Podcasts about bmi awards

Narada speaks with Preston Glass: American musician, songwriter and producer. Glass is the winner of six BMI Awards. He has also worked with several famous artists such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Kenny G, Natalie Cole and Earth, Wind & Fire and more!Visit Narada at his website and socials and leave a comment, like and subscribe if you enjoyed the podcast!Website: https://www.naradamichaelwalden.com/allinpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialnaradaApple Music https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-narada-michael-walden/id1470173526Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5agWJLSreLNze8Sjxit4Na?si=928a8dd6316d4986

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dawnn Lewis. For decades, my guest has used her celebrity platform for mentoring, lecturing, giving concerts, and donating her time and talents to causes across America and abroad on behalf of Organizations such as UNICEF, UNCF, Congressional Black Caucus Against HIV AIDS, and American Heart Assoc.  She is amazing.  In addition to acting, she does voice work on Star Trek Lower Decks, and she currently lends her voice to recurring characters on The Simpsons and Futurama.   Dr. Dawnn Lewis is the proud daughter of Guyanese parents and is a force of talent and compassion who seamlessly navigates the realms of entertainment and philanthropy with grace. As President and CEO of Morning Jewel Inc., a prominent multi-platform production company spanning film, television, animation, music, and experiential events, she has solidified her position as a leader in the industry. Brooklyn-born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush, Dr. Lewis is the visionary founder and CEO of A New Day Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting underprivileged youth and grassroots nonprofits. Her charitable efforts span the globe, providing educational resources and participating in community projects in Guyana, India, and other locales. She earned an Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities for over four decades of community and philanthropic service. Dr. Lewis's contributions to the entertainment industry are equally impressive. As a Trumpet Award and Grammy Award-winning singer, she has left an indelible mark on the music world, earning multiple NAACP Image Awards, BMI Awards, and ASCAP Awards for her songwriting prowess. Her music has been used in several other Film and TV soundtracks for Disney, ABC, NBC, HBO, and WIGS Films. Her talents extend beyond music, with a diverse portfolio of work as a film, television, and stage actor, series TV creator/producer, and esteemed inductee into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. She returned to Broadway in the original cast (2019-2022) of the exhilarating TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL (12 TONY Nominations), co-starring as ZELMA BULLOCK, Ms. Turner's mother. Dr. Lewis can be seen in a variety of projects, including “Young Rock” alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the NETFLIX animated series “Karma's World,” created by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. Her versatility continued to shine in her role of “Captain Carol Freeman” in “Star Trek: Lower Decks” even as she prepared for the release of her holiday film “Black Jack Christmas” on BET+, half of which was filmed in Jamaica. She has lent her voice to iconic characters in beloved franchises like “The Simpsons,” “Curious George,” and Disney/Pixar's Academy Award-winning films “Inside Out” and “Monsters University.” Dr. Lewis is dedicated to advocacy and leadership in the entertainment industry, holding positions on various boards, including the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the SAG-AFTRA National Board of Directors, and serving as a Trustee for the SAG Pension Plan and chairing the SAG-AFTRA Singers Committee. Dr. Dawnn Lewis's remarkable journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence in both her craft and her commitment to uplifting others. Her impact resonates not only on stage and screen but also in the countless lives she has touched through her philanthropic endeavors. Company Description *The A New Day Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, founded by Award Winning Actress, Musician, Producer & Activist Dawnn Lewis in 2017. For decades Ms. Lewis has used her celebrity platform for mentoring, lecturing, giving concerts and donating her time and talents to causes across America and abroad on behalf of Organizations such as UNICEF, UNCF, Congressional Black Caucus Against HIV AIDS, American Heart Assoc., KIS Foundation For Sickle Cell Disease, The Urban League, NAACP, SAG/AFTRA and others. She has served on the National Advisory Board of the National Center For Civil and Human Rights, since its inception and is now continuing this walk of service under the umbrella of her own nonprofit organization – A New Day Foundation 501(c)3. The foundation's mission and purpose is to provide financial and programmatic support toward the empowerment and education of underserved youth; provide capacity building pro bono services to assist small/grassroots nonprofits; and to provide general support services in well deserved yet under financed communities. #SHMS #BEST #STRAWSupport the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dawnn Lewis. For decades, my guest has used her celebrity platform for mentoring, lecturing, giving concerts, and donating her time and talents to causes across America and abroad on behalf of Organizations such as UNICEF, UNCF, Congressional Black Caucus Against HIV AIDS, and American Heart Assoc.  She is amazing.  In addition to acting, she does voice work on Star Trek Lower Decks, and she currently lends her voice to recurring characters on The Simpsons and Futurama.   Dr. Dawnn Lewis is the proud daughter of Guyanese parents and is a force of talent and compassion who seamlessly navigates the realms of entertainment and philanthropy with grace. As President and CEO of Morning Jewel Inc., a prominent multi-platform production company spanning film, television, animation, music, and experiential events, she has solidified her position as a leader in the industry. Brooklyn-born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush, Dr. Lewis is the visionary founder and CEO of A New Day Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting underprivileged youth and grassroots nonprofits. Her charitable efforts span the globe, providing educational resources and participating in community projects in Guyana, India, and other locales. She earned an Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities for over four decades of community and philanthropic service. Dr. Lewis's contributions to the entertainment industry are equally impressive. As a Trumpet Award and Grammy Award-winning singer, she has left an indelible mark on the music world, earning multiple NAACP Image Awards, BMI Awards, and ASCAP Awards for her songwriting prowess. Her music has been used in several other Film and TV soundtracks for Disney, ABC, NBC, HBO, and WIGS Films. Her talents extend beyond music, with a diverse portfolio of work as a film, television, and stage actor, series TV creator/producer, and esteemed inductee into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. She returned to Broadway in the original cast (2019-2022) of the exhilarating TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL (12 TONY Nominations), co-starring as ZELMA BULLOCK, Ms. Turner's mother. Dr. Lewis can be seen in a variety of projects, including “Young Rock” alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the NETFLIX animated series “Karma's World,” created by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. Her versatility continued to shine in her role of “Captain Carol Freeman” in “Star Trek: Lower Decks” even as she prepared for the release of her holiday film “Black Jack Christmas” on BET+, half of which was filmed in Jamaica. She has lent her voice to iconic characters in beloved franchises like “The Simpsons,” “Curious George,” and Disney/Pixar's Academy Award-winning films “Inside Out” and “Monsters University.” Dr. Lewis is dedicated to advocacy and leadership in the entertainment industry, holding positions on various boards, including the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the SAG-AFTRA National Board of Directors, and serving as a Trustee for the SAG Pension Plan and chairing the SAG-AFTRA Singers Committee. Dr. Dawnn Lewis's remarkable journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence in both her craft and her commitment to uplifting others. Her impact resonates not only on stage and screen but also in the countless lives she has touched through her philanthropic endeavors. Company Description *The A New Day Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, founded by Award Winning Actress, Musician, Producer & Activist Dawnn Lewis in 2017. For decades Ms. Lewis has used her celebrity platform for mentoring, lecturing, giving concerts and donating her time and talents to causes across America and abroad on behalf of Organizations such as UNICEF, UNCF, Congressional Black Caucus Against HIV AIDS, American Heart Assoc., KIS Foundation For Sickle Cell Disease, The Urban League, NAACP, SAG/AFTRA and others. She has served on the National Advisory Board of the National Center For Civil and Human Rights, since its inception and is now continuing this walk of service under the umbrella of her own nonprofit organization – A New Day Foundation 501(c)3. The foundation's mission and purpose is to provide financial and programmatic support toward the empowerment and education of underserved youth; provide capacity building pro bono services to assist small/grassroots nonprofits; and to provide general support services in well deserved yet under financed communities. #SHMS #BEST #STRAWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dawnn Lewis. For decades, my guest has used her celebrity platform for mentoring, lecturing, giving concerts, and donating her time and talents to causes across America and abroad on behalf of Organizations such as UNICEF, UNCF, Congressional Black Caucus Against HIV AIDS, and American Heart Assoc.  She is amazing.  In addition to acting, she does voice work on Star Trek Lower Decks, and she currently lends her voice to recurring characters on The Simpsons and Futurama.   Dr. Dawnn Lewis is the proud daughter of Guyanese parents and is a force of talent and compassion who seamlessly navigates the realms of entertainment and philanthropy with grace. As President and CEO of Morning Jewel Inc., a prominent multi-platform production company spanning film, television, animation, music, and experiential events, she has solidified her position as a leader in the industry. Brooklyn-born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush, Dr. Lewis is the visionary founder and CEO of A New Day Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting underprivileged youth and grassroots nonprofits. Her charitable efforts span the globe, providing educational resources and participating in community projects in Guyana, India, and other locales. She earned an Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities for over four decades of community and philanthropic service. Dr. Lewis's contributions to the entertainment industry are equally impressive. As a Trumpet Award and Grammy Award-winning singer, she has left an indelible mark on the music world, earning multiple NAACP Image Awards, BMI Awards, and ASCAP Awards for her songwriting prowess. Her music has been used in several other Film and TV soundtracks for Disney, ABC, NBC, HBO, and WIGS Films. Her talents extend beyond music, with a diverse portfolio of work as a film, television, and stage actor, series TV creator/producer, and esteemed inductee into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. She returned to Broadway in the original cast (2019-2022) of the exhilarating TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL (12 TONY Nominations), co-starring as ZELMA BULLOCK, Ms. Turner's mother. Dr. Lewis can be seen in a variety of projects, including “Young Rock” alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the NETFLIX animated series “Karma's World,” created by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. Her versatility continued to shine in her role of “Captain Carol Freeman” in “Star Trek: Lower Decks” even as she prepared for the release of her holiday film “Black Jack Christmas” on BET+, half of which was filmed in Jamaica. She has lent her voice to iconic characters in beloved franchises like “The Simpsons,” “Curious George,” and Disney/Pixar's Academy Award-winning films “Inside Out” and “Monsters University.” Dr. Lewis is dedicated to advocacy and leadership in the entertainment industry, holding positions on various boards, including the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the SAG-AFTRA National Board of Directors, and serving as a Trustee for the SAG Pension Plan and chairing the SAG-AFTRA Singers Committee. Dr. Dawnn Lewis's remarkable journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence in both her craft and her commitment to uplifting others. Her impact resonates not only on stage and screen but also in the countless lives she has touched through her philanthropic endeavors. Company Description *The A New Day Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, founded by Award Winning Actress, Musician, Producer & Activist Dawnn Lewis in 2017. For decades Ms. Lewis has used her celebrity platform for mentoring, lecturing, giving concerts and donating her time and talents to causes across America and abroad on behalf of Organizations such as UNICEF, UNCF, Congressional Black Caucus Against HIV AIDS, American Heart Assoc., KIS Foundation For Sickle Cell Disease, The Urban League, NAACP, SAG/AFTRA and others. She has served on the National Advisory Board of the National Center For Civil and Human Rights, since its inception and is now continuing this walk of service under the umbrella of her own nonprofit organization – A New Day Foundation 501(c)3. The foundation's mission and purpose is to provide financial and programmatic support toward the empowerment and education of underserved youth; provide capacity building pro bono services to assist small/grassroots nonprofits; and to provide general support services in well deserved yet under financed communities. #SHMS #BEST #STRAWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Snuffy Walden Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Lemonade! That's what you get when you take a brilliantly talented, supportive beau, and the greatest, most fun-loving, and devoted co-commiserators on the planet and mix them together on what could have been a rough one. My gratitude is boundless. What fun this was! It helps when said Beau is Emmy Award-Winning Composer, Snuffy Walden, even though we didn't really go there. From piano to trombone, finding guitar, playing strip clubs, to living in a park with his roadie, Aphrodite in Denver to fronting Stray Dog, opening for Emerson, Lake & Palmer around the world, a near-miss with me in '74, drinking and debauchery, recording Songs in The Key of Life with Stevie Wonder, earning a platinum record, being in the passenger seat when Stevie drove––oh yes, he did; playing with Dave Mason, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan when she was breaking I Feel For You, touring with Eric Burdon, two times, and having an epiphany, thanks to longtime friend and bandmate, Michael Ruff, which would change, and save, his life. We focused on Snuffy's playing, rock years… check out this Stray Dog front and center https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sbEdHgb2Oo Thirty Something, The Wonder Years, The West Wing, an Emmy Award, a dozen other Emmy nominations, 51 BMI Awards, representing over 100 TV shows followed. It's all in the great Mark Maxey doc, Up to Snuff. https://www.amazon.com/Up-Snuff-W-G-Snuffy-Walden/dp/B09T2BN8W4 Thanks for the thoughtful understanding, enthusiastic encouragement, sweet words, and unyielding support y'all showered us with. Special thanks to the sweetness that is Snuffy. How blessed am I? Snuffy Walden Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson ***TUESDAY, JULY 9th, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET*** Streaming Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/3LeoZwG

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interviews Yolanda Adams.  She is an award-winning gospel singer, actress, and small businesswoman.  Entrepreneur Yolanda Adams discusses why she started her line of affordable handbags and skin care products and details the importance of taking care of yourself while staying within budget.  She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million albums worldwide. In addition to achieving multi-platinum status, she has won four Grammy Awards, four Dove Awards, five BET Awards, six NAACP Image Awards, six Soul Train Music Awards, two BMI Awards, and sixteen Stellar Awards. She was the first Gospel artist to be awarded an American Music Award.  Support the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interviews Yolanda Adams.  She is an award-winning gospel singer, actress, and small businesswoman.  Entrepreneur Yolanda Adams discusses why she started her line of affordable handbags and skin care products and details the importance of taking care of yourself while staying within budget.  She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million albums worldwide. In addition to achieving multi-platinum status, she has won four Grammy Awards, four Dove Awards, five BET Awards, six NAACP Image Awards, six Soul Train Music Awards, two BMI Awards, and sixteen Stellar Awards. She was the first Gospel artist to be awarded an American Music Award.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth interview with Randy Edelman, Renowned Film Score Composer & Songwriter About Harvey's guest: Today's guest,  Randy Edelman, is a renowned, multi-award winning composer, musician, producer and singer-songwriter, whose body of work is truly monumental.   As a solo artist, he's recorded 16 albums and had numerous hit singles including “Uptown Up-tempo Woman”, “Concrete and Clay” and “Nobody Made Me”.   But most of his classic songs became huge hits for some of the greatest music stars of all time.  Everyone from Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney and Shirley Bassey, to Petula Clark, the 5th Dimension, and Kool and the Gang, have recorded his songs.   Some of his biggest hits include “Weekend in New England” by Barry Manilow, “I Can't Make Music” by The Carpenters, “Isn't it a Shame” by Patti LaBelle, “Down in the Everglades” by Willy Nelson, “If Love is Real” by Olivia Newton-John, “Blue Street” by Blood, Sweat and Tears, “The Laughter and the Tears” by Dionne Warwick, and of course, “Sunny Days”, recorded by his mega-talented wife, Jackie DeShannon.    And if that weren't enough, our guest is also one of the most highly acclaimed composers for movies and television, having written over 100 soundtracks for movies, including “My Cousin Vinny”, “The Mask”, “Ghostbusters 2”, “Twins”, “Kindergarten Cop”, “Six Days Seven Nights”, “Dragonheart”, “Beethoven”,  “Anaconda”, “Diabolique”, “Gettysburg”, “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story”, and “Last of the Mohicans”.  Some of the TV shows and series he's scored include “MacGyver”, “Backdraft 2” for Netflix, and “Citizen X” for HBO. And believe me, I'm just scratching the surface of this man's compositions.   He's received some of the most prestigious awards including an Emmy Award, 13 BMI Awards including their highest honor, the Richard Kirk Award for Outstanding Career Achievement, the Composer and Lyricist's Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati.  In addition, he received nominations for a Golden Globe Award AND a BAFTA  Award for “Last of the Mohicans”, and nominations for the Saturn Science Fiction Award for “Dragonheart”, and a Gold Spirit Best Comedy Award nomination for “Leap Year”.   His live show entitled “A Life in 80 Minutes” played to sold out audiences and got rave reviews.   He's written a musical entitled “Short Cut” about the construction of the Panama Canal.  And he has a new album coming out, entitled “Can't Be Killed By Any Conventional Means”.  AND his brand new single entitled “Everything is Possible”, on which he collaborated with legendary rapper Grandmaster Melle Mel, is now available for streaming. For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/ To see more about Randy Edelman, go to:https://www.randyedelman.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQPOMaKamdeM6_yfNYIO4yghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/3shMd6Vll0mOcviQ3hrk8m?autoplay=truehttps://music.apple.com/ca/artist/randy-edelman/3297021 #RandyEdelman   #harveybrownstoneinterviews

What can one say about John David Mann? He has mastered, well he wouldn't say that, but I would, writing non-fiction, parable and fiction writing. He has also shown us how a marriage can be lived fully and be written about, how to start your own school, and how to run a business with over 100,000 people. And those are just a few of his achievements to date. My favorite is that he has launched almost every book he has written or co-authored on my show since 2015. Yup, that one is special to me because his words lift my spirits, awaken my brain and bring me joy. Well not just to me but to over 3 million people in 38 languages. Blind Fear is John's latest novel with Brandon Webb and it does not disappoint. Today we talked about what his latest novel means, how he manages to take a more 'Hitchcockian" approach to writing than many others (my choice of words as you will hear), and how crime writing taught him to fall in love with the world.  These aren't the usual questions John gets asked, and his answers may surprise you.  Take a listen as we dive deep with John David Mann on life, fiction, writing mastery mentoring and a few other things. John David Mann has been creating careers since he was a teenager. Before turning to business and journalism, he forged a successful career as a concert cellist and prize-winning composer. At fifteen he won the prestigious BMI Awards to Student Composers and received the award at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, where he met such twentieth-century-music luminaries as William Schumann and Leopold Stokowski. He apprenticed as a choral conductor under his father, Dr. Alfred Mann, which gave him the chance to meet more legendary figures of classical music, including Randall Thompson, Leonard Bernstein, Boris Goldovsky, Robert Shaw, and George Crumb. His musical compositions were performed throughout the U.S. and his musical score for Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound (written at age thirteen) was performed as part of a theatrical production of the play at the stone amphitheater in Epidaurus, Greece—the very one, in fact, where the play was originally premiered a few thousand years earlier. At age seventeen, he and a few friends started their own high school in New Jersey (called Changes, Inc.). “Alternative” though they were, his school successfully placed its students in such universities as Harvard and Yale. After graduating, he joined the school's faculty. In the years since he has taught children in affluent Boston suburbs, Indiana farms, and the poorest neighborhoods on the outskirts of Philadelphia. John never planned to go into business; it just seemed to keep working out that way. He has founded one school, one food distribution business, one graphic design business, and two publishing companies. John's diverse career has made him a thought leader in several different industries. In 1986 he founded and wrote for Solstice, a journal on health, nutrition, and environmental issues. His series on the climate crisis, “Whither the Trees?” (yes, he was writing about this back in the eighties), was selected for national reprint in 1989 in Utne Reader for a readership of over one hundred thousand. In 1992 John helped write and produce the underground bestseller The Greatest Networker in the World, by John Milton Fogg, which became the defining book in its industry. During the 1990s, John built a multimillion-dollar sales/distribution organization of over a hundred thousand people. He was cofounder and senior editor of the legendary Upline journal and editor in chief of Networking Times. As a public speaker he has addressed audiences of thousands. John is an award-winning author whose writings have earned the Axiom Business Book Award (Gold Medal, for The Go-Giver), the Nautilus Award (for A Deadly Misunderstanding), and Taiwan's Golden Book Award for Innovation (for You Call the Shots). The Go-Giver was also honored with the Living Now Book Awards “Evergreen Medal” in 2017 for its “contributions to positive global change,” and cited on Inc.'s “Most Motivational Books Ever Written” and HubSpot's “20 Most Highly Rated Sales Books of All Time”; The Go-Giver Leader was listed on Entrepreneur magazine's “10 Books Every Leader Should Read” and Forbes magazine's “8 Books Every Young Leaders Should Read.” His 2012 Take the Lead (with Betsy Myers) was named Best Leadership Book of 2011 by Tom Peters and the Washington Post. His first novel, Steel Fear (2021, with former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb), was hailed by Lee Child as “an instant classic, maybe an instant legend” and nominated for a Barry Award. Jeffery Deaver called the sequel, Cold Fear (2022), “one of the best crime novels of the year.” You can read his thoughts on entering the world of crime fiction at JohnDavidMann.com His books are published in 38 languages and have sold more than 3 million copies. John coauthored the international bestselling classic The Go-Giver (with Bob Burg), the New York Times bestsellers The Latte Factor (with David Bach), The Red Circle (with Brandon Webb), and Flash Foresight (with Daniel Burrus), and The Answer (ghost-written for John Assaraf and Murray Smith) and the national bestsellers The Slight Edge (with Jeff Olson), Among Heroes (with Brandon Webb), Out of the Maze (with Spencer Johnson) and Real Leadership (with John Addison). He has written for American Executive, CNBC, CrimeReads, Financial Times, Forbes.com, Huffington Post, Ivey Business Journal, Leader to Leader, Leadership Excellence, Master Salesmanship, Strategy & Leadership, and Wired. You can find his writings on Huffington Post here. He is married to Ana Gabriel Mann (check out their wedding photos and vows), his coauthor on The Go-Giver Marriage, and considers himself the luckiest mann in the world.

Snuffy Walden Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson There are no accidents. House stand-in as he so aptly named hisslef, Emmy-Winning Composer, Snuffy Walden, was just what the doctor ordered. Live from the dining room, with Rufus for the most part chillin' between us, Snuffy got down, got real, letting us in as he seamlessly weaved through music, alcoholism, geographics, hitting big, breaking bad, highs, lows, getting sober, switching gears, success beyond his imaginings, the pandemic abyss, to slowly stepping back out amidst life's challenges. From piano to trombone, finding guitar, playing with BJ Thomas at 14 and strip clubs at 17, DJing, to living in a park with a roadie, Aphrodite in Denver to fronting Stray Dog, rocking like hell, and opening for Emerson, Lake & Palmer around the world, a near-miss with me in '74, drinking and debauchery, recording Songs in The Key of Life with Stevie Wonder, earning a platinum record, being in the passenger seat when Stevie drove––oh yes, he did; playing with Dave Mason at the peak, Chaka Kahn when she was breaking I Feel For You, touring with Eric Burdon and having an epiphany, thanks to longtime friend and bandmate, Michael Ruff, which would change, and save, his life. With all his success before, a few years later, without experience or training, he scored Thirty Something, then The Wonder Years, both Emmy nominees their first year, then meeting Sorkin and doing Sports Night, and then The West Wing, where he won that Emmy with his iconic main title, and then a dozen other Emmy nominations and 51 BMI Awards, representing over a hundred other shows… then the pandemic slowdown to almost shut down, and a recent rebirth doing what he loves and loving what he's doing, committed to turning up the joy in the monitors, because of and in spite of recent news. Snuffy's humility, humanity, and heart soar in his words and music. His dedication to being of service, hIs talent, and his sweetness, are ongoing inspirations to me and countless others. I neglected to say Happy Passover. Historically I've been a second-nighter, and this year is no exception. Tomorrow, Snuffy will be attending his first Seder. Hide the Manischewitz. From both of us. Snuffy Walden Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Wed, April 5th, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET Streamed Live on The Facebook Replay here:
https://bit.ly/3mbZT8I

Right Said Fred are brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass. They burst into the charts in 1991 with their perennial hit song, 'I'm Too Sexy'. That song became a world-wide smash and has been sampled by Drake and Beyonce. The band have had number one hits in seventy countries. As multi-platinum award winning artists and songwriters, their global sales total 30 million, with over 100 million plays on Spotify. They have writing credits on Taylor Swift's ‘Look What You Made Me Do' and Sofi Tukker's ‘Batshit'. Their music has been featured in over 50 films and TV Shows, plus in excess of 100 commercials. They've won two consecutive BMI Awards and were nominated for the Best British Group at the Brit Awards. Their book, 'Still Too Sexy' is available now. Read 'Eating Smoke: One Man's Descent into Crystal Meth Psychosis in Hong Kong's Triad Heartland.' Paperback UK: https://amzn.to/2YoeaPx Paperback US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0993543944 Support the podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/christhrall (£2 per month plus perks) https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-our-veterans-to-tell-their-story https://paypal.me/TeamThrall Sign up for my NON-SPAM newsletter and FREE books: https://christhrall.com/mailing-list/ Social media Links: https://facebook.com/christhrall https://twitter.com/christhrall https://instagram.com/chris.thrall https://linkedin.com/in/christhrall https://youtube.com/christhrall https://discord.gg/yqvHRUN https://christhrall.com 

We open with Kenny Rogers singing Through the Years, one of the many hit songs written by Tom's next guest, Steve Dorff. The winner of more than 40 BMI Awards, Dorff is an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and he has written more than 20 top 10 hits for iconic artists like Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Anne Murray, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Dusty Springfield. He's also composed countless scores for movies and television shows like Growing Pains, Murphy Brown, Murder She Wrote and the Clint Eastwood film, Every Which Way But Loose.  He is giving concerts tonight and tomorrow night at 8pm in Annapolis to benefit the Classic Theater of Maryland. Follow the link for ticket information. Steve Dorff joins us on Zoom from Annapolis… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right Said Fred burst onto the world music scene in 1991 with the hit song ‘I'm too Sexy' which propelled them to stardom, thirty years later they are still making music but have also acquired a whole new fanbase for speaking out, in the face of adversity, against the Covid tyranny. We have seen them at many anti lockdown demos in London and have followed their social media closely, so it was an honour to have Fred and Richard Fairbrass join us to share their experiences. There have been few voices of descent from the music and entertainment industry, with most artists simply toeing the line while repeating the same old government mantra. Fred and Richard are national treasures. At Hearts of Oak we have nothing but admiration and respect for them both. They stand out as free thinkers who have been fearlessly questioning and challenging the groupthink that has decimated society and the entertainment industry over the last 2 years. In this interview, as they reflect about all that has happened, we ask how this experience has changed them and why they have been so vocal while others have followed the script while cowering in fear. Right Said Fred are one of the UK's most enduring pop exports. Since forming in 1989, brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass, have a list of achievements as songwriters and a band that include number #1 hits in 70 countries including, two US number 1's, three UK number 1's, and a number 1 in Japan – they were also the first band to reach the number one slot in the US with a debut single since The Beatles. As multi-platinum award winning artists and songwriters, their global sales total 30 million and over 100 million plays on Spotify. They have writing credits on Taylor Swift and Sofi Tukker's songs, their music has been featured in over 50 films and TV Shows (The Simpsons, West Wing, Family Guy etc etc) and in excess of 100 commercials. The boys have performed with Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and David Bowie plus plaudits from Madonna, Jay Z, and Prince to name but a few. The band aren't short of awards either; they won two consecutive BMI Awards in 2018 and 2019, making that three BMI's in total. They have also won two Ivor Novello's for I'm Too Sexy and Deeply Dippy and in 1993 were nominated for Best British Group at the prestigious Brit Awards. Fred and Richard are two of the few songwriters to have two songs included in the PRS Century of Song Book. Back in 1990, Fred and Richard, together with guitarist Rob Manzoli, wrote ‘I'm Too Sexy', opening with Richard's vocals only with the (now) iconic lines, “I'm Too Sexy for my love, too sexy for my love, love's going to leave me”, the single stood apart from the bland, insipid chart toppers of that year. ‘I'm Too Sexy' was tongue-in-cheek, it was fun, and it brimmed with the band's independent spirit. 30+ years on and 10 studio albums later, The Freds have found a new legion of fans with their no-nonsense views during the Covid ‘pandemic' regarding lockdowns, masks, vaccines, nonsensical rules and all the regurgitated hysteria that surrounds it. They have been a staple feature at the huge anti-lockdown and freedom protests seen in London and have shown their integrity on their social media and in interviews, pointing out and challenging all the lies, scaremongering and hypocrisies that have been forced upon the population from the government and the main stream media. Fred and Richard want to make music without the nonsense of the industry. They don't care about stereotypes, posturing or pleasing anyone but their fans and themselves. With their experience and history behind them, the guys want to continue carving a fulfilling career for themselves and give back to independent artists. Right Said Fred are living proof that two music-loving brothers with an ear for a hit, plenty of passion, self-belief and a bit of critical thinking can defy all expectations and conquer the world – long live The Freds! OUT NOW, THEIR NEW SINGLE ‘GODSEND' You can download on all major platforms https://rightsaidfred.lnk.to/Godsend Follow & support Fred and Richard on.... Website https://rightsaidfred.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/TheFreds?s=20&t=T8cGz5XgcsB5VCkFi8p0dg GETTR https://gettr.com/user/thefreds Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rightsaidfred Instagram https://instagram.com/rightsaidfredofficial Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/15ajdFAi5bjj5pS9laBfBL?si=TRsoosqjT6Wjml--SwEinQ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/RIGHTSAIDFREDUK Interview recorded 12.5.22 *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art https://theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com/ and follow him on GETTR https://gettr.com/user/BoschFawstin To sign up for our weekly email, find our social media, podcasts, video, livestream platforms and more go to https://heartsofoak.org/find-us/ Please like, subscribe and share!

John David Mann has been creating careers since he was a teenager.Before turning to business and journalism, he forged a successful  career as a concert cellist and prize-winning composer. At fifteen he  won the prestigious BMI Awards to Student Composers and received the  award at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, ..........Support the show

Al Staehley was in The Staehely Brothers, The Nick Gravenites / John Cipollina Band & Spirit.  Songs he's written have been recorded by Keith Moon, Bobbie Gentry, Patti Dahlstrom, Nick Gravenites, John Cipollina, Peter Cox & Marty Balin.  In addition to performing, Staehely has taught music publishing and music business law at both the Art Institute of Houston and St. Thomas University. William Garrett Walden, known as W. G. Snuffy Walden is an American musician and composer of film and television soundtracks. Walden is an Emmy Award winner for the theme music to The West Wing & has been nominated for numerous Emmys throughout his career.  In addition, he has received 26 BMI Awards.  Some of the other shows he scored themes for are The Wonder Years, Roseanne, Ellen, My So-called Life, & Felicity.

If These Walls Could Talk with Wendy Stuart & Tym MossHosts: WENDY STUART & TYM MOSSSpecial guest: RANDY EDELMANWednesday, July 21stLIVE from PANGEA Restaurant, NYCWatch LIVE on YouTube at Wendy Stuart TV Randy Edelman is an American musician, producer, and composer for film and television. He began his career as a member of Broadway's pit orchestras, and later went on to produce solo albums for songs that were picked up by leading music performers including The Carpenters, Barry Manilow, and Dionne Warwick. He is known for his work in comedy films. He has been awarded many prestigious awards, including two nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and twelve BMI Awards. Edelman was given an honorary doctorate in fine arts by the University of Cincinnati in 2004. Who else but hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss could “spill the tea” on their weekly show “If These Walls Could Talk” live from Pangea Restaurant on the Lower Eastside of NYC, with their unique style, of honest, and emotional interviews, sharing the fascinating backstories of celebrities, entertainers, recording artists, writers and artists and bringing their audience along for a fantastic ride.

Jin Jin is a number one hit-making, multi-platinum-selling songwriter and artist who is behind some of the biggest pop, R'n'B and Dance songs of the last 10 years.Her work has won Brits and BMI Awards and an Ivor Novello nomination. Her biggest songs have reached nearly 500 million streams and she has written on multiple number one singles and albums.She has worked alongside producers such as Fraser T Smith, Diplo and David Guetta, and worked with the likes of. Jax Jones, Little Mix, Madison Beer, Paloma Faith & Sigala, RAYE, Sean Paul, Rita Ora, Liam Payne, Clean Bandit, Craig David, Gary Barlow, Jennifer Lopez, Joel Corry, MNEK, Burna Boy as well as break-through artists Hailee Steinfeld and Becky G. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John David Mann has been creating careers since he was a teenager.Before turning to business and journalism, he forged a successful  career as a concert cellist and prize-winning composer. At fifteen he  won the prestigious BMI Awards to Student Composers and received the  award at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, ..........Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/back2basicsmode?fan_landing=true)

Kenna Turner West, recording artist, multi-Dove Award-winning songwriter, and five-time Songwriter of the Year, will be the featured artists this week on The Gospel Jubilee.Listen to the Gospel Jubilee on your Echo device by saying, Alexa, play the Gospel Jubilee on Apple podcast.Or go to: https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/47103586/download.mp3ABOUT KENNA TURNER WESTKenna Turner West has co-written hit songs such as “Say Amen,” “Revival,” “Small Town Someone,” and “Even Me.”Her many successes have come as no surprise to her friends in the music industry; some might even say that it “runs in the family.Kenna's father is bass singer Ken Turner, who sang for many years with the legendary Blackwood Brothers Quartet. Her mother-in-law is country music icon Dottie West, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018.With roots that are firmly planted in gospel music, Kenna's career began in 1983 as a vocalist. In time, however, God began to open a new facet of ministry for the singer.“I had been writing songs for years,” she recalls, “but it was more like journaling with rhyme. Yet there was a season of time around 1997 or 1998, when we were losing my grandmother to dementia and my mom was diagnosed with a tumor near her brain, that I began to see life intersecting with Scripture.The verses that God was using to bring me peace and comfort suddenly began to take on a melody, and I'd write it down. Then one night at church, a friend encouraged me to record some of the songs, so I did; then another friend who worked for a record company gave the songs to the publisher at thelabel, and within a week, the trajectory of my life had completely changed.”Kenna got her first cut shortly thereafter (“A Taste of Grace”), followed by her first radio single (“We're Not Gonna Bow”), which reached #1 on the national charts as well as earning the new songwriter her first of eleven Dove Award nominations.Twenty years later, Kenna has penned over a thousand songs and has garnered over 100 “Song of the Year” nominations, along with 25 “Song of the Year” winsand 8 BMI Awards. As a staff writer for Curb|Word Music Publishing in Nashville, her songs have appeared on GRAMMY® Award-winning projects by both JasonCrabb and Hillary Scott (of Lady A), as well as eight GRAMMY® nominated recordings.You can also find her work on projects by artists such as The Martins, The Isaacs, Michael English, The Crabb Family, Finding Favour, Charles Billingsley, Take 6, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Booth Brothers, Wes Hampton and AdamCrabb of the Gaither Vocal Band, Triumphant Quartet, Travis Cottrell, Jimmy Fortune (of The Statler Brothers), The Collingsworth Family, Brian Free & Assurance,Marty Raybon (of Shenandoah), Joseph Habedank, Karen Peck & New River, Jeff & Sheri Easter, The Nelons, Selah, The Blackwood Brothers, Mac Powell (of ThirdDay), and many more.Additionally, Kenna has created six musicals for the church, including Word Music's best-selling “We Are Witnesses,” along with the Dove Award-nominated projects, “Love Won” and “Christmas Is in The Heart.”In 2020, Kenna signed as an artist with Crossroads Music Group and released her long-awaited project, “A Reason for Hope,” in the summer of 2021.“I am so excited about this new chapter of life,” she shares. “It is as if everything that the Lord has allowed me to do for Him over the last 38 years has ledto this moment.”Kenna's career in gospel music has indeed come full circle. The author and board-certified Biblical counselor—who is currently pursuing a master's degreein theology—continues to blend music, devotional teaching, and humor into a ministry that reaches across the nation and around the world with the goodnews of the Gospel. Whether she is writing songs on Music Row or ministering alongside noted Christian leaders at venues ranging from The Pentagon to NASCARchapels to the local church, Kenna's life has a singular call: to creatively communicate the Living Hope found in Jesus Christ.“It's all I have wanted to do since I became a Believer,” she confesses, “and I feel so incredibly blessed that God is still allowing me to do just that.”For more information about Kenna's music and ministry, or to book her for an event, contact her office at kenna@kennaturnerwest.comYou can now catch The Gospel Jubilee Thursday afternoons at 4:00 PM and Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM EST on Southern Branch Bluegrass RadioGo to www.sbbradio.orgYou can also catch The Gospel Jubilee Saturday evenings at 7:00 and Wednesday afternoons at 4:00 CST on Radio For Life.Go to: www.RadioForLife.orgPlaylist: Artists | Song Title | Album01. Greater Vision - Never will I ever again - “As We Speak”02. Ernie Haase & Signature Sound - Make us one - “Keeping On”03. Barry Rowland & Deliverance - The Ark - “It Is Time”04. Kenna Turner West - Doubt the storm - "A Reason For Hope"05. Kenna Turner West - Calling all prodigals - "A Reason For Hope"06. The Chuck Wagon Gang - Love is the key - “Radio Days”07. The Bledsoes - I'm glad I'm saved - “Trusting”08. The Vaughn Family - All over again - “Closer”09. The Carr Family - Peace that covers all the pain - “For All He's Done”-10. Three Days Journey - Every knee shall bow - "Every Knee Shall Bow - Single"11. The Mark Trammell Quartet - The hem of His garment - "God Has Provided"12. Kenna Turner West - The center of it all - "A Reason For Hope"13. Kenna Turner West - We march on - "A Reason For Hope"14. Kenna Turner West A reason for hope - "A Reason For Hope"15. The Clark Family - I don't want to go back - “Satisfied”16. The Kingsmen - Called out - “Kingsmen Across America”17. The Goodman Revival - I don't want to get adjusted - “Songs In The Key Of Happy”18. Brian Free & Assurance - What the cross really is - “Looks Like Jesus EP”19. The Bowling Family - I know enough - “Safe…After The Storm”-20. The Old Paths - The fire still burns - “Decade”21. The Torchmen Quartet - Reach out to Jesus - “Hymns - Least We Forget”-22. The Williamsons - Jesus, what a wonderful name - “Give Them Jesus”23. The Taylors - The same - “Salvation's Song”24. Southern Raised - Wanna be - “Another World”Send your request to:request@gatewayfortheblind.com

Episode one hundred and thirty-two of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Can't Help Myself” by the Four Tops, and is part two of a three-episode look at Motown in 1965. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Colours" by Donovan. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources No Mixcloud this week, as too many of the songs were by the Four Tops. Amazingly, there are no books on the Four Tops, so I've had to rely on the information in the general Motown sources I use, plus the liner notes for the Four Tops 50th Anniversary singles collection, a collection of the A and B sides of all their Motown singles. That collection is the best collection of the Four Tops' work available, but is pricey -- for a cheaper option this single-disc set is much better value. For Motown-related information in this and other Motown episodes, I've used the following resources: Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound by Nelson George is an excellent popular history of the various companies that became Motown. To Be Loved by Berry Gordy is Gordy's own, understandably one-sided, but relatively well-written, autobiography. Women of Motown: An Oral History by Susan Whitall is a collection of interviews with women involved in Motown. I Hear a Symphony: Motown and Crossover R&B by J. Andrew Flory is an academic look at Motown. The Motown Encyclopaedia by Graham Betts is an exhaustive look at the people and records involved in Motown's thirty-year history. How Sweet It Is by Lamont Dozier and Scott B. Bomar is Dozier's autobiography, while Come and Get These Memories by Brian and Eddie Holland and Dave Thompson is the Holland brothers'. And Motown Junkies is an infrequently-updated blog looking at (so far) the first 694 tracks released on Motown singles. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript This is the second part of a two-part look at the work of Holland, Dozier, and Holland, and part of a three-part look at Motown Records in the mid-sixties. If you've not listened to the last episode, on the Supremes, you might want to listen to that one before this. There's a clip of an old radio comedy show that always makes me irrationally irritated when I hear it, even though I like the programme it's from: [Excerpt of The Mark Steel Lectures, “Aristotle” episode. Transcript: "Which led him back to the problem, what is it that makes something what it is? Is an apple still an apple when it's decomposing? I went to see the Four Tops once and none of the original members were in the band, they were just session musicians. So have i seen the Four Tops or not? I don't know" ] That's the kind of joke that would work with many vocal groups -- you could make the joke about the Drifters or the Ink Spots, of course, and it would even work for, for example, the Temptations, though they do have one original member still touring with them. Everyone knows that that kind of group has a constantly rotating membership, and that people come and go from groups like that all the time. Except that that wasn't true for the Four Tops at the time Mark Steel made that joke, in the late 1990s. The current version of the Four Tops does only have one original member -- but that's because the other three all died. At the time Steel made the joke, his only opportunity to see the Four Tops would have been seeing all four original members -- the same four people who had been performing under that name since the 1950s. Other groups have had longer careers than that without changing members -- mostly duos, like Simon & Garfunkel or the Everly Brothers -- but I can't think of another one that lasted as long while performing together continuously, without taking a break at any point. So today, we're going to look at the career of a group who performed together for forty-four years without a lineup change, a group who were recording together before Motown even started, but who became indelibly associated with Motown and with Holland-Dozier-Holland. We're going to look at the Four Tops, and at "I Can't Help Myself": [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "I Can't Help Myself"] The Four Tops have turned up in the background in several episodes already, even though we're only now getting to their big hits. By the time they became huge, they had already been performing together for more than a decade, and had had a big influence on the burgeoning Detroit music scene even before Berry Gordy had got involved with the scene. The group had started out after Abdul "Duke" Fakir, a teenager in Detroit, had gone to see Lucky Millinder and his band perform, and had been surprised to see his friend Levi Stubbs turn up, get on stage, and start singing with the band in a guest spot. Fakir had never realised before that his friend sang at all, let alone that he had an astonishing baritone voice. Stubbs was, in fact, a regular on the Detroit amateur singing circuit, and had connections with several other performers on that circuit -- most notably his cousin Jackie Wilson, but also Hank Ballard and Little Willie John. Those few singers would make deals with each other about who would get to win at a particular show, and carved things up between them. Stubbs and Fakir quickly started singing together, and by 1953 they had teamed up with two other kids, Obie Benson and Lawrence Payton. The four of them sang together at a party, and decided that they sounded good enough together that they should become a group. They named themselves the Four Aims, and started playing local shows. They got a one-off record deal with a small label called Grady Records, and released their only single under the name "The Four Aims" in 1956: [Excerpt: The Four Aims, "She Gave Me Love"] After that single, they tried teaming up with Jackie Wilson, who had just quit Billy Ward and the Dominoes, but they found that Wilson and Stubbs' voices clashed -- Wilson's then-wife said their voices were too similar, though they sound very different to me. Wilson would, of course, go on to his own massive success, and that success would be in part thanks to Roquel Davis, who was Lawrence Payton's cousin. As we saw in the episode on "Reet Petite", Davis would co-write most of Wilson's hits with Berry Gordy, and he was also writing songs for the Four Aims -- who he renamed the Four Tops, because he thought the Four Aims sounded too much like the Ames Brothers, a white vocal quartet who were popular at the time.  They explained to Davis that they were called the Four Aims because they were *aiming* for the top, and Davis said that in that case they should be the Four Tops, and that was the name under which they would perform for the rest of their career. In the early fifties, before Wilson's success, Davis was the person in the group's circle with the most music industry connections, and he got them a deal with Chess Records. I already talked about this back in the episode on Jackie Wilson, but the group's first record on Chess, with Davis as the credited songwriter: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Kiss Me Baby"] Sounds more than a little like a Ray Charles record from a couple of years earlier, which Davis definitely didn't write: [Excerpt: Ray Charles, "Kissa Me Baby"] But that wasn't a success, and it would be another four years before they released their next single -- a one-off single on Columbia Records. It turned out that Chess had mostly signed the Four Tops not for the group, but to get Davis as a songwriter, and songs he'd originally written for the Tops ended up being recorded by other acts on Chess, like the Moonglows and the Flamingoes. The group's single on Columbia would also be a flop, they'd wait another two years before another one-off single on Riverside, and then yet another two years before they were signed by Motown. Their signing to Motown was largely the work of Mickey Stevenson, Motown's head of A&R. Of course, Stevenson was responsible, directly or otherwise, for every signing to the label at this point in time, but he had a special interest in the Four Tops. Stevenson had been in the Air Force in the 1950s, when he'd wandered into one of the Detroit amateur shows at which the Four Aims had been performing. He'd been so impressed with them that he immediately decided to quit the air force and go into music himself. He'd joined the Hamptones, the vocal group who toured with Lionel Hampton's band, and he'd also become a member of a doo-wop group called The Classics, who'd had a minor hit with "If Only the Sky Was a Mirror": [Excerpt: The Classics, "If Only the Sky Was a Mirror"] Stevenson had moved into a backroom position with Motown, but it was arguably the most important position in the company other than Gordy's. He was responsible for putting together the Funk Brothers, for signing many of the label's biggest acts, and for co-writing a number of the label's biggest hits, including "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" and "Dancing in the Street". Stevenson had wanted to sign the group from the start -- given that they were the group who were directly responsible for everything that had happened in his career, they were important to him. And Berry Gordy was also a fan of the group, and had known them since his time working with Jackie Wilson, but it had taken several years for everything to fall into place so that the group were able to sign to Motown. When they did, they naturally became a priority. When they were signed to the label, it was initially with the intention of recording them as a jazz group rather than doing the soul pop that Motown was best known for. Their first recordings for Motown were for their subsidiary Workshop Jazz. They recorded an entire album of old standards for the label, titled "Breaking Through": [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "This Can't be Love"] Unfortunately for the group, that album wouldn't be released for thirty-five years -- Workshop Jazz had been founded because Berry Gordy was still a jazz fanatic, but none of the records on it had been very successful (or, frankly, very good -- the Four Tops album was pretty good, but most of the music put out on the label was third rate at best), and so the label closed down before they released the Four Tops album. So the group were at a loose end, and for a while they were put to work as session vocalists on other people's records, adding backing to records by the Supremes: [Excerpt: The Supremes, "Run Run Run"] And even after they started having hits of their own they would appear on records by other people, like "My Baby Loves Me" by Martha and the Vandellas: [Excerpt: Martha and the Vandellas, "My Baby Loves Me"] You'll notice that both of these records were ones where the Four Tops were added to a female group -- and that would also be the case on their own records, once Holland, Dozier, and Holland took over producing them. The sound on the Four Tops' records is a distinctive one, and is actually made up of seven voices. Levi Stubbs, of course, took the lead on the singles, but the combination of backing vocalists was as important as the lead. Unlike several other vocal groups, the Four Tops were never replaced on their records -- Stubbs was always resistant to the idea that he was more important than the rest of his group. Instead, they were augmented -- Motown's normal session singers, the Andantes, joining in with Fakir, Payton, and Benson. The idea was to give the group a distinctive sound, and in particular to set them apart from the Temptations, whose recordings all featured only male vocals. The group's first hit single, "Baby I Need Your Loving", was a song that Holland, Dozier, and Holland had written but weren't too impressed with. Indeed, they'd cut the backing track two years earlier, but been too uninspired by it to do anything with the completed track. But then, two years after cutting the backing, Dozier was hit with inspiration -- the lines "Baby, I need your loving/Got to have all your loving" fit the backing track perfectly. Eddie Holland was particularly excited to work with the Four Tops. Even though he'd somehow managed never to hear the group, despite both moving in the same musical circles in the same town for several years, he'd been hearing for all that time that Levi Stubbs was as good as his rivals Little Willie John and Jackie Wilson -- and anyone that good must be worth working with. When they took the song into the studio, though, Levi Stubbs didn't want to sing it, insisting that the key was wrong for his voice, and that it should be Payton who sang the song. The producers, though, insisted that Stubbs had the perfect voice for the song, and that they wanted the strained tone that came from Stubbs' baritone going into a higher register than he was comfortable with. Eddie Holland, who always coached the lead vocalists while his brother and Lamont Dozier worked with the musicians, would later say that the problem was that Stubbs was unprepared and embarrassed -- they eventually persuaded Stubbs to take the song home and rehearse it over the weekend, and to come in to have a second go at the track the next Monday. On the Monday, Stubbs came in and sang the song perfectly, and Stubbs' baritone leads became the most distinctive sound to come out of Motown in this period: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Baby I Need Your Loving"] According to at least one source, Stubbs was still unhappy with his vocal, and wanted to come in again the next day and record it again. Holland, Dozier, and Holland humoured him, but that wasn't going to happen. "Baby I Need Your Loving" became a hit, making number eleven, and so of course the next record was a soundalike. "Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worthwhile)" even started with the line "Baby, I need your good loving". Unfortunately, this time Holland, Dozier, and Holland copied their previous hit a little *too* closely, and people weren't interested. Dozier has later said that they were simply so busy with the Supremes at the time that they didn't give the single the attention it deserved, and thought that cranking out a soundalike would be good enough. Because of this, they weren't given the group's next single -- the way Motown worked at the time, if you came up with a hit for an act, you automatically got the chance to do the follow-up, but if you didn't have a hit, someone else got a chance. Instead, Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Joe Hunter came up with a ballad called "Ask the Lonely", which became a minor hit -- not as big as "Baby I Need Your Loving", but enough that the group could continue to have a career. It would be the next single that would make the Four Tops into the other great Holland-Dozier-Holland act, the one on which their reputation rests as much as it does on the Supremes: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "I Can't Help Myself"] "I Can't Help Myself" was inspired by Dozier's grandfather, who would catcall women as they passed him on the street -- "Hey, sugar pie! Hi there honey bunch!" Dozier married those words to a chord progression that's almost identical to the one from "Where Did Our Love Go?".  Both songs go C-G-Dm-F-G, with the same number of beats between changes: [demonstrates] There's only one tiny change in the progression -- in the last beat of the last bar, there's a passing chord in "I Can't Help Myself", a move to A minor, that isn't there in "Where Did Our Love Go?" Even the melody lines, the syllabics of the words, and their general meanings are very similar. "Where Did Our Love Go?" starts with "Baby baby", "I Can't Help Myself" starts with "Sugar pie, honey bunch". "Baby don't leave me" is syllabically similar to "You know that I love you". The two songs diverge lyrically and melodically after that, but what's astonishing is how a different vocalist and arrangement can utterly transform two such similar basic songs. Compare the opening of "Where Did Our Love Go?": [Excerpt: The Supremes, "Where Did Our Love Go?"] With the opening of "I Can't Help Myself": [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "I Can't Help Myself"] It's a perfect example of how Holland, Dozier, and Holland would reuse musical ideas, but would put a different spin on them and make the records sound very different. Of course, some of the credit for this should go to the Funk Brothers, the session musicians who played on every Motown hit in this period, but there's some question as to exactly how much credit they deserved. Depending on who you believe, either the musicians all came up with their own instrumental lines, and the arrangement was a group effort by the session musicians with minimal interference from the nominal producers, or it was all written by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, and the musicians just did what they were told with no creative input at all. The arguments about who did what tend to get quite vicious, with each side pointing out, accurately, that the other needed them. It's true that Holland, Dozier, and Holland didn't do anything like as well as writers and producers after they left Motown. It's also true that the Funk Brothers didn't write or produce any hits themselves, but were reliant on the Motown staff writers and producers for material. I suspect, and it is only a suspicion, that the truth lies between the two, and that it was a collaborative process where Holland and Dozier would go into the studio with a good idea of what they wanted, but that there was scope for interpretation and the musicians were able to make suggestions, which the producers might take up if they were good ones. If Brian Holland sketched out or hummed a rough bassline to James Jamerson, saying something like "play bum-bum-bum-bum", and then Jamerson embellished and improvised around that rough bassline, it would be easy to see how both men could come out of the session thinking they had written the bassline, and having good reason to think so. It's also easy to see how the balance could differ in different sessions -- how sometimes Holland or Dozier could come in with a fully worked out part, and other times they might come in saying "you know the kind of thing I want",  and how that could easily become remembered as "I came up with all the parts and the musicians did nothing" or "Us musicians came up with all the parts and the producers just trusted us". Luckily, there's more than enough credit to go around, and we can say that the Four Tops, Holland, Dozier, and Holland, the Funk Brothers, and the Andantes all played an important part in making these classic singles: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "I Can't Help Myself"] "I Can't Help Myself" knocked the Supremes' "Back in My Arms Again" off the number one spot, but was itself knocked off the top by "Mr. Tambourine Man" -- but then a week later, "I Can't Help Myself" was at number one again, before being knocked off again by "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". The success of "I Can't Help Myself" meant that the group's singles on their old labels suddenly had some value. Columbia Records reissued "Ain't That Love", a single the group had originally released four years earlier, in the hope of having some success because of the group's new-found fame. As we saw last time when the Supremes rushed out "Come See About Me" to prevent someone else having the hit with it, there was nothing that Berry Gordy hated more than the idea that someone else could have a hit based on the success of a Motown act. The Four Tops needed a new single *now* to kill the record on Columbia, and it didn't matter that there were no recordings or even songs available to put out. Holland, Dozier, and Holland went into the studio to record a new backing track with the Funk Brothers, essentially just a remake of the backing from "I Can't Help Myself", only very slightly changed. By three o'clock in the afternoon on the day they found out that the Columbia record was being released, they were in the studio, Dozier fine-tuning the melody while Brian Holland rehearsed the musicians and Eddie Holland scribbled lyrics in another corner. By five PM the track had been recorded and mixed. By six PM the master stamper was being driven the ninety miles to the pressing plant so they could start pressing up copies. The next day, DJs started getting copies of the record, and it was in the shops a couple of days later. Of course, the record being made in such a rush meant that it was essentially a remake of their previous hit -- something that was acknowledged in the tongue-in-cheek title: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "It's the Same Old Song"] "It's the Same Old Song" wasn't as big a hit as "I Can't Help Myself", but it made number five on the charts, a more than respectable follow-up, and quite astonishing given the pressure under which the record was made. The next few singles that Holland, Dozier, and Holland wrote for the group weren't quite as successful -- this was early 1966, and Holland, Dozier, and Holland were in a mini slump -- they'd had a number one with "I Hear a Symphony", as we heard in the last episode, but then they produced two singles for the Supremes that made the top ten, but not number one -- "My World is Empty Without You" and "Love is Like an Itching in My Heart".  And as the Four Tops weren't quite as big as the Supremes, so their next two singles, "Something About You" and "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)", only just scraped into the bottom of the top twenty. Still hits, but not up to Holland, Dozier, and Holland's 1965 standards. And so as was the common practice at Motown, someone else was given a chance to come up with a song for the group. "Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever" was written by Ivy Jo Hunter, a songwriter and producer whose biggest contribution to this point had been co-writing "Dancing in the Street", and Stevie Wonder, a child star who'd had a hit a couple of years earlier but never really followed up on it, and who also played drums on the track: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever"] Within a few months, Wonder would begin a run of hit singles that would continue for more than a decade, and would become arguably the most important artist on Motown. But that golden period hadn't quite started yet, and "Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever" didn't make the top forty. At this point, it would have been easy for the Four Tops to have been relegated to the same pile as artists like the Contours -- people who'd had a couple of hits on Motown, but had then failed to follow up with a decent career. Motown was becoming ever more willing to drop artists as dead weight, as Gordy was increasingly concentrating on a few huge stars -- Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and especially the Supremes – to the exclusion of everyone else. But then Holland, Dozier, and Holland got back up on top. They came up with two more number ones for the Supremes in quick succession. "You Can't Hurry Love" was recorded around the same time that "Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever" was failing to chart, and quickly became one of the Supremes' biggest ever hits. They followed that with a song inspired by the sound of the breaking news alert on the radio, replicating that sound with the staccato guitars on what was their most inventive production to date: [Excerpt: The Supremes, "You Keep Me Hanging On"] Not only was that a number one record, it was soon followed by a top ten cover version by the heavy rock band Vanilla Fudge: [Excerpt: Vanilla Fudge, "You Keep Me Hanging On"] Holland, Dozier, and Holland were back on top, and they brought the Four Tops back to the top with them. The next single they recorded with the group, "Reach Out, I'll Be There", started with an instrumental introduction that Brian Holland was noodling with on the piano: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Reach Out I'll Be There"] Holland was playing that part, over and over, and then suddenly Lamont Dozier was hit with inspiration -- so much so that he literally pushed Holland to one side without saying anything and started playing what would become the verse: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Reach Out I'll Be There"] The interesting thing about that track is that it shows how the different genres that were charting at the time would have more influence on each other than it might appear from this distance, where we put them all into neat little boxes named "folk-rock" or "Motown". Because Lamont Dozier was very specifically being influenced by Bob Dylan and "Like a Rolling Stone", when it came to how the song was phrased. Now, this is not something that I would ever in a million years have thought of, but once you know it, the influence is absolutely plain -- the way the melody stresses and elongates the last syllable of each line is pure Dylan. To show this, I am afraid I'm going to have to do something that I hoped I'd never, ever, have to do, which is do a bad Bob Dylan impression. Everyone thinks they can impersonate Dylan, everyone's imitations of Dylan are cringeworthy, and mine is worse than most. This will sound awful, but it *will* show you how Dozier was thinking when he came up with that bit of melody: [demonstrates] Let us never speak of that again. I think we'd better hear how Levi Stubbs sang it again, hadn't we, to take that unpleasant sound away: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Reach Out I'll Be There"] That became the group's second and last number one single, and also their only UK number one. Unfortunately, Holland, Dozier, and Holland were so hot at this point that they ended up competing with themselves. Norman Whitfield, one of the other Motown songwriter-producers, had wanted for a while to produce the Temptations, whose records were at this point mostly written and produced by Smokey Robinson. He called on Eddie Holland to help him write the hit that let him take over from Robinson as the Temptations' producer, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg": [Excerpt: The Temptations, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"] Dozier and Brian Holland were fine with Eddie working with another writer -- they all did that kind of thing on occasion -- until the date of the BMI Awards. The previous two years, the trio had been jointly given BMI's award for most successful songwriter of the year. But that year, Eddie Holland got the award on his own, for having written more hits than anyone else (he'd written eight, Dozier and Brian Holland had written six. According to a contemporary issue of Billboard, John Sebastian was next with five, then Lennon/McCartney and Jagger/Richards with four each.) Holland felt bad that he'd inadvertently prevented his collaborators from winning the award for a third year in a row, and from this point on he'd be much more careful about outside collaborations. Holland, Dozier, and Holland wrote two more classic singles for the Four Tops, "Standing in the Shadows of Love", and "Bernadette". That latter had been inspired by a coincidence that all three of Holland, Dozier, and Holland had at one time or another dated or felt unrequited love for different girls called Bernadette, but it proved extremely difficult to record. When the trio wrote together, Eddie Holland would always sing the songs, and the melodies were constructed around his tenor vocal range. Stubbs was a baritone, and sometimes couldn't hit some of the higher notes in the melodies, and he was having that problem with "Bernadette". Eddie Holland eventually solved the problem by inviting in a few fans who had been hanging around outside hoping for autographs. Stubbs being a performer wasn't going to make himself look bad in front of an audience, and sang it perfectly: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Bernadette"] "Bernadette" made the top five, and it was followed by a couple more top twenty hits with lesser Holland/Dozier/Holland songs, but then the writer-producers quit Motown, for reasons we'll look at in a few months when we take our last look at the Supremes. This left the Four Tops stranded -- they were so associated with their producers that nobody else could get hits with them. For a while, Motown turned to an interesting strategy with them. It had been normal Motown practice to fill albums up with cover versions of hits of the day, and so the label put out some of this album filler as singles, and surprisingly had some chart success with cover versions of the Left Banke's baroque pop hit "Walk Away Renee": [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Walk Away Renee"] and of Tim Hardin's folk ballad "If I Were a Carpenter": [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "If I Were a Carpenter"] And so for a while many of the singles the group released, both in the US and elsewhere, were covers of songs that were very far from the normal Motown style -- the Jimmy Webb ballad "Do What You Gotta Do" made the UK top twenty, their cover of another Jimmy Webb song, "MacArthur Park", made the lower reaches of the US top forty, their version of the old standard "It's All in the Game" made number twenty-four, and they released a version of "River Deep, Mountain High", teaming up with the Supremes, that became more successful in the US than the original, though still only just made the top forty. But they were flailing. Motown had no idea what to do with them other than release cover versions, and any time any of Motown's writing and production teams tried to come up with something new for the group it failed catastrophically. In 1972 they signed to ABC/Dunhill, and there they had a few hits, including a couple that made the top ten, but soon the same pattern emerged -- no-one could reliably get hits with the group, and they spent much of the seventies chasing trends and failing to catch them. They had one more big US hit in 1981, with "When She Was My Girl", which made number eleven, and which went to number one on the R&B charts: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "When She Was My Girl"] But from that point on they were essentially a nostalgia act, though they carried on releasing records through the eighties. The group's career nearly came to a premature end in 1988. They were in the UK to promote their single "Loco in Acapulco", co-written by Lamont Dozier and Phil Collins, from the soundtrack of Collins' film Buster: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Loco in Acapulco"] That was a UK top ten hit, but it nearly led to the group's death -- they were scheduled to fly out of the UK on Pan Am flight 103 to Detroit on the twenty-first of December 1988. But the group were tired after recording an appearance on Top of the Pops the night before, slept in, and missed the flight. The flight fell victim to a terrorist bombing -- the Lockerbie bombing -- and everyone on it died. The group carried on performing together after that, but their last new single was released in 1989, and they only recorded one more album, a Christmas album in 1995. They performed together, still in their original lineup, until 1997 when Lawrence Payton died from cancer. At first the group continued as a trio, retiring the Four Tops name and just performing as The Tops, but eventually they got in a replacement. By the turn of the century, Levi Stubbs had become too ill to perform as well -- he retired in 2000, though he came back for a one-off performance for the group's fiftieth anniversary in 2004, and he died in 2008. Obie Benson continued performing with the group until three months before his death in 2005. A version of the Four Tops continues to perform, led by Abdul Fakir, and also featuring Lawrence Payton's son Roquel, named after Roquel Davis, who performs under the name Lawrence Payton Jr. The Four Tops were one of those groups that never quite lived up to their commercial potential, thanks in large part to Holland, Dozier, and Holland leaving Motown at precisely the wrong moment, and one has to wonder how many more hits they could have had under other circumstances. But the hits they did have included some of the greatest records of the sixties, and they managed to continue working together, without any public animosity, until their deaths. Given the way the careers of more successful groups have tended to end, perhaps it's better this way.

John David Mann has been creating careers since he was a teenager.Before turning to business and journalism, he forged a successful career as a concert cellist and prize-winning composer. At fifteen he won the prestigious BMI Awards to Student Composers and received the award at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, where he met such twentieth-century-music luminaries as William Schumann and Leopold Stokowski. He apprenticed as a choral conductor under his father, Dr. Alfred Mann, which gave him the chance to meet more legendary figures of classical music, including Randall Thompson, Leonard Bernstein, Boris Goldovsky, Robert Shaw, and George Crumb. His musical compositions were performed throughout the U.S. and his musical score for Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound (written at age thirteen) was performed as part of a theatrical production of the play at the stone amphitheater in Epidaurus, Greece—the very one, in fact, where the play was originally premiered a few thousand years earlier.John's diverse career has made him a thought leader in several different industries. In 1986 he founded and wrote for Solstice, a journal on health, nutrition, and environmental issues. His series on the climate crisis, “Whither the Trees?” (yes, he was writing about this back in the eighties), was selected for national reprint in 1989 in Utne Reader for a readership of over one hundred thousand. In 1992 John helped write and produce the underground bestseller The Greatest Networker in the World, by John Milton Fogg, which became the defining book in its industry. During the 1990s, John built a multimillion-dollar sales/distribution organization of over a hundred thousand people. He was cofounder and senior editor of the legendary Upline journal and editor in chief of Networking Times.As a public speaker he has addressed audiences of thousands.John is an award-winning author whose writings have earned the Axiom Business Book Award (Gold Medal, for The Go-Giver), the Nautilus Award (for A Deadly Misunderstanding), and Taiwan's Golden Book Award for Innovation (for You Call the Shots). The Go-Giver was also honored with the Living Now Book Awards “Evergreen Medal” in 2017 for its “contributions to positive global change,” and cited on Inc.'s “Most Motivational Books Ever Written” and HubSpot's “20 Most Highly Rated Sales Books of All Time”; The Go-Giver Leader was listed on Entrepreneur magazine's “10 Books Every Leader Should Read” and Forbes magazine's “8 Books Every Young Leaders Should Read.” His 2012 Take the Lead (with Betsy Myers) was named Best Leadership Book of 2011 by Tom Peters and the Washington Post. His first full-length novel Steel Fear (with former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb) is coming out in July 2021.His books are published in 35 languages and have sold more than 3 million copies. John coauthored the international bestselling classic The Go-Giver (with Bob Burg), the New York Times bestsellers The Latte Factor (with David Bach), The Red Circle (with Brandon Webb), and Flash Foresight (with Daniel Burrus), and the national bestsellers The Slight Edge (with Jeff Olson), Among Heroes (with Brandon Webb), Out of the Maze (with Spencer Johnson) and Real Leadership (with John Addison). He also ghost-wrote the New York Times bestseller The Answer, by John Assaraf and Murray Smith. He has written for American Executive, CNBC, Financial Times, Forbes.com, Huffington Post, Ivey Business Journal, Leader to Leader, Leadership Excellence, Master Salesmanship, Strategy & Leadership, and Wired. You can find his writings on Huffington Post here.He is married to Ana Gabriel Mann and considers himself the luckiest mann in the world.https://johndavidmann.com/ With Bob Burg https://youtu.be/rJsuJr7uYycSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/labanditchburn?fan_landing=true)

"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;" - Romans 12:6 John David Mann has been creating careers since he was a teenager. At age 17, he and a few friends started their own high school in New Jersey, called “Changes, Inc.” Before turning to business and writing, he forged a successful career as a concert cellist and prize-winning composer. At 15 he was recipient of the 1969 BMI Awards to Student Composers and several New Jersey State grants for composition; his musical compositions were performed throughout the U.S. and his musical score for Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound (written at age 13) was performed at the amphitheater at Epidaurus, Greece, where the play was originally premiered. John is coauthor of more than thirty books, including four New York Times bestsellers and five national bestsellers. His titles are published in thirty-eight languages, and have sold over 3 million copies. Click here to learn more about John David Mann! Pre-order John's new book Steal Fear! Enroll in Podcast Systems University today and use with coupon code STU20 to get the course for only $297 and regularly $497! Click here! Get the 10 Levels of Passivity FREE Report by emailing: podcast@storehouse310turnkey.com. Make planning a priority this year! Go to https://boldlyandco.com/. ** Use the Code: STOREHOUSE at checkout for a 20% discount on ALL products. ** Use the Code: STOREHOUSE495 gives a $200 off discount on the next workshop. If you are interested in joining the War Room Mastermind Group, email: wrmastermind@gmail.com.

This week I am talking with hit songwriter, composer and producer Alex Geringas from the company Rare Behavior. His songs have been recorded by Snoop Dogg, Jessie J and Cher to name a few and his music is used in multiple movies including Pitch Perfect 3 and The Lego Ninjago Movie and the tv shows Beat Shazam and Trollstopia. We are talking about what it’s like to produce major artists who are recording your songs, the differences in scoring music for film vs. tv and the reality of professionals having to prove themselves with every new project even when you have a list of successes in the business. Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at contact@johnmartinkeith.com. In this episode we talk about: *Composing for tv shows and movies. *Working with artists in the studio as a producer. *Scoring film is completely different from a tv show. *The hardest genre to score is the one that is not yours. *The difference between scoring music for live action vs. animated shows. *Learning what the producers and directors want. *Building relationships. *The best way to network. *Keep yourself updated and learning. *You have to invest in yourself. *How music is created for tv shows. *How to get your foot in the door working for a composer. *Professionals have to prove themselves with every project. *Focus on one goal. *www.rarebehavior.com BIO: Multi-award-winning Songwriter / Composer Alex Geringas has garnered international acclaim for both his songs and scores.  His music has earned him awards and recognition on several continents including a Grammy award, BMI Awards,Emmy and Annie nominations for his Scores and two Echo awards (the German equivalent to a Grammy). In 2019 Alex was nominated to be a Judge at the Annie Awards. Before Geringas relocated from Hamburg,Germany to Los Angeles in 2011 he had eighteen #1 Hits worldwide, as Songwriter including eleven # 1 hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, six #1 hits in Japan, two #1 in South Korea.His songs were performed by music icons including Snoop Dogg, Jessie J, Timbaland, Cher, Kelly Clarkson, Ben Schwartz, Dove Cameron and many more. Also Alex scored some of the most successful films in Germany in the last years “I’m Off Then” for Universal Germany and the highly acclaimed Family Trilogy “Hanni & Nanni 1-3” for Warner Bros. Germany. Alex has currently 12 Theme Songs on TV with Disney, Dreamworks, Henson and Nickelodeon. For example FAST AND FURIOUS : SPY RACERS, WORD PARTY, RAINBOW RANGERS and VOLTRON, LEGENDARY DEFENDER and the upcoming Shows TROLLSTOPIA and THE CHICKEN SQUAD. Additionally, he contributed songs for the PBS Show SPLASH AND BUBBLES, SUPERMONSTERS and many more. In the Game Show Category, Geringas has written themes for BEAT SHAZAM (FOX) , SING YOUR FACE OFF (ABC) and most recently he did all the Music for CHRISSY'S COURT on Quibi. Alex Geringas Music for the big screen includes end title songs for ICE AGE 5, THE NUT JOB 2, WOODY WOODPECKER (theme and all songs) and for THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE where he also contributed additional music. Other original song contributions include the TV series’ THE MUPPETS (ABC), TRAINING DAY (CBS) and CSI (CBS).  Alex also contributed additional music for PITCH PERFECT 3 and UNCLE DREW. He also contributed Original Songs for the Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman film THE WAR WITH GRANDPA (D : Timothy Hill) and wrote Additional Music for the Melissa McCarthy film HAPPYTIME MURDERS. Besides that he just worked with Hans Zimmer and with Director Timothy Hill on the upcoming THE SPONGE BOB MOVIE : SPONGE ON THE RUN for Paramount Pictures. After completing the score for TROLLS THE BEAT GOES ON for DWA/Netflix in 2020, Alex is currently scoring the new Trolls TV Show TROLLSTOPIA and the Disney Jr. Show CHUGGINGTON (Season 6).  He has teamed up with Mike Himelstein as the Episodic Songwriter of the upcoming Disney Jr. Show THE CHICKEN SQUAD.  He also is scoring and writing all songs for an upcoming Netflix Animation TV Show.  Additionally, Alex is scoring two unannounced projects, a Netflix Animated Feature and a Nickelodeon Animated Feature.

Right Said Fred  Fred and Richard Fairbrass started Right Said Fred in 1989. Their achievements include number 1 hits in 70 countries including one US number 1, one UK number 1, and a number 1 in Japan. They were the first band to reach the number one slot in the US with a debut single since The Beatles. As multi-platinum award winning artists and songwriters, their global sales total 30 million and over 100 million plays on Spotify.They won two consecutive BMI Awards in 2018 and 2019. In 1993 were nominated for Best British Group at the prestigious Brit Awards.Fred and Richard are two of the few songwriters to have two songs included in the PRS Century of Song Book.In this Episode we discuss the music industry, mental health, and of course... being POSITIVEEnjoySupport the show

323 - Bob McDill In the world of songwriting there are a handful of giants. Bob McDill is a true example of a songwriting giant. It's a great pleasure and excitement I present the Bob McDill interview. McDill is a legendary figure in songwriting who is now retired. A past guest of ours referred to him as a gentleman and a master songwriter. More than 300 of his songs were recorded through the 70s to the 90s, 31 became #1 hits. As one of Music Row's most respected songwriters, Don Williams, Bobby Bare, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Waylon Jennings, the band Alabama, Keith Whitley have all recorded his songs. Bob McDill has won 37 BMI Awards and 17 ASCAP Awards and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Ladies and gentlemen, it's a great pleasure to welcome one of the hardest working men in songwriting, the great McDill. It's right here on The Paul Leslie Hour.

Fil Eisler, one of today’s busiest and most diverse award-winning composers, has projects that range from big studio action pieces and comedies to gritty independent films and hit TV shows. I know Fil from working with him on the first two seasons of ‘Empire,’ and he has since exploded onto the scene working on multiple big studio productions. In this episode Fil and I talk a bit about his slow and steady rise to being an “overnight success” as a top composer, but more importantly we dive into his personal journey as an overworked composer with a young kid who decided enough was enough. He wasn’t going to let the entertainment business slowly kill him...and he decided to fight back. Fil’s story is a true inspiration and testament to what can be accomplished no matter how busy you think you might be. He’s the hardest working person I know, yet he figured out how to introduce better health into his routine not only for his child’s sake, but for his own as well. If you want to learn what finally compelled Fil to change his priorities, his routines, and his life and how to apply these strategies to do the same for yourself, this episode won’t disappoint. https://www.instagram.com/p/BnF-C92gafK/ Want to Hear More Episodes Like This One? » Click here to subscribe and never miss another episode Here's What You'll Learn: How Fil finds all the time to keep himself healthy and productive The trials of breaking into the composing game The project that put Fil on the map, and the twenty years it took him to get there Being able to master tradition musical composition as well work in an entirely digital workspace The unique difficulties of dealing with producers and directors while composing music Trusting yourself and learning when it's okay to improvise Not getting overwhelmed by the big picture and distilling your tasks to whatever you have to do next Living productively in Hollywood with children Useful Resources Mentioned: Fil Eisler's Instagram Our Generous Sponsors: This episode is made possible for you by Ergodriven, the makers of the Topo Mat, my #1 recommendation for anyone who stands at their workstation. The Topo is super comfortable, an awesome conversation starter, and it’s also scientifically proven to help you move more throughout the day which helps reduce discomfort and also increase your focus and productivity. Click here to learn more and get your Topo Mat. Guest Bio: Instagram Fil Eisler is one of today’s busiest and most diverse composers, with projects that range from big studio action pieces and comedies, to gritty independent films and hit television shows. He has been nominee and recipient of numerous awards including the World Soundtrack Awards New Discovery, SXSW Best Soundtrack Award and multiple BMI Awards. Eisler’s ability to understand directors’ musical intent and his flexible approach to scoring has led to numerous collaborations with Hollywood heavy-weights such as Catherine Hardwicke, Marti Noxon, Lee Daniels, Phillip Noyce, Mc G and Ben Falcone. Eisler’s music for Showtime's Emmy-winning “Shameless” earned him the BMI Film and TV Award. The same year, he also won the BMI Award as both the composer and conductor for ABC’s breakout hit drama “Revenge.” Eisler also composed the main title theme and acted as co-composer and music director for the Peabody-winning documentary, “Newtown,” for which he organized and led an all-star line-up of over a dozen Hollywood composers, who each donated a piece of music for the film.  Show Credits: This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared and published by Elyse Rintelman. The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet). Note: I believe in 100% transparency, so please note that I receive a small commission if you purchase products from some of the links on this page (at no additional cost to you). Your support is what helps keep this program alive. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

What does it really take to have financial freedom. To be financially free to have what you need and what you want without fear that you will be broke? There are many books out there touting the latest gimmick to have the monetary life you want but many are just that, gimmicks. My guest today is the co-author of The Latte Factor with David Bach and I recommend this book become required reading. If you are not so much into reading, then take a listen to this interview as John David Mann lays out the decade long quest to get this book written, how any one can achieve their financial dreams and yes, how a latte really can lead to financial freedom without giving up the latte. JOHN DAVID MANN has been creating careers since he was a teenager. At age 17, he and a few friends started their own high school in Orange, New Jersey, called Changes, Inc. where he went on to teach. Before turning to business and journalism, he forged a career as a concert cellist and prize-winning composer. At 15 he was recipient of the BMI Awards to Student Composers (at the time, their youngest award recipient ever). His musical compositions were performed throughout the U.S. and his musical score for the play Prometheus Bound (written at age 13) was performed at the amphitheater in northern Greece where the play was originally premiered over 2,000 years ago. John’s diverse career has made him a thought leader in several different industries. In 1986 he founded and wrote for Solstice, a journal on health, nutrition and environmental issues. His series on the climate crisis (yes, he was writing about this back in the eighties) was selected for national reprint in the Utne Reader. In 1992 John produced the underground bestseller The Greatest Networker in the World, by John Milton Fogg, which became the defining book in its industry and sold over 1 million copies in eight languages. During the 1990s, John built a multimillion-dollar sales organization of over 100,000 people, and cofounded and served as editor in chief of three business journals. John is an award-winning author whose writings have earned the Nautilus Book Award, the Axiom Business Book Award Gold Medal, Taiwan’s Golden Book Award for Innovation, and the 2017 Living Now Book Awards “Evergreen Medal,” awarded to his beloved parable The Go-Giver for its “contributions to positive global change.” John’s books are published in three dozen languages and have sold more than 3 million copies. In addition to coauthoring The Go-Giver with Bob Burg, he is also coauthor of three New York Times bestsellers and five national bestsellers, including The Red Circle and Mastering Fear with former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb, The Slight Edge with entrepreneur Jeff Olson, Real Leadership with financial CEO John Addison, and I Should Be Dead with political commentator Bob Beckel. His Take the Lead, with former White House adviser Betsy Myers, was named Best Leadership Book of 2011 by Tom Peters and the Washington Post. John is married to Ana Gabriel Mann and considers himself the luckiest mann in the world.

Giving thanks for an awe-inspiring chat with Emmy Winning composer, Snuffy Walden. With 13 nominations, 50 + BMI Awards, a lifetime achievement award, being the subject of Mark Maxey’s documentary, Up to Snuff, starring Martin Sheen, Aaron Sorkin, and Eric Burdon, currently kicking ass on the awards circuit, and garnering 21 of them to date––the secret to this man’s success seems to be in the “Yes.” He says it, does the work, and gains richly deserved acclaim. Over and over again. Playing with BJ Thomas at 14; fronting Stray Dog, rocking like hell, and opening for Emerson, Lake & Palmer around the world; drinking and debauchery, recording Songs in The Key of Life with Stevie Wonder, earning a platinum record, and being in the passenger seat when Stevie drove––oh yes, he did; playing with Dave Mason at the peak, Chaka Kahn when she was breaking I Feel For You, touring with Eric Burdon and having an epiphany which would change his life. Sobriety. “I really feel like God took a damaged soul out of me and put in a fresh one.” With all of his success before, a few years later, without experience or training, he scored Thirty Something, then The Wonder Years, Sports Night, The West Wing, where he won that Emmy, and dozens upon dozens of others. Thirtyish years later, taking on Sara Niemietz, getting back on stage and in the studio, as a player and mentor. Snuffy’s humility, humanity, and heart soared throughout our time… in his words and music. A man of supreme talent, wisdom, and integrity, Snuffy’s willingness and vulnerability spark genius. Baring his soul, laying it open, informs everything he plays, and lives. I’m inspired to do better, be better having spent the time with him. Snuffy Walden on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Wed, 11/21/18, 7 pm PT/ 10 pm ET With Christinna Guzman Live on The Facebook Full show replay https://bit.ly/2DDq1R3 All BROADcasts, as podcasts, also available on iTunes apple.co/2dj8ld3  Stitcher bit.ly/2h3R1fl tunein bit.ly/2gGeItj This week's BROADcast is brought to you by Rick Smolke of Quik Impressions, the best printers, printing, the best people people-ing.  quikimpressions.com And, Nicole Venables of Ruby Begonia Hair Studio Beauty and Products for tresses like the stars she coifs, and beregular peoples, like me. I love my hair, and I loves Nicole. http://www.rubybegoniahairstudio.com/

Today, Steven chats with Keb' Mo.' Album after album, 14 in total, garnered him 4 GRAMMY awards and a producer/engineer/artist GRAMMY Certificate for his track on the 2001 Country Album of the Year, Hank Williams Tribute – Timeless. He has received 11 GRAMMY nominations, in total, including Country Song of the Year for “I Hope,” co-written with The Dixie Chicks, and 3 alone for his 2014 self-produced release, BLUESAmericana including Americana Album of the Year. Keb’ has also been awarded 11 Blues Foundation Awards and 6 BMI Awards for his work in TV & Film Steven joined Keb' backstage at the Grand Ole' Opry just minutes before Keb' took the historic stage.  

Steve Dorff is a songwriter, composer and recent inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He's also an author, his book I Wrote That One, Too: A Life in Songwriting from Willie to Whitney was published in 2017. Some of the most legendary artists of all time have recorded Steve Dorff's songs: Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, George Strait, Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles, Anne Murray, Garth Brooks, Mel Tillis, Merle Haggard, Melissa Manchester, Smokey Robinson, Vanessa Williams, Whitney Houston and Willie Nelson just to name a few. Honored with more than 40 BMI Awards, 14 Billboard No. 1s and over 20 Top 10 hits for country and pop artists.This is my second interview with Steve Dorff and I couldn't be more honored. Support The Paul Leslie Hour by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-paul-leslie-hour

Yarbrough & Peoples (Bio) Cavin Yarbrough and Alisa Peoples Yarbrough both started entertaining at an early age. Alisa's early life musical experiences were in Gospel music – traveling, performing and attending workshops with such greats as James Cleveland and Mattie Moss Clark. She also performed with the Texas Northeast gospel Chorale Ensemble (a community choir), as well as her family group “The Peoples Singers”. Cavin followed his musical dreams after training in the church, and toured with Leon Russell, where he met Charlie Wilson and the Wilson Brothers (the Gap Band). Charlie Wilson later introduced Cavin & Alisa to Lonnie Simmons (Total Experience Records) who signed the duo to Total Experience Productions…and the story began.The liaison between Yarbrough & Peoples (Y & P) & the Total Experience produced five (5) Albums, which housed top 10 singles such as “Guilty”, I Wouldn't Lie to You and more! Y & P are most known for their 1981 smash hit, “Don't Stop the Music” – which dominated theR & B and Pop Charts, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Y & P received several awards, including the Jack the Rapper award, and more recently – several BMI Awards for writing…and Doctorate of Divinity Degrees!Y & P performed on many, many television shows as guest Artists and as judges, and more recently, had an episode on TV One's UnSung…which drew phenomenal ratings!Live performances connect Y & P with their fans and audiences. Their shows are very energetic and upbeat…yet never losing the intimacy shared with AWESOME Musicians!! Thrilling audiences all over the world, Y& P are timeless as they continue to perform in the US and abroad, performing in Concerts and Stage Plays …never stopping the music! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our next guest is an 11-time Grammy Award winner with a career that has been nonstop for nearly 4 decades. He has earned more than 200 Top 10 R&B hits, over 50 Top 10 Pop singles, and 16 #1's. As the co-founder ofLaFace Records with L.A. Reid, he is responsible for nurturing the careers of megastars such as TLC, OutKast, Usher, P!nk, and Toni Braxton. As if that isn’t impressive enough, the ‘For the Cool in You’ artist has penned hits for legendary superstars Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, and Celine Dion. Some examples of his masterful work are “I’ll Make Love To You” by Boyz II Men, “Best Thing I Never Had” by Beyonce, “Take A Bow” by Madonna, "Another Sad Love Song" by Toni Braxton, and “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey. With credits such as these, he has earned himself numerous awards and honors from the Soul Train Music Awards, BMI Awards, NAACP Image awards, American Music Awards, BET Walk of Fame Award, receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013, and most recently, was inducted into the 2017’s Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Not to mention he is also quite the passionate philanthropist. Currently working on his next solo album, we are honored to say, And The Writer Is…Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

John David Mann is an award-winning author whose books have sold more than 2 million copies in more than a dozen languages, including the New York Times bestseller The Red Circle (with former Navy SEAL sniper Brandon Webb) and the bestselling worldwide classic The Go-Giver (with Bob Burg). His Take the Lead (with Betsy Myers) was named by Tom Peters and the Washington Post as Best Leadership Book of 2011. John performed his first composition, a musical score for Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound, in Greece, at the play’s original venue, when he was 13, and won the BMI Awards for Student Composers at 15. At 17 he spearheaded a group of students who founded their own high school, and after graduating joined the faculty. He concertized on the cello before turning to careers as an entrepreneur and author.   John David Mann Show Highlights: Go-givers vs Go-getters Steps to putting people first Are you a friend or a creditor? Give trust to get trust You only lead as far as you grow Assume the best of your people Leadership lessons from Navy SEAL Snipers The power of self-noticing What can I do to make the cranky colleague’s life 1% better Story of John starting his own school as a high school student Keep talking, keep thinking, keep dreaming Give away power and you’ll get more of it   John David Mann Resources:   Go-Giver Leader Go Giver Teacher Edition The Red Circle The Recipe   John’s Website   John on Twitter   Best Classical Music to Listen to According to John David Mann:   BachChaconne D Minor Violin Brahms 3rd Symphony Sibelius 5th Symphony   Some of John’s articles:   On Jean Sibelius, 5th Symphony and what is moving about it.  The high school he helped start (as a student). Being rejected 22 times. Journey of self-publishing here, here, and here.   Join my hybrid group coaching & leadership development community Text BETTERMASTERMIND to 33444 Create winning cultures Focus on the essential Lead with courage & integrity    BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE! SHOW SOME LOVE: PLEASE LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW Grab your FREE 15 Phrases of Effective School Leaders  Text PHRASES to 33444 or click the link above.   Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn   SHOW SPONSORS: CSC Consulting Group: Catalyzing Sustainable Change Our mission is to support people in education and nonprofit organizations to improve processes and enhance the performance of their organizations. Our venture is a social enterprise and their vision is to catalyze sustainable change in our society one organization at a time Our home city is Chicago but their work can be done anywhere in the nation and they are actively looking for clients elsewhere Our current portfolio includes individual schools, nonprofit organizations, small and large districts and urban school systems Our team represents and shares a stake with the populations we serve We are strategic thought partners to leaders of public sector organizations We ideates, builds and maintains easy-to-understand data tools using the latest analytics technology   SCHOOL SPIRIT VENDING Hassle-free, year-round fundraising for your school. With School Spirit Vending, we do all the work, you just cash the check Increase school spirit with custom stickers for your school and raise funds at the same time -no upfront costs, no volunteers, no selling Sick of the same old ways of raising money for your school? Let School Spirit Vending's hassle-free, year-round fundraising program supplement the other fundraisers you're already doing. SSV is also giving away the Top 10 School Fundraising Ideas for 2017. Download the guide here.     Copyright © 2017 Better Leaders Better Schools    

Do you realize..? You were put here on this planet for a unique and singular reason, to fulfill a function that no other human being could. That’s why your fingerprints; your DNA’s are all different. It’s not a mistake, not an accident; you’re the only one of the kind that you are, and you don’t want to squander away that opportunity. Some people are fortunate enough to find life’s purpose or stumble into it by the time they’re 20. But, John David Mann was not that guy. His life story was sort of wandering in the desert. He recreated himself may be half a dozen times. He's gone from career to career. John later settled himself as an author, writer. While Bob Burg claims John as one of the best story tellers he’s ever come across, John’s books are published in more than two dozen languages and have sold more than 2 million copies. John’s diverse career has made him a thought leader in several different industries. Today, he joins the, A Desire to Inspire with Manny Patrick show. In this Episode you will learn: The evolution of John David Mann, growing and ending up to where he is today. The biggest lesson John learned about himself and the transition from being a musician to becoming a very sought after writer, author and businessman. How do you adjust to having a plan but also being pulled in a different direction altogether. Is there a personality type that needs to be exposed for one to reach a pinnacle? How do you handle rejection and what is the mindset there that needs to be in place to keep moving forward? How do we make decisions and better decisions? What’s the strategy? How do we go from wanting something in our life, to actually committing and then making that desire come to life? What is the simplest and surest way to change the results in life, you’re unhappy with One powerful jam packed message of inspiration About our Guest: John David Mann has been creating careers since he was a teenager. Before turning to business and journalism, he forged a successful career as a concert cellist and prize-winning composer. At fifteen he won the prestigious BMI Awards to Student Composers and received the award at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. At age seventeen, he and a few friends started their own high school in New Jersey (called Changes, Inc. — you can read about it here and here). “Alternative” though they were, his school successfully placed its students in such universities as Harvard and Yale. John never planned to go into business; it just seemed to keep working out that way. He has founded one school, one food distribution business, one graphic design business, and two publishing companies. In 1986 he founded and wrote for Solstice, a journal on health, nutrition, and environmental issues. As a public speaker he has addressed audiences of thousands. John is an award-winning author whose writings have earned the Axiom Business Book Award (Gold Medal, for The Go-Giver), the Nautilus Award (for A Deadly Misunderstanding), and Taiwan’s Golden Book Award for Innovation (for You Call the Shots). His books are published in more than two dozen languages and have sold more than 2 million copies.

On this week's episode of Swiftcast we talk all about the BMI Awards, where Taylor just received her namesake award- the first ever Taylor Swift award! Also, the hosts chat about the latest iTunes commercial starring Taylor, which features 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love' penned by the classic band The Darkness! Plus, the hosts discuss all of Taylor's latest news, some throwback tweets, and the latest fashion on this week's episode! Thanks for listening! If you haven't already, please subscribe to us on iTunes and leave us a review and a 5 star rating.

Brandy Norwood is a superstar actress, R&B/pop singer, songwriter, host, spokesmodel and record producer. Ranked by the RIAA as one of the best-selling female artists in American music history, Brandy has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, while receiving a plethora of awards, including a Grammy, an American Music Award, two Soul Train Music Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, three Billboard Awards, four MTV Awards, six Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, two Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards and three BMI Awards. She arrived with a self-titled debut album at the age of fifteen and went on to record a series of hit CDs that established her as one of the successful R&B/pop female vocalists to emerge in a generation. Brandy is a cast member of BET’s top-rated scripted series “The Game,” receiving rave reviews and will be appearing in Tyler Perry’s upcoming Lionsgate release, “The Marriage Counselor.”  www.4everbrandy.com @4everBrandy Mindless Behavior stir up a frenzy wherever they go. Mingling R&B grooves, pop hooks, and hip hop swag, the teen quartet—Prodigy, Roc Royal, Ray Ray, and Princeton—has quickly become a modern musical phenomenon with an army of screaming fans following them everywhere. On their debut album for Streamline/Conjunction/Interscope Records, #1 Girl [available September 20, 2011], the group fuels that hysteria with numerous worldwide anthems. There's another dimension to this experience. Each member boasts an eye-catching, 21st century fashion sensibility as well as impressive and incendiary dance moves. In the tradition of The Jackson Five, New Edition, and B2K, they're the new vanguard for pop.

Brandy Norwood is a superstar actress, R&B/pop singer, songwriter, host, spokesmodel and record producer. Ranked by the RIAA as one of the best-selling female artists in American music history, Brandy has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, while receiving a plethora of awards, including a Grammy, an American Music Award, two Soul Train Music Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, three Billboard Awards, four MTV Awards, six Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, two Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards and three BMI Awards. She arrived with a self-titled debut album at the age of fifteen and went on to record a series of hit CDs that established her as one of the successful R&B/pop female vocalists to emerge in a generation. Brandy is a cast member of BET’s top-rated scripted series “The Game,” receiving rave reviews and will be appearing in Tyler Perry’s upcoming Lionsgate release, “The Marriage Counselor.”  www.4everbrandy.com @4everBrandy   Mindless Behavior stir up a frenzy wherever they go. Mingling R&B grooves, pop hooks, and hip hop swag, the teen quartet—Prodigy, Roc Royal, Ray Ray, and Princeton—has quickly become a modern musical phenomenon with an army of screaming fans following them everywhere. On their debut album for Streamline/Conjunction/Interscope Records, #1 Girl [available September 20, 2011], the group fuels that hysteria with numerous worldwide anthems. There's another dimension to this experience. Each member boasts an eye-catching, 21st century fashion sensibility as well as impressive and incendiary dance moves. In the tradition of The Jackson Five, New Edition, and B2K, they're the new vanguard for pop.

We've done it again, faithful CSSP listeners: another exclusive interview with REAL PROFESSIONAL NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS! But this time, we've done you one better, as both of these writers are also PROFESSIONAL SONGWRITING TEACHERS.Ladies and Gentlemen, the COMMERCIAL SUICIDE SONGWRITING PODCAST proudly presents the married team of DEANNA WALKER and RICK BERESFORD. Deanna is a songwriter, producer, composer, and the founder of the Blair Songwriting Program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. She's had cuts by Kenny Rogers, The Sweethearts of the Rodeo, Rissi Palmer, Kendra Chantelle, Jenny Gill, Jess Moskaluke, Brandy Clark, Jana Stanfield, Elizabeth Eckert, David. G. Smith, Sage Keffer, Jeffrey East, Brandon Bolin, as well as many others. Rick Beresford is a songwriter, producer, composer, and teaches Commercial Songwriting at Belmont University in Nashville. He is the director of the Kerriville Folk Festival Song School held in Kerrville, Texas each year and permanent faculty member of the NSAI. He's had cuts by George Jones, Brenda Lee, The Everly Brothers, Don Williams, Canada's Jake Mathews, Mickey Gilley, Sweethearts Of The Rodeo, Elizabeth Eckert, Kyle Wyley, John Conlee and many Grand Ol' Opry stars. Additionally, Rick has received two BMI AWARDS and a MUSIC CITY NEWS AWARD.You can actually schedule LIVE tutorial sessions with one or both of these amazing writer/teachers. If these two can't help you achieve your maximum songwriting potential, no-one can!Note that this was our first "in-person" interview for the podcast, so the sound quality may be a bit uneven. We're trying though! Here's a fairly comprehensive list of links for Deanna and Rick:Deanna's WebsiteRick's WebsiteBlair Hit Songwriter Series: deannalenwalker@gmail.com (Contacttrisha.johns@vanderbilt.edu for registration information)Winston-Salem workshopTo donate funds or auction items for Frank Chamberlin: fightforfrank.org

Broadcast Music, incorporated hostd their sixtieth black tie dinner and country awards show at their Nashville building on Music Row.  Dallas Davidson and Luke Laird were both honored as songwriters of the year in a night that was dedicated to the newest BMI Icon...Tom T. Hall.  Check it out.

The BMI Awards are the oldest awards ceremony saluting country music's top songwriters.  The 59th annual event celebrated many of Nashville's writers and publishers of the most-performed songs on U-S radio and television in the past year.  Kelly Lunn caught up with some of the special guests on their way into the big event.

The BMI Awards recognize the songwriters, artists, and publishers of the year's most performed BMI COuntry songs on US Television and Radio.

The 56th annual BMI Country Awards were held the night before the CMA Awards, and this year's BMI Icon honoree was Hank Williams Jr. BMI holds the reception to honor all the great songwriters and their accomplishments from the past year. Artists gathered to support the songwriters this year include, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Sarah Buxton, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Jeffrey Steele and Casey Bethard to name a few.