaker 3 (01:05:38):
Know, agree like they I'm a fool of.

Speaker 2 (01:05:41):
Love festival that happened last summer out in Las Vegas
with fifty eleven people on it.

Speaker 4 (01:05:48):
I never never and you know what, that's another reason
besides that I'm old and I don't want to stand
up and be walking around and be in the heat
and stuff. I'm old and lazier in my years, and
so festivals. But that's also my beef with festivals, because
you're not getting a necessary You might get a full
set from like like that from a headliner, and it's

(01:06:09):
still not a real full set, but it's longer, and
that's frustrating to me because I'd be wanting the whole
long experience. Don't don't give me more than really, honestly,
more than three. I could do four people on the show,
but ideally give me one with an opening app.

Speaker 2 (01:06:31):
Yeah, one that don't need an opening app yeap, or
two where it's not taking an opening app but it's
just like maybe a little bit less famous person go
on first, but they're not open.

Speaker 4 (01:06:42):
They you know, they're on the you know, they on
the poster.

Speaker 2 (01:06:46):
They get the yeah. But okay, yo, Well, we are
coming to the last stop on this wonderful journey, and
it takes us to Long Island, New York, March seventh,
nineteen seventy, where Mariah Carey was born. Mariah carry is

(01:07:07):
an American singer, songwriter, record producer, an actress, says Wikipedia.
Dubbed the Songbird Supreme by Ghinness World Records Carriers, known
for her five octave vocal rage, melismatic singing style, and
signature use of the whistle register. An influential figure in music,

(01:07:27):
she was ranked as the fifth greatest singer of all
time by Rolling Stone in twenty twenty three.

Speaker 3 (01:07:36):
I don't know her, but I love Mariah. I love
nineteen ninety to ninety seven Mariah, and then I liked
two thousand and five Mariah because he had her green
tea by then, so she was good to go. But yeah, Mariah.
One thing I love Mariah is a damn good song writer.

(01:08:00):
A lot of people talk about her voice, which was
great between nineteen ninety and nineteen ninety seven. I mean, hey,
but she she's a damn good writer. That girl can write.
You know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (01:08:16):
You gotta have a dictionary for her, you know what
I'm saying, Like, you don't have to hook it up
words and.

Speaker 3 (01:08:22):
Shit right right?

Speaker 2 (01:08:26):
Like, what does incessantly mean? Bitch? Incessantly?

Speaker 3 (01:08:31):
I have no idea to this day, I don't Yeah,
I'm you definitely it a song song, yes, but yeah,
I love I like that Mariah. I mean we Emotions
is my favorite album from her. I love that album.

(01:08:54):
That's my favorite, you know for me. That's when Mariah,
all of her influen instance is in this album. Her
you know, her gospel, funk, you know jazz, all of
that is in there. You know what I mean. That
was the first album where you could say, y'all, Mariah
was a producer, was a songwriter and all of that.

(01:09:16):
And then after that, I think it took you know,
then she went up out of here because before then
it was like they wanted her to be another with me.
And she says that she said, this is what this
is what Tommy and them wanted. They wanted me to
work with her producers, They wanted me to do certain
things and all of this. So when she got to

(01:09:37):
this Emotion's album, she was able to kind of put
more of her, She was able to produce and all that,
and she was out of here, you know what I mean.
The music Box and then the Merry Christmas album which
I love to and Daydream and then that damn Butterfly
whoo whoo who woo. Yes, so Butterfly Man yes.

Speaker 2 (01:10:01):
For me, my Mariah trifecta is Daydream, Butterfly, Rainbow.

Speaker 3 (01:10:08):
Okay, okay, so.

Speaker 2 (01:10:10):
So for me that's when she was at her pinnacle.
But love the version of Can't Let Go from the
Unplugged album.

Speaker 3 (01:10:20):
Yeah, that's my favorite Mariah single because.

Speaker 2 (01:10:25):
Baby Mariah Kelly Price, Kelly's sister Trey Lorrainz Melanie Daniels
got up in that MTV studio and said, we're gonna
have us some church. Yes, we're gonna have us some service.

Speaker 3 (01:10:42):
Now's album I'm not it's just gospel down, you know
what I mean?

Speaker 2 (01:10:50):
Because really, but that one, that one was where she
had to hush up the critics because really before that
Unplugged album has a lot of live appearances. Now know
that she did have the live appearance at the Apollo
where she's sang Vision of Love, and she did have
the appearance of on the Arsenial Hall Show. But those

(01:11:12):
were black shows, so she had to go into their
space and prove herself. So that's what the anti vie
he Unplugged one, and then from Music Box, I remember
Loving now that I know, now.

Speaker 3 (01:11:26):
That I know that your want, I could beat you.
What to melody Daniels. She does not get talked about
a lot either, like.

Speaker 2 (01:11:36):
And then from the Merry Christmas album that's also very
gospel if you think about and then So I went
to see her Christmas tore this past December, and.

Speaker 3 (01:11:47):
I was like, bless your heart, bless your heart.

Speaker 2 (01:11:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, because it was kind of like I
went to say that. I finally seen Rya Carry live,
but it was very phoned in and the one song
that I was hoping she would do she didn't do.

(01:12:12):
She didn't do Jesus O with a Wonderful Child. I
was really hoping that she would have done that. But yeah,
but so we have we have come to the end
of our journey. So R and B Reps I want
to thank you so much for coming and joining and
as as we prepare to head on out, let people

(01:12:36):
know where they can find you.

Speaker 3 (01:12:39):
Well, you can find us on the R and B
reps on Everything, Twitter, Instagram, R n B reps. You
can find us on our website, R and B reps
on YouTube. You could type in your search into the
R and B representers and we will pop right on up.
I'm Jr's World of Soul on Instagram and Twitter and yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:13:02):
Yeah, I'm naturally a lease on everything. But yeah, check
us out every Sunday, well, I would say ninety five
percent of Sundays at two pm Eastern Standard time. Jimmy
jam told us you need to put the time he
commenting on one of the things. You need to put
the time zones. Y'all are international, gabbled us. Boom boom,

(01:13:28):
And I ain't left it off nothing said no, she
has it sometimes at least be like re Redo that
he can't he read us, and I took heid. Hey
I can take a little correction, but yeah you can.
I'm naturally Elise on everything naturalalase dot com. I do

(01:13:51):
other things besides R and B reps that you might
find interesting. So check me out. And yeah that's all
the social We got murdered.

Speaker 3 (01:14:01):
Shirts and stuff, and you know, I got my nice
little and.

Speaker 2 (01:14:11):
You know, didn't even know that Roy was getting ready
to leave us. I just said I needed something in
some yellow. But now I call it my R and
B red shirt and my everybody loves the sunshine shap.

Speaker 3 (01:14:23):
Yes, I like that.

Speaker 4 (01:14:25):
I like that a lot. Yes, yes, but yeah, just
check us out. We would always look. We consider our
fans to be family and friends. So just come on through.
Somebody will talk to you. As soon as you come
in that room. Our good people, uh Nail Tron and
and all them day they are going to greet you.

(01:14:48):
Huh how about that trying usher. Yes, the US is
in your program.

Speaker 3 (01:14:54):
Yeah and yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:14:58):
I want to think the all be representis for blessing
us with their genius today. Please be sure to follow
and support them out in these internet streets.

Speaker 3 (01:15:08):
JR.

Speaker 2 (01:15:09):
Elise, thank y'all for the humor, the insight, the passion
and most importantly the preservation. What you're doing is ministry.
Thank you for being with us.

Speaker 1 (01:15:23):
This show is.

Speaker 3 (01:15:25):
About being whole black queer.

Speaker 1 (01:15:29):
A person of faith or no faith, and brilliant.

Speaker 2 (01:15:34):
In this episode, we remember the ones we've lost and
we celebrated the ones who made it possible for us
to sing, to move, to feel. This is what.

Speaker 1 (01:15:45):
Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hello Christian is about holding.

Speaker 2 (01:15:50):
All that complexity, all that divinity, and still finding joy
in the music. Now, look, before you go, don't forget
like subscribe and leave us a little love in the
comments wherever you're listening, and always check the show notes.

Speaker 1 (01:16:11):
You never know what goodies I might have in there
for you.

Speaker 2 (01:16:14):
Share Hella Black, Hello Queer, Hello Christian, with your cousin,
your friend group, chat, your barber. Let's get the word
out about this good thing we got going.

Speaker 1 (01:16:25):
I'm Joseph Freese and until next time, know this, I
love you very very very very much.

Speaker 2 (01:16:34):
I mean that, and I want you to have the
kind of day that makes you hum.

Speaker 1 (01:16:39):
A good note