The First Time I Heard...

In the final episode of Season 2, host Toya Haynes is joined by guest Shameika Rhymes of the show Check the Rhymes joins to talk about the first time they heard the musical virtuoso Kashif.

Host Toya Haynes is joined by Len Webb and Vincent Williams of the movie review podcast The Micheaux Mission to talk about the first time they heard her favorite group New Edition.

Host Toya Haynes is joined by singer and American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle to discuss the first time they heard the incomparable Gladys Knight.

Do you love slow jams? Did you grow up listening to the Quiet Storm? Then you definitely don't want to miss this bonus episode of The First Time I Heard. Host Toya Haynes is talking about the first time she heard the long running Quiet Storm radio format with her guest, R Dub!, the creator of the globally syndicated Slow Jams with R Dub! radio show and founder of SlowJams.com.

Host Toya Haynes is joined by Black Girl Lost Keys founder Rene' Brooks to discuss the first time they heard the multi-talented Raphael Saadiq and how he's a part of their life soundtrack.

For this special 2 hour episode, host Toya Haynes is joined by producer, singer/songwriter (fun fact: he's the creator of the podcast's theme song), and historian TL Cross to discuss the first time they heard LL Cool J and his remarkable 30 plus year musical legacy.

Creator of Zumble Jason Gray joins host Toya Haynes to discuss the greatness of Devante' Swing's production, recite some of their favorite lines from Martin, and talk about the first time they heard Jodeci.

In this episode of The First Time I Heard, my guest, radio show host Ryan Chitty, and I talk about the first time we heard the band Green Day. We also talk about his radio show Bullying the Jukebox and his plans to open The Punk Rock Museum.

On this season 2 premiere we are talking about the Queen of Hip Hop Soul Mary J. Blige. My guest is Nikki Wright, my co-host on a new podcast we're hosting together called Unsung Unwrapped. Unsung Unwrapped reviews episodes of TV One's award winning show Unsung. Unsung Unwrapped is available on streaming platforms now.

I'm joined by R&B singer and podcast host Kyle Maack to talk about the first time we heard the legendary, and arguably best to ever do it as vocal groups go, The Temptations. Kyle has a pretty unique story to share: he went from becoming completely captivated when he heard The Temptations for the first time at 11 years old to later being signed to original Temptations member Otis Williams' label.

I am joined by Summer and Carren of the podcast Ladies Love Hip Hop to discuss the indisputable queen of Hip Hop, Queen Latifah. We talk about her music and why we think that her career in the entertainment industry makes her the blueprint on how to succeed in the game.

This episode was recorded live at the Respect: Women's Podcast Festival at Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse in Philadelphia, PA. My guest, R&B singer, Beano French and I talk about the first time we heard soul singer Musiq Soulchild. A special thanks to the Respect: Women's Podcast Festival for letting me be a part of this great event and to my DJ, DJ Dommis for providing the tunes in between to make this show really come to life.

My guest, television host, producer and writer Torrence Glenn and I talk about the first time we heard R&B soul singer Tevin Campbell. In this episode, Torrence, a self described “Tevin Campbell Stan”, and I talk about Campbell's incredible vocal ability that grabbed us at the first listen, what we hope to hear from him soon, and what parts of his catalog should not go overlooked. We also talk about Torrence's work as a producer on the newest season of BET's Sunday Best.

I'm talking all things “Square Biz” in this episode about the one and only Teena Marie. My guest is singer, songwriter, author, and the biggest Lady T fan I know, Tim Dillinger. Along with talking about the first time we heard Teena Marie, we talk about her early days with Motown, parts of her career that we feel often get overlooked, and ask the question “With so much conversation being had over cultural appropriation, could a Teena Marie come out today and be successful?”

I welcome guest Craig Seymour, author of the book Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross, to discuss the first time we heard my favorite singer of all time, Luther Vandross. In this very special episode released on the 14th anniversary of his death, we talk about his rise from being a very much in demand background singer to becoming one of the most important artist of our time. I'd like to dedicate this episode to my first concert buddy and favorite person to talk about music with, my dearly departed father and favorite friend Leonard Glenn Haynes.

  If you hear the name Kenny Loggins and automatically think of "Footloose", you may be surprised by what else in his catalog of music which spans over 45 years. Grammy-Award winning producer Alvin Love III (CeCe Winans, Mary Mary, The New Respects) and I talk about the first time we heard Kenny Loggins and why there is a particular and very soulful era of his career that made us fall in love with his music.  We also talk about what inspires Alvin musically and what it was like to produce an award winning album for his mother, gospel music legend CeCe Winans.  Read less 

Do you remember the first time you heard Brian McKnight? My guest, author Melissa Watkins, and I reminisce about the first time we heard his music and discuss his career. We also talk about her book Jack and Ahlia and how her love of music influenced her creative process.