September 27, 2024 • 25 mins
Join @thebuzzknight for a return visit on the Takin A Walk Podcast with Mickey Stevenson. Mickey is known as Motown's A&R man, signing an iconic list of artists to the Motown label, including Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and many others. Mickey gives us the behind-the-scenes music stories and also in this music interview talks about his latest projects.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
God gives us all gifts. You got, guests, why we're
talking right now. You got gifts.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
That's why we're talking right now. Okay more than one. Okay. Now.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
When you get tuned in to the gift and you
work within, things happen for you.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast, the show where
Buzz Night speaks with musicians and insiders about their memories,
their projects, and their love of music. On this episode,
a returning guest William Mickey Stevenson is the man behind Motown,
working as the label's A and R man, signing the
iconic artists of Motown, from Smokey to Stevie and many more.
(00:43):
Here's Buzz Night with Mickey on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
And I have the one and only Mickey Stevenson, a
returning guest to the Takeout a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Hello, my friend, Hey, my brother, how you doing? How
you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You gotta have a great smile on your face, so
you gotta be doing.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Our talking to you. If I'm talking to you, I'm
doing all right. You put a smile on my face
all the time.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Thank you, thank you, yes, well.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
Thanks for being on. We have a lot to catch
up with.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
First, of all, let's catch up about a sad note,
the loss of our dear friend, your dear friend of years,
Duke Fakir, the.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Last remaining member of the Four Tops.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
He was on this podcast as well, and such a sweetheart,
and I wanted to get your reflections on his passing
and what he meant to the music world and what
he meant to you personally.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Well, he's an incredible story with the Four Tops. Can
I tell you his story? When I was on furlough
and familiar me have my furlough coming on. We had
we got a theatre in Detroit called the Warfield Theater,
which is like the Apollo in New York. So I'm
on furloan and I'm going to to the to the
(02:00):
theater to see the show. Billy x Stein was performing
and they had the contest. These four guys come on
in the contests and they're singing, do take da Train?
They got all these tunes tied up in one song.
I said, Man, these guys are great. I said, who
(02:21):
They're gonna be stars one day. And I remember the
song and everything. And so when the show was over
and the colonel was calling me back from the army
because they wanted me to re enlist.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I was on my coming out time.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
They wanted me to re enlist because they wanted to
send me the Officer's Training school. But when I was
walking out of the theater, I said, I'm going in
the show business. That's that was my thing. And I
said because that day that that this group called the
Four Aims at the time, they.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Fired me up. So I called back to the service.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And told them I'm out forget it.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
Blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Going to the business and entertainment's been My mother, of
course was a singer and writer, so I had it
in my my system anyway, But that that was such
an inspiring moment at that time. So years later, now
now I'm I'm the n R man from Otown and uh,
you know, we're doing things. And Barry said to me,
(03:20):
we got a man. I want a jazz label. So
I said to him, a jazz label. Well, come on,
less than fifteen percent of the market. He said, whose
company is this? I said, your company? He said, Then
you said, you can do anything, get me a jazz label. Okay, BG, okay,
I'll go into New York and I'm dealing with jazz
(03:40):
musicians trying to find out how because we need to
they have a label. You got to have an artist
and an artist. You got to, you know, build a
name for like any other artists. So I'm looking at
different jazz musicians. If this is a honor player, he's known,
this person is known, and I'm saying, but they all
played with each other. Everybody had an album. They go
play on this album this was coming out, then they
go play on that. So there's nope. To build a
(04:03):
label and an artist, you got to have something to
sign to you as one unit with me.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
So I called Barry. I said, I'm having trump. I
said this is not working. He said, well, what you're
gonna do? I said, I'm gonna go to your cargo.
I'm gonna get me a female singer like Nancy Wilson.
Then I put the jazz musicians around her. So now
we got an artist and they went at the same time.
He said, great idea. When you're going, I said, well,
I'm gonna go next week. He said no, you ain't.
You better go right away. I said, well, I'm in
(04:31):
New York. He said, that's your problem, this is your deal.
I said, okay, I'm gonna go tomorrow. I go tomorrow.
I'm flying there now hill Wad gets sweet. So I'm
giving myself a break. I'm leaving New York, going to
the I'm down and what's that place in New York
where you know, little village down in New York.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
But whatever, the place is Greenwich Village.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
So they got to I'm going down there to give
himself a break before I leave the next day, and
Billy Eckstein is playing in up and I'm walking by
and I said, oh, my man, b I go.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
And see him.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
I hear this group singing in the club and they
made me sing. I said, wow, these guys sound great.
But the sign said four Tops. I don't think this
is the same group, right, But I said, man, these
guys are really good. So I go in c B.
I sit down and then they all singing and that's
the same group. I said wow. So I told the owner,
(05:27):
I said, when these guys get off the stage, have
him come over to my table. He said, who you are,
Mickey Stevenson, move down, blah blah blah blah blah. So they,
sure enough, they come up from having their break. You know,
the four B comes over. So they come down and say.
I said, man, I saw you guys in Detroit when
you're running the contest and blah blah, name the date
and everything, and I said the song, I said, and
(05:48):
I'm in a position to make you guys stars.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Now.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
They looked at me like I'm crazy, right, because.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
They said, and so Duke, who was the sleep speaker
for the for the group, right, he said, uh uh, well,
what's your name again? I said, Micky Stevens and blah
blah blah Detroit tooth and said they said yeah. He said,
what song were you singing? So I started singing the
song that they were in the contest with at the
table doc u. If you take the I'm doing the
(06:17):
whole thing. He said, do you remember that song? I said, yeah. Man,
I said, now here's what you do when you leave here. Yeah,
I know you got to New York. You come, I
mean to the pollow for a moment. Come to Detroit,
come to my office. I'll sign you.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I'll make your stars. So they said, wow.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
You can do that. And then so by this time,
the owner of the place tapping them on the show. Look,
Bill Bixa is about to go on. Come on, yo,
y'all get up, Get up. So I'm leaving the room.
I'm walking out the door, and I looked back and
I said, do do do doc D.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
So they start singing, do do do do? Leave the face.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
They cut a long story short. About maybe about four
or five weeks later, when they're doing their little tour,
they come back and they're in the Apollo, and I found.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Out they were there.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I called the Apollo and said, uh, I left that
uh that group uh. I called him the Ames brothers.
I said uh. And he said, as brother said, your
four guys, they're at four tops. I said, okay, let
them know that I'm calling and I'll have somebody uh
picked them up at the airport when they get to
Detroit like that. So sure enough they came in. They
(07:23):
came to me, came to my office, sat down. Duke
said to me, okay, man, you got us all fired
up here. Now what about this deal you you promised us.
I said, I'm gonna make your stars. I said, now
hold it.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
I reached in.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I kept contracts in my drawer. I reached in and
pulled up four contracts. I said, okay, y'all take them,
read them, come back. I said, before you leave, I
ain't changing shit. Oh I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Okay, I'm
not changing anything on the contract you signed like it is.
(08:00):
I guarantee I make your stars. So Duke Duke took
the contracts, pointed this thing at me, said, if anything
goes wrong, I'm holding.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
You responsible for it. I said, no problem.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
They walk out the door. They say, about twenty minutes,
they come back in. He said, give me a pen.
I said, give me. He said, give the gifts off
and we're gonna sign. I said, you're gonna sign here.
I said, okay, So I gave it a pen. They signed.
I said okay. Now, I said, go next door to
the studio. I'll beat I'll meet you over there. I'll
go right to Barry's office. I said, Barry, I signed
(08:35):
these four guys. He said, Mickey, we got so many
male groups going. I said, none like this one. He said,
I said, hold it before you say anything, Come on
across the striven to the studio with me.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
He comes to the studio. I walk in.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
He's standing there looking like I'm crazy, and the fourth
tops standing there and hollering. Those in their room and
the people coming out because they want to know what
it mean, keep doing now. He didn't come out the room.
So I said, okay, du sang that song you sung
in Detroit. He said, that's what I said. Well then
saying anything you want to sing? Levi Leonon. They sung
(09:15):
right there standing in the studio area right. Barry said wow. Yeah,
I said, I say, now you got a jazz artist
if you want to, and you got a pop artist
you want to. Nobody sounds like these guys. That's how
And we stayed that tight from that day on. That
(09:35):
was my that's my foretops, he said. My book.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
I'm gonna make sure you get my book.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
Oh I love it.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
What a what a beautiful memory and uh.
Speaker 5 (09:45):
You know what what a legacy.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Uh you know, Duke and you and the band created
and it lives on, you know.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Forever, right yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Yeah, yeah, oh man.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
The music lifts us, lifts us up.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I couldn't go to I couldn't go to the funeral because,
you know, tear me apart.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
You know what I'm saying. I like to keep in
my head the Duke, the good times.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yes, yes, yes, yeah, I hear you.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
Well, Rest in peace, Duke for sure, right yeah? Oh
forgetting so you're a busy man. As always, I want
to get an update from you on your musicals. First
of all, tell me the status report, and then we're
going to talk about, as a sort of a byproduct
of one of the scenes from Sing It from the Heart,
(10:37):
how something else has been created. But let's let's get
an update first on the musicals. How's it going and
what's the status.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Well, it's going very good.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I've been approached by some incredible people for it. It's
a Zusa revival when a holy spirit came down in
nineteen o six and people a man were heeled, they
got out of wheelchairs, every race creating color, starts speaking
in tongues, blind was seeing, people were walking. It was
(11:09):
just amazing. And it went on for a while and
it was such an amazing thing till I decided I
would deal with that and turning it into a whole
nother ballgame and bring it back show we See. And
of course I got the show sing It from the Heart,
which is incredible. Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Dinah Washington, Maha Jackson,
(11:29):
Bessie Smith, Thought the Landridge, Earthy Kid, and Lena Horne.
They all meet as they passed, you know, and they
came meeting each other knowing that one made the other
one make it on and on, and each one of
these ladies had an incredible hard time developing in those
days as a talent, you know, with the prejudice of
garbage going on, but they still fought and stayed and
(11:53):
made it. And so I bring this into a story call.
If it didn't come from the heart, it ain't gonna happen,
then stop you. So the song is singing from the heart,
you know what I mean. Yes, And it's a wonderful,
wonderful show.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
So that's progressing and will be taking shape in Broadway
form or eventually.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yes, just picking the right artists, so in twenty twenty five,
that's going to be out nice. But I got to
pick the right artists to beat these characters, you know
what I'm saying. Yes, yes, And fortunately today because of
some of our talent, the Dinah Rosses and the Supremes
(12:37):
and Aretha's and all that, they kind of took took
some of that pressure from the artist's females and gave
them room to grow and show their greatness their gifts
from God. And it's been going ever since. But these
ladies that I meant, they made it happen.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Yeah, complete resilience and strong will. And there's this seen
in there where they're lamenting about a woman in the
white house, right.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Yeah, yeah, you got that, yeah, in a moment in
the show. But Bessie Smith seeing things was happening, and
she's sitting in her chair because she's the beginning involved
in female singer singers, and the girls says, they come,
they're bringing in the history to her, and she was saying, wow.
They was talking about who was voting and who was happening,
and Bessie Smith, if if y'all had a woman in
(13:28):
the white House, some of this stuff would be So
from that, by the way, I wrote that song put
a woman in a white House today, all right? And
out of that can you imagine that is happening now?
I mean, is that amazing?
Speaker 3 (13:43):
So I took the.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Song and redid the song and I had Michelle, my wife,
to sing it. Who's got I mean, she's on the one.
And I had to redid this song. And I'm telling
you it's some things amazing things are happening with that
song because it says, put a woman in the White
House did you get a copy of that Mandy Chance?
Speaker 5 (14:04):
Yes, sir, Yes, sir, I sure did.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Isn't that amazing? How that was foe toold back then?
Speaker 5 (14:10):
It really is.
Speaker 6 (14:11):
And so it's really it's about, obviously, you know, historical moments,
but it's also about inspiring people to get out and vote, right,
I mean.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Oh, yes, they gotta vote. They got to vote.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
And I saw the video too of Michelle and Michelle
is amazing. But I know that because I've gotten to
know you a bit and know Michelle and her dynamic
approach to life. So you're both inspiring. But so you're
excited about putting this out to people the song, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Oh yeah, not for the money, for the inspiration to
get out and vote. That's the only way, the only
way we're gonna make this thing happen. They must vote.
They got they can't rely on things that happen just naturally.
So I'm inspired, and I got Smoky and other people inspired.
Please get out and vote. Get out there and take
(15:12):
somebody with you. And uh uh it's called put Kamala
in the White House today.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Yeah, yes, come kamal.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
My wife keeps telling me, you say, right, Kamala like
that said, I got on TV like like the Comma
when you're right here is it's karma, like, yes, dear,
I got it now. But in the White House today, Yeah,
she laid it over. Every time I said that, she said,
get it straight. Yeah right, And if the women in
(15:49):
America vote, it's all over. So uh, it's a wonderful song.
And uh, I'm gonna make sure that. Well you got
a copy. But let let our let our fans, let
let your listeners do that. I would love for them
to go to the internet. I think that's where is
it that they can find it on Facebook? My Facebook,
(16:13):
YouTube and and ah, please go, please go. It's not
about dollars for me, I don't It's nothing about about money.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
It's about inspiration.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
It's a time for the women and the people to
absolutely get behind this woman.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Now. I don't have to tell you what's happening in
the world. You know what you feel it.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I feel it, and if we don't do something about it, it's.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Going to go in a whole nother direction.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
So I'm inspired, don't mean the way out, just telling you, no,
how do you stay so inspired creatively?
Speaker 5 (16:48):
What's what's the secret for you to be continually.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Uh so, you know, awake and alive and inspired.
Speaker 5 (16:57):
What what is your secret that I have two?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
It's white?
Speaker 5 (17:10):
You heard right?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I mean, well, I gotta tell you.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I see, she took seventy five eighty pounds off of
me by having me eat correctly, you know the stuff.
You know. I love my barbecue, my lamb chop.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
You know you know what I'm saying. My bam bam bam.
I mean it got to be just right, you know,
chicken baked and you know shripps.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
I was into it.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
She said, uh, uh, you gotta change all that. I said,
what what what she says? Now? She started coming up
with stuff everything made out of you know, vegetable, this
vegetable lad blah blah blah blah blah, and I thought
it was gonna be terrible, but it tastes pretty good.
So I started in that direction, and sure enough I
took away to wait no other problems, and I started
(17:57):
doing some reading and research on my own. Well that's
what we should have been eating in the first place.
But how could you turn down some barbecue ribs with you.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Know, me with the true one of the nice, big
thick steaks.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
You know what I'm saying. Yes, I know, I've been smoking.
He was telling me all the time. He said, waimar,
you gotta stop that. Now he's looking great. And I'm saying, man,
you man, you're looking great. He say, well, I eat,
but I'm told you and if you look at me,
see and he moved my player to wait to see.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
You gotta move that out the way. And you gotta
eat east side of salad from you. You gotta eat
some of the.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Well, it's easier said than done.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
Yes, well you how old are you? Mickey?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yeah? Okay, never mind, no, no, no, I am eighty seven.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
You look marvelous. But so it's eating and healthy living.
But once again, there is an X factor here that
I'm still trying to get at on the creative juices
and how you get them to flow.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
But they go to gifts.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Listen, in the beginning for me, people say, man, you
did this, you did that on your dossant, Thank you
very much. But let me tell you where it comes
from from me. God gives us all gifts. You got
guess why we're talking right now. You got gifts. That's
why we're talking right now. Okay, more than one.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Now, when you get tuned in to the gift and
you work with it, things happen for you. The gifts
is so that you can do what you're doing right now.
Get me to talk to you for your audiences to recognize, Hey,
great things can happen if you deal with the right
way and you think the right way. You're making that
happen right now from your gift with me talking with you.
(19:55):
Who's listening to you? Am I making sense here?
Speaker 5 (19:59):
Yeah? You're it's inspiring. It's it's passing on inspiration.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Yeah. So that so that that can that keeps you flowing.
You take that alone with doing other things correctly because
God put this body together to flow and move. And
if you're doing it like he wants you to do,
like you'll be in inspiration for people. You're gonna be
around a long time because that's what you're supposed to do.
If you stop, it just gonna be an inspiration for yourself.
(20:25):
And you're eating wrong.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
You out of here?
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Pretty simple, right, It's a simple outlook, but it's very true.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
You got to take a tack. You gave him some
praise and say thank you. Lord, I pray every day.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
So you're you mentioned Smoky, so you you're obviously in
touch with with Smokey Robinson and and he's doing well.
Who else are you in touch with? And can you
give us a little glimpse on how how they're doing.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I'm doing with Stevie. You know, we talk every time.
I can get him to slow down for a minute,
and it's amazing, amazing, you know, yep, Steve, and I
got Holland excuse me, hollandos Holland.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
You know he moved to Texas.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
For a minute, I said, you he moved when when
it got hot, I said, you up there? You can't
even go out to your house now. You got to
stay in the house and stay in the pool.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
You know.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
He keeps saying you got to come to Texas, man
and spend some time, play some golf. I said, well, man,
it's just burning up up there. Won't you come back
to Los Angeles? So I say we stayed. We stay together.
Hb barnhum, we we're together? And uh, who else is around?
Who else is alive?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
I guess how about how about Ms Ross?
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Uh? And certain affairs will will beat you know, we'll
we'll she'll be there, yes and uh and of course
Martha Reeves, Kim Weston, They're still around and all that,
you know. And whenever I'm in Detroit, I make a
point to say hi. I do talking for students, writers,
(22:07):
young writers and producers. I do a class for Motown
with them, that's about twenty of them. We do a
zoom thing and they do these songs for me and
I give them teach on their songs, how to make
it better blah blah blah, and no charge. I just
want them to stay talented. People got to be the
(22:29):
people around them should be inspiring. So I do that
no charge, just so they and I say, okay, you
can do this with that song. Blah blah blah. They
come back the next week and they improved on the song.
They say, thank you very much. I say, well, it's
a blessing that I'm talking to you. It keeps me
and it keeps me feeling as good as well, you
(22:49):
know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Yeah, yeah, so that's great. But I also think there's another.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Key here, and I think you're going to agree with
this as well. That for all of us, and that
is the ability to have laughter in our life.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
Oh yeah, right, Yes, I mean that's so critical more
than ever now I think. Oh yeah, you know, it's
stark times.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
And yet you've got to be able to smile and
laugh and spread this to other people because it laughter
is contagious.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Oh it's very good for you, very good for you.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
And you know, like I say, for my spiritual said,
when you say things like that, it opens that door
that that's what we're here for, to be in that place,
a state of mind and all that, and with each
other too, because we should be with each other, laughing
and enjoying life, you know what I mean. And when
something around you that has a moment that's not working
(23:49):
for them, if you can say anything or do something
about it to make it better. We are supposed to
do that, you know. And new for now you meet
new friends, and new inspiration comes into the world in
their lives, and it's a wonderful way. It's a wonderful
women in that movie, it's a wonderful life. Yes, okay,
if it's not. If you don't say nothing to nobody,
nobody says nothing to you, you know what I'm saying.
(24:11):
But when you start speaking and a smile come on
their face and smile on your face.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
It's on.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Even if it's just for a few a few moments,
it's good because you walk away with something.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Yes, that's the key, that's it. Yes, Yes, you nailed it.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
You nailed it again.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
Mickey Stevens said, Oh, I'm so honored to.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Have you on again and to connect again and hear
what you're up to and spread the news of your
of your great work of Mickey's It's an honor to
talk to you, sir again on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Well, you know, I got to tell you this. You
have one of the greatest smiles I've seen in a
long time. I mean, it's amazing, your whole face light self.
That's a blessing. My brother, that's a blessing.
Speaker 5 (24:57):
Oh, you're a blessing. Thank you, Mickey, thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts.
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
God gives us all gifts. You got, guests, why we're
talking right now. You got gifts.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
That's why we're talking right now. Okay more than one. Okay. Now.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
When you get tuned in to the gift and you
work within, things happen for you.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast, the show where
Buzz Night speaks with musicians and insiders about their memories,
their projects, and their love of music. On this episode,
a returning guest William Mickey Stevenson is the man behind Motown,
working as the label's A and R man, signing the
iconic artists of Motown, from Smokey to Stevie and many more.
(00:43):
Here's Buzz Night with Mickey on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
And I have the one and only Mickey Stevenson, a
returning guest to the Takeout a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Hello, my friend, Hey, my brother, how you doing? How
you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You gotta have a great smile on your face, so
you gotta be doing.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Our talking to you. If I'm talking to you, I'm
doing all right. You put a smile on my face
all the time.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Thank you, thank you, yes, well.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
Thanks for being on. We have a lot to catch
up with.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
First, of all, let's catch up about a sad note,
the loss of our dear friend, your dear friend of years,
Duke Fakir, the.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Last remaining member of the Four Tops.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
He was on this podcast as well, and such a sweetheart,
and I wanted to get your reflections on his passing
and what he meant to the music world and what
he meant to you personally.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Well, he's an incredible story with the Four Tops. Can
I tell you his story? When I was on furlough
and familiar me have my furlough coming on. We had
we got a theatre in Detroit called the Warfield Theater,
which is like the Apollo in New York. So I'm
on furloan and I'm going to to the to the
(02:00):
theater to see the show. Billy x Stein was performing
and they had the contest. These four guys come on
in the contests and they're singing, do take da Train?
They got all these tunes tied up in one song.
I said, Man, these guys are great. I said, who
(02:21):
They're gonna be stars one day. And I remember the
song and everything. And so when the show was over
and the colonel was calling me back from the army
because they wanted me to re enlist.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I was on my coming out time.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
They wanted me to re enlist because they wanted to
send me the Officer's Training school. But when I was
walking out of the theater, I said, I'm going in
the show business. That's that was my thing. And I
said because that day that that this group called the
Four Aims at the time, they.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Fired me up. So I called back to the service.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And told them I'm out forget it.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
Blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Going to the business and entertainment's been My mother, of
course was a singer and writer, so I had it
in my my system anyway, But that that was such
an inspiring moment at that time. So years later, now
now I'm I'm the n R man from Otown and uh,
you know, we're doing things. And Barry said to me,
(03:20):
we got a man. I want a jazz label. So
I said to him, a jazz label. Well, come on,
less than fifteen percent of the market. He said, whose
company is this? I said, your company? He said, Then
you said, you can do anything, get me a jazz label. Okay, BG, okay,
I'll go into New York and I'm dealing with jazz
(03:40):
musicians trying to find out how because we need to
they have a label. You got to have an artist
and an artist. You got to, you know, build a
name for like any other artists. So I'm looking at
different jazz musicians. If this is a honor player, he's known,
this person is known, and I'm saying, but they all
played with each other. Everybody had an album. They go
play on this album this was coming out, then they
go play on that. So there's nope. To build a
(04:03):
label and an artist, you got to have something to
sign to you as one unit with me.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
So I called Barry. I said, I'm having trump. I
said this is not working. He said, well, what you're
gonna do? I said, I'm gonna go to your cargo.
I'm gonna get me a female singer like Nancy Wilson.
Then I put the jazz musicians around her. So now
we got an artist and they went at the same time.
He said, great idea. When you're going, I said, well,
I'm gonna go next week. He said no, you ain't.
You better go right away. I said, well, I'm in
(04:31):
New York. He said, that's your problem, this is your deal.
I said, okay, I'm gonna go tomorrow. I go tomorrow.
I'm flying there now hill Wad gets sweet. So I'm
giving myself a break. I'm leaving New York, going to
the I'm down and what's that place in New York
where you know, little village down in New York.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
But whatever, the place is Greenwich Village.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
So they got to I'm going down there to give
himself a break before I leave the next day, and
Billy Eckstein is playing in up and I'm walking by
and I said, oh, my man, b I go.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
And see him.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
I hear this group singing in the club and they
made me sing. I said, wow, these guys sound great.
But the sign said four Tops. I don't think this
is the same group, right, But I said, man, these
guys are really good. So I go in c B.
I sit down and then they all singing and that's
the same group. I said wow. So I told the owner,
(05:27):
I said, when these guys get off the stage, have
him come over to my table. He said, who you are,
Mickey Stevenson, move down, blah blah blah blah blah. So they,
sure enough, they come up from having their break. You know,
the four B comes over. So they come down and say.
I said, man, I saw you guys in Detroit when
you're running the contest and blah blah, name the date
and everything, and I said the song, I said, and
(05:48):
I'm in a position to make you guys stars.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Now.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
They looked at me like I'm crazy, right, because.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
They said, and so Duke, who was the sleep speaker
for the for the group, right, he said, uh uh, well,
what's your name again? I said, Micky Stevens and blah
blah blah Detroit tooth and said they said yeah. He said,
what song were you singing? So I started singing the
song that they were in the contest with at the
table doc u. If you take the I'm doing the
(06:17):
whole thing. He said, do you remember that song? I said, yeah. Man,
I said, now here's what you do when you leave here. Yeah,
I know you got to New York. You come, I
mean to the pollow for a moment. Come to Detroit,
come to my office. I'll sign you.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I'll make your stars. So they said, wow.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
You can do that. And then so by this time,
the owner of the place tapping them on the show. Look,
Bill Bixa is about to go on. Come on, yo,
y'all get up, Get up. So I'm leaving the room.
I'm walking out the door, and I looked back and
I said, do do do doc D.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
So they start singing, do do do do? Leave the face.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
They cut a long story short. About maybe about four
or five weeks later, when they're doing their little tour,
they come back and they're in the Apollo, and I found.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Out they were there.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I called the Apollo and said, uh, I left that
uh that group uh. I called him the Ames brothers.
I said uh. And he said, as brother said, your
four guys, they're at four tops. I said, okay, let
them know that I'm calling and I'll have somebody uh
picked them up at the airport when they get to
Detroit like that. So sure enough they came in. They
(07:23):
came to me, came to my office, sat down. Duke
said to me, okay, man, you got us all fired
up here. Now what about this deal you you promised us.
I said, I'm gonna make your stars. I said, now
hold it.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
I reached in.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I kept contracts in my drawer. I reached in and
pulled up four contracts. I said, okay, y'all take them,
read them, come back. I said, before you leave, I
ain't changing shit. Oh I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Okay, I'm
not changing anything on the contract you signed like it is.
(08:00):
I guarantee I make your stars. So Duke Duke took
the contracts, pointed this thing at me, said, if anything
goes wrong, I'm holding.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
You responsible for it. I said, no problem.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
They walk out the door. They say, about twenty minutes,
they come back in. He said, give me a pen.
I said, give me. He said, give the gifts off
and we're gonna sign. I said, you're gonna sign here.
I said, okay, So I gave it a pen. They signed.
I said okay. Now, I said, go next door to
the studio. I'll beat I'll meet you over there. I'll
go right to Barry's office. I said, Barry, I signed
(08:35):
these four guys. He said, Mickey, we got so many
male groups going. I said, none like this one. He said,
I said, hold it before you say anything, Come on
across the striven to the studio with me.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
He comes to the studio. I walk in.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
He's standing there looking like I'm crazy, and the fourth
tops standing there and hollering. Those in their room and
the people coming out because they want to know what
it mean, keep doing now. He didn't come out the room.
So I said, okay, du sang that song you sung
in Detroit. He said, that's what I said. Well then
saying anything you want to sing? Levi Leonon. They sung
(09:15):
right there standing in the studio area right. Barry said wow. Yeah,
I said, I say, now you got a jazz artist
if you want to, and you got a pop artist
you want to. Nobody sounds like these guys. That's how
And we stayed that tight from that day on. That
(09:35):
was my that's my foretops, he said. My book.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
I'm gonna make sure you get my book.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
Oh I love it.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
What a what a beautiful memory and uh.
Speaker 5 (09:45):
You know what what a legacy.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Uh you know, Duke and you and the band created
and it lives on, you know.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Forever, right yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Yeah, yeah, oh man.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
The music lifts us, lifts us up.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I couldn't go to I couldn't go to the funeral because,
you know, tear me apart.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
You know what I'm saying. I like to keep in
my head the Duke, the good times.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yes, yes, yes, yeah, I hear you.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
Well, Rest in peace, Duke for sure, right yeah? Oh
forgetting so you're a busy man. As always, I want
to get an update from you on your musicals. First
of all, tell me the status report, and then we're
going to talk about, as a sort of a byproduct
of one of the scenes from Sing It from the Heart,
(10:37):
how something else has been created. But let's let's get
an update first on the musicals. How's it going and
what's the status.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Well, it's going very good.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I've been approached by some incredible people for it. It's
a Zusa revival when a holy spirit came down in
nineteen o six and people a man were heeled, they
got out of wheelchairs, every race creating color, starts speaking
in tongues, blind was seeing, people were walking. It was
(11:09):
just amazing. And it went on for a while and
it was such an amazing thing till I decided I
would deal with that and turning it into a whole
nother ballgame and bring it back show we See. And
of course I got the show sing It from the Heart,
which is incredible. Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Dinah Washington, Maha Jackson,
(11:29):
Bessie Smith, Thought the Landridge, Earthy Kid, and Lena Horne.
They all meet as they passed, you know, and they
came meeting each other knowing that one made the other
one make it on and on, and each one of
these ladies had an incredible hard time developing in those
days as a talent, you know, with the prejudice of
garbage going on, but they still fought and stayed and
(11:53):
made it. And so I bring this into a story call.
If it didn't come from the heart, it ain't gonna happen,
then stop you. So the song is singing from the heart,
you know what I mean. Yes, And it's a wonderful,
wonderful show.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
So that's progressing and will be taking shape in Broadway
form or eventually.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yes, just picking the right artists, so in twenty twenty five,
that's going to be out nice. But I got to
pick the right artists to beat these characters, you know
what I'm saying. Yes, yes, And fortunately today because of
some of our talent, the Dinah Rosses and the Supremes
(12:37):
and Aretha's and all that, they kind of took took
some of that pressure from the artist's females and gave
them room to grow and show their greatness their gifts
from God. And it's been going ever since. But these
ladies that I meant, they made it happen.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Yeah, complete resilience and strong will. And there's this seen
in there where they're lamenting about a woman in the
white house, right.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Yeah, yeah, you got that, yeah, in a moment in
the show. But Bessie Smith seeing things was happening, and
she's sitting in her chair because she's the beginning involved
in female singer singers, and the girls says, they come,
they're bringing in the history to her, and she was saying, wow.
They was talking about who was voting and who was happening,
and Bessie Smith, if if y'all had a woman in
(13:28):
the white House, some of this stuff would be So
from that, by the way, I wrote that song put
a woman in a white House today, all right? And
out of that can you imagine that is happening now?
I mean, is that amazing?
Speaker 3 (13:43):
So I took the.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Song and redid the song and I had Michelle, my wife,
to sing it. Who's got I mean, she's on the one.
And I had to redid this song. And I'm telling
you it's some things amazing things are happening with that
song because it says, put a woman in the White
House did you get a copy of that Mandy Chance?
Speaker 5 (14:04):
Yes, sir, Yes, sir, I sure did.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Isn't that amazing? How that was foe toold back then?
Speaker 5 (14:10):
It really is.
Speaker 6 (14:11):
And so it's really it's about, obviously, you know, historical moments,
but it's also about inspiring people to get out and vote, right,
I mean.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Oh, yes, they gotta vote. They got to vote.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
And I saw the video too of Michelle and Michelle
is amazing. But I know that because I've gotten to
know you a bit and know Michelle and her dynamic
approach to life. So you're both inspiring. But so you're
excited about putting this out to people the song, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Oh yeah, not for the money, for the inspiration to
get out and vote. That's the only way, the only
way we're gonna make this thing happen. They must vote.
They got they can't rely on things that happen just naturally.
So I'm inspired, and I got Smoky and other people inspired.
Please get out and vote. Get out there and take
(15:12):
somebody with you. And uh uh it's called put Kamala
in the White House today.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Yeah, yes, come kamal.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
My wife keeps telling me, you say, right, Kamala like
that said, I got on TV like like the Comma
when you're right here is it's karma, like, yes, dear,
I got it now. But in the White House today, Yeah,
she laid it over. Every time I said that, she said,
get it straight. Yeah right, And if the women in
(15:49):
America vote, it's all over. So uh, it's a wonderful song.
And uh, I'm gonna make sure that. Well you got
a copy. But let let our let our fans, let
let your listeners do that. I would love for them
to go to the internet. I think that's where is
it that they can find it on Facebook? My Facebook,
(16:13):
YouTube and and ah, please go, please go. It's not
about dollars for me, I don't It's nothing about about money.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
It's about inspiration.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
It's a time for the women and the people to
absolutely get behind this woman.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Now. I don't have to tell you what's happening in
the world. You know what you feel it.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I feel it, and if we don't do something about it, it's.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Going to go in a whole nother direction.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
So I'm inspired, don't mean the way out, just telling you, no,
how do you stay so inspired creatively?
Speaker 5 (16:48):
What's what's the secret for you to be continually.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Uh so, you know, awake and alive and inspired.
Speaker 5 (16:57):
What what is your secret that I have two?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
It's white?
Speaker 5 (17:10):
You heard right?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I mean, well, I gotta tell you.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I see, she took seventy five eighty pounds off of
me by having me eat correctly, you know the stuff.
You know. I love my barbecue, my lamb chop.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
You know you know what I'm saying. My bam bam bam.
I mean it got to be just right, you know,
chicken baked and you know shripps.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
I was into it.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
She said, uh, uh, you gotta change all that. I said,
what what what she says? Now? She started coming up
with stuff everything made out of you know, vegetable, this
vegetable lad blah blah blah blah blah, and I thought
it was gonna be terrible, but it tastes pretty good.
So I started in that direction, and sure enough I
took away to wait no other problems, and I started
(17:57):
doing some reading and research on my own. Well that's
what we should have been eating in the first place.
But how could you turn down some barbecue ribs with you.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Know, me with the true one of the nice, big
thick steaks.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
You know what I'm saying. Yes, I know, I've been smoking.
He was telling me all the time. He said, waimar,
you gotta stop that. Now he's looking great. And I'm saying, man,
you man, you're looking great. He say, well, I eat,
but I'm told you and if you look at me,
see and he moved my player to wait to see.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
You gotta move that out the way. And you gotta
eat east side of salad from you. You gotta eat
some of the.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Well, it's easier said than done.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
Yes, well you how old are you? Mickey?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yeah? Okay, never mind, no, no, no, I am eighty seven.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
You look marvelous. But so it's eating and healthy living.
But once again, there is an X factor here that
I'm still trying to get at on the creative juices
and how you get them to flow.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
But they go to gifts.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Listen, in the beginning for me, people say, man, you
did this, you did that on your dossant, Thank you
very much. But let me tell you where it comes
from from me. God gives us all gifts. You got
guess why we're talking right now. You got gifts. That's
why we're talking right now. Okay, more than one.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Now, when you get tuned in to the gift and
you work with it, things happen for you. The gifts
is so that you can do what you're doing right now.
Get me to talk to you for your audiences to recognize, Hey,
great things can happen if you deal with the right
way and you think the right way. You're making that
happen right now from your gift with me talking with you.
(19:55):
Who's listening to you? Am I making sense here?
Speaker 5 (19:59):
Yeah? You're it's inspiring. It's it's passing on inspiration.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Yeah. So that so that that can that keeps you flowing.
You take that alone with doing other things correctly because
God put this body together to flow and move. And
if you're doing it like he wants you to do,
like you'll be in inspiration for people. You're gonna be
around a long time because that's what you're supposed to do.
If you stop, it just gonna be an inspiration for yourself.
(20:25):
And you're eating wrong.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
You out of here?
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Pretty simple, right, It's a simple outlook, but it's very true.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
You got to take a tack. You gave him some
praise and say thank you. Lord, I pray every day.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
So you're you mentioned Smoky, so you you're obviously in
touch with with Smokey Robinson and and he's doing well.
Who else are you in touch with? And can you
give us a little glimpse on how how they're doing.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I'm doing with Stevie. You know, we talk every time.
I can get him to slow down for a minute,
and it's amazing, amazing, you know, yep, Steve, and I
got Holland excuse me, hollandos Holland.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
You know he moved to Texas.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
For a minute, I said, you he moved when when
it got hot, I said, you up there? You can't
even go out to your house now. You got to
stay in the house and stay in the pool.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
You know.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
He keeps saying you got to come to Texas, man
and spend some time, play some golf. I said, well, man,
it's just burning up up there. Won't you come back
to Los Angeles? So I say we stayed. We stay together.
Hb barnhum, we we're together? And uh, who else is around?
Who else is alive?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
I guess how about how about Ms Ross?
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Uh? And certain affairs will will beat you know, we'll
we'll she'll be there, yes and uh and of course
Martha Reeves, Kim Weston, They're still around and all that,
you know. And whenever I'm in Detroit, I make a
point to say hi. I do talking for students, writers,
(22:07):
young writers and producers. I do a class for Motown
with them, that's about twenty of them. We do a
zoom thing and they do these songs for me and
I give them teach on their songs, how to make
it better blah blah blah, and no charge. I just
want them to stay talented. People got to be the
(22:29):
people around them should be inspiring. So I do that
no charge, just so they and I say, okay, you
can do this with that song. Blah blah blah. They
come back the next week and they improved on the song.
They say, thank you very much. I say, well, it's
a blessing that I'm talking to you. It keeps me
and it keeps me feeling as good as well, you
(22:49):
know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Yeah, yeah, so that's great. But I also think there's another.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Key here, and I think you're going to agree with
this as well. That for all of us, and that
is the ability to have laughter in our life.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
Oh yeah, right, Yes, I mean that's so critical more
than ever now I think. Oh yeah, you know, it's
stark times.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
And yet you've got to be able to smile and
laugh and spread this to other people because it laughter
is contagious.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Oh it's very good for you, very good for you.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
And you know, like I say, for my spiritual said,
when you say things like that, it opens that door
that that's what we're here for, to be in that place,
a state of mind and all that, and with each
other too, because we should be with each other, laughing
and enjoying life, you know what I mean. And when
something around you that has a moment that's not working
(23:49):
for them, if you can say anything or do something
about it to make it better. We are supposed to
do that, you know. And new for now you meet
new friends, and new inspiration comes into the world in
their lives, and it's a wonderful way. It's a wonderful
women in that movie, it's a wonderful life. Yes, okay,
if it's not. If you don't say nothing to nobody,
nobody says nothing to you, you know what I'm saying.
(24:11):
But when you start speaking and a smile come on
their face and smile on your face.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
It's on.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Even if it's just for a few a few moments,
it's good because you walk away with something.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Yes, that's the key, that's it. Yes, Yes, you nailed it.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
You nailed it again.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
Mickey Stevens said, Oh, I'm so honored to.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Have you on again and to connect again and hear
what you're up to and spread the news of your
of your great work of Mickey's It's an honor to
talk to you, sir again on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Well, you know, I got to tell you this. You
have one of the greatest smiles I've seen in a
long time. I mean, it's amazing, your whole face light self.
That's a blessing. My brother, that's a blessing.
Speaker 5 (24:57):
Oh, you're a blessing. Thank you, Mickey, thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts.
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