Podcast appearances and mentions of Diana Ross

November of Oz™ continues as we review another reimaging of L. Frank Baum’s story. It’s the Wiz, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson! Chat with… The post The Wiz (1978) appeared first on Too Many Thoughts.

November of Oz™ continues as we review another reimaging of L. Frank Baum's story. It's the Wiz, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson! Chat with the TMT Community on Discord! For More TMT Shenanigans: toomanythoughtsmedia.com Twitter: @TMT_Media, @tackyslacks, @funnynicotweets, @someadamhall E-mail: toomanythoughtsmedia@gmail.com Subscribe and Rate on Apple Podcasts!

Rose-Colored Glasses (with Lime Green Frames) (ft. Erik Qualman)Erik Qualman's relentlessly optimistic and transformative approach to speakingOPENING QUOTE:“And even though I'm speaking to a group... Let's say yesterday, there's 5,000 people there. There's people in there, it's a business meeting, but there's people struggling with personal issues. So, they'll send a note, and "Hey, I was..." I mean, this is at the extreme, but I've gotten emails, I'm sure you have as well, that's like, "I was going to end it. I was going to end my life today, but then there's something that you said that just said, okay, one more day, let me keep it going.”-Erik QualmanGUEST BIO:Erik Qualman has been named the number two most likable author on the planet, coming in just behind J.K. Rowling. In addition to penning not only one but five number-one best sellers, he's been named a top 50 digital influencer by Forbes Magazine. Erik has delivered keynotes in 55 countries and reached over 50 million people with his compelling and inspiring messages and, according to him, “Most importantly I'm still trying to live up to the World's Greatest Dad coffee mug I received from my wife and two daughters.”Links:WebsiteBooksInstagramFacebookTwitterYouTubeLinkedInCORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[12:17] - Intentionality, from Health to Family TimeStaying healthy and connected to what mattersJosh and Erik discuss the difficulties of traveling as a speaker, both for physical health and family connections. For Erik, it's become about putting processes in place that allow him to fit all the parts of his life that matter most. When possible, he includes his wife and children in his travel— especially during summer vacation. He also actively tracks his time spent traveling so that he doesn't spend more time away than he wants to without realizing it. [16:04] - How to FocusSimple idea, difficult in practiceOnce you start pursuing any sort of career project, you quickly become pulled in a million different directions. Soon, you're no longer being intentional about your time— you're being reactive. Erik reminds us all to take time re-focus yourself and your team, if you have one. “How do I be intentional with every minute?”[29:13] - What are your Green Glasses?Finding and double-clicking on what makes you uniqueErik tells the story of how bright green glasses became his trademark nearly by accident— but how he later embraced the look as his identifying trademark. It's not about a gimmick— it's about creating an image that's recognizable and representative of what you stand for. In Erik's case, he stands for optimism and the willingness to be unique, like a pair of bright green glasses.[29:39] - Going InternationalErik's tips for being a truly global speakerErik's advice for anyone speaking internationally? Prep, prep, prep. Always remember that cultures are different across the world. You need to speak from a place of understanding of your audience's background, cultural space, political situations, and more. Human experience is universal, but it's influenced by where we come from. Always remember that when speaking internationally.[33:31] - Digital Leadership and SpeakingErik's perspective as the number-one expertErik defines digital leadership simply as empathy. Do I care enough to fix your problem and remove friction? Most innovation isn't additive, it's subtraction. Digital leadership is about taking away barriers and causes of friction to create an environment for success. It all begins with empathy.RESOURCES:[4:19] About TravelZoo[4:28] Socialnomics, by Erik Qualman[5:32] About Book Expo[15:51] The Focus Project, by Erik Qualman[25:46] Digital Leader, by Erik QualmanFollow Erik Qualman:WebsiteBooksInstagramFacebookTwitterYouTubeLinkedInFollow Josh Linkner:FacebookLinkedInInstagramTwitterYouTubeABOUT MIC DROP:Hear from the world's top thought leaders and experts, sharing tipping point moments, strategies, and approaches that led to their speaking career success. Throughout each episode, host Josh Linkner, #1 Innovation keynote speaker in the world, deconstructs guests' Mic Drop moments and provides tactical tools and takeaways that can be applied to any speaking business, no matter it's starting point. You'll enjoy hearing from some of the top keynote speakers in the industry including: Ryan Estis, Alison Levine, Peter Sheahan, Seth Mattison, Cassandra Worthy, and many more. Mic Drop is sponsored by ImpactEleven.Learn more at: MicDropPodcast.comABOUT THE HOST:Josh Linkner is a Creative Troublemaker. He believes passionately that all human beings have incredible creative capacity, and he's on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals, and communities soar. Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million and is the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. He has invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners.Today, Josh serves as Chairman and Co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award. Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, is a professional-level jazz guitarist, and has a slightly odd obsession with greasy pizza. Learn more about Josh: JoshLinkner.comSPONSORED BY IMPACTELEVEN:From refining your keynote speaking skills to writing marketing copy, from connecting you with bureaus to boosting your fees, to developing high-quality websites, producing head-turning demo reels, Impact Eleven (formerly 3 Ring Circus) offers a comprehensive and powerful set of services to help speakers land more gigs at higher fees. Learn more at: impacteleven.comPRODUCED BY DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown's processes to launch today's most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. Here's to making (podcast) history together.Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.comSHOW CREDITS:Josh Linkner: Host | josh@joshlinkner.comConnor Trombley: Executive Producer | connor@DetroitPodcastStudios.com

I have a dream. A hot, steamy, sultry summer dream. In it there are lots of naked Germans, Leonard Cohen and Diana Ross. Also my friend Christian, and the seeds of a sexual revolution.   Location: Munich, Germany.    To follow the full twisted adventure through our cultural apocalypse, subscribe at patreon.com/filthyarmenian for over two dozen extra-intimate subscriber-only episodes.   Follow us on Twitter/Insta @filthyarmenian. If you like what you hear, please rate, review, and spread the word. 

In this one, Eddie and Jerry talk Comedy Horror films, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Intercontinental Title and so much more.  Enjoy!

Putting the “Care” in Managed CarePerspectives from our managed care team at AHFGUEST BIO:Julio Roberto is a medical social worker out of the Fort Lauderdale bureau. Karen Haughey is a registered nurse and Vice President of Managed Care, also based in Fort Lauderdale. Rebeca Rubio is the National Director of Managed Care Operations and Program Development based in Los Angeles.CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[2:13] - Defining Managed Care at AHFWhat they do and what it meansManaged care is a far-reaching term at AHF, including everything from providing support for people without a healthcare plan to offering integrated medication management and case management regardless of insurance status. The overall effect is greater patient care and satisfaction among a group of people who often come into AHF frightened and with no idea how to begin their journey. Managed care provides them with empathy and direction.[8:04] - Day-to-Day with PatientsWhat managed care means on the groundThe managed care team's goal is to soon have a representative available to speak to every single person who walks into an AHF healthcare center. This isn't currently the norm nationwide among big box insurance companies. In AHF's vision, everybody will get a care manager and a full team to ensure they get what they need, when they need it— all with a focus on empathy.[12:20] - Working with Other AHF Business LinesA culture of collaborationManaged care works with nearly every line of business at the organization, from finance and IT to the healthcare centers themselves. For example, they work directly with healthcare centers as it relates to patients receiving bills or claims on the health insurance side. If a patient receives a bill, they can communicate with managed care about getting it processed for payment— and ensuring they don't get surprise bills.[17:31] - Final ThoughtsWhat AHF members and patients should know about the managed care teamKaren shares a common refrain she shares at managed care: “Managed care dances on the edge of all of our contracts, and our regulations, and the mission. When we fall, we always fall on the side of the mission."The biggest takeaway is that managed care exists to make the mission of AHF— patient health— their personal mission. “When we collaborate on that, or put that together with the mission of AHF, everyone benefits.”RESOURCES:[6:59] AHF Healthcare CentersFOLLOW:Follow Lauren Hogan: LinkedInFollow AHFter Hours: InstagramABOUT AFTER HOURS:The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the world's largest HIV/AIDS service organization, operating in 45 countries globally. The mission? Providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy for everyone, regardless of ability to pay.The After Hours podcast is an official podcast of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in which host Lauren Hogan is joined by experts in a range of fields to educate, inform, and inspire listeners on topics that go far beyond medical information to cover leadership, creativity, and success. Learn more at: https://www.aidshealth.orgABOUT THE HOST:Lauren Hogan is the Associate Director of Communications for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and has been working in a series of roles with the Foundation since 2016. She's passionate about increasing the public visibility of AIDS, the Foundation's critical work, and how everyday people can help join the fight to make cutting-edge medicine, treatment, and support available for anyone who needs it.Learn more about Lauren at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenhogan3Learn more about the AIDS Healthcare Foundation at: https://www.aidshealth.orgABOUT DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown's processes to launch today's most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. Here's to making (podcast) history together.Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.com

Styx released their eighth studio album, Pieces of Eight, after achieving breakthrough success with 1977's “The Grand Illusion.”  This album would also achieve significant critical and commercial success with this album.  Two singles would break into the top 40, and one would land just outside it at number 41.  All of these were written and sung by Tommy Shaw who had joined the group for the Equinox album in 1975.  In addition to guitarist and lead singer Tommy Shaw, other members of the band were Dennis DeYoung on lead vocals and keyboards, James "JY" Young on guitars and vocals, Chuck Panozzo on bass, and John Panozzo on percussion.Pieces of Eight marks a transition for the band, as many consider this album to be the last Styx effort with significant prog rock elements.  The band would turn to a more hard rock and pop ballad format on future albums, though their popularity would only grow greater.  Pieces of Eight is also considered a concept album, as the band explored how money and materialism affects the pursuit of greater ideals and dreams.Brian brings us this album for today's podcast. Sing for the DayThe second single released from the album narrowly missed the top 40 as it peaked at number 41.  It has a joyful waltz feel, and references “Hannah,” which is an amalgam of all the female fans of the band.  Pieces of EightThe majestic title track is a deeper cut which was not released as a single. Dennis DeYoung wrote and sings lead on this song.  It was inspired by how money can't buy everything, and the regret faced in looking back over a life occupied by the pursuit of wealth while sacrificing love, dreams, and freedom.Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)This first single was released in August of 1978 just ahead of the album.  Tommy Shaw was inspired to write it after a friend was laid off from the railroad and experienced frustration standing in line at the unemployment office.  The song hit number 21 in the United States charts.RenegadeThe last single would become a staple for Styx tours and remains popular today.  It tells of a Western outlaw who has been caught and is about to face execution by hanging.  Tommy Shaw claims that the song basically wrote itself.  “Hangman is coming down from the gallows and I don't have very long.” ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Ease on Down the Road #1 by Diana Ross and Michael Jackson (from the motion picture “The Wiz”)  The Broadway Play “The Wiz” hit the screens with Diana Ross playing Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. STAFF PICKS:Who Are You by The Who Rob starts off the staff picks with the title track from the Who album of the same name, released 1 month before Keith Moon's death.  Pete Townshend wrote this song after passing out drunk in a doorway in SoHo.  He was feeling like a sellout after signing a big contract and experiencing an identity crisis.  That's Rod Argent from the Zombies you hear on keyboards. Feelin' Satisfied  by BostonBruce's staff pick is the third single from “Don't Look Back.”  It hit number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It is an ode to Rock and Roll with a positive feel and a clapping in the chorus which brings on audience participation in concerts. Milk and Alcohol by Dr. Feelgood Wayne brings us a boogie rock song with a punk feel from an English pub rock band.  The song was inspired by blues guitarist John Lee Hooker who the band members often saw in concert drunk on Kahlua and alcohol.  Nick Lowe of “Cruel to be Kind” fame wrote this song.Reminiscing by the Little River BandBrian finishes off the staff picks with a bit of yacht rock from down under.  This is the second single from their fourth studio album, “Sleeper Catcher.”  It went to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song was inspired by the romantic era of black and white movies and the songs of Glen Miller and Cole Porter.  John Lennon considered it one of his favorite songs.   INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:Two Rapid Formations by Brian EnoThis instrumental is from Eno's seventh solo album, "Music for Films."  

Para bailar "LOCO-MOTION"(Kylie Minogue), "TWIST AND SHOUT"(Salt-n-pepa), "1,2,3"(Miami Sound Machine),... Y MUCHO MAS!!! Cantar con RICARDO MONTANER,BEACH BOYS, TOM JONES, JARABE DE PALO, DIANA ROSS, AEROSMITH, SHAKIRA, CHER, RIHANNA,... Y MUCHOS MAS Recordando "SEINFELD", "EL FANTASMA DE LA OPERA", "LA ULTIMA TENTACION DE CRISTO", TOM CLANCY ("EL CARDENAL Y EL KREMLIN",... Y MUCHO MAS!! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/genteenambiente/support

In this episode of Rock is Lit, Dana Spiotta joins me to talk about her National Book Award-nominated novel ‘Eat the Document'. If your jam is ‘70s and ‘90s radical activism, political fugitives (think The Weather Underground), lost and obscure albums (such as The Beach Boys' ‘Smile'), bootleg recordings, underground filmmaking, and a ton of classic rock, you're gonna love this novel.Later, Lucas Hare, co-host of the Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan Podcast, joins me to share his thoughts about Bob Dylan's unreleased documentary called ‘Eat the Document', which is where Dana's novel gets its title. HIGHLIGHTS:DANAWhat Dana's reaction would be if she could meet Paul McCartneyThe extensive research she did for her novel ‘Eat the Document'Our thoughts on the question that's central to the novel: Can you really reinvent yourself?Famous real-life 1960s and 1970s militant groups and fugitives, such as Katherine Ann Power and Bill AyersWhy Dana chose ‘Eat the Document', the unreleased documentary about Bob Dylan's 1966 UK tour, as the title of her novelOur shared love of Gram Parsons, the band Love, Bob Dylan, and music and literature and film in generalMy short story about Gram Parsons, “Grievous Angel,” published in ‘Still: The Journal'Dana's connection to legendary film director Francis Ford CoppolaThe allure of underground and lost films and bootleg records like The Beach Boys' ‘Smile', which one of the characters in her novel is obsessed withWhy denigrating someone's obsession and passion is really s@&*$*Dana's Largehearted Boy playlist for ‘Eat the Document'What we really think of Mike LoveLUCASWhat Bob Dylan's career looked like in 1966, the year the documentary ‘Eat the Document' was filmedDylan's 1966 UK tourDylan's 1966 motorcycle accidentContext for the film ‘Eat the Document' and why it was never released MUSIC AND MEDIA IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:Clip of Beatlemania: “I love you, Paul!”    “You're My Everything” by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye“I Shall Be Released” by Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons“Who Are You” by The Who“Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire“Farewell My Friend” by Dennis Wilson“Alone Again Or” by Love“Heroes and Villains” by The Beach Boys“Little Hands” by Alexander “Skip” Spence“Return of the Grievous Angel” by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris“Our Prayer” by The Beach Boys“If You See Her, Say Hello” by Bob Dylan“Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan—live, “Judas!”Clip from ‘Eat the Document'—John Lennon and Bob Dylan in car 1966“You Ain't Goin' Nowhere” by Bob Dylan“I Shall Be Released” by Bob Dylan LINKS: Dana Spiotta website, https://danaspiotta.com/‘Eat the Document' playlist at Largehearted Boy, http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2007/01/book_notes_dana.html Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan Podcast,https://is-it-rolling-bob-talking-dylan.simplecast.com/ Christy Alexander Hallberg's website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/Christy Alexander Hallberg Twitter, @ChristyHallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg Instagram, @christyhallbergChristy Alexander Hallberg YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqagLink to “Grievous Angel” short story about Gram Parsons by Christy Alexander Hallberg, http://stilljournal.net/christy-alexander-hallberg-fiction2021.php

From Everest to West Point (ft. Alison Levine, Author, Speaker, Adventure-Seeker)Climbing the highest peaks in life and businessOPENING QUOTE:“If I want to know what it's like to be these explorers going to these remote mountain ranges, then I should go to the mountains instead of watching films about them.”—Alison LevineGUEST BIO:Alison Levine is a leadership expert, polar explorer, and mountaineer who is no stranger to extreme environments. She has survived sub-zero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, sudden avalanches— even a career on Wall Street— to then serve as Deputy Finance Director for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his successful bid as the Governor of California. She would later become an adjunct professor at the US Military Academy at West Point, and in true Playmaker fashion, she continues to serve as a senior fellow at the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke University. Show Links:WebsiteFacebookTwitterLinkedInInstagramCORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[8:31] - The Definition of CourageWhat it means to be courageousInspired by Alison's story, Paul shares his definition of courage: “Standing tallest when fear and risk are highest.” Growth and discomfort are non–negotiables. We'll never get rid of things that scare us. Life is about taking calculated risks and, as Alison says, using fear to our advantage.[17:48] - “I Felt This Before, and I Made It”Lessons from KilimanjaroWhen altitude sickness strikes for the first time, it can very quickly feel life-threatening. But the more mountain climbers become acclimated to high altitudes, the more their bodies and minds adapt. The next time it hits, they recognize it— and know that they can make through to the other side, because they have in the past.[28:11] - A Lesson from ArnoldThe Governator's focus on peopleWhile working on Arnold Schwarzenagger's campaign, Alison passed him in the hallway and was surprised to hear him ask, “How's our mountain climber doing today?” She says she learned that when you know something personal about every member of your team, you inspire them to push even harder for you and your vision.[39:03] - Back to Base CampOr the Power of a Two-Day InvestmentWhen preparing for a high-altitude climb, climbers often return to base camp multiple times in order to acclimate to the altitude. In life, we sometimes have to give up on our relentless climbs for a moment in order to ‘return to base camp.' We get stronger, we refresh ourselves, and we invest in ourselves. Alison invests in “Mastermind days” where she sets aside all her day-to-day work to invest in herself. What could you achieve if you did the same?[45:46] - The Five ThingsAlison's Parting AdviceSearching for your purpose? You don't have to come up with it today or tomorrow, or in two weeks. Just start by making a list of five things that are important to you, that bring you joy. If you start with those, then when it comes to making difficult decisions you know where to start. You set out on a path that will lead you toward your purpose.RESOURCES:[2:27] Conquer the Route Chocolate Stout[10:13] About the Khumbu Icefall[17:48] About Altitude SicknessFollow Alison:WebsiteFacebookTwitterLinkedInInstagramFollow Paul:Keynote Speaking WebsitePlaymakers PodcastThe Power of Playing OffenseLinkedInFacebookTwitterInstagramYoutubeSHOW PARTNER:The WHY InstituteAre you ready to find your ‘why'? Our partners at the WHY Institute have created the single most high-impact assessment for finding your personal why in life and work. In just five minutes, discover more about who you are, how you think, and why you do what you do than any other personal assessment available.  The best part? It's completely free for Playmakers listeners. Are you ready to find our WHY in just five minutes? Take your assessment now.FREE ASSESSMENTABOUT THE HOST:Paul Epstein may not be a hard charging running back on the actual football field, but his list of high-profile wins in the world of sports will have you thinking that he could be.Paul has spent nearly 15 years as a pro sports executive for multiple NFL and NBA teams, a global sports agency, and the NFL league office. He's transformed numerous NBA teams from the absolute bottom in league revenue to top-two in financial performance. He's broken every premium revenue metric in Super Bowl history as the NFL's sales leader. He opened a billion-dollar stadium, helped save the New Orleans NBA franchise, and founded the San Francisco 49ers Talent Academy.He's since installed his leadership and high-performance playbook with Fortune 500 leaders, Founders and CEOs, MBAs, and professional athletes.Now, as a global keynote speaker, #1 bestselling author, personal transformation expert, turned senior leader and advisor to PurposePoint and the Why Institute, and host of the Playmakers: On Purpose podcast, Paul explores how living and working with a focus on leadership, culture, and purpose can transform organizations and individuals anywhere to unleash their full potential.Learn more about Paul at PaulEpsteinSpeaks.comABOUT PLAYMAKERS: ON PURPOSE:The Playmakers: On Purpose podcast is an all-access pass to a purpose-centered tribe of leaders in business, sports, and life who are on a mission of meaning and impact. The show takes purpose from an out of reach North Star to a practical and tactical exploration of how we can step into each day, ON PURPOSE, where life no longer happens “to us”, it begins to happen “for us”. From the Why Coach of the San Francisco 49ers to your coach, take a seat at the table with sports industry executive, #1 bestselling author, personal transformation expert, turned senior leader and advisor to PurposePoint and the Why Institute, Paul Epstein, in this inspiring, yet immediately actionable podcast. From formative stories pre-purpose to personal and professional transformation's post-purpose, each show will share a high-energy, prescriptive blueprint to ignite impact and drive inner success, fulfillment, and purpose no matter your starting point. It's time to meet Paul at the 50 and get ready to live and lead ON PURPOSE.Learn more at: PlaymakersPod.comABOUT DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown's processes to launch today's most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. Here's to making (podcast) history together.Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.comCREDITS:Paul Epstein: Host | paul@paulepsteinspeaks.comConnor Trombley: Executive Producer | connor@detroitpodcaststudios.com

Episode one hundred and fifty-six of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Was Made to Love Her", the early career of Stevie Wonder, and the Detroit riots of 1967. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-minute bonus episode available, on "Groovin'" by the Young Rascals. 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 As usual, I've put together a Mixcloud playlist of all the recordings excerpted in this episode. The best value way to get all of Stevie Wonder's early singles is this MP3 collection, which has the original mono single mixes of fifty-five tracks for a very reasonable price. For those who prefer physical media, this is a decent single-CD collection of his early work at a very low price indeed. As well as the general Motown information listed below, I've also referred to Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: The Soulful Journey of Stevie Wonder by Mark Ribowsky, which rather astonishingly is the only full-length biography of Wonder, to Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul by Craig Werner, and to Detroit 67: The Year That Changed Soul by Stuart Cosgrove. 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'. Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson by "Dr Licks" is a mixture of a short biography of the great bass player, and tablature of his most impressive bass parts. 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 A quick note before I begin -- this episode deals with disability and racism, and also deals from the very beginning with sex work and domestic violence. It also has some discussion of police violence and sexual assault. As always I will try to deal with those subjects as non-judgementally and sensitively as possible, but if you worry that anything about those subjects might disturb you, please check the transcript. Calvin Judkins was not a good man. Lula Mae Hardaway thought at first he might be, when he took her in, with her infant son whose father had left before the boy was born. He was someone who seemed, when he played the piano, to be deeply sensitive and emotional, and he even did the decent thing and married her when he got her pregnant. She thought she could save him, even though he was a street hustler and not even very good at it, and thirty years older than her -- she was only nineteen, he was nearly fifty. But she soon discovered that he wasn't interested in being saved, and instead he was interested in hurting her. He became physically and financially abusive, and started pimping her out. Lula would eventually realise that Calvin Judkins was no good, but not until she got pregnant again, shortly after the birth of her second son. Her third son was born premature -- different sources give different numbers for how premature, with some saying four months and others six weeks -- and while he apparently went by Stevland Judkins throughout his early childhood, the name on his birth certificate was apparently Stevland Morris, Lula having decided not to give another child the surname of her abuser, though nobody has ever properly explained where she got the surname "Morris" from. Little Stevland was put in an incubator with an oxygen mask, which saved the tiny child's life but destroyed his sight, giving him a condition called retinopathy of prematurity -- a condition which nowadays can be prevented and cured, but in 1951 was just an unavoidable consequence for some portion of premature babies. Shortly after the family moved from Saginaw to Detroit, Lula kicked Calvin out, and he would remain only a peripheral figure in his children's lives, but one thing he did do was notice young Stevland's interest in music, and on his increasingly infrequent visits to his wife and kids -- visits that usually ended with violence -- he would bring along toy instruments for the young child to play, like a harmonica and a set of bongos. Stevie was a real prodigy, and by the time he was nine he had a collection of real musical instruments, because everyone could see that the kid was something special. A neighbour who owned a piano gave it to Stevie when she moved out and couldn't take it with her. A local Lions Club gave him a drum kit at a party they organised for local blind children, and a barber gave him a chromatic harmonica after seeing him play his toy one. Stevie gave his first professional performance when he was eight. His mother had taken him to a picnic in the park, and there was a band playing, and the little boy got as close to the stage as he could and started dancing wildly. The MC of the show asked the child who he was, and he said "My name is Stevie, and I can sing and play drums", so of course they got the cute kid up on stage behind the drum kit while the band played Johnny Ace's "Pledging My Love": [Excerpt: Johnny Ace, "Pledging My Love"] He did well enough that they paid him seventy-five cents -- an enormous amount for a small child at that time -- though he was disappointed afterwards that they hadn't played something faster that would really allow him to show off his drumming skills. After that he would perform semi-regularly at small events, and always ask to be paid in quarters rather than paper money, because he liked the sound of the coins -- one of his party tricks was to be able to tell one coin from another by the sound of them hitting a table. Soon he formed a duo with a neighbourhood friend, John Glover, who was a couple of years older and could play guitar while Stevie sang and played harmonica and bongos. The two were friends, and both accomplished musicians for their age, but that wasn't the only reason Stevie latched on to Glover. Even as young as he was, he knew that Motown was soon going to be the place to be in Detroit if you were a musician, and Glover had an in -- his cousin was Ronnie White of the Miracles. Stevie and John performed as a duo everywhere they could and honed their act, performing particularly at the talent shows which were such an incubator of Black musical talent at the time, and they also at this point seem to have got the attention of Clarence Paul, but it was White who brought the duo to Motown. Stevie and John first played for White and Bobby Rodgers, another of the Miracles, then when they were impressed they took them through the several layers of Motown people who would have to sign off on signing a new act. First they were taken to see Brian Holland, who was a rising star within Motown as "Please Mr. Postman" was just entering the charts. They impressed him with a performance of the Miracles song "Bad Girl": [Excerpt: The Miracles, "Bad Girl"] After that, Stevie and John went to see Mickey Stevenson, who was at first sceptical, thinking that a kid so young -- Stevie was only eleven at the time -- must be some kind of novelty act rather than a serious musician. He said later "It was like, what's next, the singing mouse?" But Stevenson was won over by the child's talent. Normally, Stevenson had the power to sign whoever he liked to the label, but given the extra legal complications involved in signing someone under-age, he had to get Berry Gordy's permission. Gordy didn't even like signing teenagers because of all the extra paperwork that would be involved, and he certainly wasn't interested in signing pre-teens. But he came down to the studio to see what Stevie could do, and was amazed, not by his singing -- Gordy didn't think much of that -- but by his instrumental ability. First Stevie played harmonica and bongos as proficiently as an adult professional, and then he made his way around the studio playing on every other instrument in the place -- often only a few notes, but competent on them all. Gordy decided to sign the duo -- and the initial contract was for an act named "Steve and John" -- but it was soon decided to separate them. Glover would be allowed to hang around Motown while he was finishing school, and there would be a place for him when he finished -- he later became a staff songwriter, working on tracks for the Four Tops and the Miracles among others, and he would even later write a number one hit, "You Don't Have to be a Star (to be in My Show)" for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr -- but they were going to make Stevie a star right now. The man put in charge of that was Clarence Paul. Paul, under his birth name of Clarence Pauling, had started his career in the "5" Royales, a vocal group he formed with his brother Lowman Pauling that had been signed to Apollo Records by Ralph Bass, and later to King Records. Paul seems to have been on at least some of the earliest recordings by the group, so is likely on their first single, "Give Me One More Chance": [Excerpt: The "5" Royales, "Give Me One More Chance"] But Paul was drafted to go and fight in the Korean War, and so wasn't part of the group's string of hit singles, mostly written by his brother Lowman, like "Think", which later became better known in James Brown's cover version, or "Dedicated to the One I Love", later covered by the Shirelles, but in its original version dominated by Lowman's stinging guitar playing: [Excerpt: The "5" Royales, "Dedicated to the One I Love"] After being discharged, Clarence had shortened his name to Clarence Paul, and had started recording for all the usual R&B labels like Roulette and Federal, with little success: [Excerpt: Clarence Paul, "I'm Gonna Love You, Love You Til I Die"] He'd also co-written "I Need Your Lovin'", which had been an R&B hit for Roy Hamilton: [Excerpt: Roy Hamilton, "I Need Your Lovin'"] Paul had recently come to work for Motown – one of the things Berry Gordy did to try to make his label more attractive was to hire the relatives of R&B stars on other labels, in the hopes of getting them to switch to Motown – and he was the new man on the team, not given any of the important work to do. He was working with acts like Henry Lumpkin and the Valladiers, and had also been the producer of "Mind Over Matter", the single the Temptations had released as The Pirates in a desperate attempt to get a hit: [Excerpt: The Pirates, "Mind Over Matter"] Paul was the person you turned to when no-one else was interested, and who would come up with bizarre ideas. A year or so after the time period we're talking about, it was him who produced an album of country music for the Supremes, before they'd had a hit, and came up with "The Man With the Rock and Roll Banjo Band" for them: [Excerpt: The Supremes, "The Man With The Rock and Roll Banjo Band"] So, Paul was the perfect person to give a child -- by this time twelve years old -- who had the triple novelties of being a multi-instrumentalist, a child, and blind. Stevie started spending all his time around the Motown studios, partly because he was eager to learn everything about making records and partly because his home life wasn't particularly great and he wanted to be somewhere else. He earned the affection and irritation, in equal measure, of people at Motown both for his habit of wandering into the middle of sessions because he couldn't see the light that showed that the studio was in use, and for his practical joking. He was a great mimic, and would do things like phoning one of the engineers and imitating Berry Gordy's voice, telling the engineer that Stevie would be coming down, and to give him studio equipment to take home. He'd also astonish women by complimenting them, in detail, on their dresses, having been told in advance what they looked like by an accomplice. But other "jokes" were less welcome -- he would regularly sexually assault women working at Motown, grabbing their breasts or buttocks and then claiming it was an accident because he couldn't see what he was doing. Most of the women he molested still speak of him fondly, and say everybody loved him, and this may even be the case -- and certainly I don't think any of us should be judged too harshly for what we did when we were twelve -- but this kind of thing led to a certain amount of pressure to make Stevie's career worth the extra effort he was causing everyone at Motown. Because Berry Gordy was not impressed with Stevie's vocals, the decision was made to promote him as a jazz instrumentalist, and so Clarence Paul insisted that his first release be an album, rather than doing what everyone would normally do and only put out an album after a hit single. Paul reasoned that there was no way on Earth they were going to be able to get a hit single with a jazz instrumental by a twelve-year-old kid, and eventually persuaded Gordy of the wisdom of this idea. So they started work on The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie, released under his new stagename of Little Stevie Wonder, supposedly a name given to him after Berry Gordy said "That kid's a wonder!", though Mickey Stevenson always said that the name came from a brainstorming session between him and Clarence Paul. The album featured Stevie on harmonica, piano, and organ on different tracks, but on the opening track, "Fingertips", he's playing the bongos that give the track its name: [Excerpt: Little Stevie Wonder, "Fingertips (studio version)"] The composition of that track is credited to Paul and the arranger Hank Cosby, but Beans Bowles, who played flute on the track, always claimed that he came up with the melody, and it seems quite likely to me that most of the tracks on the album were created more or less as jam sessions -- though Wonder's contributions were all overdubbed later. The album sat in the can for several months -- Berry Gordy was not at all sure of its commercial potential. Instead, he told Paul to go in another direction -- focusing on Wonder's blindness, he decided that what they needed to do was create an association in listeners' minds with Ray Charles, who at this point was at the peak of his commercial power. So back into the studio went Wonder and Paul, to record an album made up almost entirely of Ray Charles covers, titled Tribute to Uncle Ray. (Some sources have the Ray Charles tribute album recorded first -- and given Motown's lax record-keeping at this time it may be impossible to know for sure -- but this is the way round that Mark Ribowsky's biography of Wonder has it). But at Motown's regular quality control meeting it was decided that there wasn't a single on the album, and you didn't release an album like that without having a hit single first. By this point, Clarence Paul was convinced that Berry Gordy was just looking for excuses not to do anything with Wonder -- and there may have been a grain of truth to that. There's some evidence that Gordy was worried that the kid wouldn't be able to sing once his voice broke, and was scared of having another Frankie Lymon on his hands. But the decision was made that rather than put out either of those albums, they would put out a single. The A-side was a song called "I Call it Pretty Music But the Old People Call it the Blues, Part 1", which very much played on Wonder's image as a loveable naive kid: [Excerpt: Little Stevie Wonder, "I Call it Pretty Music But the Old People Call it the Blues, Part 1"] The B-side, meanwhile, was part two -- a slowed-down, near instrumental, version of the song, reframed as an actual blues, and as a showcase for Wonder's harmonica playing rather than his vocals. The single wasn't a hit, but it made number 101 on the Billboard charts, just missing the Hot One Hundred, which for the debut single of a new artist wasn't too bad, especially for Motown at this point in time, when most of its releases were flopping. That was good enough that Gordy authorised the release of the two albums that they had in the can. The next single, "Little Water Boy", was a rather baffling duet with Clarence Paul, which did nothing at all on the charts. [Excerpt: Clarence Paul and Little Stevie Wonder, "Little Water Boy"] After this came another flop single, written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Janie Bradford, before the record that finally broke Little Stevie Wonder out into the mainstream in a big way. While Wonder hadn't had a hit yet, he was sent out on the first Motortown Revue tour, along with almost every other act on the label. Because he hadn't had a hit, he was supposed to only play one song per show, but nobody had told him how long that song should be. He had quickly become a great live performer, and the audiences were excited to watch him, so when he went into extended harmonica solos rather than quickly finishing the song, the audience would be with him. Clarence Paul, who came along on the tour, would have to motion to the onstage bandleader to stop the music, but the bandleader would know that the audiences were with Stevie, and so would just keep the song going as long as Stevie was playing. Often Paul would have to go on to the stage and shout in Wonder's ear to stop playing -- and often Wonder would ignore him, and have to be physically dragged off stage by Paul, still playing, causing the audience to boo Paul for stopping him from playing. Wonder would complain off-stage that the audience had been enjoying it, and didn't seem to get it into his head that he wasn't the star of the show, that the audiences *were* enjoying him, but were *there* to see the Miracles and Mary Wells and the Marvelettes and Marvin Gaye. This made all the acts who had to go on after him, and who were running late as a result, furious at him -- especially since one aspect of Wonder's blindness was that his circadian rhythms weren't regulated by sunlight in the same way that the sighted members of the tour's were. He would often wake up the entire tour bus by playing his harmonica at two or three in the morning, while they were all trying to sleep. Soon Berry Gordy insisted that Clarence Paul be on stage with Wonder throughout his performance, ready to drag him off stage, so that he wouldn't have to come out onto the stage to do it. But one of the first times he had done this had been on one of the very first Motortown Revue shows, before any of his records had come out. There he'd done a performance of "Fingertips", playing the flute part on harmonica rather than only playing bongos throughout as he had on the studio version -- leaving the percussion to Marvin Gaye, who was playing drums for Wonder's set: [Excerpt: Little Stevie Wonder, "Fingertips (Parts 1 & 2)"] But he'd extended the song with a little bit of call-and-response vocalising: [Excerpt: Little Stevie Wonder, "Fingertips (Parts 1 & 2)"] After the long performance ended, Clarence Paul dragged Wonder off-stage and the MC asked the audience to give him a round of applause -- but then Stevie came running back on and carried on playing: [Excerpt: Little Stevie Wonder, "Fingertips (Parts 1 & 2)"] By this point, though, the musicians had started to change over -- Mary Wells, who was on after Wonder, was using different musicians from his, and some of her players were already on stage. You can hear Joe Swift, who was playing bass for Wells, asking what key he was meant to be playing in: [Excerpt: Little Stevie Wonder, "Fingertips (Parts 1 & 2)"] Eventually, after six and a half minutes, they got Wonder off stage, but that performance became the two sides of Wonder's next single, with "Fingertips Part 2", the part with the ad lib singing and the false ending, rather than the instrumental part one, being labelled as the side the DJs should play. When it was released, the song started a slow climb up the charts, and by August 1963, three months after it came out, it was at number one -- only the second ever Motown number one, and the first ever live single to get there. Not only that, but Motown released a live album -- Recorded Live, the Twelve-Year-Old Genius (though as many people point out he was thirteen when it was released -- he was twelve when it was recorded though) and that made number one on the albums chart, becoming the first Motown album ever to do so. They followed up "Fingertips" with a similar sounding track, "Workout, Stevie, Workout", which made number thirty-three. After that, his albums -- though not yet his singles -- started to be released as by "Stevie Wonder" with no "Little" -- he'd had a bit of a growth spurt and his voice was breaking, and so marketing him as a child prodigy was not going to work much longer and they needed to transition him into a star with adult potential. In the Motown of 1963 that meant cutting an album of standards, because the belief at the time in Motown was that the future for their entertainers was doing show tunes at the Copacabana. But for some reason the audience who had wanted an R&B harmonica instrumental with call-and-response improvised gospel-influenced yelling was not in the mood for a thirteen year old singing "Put on a Happy Face" and "When You Wish Upon a Star", and especially not when the instrumental tracks were recorded in a key that suited him at age twelve but not thirteen, so he was clearly straining. "Fingertips" being a massive hit also meant Stevie was now near the top of the bill on the Motortown Revue when it went on its second tour. But this actually put him in a precarious position. When he had been down at the bottom of the bill and unknown, nobody expected anything from him, and he was following other minor acts, so when he was surprisingly good the audiences went wild. Now, near the top of the bill, he had to go on after Marvin Gaye, and he was not nearly so impressive in that context. The audiences were polite enough, but not in the raptures he was used to. Although Stevie could still beat Gaye in some circumstances. At Motown staff parties, Berry Gordy would always have a contest where he'd pit two artists against each other to see who could win the crowd over, something he thought instilled a fun and useful competitive spirit in his artists. They'd alternate songs, two songs each, and Gordy would decide on the winner based on audience response. For the 1963 Motown Christmas party, it was Stevie versus Marvin. Wonder went first, with "Workout, Stevie, Workout", and was apparently impressive, but then Gaye topped him with a version of "Hitch-Hike". So Stevie had to top that, and apparently did, with a hugely extended version of "I Call it Pretty Music", reworked in the Ray Charles style he'd used for "Fingertips". So Marvin Gaye had to top that with the final song of the contest, and he did, performing "Stubborn Kind of Fellow": [Excerpt: Marvin Gaye, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow"] And he was great. So great, it turned the crowd against him. They started booing, and someone in the audience shouted "Marvin, you should be ashamed of yourself, taking advantage of a little blind kid!" The crowd got so hostile Berry Gordy had to stop the performance and end the party early. He never had another contest like that again. There were other problems, as well. Wonder had been assigned a tutor, a young man named Ted Hull, who began to take serious control over his life. Hull was legally blind, so could teach Wonder using Braille, but unlike Wonder had some sight -- enough that he was even able to get a drivers' license and a co-pilot license for planes. Hull was put in loco parentis on most of Stevie's tours, and soon became basically inseparable from him, but this caused a lot of problems, not least because Hull was a conservative white man, while almost everyone else at Motown was Black, and Stevie was socially liberal and on the side of the civil rights and anti-Vietnam movements. Hull started to collaborate on songwriting with Wonder, which most people at Motown were OK with but which now seems like a serious conflict of interest, and he also started calling himself Stevie's "manager" -- which did *not* impress the people at Motown, who had their own conflict of interest because with Stevie, like with all their artists, they were his management company and agents as well as his record label and publishers. Motown grudgingly tolerated Hull, though, mostly because he was someone they could pass Lula Mae Hardaway to to deal with her complaints. Stevie's mother was not very impressed with the way that Motown were handling her son, and would make her opinion known to anyone who would listen. Hull and Hardaway did not get on at all, but he could be relied on to save the Gordy family members from having to deal with her. Wonder was sent over to Europe for Christmas 1963, to perform shows at the Paris Olympia and do some British media appearances. But both his mother and Hull had come along, and their clear dislike for each other was making him stressed. He started to get pains in his throat whenever he sang -- pains which everyone assumed were a stress reaction to the unhealthy atmosphere that happened whenever Hull and his mother were in the same room together, but which later turned out to be throat nodules that required surgery. Because of this, his singing was generally not up to standard, which meant he was moved to a less prominent place on the bill, which in turn led to his mother accusing the Gordy family of being against him and trying to stop him becoming a star. Wonder started to take her side and believe that Motown were conspiring against him, and at one point he even "accidentally" dropped a bottle of wine on Ted Hull's foot, breaking one of his toes, because he saw Hull as part of the enemy that was Motown. Before leaving for those shows, he had recorded the album he later considered the worst of his career. While he was now just plain Stevie on albums, he wasn't for his single releases, or in his first film appearance, where he was still Little Stevie Wonder. Berry Gordy was already trying to get a foot in the door in Hollywood -- by the end of the decade Motown would be moving from Detroit to LA -- and his first real connections there were with American International Pictures, the low-budget film-makers who have come up a lot in connection with the LA scene. AIP were the producers of the successful low-budget series of beach party films, which combined appearances by teen heartthrobs Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello in swimsuits with cameo appearances by old film stars fallen on hard times, and with musical performances by bands like the Bobby Fuller Four. There would be a couple of Motown connections to these films -- most notably, the Supremes would do the theme tune for Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine -- but Muscle Beach Party was to be the first. Most of the music for Muscle Beach Party was written by Brian Wilson, Roger Christian, and Gary Usher, as one might expect for a film about surfing, and was performed by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, the film's major musical guests, with Annette, Frankie, and Donna Loren [pron Lorren] adding vocals, on songs like "Muscle Bustle": [Excerpt: Donna Loren with Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, "Muscle Bustle"] The film followed the formula in every way -- it also had a cameo appearance by Peter Lorre, his last film appearance before his death, and it featured Little Stevie Wonder playing one of the few songs not written by the surf and car writers, a piece of nothing called "Happy Street". Stevie also featured in the follow-up, Bikini Beach, which came out a little under four months later, again doing a single number, "Happy Feelin'". To cash in on his appearances in these films, and having tried releasing albums of Little Stevie as jazz multi-instrumentalist, Ray Charles tribute act, live soulman and Andy Williams-style crooner, they now decided to see if they could sell him as a surf singer. Or at least, as Motown's idea of a surf singer, which meant a lot of songs about the beach and the sea -- mostly old standards like "Red Sails in the Sunset" and "Ebb Tide" -- backed by rather schlocky Wrecking Crew arrangements. And this is as good a place as any to take on one of the bits of disinformation that goes around about Motown. I've addressed this before, but it's worth repeating here in slightly more detail. Carol Kaye, one of the go-to Wrecking Crew bass players, is a known credit thief, and claims to have played on hundreds of records she didn't -- claims which too many people take seriously because she is a genuine pioneer and was for a long time undercredited on many records she *did* play on. In particular, she claims to have played on almost all the classic Motown hits that James Jamerson of the Funk Brothers played on, like the title track for this episode, and she claims this despite evidence including notarised statements from everyone involved in the records, the release of session recordings that show producers talking to the Funk Brothers, and most importantly the evidence of the recordings themselves, which have all the characteristics of the Detroit studio and sound like the Funk Brothers playing, and have absolutely nothing in common, sonically, with the records the Wrecking Crew played on at Gold Star, Western, and other LA studios. The Wrecking Crew *did* play on a lot of Motown records, but with a handful of exceptions, mostly by Brenda Holloway, the records they played on were quickie knock-off album tracks and potboiler albums made to tie in with film or TV work -- soundtracks to TV specials the acts did, and that kind of thing. And in this case, the Wrecking Crew played on the entire Stevie at the Beach album, including the last single to be released as by "Little Stevie Wonder", "Castles in the Sand", which was arranged by Jack Nitzsche: [Excerpt: Little Stevie Wonder, "Castles in the Sand"] Apparently the idea of surfin' Stevie didn't catch on any more than that of swingin' Stevie had earlier. Indeed, throughout 1964 and 65 Motown seem to have had less than no idea what they were doing with Stevie Wonder, and he himself refers to all his recordings from this period as an embarrassment, saving particular scorn for the second single from Stevie at the Beach, "Hey Harmonica Man", possibly because that, unlike most of his other singles around this point, was a minor hit, reaching number twenty-nine on the charts. Motown were still pushing Wonder hard -- he even got an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in May 1964, only the second Motown act to appear on it after the Marvelettes -- but Wonder was getting more and more unhappy with the decisions they were making. He loathed the Stevie at the Beach album -- the records he'd made earlier, while patchy and not things he'd chosen, were at least in some way related to his musical interests. He *did* love jazz, and he *did* love Ray Charles, and he *did* love old standards, and the records were made by his friend Clarence Paul and with the studio musicians he'd grown to know in Detroit. But Stevie at the Beach was something that was imposed on Clarence Paul from above, it was cut with unfamiliar musicians, Stevie thought the films he was appearing in were embarrassing, and he wasn't even having much commercial success, which was the whole point of these compromises. He started to get more rebellious against Paul in the studio, though many of these decisions weren't made by Paul, and he would complain to anyone who would listen that if he was just allowed to do the music he wanted to sing, the way he wanted to sing it, he would have more hits. But for nine months he did basically no singing other than that Ed Sullivan Show appearance -- he had to recover from the operation to remove the throat nodules. When he did return to the studio, the first single he cut remained unreleased, and while some stuff from the archives was released between the start of 1964 and March 1965, the first single he recorded and released after the throat nodules, "Kiss Me Baby", which came out in March, was a complete flop. That single was released to coincide with the first Motown tour of Europe, which we looked at in the episode on "Stop! In the Name of Love", and which was mostly set up to promote the Supremes, but which also featured Martha and the Vandellas, the Miracles, and the Temptations. Even though Stevie had not had a major hit in eighteen months by this point, he was still brought along on the tour, the only solo artist to be included -- at this point Gordy thought that solo artists looked outdated compared to vocal groups, in a world dominated by bands, and so other solo artists like Marvin Gaye weren't invited. This was a sign that Gordy was happier with Stevie than his recent lack of chart success might suggest. One of the main reasons that Gordy had been in two minds about him was that he'd had no idea if Wonder would still be able to sing well after his voice broke. But now, as he was about to turn fifteen, his adult voice had more or less stabilised, and Gordy knew that he was capable of having a long career, if they just gave him the proper material. But for now his job on the tour was to do his couple of hits, smile, and be on the lower rungs of the ladder. But even that was still a prominent place to be given the scaled-down nature of this bill compared to the Motortown Revues. While the tour was in England, for example, Dusty Springfield presented a TV special focusing on all the acts on the tour, and while the Supremes were the main stars, Stevie got to do two songs, and also took part in the finale, a version of "Mickey's Monkey" led by Smokey Robinson but with all the performers joining in, with Wonder getting a harmonica solo: [Excerpt: Smokey Robinson and the Motown acts, "Mickey's Monkey"] Sadly, there was one aspect of the trip to the UK that was extremely upsetting for Wonder. Almost all the media attention he got -- which was relatively little, as he wasn't a Supreme -- was about his blindness, and one reporter in particular convinced him that there was an operation he could have to restore his sight, but that Motown were preventing him from finding out about it in order to keep his gimmick going. He was devastated about this, and then further devastated when Ted Hull finally convinced him that it wasn't true, and that he'd been lied to. Meanwhile other newspapers were reporting that he *could* see, and that he was just feigning blindness to boost his record sales. After the tour, a live recording of Wonder singing the blues standard "High Heeled Sneakers" was released as a single, and barely made the R&B top thirty, and didn't hit the top forty on the pop charts. Stevie's initial contract with Motown was going to expire in the middle of 1966, so there was a year to get him back to a point where he was having the kind of hits that other Motown acts were regularly getting at this point. Otherwise, it looked like his career might end by the time he was sixteen. The B-side to "High Heeled Sneakers" was another duet with Clarence Paul, who dominates the vocal sound for much of it -- a version of Willie Nelson's country classic "Funny How Time Slips Away": [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder and Clarence Paul, "Funny How Time Slips Away"] There are a few of these duet records scattered through Wonder's early career -- we'll hear another one a little later -- and they're mostly dismissed as Paul trying to muscle his way into a revival of his own recording career as an artist, and there may be some truth in that. But they're also a natural extension of the way the two of them worked in the studio. Motown didn't have the facilities to give Wonder Braille lyric sheets, and Paul didn't trust him to be able to remember the lyrics, so often when they made a record, Paul would be just off-mic, reciting the lyrics to Wonder fractionally ahead of him singing them. So it was more or less natural that this dynamic would leak out onto records, but not everyone saw it that way. But at the same time, there has been some suggestion that Paul was among those manoeuvring to get rid of Wonder from Motown as soon as his contract was finished -- despite the fact that Wonder was the only act Paul had worked on any big hits for. Either way, Paul and Wonder were starting to chafe at working with each other in the studio, and while Paul remained his on-stage musical director, the opportunity to work on Wonder's singles for what would surely be his last few months at Motown was given to Hank Cosby and Sylvia Moy. Cosby was a saxophone player and staff songwriter who had been working with Wonder and Paul for years -- he'd co-written "Fingertips" and several other tracks -- while Moy was a staff songwriter who was working as an apprentice to Cosby. Basically, at this point, nobody else wanted the job of writing for Wonder, and as Moy was having no luck getting songs cut by any other artists and her career was looking about as dead as Wonder's, they started working together. Wonder was, at this point, full of musical ideas but with absolutely no discipline. He's said in interviews that at this point he was writing a hundred and fifty songs a month, but these were often not full songs -- they were fragments, hooks, or a single verse, or a few lines, which he would pass on to Moy, who would turn his ideas into structured songs that fit the Motown hit template, usually with the assistance of Cosby. Then Cosby would come up with an arrangement, and would co-produce with Mickey Stevenson. The first song they came up with in this manner was a sign of how Wonder was looking outside the world of Motown to the rock music that was starting to dominate the US charts -- but which was itself inspired by Motown music. We heard in the last episode on the Rolling Stones how "Nowhere to Run" by the Vandellas: [Excerpt: Martha and the Vandellas, "Nowhere to Run"] had inspired the Stones' "Satisfaction": [Excerpt: The Rolling Stones, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"] And Wonder in turn was inspired by "Satisfaction" to come up with his own song -- though again, much of the work making it into an actual finished song was done by Sylvia Moy. They took the four-on-the-floor beat and basic melody of "Satisfaction" and brought it back to Motown, where those things had originated -- though they hadn't originated with Stevie, and this was his first record to sound like a Motown record in the way we think of those things. As a sign of how, despite the way these stories are usually told, the histories of rock and soul were completely and complexly intertwined, that four-on-the-floor beat itself was a conscious attempt by Holland, Dozier, and Holland to appeal to white listeners -- on the grounds that while Black people generally clapped on the backbeat, white people didn't, and so having a four-on-the-floor beat wouldn't throw them off. So Cosby, Moy, and Wonder, in trying to come up with a "Satisfaction" soundalike were Black Motown writers trying to copy a white rock band trying to copy Black Motown writers trying to appeal to a white rock audience. Wonder came up with the basic chorus hook, which was based around a lot of current slang terms he was fond of: [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "Uptight"] Then Moy, with some assistance from Cosby, filled it out into a full song. Lyrically, it was as close to social comment as Motown had come at this point -- Wonder was, like many of his peers in soul music, interested in the power of popular music to make political statements, and he would become a much more political artist in the next few years, but at this point it's still couched in the acceptable boy-meets-girl romantic love song that Motown specialised in. But in 1965 a story about a boy from the wrong side of the tracks dating a rich girl inevitably raised the idea that the boy and girl might be of different races -- a subject that was very, very, controversial in the mid-sixties. [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "Uptight"] "Uptight" made number three on the pop charts and number one on the R&B charts, and saved Stevie Wonder's career. And this is where, for all that I've criticised Motown in this episode, their strategy paid off. Mickey Stevenson talked a lot about how in the early sixties Motown didn't give up on artists -- if someone had potential but was not yet having hits or finding the right approach, they would keep putting out singles in a holding pattern, trying different things and seeing what would work, rather than toss them aside. It had already worked for the Temptations and the Supremes, and now it had worked for Stevie Wonder. He would be the last beneficiary of this policy -- soon things would change, and Motown would become increasingly focused on trying to get the maximum returns out of a small number of stars, rather than building careers for a range of artists -- but it paid off brilliantly for Wonder. "Uptight" was such a reinvention of Wonder's career, sound, and image that many of his fans consider it the real start of his career -- everything before it only counting as prologue. The follow-up, "Nothing's Too Good For My Baby", was an "Uptight" soundalike, and as with Motown soundalike follow-ups in general, it didn't do quite as well, but it still made the top twenty on the pop chart and got to number four on the R&B chart. Stevie Wonder was now safe at Motown, and so he was going to do something no other Motown act had ever done before -- he was going to record a protest song and release it as a single. For about a year he'd been ending his shows with a version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind", sung as a duet with Clarence Paul, who was still his on stage bandleader even though the two weren't working together in the studio as much. Wonder brought that into the studio, and recorded it with Paul back as the producer, and as his duet partner. Berry Gordy wasn't happy with the choice of single, but Wonder pushed, and Gordy knew that Wonder was on a winning streak and gave in, and so "Blowin' in the Wind" became Stevie Wonder's next single: [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder and Clarence Paul, "Blowin' in the Wind"] "Blowin' in the Wind" made the top ten, and number one on the R&B charts, and convinced Gordy that there was some commercial potential in going after the socially aware market, and over the next few years Motown would start putting out more and more political records. Because Motown convention was to have the producer of a hit record produce the next hit for that artist, and keep doing so until they had a flop, Paul was given the opportunity to produce the next single. "A Place in the Sun" was another ambiguously socially-aware song, co-written by the only white writer on Motown staff, Ron Miller, who happened to live in the same building as Stevie's tutor-cum-manager Ted Hull. "A Place in the Sun" was a pleasant enough song, inspired by "A Change is Gonna Come", but with a more watered-down, generic, message of hope, but the record was lifted by Stevie's voice, and again made the top ten. This meant that Paul and Miller, and Miller's writing partner Bryan Mills, got to work on his next  two singles -- his 1966 Christmas song "Someday at Christmas", which made number twenty-four, and the ballad "Travellin' Man" which made thirty-two. The downward trajectory with Paul meant that Wonder was soon working with other producers again. Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol cut another Miller and Mills song with him, "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday": [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday"] But that was left in the can, as not good enough to release, and Stevie was soon back working with Cosby. The two of them had come up with an instrumental together in late 1966, but had not been able to come up with any words for it, so they played it for Smokey Robinson, who said their instrumental sounded like circus music, and wrote lyrics about a clown: [Excerpt: The Miracles, "The Tears of a Clown"] The Miracles cut that as album filler, but it was released three years later as a single and became the Miracles' only number one hit with Smokey Robinson as lead singer. So Wonder and Cosby definitely still had their commercial touch, even if their renewed collaboration with Moy, who they started working with again, took a while to find a hit. To start with, Wonder returned to the idea of taking inspiration from a hit by a white British group, as he had with "Uptight". This time it was the Beatles, and the track "Michelle", from the Rubber Soul album: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Michelle"] Wonder took the idea of a song with some French lyrics, and a melody with some similarities to the Beatles song, and came up with "My Cherie Amour", which Cosby and Moy finished off. [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "My Cherie Amour"] Gordy wouldn't allow that to be released, saying it was too close to "Michelle" and people would think it was a rip-off, and it stayed in the vaults for several years. Cosby also produced a version of a song Ron Miller had written with Orlando Murden, "For Once in My Life", which pretty much every other Motown act was recording versions of -- the Four Tops, the Temptations, Billy Eckstine, Martha and the Vandellas and Barbra McNair all cut versions of it in 1967, and Gordy wouldn't let Wonder's version be put out either. So they had to return to the drawing board. But in truth, Stevie Wonder was not the biggest thing worrying Berry Gordy at this point. He was dealing with problems in the Supremes, which we'll look at in a future episode -- they were about to get rid of Florence Ballard, and thus possibly destroy one of the biggest acts in the world, but Gordy thought that if they *didn't* get rid of her they would be destroying themselves even more certainly. Not only that, but Gordy was in the midst of a secret affair with Diana Ross, Holland, Dozier, and Holland were getting restless about their contracts, and his producers kept bringing him unlistenable garbage that would never be a hit. Like Norman Whitfield, insisting that this track he'd cut with Marvin Gaye, "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", should be a single. Gordy had put his foot down about that one too, just like he had about "My Cherie Amour", and wouldn't allow it to be released. Meanwhile, many of the smaller acts on the label were starting to feel like they were being ignored by Gordy, and had formed what amounted to a union, having regular meetings at Clarence Paul's house to discuss how they could pressure the label to put the same effort into their careers as into those of the big stars. And the Funk Brothers, the musicians who played on all of Motown's hits, were also getting restless -- they contributed to the arrangements, and they did more for the sound of the records than half the credited producers; why weren't they getting production credits and royalties? Harvey Fuqua had divorced Gordy's sister Gwen, and so became persona non grata at the label and was in the process of leaving Motown, and so was Mickey Stevenson, Gordy's second in command, because Gordy wouldn't give him any stock in the company. And Detroit itself was on edge. The crime rate in the city had started to go up, but even worse, the *perception* of crime was going up. The Detroit News had been running a campaign to whip up fear, which it called its Secret Witness campaign, and running constant headlines about rapes, murders, and muggings. These in turn had led to increased calls for more funds for the police, calls which inevitably contained a strong racial element and at least implicitly linked the perceived rise in crime to the ongoing Civil Rights movement. At this point the police in Detroit were ninety-three percent white, even though Detroit's population was over thirty percent Black. The Mayor and Police Commissioner were trying to bring in some modest reforms, but they weren't going anywhere near fast enough for the Black population who felt harassed and attacked by the police, but were still going too fast for the white people who were being whipped up into a state of terror about supposedly soft-on-crime policies, and for the police who felt under siege and betrayed by the politicians. And this wasn't the only problem affecting the city, and especially affecting Black people. Redlining and underfunded housing projects meant that the large Black population was being crammed into smaller and smaller spaces with fewer local amenities. A few Black people who were lucky enough to become rich -- many of them associated with Motown -- were able to move into majority-white areas, but that was just leading to white flight, and to an increase in racial tensions. The police were on edge after the murder of George Overman Jr, the son of a policeman, and though they arrested the killers that was just another sign that they weren't being shown enough respect. They started organising "blu flu"s -- the police weren't allowed to strike, so they'd claim en masse that they were off sick, as a protest against the supposed soft-on-crime administration. Meanwhile John Sinclair was organising "love-ins", gatherings of hippies at which new bands like the MC5 played, which were being invaded by gangs of bikers who were there to beat up the hippies. And the Detroit auto industry was on its knees -- working conditions had got bad enough that the mostly Black workforce organised a series of wildcat strikes. All in all, Detroit was looking less and less like somewhere that Berry Gordy wanted to stay, and the small LA subsidiary of Motown was rapidly becoming, in his head if nowhere else, the more important part of the company, and its future. He was starting to think that maybe he should leave all these ungrateful people behind in their dangerous city, and move the parts of the operation that actually mattered out to Hollywood. Stevie Wonder was, of course, one of the parts that mattered, but the pressure was on in 1967 to come up with a hit as big as his records from 1965 and early 66, before he'd been sidetracked down the ballad route. The song that was eventually released was one on which Stevie's mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, had a co-writing credit: [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "I Was Made to Love Her"] "I Was Made to Love Her" was inspired by Wonder's first love, a girl from the same housing projects as him, and he talked about the song being special to him because it was true, saying it "kind of speaks of my first love to a girl named Angie, who was a very beautiful woman... Actually, she was my third girlfriend but my first love. I used to call Angie up and, like, we would talk and say, 'I love you, I love you,' and we'd talk and we'd both go to sleep on the phone. And this was like from Detroit to California, right? You know, mother said, 'Boy, what you doing - get off the phone!' Boy, I tell you, it was ridiculous." But while it was inspired by her, like with many of the songs from this period, much of the lyric came from Moy -- her mother grew up in Arkansas, and that's why the lyric started "I was born in Little Rock", as *her* inspiration came from stories told by her parents. But truth be told, the lyrics weren't particularly detailed or impressive, just a standard story of young love. Rather what mattered in the record was the music. The song was structured differently from many Motown records, including most of Wonder's earlier ones. Most Motown records had a huge amount of dynamic variation, and a clear demarcation between verse and chorus. Even a record like "Dancing in the Street", which took most of its power from the tension and release caused by spending most of the track on one chord, had the release that came with the line "All we need is music", and could be clearly subdivided into different sections. "I Was Made to Love Her" wasn't like that. There was a tiny section which functioned as a middle eight -- and which cover versions like the one by the Beach Boys later that year tend to cut out, because it disrupts the song's flow: [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "I Was Made to Love Her"] But other than that, the song has no verse or chorus, no distinct sections, it's just a series of lyrical couplets over the same four chords, repeating over and over, an incessant groove that could really go on indefinitely: [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "I Was Made to Love Her"] This is as close as Motown had come at this point to the new genre of funk, of records that were just staying with one groove throughout. It wasn't a funk record, not yet -- it was still a pop-soul record, But what made it extraordinary was the bass line, and this is why I had to emphasise earlier that this was a record by the Funk Brothers, not the Wrecking Crew, no matter how much some Crew members may claim otherwise. As on most of Cosby's sessions, James Jamerson was given free reign to come up with his own part with little guidance, and what he came up with is extraordinary. This was at a time when rock and pop basslines were becoming a little more mobile, thanks to the influence of Jamerson in Detroit, Brian Wilson in LA, and Paul McCartney in London.  But for the most part, even those bass parts had been fairly straightforward technically -- often inventive, but usually just crotchets and quavers, still keeping rhythm along with the drums rather than in dialogue with them, roaming free rhythmically. Jamerson had started to change his approach, inspired by the change in studio equipment. Motown had upgraded to eight-track recording in 1965, and once he'd become aware of the possibilities, and of the greater prominence that his bass parts could have if they were recorded on their own track, Jamerson had become a much busier player. Jamerson was a jazz musician by inclination, and so would have been very aware of John Coltrane's legendary "sheets of sound", in which Coltrane would play fast arpeggios and scales, in clusters of five and seven notes, usually in semiquaver runs (though sometimes in even smaller fractions -- his solo in Miles Davis' "Straight, No Chaser" is mostly semiquavers but has a short passage in hemidemisemiquavers): [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "Straight, No Chaser"] Jamerson started to adapt the "sheets of sound" style to bass playing, treating the bass almost as a jazz solo instrument -- though unlike Coltrane he was also very, very concerned with creating something that people could tap their feet to. Much like James Brown, Jamerson was taking jazz techniques and repurposing them for dance music. The most notable example of that up to this point had been in the Four Tops' "Bernadette", where there are a few scuffling semiquaver runs thrown in, and which is a much more fluid part than most of his playing previously: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Bernadette"] But on "Bernadette", Jamerson had been limited by Holland, Dozier, and Holland, who liked him to improvise but around a framework they created. Cosby, on the other hand, because he had been a Funk Brother himself, was much more aware of the musicians' improvisational abilities, and would largely give them a free hand. This led to a truly remarkable bass part on "I Was Made to Love Her", which is somewhat buried in the single mix, but Marcus Miller did an isolated recreation of the part for the accompanying CD to a book on Jamerson, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, and listening to that you can hear just how inventive it is: [Excerpt: Marcus Miller, "I Was Made to Love Her"] This was exciting stuff -- though much less so for the touring musicians who went on the road with the Motown revues while Jamerson largely stayed in Detroit recording. Jamerson's family would later talk about him coming home grumbling because complaints from the touring musicians had been brought to him, and he'd been asked to play less difficult parts so they'd find it easier to replicate them on stage. "I Was Made to Love Her" wouldn't exist without Stevie Wonder, Hank Cosby, Sylvia Moy, or Lula Mae Hardaway, but it's James Jamerson's record through and through: [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "I Was Made to Love Her"] It went to number two on the charts, sat between "Light My Fire" at number one, and "All You Need is Love" at number three, with the Beatles song soon to overtake it and make number one itself. But within a few weeks of "I Was Made to Love Her" reaching its chart peak, things in Detroit would change irrevocably. On the 23rd of July, the police busted an illegal drinking den. They thought they were only going to get about twenty-five people there, but there turned out to be a big party on. They tried to arrest seventy-four people, but their wagon wouldn't fit them all in so they had to call reinforcements and make the arrestees wait around til more wagons arrived. A crowd of hundreds gathered while they were waiting. Someone threw a brick at a squad car window, a rumour went round that the police had bayonetted someone, and soon the city was in flames. Riots lasted for days, with people burning down and looting businesses, but what really made the situation bad was the police's overreaction. They basically started shooting at young Black men, using them as target practice, and later claiming they were snipers, arsonists, and looters -- but there were cases like the Algiers Motel incident, where the police raided a motel where several Black men, including the members of the soul group The Dramatics, were hiding out along with a few white women. The police sexually assaulted the women, and then killed three of the men for associating with white women, in what was described as a "lynching with bullets". The policemen in question were later acquitted of all charges. The National Guard were called in, as were Federal troops -- the 82nd Airborne Division, and the 101st Airborne from Clarksville, the division in which Jimi Hendrix had recently served. After four days of rioting, one of the bloodiest riots in US history was at an end, with forty-three people dead (of whom thirty-three were Black and only one was a policeman). Official counts had 1,189 people injured, and over 7,200 arrests, almost all of them of Black people. A lot of the histories written later say that Black-owned businesses were spared during the riots, but that wasn't really the case. For example, Joe's Record Shop, owned by Joe Von Battle, who had put out the first records by C.L. Franklin and his daughter Aretha, was burned down, destroying not only the stock of records for sale but the master tapes of hundreds of recordings of Black artists, many of them unreleased and so now lost forever. John Lee Hooker, one of the artists whose music Von Battle had released, soon put out a song, "The Motor City is Burning", about the events: [Excerpt: John Lee Hooker, "The Motor City is Burning"] But one business that did remain unburned was Motown, with the Hitsville studio going untouched by flames and unlooted. Motown legend has this being down to the rioters showing respect for the studio that had done so much for Detroit, but it seems likely to have just been luck. Although Motown wasn't completely unscathed -- a National Guard tank fired a shell through the building, leaving a gigantic hole, which Berry Gordy saw as soon as he got back from a business trip he'd been on during the rioting. That was what made Berry Gordy decide once and for all that things needed to change. Motown owned a whole row of houses near the studio, which they used as additional office space and for everything other than the core business of making records. Gordy immediately started to sell them, and move the admin work into temporary rented space. He hadn't announced it yet, and it would be a few years before the move was complete, but from that moment on, the die was cast. Motown was going to leave Detroit and move to Hollywood.

To celebrate Accutron's 62nd birthday, a true music icon joins the conversation, the one, and only Nile Rodgers. As the co-founder of CHIC and the Chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rodgers pioneered a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like "Le Freak," (the biggest-selling single in the history of Atlantic Records) and sparked the advent of hip-hop with "Good Times." Nile's work in the CHIC Organization and his productions for artists like David Bowie, Diana Ross, and Madonna have sold over 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide while his trendsetting collaborations with Daft Punk, Avicii, Keith Urban, Disclosure, Sam Smith and Lady Gaga reflect the vanguard of contemporary music. Join us for a journey into the life of a living legend that has changed the face of music.Episode Highlights6:36 I grew up in an era where the album was the film and the singles were the trailer. You had to make a hit single so people would be interested in listening and purchasing the album. In today's world the consumption of music is the reflection of society, a headline oriented society.14:35 My parents were heroin addicts and I was constantly on the move, I don't remember going to the same school for more than a few weeks. But all schools had standardized music education, they all had school orchestras and each school assigned to me a different instrument I had to learn to play. By the time I grew up I became a self-contained band, doing all my orchestration, writing every part of every instrument myself.26:44 I remember being in Central Park in NYC, watching a moon landing and remember seeing the Bulova logo here. When a few years ago we created a watch together for the We Are Family Foundation, it felt truly magical to me.Learn more about the Accutron watch here, and follow @AccutronWatch:InstagramTwitterFacebookSubscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to hear new episodes as soon as they're released.Follow our hosts on social media:Bill McCuddy: Facebook  / TwitterDavid Graver: Instagram  / TwitterNile Rodgers: Instagram  / Twitter

Love & Service in the SouthInsights from two of our closest affiliates in the Southern BureauGUEST BIO:Nicole Roebuck is Executive Director of AID Atlanta, an affiliate of AHF since June 2015. Kelly Allen Gray is the executive director of AIDS Outreach Center in Fort Worth, Texas, an affiliate of AHF since 2017.CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[2:26] - 40 Years in ServiceAID Atlanta's path from grassroots to massive impactAID Atlanta celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. Nicole shares the organization's path from a small group of people trying to give people living with HIV and AIDS a better life to operating a healthcare center, enormous case management program, housing programs, prevention and testing services, and more. The key to their longevity? Never losing that early sense of one-to-one service and grassroots energy.[4:47] - The Evolving Story of AIDS Patient CareFrom dark early days to a time of hopeWhen the AIDS Outreach Center was founded, its purpose was simply to help people with AIDS have an opportunity to die with grace and dignity. As our understanding of HIV and AIDS have evolved, that mission has expanded exponentially. They now offer a full-scale healthcare clinic, dental clinic, nutrition center, and much more. That evolution speaks to the positive evolution of how we're able to help people live with and move beyond an HIV or AIDS diagnosis.[10:09] - The Power of Affiliate PartnershipsFrom closing doors to opening new opportunitiesDespite its vital mission, AID Atlanta was once on the brink of closing its doors due to financial constraints. But through the AHF affiliate program, they were able to ensure that the agency continued its legacy footprint in the Atlanta area. Stability, security, and availability for clients have all been the results of that affiliation and AID Atlanta's continued service.[25:49] - From Volunteers to Full-Time StaffGetting involved with these key affiliatesWant to be a part of AID Atlanta or the AIDS Outreach Center? Go online at the links in the Resources section of these show notes to find out how you can serve. Volunteers at these organizations often go on to find more formal positions and make serving in the AIDS and HIV community a lifetime pursuit.RESOURCES:[1:23] AID Atlanta[1:51] AIDS Outreach Center, Fort Worth[3:39] AIDS Walk AtlantaFOLLOW:Follow Lauren Hogan: LinkedInFollow AHFter Hours: InstagramABOUT AFTER HOURS:The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the world's largest HIV/AIDS service organization, operating in 45 countries globally. The mission? Providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy for everyone, regardless of ability to pay.The After Hours podcast is an official podcast of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in which host Lauren Hogan is joined by experts in a range of fields to educate, inform, and inspire listeners on topics that go far beyond medical information to cover leadership, creativity, and success. Learn more at: https://www.aidshealth.orgABOUT THE HOST:Lauren Hogan is the Associate Director of Communications for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and has been working in a series of roles with the Foundation since 2016. She's passionate about increasing the public visibility of AIDS, the Foundation's critical work, and how everyday people can help join the fight to make cutting-edge medicine, treatment, and support available for anyone who needs it.Learn more about Lauren at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenhogan3Learn more about the AIDS Healthcare Foundation at: https://www.aidshealth.orgABOUT DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown's processes to launch today's most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. Here's to making (podcast) history together.Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.com

Alternative title: Look how dumb we are. Mark, Bryson and Jacob take a look back at episode 189, when we predicted everything about the 2022 season, and determine who the Biggest Loon was -- aka, who had the most wrong predictions. Was our over-under on George Springer games played accurate? What about how many appearances Nate Pearson would make? How close were we to predicting the highest WAR on the team? That, plus much more. Subscribe to Section 138 on YouTube for video podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTCRKhBRu9kVO2fDuc2q8Aw/featured.Follow @section138pod on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Music: "My Mistake (Was to Love You)," Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye.

It's time for some more of The Funk Assassin's Funk Attack action with another fire selection of Funk, Soul, Disco & Groove classics. On this mix recorded from the night are cracking tracks by Diana Ross, Earth Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan, CHIC, Sister Sledge, Gwen McCrae, Stevie Wonder plus many more. Ever wondered where 'Lady' by Modjo or 'The Music Sounds Better With You' by Stardust were sampled from? Well you are abouts to find out. The Funk Attack is a night I do in Aberdeen City centre every Tuesday at the legendary Cafe Drummunds, if you like the music come on down and Groove with me completely Free of charge. All tracks are selected and mixed by @thefunkassassin with Love. Thank you for listening and come on down to Cafe Drummonds for a Funk Attack like no other! Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_funk_assassin/ Spotify: open.spotify.com/user/g2fac3ls3k8e1ucxe4fqe7g89 Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheFunkAssassin/

This week Tom & Zeus break down Paul Stanley & Gene Simmons appearances' on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff Podcast. Recently both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons each appeared on Howie Mandel's podcast that he hosts with his talented daughter, Jackelyn Shultz. They both sat down for over an hour interview with the comedian. The topics were wide ranging and often hilarious. The guys breakdown each appearance and discuss the interviews and the differences between Paul & Gene, SIOL style. Topics like who slept with Liza Minelli, who threw who under a bus and did someone literally shit the bed! A fun and fascinating discussion that requires the appearance of our very own resident doctor, Dr. Tom!  For all things Shout It Out Loudcast check out our amazing website by clicking below: www.ShoutItOutLoudcast.com Interested in more Shout It Out Loudcast content?  Care to help us out?  Come join us on Patreon by clicking below: SIOL Patreon Shop At Our Amazon Store by clicking below: Shout It Out Loudcast Amazon Store Please go to Klick Tee Shop for all your Shout It Out Loudcast Merchandise by clicking below:SIOL Merchandise at Klick Tee Shop Please Email us comments or suggestions by clicking below:ShoutItOutLoudcast@Gmail.com Please subscribe to us and give us a 5 Star (Child) review on the following places below:iTunesPodchaserStitcheriHeart RadioSpotify  Please follow us and like our social media pages clicking below:TwitterFacebook PageFacebook Group Page Shout It Out LoudcastersInstagramYouTube Please check out our sponsor AB CPA, Inc. for all your accounting and tax needs by clicking below:AB CPA, Inc. Proud Member of the Pantheon Podcast click below to see the website:Pantheon Podcast Network

Tracklist Equiknoxx Music ft. Devon Di Dakta - BubblePPJ - BoraKelela - Happy Ending Ikonika - When You Look At MeSkee-Lo - I WishJay-Z - Dirt Off Your ShoulderValee - Womp Womp ft JeremihGabriels - Angels and QueensLTJ Bukem - HorizonsMura Masa - up all week ft. slowthaiBlaze - MoonwalkOrbital - Chime (12” Version)Actress - Dream (edit)KX9000 - Smoking LobbyKerri Chandler - Let It (Basic Club) Kerri's Full Vocal MixCultural Vibe - Eli Escobar - Green Eyes Louis Cole - Planet XAleqs Notal - A Lil AdviceCaribou - OdessaDaphni - AmberCentral Cee - One UpCaroline Polachek - SunsetDiana Ross - Upside Down (Original Chic Mix)Dandy Livingstone - Rudy, A Message To YouJennifer Loveless - Muzik Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Welcome to 90s fragrance corner…you know we're right about what perfume was worn by which Golden Girl…UK has an opening for Prime Minister if anyone's interested in a temp job…either way, Liz Truss made the history books…it's crazy that virtual friendships are real these days…also, nice to FINALLY meet you Boris Sanchez and Albisa Candles…Ish still isn't over the fact Cookie Monster's name is Sid…Muppets are people, fight us…more Diana Ross & paella talk, this time together…seriously, Mystical Seduction should be a fragrance from David Copperfield…and now the reveal about the birthday cake… Theme Song: Pero Let Me Freestyle, composed by Michael Angelo Lomlplex - the Official Gay Guy Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring this episode. Take charge of your mental health and get 10% off of your first month of therapy at: https://BetterHelp.com/Pero Pero…Let Me Tell You shop: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/pero-let-me-tell-you-podcast?ref_id=26603

People, People, People (ft. Howard Behar, Former President, Starbucks)When defining a life, it's all about how you treat the people you serveOPENING QUOTE:“From the very beginning, I figured out almost from day one that it wasn't about coffee. It was about people, because of the people that I met, and how they talked about the coffee, and how they talked about each other.”- Howard BeharGUEST BIO:Howard Behar is hailed as a hero of conscious capitalism, a passionate advocate for leading with purpose, and a devoted student and teacher of the servant leadership model. Howard served for over 21 years as president of Starbucks North America, then as founding president of Starbucks International. During his tenure, he grew Starbucks from only 28 stores to over 15,000, spanning five continents.Post-retirement, Howard has since been serving as a speaker, advisor, mentor, and bestselling author of multiple books, including "It's Not About the Coffee: A Guide to Leading by Putting People First." Show Links:WebsiteTwitterLinkedInCORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[0:00] - “Caught It, Not Taught It”The power of being led by exampleHoward recalls seeing his parents treat each other and all the people they served with empathy, compassion, and respect. Simply by watching them, he formed his own values about putting people first. In life and business, we should never underestimate the power we have just by living our values and letting others witness.[21:08] - Howard's Best and Worst Decisions at StarbucksGetting real about smart choices and bad mistakesHoward says the best decision he ever made at Starbucks was the decision to join. If he hadn't been prepared for that opportunity when it came, his life would have turned out very differently. His biggest mistakes? “Keeping somebody too long.” He says that the most damaging decisions at companies are almost always people decisions, not product decisions— proving once again that it really is all about people.[28:56] - Howard Defines Servant LeadershipPutting words to the values Howard's lived by“As leaders, our primary job is to help people achieve what they want out of their lives, help them grow as human beings, to grow as professionals. When we do that, then they want to serve us. When we serve our people first, they innately want to serve us. They want to serve the organization because they feel respected, they feel like they've been treated with dignity, they feel like they're valued, they feel like you care about them, they feel like you love them, they feel like you trust them. All the things that go on in a family.”[52:56] - Marriage, Parenting & BusinessThe shared secret to making them all workHoward speaks of Microsoft, and how their new leader has made them a company centered on technology to a company centered on people. Empathy and listening, just as they do in a marriage, have given Microsoft new life. The things that work in business also often work in life.[54:57] - Live a Life of IntentionHoward's parting advice“If you don't know where you're going, any path will get you there.” Howard leaves us with the counsel to spend time figuring out what we want out of this life, writing it down, and setting goals for yourself to achieve it. That doesn't just apply to work. What do you want out of your family? What do you want out of your marriage? What do you want out of your values? Live with intention, knowing that you can erase and rewrite any time as those values change.RESOURCES:[1:18] It's Not About the Coffee, by Howard Behar[4:24] Ed Mylett's Website[43:04] Jim Collins' BHAG Concept[45:00] The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen CoveyFollow Howard:WebsiteTwitterLinkedInFollow Paul:Keynote Speaking WebsitePlaymakers PodcastThe Power of Playing OffenseLinkedInFacebookTwitterInstagramYoutubeSHOW PARTNER:The WHY InstituteAre you ready to find your ‘why'? Our partners at the WHY Institute have created the single most high-impact assessment for finding your personal why in life and work. In just five minutes, discover more about who you are, how you think, and why you do what you do than any other personal assessment available.  The best part? It's completely free for Playmakers listeners. Are you ready to find our WHY in just five minutes? Take your assessment now.FREE ASSESSMENTABOUT THE HOST:Paul Epstein may not be a hard charging running back on the actual football field, but his list of high-profile wins in the world of sports will have you thinking that he could be.Paul has spent nearly 15 years as a pro sports executive for multiple NFL and NBA teams, a global sports agency, and the NFL league office. He's transformed numerous NBA teams from the absolute bottom in league revenue to top-two in financial performance. He's broken every premium revenue metric in Super Bowl history as the NFL's sales leader. He opened a billion-dollar stadium, helped save the New Orleans NBA franchise, and founded the San Francisco 49ers Talent Academy.He's since installed his leadership and high-performance playbook with Fortune 500 leaders, Founders and CEOs, MBAs, and professional athletes.Now, as a global keynote speaker, #1 bestselling author, personal transformation expert, turned senior leader and advisor to PurposePoint and the Why Institute, and host of the Playmakers: On Purpose podcast, Paul explores how living and working with a focus on leadership, culture, and purpose can transform organizations and individuals anywhere to unleash their full potential.Learn more about Paul at PaulEpsteinSpeaks.comABOUT PLAYMAKERS: ON PURPOSE:The Playmakers: On Purpose podcast is an all-access pass to a purpose-centered tribe of leaders in business, sports, and life who are on a mission of meaning and impact. The show takes purpose from an out of reach North Star to a practical and tactical exploration of how we can step into each day, ON PURPOSE, where life no longer happens “to us”, it begins to happen “for us”. From the Why Coach of the San Francisco 49ers to your coach, take a seat at the table with sports industry executive, #1 bestselling author, personal transformation expert, turned senior leader and advisor to PurposePoint and the Why Institute, Paul Epstein, in this inspiring, yet immediately actionable podcast. From formative stories pre-purpose to personal and professional transformation's post-purpose, each show will share a high-energy, prescriptive blueprint to ignite impact and drive inner success, fulfillment, and purpose no matter your starting point. It's time to meet Paul at the 50 and get ready to live and lead ON PURPOSE.Learn more at: PlaymakersPod.comABOUT DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown's processes to launch today's most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. Here's to making (podcast) history together.Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.comCREDITS:Paul Epstein: Host | paul@paulepsteinspeaks.comConnor Trombley: Executive Producer | connor@detroitpodcaststudios.com

This week Tom & Zeus break down Paul Stanley & Gene Simmons appearances' on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff Podcast. Recently both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons each appeared on Howie Mandel's podcast that he hosts with his talented daughter, Jackelyn Shultz. They both sat down for over an hour interview with the comedian. The topics were wide ranging and often hilarious. The guys breakdown each appearance and discuss the interviews and the differences between Paul & Gene, SIOL style. Topics like who slept with Liza Minelli, who threw who under a bus and did someone literally shit the bed! A fun and fascinating discussion that requires the appearance of our very own resident doctor, Dr. Tom!  For all things Shout It Out Loudcast check out our amazing website by clicking below: www.ShoutItOutLoudcast.com Interested in more Shout It Out Loudcast content?  Care to help us out?  Come join us on Patreon by clicking below: SIOL Patreon Shop At Our Amazon Store by clicking below: Shout It Out Loudcast Amazon Store Please go to Klick Tee Shop for all your Shout It Out Loudcast Merchandise by clicking below:SIOL Merchandise at Klick Tee Shop Please Email us comments or suggestions by clicking below:ShoutItOutLoudcast@Gmail.com Please subscribe to us and give us a 5 Star (Child) review on the following places below:iTunesPodchaserStitcheriHeart RadioSpotify  Please follow us and like our social media pages clicking below:TwitterFacebook PageFacebook Group Page Shout It Out LoudcastersInstagramYouTube Please check out our sponsor AB CPA, Inc. for all your accounting and tax needs by clicking below:AB CPA, Inc. Proud Member of the Pantheon Podcast click below to see the website:Pantheon Podcast Network

In this episode of LIGHT TALK (After Dark), The Lumen Brothers discuss everything from Too Many Stage Directions, to a Double Dose of Xanax.   Join Steve, Zak, and David, as they pontificate about:  LDI News, Ethan's SWAG at LDI; Zak's projections workshops; The Digital Signage Experience; The Light Talk Fez, Carbon Arc Followspots; Diana Ross and Chip Monck; Are URTA and NAST worth it?; Color Matching; Better Than Nothing Industry's "Gaffa NoGo"; and Disclaimers on the Light Plot.   Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

Andrew Campbell joins Brian for a discussion of the Oscar-nominated Lady Sings the Blues, starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams! They also talk about Ross's remarkable career in film and music. LADY SINGS THE BLUES is available on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3SV4IymFollow us at filmatfifty.com and @filmatfifty on social media, and please leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Broadway star Felicia Boswell is currently making her West End debut as Faye Treadwell in The Drifters Girl.The musical tells the story of The Drifters and the truth about the woman who made them, Faye Treadwell. As their manager, Faye fought for three decades alongside her husband to turn the vocal group into a global phenomenon. Felicia joined the production in July, taking over the role from Beverley Knight.  The Drifters Girl completes its run in London later this week, ahead of a UK tour which is set to launch next year. Felicia made her Broadway debut as Felicia Farrell in Memphis The Musical, and went on to play the role in the musical's US tour to huge acclaim. Her Broadway credits also include playing Diana Ross in Motown The Musical and Josephine Baker in Shuffle Along.Some of Felicia's other credits include Dreamgirls (US tour) and Emojiland (off-Broadway). Just a few of her US regional credits include playing Celie in The Color Purple, the title role in Medea, Mimi in Rent, The Baker's Wife in Into The Woods, Mary in Jesus Christ Superstar and the title role in Aida. Felicia has  worked on screen and appeared in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE. She's an Emmy winner for Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE, a two time Helen Hayes winner for Memphis & Jelly's Last Jam and a Broadway World winner for Memphis. As she prepares to say goodbye to The Drifters Girl and London (for now..!), in this episode Felicia discusses how it felt to make her West End debut, her path to Broadway, why what is meant for you won't pass you by and so much more.  The Drifters Girl runs at the Garrick Theatre until 15th October. Visit www.thedriftersgirl.com for info and tickets. Visit Felicia's website www.feliciaboswell.com and follow her on Instagram: @feliciaboswell Hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32  Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

Knock, knock! May we come in? This week, Jared covers the concept of Coming Out of the Closet, including the history of National Coming Out Day and controversies surrounding the observance and act! ✸ Content Warnings: This episode contains adult themes and explicit language, such as mentions of homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. Sources: The Trevor Project's "Coming Out Handbook" "The History Behind Why We Say a Person 'Came Out of the Closet'" by Olivia B. Waxman 'Coming Out' Wikipedia 'National Coming Out Day' Wikipedia 'National Coming Out Day' from the American Psychological Association "We need to stop using the phrase 'coming out'" by George M. Johnson "On National Coming Out Day, Don't Disparage the Closet" by Preston Mitchum Coming Out vs. Inviting In from Cal State, Fullerton "The Phrase ‘Coming Out' Harms Us More Than It Helps Us" by Sadhbh O'Sullivan "Being Queer Means I'll Never Stop Coming Out" by Tom Vellner ✎ Make sure to send in your personal listener stories to historicallyreallygoodfriends@gmail.com to be read on the podcast! ✦ Feel free to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. ☻ Give us a follow on Instagram @historicallyreally to see photos from today's episode!

Forging Deeper Connections (ft. Riaz Meghji)What can broadcasting teach us about keynote speaking?OPENING QUOTE:And the impact of these past two years could be stress, anxiety, depression, disconnection, and while an overarching theme we've talked about being the great resignation, I believe that's an outcome of the great disconnection.”-Riaz MeghjiGUEST BIO:Riaz Meghji is a human connection expert and author of the book Every Conversation Counts: The 5 Habits of Human Connection that Build Extraordinary Relationships. He's also an accomplished broadcaster with 17 years of television hosting experience. Over the course of his career, he's interviewed experts on current affairs, sports, entertainment, politics, and business.Links:WebsiteYouTubeLinkedInInstagramTwitterFacebookCORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[6:22] - Silence and PacingPowerful tools in broadcasting or keynote speakingRiaz points out how he noticed that in the virtual world there was widespread discomfort with silence. He then used intentional pausing to his advantage, using it to impact pacing and break through the white noise. Through silence, he says, people will stop in their tracks and ask, “What happened?”[9:09] - The Power of a Virtual Green RoomCreating deeper connection in remote keynotesRiaz likes to get into his remote sessions as much as 30 minutes before the event actually starts. This gives him the chance to connect with the MC, other speakers, or any other key people so that they can connect on a deeper level before the event. This provides more context and even helps simulate both the adrenaline rush and the tranquility of being in a green room together before a big event.[14:38] - Make Small Talk BiggerLessons on human connectionFor too long we've looked at small talk as a defense mechanism to prevent us from getting real in front of someone we don't know or hitting a nerve with someone else. But if we make our small talk bigger, it presents us with massive opportunities to serve. Ask first and talk second. Be intentional with your curiosity. You'll be amazed at what you discover about the people around you[30:39] - What is Assertive Empathy?Taking on difficult conversations the right wayNeed to have a difficult conversation? Try applying the principal of assertive empathy— relationship first, logic second. It's all about leading with a sense of discovery, rather than posturing our own position. Begin by asking questions and getting to know the other side's perspective before sharing your own. You'll be amazed by how much more productive those conversations become.[34:18] - Be Interested, Not InterestingThe power of making people feel famousWe all have an innate desire to belong. Whether you're a presenter on stage or a leader with your team, what can you do to go the extra mile and allow someone to feel recognized, acknowledged, seen, and appreciated? And don't wait until some big conference or town hall to celebrate people's wins— celebrate them in everyday interactions whenever you notice them. RESOURCES:[2:10] Every Conversation Counts, by Riaz Meghji[13:18] Cigna Research on Loneliness[16:02] About Gordon Livingston[26:24] The Compound Effect, by Darren HardyFollow Riaz Meghji:WebsiteYouTubeLinkedInInstagramTwitterFacebookFollow Josh Linkner:FacebookLinkedInInstagramTwitterYouTubeABOUT MIC DROP:Brought to you by eSpeakers, hear from the world's top thought leaders and experts, sharing tipping point moments, strategies, and approaches that led to their speaking career success. Throughout each episode, host Josh Linkner, #1 Innovation keynote speaker in the world, deconstructs guests' Mic Drop moments and provides tactical tools and takeaways that can be applied to any speaking business, no matter it's starting point. You'll enjoy hearing from some of the top keynote speakers in the industry including: Ryan Estis, Alison Levine, Peter Sheahan, Seth Mattison, Cassandra Worthy, and many more. Mic Drop is produced and presented by eSpeakers; sponsored by ImpactEleven.Learn more at: MicDropPodcast.comABOUT THE HOST:Josh Linkner is a Creative Troublemaker. He believes passionately that all human beings have incredible creative capacity, and he's on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals, and communities soar. Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million and is the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. He has invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners.Today, Josh serves as Chairman and Co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award. Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, is a professional-level jazz guitarist, and has a slightly odd obsession with greasy pizza. Learn more about Josh: JoshLinkner.comABOUT eSPEAKERS:When the perfect speaker is in front of the right audience, a kind of magic happens where organizations and individuals improve in substantial, long-term ways. eSpeakers exists to make this happen more often. eSpeakers is where the speaking industry does business on the web. Speakers, speaker managers, associations, and bureaus use our tools to organize, promote and grow successful businesses. Event organizers think of eSpeakers first when they want to hire speakers for their meetings or events.The eSpeakers Marketplace technology lets us and our partner directories help meeting professionals all over the world connect directly with speakers for great engagements. Thousands of successful speakers, trainers, and coaches use eSpeakers to build their businesses and manage their calendars. Thousands of event organizers use our directories every day to find and hire speakers. Our tools are built for speakers, by speakers, to do things that only purpose-built systems can.Learn more at: eSpeakers.comSPONSORED BY IMPACTELEVEN:From refining your keynote speaking skills to writing marketing copy, from connecting you with bureaus to boosting your fees, to developing high-quality websites, producing head-turning demo reels, Impact Eleven (formerly 3 Ring Circus) offers a comprehensive and powerful set of services to help speakers land more gigs at higher fees. Learn more at: impacteleven.comPRODUCED BY DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown's processes to launch today's most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. Here's to making (podcast) history together.Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.comSHOW CREDITS:Josh Linkner: Host | josh@joshlinkner.comJoe Heaps: eSpeakers | JHeaps@eSpeakers.comConnor Trombley: Executive Producer | connor@DetroitPodcastStudios.com

Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of Diana Ross spent with Hoda and Jenna on the Today Show Tuesday talking about her upcoming birthday. Which got KMOX thinking... How old is "old"? We asked that question on Facebook. 

Title: Did you ever feel like your cubicle is too small for your purpose or your mission? Perhaps you are taking up space for someone else's advancement and it is time for you to step out so they can step in. Certified coach practitioner and registered holistic nutritionist, Ashika Lessani, shares with us easy steps to take to recreate your life. It is possible to create a life of happiness, success, and abundance … on your own terms. Anyone who is done with “following the herd” needs to hear what Ashika shares today. You will learn how to open a door to possibilities, understand your intuitive self, and make magic happen.Ashika's Favourite album: Thank You by Diana Ross, especially “If the World Just Danced”Website: https://www.ashikalessani.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshikaLessani Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashikalessaniwellness/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashlessani/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashikalessani/ Contact: hello@ashikalessani.com

Born-and-raised in Texas, Mars has been creating music under the stage name Honey Son for over a decade. In this month's episode, Mars shares more about growing up as bi-racially Filipino and Black in San Antonio, navigating the music scene in Austin, and staying true and authentic in his music. Outside of music, he very much enjoys fathering his precocious 9 year-old daughter Olivia.Referenced Materials in the Episode: Honey Son Dawa Fund "If We Hold On Together" by Diana Ross

Robert Neil Speaks with… Chuck Smith (a.k.a. Stray Deuce), musician/singer/songwriter. “I really enjoy finding artists whose names you might not know, but who have made important contributions to popular music.  Chuck Smith, who goes by the stage name Stray Deuce, is one of those artists.  He's been in the music industry for decades and has played with some of the best musicians in the business.  At a young age he was signed to Columbia Records and later earned a contract from Motown Records. “One of Motown's biggest artists, Diana Ross, recorded a song Smith had co-written with Donald Dunn as the title track to her 1977 album ‘Baby It's Me.'  Smith played guitar on the track, which also featured some legendary players, including David Foster, Ray Parker, Jr., Jeff Porcaro and Lee Ritenour. “In this interview, we talk about Smith's career and influences.” - Robert Neil   Robert Neil recommends the following Stray Deuce songs: “Billie Sings” “Bluebell Marie” “Him” “The Real Skunk Funk”

Housing as a Public Health MissionHow AHF is helping change the conversation around housing and human rightsGUEST BIO:Dominique Eastman is the Regional Property Operations Manager for the Healthy Housing Foundation.Susie Shannon is the Policy Director for Housing is a Human Right.Mark Dier is the Vice President of Operations for Corporate Real Estate and Housing.CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[2:03] - Finding Rooms for Those Who Need ThemUnderstanding housing as a human rightAHF has recently been buying up vacant properties for the purpose of adaptive reuse— taking existing buildings and infrastructure and converting it into affordable housing for people who are low-income or unhoused. AHF also advocates on behalf of that housing, helping ensure that people are moved into housing quickly so they can begin to experience a stable environment.[4:09] - Getting Strategic with Building PurchasingAbout AHF's strategy for buying living spacesAHF focuses on large, empty older buildings— including SROs or vacant residential hotel buildings. There are approximately 10,000 vacant rooms in Los Angeles, and AHf focuses on finding them, acquiring them, improving them, and providing them as housing for unhoused people.[7:52] - Advocacy FirstHow AHF is taking steps to protect unhoused or low-income peopleAHF's advocacy efforts relating to rent burdened or unhoused people have included running a national campaign to lift the ban on rent control. They've also released a campaign of full-page ads in the LA Times highlighting vacant buildings and how they could be used to house people in need.[18:55] - How to Get Involved with AHF's Housing EffortsWant to contribute to making housing a human right? Here's howDominique stresses that she has an open door policy where anyone can come and be provided with opportunities to contribute. You can also visit healthyhousingfoundation.net or housinghumanright.org, or email HHF management directly.RESOURCES:[1:12] The Healthy Housing Foundation[1:14] Housing is a Human RightFOLLOW:Follow Lauren Hogan: LinkedInFollow AHFter Hours: InstagramABOUT AFTER HOURS:The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the world's largest HIV/AIDS service organization, operating in 45 countries globally. The mission? Providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy for everyone, regardless of ability to pay.The After Hours podcast is an official podcast of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in which host Lauren Hogan is joined by experts in a range of fields to educate, inform, and inspire listeners on topics that go far beyond medical information to cover leadership, creativity, and success. Learn more at: https://www.aidshealth.orgABOUT THE HOST:Lauren Hogan is the Associate Director of Communications for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and has been working in a series of roles with the Foundation since 2016. She's passionate about increasing the public visibility of AIDS, the Foundation's critical work, and how everyday people can help join the fight to make cutting-edge medicine, treatment, and support available for anyone who needs it.Learn more about Lauren at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenhogan3Learn more about the AIDS Healthcare Foundation at: https://www.aidshealth.orgABOUT DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown's processes to launch today's most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. Here's to making (podcast) history together.Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.com

Estos son algunos de los artistas del programa de hoy, para que bailes y cantes con ellos: Maroon 5, Boyz II Men, Carlos Santana, Orquesta Aragon, Las 4 Monedas, Richie Ray, Bobby Cruz, 4 Seasons, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Stand Getz,... Paul Anka, Enrique Guzman, Elvis Presley, Lulu, Bobby Vinton, Bee Gees, Mina, Three Dog Nigth, Moody Blues, Procol Harum, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Lucho Gatica, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Diana Ross, Queen,.... y muchos mas!; ademas de las PELICULAS MAS TAQUILLERAS, PROGRAMAS DE TV, IDOLOS DEPORTIVOS, BEST-SEL;LERS,... de la SEGUNDA SEMANA de OCTUBRE en diferentes años y décadas --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/genteenambiente/support

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the ultimate music factory--Motown! This enterprise was like nothing else in the history of modern music. It released hundreds of top-ten hits and helped discover and cultivate acts like Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Rick James, and Lionel Ritchie. The head of the show was Berry Gordy Junior, the grandson of a plantation owner and slave, turned music mogul. Gordy hunted and honed musical acts, and his Motown music is often said to have been instrumental in the civil rights movement. If you want to hear it from the grapevine (I'm trying, here...), then give this a listen. Visit Our Sources: Film: Hitsville The History of Motown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berry_Gordy http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1870975,00.html https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/the-motown-story-how-berry-gordy-jr-created-the-legendary-label-178066/ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/motown-guide Motown Facts  

Jan er jetlagged og er full av reisepiller, Einar har ryggsmerter og er full av smertestillende, men pod skal det pokker meg bli! Jan forteller om reisen til USA og konsert med Diana Ross, mens Einar drar oss gjennom de dramatiske dagene fra skaden inntraff til hvordan han stablet seg på beina under Verdens beste venner.Produsert av Martin Oftedal, PLAN-B Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“GENTE EN AMBIENTE” en la SEGUNDA HORA, disfruta de LO MEJOR de la PRIMERA SEMANA DE OCTUBRE en1979, 1981, 1991, 2009, 2011,… (en diferentes días). Baila con GRAN COMBO (“No hay cama pa' tanta gente”), THE KNACK, MICHAEL JACKSON, POLICE, MAROON 5, MARKY MARK, BLACK EYED PEAS ,…CANTA con CRISTINA AGUILERA, DIANA ROSS, JULIO IGLESIAS, LIONEL RICHIE, SHEENA EASTON, AMANDA MIGUEL,… REVIVE a LOS PITUFOS… los IDOLOS DEPORTIVOS, NOVELAS,… y mucho mas! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/genteenambiente/support