Ron Herd

June is "Black Music Month" and we are celebrating with Black Music Historian Ron Herd on The Bev Johnson Show on WDIA Radio.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Memphis probably presents the Beam Johnson Show.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Let me say.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
Bath, I've got.

Speaker 4 (00:13):
Me first.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Let me make you say She's gone epistogain.

Speaker 5 (00:28):
No matter of the problem, she can have me.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
So all the photo and norma on your mind. She
understand Jimmy d in the hair by chilling to just
keep the thing when a wrangle picking up the john Show.

(00:52):
Because I've got out in gay happy. You can hear
every day you d I hate my bell, got me
a missed king. Yay, good morning, good morning, good morning,

(01:49):
and welcome into w d i A The Rev. Johnson Show.
I'm bev. It is indeed a pleasure to have you
with us once again on this Monday, June first, Black
History Music Month. Yeah back music Month. Yeah, it is

(02:13):
this June first, twenty twenty six. Enjoy this fabulous day
to day. Well, get ready to put your ears on
since it is Black Music Month. We're starting off with
my friend the historian. He's a musical genius. Yeah I
think he is. Mister Ronald Hurd will be in the

(02:34):
house to talk to us about music and give us
history of music, musicians and all that good stuff y'all know. Wrong. Well,
he is here in the sun, he will be talking
with you when it's your turn to talk. All you
need to do is dial these numbers nine zero one,

(02:58):
five three, five, nine three four two nine zero one
five three five, nine three four two eight hundred five
zero three, nine three four two eight hundred five zero three,
nine three four two eight three three five three five

(03:24):
nine three four two will get you in to.

Speaker 6 (03:30):
Me.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
And if this day, this this Yearday, Monday, June one,
twenty twenty six, is your birthday. Happy birthday, each and
every one of y'all out there who may be celebrating

(03:53):
a birthday on this day. You know what we say,
Go out and celebrate your life. You betta, you betta.
When we come back, we'll talk with our musical historian here,
mister Ron heard with me Dev Johnson on the BEV

(04:19):
Johnson Show on w d.

Speaker 4 (04:23):
I A.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
Morn You know I still care, I still yeah, I'm
singing this morning. It is Black Music Month, Yes it is.
These are the Isley guys. Yeah, I would say that
once upon at time. Welcome in to WDI A the

(05:24):
Bev Johnson Show. It is indeed us extreme pleasure to
have you with us once again on this Monday June one,
twenty twenty six, it is Black Music Month and we
are going to celebrate black music all month long. Yes

(05:45):
I am, y'all know, I love me some black music
and I am old school, Yes I am. But I
have a very special guest. For my first time listeners.
I want to say, welcome, Welcome, Welcome. You just may
be a first time a caller. Welcome when it's your
turn to Talkie care nine zero one, five three five,

(06:05):
nine three four two eight hundred and five zero three
nine three four two eight three three five three five
nine three four to two will get you in to
me before I introduce you to my guest. This wile
I say he's a walking music history book. I like

(06:25):
to say that, but let me say. It was on Saturday,
we had the homegoing celebration of our beloved brother Ford Nelson.

Speaker 7 (06:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah, it was a beautiful ceremony. The bell ringer he
was the MC and Master of ceremonies, and you know
Stan Bell, he's awesome. He's awesome. But yeah, good to cease.
I'm met Orlando. Hey, Orlando, one of our listeners. He
was there, but I'm not gonna start naming, but it
was good to see some and my beloved brother Mail D.

(06:59):
Very Nell is not aging, y'all. Mail Dberry still looks
the same. Meil was there and Herbed at k and
Melvin a cooking Jones, the first cousin of Bobby OJ
don't let me start disc go Hound Superstar with a
lot of folks there, and I was glad to see
my uncle David, my uncle David Porter. Yeah, and I

(07:24):
just have to say this saw one of our general
managers back from the day. I did not recognize him,
but I was glad he was there. Morgan Bohannan, it
was good seeing you, Morgan and all of you all.
Thank you all for coming out to the homegoing celebration
of brother Ford Nelson. And then let me say doctor
l Is Simber Gray did the ULIZI and brother you

(07:46):
did a fabulous job. Everything was good and I think
Jane and his daughter was pleased and just everything. So
it was good to see some of you all on
Saturday at Ford Nelson lived a fabulous, wonderful life, lived
to be one hundred that I've always said, I want
to be a hundred with a good mind.

Speaker 4 (08:04):
Yeah I do, I do.

Speaker 3 (08:06):
But it was good seeing all of you all, yeah,
just one of the legends, and I said, and I
had the opportunity to speak. Janet his daughter asked me
to speak, and asked Mark Stansbury to speak, representing w
DI I A. And it was just the honor for
me to know Ford. He he gave me a lot

(08:29):
of good information. He was a mentor. He taught me
a lot of things about the news and people in
this city. And he was just a load I love.
And I just loved when Ford would I would ask him,
y'all on Sunday to play me a quartet because I
like quartet singing, and he would play me a group.

(08:49):
And I mentioned that I loved to hear Ford. He
would always say and to my culinary friends he was
talking about the folks down at Steens that he would
get his dinner on Sunday. I wasn't doing the week,
so it was a good homegoing celebration. And I said
that now, brother Ford Nelson, he is among the legends,

(09:11):
the legends that I stand on the shoulders of the
legends of w DI I A. Theyre in wd I
A Heaven like Nat d and A c Mouha Williams
and miss Willem Monroe, y'all. Y'all, I didn't know miss Willer,
but I heard a lot of stuff that was a
grand lady, Miss Miller, Willow Monroe, and Rufus Thomas and

(09:35):
Robert Honeyboard Thomas and the first queen of w DI
I A. Martha Jane, the Queen Steinberg, Yeah, Ernest Brasel,
the dirt dabber going on, Oh my goodness, Maur's hot. R. Hubbard.
These were the the legends who started in the late

(09:57):
forties and the fifties, who kept this station floating.

Speaker 7 (10:02):
You know.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
And when you talk about black music money and I'm
gonna talk, you have to talk about w d I
A because those folks plays the music. Reverend Duwhite Gate
Mount Moore. But he's in good company. He's in good
company because w d I A Radio, y'all, is black history.

(10:26):
It is my guess. Well, welcome. I'm not gonna stop talking,
let me stop, get off my soapbox, and welcome Grin,
my brother. This is a walking history music book, brother Ronald.

Speaker 5 (10:37):
Heard how you doing?

Speaker 8 (10:38):
Brother?

Speaker 9 (10:38):
It's a it's a plumb pleasing pleasure to be here
with you. Sister Queen Bev, you definitely I named it
some giants. But also you got bb kean that's right.
All DJ's at the first black radio station in all
the country. That's right, birthplace of black media. You think
about it, think about I b Wells Barnett was on

(10:58):
Bill Street Press, the Mother investigating journalism.

Speaker 5 (11:02):
But I mean, it's amazing to think about brother like
Ford Nelson, who.

Speaker 3 (11:06):
You know what what and brother run uh and and
and and brother Ford Nelson. He was BB King's a
keyboard player piano for.

Speaker 5 (11:16):
Bb That's right. I had met a sister not too
long ago, she said her mom.

Speaker 9 (11:22):
She dated Ford Nelson for a period of time, but
she also was in love with BB King, So she
had both of you guys really into her BB King
and Ford Nelson at the same time.

Speaker 5 (11:32):
But she preferred BB from my understanding, But you know,
it's all this BB King.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
Now that's a good story. Interesting But but but but brother,
brother Ron, when you mentioned this radio station, it's history,
definitely it is. I don't care when anybody This is
history and people have to recognize it. And I know
some dudes some don't, but it's his. It's black history,

(12:03):
I mean, and black music history. So we are celebrating.
This is y'all. June is black music mother and Ronald
and I just love to have conversations with him because
he he just knows a wealth of music history. And
when you were talking about Ronald when I was playing
the Isley Brothers and you.

Speaker 9 (12:24):
Said ron still almost definitely, I mean, that's incredible. They
go back all the way to the fifties. They had
to hit every single decade since the nineteen fifties.

Speaker 3 (12:33):
Yes, they did, and and and and and now the
Isley Brothers, ron and his brother Ernie they still hanging
and still performing.

Speaker 9 (12:42):
Definitely when they found something that youthfulness about them, but
they also knew how to you know, they got their
ears to the streets and stuff. Like I think about
the fact that they had Jimmy Hendricks play with them
as part of their band at one point.

Speaker 5 (12:55):
Yeah, Jimmy Hendricks.

Speaker 9 (12:56):
Uh, you know that Jimmy Hendricks right about Jimmy Hendrick
as just a superstar, but he used to play back
up for the likes of like Isley Brothers or Sam
Cook called Jackie Wilson or even little Richard you know,
but you know.

Speaker 5 (13:08):
He's Jimmy Hendricks right, had to bloom.

Speaker 9 (13:11):
But also the Memphis connection of Jimmy Hendricks is a
guy named Larry Lee who went to.

Speaker 5 (13:15):
Hamilton High School.

Speaker 9 (13:16):
He did some stuff at stacks, but he got a
baseball scholarship to go to Tennessee State. And Jimmy was
actually in the military, probably one hundred first Airborne screaming
Eagles out of Fort cammebl Kentucky. So he was jumping
out of the airplanes for Uncle Sam was coming on
a twenty fifty pounds verse three of the Founding of
this Republic, right, So Jimmy ended up moving to Nashville.

(13:38):
Larry Lee was a gifted baseball player but also a
gifted musician, so they started hooking up. So they'll be
the backup band when people come in to Nashville, like
the likes of Aretha Franklin on Curtis Mayfield. They'll be
the ones backing them up. But when Larry Lee was
drafted to go to Vietnam, he left one of his
winter coach with Jimmy Hendricks. And the story of Jimmy

(13:58):
Hendricks's interesting because he did a reverse across the pond.
Whereas the Beatles and Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton had
to come here for their fan he had to go
to England for his but before he went to England,
he was homeless for about six weeks. He actually tried
out at a club in Greenwich Village where the Great
Les Paul, the guitar innovator, saw him and heard him playing.

(14:19):
And he was in the middle of something. He had
to take care of some business, but he wanted to
make his priority when he came back to the club
to sign Jimmy Hendrix. And when he came back, the
guy said, oh, that guy, he's gone. He was trash, garbage.
But imagine if Paul was able to sign him. But anyway,
fate has a way of working out and that kept
them warm while he was homeless, living in the alleys

(14:41):
and stuff, trying to survive in New York. So when
Larry Lee got back from Vietnam, I think he had
a metal plate in his head. Larry Lee actually was
one of the soldiers that was impacted by Agent Orange.

Speaker 5 (14:53):
But when he came back, you know.

Speaker 9 (14:55):
He didn't really know what was going on with him.
He had a metal plate in his head. And Jimmy
called say, hey, Larry, I heard you back in town. Hey, man,
let's play Woodstock. You want to play Woodstock with me.
So Larry Lee actually went up there with Jimmy Hendricks
playwood Stock led on a couple of songs like a
Gypsy woman and uh, why I play the Blues and
stuff like that.

Speaker 5 (15:14):
So he actually made history.

Speaker 9 (15:15):
But he also talked about being with Jimmy Hendricks in
his last days before he died under questionable circumstances. I
interviewed Larry Lee's widow actually wrote an obituary story about
him for the tri State Defender back in the two
thousand and seven. So I had a chance to talk
to his widow, and I came back on my own
to talk to her on my own time, and she

(15:35):
talked about how Larry was there with Jimmy Hendricks, but
he said he was hanging around all these all these
weird gypsy women were hanging around him, like these white
HIPSI gyps women and so like, you know, he died,
But a lot of peoplen't understand that when Jimmy died,
he didn't die from. He died from uh he saying overdose,
and it's an overdose, but he got he got a

(15:56):
basically drowned or something in his mom and whatever. They
bow some stuff down there's a lot of stuff to that.
But the thing about it is his manager was Mike Jeffrey.
He was British Intelligence, so he was a guy who's
controlling Jimmy Hendrix stuff. If we know anything about corn
tailpro how they would target certain individuals like artists and
musicians for my control reasons.

Speaker 5 (16:19):
And stuff like that. So Jimmy Hendricks is well, peop
don't understand by Jimmy Hendrix.

Speaker 9 (16:23):
Jimmy Hendrix was a patriot, right, but he was a
big support of the Black Panther Party. You know, he
gave money to the Black Panther Party and yeah, he
used to buy their paper and stuff. One of his
girlfriends talked about how he was really conscious about what
was going on.

Speaker 5 (16:39):
So imagine a guy.

Speaker 9 (16:40):
Like that who had the minds of the youth, they
had the passions of the youth. What he could do
in order to shape their minds into seeing things in
a different way, so that he had to be neutralized.
So his manager actually allegedly died in a plane crash,
but they never recover his body. So I said, he
was British Intelligence, So you don't know what really happened
at that right exactly.

Speaker 3 (17:01):
Wow, Now that's a history Jimmy here. And I was
telling Ron just this weekend on y'all know I like
TCM that they showed a documentary on Jimmy and it
was really interesting. I enjoyed it.

Speaker 9 (17:15):
Now, he's a fascinating dude because you know, he's out
the Pacific Northwest, but he got that blues rooted in
his soul and stuff like that. You could tell you
got a little bit of Indian like a cherokey or something.
He looked apart right, but he was something else though.
I mean, I just think that he did all that
in his twenty seven years is incredible. It just kind
of thinking about Oldest ready, I thought Oldest was like
least in his thirty He was just twenty six.

Speaker 3 (17:36):
I know, and when you think about that, he was
a young man.

Speaker 9 (17:41):
But he was a smart young man. But he also
some people might think he was foolish because he let
everybody know what he was doing. Because by the time
he died, he owned the publishing to his music. You know,
he wrote the song respect Yes, I know that was
his anthem action. I know Jerry Wexler talked about that
at his funeral. You know, this this man wanted respect,
but Aretha made it her anthem. Yes, but he wrote it,

(18:02):
but he wrote he wrote it. But also like was
interested by him. He was encouraging other musicians to control
their their music, their intellectual property, just before Michael Jackson
and Prince.

Speaker 3 (18:13):
But this is after sign Cook.

Speaker 9 (18:15):
And you know, James Brown's son said that oldest and
James Brown was going to hook up and start their
own distribution company. They was to control soul music. That happened,
it'll be the ball. But look what happened to James Brown.
I mean he might have been a victim of my control. Yeah,
he said he was hearing voices at the end whatever

(18:36):
like that. Then Also, the way he died was crazy
because he actually recovered and ended up dying. And I
know his his son in law looked into it and
his son in law ended up killed. They killed his
son in law. It's a lot to that James Brown.
You remember when James Brown died on Christmas two thousand
and six. I mean Gerald Ford died as well as
the former president, but James Brown was the funky black

(18:57):
president and the guy James Brown was the first black
entertainment to own his own private jet. Yeah, Jimmy Lungs
will own his own plane back in the thirties and forties.

Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yeah, you've talked about that. We're gonna mention Jimmy.

Speaker 7 (19:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (19:09):
And when you think, when I think about that, Ron,
you know, black folks back in the day, we had it.

Speaker 8 (19:16):
Going on.

Speaker 3 (19:18):
And you look now, Ron, like, what what's going on?
But talking about James Brown here his own plane, but
he also owned.

Speaker 5 (19:26):
Radio stations, that's right, Yeah, he did. Yep.

Speaker 3 (19:32):
So gosh, so I love I love run to come
in because he gives us all this history. So one
of the things about Memphis, we are so rooted Ron
in so much musical history in this city. Everywhere you
go in the world, people know something. What they know

(19:54):
about Memphis is its music. If they don't know anything else,
they know about its music.

Speaker 5 (20:00):
That's right.

Speaker 9 (20:01):
But you know what's crazy is like we don't know
about it that every day Mythian on myth Fight as
xp ibo to the myth Fight, don't know about it.

Speaker 5 (20:08):
But you know, even Miles Davis's.

Speaker 9 (20:10):
Centennial just passed. We just had observed Miles Davis' centennial
May twenty six. Miles Davis took the time in his
autobiography to talk about the impact of Memphis on his
own musical legacy, because Males talked about his agabiography in
early days and sixties, had all the great quintetial quartets

(20:30):
whatever he was doing, Moless Pcasso, the Picasso of jazz,
the real Prince of Darkness, which was really about light.
You know they talk about Ozzy Osbourne was the Prince
of darkness. Miles Davis was the Prince of darkness. He
even had a theme song that he wrote about being
the Prince of Darkness that was is a very good listen.
It's a great listen. And really he's not that he's dark.

(20:51):
It's like he's just mysterious.

Speaker 5 (20:53):
He's like an alchemist, a musical alchemist.

Speaker 9 (20:56):
And the thing about Miles, he took the time in
his autobiogray to talk about all these Memphis musicians that
kept on coming through his band, like people like a
Frank Strozer or George Coleman.

Speaker 5 (21:07):
Herl Mayburn.

Speaker 9 (21:08):
He talked about the great trumpet player Booker Little, who
was a disciple of the Clifford Brown who died young
as well, because book a Little died at the age
of twenty three, and also vera Little was book a
little sister. She was the first black American native to
perform at the Vatican in the history of the Vatican.
What she did that April fourth, nineteen fifty nine. This

(21:30):
is a black woman, This is a black woman. She's
from NASA, he said, she's from from North North Yeah,
from Ma NASA's high school graduate. Hey, that blue and gold,
that Ford Nelson, that blue and gold is powerful.

Speaker 5 (21:45):
He I know he knew Via back in the day.
I know he knew vera little family.

Speaker 3 (21:50):
Vatican.

Speaker 9 (21:50):
Yeah, she was the first Black American musician to perform
at the Vatican. Wow, there was a picture of her
with the Pope. This happened April fourth, nineteen fifty nine.
April fourth, nineteen fifty nine, and that was a no.
Nineteen fifty nine was a pilvil year for music, for
black music because he got kind of blue you know,
less the young Billy Holliday.

Speaker 5 (22:08):
They all died in nineteen fifty nine.

Speaker 9 (22:11):
And that great Day in Harlem picture was I think
was taken in nineteen fifty nine. And Sonny Robins just
passed on May twenty fifth, was the last living jazz
legend to die.

Speaker 5 (22:21):
That was in that picture.

Speaker 3 (22:22):
Wow. Wow, that's history. It's very much so black woman
from Monaza's High School, North Memphis.

Speaker 9 (22:29):
The opera star. She died in Germany. I think it
was Germany back in twenty twelve. I named very Little.
She was the big sister of book a Little. One
of the greatest jazz trumpet players in history.

Speaker 4 (22:38):
So she so.

Speaker 3 (22:41):
She probably got ron more respect for performing in Europe
than in America, or did she?

Speaker 10 (22:48):
Ever?

Speaker 9 (22:49):
She had some issues, like with the racism things, Like
they got some racism issues. I know people will say, well, Miles, Miles,
we love you in Europe, why don't you move to
Paris or whatever. He said he needed the tension in
America to make the music that he makes. Like you know,
he don't want to be too comfortable. He wanted attention
for his artistic and creative abilities, you know.

Speaker 5 (23:07):
What I'm saying.

Speaker 9 (23:08):
So a lot of times, like Charlie Parker, who's daddy
is from Memphis, he said, you know, your music is
your experiences. If you don't, you don't do anything, you
can't it won't come out your horn. If you don't
live your music, it won't come out your horn. It
won't connect with people. So you got to go through
some stuff to have something to say, because even Miles Davis,
at the height of his career, was brutalized by the

(23:28):
police in front of Birdland. Birdland had his name in
the Marquis said I'm Miles Davis. That's my name, and
they still beat him down. This is Miles Davis.

Speaker 3 (23:38):
Wow, wow, wow, I love it. You give me this
history and I want to go back for a little
bit for our listeners who are listening to the first time,
because Ron has always and he has.

Speaker 5 (23:52):
This all we be all give.

Speaker 3 (23:57):
I'm trying to get it right that that that he
celebrates Jimmy Lauansford and tell our listeners about because a
lot of people still don't know who Jimmy Launceford was.

Speaker 7 (24:10):
Ron.

Speaker 9 (24:11):
Yeah, it's interesting because I actually was at the screening
for the doctor W. E. B. Du Bois's PBS documentary
Rebel with a Cause, and the sister who did that
shot out to her sister, I think all the name Robin,
I can't think of all let me see you. But
she did the documentary and she gave she basically did
a great segment on Jimmy Lunsfer's connection connection to doctor

(24:34):
w ed eb de Bois's legacy. No, Jimmy Launsfer went
to Fisk University. He was a Fisk University class of
nineteen twenty six. Actually he majored in sociology. He was
a thriving musician even then, you know, played with his classmates,
they did gigs around the Nashville area. But he was

(24:56):
madly in love with Yolana Dubois, the only daughter of
doctor W. E. B. D. Boys, who went the who
graduated the same year he did. But doctor du Bois
did not approve of the relationship. He basically broke them up.
He arranged a marriage to County Cullen, who was known
as the poet Harlem Renaissance. But the thing about it,

(25:18):
it was the wedding of the decade, you know, like
County Colin was kind of like the Williams sisters of
Tiger Woods. He was a prodigy, but his gift was
like the gift for words, words Craig Worlds. And the
thing about that arrangement was the fact that County Colin
was more in love with his best man and his woman.

Speaker 5 (25:37):
No, his bet man was Harold Jackman, right, look up,
Harold Jackman. He was known as the finest man in Harlem,
but that was his lover, Harold Jackman.

Speaker 9 (25:44):
He was a model, He was an educator, but he
was a county colin's booth thing and they basically ran
away together whatever. The marriage got anulled, but Jimmy Lunch
would never stop loving her. And the thing about what's
interesting is I remember reading something from Ulan's daughter who
she had by a football player that she was married

(26:05):
to and it got divorced. She ended up dying in
nineteen sixty one. This two years before her father. She
was like an English teacher or school teacher in Baltimore,
and her daughter recalled that Jimmy Launscer was there at
some event with her mom whatever, and he was looking
at her allegedly and saying, you should have been mines.
That's how much in love he was with Yolanda. But

(26:27):
he ended up marrying a good looking woman named Crystal Tully.
They went to school with them, I believe at Fisk.
She was the English teacher at Booker T. Washington High School.
She was doctor Vasco Smith's English teacher.

Speaker 5 (26:36):
He had a crush on her. And also he was
a big Jimmy Lunsford super fan. Uh huh, So that
makes sense to me, But he d have married her
or whatever.

Speaker 9 (26:43):
You know, it worked out, I guess, you know. But
that's like black history is better than science fiction. I
mean like that, you know, that's a may But it's
a guy, a black guy that wrote a play about
called Knock Me a Kiss that talks about their lover's
triangle between Lunsford and Yo Lana and County cling. But
the thing about it is, I don't think the Lunsford

(27:04):
portrayal was accurate because Launchefer was not known as a
person who you swear words. He was a very sophisticated guy.
He didn't drink or smoke, you know. He presented himself
very well. He took pride in his image.

Speaker 5 (27:18):
And it's like that.

Speaker 9 (27:18):
So like, you know, it's a good start though, and
I'm glad that the sister brought it up in the program.
But what was interesting Everything comes back to Memphis. Like
I said, his wife was from Memphis. He taught black
boys and girls at Manassa's High School in Memphis. He's
buried in Memphis. And then Pastor Kenneth Whalam who put

(27:40):
the event together, he was doing the Q and A
I said his grandfather was his best friend.

Speaker 8 (27:45):
You know.

Speaker 9 (27:46):
HD Whalem Senior was the patriarch of the Whaleam family.
He was best friends with Jimmy Lunsfor they both was
from Mississippi. But when Jimmy Lunsford died, HD Whaleam was
on his way back to Memphis to perform at his
friendal homegoing services. I give it sw Qualls, Yes it's
called now, but they had his homegoing service at sw

(28:07):
Qualls for Memphis people. But on his way coming through
full Ten County, Kentucky, he got in a real horrible
cor accident and died on the day of Jimmy Launster's
funeral July twenty first, nineteen forty seven.

Speaker 8 (28:18):
Wow.

Speaker 5 (28:19):
So he was in his way back to perform, you know,
singing at the funeral. But the family thought that he
made it to the Frideral.

Speaker 9 (28:25):
I just discovered that because I know I heard it
from passed away Love and you know brother Kirk.

Speaker 3 (28:30):
They said he made it.

Speaker 5 (28:31):
To the frieral.

Speaker 9 (28:31):
He actually died on his way to the frimal and
he died in Fullteon County. You know, Jimmy Launson was
born in Fulton, Mississippi. I just think it's interest out
and stuff work in that something.

Speaker 8 (28:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (28:42):
Wow, Now that's some history. And as you said, Jimmy
was was, had his own had his own band, like
he said, his own money, and you said.

Speaker 9 (28:52):
He had his own plane, had his own plane. He
used to fly himself to gig. Sometimes he crashed. He
crashed his plane I think a couple of.

Speaker 3 (28:57):
Times flying himself.

Speaker 5 (28:58):
Yeah, he will fly himself some time. He was just
a different type of person.

Speaker 9 (29:02):
Like you know, he just had walking around money to
buy planes doing the Great Depression. Wow, think about that
because that plan is to day's money costs over half
of me.

Speaker 5 (29:10):
And I know his first plane.

Speaker 3 (29:11):
Wow.

Speaker 5 (29:12):
So he was something else man.

Speaker 3 (29:13):
And for you listeners, Jimmy Lansford, he is buried in Elmwood.

Speaker 11 (29:22):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (29:23):
Wow. Hold on, y'all. I know I got the music
man in here, the historical music man. I like to
call him mister Ron. Ron is in. If you have
a question or two, or you have something to say,
we are starting off. It's Monday, June first, twenty twenty six.
It is Black Music Month. Yes it is, and we're

(29:47):
gonna celebrate it right here on the Heart and Soul
of Memphis.

Speaker 7 (29:52):
W D I A.

Speaker 12 (30:01):
Don't go away. The Bev Johnson Show returns after these messages.

Speaker 7 (30:32):
On your mind.

Speaker 3 (30:38):
I'm telling you to just keep the fir.

Speaker 10 (30:44):
Around.

Speaker 3 (30:45):
Appear enough. The Jopping Show got Good morning and welcome
back to w d i A. It is June first,
twenty twenty six. It is Black Music Month, the whole

(31:06):
month of June. My guest is mister Ron. Heard before
we go Ron to our phone lines, let me say
I meant to say this. We want to say Ron,
our condolences to the family of Ronald Laprede. Y'all probably
saying now, who is Ronald la pred R. Ronald la
Prede was the co founder and the basis for the Commodoores, y'all.

(31:28):
He was seventy five years young and lost him on Saturday. Yeah,
Ronal la Prede. Oh my goodness, I think about that,
the Commodores, and I think ron. The first time I
met the Commodorees, I was in Jackson, Mississippi. Oh really,

(31:48):
going to a news conference. They were having a press
conference and I was there. But yeah, but our condolences
to the co founder and former basis Ronal la Prede
of the Commodores and yeah, yeah, but we still have
that music to live on. Ron that's right, Ron, We're
going to our phone line. Some folks want to talk

(32:10):
to you. Thank you' all for waiting. Hi Nancy, Hi,
how you out doing?

Speaker 6 (32:16):
This is a curse and it's not really related to
a musical, but I wanted to ask the young gentleman
something that's there with you. I want to know. Is
that him that interviewed Khalia Camacho Ali?

Speaker 9 (32:30):
No, that's not me. I know you're talking about. I
think that's the art of dialogue. He's out of Texas.
He's very popular right now. He's getting a lot of buzz.
He interviewed her.

Speaker 6 (32:40):
Okay, he sounds just like you.

Speaker 3 (32:42):
All right, Thank you, Nancy.

Speaker 13 (32:48):
W d I A Hi David, good, good morning, my
most beautiful I better check that clock.

Speaker 8 (32:56):
Yeah, go to my beautiful African violence.

Speaker 3 (32:59):
Good morning, my David.

Speaker 2 (33:00):
How are you Rod?

Speaker 8 (33:03):
She always be messing me up and getting me man
on the radio because I can't tell time.

Speaker 2 (33:09):
But anyway, how you doing, my brother?

Speaker 5 (33:12):
I mean, I'm great man. It's like, uh, it's a
time of transition.

Speaker 3 (33:15):
I know.

Speaker 9 (33:15):
My uncle Mike just passed us well too on tomorrow,
but then his little sister passed. My aunt Dorothy passed
less than ninety days ago, which was totally unexpected. So
we're not even halfway through the year yet and I'm
still you know what's next? Yeah, this type of feeling
right now.

Speaker 13 (33:32):
Yeah, man, you have my my deep hotel condolences for
your loss, my brother, thank you.

Speaker 2 (33:39):
I'm sure that the.

Speaker 13 (33:40):
Ancestors are welcoming them, would open on to help them
with their new journey. I first of all, I'm man
at both y'all, But both y'all stole my son in
this morning? What first Ron mentioned Sonny Rollins in the
last picture of the Supreme Musical Artists on the Greatest

(34:01):
Day of Harlem, Sonny Rollins passed away. And of course,
you know, if you're a jazz man, you got to
have you some Sonny Rollins. You know, there just ain't
nowhere around that man. So I've been listening to uh
my favorite album as well of Sonny Rollin, and of

(34:23):
course you stole my Thunder of Rolin Prix. But Bell
I was reading years ago, and I don't know how too,
because you're sitting with the history and I'm just reading
stuff off the net, and you know how you can
you can't really trust the net. But according to what
I read, which I think was a pretty reliable source.

(34:45):
The song Zoom was created partly for Ron the prix
the prayers girlfriend or wife who had a serious illness
and was passing away. And when you listen listen to
and the lyrics, oh wow.

Speaker 1 (35:02):
You can kind of see some of that.

Speaker 8 (35:04):
So I don't know how true that is.

Speaker 3 (35:05):
Ron.

Speaker 13 (35:06):
Maybe one day you can have time to look that
up to see whether that is the case. But that
song may be my favorite song by it. I like
the long version.

Speaker 8 (35:15):
It's amazing, It is amazing.

Speaker 13 (35:19):
And lastly, oh, a couple of things gonna be quick
prayers for p Bo Bryson who has had a stroke.

Speaker 8 (35:27):
Oh no, yeah, yeah, oh lord, oh no, no no. Now,
thank you for letting us know how.

Speaker 13 (35:35):
The funeral went, which was which was beautiful to share
with the community here those of us who did not know.
But what I loved about people and people's one of
my favorite dollar is Ron because what people don't don't
understand is when you look at the at the note.
Peobo was a great writer too. You know, he wrote
Preaching for the Scott, He wrote Steal the Fire.

Speaker 4 (35:59):
You know, and.

Speaker 8 (36:03):
You know I loved his voice and all of that.
But boy. To be able to write to is just
something special to me.

Speaker 3 (36:10):
So and you know what, and you know what, David
who helped put Peebow on the map was a guy
right here from Memphis, Jean Bowlegs Miller.

Speaker 1 (36:21):
Get out.

Speaker 3 (36:22):
I didn't know that, Yes, Bowleggs, because bow Legs was
a promotion man, and he went around promoting Pee Bow
and telling everybody and taking people around. Jean Bowlegs Miller
right here for Memphis.

Speaker 14 (36:35):
Oh wow, wow, yep.

Speaker 2 (36:37):
Well, you know Bell.

Speaker 13 (36:39):
Whenever I'm feeling a little bit down, there are a
couple of songs that I play always that kind of
lifts me back up. One of them is Reaching for
the Sky and the other one is by Earth Winning
five on your.

Speaker 8 (36:52):
Face and Ron. We just have great writers.

Speaker 13 (36:56):
I was just listening to Man in the Mirror and
sister wrote something, didn't she what that sister name?

Speaker 1 (37:04):
God wrote the Man in the Mirror the palm.

Speaker 3 (37:09):
I'm trying to think.

Speaker 5 (37:10):
I see her face, don't look any further right with that?

Speaker 3 (37:23):
Yeah, I see her face and I can't. Oh my goodness.

Speaker 8 (37:25):
Yeah, we got brilliant people.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
Ron and Bell.

Speaker 13 (37:29):
That's just you know, just that's responsible for the music.
You know, the only original art form looks by black
in this country. That that's around the world.

Speaker 8 (37:38):
That I that I enjoyed immensely.

Speaker 3 (37:41):
And lastly, Garrett and I'm pronounced I hope, I pronounced
it Seatta Garrett.

Speaker 4 (37:50):
That was her.

Speaker 8 (37:50):
That's it.

Speaker 13 (37:51):
That's it, that's it. And lastly, Lanson Hughes is one
of my favorite writers. And when you mentioned count of Color,
I said, one kind of color the blank.

Speaker 8 (38:01):
No, it was Alan Locke. I took it up. It
was Alan Locke who was trying to get with Langston Hughes.
And but Kinty.

Speaker 13 (38:10):
I love County Colin's work as well. But my favorite
would be, uh, the brother who wrote a poem about America.

Speaker 8 (38:19):
Now I can't think of.

Speaker 4 (38:21):
Ka.

Speaker 5 (38:22):
Right, that's it, that's it, something like that.

Speaker 8 (38:26):
Yeah, that's right, Thank you brother, Thank you. Brother.

Speaker 13 (38:28):
I didn't agree with a lot of his politics as
much as I as as brother Langston, but we just
the brilliants of black people in it. You know, it's
just astounding, you know how much we have given to
this country and to the world in America.

Speaker 8 (38:44):
With all the pain that we have gone through.

Speaker 13 (38:47):
One of the things that I will absolutely posing is
this brother Ron you can comment on this after I
hang up. We have music that uplifted our community?

Speaker 8 (38:56):
Do we have that music now? And I'm not looking
down and hip hop or rap or anything like that.
I mean, you know, every every young young generation has
their own.

Speaker 13 (39:06):
But does do you think that the music uplifts like
what we had back to today from stack Motown and
Philly International? And I hang up and listen to yours,
but thank you again for coming on.

Speaker 9 (39:17):
I would say Ronald la Prex did write Zoom for
his wife that was down for cancer, helped, was very
much an influence in his life.

Speaker 5 (39:24):
We also lost Foster.

Speaker 9 (39:26):
Silver, so I didn't know that, mister me. This song
probably one of the most simple songs hip hop history. Yes, yeah,
that's powerful. We lost to me also had a.

Speaker 5 (39:36):
Successful career as producer and stuff.

Speaker 9 (39:38):
Yes he did and work with Ronald from my understanding,
and doing some successful things after that. But what he
said about the music is interesting because I talked to
your assistant about the quality of music, because you know,
jay Z came out on the Roots.

Speaker 5 (39:51):
Picnic and UH did his thing. But my thing is
it's like a generational.

Speaker 9 (39:56):
Divide because you know, you can actually understand rappers that
when I I grew up, these guys took their craft seriously,
like a person like jay Z. They would study the
dictionary front and backwards. Because jay Z did not finish
high school, but he could read at the twelfth grade
level by the time he was in sixth grade. You
think about Eminem, think about Nods who dropped out of
high school. But he had knowledge of self. He was

(40:18):
a life learner. I think it's important for anybody to
be a life learner. And the music has been dumbed
down on purpose because you think about even back in
the day, you take them out like Curtis Mayfield, he
wrote anthems, he wrote civil rights movement anthems, Hustler anthems,
people anthems. It was well balanced, and now it was

(40:39):
this extreme one way because like you think about I
remember growing up, I'm an eighties baby whatever like that.
I can remember on the radio you had you could
have kid who played MC hammer EMC like everybody. But
then when you know it's like BC before Chronic, and
then you know at the Chronic, you know you got
all this stuff gainst the pointed one way, it's like

(41:02):
it's nothing wrong with stuff.

Speaker 5 (41:03):
It's just like you gotta have a balance. It's gotta
be some type of moderation. But it was a plan.

Speaker 9 (41:08):
It's like it was conspiratorial because you can think about
the movie Colors that came out back in the day.
Nobody know what a blood or crip was in Memphis.
We ain't know nothing about no bloods and cribs and
stuff like that. It wasn't until that movie came out Colors.
I remember when it came out and they were talking
about blood and cribs and stuff, and Iced Tea had
the song Colors Colors, Colors don't test me, fool might

(41:31):
think rude or some you know, like you know, I
didn't know nothing about this stuff. That was a California thing, yes,
But the thing about it Hollywood back then, you know
what I'm saying, the music industry back that they pushed
that like crack rock on the people. And it's funny
that all this stuff came out around the same time
with the crack epidemic. Now, all this stuff was coming out,
but they took the love out the music. And it's

(41:53):
like you think about a lot of successful rap songs
that I love. They were normally sound for soul, funk,
R and B music fro back in the day. That
sound made it successful because it was love.

Speaker 5 (42:02):
And that sound.

Speaker 9 (42:03):
You know, you had a connection with the church, and
a lot of the kids ain't going to church like
that no more. Even Snoop Dogg was in the choir
growing up.

Speaker 8 (42:11):
You know.

Speaker 5 (42:11):
That's why you can do what you could do in
the old school aesthetic. But that's not taught.

Speaker 9 (42:16):
But my thing is this, we are really you know,
they don't even teach. They don't teach curse uf in
schools no more.

Speaker 5 (42:23):
They got new math. I don't trust people with old math,
this new math.

Speaker 9 (42:27):
So I hate to get my money. You get your
correct change back. But my think is people are a literate,
they a historical. They lack any curiosity because like I said,
Memphis is a great brand. But talk to the people
on the street about Afford Nelson. You know Afford you
mean he brought Afford right, I mean Afford Cord off
Ford Delson. You know what I'm saying, Like this guy

(42:48):
was an institution. Is an institution, wd I A is
an institution. Like you know, Memphis was a place or
it's not a place where people just come to die.
People come to live. Bill Street was a place where
people came to live. You know stacks, Uh, you know church,
you know this is a place where people came to
live and celebrate life. Now we're up here celebrating death.

(43:10):
This this the tune change.

Speaker 5 (43:12):
The song changed. That's the problem.

Speaker 3 (43:14):
Back to our phone lines to talk with you. Thank
you for waiting callers. Hi caller, Hi caller, I hear somebody. Hello, listen,
w D I A hey.

Speaker 2 (43:31):
Caller, Church, Good afternoon. How all both of you today?

Speaker 3 (43:35):
We're doing well. Carl, how are you?

Speaker 15 (43:38):
I you'll find I got a quick question and in
regarding the music, but they were talking about some singles
three minutes ago. I like talking about two female singers
who I think sometimes people do not appreciate what they
have done. And I'm get y'all comments on them. Here
are two singers, more and the Late break Brooke.

Speaker 3 (44:02):
Okay, great singers, Melvi Moore and you know Carl Melva.
I think Ron her her legacy is when she started Broadway.
She was on Broadway, Carl, she did, she did a
lot of Broadway. She started off with being Broadway fabulous

(44:24):
and oh, ROBERTA. Flack, Carl, come on now, and and
that's my sorority sister, my sorority sister. And I think
Roberta graduated from Howard she did, but no, in fact,
Roberta had ron she was. I don't know, I won't say.

(44:49):
I guess she was kind of r be kind of
jazz because she had that kind of jazz field. Roberta
flat yeah.

Speaker 9 (44:58):
I mean, but more, I mean Cat Wims paid for
her Hollywood Star about seventy five thousand dollars what Kat
Williams paid for it. Because a lot of times people
come on the scene they don't fit the stereotype or
the prototype, and people will to neglect it. They want
to malign people and moginalize to make invisible. But when
God put God given talent in you, no human made

(45:20):
container can contain it.

Speaker 5 (45:22):
So Melbemore salute to her.

Speaker 9 (45:24):
For me who she was and showing is identically Black
American native self. Also with Roberta Flack. It's interesting because
she gave a great great songwriter, get them Softly fossil.
She gave us, She nurtured and gave us Donny Hathaway

(45:45):
and Luther Van Drass. She the one that curriged lutheror
she forced Luthor out the nest and thank god that
she did. You know she forced him out, you know background, yeah,
sessme Street, I didn't know this stuff. Voice mean work
on commercial jingles, crazy man. Yeah, one of the greatest

(46:05):
voices of all time being like unknown. You know it
could have been lost, but Roberta Flak saw the God
in him. It's like when Donny had the way. So,
I mean Roberta has that had that gift and it
keeps on giving. It's like, you know, you want to
live forever, do things for other people. That's how you
live forever, all right.

Speaker 14 (46:22):
W D I a high caller, Hey, put me on the.

Speaker 3 (46:28):
Caller, Okay, guess hold on, Okay, I'm gonna put you
on hold. And that's a good time, Ron So I
can take this break, all right, So hold on. I
just want to know. Hold on, callers, we are talking
with mister Ron Heard. We are talking black music because
June is Black Music Month. We're getting ready to go

(46:50):
to the other side of the bed Johnson show right
here on the Heart and Soul of Memphis.

Speaker 4 (46:59):
W I he.

Speaker 12 (47:13):
Whether you're in Arkansas, Tennessee, or Mississippi on Facebook, Bell just.

Speaker 5 (47:19):
Show bell ting time with this talking and home away, help.

Speaker 8 (47:26):
You go, you go so getting ready.

Speaker 3 (47:31):
In time.

Speaker 8 (47:34):
Show Joe, Let's go Bell.

Speaker 10 (47:38):
Just then we make Gordy right here, wrong tug.

Speaker 3 (47:47):
Listen to want to say, you know, it's tip of
the belt, show, tap of the belt of show Lucky.

Speaker 8 (47:56):
Let's go.

Speaker 3 (47:57):
We are rocking and rolling on this Monday, June the first,
twenty twenty six. It is Black Music Month and we're
kicking it off this day with my brother Ronald Hurd
is in the house. I'd like to say he's a
music historian. Brother, ron We're going back to our phone lines,
and I guess I just want to know it's still there.

(48:19):
I just want to know how you doing, brother.

Speaker 4 (48:23):
I'm doing wonderful bell, and how you're.

Speaker 3 (48:25):
Doing I'm doing fabulous today.

Speaker 4 (48:29):
Well I heard that. Now's your gifts going mis doing today, sir.

Speaker 5 (48:33):
I'm man maintaining, Man, I'm blessed to be here, business
give to give.

Speaker 4 (48:40):
Yeah, Well, well you know I'm calling with my question today. Okay,
because I am the world's only in my team trained
question in the world.

Speaker 3 (48:53):
You are so wrong for that. I just want to know. Okay,
what do you want to know from ron?

Speaker 4 (48:59):
All right, run, I'm gonna make a statement. Then I'm
gonna ask you a question shortly after, so run my
uh me, at an early age, I understood how music
influence and moved people. You know, on Sunday morning. Uh
we didn't go to church, but I could tell you

(49:19):
it was a Sunday morning because Clark, since we have
my mother and uh, you know, clapping and singing while
she was cooking. So even me as a teenager when
NBA came out, you know, I couldn't help myself. But
the dress, like when I got to Jerry Carroll, uh,
dressed in black and all that stuff. But I just
wasn't doing what they were saying on a record. I

(49:39):
just you I was in it for the image, I guess.
So my question to you is how much of an
influence is this music having on the young people of today?
Because right now in the city of Memphor was cheby
count and we have one highest HIV rates and almost

(50:02):
every song on those other stations, they every song is
just sexually explicit. I mean, if you have listened to
some of some people know what I'm talking about.

Speaker 16 (50:14):
I mean they won't.

Speaker 4 (50:16):
They're coming out of saying what they want on the radio,
and it's not being cut, but I believe some of well,
I'm asking, have you heard some of the music that
they're playing on the radio, and if so, have you
do you believe that the HIV rates going up in

(50:37):
Memphis has something to do with it because all the
a lot of songs, I mean a lot of have
sexual disposition there, I mean, and now here in the
city we have one of the highest HIV ris. That
was my question.

Speaker 3 (50:54):
All right, thank you.

Speaker 4 (50:55):
I just want to know, all right, mister Ron Homod
table Good.

Speaker 5 (50:59):
Was blackwise, Thank you?

Speaker 3 (51:01):
What do you think?

Speaker 17 (51:02):
Ron?

Speaker 9 (51:03):
Because he talked about the city, and I was thinking
about if y'all could go on YouTube, look up this
documentary that was made by Coupsta Nikka from three six Mafia,
and he talks about how they was utilizing their music
to bring people to worship Satan to the dark side.
He actually admitted it, you know that we were trying

(51:25):
to get people turned onto the dark side.

Speaker 5 (51:28):
And this is a Memphis rapper, very influential. I like
someone up.

Speaker 9 (51:31):
I listened to some three six stuff, but also three
six Mafia included Juicy J his brother who was a
three six Mafia adjacent Padack Pat.

Speaker 5 (51:41):
They are sons of a preacher, they come out the church.
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 9 (51:45):
So my thing is is it's fascinating because I know
NBA young boy, he talked about this. He's one of
the very popular young rappers out. He's very popular. He
said that my music was is used to incite violence
in young people. He actually said that my music is
being used to incite violence in young people. And my

(52:07):
thing is this, It's like, you know, music get a
lot of blame, but it's the culture. It's like doctor
King said, the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet
is my own government. It's not just Hollywood, it's not
just the music industry. This whole system is set up
to undercut people. I think, and I know the greatest
crime in Memphis. People might not look at this as

(52:28):
a crime, but the greatest crime is under educating a
gifted population. You cutting them off at the knees. You
can't plant, you can't be rooted in anything. You keep
them distracted, you keep them drugged out, not just on
street drugs, but what they put in our food, so
called food product, or they put in the air, where
they put in the water.

Speaker 7 (52:47):
No.

Speaker 5 (52:47):
I used to be able to read three hundred page
books in like a day or day in hell, I
could barely read three pages. What is that about? TikTok brain?

Speaker 9 (52:59):
Keep us distracted, keep them fulfilled with bread and circuses.
How about the cowboys who're gonna win the finals? Who cares?

Speaker 3 (53:07):
Man?

Speaker 8 (53:07):
Gas?

Speaker 5 (53:08):
Is this bread?

Speaker 2 (53:08):
Is this egg?

Speaker 7 (53:09):
Is that?

Speaker 5 (53:10):
Can you afford to live? You know what I'm saying?

Speaker 9 (53:13):
Like they make you feel bad, because, like I would
say this, words create worlds. You can manifest the reality.
Think about you know we talked about rap. You think
about the Toy's b ig. You remember the name of
his first album, No, I don't it's called It was
called Ready to Die. What was the name of his
second album? I don't know, Life after Death? When did

(53:33):
it come out? He was dead, you know, Tupac Tamasi
Death around the corner. I ain't gonna make it to
a certain age. You speak this stuff, you manifest this
stuff because you put it out there into.

Speaker 5 (53:43):
The material world.

Speaker 9 (53:44):
Yes, you got four million people buying your album, your
CD or streaming your stuff. You creating a reality because
like you think about Memphis, how could this be the
projects for generations that you knock it down?

Speaker 15 (53:56):
Now?

Speaker 9 (53:56):
They high priced condominiums. You know what the get or
ever existed? How did the suburbs become the ghetto?

Speaker 5 (54:02):
You know what I say, right? Because you didn't change
people mind. Your mind is really your master is for
a lot of people.

Speaker 9 (54:09):
If your mind is out of control, if you can't
control your mind, if you don't discipline yourself.

Speaker 5 (54:13):
You can never have what you should have.

Speaker 9 (54:16):
You look at our greatest musicians, like Sonny Rollins was disciplined. Okay,
you know Sonny Robins was playing the saxophone since he
was seven years old. Sonny Rollins used to play on
the Williamsburg Bridge Bridge in New York for hours and
hours and hours and hours. Charlie Parker played the saxophone
for eleven to fifteen hours a.

Speaker 5 (54:34):
Day for four years.

Speaker 9 (54:35):
Wow, if you do anything for eleven to fifteen hours
a day for four years, guess what's gonna happen. You're
gonna be really really great. They don't really really bad
at it, but something's gonna be. It's gonna be impactful.
So if you don't have the discipline, it's like I'm
a big sun rock fan.

Speaker 7 (54:50):
You know.

Speaker 9 (54:50):
Some Row was a jazz mystic. Some Raw was doing
He's really the godfather of funk.

Speaker 5 (54:56):
Like everybody Parliament Earth when they fired Prince Name, everybody,
Boosy Andred three thousand.

Speaker 9 (55:02):
They all borrowed from the school of Sunraw Snra was
doing stuff back in the forties that people started doing
in the seventies.

Speaker 5 (55:09):
He was already doing.

Speaker 9 (55:10):
He was playing on sensitizer prototypes in Birmingham, Alabama, back
of the day. He thought he said he was from Saturday.
It might have been for Saturday. He was a different brother.
But he was wording all the presentation stuff back in
the day. But he talked about discipline. He would take
dudes off the street that was on drugs, that was
whacked out, that was alienated from their family and make
him into master musicians. He found pharaoh senders when he

(55:33):
was at his lowest point in life. Gave him not
only another chance, but gave him his name. He gave
him Pharaoh centers. He anointed him. That it's kind of like,
you know, Elijah, Mahmma you Muhamma Ali, the I'm gonna
give you this name. My thing is like, we don't
overstand on Anni stand who we really are. The people
who controls this town Memphis is Diarmy Bailey said the best,

(55:57):
my friend, the late great Judge Diummy.

Speaker 5 (55:58):
Beally, Memphis is black manage, but the whites owned. It's
white on and black.

Speaker 9 (56:04):
Manage, so that this white got this think in Memphis,
we end up a laize because Memphis is a plantation town.
And they make you smart enough to throw boxes and
to take all this. But they don't understand. You know,
they call nashvill the actors of the South. You know why, right,
they got all them educational institutions, research institutions. Yes, where

(56:26):
you got an educated population, you got more economic opportunities.
You know, you got more chances to help upward mobility.
But if you keep a bunch of gifted people this dysfunctional,
you get the stuff that we get. Because Memphis is extraordinary.
If you think about what people are talking about Memphis.
They killed doctor King. Well, Memphis were Doctor King's favorite
singers from Jay Robert Bradley from South Memphis, discovered by

(56:49):
Lucy Campbell, the mother gospel music who taught at Booksey
Washington High School.

Speaker 5 (56:54):
Natdie Williams, one of the first black radios DJs, Todd
in Booker T Washington High School.

Speaker 9 (56:59):
Maurice White the architect of Earth, Wind and Fire went
to Bookert, Washington High School, David Porter. So I'm saying,
that's one high school. Well, Miles, David talking, I'm getting
all these guys from Memphis. They come out of one
high school, not realizing that his music hero started that
tradition named Jimmy Lunsford. So Jimmy Lunsford inspired the only moles, David,
but Quincy Jones, that was that music hero kept that

(57:21):
started this stuff in North Memphis. So what is Memphis
really about? Is this the land of the dead or
the land of the resurrection. So like once the people
get those mental shackles out, they what they said, free
your mind, everything else will follow. Right, once you get
your mind free and you start getting some discipline, you
start getting some focused who can stop you but you.

Speaker 5 (57:41):
That's right, you know what I'm saying. So that's why
they utilize these rappers.

Speaker 9 (57:46):
They filled them with all types of poison and stuff,
and they spit that poison out to the youth in
their prime. But when they get dusted and discussed and
washed up and thrown to the side, that's when they
want to speak their truth. That's when they want to
like you, know it was the exception in be a
young boy because he could actually change some mine.

Speaker 5 (58:02):
But guess what they do. Look what they did to
Jimmy Hendrix. Look what they did. The Sam Cook oldist.

Speaker 9 (58:07):
Read in Prince Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson's getting a makeover
right now in real time.

Speaker 3 (58:13):
This is who he really was.

Speaker 9 (58:15):
This is what they told you he was. This is
who he really was. And that's why you can't kill
somebody just you know, got God Dna. We got God Dna.
That means we're gonna live forever we choose, but we
want to die. We could die too.

Speaker 3 (58:29):
Go back to our phone line to talk brother Ron
and herd us here. Hi William William William William, William William. Okay,
this is William is talking. I'll go to our next caller,
w d I A I caller, Hey Whatson, how are you?

Speaker 1 (58:53):
How you doing all right? And your guest Ron heard mister,
like all that to you giving and like you point out, uh,
the bands in the past, the singers who talking about that?
The bands, the singers, they had to compete, they had
to pay their dues, performing all the time. That's why
they got so good. But I think it started in

(59:14):
the nineties where it's called auto tune and drums. That
singers didn't have to pay their due. They just went
in the studio and made something.

Speaker 4 (59:21):
But but blew me away.

Speaker 1 (59:24):
A guy worked, you know, we said worked talking about stuff.

Speaker 7 (59:27):
A guy worked.

Speaker 1 (59:29):
We had little a little. He asked the question who
had the first platinum single artist? Is a black artist?
I know you probably know, I know, but bib he
blew out that Michael Jackson or something like that. And
when he told me, I was blown away.

Speaker 8 (59:46):
I think it can't be right.

Speaker 4 (59:48):
But you go ahead and come, sir, who was it?

Speaker 5 (59:49):
Johnny Taylor? Of course we just had a birthdays brother.

Speaker 18 (59:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (59:57):
Man, that's crazy to think about all the singers that
can't be for before Johnny Taylor, before great Johnny Taylor.

Speaker 7 (01:00:03):
That's right, I said, Michael, I said everybody.

Speaker 1 (01:00:06):
He said Johnny Taylor.

Speaker 8 (01:00:07):
I had to look it up.

Speaker 7 (01:00:08):
I couldn't believe it.

Speaker 9 (01:00:10):
But Johnny tayl is a great artist. We all agree
that he was an amazing artist, is amazing artist.

Speaker 3 (01:00:16):
He was the first one that had a platinum album
of any any genre.

Speaker 5 (01:00:22):
That's right, wow, wow, after Elvis, Frank Sinatra being.

Speaker 3 (01:00:31):
Yes, you see that's that's black, that's black history history.

Speaker 1 (01:00:36):
Yeah, and see he transitioned from blues to that pop.

Speaker 3 (01:00:39):
But this old lady, yes, yes, well it started with gospel.

Speaker 5 (01:00:44):
All came out to church.

Speaker 1 (01:00:46):
I came out to churches, right, But to this rap
hip hop I called hip he. I used to listen
to rapp in the eighties whatever. And first of all,
you could understand what they were saying, what they think, and.

Speaker 3 (01:01:00):
You Woodson and right, I did too. And before that,
probably before you I started back Woodson and Ron with
Sugarhell game.

Speaker 5 (01:01:11):
That's right, uh huh.

Speaker 3 (01:01:13):
And you're right. You could understand what they were saying.
They were pronouncing their words, nunciation, you could understand what
they were saying.

Speaker 1 (01:01:22):
Yeah, And I know, and I know there are different categories,
like you know, you had your Lover Wraps, Big Daddy Kane,
your high school rap. Yeah, you had your educational rap.
Cares are one party rap. And I didn't hear Harley.
I go back and lit some know those songs, no
cuss words, no talking about killing or selling drugs, none
that stuff. And I think in the nineties something happened.

(01:01:43):
You start getting the ghetto boys, and I read somewhere
you might know, sir, that they said the whether the
NWA were selling like one hundred thousand tapes, no record contract,
and the record companies got a got a got a
knowledge of that, you know, and they started putting that
kind of stuff out. But at all these other vocal
you know, didn't even like Ice Tea said he wasn't

(01:02:04):
a rapper, he was a pimp, but they gave him
a rapping contract.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
And also that pushed aside all the other clean rappers.

Speaker 7 (01:02:10):
As it was.

Speaker 1 (01:02:11):
Even Hammer tried to get to that little gangster cup
for a minute. But I don't like, I didn't never
know like the gangster rap at today, from the sipping
on the syrub wrap and the screwing. I don't even
listen to it no more because it all sounds the
same to me.

Speaker 8 (01:02:25):
Yes, maybe I'm just old.

Speaker 3 (01:02:28):
Hey, some of those they all sound the same to me.

Speaker 1 (01:02:33):
Whereas in the old day, folks strolled to not sound alike,
you know, Earth winning Fire Sounds, didn't want to sound
like the Issy Brothers, even the white music, the Eagles
didn't want to sound like Stilly Dad. They strolled to
sound differently. Now everybody strived to sound the same. But anyway,
I'm gonna go in and look up some more history because.

Speaker 3 (01:02:53):
That's right, Yeah, it's blackhead history. And what time I
was gonna say before before that, sh hell, I was
listening to Gil Scott here. That's right, Come on now,
I remember that.

Speaker 5 (01:03:08):
Do you know what a sucre heels speaking than that.

Speaker 9 (01:03:10):
We gotta give props to Sylvia Robinson, Yes, Mickey and
Sylvia Strange.

Speaker 3 (01:03:16):
And talk and all that, and she discovered the moment,
right who later left and Brown Goodman, you know Harry
Ray Ray Goodman and Brown.

Speaker 5 (01:03:27):
That's right. I mean when she was a hip hop
she was a visionary. She saw it well, the white
folks didn't know what to do with it.

Speaker 9 (01:03:33):
It's like it's always like that because you go back
to Chicago with policy with numbers.

Speaker 5 (01:03:37):
The white folks said, all this bunch of Negro pennies.

Speaker 9 (01:03:41):
But they ads up to millions of dollars and once
they figure out what we was doing is always a takeover.

Speaker 5 (01:03:46):
It's just like with the music. You had the message, you.

Speaker 9 (01:03:49):
Know, broken glass everywhere, Like when rap really was like
the black seeing in let you know what's going on
in the hood. But now they're the main ones conspiring
against the people in the hood. And I think that
my thing, it's about balance, It's really about balance. I
think that tupacin Biggie should be able to live to
the same ripe Ole's age.

Speaker 5 (01:04:07):
As a roberts Niro on Alphachino. What's the difference?

Speaker 3 (01:04:10):
Man?

Speaker 9 (01:04:10):
But the thing about it is we buy into that fantasy,
into that Yeah, now it's not real, but we make
it real.

Speaker 3 (01:04:16):
You're right, You're right, Yeah.

Speaker 8 (01:04:18):
W D I A.

Speaker 3 (01:04:20):
Hi caller, Hello, mam, Hey, Chaplain Comings? How are you?
How are you today? Chap? How you doing? Chaplin Comings? Hello, Hi,
I'm here, Chaplain Comings.

Speaker 2 (01:04:33):
Can you hear me? I hear you now, yes, ma'am.

Speaker 19 (01:04:38):
I was just thinking when when w D I A
Came on, I was ten years of age and we
went through the streets, you know, talking about we got
a got a color radio station right.

Speaker 3 (01:04:51):
Year. Back then it was colored. It was colored Chaplain cominges.

Speaker 17 (01:04:57):
But those of us who came my books, you why
some mayroads having it in Douglas graduated in fifty four
and fifty five and probably up to fifty sixth I
joined the Navy.

Speaker 19 (01:05:08):
We went in the military, were still retested. We went
in skills engineering, electronics and things like that. And when
I retired twenty years later, I came back home after
college in seven eight. I could not believe the demise
of the education.

Speaker 14 (01:05:23):
Level of my people. I couldn't believe it and I
still can't.

Speaker 7 (01:05:27):
It just it just it just makes me ill. Just
went crazy.

Speaker 19 (01:05:31):
Most of our people came back, Sister Beverley brun We
made open up businesses, truck over family business, things like that,
and now it just seemed like it's and they keep
blaming each other. This is my brother and my sister.

Speaker 2 (01:05:45):
We need your neighbor's child.

Speaker 19 (01:05:46):
Know who you are.

Speaker 14 (01:05:48):
Talk to them here.

Speaker 19 (01:05:48):
If they can't do it, you have to make a
big old I'm just frustrated, but I enjoyed all the day.
I'm just something, you know, I know, I do this subject.
I know and see and sister better, let me say
very quickly went out in this I think the sixth grade,
we this. This white lady came and.

Speaker 2 (01:06:06):
As the proctor.

Speaker 19 (01:06:07):
We didn't know what the proctor was. He explaining it
to us. I was teaching Miss Silva explaining it to us,
and the testing us and we you know, got we
were right. They were testing up because we was going
so high that they rechecked.

Speaker 14 (01:06:21):
We had to be cheating.

Speaker 19 (01:06:22):
And what they did they created the study period from
Annanswa to our homes which is about a mile, So
we had a study period from home every day to
the school. And so all they they would make us
get better. That's all they did when they put the
little pressure on us as young people, their children. But
we understood what they were trying to do. They were
trying to make us quit a talk, crazy or whatever.

(01:06:45):
But it wonder how God can just take his use
and make him be something. I was engineering the Navy
had a fart the man crew. I'm powered and charge
of the power. I never had all three black men
in it, but I did my best to training them.
Brother was the best I could. When they got out,
they could get a good job, you know. So that's
what I did, you know. So that just thankful y'all

(01:07:07):
doing today. Y'all just me just hooked me up and
one quick day. I don't know how in the world
they got it so quickly, but every music it came
out real good.

Speaker 14 (01:07:16):
In America.

Speaker 19 (01:07:17):
It was in the our Man played with the Philippines
and Lungefold City. It was that and so that was
like a soul city in the Philippines.

Speaker 3 (01:07:25):
So thank you tapping comments, bye bye, yes w D
I a high caller. Hello man, Hello, hell Orlando.

Speaker 1 (01:07:38):
How are you doing fine?

Speaker 3 (01:07:41):
It was nice you were on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (01:07:45):
Yes, ma'am.

Speaker 20 (01:07:45):
Yes, ma'am.

Speaker 1 (01:07:46):
I'm on the on the ford's going away.

Speaker 4 (01:07:49):
It was a wonderful y'all put them away.

Speaker 18 (01:07:51):
Wonderful that you really did a great job.

Speaker 7 (01:07:55):
Yes, ma'am.

Speaker 18 (01:07:56):
I have a couple of things I want to talk
to mister Hurd.

Speaker 8 (01:08:00):
Did this proper name?

Speaker 18 (01:08:02):
Yeah, yeah, okay, he's a historian. I remember you being
on once before. And one of the things that I, uh,
you know, uh Chapman, uh mus Chapman. He's a Navy
vet and I was a Navy vet. And one of
the things we had to do when we was out
at sea and on ship was so we sat around

(01:08:22):
this when you out to see for thirty days, you
ain't got television or nothing.

Speaker 16 (01:08:27):
You just out there.

Speaker 18 (01:08:28):
So you had music and things like that to listen
to to try to pass the time, you know, And
uh that's uh, that's all about navy stuff. But one
of the things that I feel today and now you
can talk about it's uh I have never I raised
three children, but I never had a lacking for rap music.

(01:08:50):
I majored in music in high school. Don't rat me
for so lat do.

Speaker 16 (01:08:55):
But when rap came out.

Speaker 18 (01:08:58):
Those on the turntable, that's scratching and all of this
bulgarity and gangster we the people who pushed that have
did more damage to me as far as I'm concerned,
to the black community. To me, I put rap music
in the same category as I put dope dealers. A
dope dealer will sell drugs to a pregnant mama for money.

(01:09:23):
And we have accepted a lot of silk that we
want to call music in our communities. And then we
wondering why were children today? Is acting a food shooting
and killing grown people and shooting and killing the cave,
the jealous kids shooting the kids that are gonna graduate
from high school because you drop out or do you fail.

(01:09:44):
A friend of mine work down there at juvenile Court,
is saying there that there are people who talking about
graduating from Nissy City School who can't read and write.

Speaker 14 (01:09:55):
Now, what kind of censor?

Speaker 20 (01:09:57):
I mean, how you what kind of future you think
these young people gonna have? I mean, but you can
walk up to him and ask him about some gangs
to rap or something. They probably had to all tell
you about everything and.

Speaker 18 (01:10:08):
All that filk that they have learned.

Speaker 2 (01:10:11):
Right off the bat.

Speaker 18 (01:10:12):
They can sing the whole song.

Speaker 20 (01:10:14):
I came even read and write Who fell and I
were children?

Speaker 13 (01:10:18):
I had.

Speaker 20 (01:10:18):
I had three children. My daughter was a straight A
student when she came. I could have went to any
college in the nation.

Speaker 18 (01:10:24):
She wanted to.

Speaker 20 (01:10:25):
My two sons, both of them end up in the ministry.
You see what I'm saying here, because Daddy was there
putting that belt on whenever they needed on. That red head.
You know what I'm saying to raise and it what
that I was saying about. It takes a village to
raise children. Because my mama, Jesus, my mother. If I

(01:10:46):
did something wrong and my mother.

Speaker 18 (01:10:48):
Had to ride the bus, she get off the bus
and was walking home, and all the people on the
street knew.

Speaker 20 (01:10:53):
And they've been told her whole time.

Speaker 14 (01:10:55):
Back time she get home I did. It was sad
for us. Strap they don't know it.

Speaker 4 (01:11:02):
People, that's right.

Speaker 20 (01:11:06):
What do you have to say about that history?

Speaker 2 (01:11:08):
I guess about this music.

Speaker 20 (01:11:10):
I mean, these people who went to rap as far
as I'm concerned they are very guilty of a lot
of the crime and violence and things that are going
on to with out a young black children today. I
wouldn't put that kind of silt out there in the
black community.

Speaker 5 (01:11:24):
Right, You're welcome.

Speaker 9 (01:11:28):
It was by me of like, you know, the system
is not set up for us to win. We can win,
like life is about. You know, a winner is just
a loser who tries one more time. And the thing
about it is, you got to understand that we all
really like the like Tupac talk about the roles that
grew out of concrete because the reason why rap existed
and was created because they cut all the money out

(01:11:50):
of music education programs. Somebody who advocated for music education
in the schools was Jimmy Lunsford. He did that as
a volunteer, but by him doing that, he became the
first person in the history of the world to teach
jazz studies in a form of educational setting.

Speaker 5 (01:12:05):
But also he was a social worker. He major in sociology,
which is.

Speaker 9 (01:12:08):
Interesting that the boys did not approve of him marrying
his daughter because he's the father of American sociology. But
the thing about it is like a cause and response
to everything, because you think about go back. You know,
people are talking about the bad old days and Jim Crow,
and yet you could drop out of high school and
go work across the street from a NASA's at Firestone
for forty years and support a family of four or

(01:12:30):
five whatever, and you know, wife can stay home, raise kids,
take care of home.

Speaker 5 (01:12:34):
One job and all these gig jobs and stuff like that.

Speaker 9 (01:12:37):
Be at dinner time with your family, y'all all really
know each other, y'all eating together, pay for your kids
to go to school, and still have money left up
before retirement.

Speaker 5 (01:12:47):
Tho, wasn't that dead of time, was it? I mean,
I mean Jim Crow and all that.

Speaker 9 (01:12:51):
You know, Hey, you know, black folks had some money,
had some spending power, had some stability. I know, I
think about both said of my grandparents. They were married
with a whole bunch of kids. You know, both of
them were man whatever, happily whatever. You know, it's all
about perspective. But black folks were some of the most
married people fifty sixty years ago. Now we're talking about

(01:13:11):
we glorified single parenthood. You know, people, things happen in life,
but we glorified and go by my own only and
lonely and stuff. But even you think about what Gavin
Newsoen did not too long ago to go to California
talking about well I got low test scores like you
black people, Well, you know, the most educated, most accomplished,
skilled people twenty years after the Civil War war form

(01:13:32):
of black slaves. We took education seriously. When I mean
like an older person or elder. Now you can tell
how educated they were about how they took took great
pain to write so perfectly with their handwriting. So I
was friends with Emerson Abell Jr.

Speaker 7 (01:13:46):
This is an.

Speaker 9 (01:13:47):
Educated, crazy man very cause I looked at it, man,
this man with a colligifer. The way he wrote, you know,
it was like art. But you know, you got people
now they can't even speak, you know what I'm saying.
But it's not all they fought because going back to
the man said, I have met a person who's a
successful engineer at won our institutions in the city.

Speaker 5 (01:14:07):
He's a product of the public school system.

Speaker 9 (01:14:10):
When he went to school, he was gifted in baseball,
but he wanted to become an engineer. He had taken
remedio math entering into college, so did he felt himself
or did the system fail him by design? But guess
what the teachers saw his heart, his desire to better himself.
He became disciplined and end up graduating becoming an engineer

(01:14:32):
and is pretty good at it, all right. But how
many people that are we leaving behind that have these
abilities but we don't have the proper investment or support
for them.

Speaker 3 (01:14:40):
W d I A hey caller, Hey.

Speaker 7 (01:14:43):
There beb Johnson?

Speaker 5 (01:14:44):
How will he?

Speaker 3 (01:14:45):
How are you?

Speaker 7 (01:14:47):
I wasn't able to hear that. The guests, the musical
guests is still on.

Speaker 18 (01:14:51):
Ron heard, yes, Ron heard, all right, and.

Speaker 7 (01:14:56):
Uh, good afternoon till both of you take it. Good night.
So you mentioned and we had already been talking about
that era of music where you've used the word conspiracy.
I think that there has been some whistleblowers since then
on the powers to be deciding that we want this music,

(01:15:19):
these hs kills, sly slide, boom boom, we're not accepting
anything else.

Speaker 2 (01:15:25):
Where?

Speaker 7 (01:15:26):
Are we in that state of power? Now? Can we
get good music, you know Marvin Gak type of music
out there now? Or is it still the powers to
be saying we want you all to hear this?

Speaker 3 (01:15:39):
You know what okay, William, thank you, William, and I'll
answer okay, and Ron can chime in on it. No,
there are still some good artists out there, William, who
are doing music like a Marvin Game, like a p
Bow bryceon doing There are some new artists who like

(01:15:59):
the R and B. They're doing that. Matter of fact,
what was that guy just here October London? Oh yeah, yeah,
he reminds me of Marvin Gay. What's this other brother name?
Ron Gregory Porter William. There's some young folks out there
doing it. You may not just hear a lot of it,

(01:16:21):
but you hear all the reup. But there's some young
folks out there who are doing good music, that good
R and B music that we like, right Ron.

Speaker 9 (01:16:30):
Almost definitely, even Sonraw, I mean, he made his music
for black people, but when we go to Sonraw shows
as most of white people, you know, because he said,
I made this for black people, but I'm gonna release
it to the world because we don't want it.

Speaker 5 (01:16:41):
Right, And so did everything not just on vant garde jazz.
He did R and B. He did, you know, like
the du wop stuff all.

Speaker 3 (01:16:49):
Right, right, So we've always had good music. Hold on, callers, please,
Ron Heard is here as we celebrate. We're kicking off
black Music Monk, So hold on, we're going to get
to you next on the Heart and Soul of Memphis.
W d i A.

Speaker 12 (01:17:19):
Nobody, and I mean nobody does it like the Queen
of talk, Beb Johnson on the BEB Johnson.

Speaker 7 (01:17:26):
Show on w d I A.

Speaker 12 (01:17:56):
You're listening to the Beb Johnson Show here Bev Johnson,
and we're.

Speaker 3 (01:18:01):
Celebrating Black Music Months, starting off on this June first. Yeah,
it's Black Music Month. Ron Heard is here, our music historian.
And before we go to our phone lines, hold on, y'all,
ron you, is there any jazz singers that you really like.

(01:18:22):
I'm gonna tell you my favorite. My favorite is Well Savon,
my old favorite. I love Savon and she's not a
jazz singer, but she had that little jazz in her.
Phillis Hyman. Oh my goodness. Those are two of my favorite.
And I don't know you don't. You don't talk a

(01:18:42):
lot about the women jazz singers.

Speaker 9 (01:18:45):
I mean, I love, I love some women jazz singers.
You named Sarah bon On. My favorites of course, Billy.

Speaker 3 (01:18:50):
Holliday, Yeah, Billie Holiday.

Speaker 5 (01:18:52):
Uh died in Washington for her love her.

Speaker 7 (01:18:56):
You know you like.

Speaker 5 (01:19:00):
Some young ones. You got some young guns.

Speaker 3 (01:19:02):
That's doing that now, Samarrah Joe Joy. That's a bad sister.
That's a bad young Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:19:14):
I like that.

Speaker 3 (01:19:15):
We're gonna go to our phone lines.

Speaker 5 (01:19:16):
Thank y'all for waiting to talk with you.

Speaker 14 (01:19:19):
W d I A HI caller, good after doom is
Beth Johnson?

Speaker 3 (01:19:24):
How you doing good afternoon? Small change?

Speaker 2 (01:19:29):
And how you get you to your guests up there?
Y'all doing break today?

Speaker 3 (01:19:32):
We're doing well, mister hurd Ron hurdles.

Speaker 2 (01:19:35):
If mister heard, I'm gonnabout your older man than you.
Not to put you down, but I'm gonna come from
my ear.

Speaker 5 (01:19:42):
Okay, all right, that's all right.

Speaker 2 (01:19:45):
When we're gonna have some Sam Cook.

Speaker 5 (01:19:48):
Here's something we mean, here's some Sam Cook.

Speaker 2 (01:19:51):
Yeah, it's stopped playing Sam. Go when I come along?

Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
I born in Okay, Now, small change, Wait a minute.
We still played a little Sam Cook on w d
I A you can hear Sam on a Saturday. We
still play some Sam during the week too.

Speaker 2 (01:20:05):
Well, give me some Sam Cooks and something off. Come
a minute, what the name Bennie Johnson, No, n ain't
Benny Johnson, what the name in the night when the
night of cold? Bennie what is his.

Speaker 5 (01:20:17):
Name you're talking about, Bennie King, Benny King, Yeah, Bennie ke.

Speaker 2 (01:20:22):
One, and we'll have some. Jane Chandler.

Speaker 14 (01:20:27):
Yeah you can't.

Speaker 2 (01:20:31):
Yeah, you can't. Your Duke Marr. You can't put these
young guys in with them. Guy, and I'm not putting
them down. That was just my ear and got to
no one. And now you saying I couldn't sleep it
all last night. I can't think of his dames turning.

Speaker 3 (01:20:46):
He did tossing, and I'm trying to think of it.

Speaker 7 (01:20:49):
I was, I got you today.

Speaker 2 (01:20:57):
They want to get angry about because we those of
them in my era come up in my aid. We
yet it except Rap, and I never did that. I tried,
but I tried, But I what I couldn't really understand
or either didn't want to. I couldn't get used to
talking about the women underneath. I said, now, come on,

(01:21:20):
when you got a mother or father, you got a
sister somewhere, somebody you do should respect. I mean, that
was my point of view about Rap, and I never
did tell come to love it. And another thing he
got now singing and they make it a million of
dollars dollars. I think it ain't food Snoop Dogg can't.
I can't stand the guy. Never let him nothing like that.

(01:21:40):
But he hate people coming through life. I just be
I just I can't get in love with people that
hate people coming up.

Speaker 7 (01:21:50):
I just can't.

Speaker 2 (01:21:51):
And the other thing Beverly miss uh.

Speaker 4 (01:21:55):
Oh god, I lost my trainings thoughts.

Speaker 2 (01:21:58):
I didn't make it. I didn't make it at it
because I had to work. I got that a little late.

Speaker 3 (01:22:02):
That's all right.

Speaker 2 (01:22:03):
I didn't get my heart was there.

Speaker 14 (01:22:05):
Yeah, we ain't got.

Speaker 2 (01:22:08):
Nobody to replace the young peoples up there. And uh,
what's his name?

Speaker 1 (01:22:11):
B be Keen?

Speaker 14 (01:22:12):
He gone yea.

Speaker 2 (01:22:14):
And people we we just had all kinds of jonglealess
coming up to ten tables and they gone.

Speaker 3 (01:22:20):
Well, they still well, well, old are still hanging on
in there. He's still hanging with him, the founder of
the TI.

Speaker 2 (01:22:26):
What I'm saying, I know what you saying.

Speaker 3 (01:22:28):
The music well no, but but see that's one thing
about w D I A. We still play that music.

Speaker 2 (01:22:35):
But you know what I'm afraid of they have missed wrong.
I've been missed something of this music on YouTube. They
got this dog going a I trying to sound just
like folks. I can't get with it right right, and
you're right, I can tell it every time one of
them songs come on. I for god, no, I think
we did this happen. I wouldn't mistering wrong with that.
We this here now, Yeah, but I would never accept

(01:22:57):
that AI music. I just would not. I know I
ain't probably won't be around much longer, but I'm not
going to set up there. I let these peoples he
talking about now, if them Rapper's Guide that he was
talking about, because clean they act, I mean, they song.
I might couldn't like that, But if you're talking about
my mama talking about BEB Johnson's, I just can't. I
can't flow with you.

Speaker 3 (01:23:16):
I got your small chance.

Speaker 2 (01:23:18):
And you can you can put all that on me
and when you and I'm out of here, But when
you gonna have the next open conversation, because I want
to talk about this governor thing, it won't be this.

Speaker 3 (01:23:30):
Week because I got guests all this week.

Speaker 16 (01:23:32):
But I let you know, brother, yeah, and I don't
want to.

Speaker 2 (01:23:35):
I don't want to miss wrond. I got a lot
of respect for the young brothers. I don't want to
mention it, yeah, but I do really want to talk
about that the wrong Take care and think about what
I said that. Like I said, I'm an older person.
I can accept a lot, but I couldn't. I couldn't
accept when you want to talk about my mom my,
aunts and nieces. Then boys, I'm concerned was a negative way.

(01:23:59):
Regardless how this song sound, I just couldn't get with it.
And with that I might here thank you small chain.

Speaker 5 (01:24:05):
A lot of change to give.

Speaker 9 (01:24:06):
Yeah, Yeah, jazz me a horn. Jazz mea horn. She's
a great singer from Texas. He's a young gun. She's amazing.
She got an old soul jazz me a horn. But
what he was saying is interesting because I know it brings.

Speaker 5 (01:24:20):
Up t Pain. We're talking about the tools.

Speaker 9 (01:24:22):
T Pain got a lot of Like Usher said, he's
destroyed the music because the auto tune stuff. But te
Pain actually put out a live album, I believe, and
he can actually really sing sing.

Speaker 5 (01:24:33):
T Pain can sing sing.

Speaker 9 (01:24:35):
But he used that as a way, I guess to
be different, don't stand out and stuff like that. I'm
not really knocking to get the ail or any tool
that you use to create music for even Miles Davis
at the end. He was produced by this guy named
Easy Mob who produced Tupac and Uh Biggie and he
worked on Miles's last album and Males had a unique approach.

Speaker 5 (01:24:56):
To things where you know, he said, museums where you
keep dead thing. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 9 (01:25:00):
We did it right the first time we had Charlie
Parker and Dizzy. We don't have to do this bebop
thing how we did it back in my day. But
let's do this new stuff. Let's connect. I think there's
a great disconnect because even like you look at the rappers,
Loud them came up in the church Snoop Dogg came
up in the church acchoir, even Nake dog you know
Nate Dogg and Off of the Hooks.

Speaker 5 (01:25:21):
He was in a gospel singing group.

Speaker 9 (01:25:23):
He's from Clarxdale. He's from Clarxdale, Mississippi. Like say, I'm
cooking them, I turner that where Nate Dogg is from.
From my understanding, so my thing is just the lack.
Like you look at this documentary called Bastards of the Party,
excuse me, Bastards of the Party.

Speaker 5 (01:25:37):
They talk about the Black Panther Party.

Speaker 9 (01:25:39):
When the government did what they did to the Black
Panther Party and certain types of elements, you left the
kids without father figures, without you know, mother figures.

Speaker 5 (01:25:48):
It's like that, and it became street games. No, you
got the bloods and.

Speaker 9 (01:25:52):
Cribs out of the Panther Party because you cut off
the head, but left the body still in intact. But
they needed direction. And I think a lot of times
we'd be hard on the youth because they looking for leadership.
You know, hip hop is the reason why we know
about Malcolm X. People forgot about Malcolm X. They try
to bury Malcolm X. Back in sixty five. The black
middle class, all of them couldn't stand Malcolm. It was

(01:26:13):
young black people in the eighties looking for a leader.
They had to resurrect Malcolm through the music. They were
simple Malcolm speeches and whatnot. And that's how a new
generation got introduced to Malcolm X. Not because of the
wise elders, because the young people was thirsty. They were
hunger for dollars, they were hunger for leadership. That you know,
it's been suppressed now for whatever reason. But that's the power.

(01:26:35):
When people get together, we decide we get to choose.
But if they're taking our choices away from us, then
I guess there's a problem. But it's hard for me
to blame Frankenstein for being a monster. I blamed doctor
Frankenstein for being the biggest monster.

Speaker 3 (01:26:48):
That's right, wd Ia, high caller, Hey caller, I can't
hear anything. I hear something. They don't hear me. High caller, Okay,
w D I a high caller?

Speaker 7 (01:27:08):
Hey, Hey, good?

Speaker 8 (01:27:08):
How you doing?

Speaker 3 (01:27:09):
Hey, common man?

Speaker 5 (01:27:10):
How are you?

Speaker 21 (01:27:12):
I'm doing well. Hey, I want to pick up on
I would listen to your call and how to you
guess so I'm trying.

Speaker 19 (01:27:22):
All right?

Speaker 21 (01:27:23):
Yeah, I would listen to your car that you had
with Uh. I just I just want to know and
uh he was wondering about music and how does does
have influence on these younger people in AHIV. I do
believe and I think I know that music can be
very influential, but as it relates to HIV, you know,

(01:27:43):
I'm I'm putting like this bell I had. I've had
some conversations with a couple of young younger women. One
was thirty six and one was thirty and I think
it's more so a thing of the culture or or
the generation of people. Because the things that these girls
tell me, they're they're aiding in and they're doing the
younger generations you wouldn't believe. And they had these little

(01:28:05):
codes that they use to to check the fact what
they're talking about, these different terminologies, you know, And I
wouldn't even say it to you because I have so
much respect for you. But they're doing things that if
you heard about it, and maybe you have maybe and
maybe not, it'll blow your mind. You wouldn't believe it.
And so they're so you know, they're so and like

(01:28:26):
you saying this is this is what we do. You know,
it's like fun and game for them, but it's so unsafe,
you know. So I don't think the music is to blame.
I think it's their behavior, the generation, what they're into,
the trends they get into, and a lot of the
they're just not good. Because I promise you, if you
got any young nieces or nephews that have straight up

(01:28:49):
conversation with you, have a conversation with them, and you
won't believe what they tend you, I promise you you won't.
And you're guess they're I think you're against is rep youn.
He may he may have an ideal of some of
the things I'm talking about. If he's rather young, in
his thirties or whatever. Uh, you wouldn't believe the beb
I promise you.

Speaker 3 (01:29:07):
Okay, all right, one last come in, yes, sir.

Speaker 21 (01:29:10):
One last come in. As far as rap music, first
of all, I don't know where this terminology gainst the
rap come from. Secondly, Tupasha Kur was one of my
favorite rappers. And to your guests, I think you could
attest to the fact that Tupac has some very positive
messages in his music, as well as other good rappers

(01:29:32):
that came along in the eighties and things like that.
You know, uh, some of the rappers we have now. Yeah,
it's a lot of bad, bad music and a lot
of Bolger music and stuff like that. But it is
some rap music out there that's very positive in constructive.

Speaker 3 (01:29:46):
Okay, thank you, common man, and all right, bye bye
and w d I a unforgetful hey bev.

Speaker 16 (01:29:56):
Yes, I just want to say, you know, when it
comes to music, the beath gun, it's all about you
take responsibility to people. If your man can not handle it,
don't listen to it. It says on the reference and stuff,
explicit violence and all that kind of stuff. So while
you buying it, you can't deal with it. I mean,
just think about Superman when he was down here flying

(01:30:17):
and black and white. Did I jump out the window
and fly stupid?

Speaker 8 (01:30:24):
You know.

Speaker 19 (01:30:27):
Your man?

Speaker 14 (01:30:28):
To be strong with people?

Speaker 7 (01:30:30):
Those your man and be strong.

Speaker 16 (01:30:33):
Because the music part of it in the background, it
sounds real good. It's the word I mean, I'm gonna
get your death for bath. Okay, I'm gonna give you,
can't give you examp for real quick, real quick?

Speaker 4 (01:30:46):
Okay.

Speaker 16 (01:30:46):
Do y'all like the song on Ice teat Real Pusher
Push your Man, Ice.

Speaker 21 (01:30:52):
To put the man.

Speaker 3 (01:30:54):
That's Curtis Mayfield.

Speaker 16 (01:30:57):
I ain't talking about the first one. I'm talking about
Ice Bath. John said, what about Ice Team.

Speaker 21 (01:31:03):
You see the rapper.

Speaker 3 (01:31:04):
I know he's a rapper.

Speaker 16 (01:31:06):
Okay, I see the rapper he seing the song I'm
your Pusher Man. Do y'all realize that's an anti drug song?
Did y'all realize that you listen to the words.

Speaker 3 (01:31:17):
People that, hey, hey, I'm forget for I listened to
Curtis Mayfield Push a Man.

Speaker 20 (01:31:27):
I listened to it that.

Speaker 16 (01:31:33):
You got me last I'm trying to last.

Speaker 3 (01:31:36):
Last. I guess the question, okay, ask the question.

Speaker 16 (01:31:42):
Sure.

Speaker 8 (01:31:44):
Have you heard the music the Blackbird?

Speaker 10 (01:31:47):
A guy?

Speaker 3 (01:31:49):
Uh, the Blackbirds?

Speaker 7 (01:31:52):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:31:52):
Have you ever heard that?

Speaker 3 (01:31:54):
The group the black Birds?

Speaker 5 (01:31:57):
Well, they okay heard it.

Speaker 16 (01:32:00):
They seeing Jack. Well, there's one song called material Vibes,
and that's a beautiful I mean, Beth Johnson, there's so
much brutiful music out there that they, man, they just
don't understand because they don't they hear one word like
young MC. That's a beautiful album. It's a rapper.

Speaker 7 (01:32:22):
Now Young MC.

Speaker 13 (01:32:23):
We want.

Speaker 3 (01:32:26):
Exactly.

Speaker 16 (01:32:27):
I'm Beth Johnson. We be putting ourselves down because it's
a mass set of people. They don't understand. I'm out
of here, thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:32:37):
He said, what Rod? Did he fly like Superman? You
know it back in the day some kids try to
be Superman three and stuff.

Speaker 5 (01:32:45):
I wouldn't tried, I don't think, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:32:47):
And they try to be and Rob Come on, they
tried to be three stooges and they try to do
Superman when I was trying to fly. But anyway, uh,
I don't think about the Blackbird. They hit the song
run in rhythm, talking in rhythm, but anyway blackbirds. But anyway,

(01:33:07):
when we talk about as we get ready to wrap up,
run you you've been fabulous. Oh yeah, you uh talk
about when we talk about Black Music Month, it is
so much black music out.

Speaker 5 (01:33:21):
There, that's right.

Speaker 3 (01:33:22):
And I was I was trying to find Ron Ron
had read because you're a songwriter as well.

Speaker 5 (01:33:28):
Yeah, I write songs.

Speaker 4 (01:33:29):
It's like that.

Speaker 9 (01:33:30):
I utilize the technology. And I played trumpet as well too,
that's right. Right, Yeah, I like to make my beats
and stuff like that. I like to just utilize whether
a hand to tell stories and stuff. I try to
find ways to tell stories different ways.

Speaker 3 (01:33:41):
Okay, all right, and I think you wrote this. I
want to play a little of this.

Speaker 5 (01:33:47):
Mean, I mean pore like you know.

Speaker 9 (01:33:49):
We're doing a reflame ceremony for Jimmy lonstro on his
birthday around noon and Wood Cemetery Saturday, June the sixth.

Speaker 5 (01:33:57):
He would have been uh.

Speaker 9 (01:33:59):
Oh, you'd have been one hundred twenty four years old.
I believe Jimmy Longstreet he would have been that.

Speaker 7 (01:34:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:34:06):
Yeah, the public so Saturday, yes, ma'am, Mwood Cemetery about noon.

Speaker 5 (01:34:14):
It won't be there that long. It could be hot whatever, right,
rain onna shine.

Speaker 9 (01:34:17):
But you know, if you're interested in being a participant
or being involved on learning more information, you could phone,
call or text NWA zero one two nine nine four
three five five.

Speaker 5 (01:34:28):
That's NWA zero one two nine nine or four three five.

Speaker 3 (01:34:31):
Five and free to the public.

Speaker 5 (01:34:33):
Free to the public.

Speaker 9 (01:34:34):
And also, I'll be doing the keynote down at Holly
Springs for June teenth.

Speaker 5 (01:34:38):
On June twentieth.

Speaker 9 (01:34:40):
Yeah, Holly Springs, Misissippi, the birthplace of Robert Church, Senor
and Ida B.

Speaker 5 (01:34:43):
Wells born Crump. Yeah, I'll be I'll be taking it
back to the ground zero to the heartland.

Speaker 14 (01:34:48):
And good.

Speaker 9 (01:34:50):
You think that's free to the public, sponsored by Care.
Now go out there in Holly Springs, Misissippi, June twentieth.

Speaker 3 (01:34:55):
Good, I like I.

Speaker 4 (01:34:56):
Think this is.

Speaker 3 (01:34:59):
You wrote this wrong.

Speaker 4 (01:35:02):
And he did it well.

Speaker 10 (01:35:09):
Although you went to your blue heaven over seventy years ago,
your songs and films are still around, entertaining another generation
of unsuspecting you joyful fans.

Speaker 4 (01:35:26):
However, it could be said that you are the true
most known unknown.

Speaker 22 (01:35:32):
No disrespect to three six Mafia, just rhyme and reason
unsung in glee soul.

Speaker 1 (01:35:43):
Hello, you started the.

Speaker 23 (01:35:48):
First Memphis and Shelby County School's jazz music education program
without help or money from the mis education system manaths Hi.

Speaker 11 (01:36:01):
Even today, they still act like they don't have any
money for the youthful Masses, unless when it comes to
paying off incompetent gatekeepers, cronies, and other useless assets.

Speaker 22 (01:36:12):
You took nine young ambassies and eager boys from New
Chicago and off Memphis and made them.

Speaker 4 (01:36:20):
Anew and into men by sharing.

Speaker 14 (01:36:22):
Your love and gifts of music.

Speaker 16 (01:36:26):
Your band of merry men left the comforts of Memphis
and the Masses High School.

Speaker 23 (01:36:32):
In nineteen thirty four. Per seeds greener, greater and jazzy.
You pass yours to Park's unknown.

Speaker 14 (01:36:39):
He's even to you and your crew.

Speaker 22 (01:36:42):
Inspite lack of funds, you were determined to make your
mark by playing with the house's money, a true game
of chance.

Speaker 7 (01:36:51):
With the will to be.

Speaker 22 (01:36:52):
Free, you drive and exist, sin suffwait, financial difficulties and
man's indifference.

Speaker 5 (01:37:02):
All right, run you wrote that.

Speaker 3 (01:37:05):
You wrote that about Jimmy Lawns.

Speaker 12 (01:37:08):
Oh, I love that.

Speaker 3 (01:37:09):
Now that's some history. They need to play that in
all the schools.

Speaker 9 (01:37:13):
Well, that's one of the goals, Like we gotta take
control of our education. We gotta take control of our
food path and everything else. If you want real self determination.
Jimmy lungs Woil represent a person that is about self determination,
about reclaiming narratives, about investing beloved village and community. Because
you know when he died. Around the time he died,
he was looking for real estate to start a retirement

(01:37:33):
community for black musicians. But at the same time, he
created a Rights of Passions at Banasas to help young
boys and girls become responsible adults.

Speaker 5 (01:37:44):
So we missed that type of stuff. Today, they children
not looking for that type of leadership.

Speaker 9 (01:37:49):
Grown folks are looking for that type of accountability in
leadership today.

Speaker 3 (01:37:53):
I like that very good. I like that run congratulations.

Speaker 5 (01:37:57):
I mean, it's first time I played on radio while.

Speaker 3 (01:38:00):
That same.

Speaker 5 (01:38:02):
One of my friends that I've made up that I created. Okay,
all right, one of my robotic buddies.

Speaker 3 (01:38:09):
Yeah, I love it. I love it. I thank you
Ron As always for being here. You are just a
delight and I appreciate you being here and always we
always going to have you back so you can give
us some history musical history. All right, mister Ron heard y'all,
mister Ron heard.

Speaker 2 (01:38:29):
The views and opinions discussed on The Bev Johnson Show
are that of the hosts and callers and not those
of the staff and sponsors of w d i A.

Speaker 3 (01:38:42):
We want to thank you callers, We want to thank
you listeners for joining us this day on the BEV
Johnson Show. We do, we really do appreciate you. Don't forget.
June is Black Music Month. So until tomorrow, please be safe,
keep a cool head, y'all, don't let anyone steal your joy.

(01:39:07):
Until tomorrow. I'm BEB Johnson, and y'all keep the faith.