Join us for a heartfelt journey through the power of music and storytelling in this inspiring encore episode of takin' a walk with host Buzz Knight. Celebrating Women's History Month, Buzz welcomes the multi-talented Rita Wilson—an acclaimed actor, producer, singer, songwriter, and author. With a career that spans decades, Rita shares her remarkable experiences in the entertainment industry, emphasizing the profound impact of creativity and advocacy in shaping her artistic path.
Rita Wilson opens up about her early influences, including how The Beatles ignited her passion for music as a child and the unforgettable thrill of attending her first concert with Led Zeppelin. As they stroll, Buzz and Rita delve into her latest projects, including the uplifting new single "Look How Far We’ve Come," co-written with legendary songwriter Billy Steinberg, and her contributions to the Grammy-nominated album "Through the Storm. " This episode serves as a vibrant exploration of the music journey and the emotional connection that live performances foster within communities.
Throughout their walk, they discuss the significance of music in uplifting spirits and the necessity for artists to embrace diverse creative outlets, highlighting the rich tapestry of American music history. Rita reflects on her recent participation in the Joni Jam at the Hollywood Bowl, a celebration that showcases the communal experience of music and its ability to heal. With each step, Buzz and Rita explore the stories behind songs and the incredible power of music to inspire and connect.
As the conversation unfolds, Rita expresses her admiration for Paul McCartney and shares her dream of interviewing him, acknowledging the lasting legacy that he and The Beatles have left on music and culture. This episode of takin' a walk is not just a tribute to creativity and resilience; it’s a reminder of how the music history weaves through our lives, shaping our experiences and emotions.
Whether you’re a fan of classic rock history, indie music journeys, or simply love music storytelling, this episode offers a treasure trove of insights and inspiration. Tune in for an engaging conversation that celebrates legendary musicians, the cultural impact of music, and the stories that define our artistic journeys. Don't miss this opportunity to walk alongside Rita Wilson and Buzz Knight as they explore the music history lessons that resonate deeply in our hearts.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk on Buzz Night and this Women's History Month,
we're celebrating the women who don't just make history, they
help write it. My guest today on this Encore episode
is an actor, producer, singer, songwriter and also an author,
a woman who has spent decades shaping stories both on
(00:21):
screen and behind the scenes. She's used her platform not
just for entertainment, but for advocacy, philanthropy, and lifting other
voices in Hollywood and beyond. Rita Wilson has never been
content to just play a role. She defines them and
in this conversation from the past with her that touches
(00:44):
on creativity, resilience, the power of storytelling, at what it
truly means to give back. She's as candid and compelling
as ever. This has Taken a Walk and today she
wrote the book Rita Wilson and is next.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Walk.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Peter Wilson.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
It's an honor to meet you and to have you
on the Taking a Walk podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
We're taking a Walk. We're walking afternoon time, I think
it is.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, we got to walk the lunch off, right or
the breakfast off, yeah, all of it. Yeah, Well, thank
you so much. Do you remember the first time in
your life that you were touched by music.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well, yes, it would have to be the Beatles, and
it would have to be anything off their first album
that was released in the US, because it just engaged you.
You felt that they were speaking to you. Now, granted
I was like eight years old or less when yeah,
probably less when they came to the States, but or
(01:52):
that album came to the States. But nevertheless, I want
to hold your hand. I mean, every eight year old
is already fully aware of romance and what may await
them in their older lives, and so that just the
exuberance with which they sang was pretty great.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Would it be fair to say that's the first album
purchase was a Beatles album or forty five?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
It was the first album given because we grew up
in Hollywood and there was a woman in the neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
She worked at Capitol Records.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
And she would bring us on the day of release
an album and so me, my brother and sister would
you know, sort of fight over it.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
But that's how we got the Beatles music. It was.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
It was incredible. I mean, she was so sweet and
so generous to think of us.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
You will appreciate this. So I grew up in Stanford, Connecticut,
not far from New York City, and we thought we
were so cool because we found this place. It was
called the Record Rack, and it was this little dive
record store in the center of town. And we would
(03:07):
go the day before when we knew a Beatles release
was coming out, and the guy would charge us a
dollar more because we would get it a day before,
and we thought we were so cool.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
You were, you were.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
He was ahead of his game with surge pricing, and
you were like, it's worth it to be that extra
dollar album because you wouldn't be the coolest if you
got it early.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Come on.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah, And I don't know if you could see if
you squint behind me, but the wall behind there.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Help is it? Yes? Yes? And I can't see.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
But the one on the left, get my big head
out of the way. There's a Ringo album cover. And
then at the far side there is George Harrison's Cloud nine.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Oh my gosh, that's so great. By the way, just
a sidebar, I just saw that the fiftieth anniversary reissue
of All Things Must Pass is charting.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
I love it, like multiple charts. How great is that?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (04:14):
And what an amazing piece of work? That, you know,
just like everything around the Beatles holds up to this.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Day, it does, it does. I mean what they were
doing was so original and so.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Fresh.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
And I know from you know, being lucky enough to
have had a couple of conversations with Paul McCartney and
George Harrison, that when they were making music, they just
wanted to keep making music and trying new things. And
you know, they didn't repeat themselves. That's why we have
such an amazing variety of music from them. And they
(04:55):
were just constantly inspiring themselves and doing.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
New material.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
They didn't stick to the same stuff that went like, oh,
I know this works and I know this is selling,
and they just were like, great, we can keep finding
new things to do.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
I thought that was pretty incredible.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Now, first concert performance by an established act that you
ever attended.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Led Zeppelin at the Los Angeles Forum, and it was
everything you would hope it would be. You know, everybody
was in love with Robert. All the girls were in
love with Robert plant for sure.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
And I.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Went with my two girlfriends that were identical twins. They
were about six feet tall, gorgeous girls.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
With red hair, and we went together.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
My mom made me my outfit, which was a little
Hawaiian print crop top and bell bottoms. You know, the
drawstring waste. I wore these big wedge sandals called Quirky's.
We were so excited, we were running to the Forum
because we didn't want to miss anything, and I fell
flat on my face in the parking lot because those
Quirky's are not to be used for running.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
It did not dampen my love of the concert.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
However, now I have to say, I think you'll agree
with this when we talk about rock stars aging gracefully.
Don't you think Robert Plant and Jimmy Page have aged
so gracefully?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
They really have.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
And I mean, let's talk about Paul McCartney and Ringo
Starr and Mick Jagger, who's you know.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
You see him on stage and you're like.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Okay, that's eighty one, I'm in sign me up, I'll
do that. And then the women, Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell,
you know who's made an extraordinary comeback, Carol King, Stevie Nix.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
All of these people.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Have really just not only I don't want to call
it surviving because but they've lasted because the music was
so good and so.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Powerful without a doubt we're going to come back to
a few of those, particularly Joni, But congratulations on the single.
Look how far We've Come? Can you tell me about
that project and how that collaboration came together?
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yes, Look how Far We Come?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
I wrote that with Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander, his
new writing partner after Tom Kelly retired. And for people
listening who may not know who he is, you might
want to google him, but he's responsible for songs like
True Colors Eternal Flame. I touched myself, I drove all night.
(07:48):
I'll stand by you. You know, I could go on
and on alone by that heart did. And I was
a huge fan obviously of Billy's and we had some
mutual friends, and I met him and over the years
we would see each other and have this sort of like,
(08:10):
you know, lovely interaction. But I started doing the show
called liner Notes, which is songwriters telling the stories behind
their hits and singing them. And what is beautiful about
that is when the songs are written often on keys
or guitar, you don't hear that song played in that
(08:31):
way and sung by the songwriter because producers get a
hold of it and they make the song what they
want to make.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
You know, Billy also wrote like a virgin.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
So so when you know, I started doing these shows,
I had the guts and temerity to ask Billy if
he wanted to, you know, come to one and participate.
And he said yes, and he enjoyed it. So he
came back many times, and I'm so grateful for that.
It established our friendship more deeply and which I'm so
(09:04):
grateful for. But he also one day said, if you
ever want to write together, let's write and I was like,
what what? I just you know, I would never think
to ask somebody like Billy if he would want to
write with me, So I was immediately said yes, And.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Oh, I thought you were going to go. I'm sorry
to interrupt. I thought you were going to go. Well, Billy,
let me think about this and come right back to you.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Now, I'm kidding, no, right, And so so we wrote together,
and Billy is he started out as a poet and
is a poet to this day, and so as a lyricist,
he came to the session already with stuff for that
song and the.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Title of course, look off are we We've come?
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I think you know, is really about a relationship and
you know, the ups and downs of a relationship. But
I also respond to it in a way that was
more about, look how far we've come if you're even
having a conversation with yourself, And so for me, it
resonated as, Wow, look how far I've come as a songwriter.
(10:16):
You know, I'm sitting in a room with Billy Steinberg
and somebody who would you know, spend time doing that
with me? Felt very humbling and also a moment to
reflect and be extremely grateful for where I was at
that moment in time.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Oh that's so special. Thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
So then now you're also up for a Grammy. Congratulations
for Best Roots Gospel Album. That is so exciting. I
want to hear about that, But I want to ask
you first, how difficult is it to be bending genres here?
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Well, first, let me say that the roots gospel album
called Through the Storm. I'm sorry, the song is called
through the Storm. The album is called the Gospel according
to Mark, and the artist who put that together and
produced it is Mark d. Conklin, and he's an extraordinary
songwriter and the very soulful singer. And we had met
(11:20):
because we had done an interview because he was doing
something called the Grammy Experience and he interviewed me for
an album, and I just thought he was wonderful and
we had a great conversation kind of like we're having now.
And when this project came up, he asked if I
would want to sing with him on a track called
(11:40):
Through the Storm.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
I said, of course I would.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I mean that would be beautiful, and I loved the
song when he sent it to me.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
So it's not my album, but it is.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
When you are on an album that is nominated and
it wins a Grammy, you also want to grab me
because you're part of that project, which is pretty great.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
That is so awesome. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed for that.
So you were part of the amazing Joni jam that
happened that the Hollywood Bowl, led by Brandy Carlyle of course,
and Joany and a array of people. How did all
(12:26):
that come together with your involvement, and can you give
us a glimpse behind the scenes what that special event
was like. Every time I watch clips of it, I
have to tell you, it's so beautiful. I'm in tears.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Exactly how I came to be involved is Brandy Carlyle
and her wife Katherine Shepherd are fully aware of my
obsession with Jony and they said, we're going to be
doing a Jony Jam at the Hollywood Bowl and they
invited me to participate, which was mind blowing. Now, the
(13:02):
Joni Jam started because when Jonie had her aneurysm, it
took a long time for her to come out of
that and get healthy again, and Brandy and Catherine were
really responsible for helping her do that because they would
go to her house and they would do these Joni
Jams and they would sing music to Joni, sing her
own songs, invite other people to come and sing, and
(13:25):
eventually Janie started singing alaw and it was something that
reconnected her to I think, her own her own music,
her own recovery, her own health. And Brandy had the
great idea to do the Joni Jam and she of
course did it at Newport Folk Festival first and that
(13:48):
was huge, made an album from that, and that led
to the Hollywood Bowl thing. Brandy absolutely put together a
spectacular group of musicians and artists and on the stage,
I want you to know what this experience was like,
because you said you were in tears. We were all
in tears because the love coming from the audience in
(14:11):
the Hollywood Bowl and the love felt on stage was
an all encompassing surround sound of feeling.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
You know, it just.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
There was nothing better than that. It was palpable, and
there were moments, you know, the stage turned so Act
one of the show was Joni and Brandy, and then
Act too was the Joni Jam. So the stage rotates
on a turntable, and you know, they kind of did
a reenactment of her living room, so there were couches
(14:44):
and chairs and you know, all the artists sitting. My
couch partner was John Batiste, and next to me is
Annie Lennox and Alison Russell, and next to them was
Elton John and Meryl Streep.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Marcus Mumford was in front of me. It was a Jacob.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Call You're on keys, and everyone was there celebrating and
loving Joony and Brandy and it was powerful.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Oh I love it.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
I have chills.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Seriously you talking about it, right.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Yeah, it's pretty. It was pretty goosebump Man.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And then you've got another Goosebump event that was captured,
the Patsy Kline performance event that will be coming out
in the New Year. That was done at the Rhyman.
I believe right.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
It was at the Rhyman and it's a PBS special.
It's out now.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
It's called Great Performances, Walking after Midnight Patsy Cline and
that was my reference earlier, Walking Afternoon Time. But that
was intimidating and it was nerve wrecking to do that.
I had been asked. I love Patsy Cline. Know, I listened.
(16:01):
She was on the radio when I was a kid,
and I loved her music and loved her song and
then you know, did a deeper dive you know later
as I got older, and she is known as having
one of the all time great voices. So if you're
doing if you're asked to sing a Patsy Klein song,
and this one I was asked to sing, She's Got You,
(16:24):
I was. I was intimidated and I worked hard on
that because I didn't want to blow it. You know,
the Rhymeen is one of the best places to perform.
It's a place that Patsy performed many times. Her daughter
was there, her grandchildren were there. And you don't want
(16:45):
to disappoint people, you know, you don't want them to
invite you to sing and then it doesn't work or
you blow it or something. So I was I was
very focused.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
I should say, oh, well, you know, Patsy Kleine no
small item to be part of. Have you ever toured
that quantt Hut studio there in Nashville where Patsy recorded
and others like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan recorded.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Well, yeah, I would love to know what that is.
I'd go visit there at a second.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, you want to do that, because then there's some
inside stories about Patsy's time in that studio, some classics.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
How she was.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
A you know, don't take any bull character. She was
as you could imagine, pretty tough.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Well I didn't imagine that, but when I read about
her and have heard some you know, audio on her,
she was very funny apparently, and.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Had very colorful language. She'll always say.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
And I just didn't put that together because you know,
when she's she's so still and so.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Still.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
I mean, it's like that, and so you kind of
think that somebody like that is very quiet.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
In real life.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
And that's what I love, that sort of dichotomy of
how somebody is in person and how somebody is when
they perform like I've met so many comedians that are
so hilarious on stage and they're very quiet in person,
so the reverse is also true.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I was surprised too. I thought, like you that, you know,
she would be much different than that. But definitely, tour
the quantst Hut Studio there it's you feel a presence there.
I really mean that you feel something from all the
performers that have been there in the past.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Oh my goodness. So true.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
So you completed a residency at the Cafe Carlisle in
New York City, and I want to hear about that experience.
But I'm going to make a comment and see how
you feel about this. First, I believe with the Cafe
Carlisle at the Carlisle Hotel, but also their smaller little venue,
(19:14):
the Bemman's Bar. There. If you are in a bad
mood and you go into the Cafe Carlisle or to
Bemmans to listen to music, to listen to Rita Wilson,
to listen to who's playing there, I promise you you
leave in a good mood. Do you agree with that?
Speaker 2 (19:33):
I agree wholeheartedly, And I also would have to say
that I think music in general puts you in a
fantastic mood. So if you're in a bad mood, just
put on some music. It will transport you to a
better state of mind. But yeah, I love those places.
There's something to be said about these old venues like
the Rhyman, like the Cafe Carlisle or Bemoman's or the
(19:56):
Troubadour or you know, I went to the Blue Note
and I was in New York recently, and there's something
to be set. It's like the walls, the paint, the air,
those molecules have been They're just the same molecules that
(20:17):
have always been there, and you feel them, and that's
what it's like. You sense the people that have come before,
that have played, the people that have listened there. You know,
I always think when I do a show there and
the Carlisle is very intimate, but I kind of feel
this way generally.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
You just have to make every place feel intimate.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Is that there is always somebody in that room that
needs to hear what you're singing and what you're saying.
And if there was just one person in every one
of these spaces and I had to perform, it would
be the same performance because I would know that they
were there for a reason. And there's something about the
intimacy of those plays is where people can actually talk
(21:02):
back to you, and sometimes or they shot at you
with nutshot, but they talk to you in the audience
and I like that. I think it's great. It's not heckling.
It's actually like they're part of it. The audience is
as much a part of the show as the performer is.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Those places are treasures.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Oh about question I are tell.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Me about In March, You'll be performing in Nashville with
the Symphony, right.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
It's my first symphony show at the Nashville Symphony and
it'll be a combination of cover songs that I've done
on my albums, original material, and some material that I
have not sung before, and also maybe some I'm looking
(21:53):
into adding, maybe some Broadway, just a couple of Broadway things.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
That sounds exciting, And once again there you are challenging yourself,
pushing yourself to do some different things.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
I feel like I'm very much of the mind that
nobody should be boxed in because we're artists, we're creative people,
we are things are coming at us we're processing, we're writing,
we're sessing out what it is that we want to say,
(22:29):
and sometimes that doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to
look the same every single time. And I think it's
liberating to have that kind of a mindset. And I
don't believe necessarily in genres. I believe in good music,
and good music is good music, no matter what period
it is and no matter who the artist is. I mean,
(22:52):
I John Batiste has a new album out right now
that's called Beethoven Blues and it's his riff on Bethove.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
I mean, how cool is that.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
It's so it's so fresh, and it's still got everything
that you want, but it's not traditional and it's not in,
you know, any.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Sort of genre. I guess it might be in a genre.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
There's a genre for everything, but it's a little bit
outside the box, which.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I love well.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
And I just had Julian Lennon on the podcast taking
it full circle, right, Yeah, But we talked about and
he brought this up because he's got a photography book
out called Life's Fragile Moments, and he said exactly the
same thing. He said, why do people have to be pigeonholed?
(23:41):
I know that's not needed. Just let me do my
thing and create exactly.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
You know, every creative person does more than one creative
thing anyways, because it's in need.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
It's like it's it's part of you. You have to
do it.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
And so, first of all, I love Julian's and I
love his photography. He is so talented and such a
lovely person. But I know every person I know that's
a creative person does something else, whether it's painting, knitting, sculpting, pottery, cooking, sewing, photography.
(24:23):
It's there's something that you have to do because you know,
we have a very actors have a very collaborative art form.
And it's not something like you just go around doing
monologues by yourself all the time, although maybe some people do,
I don't know. But when you don't have that creative output,
if you're working on something, you need to put it somewhere.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
So Rita enclosing, I'm going to turn the tables on
you a little bit and say, if you could interview
somebody living or dead to understand as a music their
creative process, who would that be?
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Wow, you can't pick one person, like I guess I'd
have to say Paul McCartney.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
You know, I probably would say.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Paul, it's a good one.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Yeah, he's he set the tone for all of us,
you know, they all did. The Beatles set the tone
for all of us, really, and so I would probably
want to interview Paul.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Rita. I'm so grateful I got to interview you. This
is one of the joys of my life, being able
to meet up with great folks like you and learn
about your creative process and celebrate your music. Congratulations on everything,
and it's an honor to have you on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Rita Wilson, thank you so much, See you soon, Stay
warmed in Boston.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
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 on Buzz Night and this Women's History Month,
we're celebrating the women who don't just make history, they
help write it. My guest today on this Encore episode
is an actor, producer, singer, songwriter and also an author,
a woman who has spent decades shaping stories both on
(00:21):
screen and behind the scenes. She's used her platform not
just for entertainment, but for advocacy, philanthropy, and lifting other
voices in Hollywood and beyond. Rita Wilson has never been
content to just play a role. She defines them and
in this conversation from the past with her that touches
(00:44):
on creativity, resilience, the power of storytelling, at what it
truly means to give back. She's as candid and compelling
as ever. This has Taken a Walk and today she
wrote the book Rita Wilson and is next.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Walk.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Peter Wilson.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
It's an honor to meet you and to have you
on the Taking a Walk podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
We're taking a Walk. We're walking afternoon time, I think
it is.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, we got to walk the lunch off, right or
the breakfast off, yeah, all of it. Yeah, Well, thank
you so much. Do you remember the first time in
your life that you were touched by music.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well, yes, it would have to be the Beatles, and
it would have to be anything off their first album
that was released in the US, because it just engaged you.
You felt that they were speaking to you. Now, granted
I was like eight years old or less when yeah,
probably less when they came to the States, but or
(01:52):
that album came to the States. But nevertheless, I want
to hold your hand. I mean, every eight year old
is already fully aware of romance and what may await
them in their older lives, and so that just the
exuberance with which they sang was pretty great.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Would it be fair to say that's the first album
purchase was a Beatles album or forty five?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
It was the first album given because we grew up
in Hollywood and there was a woman in the neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
She worked at Capitol Records.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
And she would bring us on the day of release
an album and so me, my brother and sister would
you know, sort of fight over it.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
But that's how we got the Beatles music. It was.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
It was incredible. I mean, she was so sweet and
so generous to think of us.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
You will appreciate this. So I grew up in Stanford, Connecticut,
not far from New York City, and we thought we
were so cool because we found this place. It was
called the Record Rack, and it was this little dive
record store in the center of town. And we would
(03:07):
go the day before when we knew a Beatles release
was coming out, and the guy would charge us a
dollar more because we would get it a day before,
and we thought we were so cool.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
You were, you were.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
He was ahead of his game with surge pricing, and
you were like, it's worth it to be that extra
dollar album because you wouldn't be the coolest if you
got it early.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Come on.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah, And I don't know if you could see if
you squint behind me, but the wall behind there.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Help is it? Yes? Yes? And I can't see.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
But the one on the left, get my big head
out of the way. There's a Ringo album cover. And
then at the far side there is George Harrison's Cloud nine.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Oh my gosh, that's so great. By the way, just
a sidebar, I just saw that the fiftieth anniversary reissue
of All Things Must Pass is charting.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
I love it, like multiple charts. How great is that?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (04:14):
And what an amazing piece of work? That, you know,
just like everything around the Beatles holds up to this.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Day, it does, it does. I mean what they were
doing was so original and so.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Fresh.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
And I know from you know, being lucky enough to
have had a couple of conversations with Paul McCartney and
George Harrison, that when they were making music, they just
wanted to keep making music and trying new things. And
you know, they didn't repeat themselves. That's why we have
such an amazing variety of music from them. And they
(04:55):
were just constantly inspiring themselves and doing.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
New material.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
They didn't stick to the same stuff that went like, oh,
I know this works and I know this is selling,
and they just were like, great, we can keep finding
new things to do.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
I thought that was pretty incredible.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Now, first concert performance by an established act that you
ever attended.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Led Zeppelin at the Los Angeles Forum, and it was
everything you would hope it would be. You know, everybody
was in love with Robert. All the girls were in
love with Robert plant for sure.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
And I.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Went with my two girlfriends that were identical twins. They
were about six feet tall, gorgeous girls.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
With red hair, and we went together.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
My mom made me my outfit, which was a little
Hawaiian print crop top and bell bottoms. You know, the
drawstring waste. I wore these big wedge sandals called Quirky's.
We were so excited, we were running to the Forum
because we didn't want to miss anything, and I fell
flat on my face in the parking lot because those
Quirky's are not to be used for running.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
It did not dampen my love of the concert.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
However, now I have to say, I think you'll agree
with this when we talk about rock stars aging gracefully.
Don't you think Robert Plant and Jimmy Page have aged
so gracefully?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
They really have.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
And I mean, let's talk about Paul McCartney and Ringo
Starr and Mick Jagger, who's you know.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
You see him on stage and you're like.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Okay, that's eighty one, I'm in sign me up, I'll
do that. And then the women, Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell,
you know who's made an extraordinary comeback, Carol King, Stevie Nix.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
All of these people.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Have really just not only I don't want to call
it surviving because but they've lasted because the music was
so good and so.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Powerful without a doubt we're going to come back to
a few of those, particularly Joni, But congratulations on the single.
Look how far We've Come? Can you tell me about
that project and how that collaboration came together?
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yes, Look how Far We Come?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
I wrote that with Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander, his
new writing partner after Tom Kelly retired. And for people
listening who may not know who he is, you might
want to google him, but he's responsible for songs like
True Colors Eternal Flame. I touched myself, I drove all night.
(07:48):
I'll stand by you. You know, I could go on
and on alone by that heart did. And I was
a huge fan obviously of Billy's and we had some
mutual friends, and I met him and over the years
we would see each other and have this sort of like,
(08:10):
you know, lovely interaction. But I started doing the show
called liner Notes, which is songwriters telling the stories behind
their hits and singing them. And what is beautiful about
that is when the songs are written often on keys
or guitar, you don't hear that song played in that
(08:31):
way and sung by the songwriter because producers get a
hold of it and they make the song what they
want to make.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
You know, Billy also wrote like a virgin.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
So so when you know, I started doing these shows,
I had the guts and temerity to ask Billy if
he wanted to, you know, come to one and participate.
And he said yes, and he enjoyed it. So he
came back many times, and I'm so grateful for that.
It established our friendship more deeply and which I'm so
(09:04):
grateful for. But he also one day said, if you
ever want to write together, let's write and I was like,
what what? I just you know, I would never think
to ask somebody like Billy if he would want to
write with me, So I was immediately said yes, And.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Oh, I thought you were going to go. I'm sorry
to interrupt. I thought you were going to go. Well, Billy,
let me think about this and come right back to you.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Now, I'm kidding, no, right, And so so we wrote together,
and Billy is he started out as a poet and
is a poet to this day, and so as a lyricist,
he came to the session already with stuff for that
song and the.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Title of course, look off are we We've come?
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I think you know, is really about a relationship and
you know, the ups and downs of a relationship. But
I also respond to it in a way that was
more about, look how far we've come if you're even
having a conversation with yourself, And so for me, it
resonated as, Wow, look how far I've come as a songwriter.
(10:16):
You know, I'm sitting in a room with Billy Steinberg
and somebody who would you know, spend time doing that
with me? Felt very humbling and also a moment to
reflect and be extremely grateful for where I was at
that moment in time.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Oh that's so special. Thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
So then now you're also up for a Grammy. Congratulations
for Best Roots Gospel Album. That is so exciting. I
want to hear about that, But I want to ask
you first, how difficult is it to be bending genres here?
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Well, first, let me say that the roots gospel album
called Through the Storm. I'm sorry, the song is called
through the Storm. The album is called the Gospel according
to Mark, and the artist who put that together and
produced it is Mark d. Conklin, and he's an extraordinary
songwriter and the very soulful singer. And we had met
(11:20):
because we had done an interview because he was doing
something called the Grammy Experience and he interviewed me for
an album, and I just thought he was wonderful and
we had a great conversation kind of like we're having now.
And when this project came up, he asked if I
would want to sing with him on a track called
(11:40):
Through the Storm.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
I said, of course I would.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I mean that would be beautiful, and I loved the
song when he sent it to me.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
So it's not my album, but it is.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
When you are on an album that is nominated and
it wins a Grammy, you also want to grab me
because you're part of that project, which is pretty great.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
That is so awesome. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed for that.
So you were part of the amazing Joni jam that
happened that the Hollywood Bowl, led by Brandy Carlyle of course,
and Joany and a array of people. How did all
(12:26):
that come together with your involvement, and can you give
us a glimpse behind the scenes what that special event
was like. Every time I watch clips of it, I
have to tell you, it's so beautiful. I'm in tears.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Exactly how I came to be involved is Brandy Carlyle
and her wife Katherine Shepherd are fully aware of my
obsession with Jony and they said, we're going to be
doing a Jony Jam at the Hollywood Bowl and they
invited me to participate, which was mind blowing. Now, the
(13:02):
Joni Jam started because when Jonie had her aneurysm, it
took a long time for her to come out of
that and get healthy again, and Brandy and Catherine were
really responsible for helping her do that because they would
go to her house and they would do these Joni
Jams and they would sing music to Joni, sing her
own songs, invite other people to come and sing, and
(13:25):
eventually Janie started singing alaw and it was something that
reconnected her to I think, her own her own music,
her own recovery, her own health. And Brandy had the
great idea to do the Joni Jam and she of
course did it at Newport Folk Festival first and that
(13:48):
was huge, made an album from that, and that led
to the Hollywood Bowl thing. Brandy absolutely put together a
spectacular group of musicians and artists and on the stage,
I want you to know what this experience was like,
because you said you were in tears. We were all
in tears because the love coming from the audience in
(14:11):
the Hollywood Bowl and the love felt on stage was
an all encompassing surround sound of feeling.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
You know, it just.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
There was nothing better than that. It was palpable, and
there were moments, you know, the stage turned so Act
one of the show was Joni and Brandy, and then
Act too was the Joni Jam. So the stage rotates
on a turntable, and you know, they kind of did
a reenactment of her living room, so there were couches
(14:44):
and chairs and you know, all the artists sitting. My
couch partner was John Batiste, and next to me is
Annie Lennox and Alison Russell, and next to them was
Elton John and Meryl Streep.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Marcus Mumford was in front of me. It was a Jacob.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Call You're on keys, and everyone was there celebrating and
loving Joony and Brandy and it was powerful.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Oh I love it.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
I have chills.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Seriously you talking about it, right.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Yeah, it's pretty. It was pretty goosebump Man.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And then you've got another Goosebump event that was captured,
the Patsy Kline performance event that will be coming out
in the New Year. That was done at the Rhyman.
I believe right.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
It was at the Rhyman and it's a PBS special.
It's out now.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
It's called Great Performances, Walking after Midnight Patsy Cline and
that was my reference earlier, Walking Afternoon Time. But that
was intimidating and it was nerve wrecking to do that.
I had been asked. I love Patsy Cline. Know, I listened.
(16:01):
She was on the radio when I was a kid,
and I loved her music and loved her song and
then you know, did a deeper dive you know later
as I got older, and she is known as having
one of the all time great voices. So if you're
doing if you're asked to sing a Patsy Klein song,
and this one I was asked to sing, She's Got You,
(16:24):
I was. I was intimidated and I worked hard on
that because I didn't want to blow it. You know,
the Rhymeen is one of the best places to perform.
It's a place that Patsy performed many times. Her daughter
was there, her grandchildren were there. And you don't want
(16:45):
to disappoint people, you know, you don't want them to
invite you to sing and then it doesn't work or
you blow it or something. So I was I was
very focused.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
I should say, oh, well, you know, Patsy Kleine no
small item to be part of. Have you ever toured
that quantt Hut studio there in Nashville where Patsy recorded
and others like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan recorded.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Well, yeah, I would love to know what that is.
I'd go visit there at a second.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, you want to do that, because then there's some
inside stories about Patsy's time in that studio, some classics.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
How she was.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
A you know, don't take any bull character. She was
as you could imagine, pretty tough.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Well I didn't imagine that, but when I read about
her and have heard some you know, audio on her,
she was very funny apparently, and.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Had very colorful language. She'll always say.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
And I just didn't put that together because you know,
when she's she's so still and so.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Still.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
I mean, it's like that, and so you kind of
think that somebody like that is very quiet.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
In real life.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
And that's what I love, that sort of dichotomy of
how somebody is in person and how somebody is when
they perform like I've met so many comedians that are
so hilarious on stage and they're very quiet in person,
so the reverse is also true.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I was surprised too. I thought, like you that, you know,
she would be much different than that. But definitely, tour
the quantst Hut Studio there it's you feel a presence there.
I really mean that you feel something from all the
performers that have been there in the past.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Oh my goodness. So true.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
So you completed a residency at the Cafe Carlisle in
New York City, and I want to hear about that experience.
But I'm going to make a comment and see how
you feel about this. First, I believe with the Cafe
Carlisle at the Carlisle Hotel, but also their smaller little venue,
(19:14):
the Bemman's Bar. There. If you are in a bad
mood and you go into the Cafe Carlisle or to
Bemmans to listen to music, to listen to Rita Wilson,
to listen to who's playing there, I promise you you
leave in a good mood. Do you agree with that?
Speaker 2 (19:33):
I agree wholeheartedly, And I also would have to say
that I think music in general puts you in a
fantastic mood. So if you're in a bad mood, just
put on some music. It will transport you to a
better state of mind. But yeah, I love those places.
There's something to be said about these old venues like
the Rhyman, like the Cafe Carlisle or Bemoman's or the
(19:56):
Troubadour or you know, I went to the Blue Note
and I was in New York recently, and there's something
to be set. It's like the walls, the paint, the air,
those molecules have been They're just the same molecules that
(20:17):
have always been there, and you feel them, and that's
what it's like. You sense the people that have come before,
that have played, the people that have listened there. You know,
I always think when I do a show there and
the Carlisle is very intimate, but I kind of feel
this way generally.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
You just have to make every place feel intimate.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Is that there is always somebody in that room that
needs to hear what you're singing and what you're saying.
And if there was just one person in every one
of these spaces and I had to perform, it would
be the same performance because I would know that they
were there for a reason. And there's something about the
intimacy of those plays is where people can actually talk
(21:02):
back to you, and sometimes or they shot at you
with nutshot, but they talk to you in the audience
and I like that. I think it's great. It's not heckling.
It's actually like they're part of it. The audience is
as much a part of the show as the performer is.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Those places are treasures.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Oh about question I are tell.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Me about In March, You'll be performing in Nashville with
the Symphony, right.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
It's my first symphony show at the Nashville Symphony and
it'll be a combination of cover songs that I've done
on my albums, original material, and some material that I
have not sung before, and also maybe some I'm looking
(21:53):
into adding, maybe some Broadway, just a couple of Broadway things.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
That sounds exciting, And once again there you are challenging yourself,
pushing yourself to do some different things.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
I feel like I'm very much of the mind that
nobody should be boxed in because we're artists, we're creative people,
we are things are coming at us we're processing, we're writing,
we're sessing out what it is that we want to say,
(22:29):
and sometimes that doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to
look the same every single time. And I think it's
liberating to have that kind of a mindset. And I
don't believe necessarily in genres. I believe in good music,
and good music is good music, no matter what period
it is and no matter who the artist is. I mean,
(22:52):
I John Batiste has a new album out right now
that's called Beethoven Blues and it's his riff on Bethove.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
I mean, how cool is that.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
It's so it's so fresh, and it's still got everything
that you want, but it's not traditional and it's not in,
you know, any.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Sort of genre. I guess it might be in a genre.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
There's a genre for everything, but it's a little bit
outside the box, which.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I love well.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
And I just had Julian Lennon on the podcast taking
it full circle, right, Yeah, But we talked about and
he brought this up because he's got a photography book
out called Life's Fragile Moments, and he said exactly the
same thing. He said, why do people have to be pigeonholed?
(23:41):
I know that's not needed. Just let me do my
thing and create exactly.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
You know, every creative person does more than one creative
thing anyways, because it's in need.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
It's like it's it's part of you. You have to
do it.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
And so, first of all, I love Julian's and I
love his photography. He is so talented and such a
lovely person. But I know every person I know that's
a creative person does something else, whether it's painting, knitting, sculpting, pottery, cooking, sewing, photography.
(24:23):
It's there's something that you have to do because you know,
we have a very actors have a very collaborative art form.
And it's not something like you just go around doing
monologues by yourself all the time, although maybe some people do,
I don't know. But when you don't have that creative output,
if you're working on something, you need to put it somewhere.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
So Rita enclosing, I'm going to turn the tables on
you a little bit and say, if you could interview
somebody living or dead to understand as a music their
creative process, who would that be?
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Wow, you can't pick one person, like I guess I'd
have to say Paul McCartney.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
You know, I probably would say.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Paul, it's a good one.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Yeah, he's he set the tone for all of us,
you know, they all did. The Beatles set the tone
for all of us, really, and so I would probably
want to interview Paul.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Rita. I'm so grateful I got to interview you. This
is one of the joys of my life, being able
to meet up with great folks like you and learn
about your creative process and celebrate your music. Congratulations on everything,
and it's an honor to have you on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Rita Wilson, thank you so much, See you soon, Stay
warmed in Boston.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
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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