The Questlove Show - Black Music Month QLS Classic: Philip Bailey

Episode Date: June 25, 2024

Seven-time Grammy award-winning musician Philip Bailey discusses his journey from Denver’s jazz clubs to playing with Earth, Wind & Fire to the Songwriter Hall of Fame.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clivert Show on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else.

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to.

to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Of course, Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the... team at Pandora. Hey, what's up y'all? This is Questlove. And as you notice, throughout June, we are celebrating Black Music Month by releasing an episode every day. So, every day, you're going to hear a specially pick QLS classic.

And on Wednesdays, we're dropping a new two-part episode with Wayne Brady and James Poyser, both of which were filmed in studio. So make sure you also watch us on YouTube. Here's a conversation with Philip Bailey of Earth Winding Fire. But don't screw up Philibili. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, suprema roll call. Suprema, sub, sub, subprima roll call. Supremma, sub, subprima role call. Suprema, sub, sub, subprima roll call.

I'm not confrontational. Yeah. I throw no shade. Yeah. But Philip and I about to fight. Yeah. For his opinions on race. Role Call.

Suprema, Suprema, Subrauma Roll Call. Suprema, Subrauma, Submina, Rocault. My name is Fonte, yeah, and this is how I bawled. Yeah. When I go walking, yeah, on the Chinese wall.

Roll Call. Supremia, Sub prima, Subrima, Supraima, Rocahka. Supremma, Subrama Roca. My name is Sugar. Yeah. Sugar, Steve. Yeah. Before you know it, yeah, you'll be on your knee here.

Roll call, Supreme. No, Supreme a Roll Call. Suprema, Suprema Role Call. Fulfills my name. Yeah. Patrice Russian is a bomb. Yeah. Because Earthwind and fire?

Yeah. Didn't play my prom. Roll call. Right. Supreme. Superma, sub, sub, subprima role call. Supremma, sub, sub, subprima role call. Islaeam.

Yeah. And Mr. Bailey, yes, please. Yeah. I love you so much. Yeah. And I'm just trying to make you see. Oh, car. It's almost.

Almost. Supreme. Suprema. So, sub. Supremia roll call. Well, I'm here. Yeah. And you know.

Yeah. That I can go. Yeah. And I can flow. Roll car. Suprema. Subima. Ro car.

What to give that good idea. Submina. Suprema. Suprema. Supreme. Role car. Supremea Subima

Subrima Roll call Supremma Subrima Roll call Right Like real quick What was that? I totally didn't get that I was trying to find

One of my favorite lyrics In easy love And then you messed it up Steve messed up Because he did the easy Love of reference And I was And I'm just trying to make you see

All right Wait Time about First of all Steve basically, I mean, he's done everything but tattooed the 45 onto his chest. You had to know that Steve was going to give the Phil Collins.

Yeah. I thought it was too small. Oh, yeah, Phil Collins. No, this song changed my life, I'm sure. But he did the whole album. You could have picked any song. Really? Yeah, but, you know.

But I think you have a deeper well of earthwood and fire and phil and daily knowledge than Steve here. You should have left easy lever to me. I think the consensus. That was my shit. No, that was my song. You got with, I'm with you on the raise. I'm ready for the raise debate.

Yeah, because. Yeah. Anyway. Raise at heat. Yeah, exactly. Ladies and gentlemen, my entire, my entire goals and dreams of this podcast is basically to educate and enlighten you all as listeners, but mostly is basically for the five of us to just nerd out a whole bunch of questions that only a few of y'all going to. to get when we asked them, as you've seen during the Jimmy Jam episode and the Ray Parker

episode and Babyface and Greg Phyll and Gaines. But the time has come upon us to make our dreams come true here at QLS. We are truly blessed to be in the presence of royalty. Bar none, I believe that our guest today is one of the most skilled vocalist of this generation. And I'm not talented, not gifted, but skilled, absolutely skilled. Of all the silky falsetto vocal gods of 70s funk soul outfits, our guest today resides personally in my number one slot in my personal list.

He's a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a member of one of the most cherished beloved supergroups in the entire history of music. Yes, even my hyperbole. Even my hyperbole is understated this particular episode. Ladies and gentlemen, please give flowers and respect and love to our guest today. We've been dying to get on the show since its inception. The one and only, Phila Bailey. Yes.

Yeah, man. Crazy. Wow, well, that was amazing. That was a great intro. That might have been the best intro, yeah. Yeah, that was. Well done, sir. I've been waiting for this moment.

Whenever my self-esteem is low, I'll just play that. Oh, man, thank you. doing this. Okay, so why do you hate race? No, we'll get to it. We'll get to it. No, no, no, please. I got to start. Now, I want to make sure I do this the right way. Well, thank you for coming on the show. Man, I'm honored to be here, really. This is, like, this show was tailored me just for you to be on. Straight up and down. Oh, very cool. Very cool.

All right, so I'm quickly starting at your beginnings. Yeah. You have a history that we've got to get through everything. So Denver. Denver, Colorado. What is life like in Denver when you're in your formative years? Mile High City. Now, you know, amazingly, there was so much talent in the Denver area. You know, Diane Reeves is from Denver, too.

I actually brought her out to Los Angeles. She was in a group that I was producing called Free Life. Okay. And I had to talk to her mother and tell her mother, don't worry I'm gonna take care of her everything's gonna be cool she had just gotten out of high school Really? Yeah but there's like there was so much

talent I always tell people that Basically I was just one of the pack You know and I got an opportunity But you know I played drums Through school you know from the fourth grade through college Because I was gonna be a percussionist And so I was doing gigs and stuff You know that scene

The regular gigs and then the late night stuff you know and I would sing on one gig and I would play or sing on the other right oh yeah so wait you mentioned something and just set off a mini a rabbit hole that's about to happen on the show does dying Reeves still live in Denver yes she does you want to know so okay

the very first time the first day that the roots recorded at Battery Studio a tribe called Quest was in Studio B and they were doing a version of Grant Greens down here on the ground. They were producing it. Yeah, it was for that blue note thing. Right, but the thing was, I never knew,

like the technology was so new at the time to have someone in a whole nother state singing their vocals. So they made it, there was something wrong with whatever communication they were using for Diane Reeves to sing her, right. This is 1993 though, you know what I mean? So like, she was singing in Denver. Like, we were like amazed, like, wow,

Chalko Quest is producing Dona Reeves live at Denver and, you know, that whole thing. So, okay, so was this the time you, you had this group when you were already established field ability or was she like up here?

Yeah, no, I was already established. I was already out in Los Angeles, you know, with the band and everything. Okay. Yeah. So yeah, I'll say that Denver isn't the spot I think of when I think of usually a lot of our great singers, and especially in the era of Seoul,

their experiences down south or sometimes Midwest Chicago, that sort of thing. But how does Seoul reach the Mile High City? Yeah. Well, you know, everybody from the South, some kind of way. Right. Right.

So basically, you know, all the blues and jazz. and we didn't have no R&B or jazz radio stations and stuff, you know, like, so I grew up listening to country and, you know, middle country, you know, rock and all that kind of stuff. Love me some bluegrass and all that kind of stuff. Because I was about to say, because usually people, usually earthwood and fires the answer for people when they're in the middle of nowhere, America and Earth Wind and Fire is usually like the one group that somehow seeps through the system of, you know,

radio or whatever reaches people, but it's like what does a member of Earth Wind and Fire listen to when Earth Wouldn't Fire and doesn't exist? I'm listening to you. I'm listening to all stuff. No, no, no. I'm listening to all kinds of stuff that you're doing and No, no, I just meant when you were a kid

growing up. Oh, yeah. Do you remember the first album you ever purchased or? Well, you know, everybody was listening to Jackie Wilson and people like that but I grew up and rummaging through my friend's mother's music

selection. Okay. So she was a jazzer and her boyfriend was a jazz bassist. So I grew up listening to, you know, straight up jazz, you know, straight ahead. Was there a black

church experience in? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I mean, I was raised Catholic, but I did I sang with a group called Echoes of Youth in Denver. And, you know, there was a lot of talented singers, but also the choir director, Ms. Joanne Ryan, she also would have different entertainers to come and teach us how to sell a song and, you know, just give us input on, you know, how to perform and all that stuff.

So, you know, actually Pam Greer was in that group with me. Really? Yeah. What other notable Denverites do we not know that? Well, Bill Fiselle. Okay. Oh, really? Yeah, he was in, we were in the same orchestra,

and he was the first clarinet player. I didn't even know he played guitar until I was outgone and famous, and they was talking about Bill Fiselle, and he was on guitar, and I said, you mean a clarinet player first? Yeah. Okay. So how does, now I'm thinking like, again, the way we are today with technology, you know,

I can know of a soulful singer in India in like two seconds, but how does word, how does word even spread about who or what you do that gets the attention of, I assume that was Earth Win and Fire your first professional group or? Well, first recording professional group, because, you know, like back then, there were clubs. So I started playing in clubs when I was like 15 and stuff. So, you know, I was performing and all that kind of stuff

and traveling and, you know, not extensive traveling. It was going to Kansas City. Right. You know. But a guy named Perry Jones, who, yeah. Yeah.

Perry Jones was the one that got that was kind of mentoring our group that Larry Dunn was in, friends of love and Andrew Wolfoke. And he went out to be the first promotion man for Warner Brothers.

And when he came back and with an album that was just white and he gave it to us to me and Carl and the rest bunch of guys. And it was Earthland Fire's first record. So you were not there for the Warner period. I wasn't there for the Warner period. Or the Sweet Sweet Back period. Not, nope. Can you settle the

rumor that Bill Cosby was the one that... No, okay, I'm thinking of Charles... Charles Tepney? Bill... No, no, no, Bill... No, let's talk about Bill Cosby for a little while.

He had a history before his history. Anyway, no, Bill Cosby... Express yourself. Charles... Charles Wright. Charles Wright, yeah. All right, but... That was Cosby.

That was Cosby. That was Cosby. That was... Melvin. Melvin... Right. He was in... That's what they said, right?

It was Convevee's connected. So, oh. Cosby was connected to Charles Wright. Okay. And he was connected to the sweet back. Right. Yeah. He helped find out.

Right. Somewhere I'm getting it all mixed up. So. Well, you know, Jim Brown is part of the history. Okay. Of Earth, Wind and Fire. Really? How so?

You know, because he was actually managing the band for a minute before I got in it. Jim Brown? Yeah. Jim, and then Bill Ruffalo and Cavallo, you know, kind of. They actually paid him a little bit to, you know, get the band. Oh, really? Yeah. So, Ruffalo and Cavallo were a thing even in the early 70s?

Yeah, because they, you know, they used to run clubs and all that kind of stuff together before they actually moved out to Los Angeles. I always wanted to know what their story was. Right. And Ruffalo and Cavallo, they were Prince's managers. Yeah, they were our managers. And that was the Perry Joan hookup. Because Perry Jones actually was introduced to Prince.

Prince is the one that turned him on to Cavalla Ruffalo because Prince wanted to do what Earthland Fire was doing. And so he said, I want to meet those guys that manage Earth on Earthen Fire. I had heard that Verdine was supposed to produce Prince's first album. Do you ever heard anything about that? No, I didn't hear that. His name came up in like a wish list. Oh, okay.

for the for the label so perry jones like i always from reading the album credits i always wondered would he always introduce your shows presenting you know how one thing is just leading into the other and uh perry did that and and it happened to be on that gratitude album okay so that's what actually just gave him that that fame okay yeah because he didn't do it all the time but he didn't do it all the time Oh, okay, I see. So you said that Larry Dunn and Andrew Wolfbook was... They were in your band? Yeah, in my band, right.

So Larry's also from Denver? Denver, yep. Oh, I never knew that. I never knew that. So how did you guys hook up? Well, we were in school together, you know, and Larry was in the ninth grade, and I was in the 11th grade. We were playing a band together, and Andrew.

family moved to Denver. They used a service brat. So we had a group that was playing in clubs and colleges and all that kind of stuff. What type of music? We would do everything, actually. We would do top 40, but then we'd also do Carol King. We'd do three dark night, rare earth. You know, we could do pretty much anything that was on the radio.

Okay. So pretty much early 70s. Well, 60s stuff, you know. Oh, and then I had a, you know, I do quartet stuff where, you know, it was Jimmy Smith kind of stuff, you know, because we'd have bands where, you know, this guy named Al Hammond Moore who would play, you know, played the bass with, you know, with his feet, you know. Right, right. Okay. On the V3. And I was either playing drums or singing in that.

Okay, so I was going to wait until you guys got to Columbia, but mine is well ask now. How many octaves is your voice? Because, of course, your golden gif is your range. Oh, old fellow stuff, right. Actually, I'm a beartone. I studied operatic bear tone in school. What? Yeah, in German and stuff.

I remember that stuff. Man. Yeah, so, but I grew up listening to, you know, Sarah Vaughn and Dine in Washington. Because you hear that stuff at the house, and I kind of mimicked those voices because of the passion, you know, the lyrical sense. But then growing up, I would, you know, I could sing, you know, whatever genre I was, we were, doing on stage and stuff. So I was playing a gig and a teacher from one of the colleges was there and said, wow, you have an amazing falsetto.

And I said, huh? I said, that's what that is. Oh, okay. I didn't even know what a falsetto was. So what is your daily routine? Is this one of those like, oh, natural gift from God or are you Seth Riggs? You know, I did study with Seth. Really?

Yeah, I did study with Seth. And, you know, Seth can only, he can only teach what's there, you know. But, you know, everyone that has taught, studied with him gets, get something, you know. How long is his average session? How long does it take? He would just go with you. It wouldn't go probably past two hours, but he would just go with you until you, you, you know, until there was a real breakthrough.

I remember when Stevie was studying with him, and then that song came out, and he goes, Oh, I am singing for tomorrow. I was like, this, like, what? Oh, really? That was like right around the time he was studying with Seth. How does word about Seth Riggs get around? Because, for listeners that don't know.

Nisi study with him? Really. Mm-hmm. So Seth Riggs, for you QLS listeners out there, it's pretty much the V-go-to standard of vocal culture. Probably most famously, his Michael Jackson warm-up sessions are on YouTube, just Google Michael Jackson, Seth Riggs, of which there are various exercises.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like, what is the purpose, of doing those scales but with different annunciations. Well, you can hear, you know, where you're speaking, where your voice is speaking from, you know, and he just connects, you know, that with singing, you know, just shows you where to place different things.

And that goes, it's showing you how to get into your head, your head voice, you know, yeah, because you got to, If you do that, you have to go, there's no way other, you can't go, if you, you can't do anything but go to your head. Okay. So there are various, so for various ranges, you have to pick a certain body part too. Yeah. Because I always heard, like, teachers in my school would say, like sing from your diaphragm. Right.

But I always find myself when I'm naturally singing, I always sing from my throat. And they're always saying, that's wrong. Yeah, but when you hear your talk, you speak. speaking voice like what you just said right there you spoke from down here so but is it natural instinct for you to do the right thing or like it's it's natural it's very natural now but back then you were yeah but you know back the end if you if you lose your voice a few times and all the kind of stuff obviously you know you're you're singing from the wrong place or you know or straining and doing certain things wrong oh Jesus Christ I didn't even ask like

What if your horse one night and you can't do reasons? Or just can't do it. That happened last year. Really? Yeah, in Vegas, man. I was like, there was this curtain on the stage that they hadn't taken down for eons. And they lowered it and brought it back up. And they said there was dust all over, the instruments and stuff.

You know, that's really fine. Got into my, you know, my voice. and man, three nights. Really? Man, I couldn't sing too much and nothing at all. Okay, so is, I'm so glad we have a singer-singer on the show.

I always, okay, I always kind of side-eyed. I'm a straight-up musician. I never consider myself a singer or whatever, so, I mean, I'm respecting the fact that singing is an instrument, but having dealt, having dealt with

the demands of Ritha Franklin and Luther Vandros Ritha Franklin famously she can't go into any building that's under yeah under 78 degrees

so whenever she would visit late night because we had a universal air conditioning. She walked around with a thermometer is that what you said? No she would have these like these four dudes that pretty much Steve Harvey Detroit pimp dress looking cats but they would have like

secret service like earpieces and everything they would come in around 10 p.m. the night before and they would rotate sitting by the master thermometer thing like one in the basement literally so that

if someone comes in like ooh it's hot as hell you can't do it so literally anytime Aretha Franklin was ever on the tonight show a guy would come come in and do three hours sitting by wherever the master thermostat is for the entire six floor to make sure that no one touches it. Trinity, I want that happening for me. But this is what I'm really asking.

And Luther Vangel is also famously like would make all air conditioning off in any stadium that he's ever been in. I just want to know, is part of that psychosomatic? No, it's definitely not. That's real? It's definitely not. It's like I try, you know, I try, but I laid down like on the couch like that at a gig and stuff. And the air conditioning was on, you know, and I started to tell them, y'all, you should probably turn it off and stuff. And I laid down and put my jacket over my head and I did go to sleep.

I couldn't sing for three days. Really? Really? That shit is the worst. It's the free on, you know, that messes, with the vocal, with vocals, some vocal cords. Some people, some people can, you know, can do it. But it's the same with me.

Like, when you get on that tour bus or whatever, my, my, the back bay is a, it's a sauna. All right, that's also the real reason why there was a Griffin door and slender bus between Tarika and I, because Tarika's doctor Africa, like. And a smoke box? And a hot box? And smoke.

Yeah. Yeah. So it's like, you know, it has to be. 100 degrees to do that. So that is not psychosomatic. No. That's real. So let me ask this question.

Do you have a daily routine of maintenance for your stuff? Not really. Not really. Do you eat dairy? Yeah, yeah. So you know, none of that stuff. I'll tell you what I cannot do. And I tried it a couple times.

Coca-Cola. Really? No. It's kryptonite for me. I can't. So I can't even ask about those commercials in the night. I can't say any. I can't sing a note.

I can't sing, ah, really? It just goes, ah, no soda, no soda, no soda, just Coca-Cola.

Did they know that at the time? You know, I, I was doing this gig outside and it was hot, and, you know, somebody was drinking cocoa, and I just needed something to drink,

and I grabbed some. Oh, no. Man, it was done. There was no singing whatsoever, not that night. And so, it happened again.

And I just thought, okay, well, it's that, you know, what the heck? Same thing happened. Couldn't sing a word. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me.

Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brain.

new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next, we'll talk about life,

mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of The Girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck.

I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed, I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the Girlfriends. Trust me, babe. on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Everyone, I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings.

I'm working my way up through and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know.

The cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast

to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits, teams look for to the best. biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal.

The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in so-ins, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected.

They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Alespian and Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Maricopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, since we're here already, I'm going to skip two reasons. Do you regret that the live version of reasons is our standard for what we expect you to do to the day you die? Like, if you don't do those exact you and Andrew together. Everything, right? Like, is there a night where you don't reach that and it's like the audience is kind of side eye and you like,

Before he answers, can I tell you when I was probably like maybe 12 or 13 when I first heard that? And I could hit those notes then and then when my voice cracked, I was so upset. I could not. It was that song and Prince

on the most beautiful girl in the world when he hits that high note at the end. I used to be able to hit both of those notes. Not no more. I was so upset. So upset. So upset. So you set such a high goal for yourself

that you now are going to have to live up to. You know, you know what people come to here. So, you know, I always do that. Even if I'm just going to go off and then ad lib and do some other stuff. Okay. I'll do that. All right, all right. Got a dumb question.

Somebody told me to ask you this. What? And I'm going to ask the room, what are the reasons? You know, interestingly enough, that song, let's talk about that song just a little bit. Because you know the lifestyle of, you know, the road dogs and all that kind of stuff. Me and Moresa have a conversation about, you know, infidelity and stuff.

And so, you know, well, I'm going to go back just a little bit. We go into the, we land, I think it was in Philly. Yay. And there's this, there's a really, really fine female,

okay, that, that is like everybody's looking at when we come off the plane. Now, at that time, we would take a whole floor in a hotel and stuff and have security and all that kind of stuff. So we go to the, and we would just, you know, like if you wanted to see somebody, you would just give our road manager an eye, you know, you know, you know. I know. No, I don't.

I don't know. I don't know. So. Bill with Billy, I do not know. I get to the hotel. I get to the hotel. I love you, baby. The ladies at the hotel.

All right. And, you know, the next day, you know, she makes his phone call and she's talking to her guy, you know, just like, yeah, just like, there ain't nothing happens. Another day, yeah. So, me and Maurice had having this conversation, so I felt like all deflated and stuff. I was like, oh, so I was talking to Maurice, so we had this conversation. So that's how we started to write reasons. Okay. Now, writing that song, and then Charles Deppany came with the music and stuff,

people say that they use that song for their wedding. Wait, time out. You're saying you wrote that song without a melody verse? No, no, that was a concept. You just cracked the words together? No, we'd already had, we had the music. We had the music. Okay.

So you're just, how. How do you and Marie's collaborating and so, do you talk about logical situations? It was different all the time. You know, it was different all the time. You know, whatever resonated with you at that time. But that's how reason was, you know, was crafted. Okay. But basically, you know, the song says that, you know, your reasons were a lie.

Reasons had no pride. You know, love was left aside. And all this stuff. And people said, I use that song, reasons for my wedding. I said, oh my goodness. That's not what it's about. Did I hear a rumor once that someone offered you guys to come perform the song at a wedding? And one of you had to reveal, like, it's a song about an affair.

Like, why? Well, you know what? We do some very expensive corporate dates, you know. Yeah. And if someone says to do reasons, I will decline. If it's specifically for, like, a love thing. Yeah, if it's for a wedding. Right.

You know, if it's your wedding night and, you know, we're doing the music after it. And I won't do, I probably, I don't want to do after the love is gone either. Right, yeah. You know. Oh, yeah, that's just. Oh, no. It's like, come on. Let's talk about it.

This is your wedding night. It's in the title. Your wedding night. And, you know, like, this is your big party. Oh, no. You know. I'm not going to sing all that. Yeah. Wait, why is it that all of our, quote, our songs?

Our side chick's all, yeah. Our sweet thing. Someone just hit me. As we lay. Saving all my love for you. All right. I did not know that was about all of them. Yeah.

They end the side piece. He's saying it in there. Oh, she sure does. Oh, but. What's the, well? You got your family. Oh, though, God. And they need you too.

She's cruddy. She knows. You know what it is? Do black people? listen to the lyrics? No. No. I think we translate them differently in our head. Like, we listen because we sing along, but then somewhere in the translation

it's the feeling. It's the feeling. Maxwell said, had that same thing with pretty wings, where people were saying they wanted him to like do that at his wedding and so many people come and say, that's our wedding song. He was just like, yo, this is a song about a breakup. Wait, it is? Yeah, pretty wings is totally

about a break. See, I thought you're your pretty wings so you can fly away. You're about to get the fuck up out of here. You put pretty in something and fuck it up You're like oh pretty Yeah pretty wings is a breakup song I did not know that Yeah

I play that all the time But we go about what we feel Like it's the feeling And he was just like listen If that's what it means to that person You know it's pretty arrogant of you To say oh that's not what it But if that's how they feel about it

I wouldn't I didn't do it I wouldn't want to jinx your relationship Wow I never thought I just want to say we still don't know the reasons But this is a great conversation I'm sitting here reading the lyrics like, one of the reasons that we fear that mothers appear.

Even then, I was going to say, most Earth, Wind and Fire, slow songs really don't deal with, besides Be Ever Wonderful. Be Ever Wonderful, man. I'm thinking like all the, even like I would consider devotion a slow song, even though it has nothing to do with a romantic relationship. That's not really a slow, so those are not really slow. That's, I don't consider it.

It's not a ballad. It's not a ballad. Yeah, it's not quite a battle. The album version. of devotion, I consider a slow song. Whereas I'm thinking live. I'll DJ the live part like as a jam. But that's so weird.

Okay, so can you, how were you officially, well wait, what were your impressions of Earth One and Fire when you were handed that record? I was blown away, first of all, because we didn't have any pictures of them. So I couldn't conceive of them being an African-American group. Wow.

Yeah, because I had never heard anything like that ever before. And this is the first, this is their Warner Brothers. This is the Warner Brothers stuff. And, you know, like, I'm glad, I couldn't, I couldn't imagine what they look like. Because I'd never been introduced to Afrocentric, you know, music and all that kind of stuff. And, and, you know, it was. So Earth, Earth, Wind, Fire did inspire him. It was, no, very much so, very much so.

And, I mean, and it was esoteric. And, you know, I was like, whoa, what is this? And then there was a merge of all of the different genres in the music. And I'm like, what's these guys look like? You know, and then Perry brought them to Denver on a promotional tour. And that's when Verdeen came down to the club, saw me and Carl. play and stuff, and we actually opened the show for them on their promotional tour. And I met Maurice on the elevator.

Okay. Yeah, he had coconut oil. That's the first. I never heard, I never smelled no oils. I just, I smell coconuts. You know, it's like, you know. Yeah. And he had a cowboy hat on, you know, and some bell bottoms, you know.

Wow. Wow. So y'all first tour or whatever. you went on your first tour must have been pretty mind-blowing to see how the rest of like America, black America. Wait, before it. See, the thing is that if you're not involved with Warner era Earth went and fire, who was like a moment of truth?

I swore that was you singing. No, no, that was the first group. All the first group was around Maurice's age. Maurice 10 years older than us. So come a Columbia time, he totally got ready. The whole band. The whole band. It was only hit.

They left and it was only him and Verdine. And so in that time period, they had met me through the Denver experience. And I was out in Los Angeles. I was a musical director of percussion for a band called the Stovall Sisters, which was a gospel rock. Yes to the Lord. Yeah, that's my record. I love that song.

And I remember that. So I would play and rehearse the band and stuff. So they knew I could sing and stuff. Right. They broke up and I was going to send, you know, my wife at the time, Janet and my first son, Sir, back to Denver. He had just been born. And Maurice and Verdeen came over and said, do you want to be in the band? And I said, on one condition, they said, what?

I said, I want to be in the best band in the whole world. Wow. And they looked at each other and they said, you're in. That's a mighty demand. Then we ate oatmeal for the next. six months. And every time we thought we was going on the road,

we'd get ready to get, we'd get in the car and be on the way, and somebody would call. And they'd go, you know, where's, it's counsel. I was going, God damn. So I was, I was debating on if I should go to, you know, to some training school or whatever, and the guy

I was living with said, look, either you're going to, you know, do that or you're going to do this. If you're going to do this, go back in there and practice your music and stuff. But that happened. That was our testing grounds. And then, you know, once we got on the road, we got out here, we got to Philly. And then...

Is that the infamous booing night? Yep. The staring out. We got to Philly. All right. Can you explain this story? We got to Philly. We got to Uptown and all the doo-op groups and stuff.

And we had on, you know, we had on tights and all the kind of stuff. Right. And so, and we had that Calimba, and, and Roguelaw's playing the soprano saxophone. He ain't never seen none of that. And so we got on the stage and there's going to, woo, y'all stink. You know, you know, throwing those stuff up there and stuff. Mori told us all to sit down on the ground in the lotus position. So we all.

Y'all were doing yoga back in the city. In Philly? Oh, yeah. In Philly. Uh-uh. That's the uptown. So we just sat. He said, and just be still.

And so just stare at them. Oh. So we in Philly After Uptown sitting in the Lotus Position with you know With tights on You know And staring at the ordinance

They curse at us And they kept on And they kept on it kept on And then they calum down a little bit And Mori started playing that columbra How long did y'all stare at them? Man we released 10 minutes They just

Then he started playing the Calimba And Ronnie Laurel started improvising over that Kalimba. Larry Dunn went to that keyboard, started playing them chords. And we went into a rhythm. When we got finished with that show, it was nothing like,

it gives me chills to this day. Really? We were so, it was like Philly, love, earth, wind, and fire. They was, it was the first, that was, and we got, it was so monumental that when we got done, We went back to the hotel and where he said,

we're going to have a meeting, you know, and we all got together, and we all recognized that something special had happened that night. You know, we all recognize it, and we just had to affirm it. You know, he said, they're going to either love you or hate you, but it can't be in the middle.

Wow. Side note, I am trying to buy the Uptown. Really? Yeah, I've been, you know, That's one of my life goals with, uh, sir, Live Nation. Shout out to Sean G.

Oh, before they get it, don't partner. Just take it all. Sean G is not a nation. I know. That's not like, can you separate? He is. I know, but. He's the man. The company doesn't ever. No, it's still there. No, Sean G, D.C. Control on the Rock.

It's still, it's still, it's still, it's still there. It's still a shell. And, you know, it's been, the uptown's been closed since, uh, 89. I think, oh yeah, like 30 years now. Wow. That's a full, I was just thinking that was a full circle moment. I remember 4th of July, what was that? 10 years ago when Earth went and Fire came to Philly

and you guys did the curation for the Welcome America thing. I forgot. Yeah, and it was just like a full circle moment of seeing them after all. Yeah, yeah. So, okay, with the first record, first of all, can you please tell us about Charles Stephanie and we had emotions on the show like a while back and they were kind of told.

Really? Yeah, we had them in LA but the closest thing I could say about Charles is Quincy Jones you know that type of person but he was also like just such a humble

he was an orchestrator and a ranger uh, vibist, pianist, uh, and, you know,

a songwriter and, and a lover of his family, you know, and a teacher. And a very, very humble, understated person. And, uh, all he did was just

make music. And, and, and, all those sounds and stuff before everything got multitameraled and stuff, he would record note for note then, you know, do the

octaves, change it, harmonize them, all that harmony stuff that was on since before, you know, they got multi-tangro. I was going to say, you have to play one-nooter at the time. I have one of my life goals

was try to find the all about love stems to see how he crafted the interlude that comes at the end. Oh, right, right. That's eventually celebrate. Can you speak on that for a second? How the ending of...

Right, so basically... That's just played backwards. Right, I realize that now, because on the master reel, when I heard it, I was like, oh, this is celebrate. and then I realized that, okay, you guys must have just played it back. But it still sounds the same like back and forth.

Okay, so initially he was demoing what would have been Celebrate, which is on the gratitude album. Can you describe what the, what's the jamming process or how does a seed of a song or an idea form into, like, do you guys take rough ideas to Charles and then he'll stretch it out because I've heard I mean in the reissues of a lot of these albums you'll hear super rough demos of

of Shining Star and various earthwood and fire songs when they're just like jamming ideas right well like on that song Charles had really if I remember right there was a lot of that song

that was already there before me and Marie started writing lyrics and stuff. And everything that he would bring, Maurice and Charles had, they worked really, really well together. And Al McKay was the key, was a lot.

Really? Yeah. It's just like Al could take a complicated, whatever complicated musical, you know, piece or passage, and make a groove. Really? Whatever, whatever.

Because that's a lot of music going on right there. You know, all those changes and all that kind of stuff. But you can... So you feel that Al McKay as a guitar player was the... He was somewhat the epicenter or... You know, he was the lock. He was a lot because he played with, you know, Watt's Hunter and Third Street. And he was an R&B king.

he just outing wanted to be complicated you know he he was about the funk and so whatever idea that Maurice would have filters through him filter through him and he would lock it up with with Verdeen and the drummer you know if Maurice wasn't playing

because if Morris was a lot simpler because Maurice pocket had a pocket you know so in the studio maris would play drums most of the time yeah morris is playing on that okay wow yeah he played on most of the stuff until until freddie until um ralph was initial in the last days in time was ralph uh drumming on that album and then freddie came along for no maurice on the on the records okay it was maurice okay until freddie came Ralph did play on on the story of the world

Okay Okay What was the relationship With Clive Davis like Just very supportive And unlike his experience With unlike a lot of the experiences That I've heard with other artists

He never We didn't have those issues It was basically Earthwood Fire and Slice I don't think you're talking about blood sweating to you. He didn't get into the artistic thing. He didn't get into the art. But you guys were the blueprint of art. That's a thing like.

He didn't get into, you know, like he likes his song and getting this da-da-da-da. He was just, you know, Morris was giving him the record when he got finished. But how, okay, but the thing is, is that the legacy of Clive Davis is, okay, quote, the greatest ears in music. or whatever his mantra is. Like, I have the best ears in music. You guys, though, were so artsy, like literally reintroducing or establishing Afro-centric Afro-Jazz,

but still with a pop sense. Like, you guys were so pop, but so black. I had the money-ass hooks, because. Yeah, so, like, you know, would, like the whole idea of like don't Boris gets the course and all that stuff like who's the disciplinarian that knew

oh reese okay we're going all over the place Maurice really yeah he had total autonomy he just you know he because he his background too was he we worked at chess records in the in the advertisement commercial department

and so like they would have contests with all the different writers and Charles Stepney was a ranger and he named Maurice Rooney tunes that's what we all call Maurice Rooney because Maurice had this sense of getting a hook so he was the hook man

definitely and he also believed that the hooks shouldn't just be in the choruses but they should be in the music itself and in the grooves and all that kind of stuff So a win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me,

Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

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So how did you guys avoid? Not that I thought that there was cliche 101 and soul music in the early. 70s like you're on my mind all the time can't stop thinking about you like this is the typical rhyme scheme that's in every I mean Motown basically wrote the book on that but how like you guys are talking about mysticism and spirituality and

and things that aren't necessarily you know day to day conversation yeah what were you smoking no but like how Would you, is it books that you guys would read? Maurice was reading a lot of stuff. He was reading a lot of stuff. And because he had traveled with Ramsey Lewis

and they had traveled to the Orient and different things like that, you know, and he was reading, he changed his whole lifestyle diet and all the guys. Because I went to, I went to Ramsey's house and saw a picture of Reese where he was 30 pounds, 35 pounds, bigger. and stuff and looked, you know, looked a lot older.

And I was, resist you? You know? Really? You said, yeah, that's when I used to drink. Oh, wow. You know, but when, since, when some, from the time that I knew, Maurice, he never, he didn't drink and stuff or, or smoke or anything like that. And so, you know, you know, that, that kind of discipline.

Was it hard doing that in the 70s? Like, now food is more, like, science has made. food very easy to, you know, for a connoisseur, a connoisseur, a conno bore like me to follow it is way easier now in today's society. But, you know, back then, a diet soda might taste like the worst thing in the world. But, you know, how hard was it to really maintain that discipline? Didn't he want the whole entire band to also follow the diet and? Well, no, that's not true. he wasn't he wasn't

controlling like that you know like you know it's like what's good for him you know it was just more of example kind of situation you know you you try different things or you watch somebody doing something see how it's working for them or whatever and you know if it's cool you might try it

I mean even today like if I go to Alabama like I doubt I mean only recently like a whole food No sweet drink. So how does one survive a healthy, nuanced lifestyle in, you know, areas? Just making choices. You know, just making choices. And he wasn't, you know, at certain points, he did have, you know, different people cooking for him or whatever.

Okay. Money. But. That's the answer. I feel you. I'm more confused of how you guys were a drug. It sounds like you were a drug free. free band in the 70s.

Not really. Okay. Ah, yes. Okay. Because you said he wasn't that much of a disciplinarian. No, he wasn't. No, he wasn't. He wasn't.

Speaking just about him. All right. Okay, so open our eyes. Man. Now here's the thing. Open our eyes, I believe, was written by Funkadel. Yeah, because Eddie sings.

You mean that song? Yes. It's a, no. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. No.

I don't want to mess it up. No, Open Our Eyes was a song that Maurice, this guy used to play in Chicago on his going off. He used it, you know, all the time. And I want to, I forget the actual artists who actually had it first. You might can look that up. No, you mean father? Yeah. Not the focus, no, no, that wasn't them.

That was, I forget the guy's name, but you could probably look at it up. Father, open our eyes. And so Maurice decided, you know, I'm going to do that song because it was just in his head because he heard it all the time. See, I thought that Funkadelic also covered that song on, I was basically trying to lead into the fact that they do. They do? Yeah.

Okay, so, okay, I knew. Yeah, Funkadelic also covered it. I thought they wrote it. But most soul historians have made much on the fact that, you know, Earth Wind and Fire versus P-Funk is sort of Beatles versus Rolling Stones. Well, I mean, you guys are the Beatles in that, crazy. Yeah, I was thinking of the Beatles. Yeah, yeah.

Okay. Like, you guys were never seen as the bad boys of soul music. Right. Oh, you mean that way. Okay, okay. You know, I was thinking music. Funkadelic is sort of. But the thing is, is that both of them have the same ideology.

Like you guys have your version of spiritualism and Afrofuturism as far as the concepts that you'll later explore it. At least with that, you know, with pyramid technology and future technology. Were you guys aware of each other's existence in the early period? Before you guys became superpowers, were you guys even aware of what was happening in Detroit? ends 72 to 74. I would assume that 74 is kind of a year where both acts finally got their engines warning. But like in the buzz years, 72 to 73, were you guys even aware of each other at all?

Yeah, we were aware of each other. And, you know, both bands were so busy trying to really carve out their own destinies and be true to their identity, you know, that we didn't take a lot of time. But I know the one experience that we always talk about to this day is we played with the Funkadelics at the Armory. Is that in New York or? No, no, D.C. In D.C. at the Armory.

And we, that was before we, we, we hadn't found no funk yet. And so we went on there talking about, you know, I think about loving you. Right. And so we had our little, we had our little polite applause. And then the Funkadelic, first you saw the smoke come out of the room.

They opened the door, and you saw a puff of smoke because they were smoking. Right, right. And then you hear that, do, do, do, do, do, do, right, right. Right, right. Man, they funked us out of there so bad until Maurice said,

we're going back to the L.A. We're going to rehearse, you know. Really? Yeah, so we went from there. Wherever we were on the road, we checked into wherever we were, and we had a rehearsal. He said, we've got to find the one, you know. Really?

Really? Wow. Oh, yeah. And then we went back to Los Angeles and we rehearsed. and stuff. And that's when Reese changed and went and got Al McKay. Okay. Okay.

He said, you know, because Johnny was just there. Johnny Graham? Yep. Cousin of Larry Graham. I didn't know of his cousin. Yeah. I didn't know that. Wait, how do you not know that?

I know that Johnny Graham is Larry Graham's cousin. I never knew that. Really? Never. Johnny never. Let me look at a double-checked that. I've read many of, John.

I never talked. It's in Maris' this book. He never talked very much to anybody. Okay, so it is a lot of you. And I know to make it, to make life work, you kind of have to be friends or, who were the cliques in the group? Like, who did you, who's your running buddy versus, you know,

did the horns just hang with each other? Did Maurice and Verdine just think? Like, who? Well, you know, like, if you say, And I'm talking classic lineup Okay, clicks, you would say the Phoenix horns, definitely they hung together. Right.

Because they were crazy. Okay. They, boy, oh boy. Okay. They were nuts. Okay. And who were those guys? Who were the Phoenix horns?

Michael Harris, Don Marrick, and Lou Satterfield. And Steve is waking up because, of course, Phoenix horns. Phoenix horns are also. Phil Collins. Yes. We'll get to that.

Reese was a loner. Unless he was, he'd hang with me. He'd hanged with Verdeen. I think my hanging buddies were probably Ralph and Larry Dunn because I grew up with him and Andrew. Okay. You know, and then me and Ralph had to me room together too. You know, back from the day when you had to. Back on the day, two in a motel.

Two in the room, right. Okay. How, also, this is what I really want to know. What is standard for survival when you're in such a large-scale group? The reason why so many acts go solo course is to get the biggest piece of the pie, their own pie. But when you are one-ninth of a superpower and you're not touring tour. 24-7 or making your own

direct money. Like when touring stops then it's like I gotta go home and pay these bills and you still got responsibility. Right.

So if I'm, I know what it takes to survive like that in 2019 because I'm, oh shit, I'm in my own earth and fire with 11

band. 11! You remember when the roots that's at like four members? Yeah. Why, how do we get to 11? So I know what it takes

for you know 11 people to make a good living out of this but if it's 1973, 74, 75 what is good living what is a good living

weekly pay? Is it making $600 a week or well and you guys didn't have baller mentality so it wasn't like you had rap videos to look at

to be like I need that I need that yeah you figure that was a different time. You know, we weren't, we weren't balling. We weren't trying to buy, you know, $1,000 pairs of shoes and all that kind of stuff, you know.

And you figure that everybody that was there at that time, except for maybe Al McKay, were coming straight from their collective environments, me from Denver, Johnny Graham from Kentucky, Ralph from Los Angeles you know so what impressed us then didn't take a whole lot

you know it didn't take a whole lot and so it you know it it was years you know before you know we really had a any kind of understanding

of really how much money was being made what was okay but what was the dream I'll say like in 94 My version of the dream was You know If I could do this for a living

Have all my bills paid Mm-hmm Move out my parents' crib And move in a nicer, you know I was doing that nice humble thing And that that lasted me good Until All right

I started making real money like maybe like 2010 And then I was like Oh okay I'm gonna be corrupt like the rest of rich rich America because now I you know

I never thought I'd get to this level of oh let me burn this $100 bill with a cigar like that sort of thing You did what

no I'm just I always imagine a fat cat lighting up a cigar with a $100 bill but I'm just saying that in the 70s what was just the

the dream and was it easy to make a weekly living as a full-time singer because we know based on some of these unsung episodes and from what I heard, pimping was actually the DJ gig of the 70s.

Really? Harold Melvin. Oh, that's right. Yeah, yeah. James Brown. Like, I can name at least 10. I'm sorry, did you say pimping? Yeah.

Just like with rappers, taking your money and investing it in the Coke game. Oh, oh. Okay, I don't. Yeah. I mean, my version of that is the DJ gig. For the longest, the roots was like my, my, my, no money, like, whatever. Like, that's the prestige thing.

And that's, that's just a legacy. But, you know, I make a real living off of DJ gigs. Because one, I don't have to share it with 11 people. Right. So. True. So I'm just asking, what was just the life goals of, like, I'm satisfied and. Well, you have to remember that.

We were just coming out the peace and love error and we were very idealistic. So for us, we believe the whole spill. We really believed that we were family. Okay. You know, and we really believed that, you know, everything that Maurice was doing was taking care of all of us. and we really did believe that we were you know that oh it's just going because we know we were living our dream i see what you're saying we're living our dreams so it's like you know if anybody did raise up to say

what it would everybody would have to remind him of how blessed we really were you know right to be you know doing what we were doing so i i guess it's it's financially impossible to have a unit that size and not come out the gate making millions because even for us we did that old we did community thing

like for the least the first 15 years of the roots like me and Tarreek didn't start taking salaries until super late like 2008 but see there was a point when everything changed that's why I'm wondering how that worked with we started making more money

but I'm just saying that in the beginning when we get a check it goes to everyone's rent, everyone's gas, everyone's, that sort of thing. Well, that wasn't what was happening, though. I don't want, I don't want, I don't want you to do. So you're saying that during the all in all period? No, I don't want you to think that because that's not true. See what, see, the first group left because they knew that they would never be an equal part

or take an equal share in the band, Earth, Wind and Fire. They left. They left. Okay. Okay. They knew because they had, you know, they were older. They had more experience. They knew, okay, we came in.

We ain't on nothing. Okay. So we were, it was years before we knew that basically we were just employees. Okay. You know, and the lion's share of everything was Morris. Morris. So you guys didn't notice as you were going to his house to visit and things of that nature, like, this was huge, and I'm, we,

no, we didn't know that, but I have to say, though, we all had houses. We, you know, we weren't like. I wasn't trying to come from the angle of who took the money, but I just wanted to know. Yeah, it wasn't like, it wasn't like we, you know, we were in an apartment and he was, you know, and, you know, his, his mansions were bigger than our houses, but, you know, yeah, we all had houses. and that was something that we never thought that we would have. But growing up, I would think growing up like, all right, let's take a group like Mandrill. Even though I know there's blue-collar musicians and people that work for living.

But in my five-year-old head, I'm looking at Mandrill, and I'm like, yeah, they're on Soul Train. Yeah, those guys are millionaires. And that's the impression that everyone has about whoever they see on TV or hear on the radio. So what I'm just saying is like in 1975, could a trombone player just make 50 to 75,000 a year and be cool for that period? Back in those days, a trombone player, if he made $15,000 a year. 15,000? Right. A year.

Wow. Whoa. Whoa. Back then, if he made $15,000 a year, he made $15,000 a year, he made $15,000. He could be cool. You got to look it up. So that's a hand-to-mouth thing. Like still, even with all-and-all and stuff on the radio,

like, it was still like you guys were blue-collar musicians having to go to work every day. I didn't know that. I didn't know that musicians made the kind of money that they made until I was talking to the mouse one time. To the who? Billing games. Oh, that's not a physical thing, is it?

No, no, that's his nickname. You know, Quincy calls, everybody called him Mouse. He put you on the game? Wow. Look, I was at an A&M, and he was at A&M, and we were talking. See, we used to go to the same church and stuff, getting me and Mouse. And so, like, Mouse told me that he was making $10,000 a week

with Michael back then way back then way back then and I said that's good what $10,000 a week

he said yeah what you make oh Lord hang on before you answer this question I thought it was going to be a sound of the freck fee

show all right hit me Go ahead. What? I said, what? I had no idea that, because, look, man, we're playing five nights sell-out at the forum by ourselves.

Right. We're playing, you know, Wembley five nights, you know, by ourselves. Come on, come on, do the math. I am. You know, it's like we got plaques for the, for the massive squares. We're garden, you know. Yeah. Now, now my eyes are open.

You know, by ourselves, we got three, four, double, triple platinum albums. You know, I'm like, what? So how do you have that conversation with the man who's kind of like your brother now? How do you, how do you? How do you and Maurice talk about that? Or do you talk about that? You don't. Okay.

You know. I understand. Well, how do you rectify? Sometimes you do, sometimes you do. You know. Hopefully now is the, you know, the glory period or whatever. It was one of those kinds of situations where, you know, like, because, like, you were, like, you read the book, it was one of those kind of situations where, you know, like, oh, and you were going to ask me why I didn't like. Raise.

Rays. Okay. Okay. Didn't get a raise? No, because it was in that period where, you know, everybody was coming of age. And their eyes were being open. And their eyes were being open. And, you know, the chemistry was terrible.

And he was using other musicians to do the, to pretty much do the record, you know, except for, you know, me and him, we were doing it. we were like session musicians to come in and do it. So it's like power light and all that. Oh my God. That was like I could not listen to that record. I remember first time I met you. I knew the first time I met you.

And that's the first record you said you liked. And I looked at you and you said, you mean you don't like that record? Dude. Side by side. I was about to say. That's a damn one. I love that record.

I mean, I probably could live. I can listen to it now, you know, but I think it was just a matter of, you know, you can't listen to it without, you know, taking you back into, you know, all the craziness of what's going on. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever.

ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me

or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl.

You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. always saying that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me?

The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone?

I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on

talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar. of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be... Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck.

Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects, from hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the second. of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth.

You doctored this particular test twice in so-ins, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern.

Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Maricopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges.

This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, before I get deeper in a financial hole, there's still more I got to ask. Can you talk about Caraboo Ranch and why you guys chose Caraboo Ranch

to record your records? Because there were ghosts in the place. For real, I saw it. Really? Man, and I'm no joke. There were ghosts, and they told us there were ghosts there.

And, you know, I didn't believe it until I saw one. Did you bring it up because it was in Colorado? Like, how did you guys? Yeah, you know, the Colorado has a great connection. But it was a place where there were like about five or six different cabins. All the cabins had, you know, three bedrooms in them with kitchens. It was really a fabulous place.

Horses, everything, you know. It was like a, you know, it was large enough for it to be a little city, you know. And groups would go up there and we were the only. the only African-American band that, you know, ever worked up there. You know, we did two records up there. Open our eyes and that's the way of the world? Mm-hmm. Okay.

Okay. Could you talk about the movie? That's the way of the world with the Harvey Cottel? Oh, yeah. It wasn't that terrible? I thought it was enjoyable. Man. You guys had dissed it so much.

Really? That when I finally got the DVD and watched it. It wasn't that bad. It wasn't that bad. Man, we went to the opening. You guys have high standards. We was all excited. We went to the opening and stuff because we thought,

oh, man, we're on the move. We're going to the opening. We got there, man. Nobody was there, first of all. And then we saw it. And we was like, oh, Lord. So how did you guys manage to? But it was a catalyst for some great writing.

Well, I know. But the thing was, is that because the font, the print was so small on the back of the album, That was Reese. That was Maurice. He said, look, this is what we're going to do. He called Bob and Joe, and he said, I want that writing on there to be so little. Really?

From the movie. From the movie, that's the way in the world. I want them to have to look for it to see that. I thought you guys were just being clever. Like, you made up a fictional. He was like, he did that once he saw it because he's like, man, that's what he said. That's bullshit. So the album was released way in advance before the movie came out?

I'm not, I don't, yeah, I think it was released before. Okay. So he was already a hit. Yeah, so what was the feeling of finally, I mean, being as though that was the breakthrough album, what was the feeling? Well, I mean, you slowly heard evil and Mighty Mighty and all that stuff on the radio whatnot, but was it, was it, what was the main difference between Shining Star Success, as opposed to hearing mighty, mighty and...

Well, by the time we got the Charlie Star, because we had like about five number one records on that record. But we were... Then we were doing, you know, big gigs. Okay. You know, we're doing big gigs. And we had started to add, you know, the production and all that kind of stuff

to our presentation and stuff. Okay, the inner sleeve of gratitude where it's this bird's eye view, it's a bird's eye view shot of, you can see the band on stage, but it looks like you're performing for at least 100,000 people. Was that a music festival or was that a typical earthwind and fire show? I'm assuming there's a lot of white faces there. Like how? I was thinking that. I was, I could be wrong. I was thinking that was Oakland. Okay. But, um, I could be wrong. Yeah, it was just, that was a very unfair.

I know we did several. We did, we recorded Oakland. We recorded, um, Atlanta. And I think we might have recorded Los Angeles. So you guys went from relative underground favorite to, near like it looked like a festival like it was outdoors it had to been somewhere between 75 to 100 000 people all packed in this photo right what happened like is is that the magic of clive davis

and the radio system we're doing you know it was a different time different day when everything everything collides together. You know, everything, the record company was probably, you know, at the top of their game, advertisement, and publishing radio. When everything goes right, everything, the music, the product, and people were, you know, that's when music was very, very valuable to people.

You know, they didn't have all these other entertainment situations that vying for their attention and stuff. So, you know, a record came out, man, people were around the corner, around the block to get your record when it came out. And David Foster was one of them out there. Right. Well, I want to ask about Spirit versus Songs of the Kid Life battle. Well, I'm going to get to that. Just one thing about gratitude.

How set my mind at ease, how much live, how much background overdubbing was done? on gratitude because I refuse to believe that you guys were that perfect in your harmony game in concert without breaking the sweat like well we didn't we we didn't mess with the with the leads but me and Maurice he had a you know claws and all of the stuff that we we did something on television because we we did all the vocals on the all the records it was just me and him so we just you know molten doubled into all the harmonies all the different stuff one question about your harmonies man well just your vocals would y'all sing them together at the same time we were

singing together that's amazing yeah we was hard to sing it was it was very very easy you know we you know and we would sing all the ups up stuff all you know all the vocals we would do so like it was hard for us to duplicate on the on the road um so if we did something we did a recording of something me and him would go and fix the backgrounds. Okay. Yeah. Wait a minute. We'd have mentioned Jessica Cleaves.

Oh, man. Was she in the, how did she join the? She did the last days and times. Okay. Right. And then when did she leave her friends of the distinction? I'd rather have you. No, Friends of Distinction was before.

Yeah, that was before. She was in Friends of Distinction. Yeah, she was in Friends of Distinction. That's how we discovered her. I mean, you found. to her. Yeah, it was Lennox Smith. Did she go to the Funkadelic Empire after? She went

to Funkadelic after. After she left Earth went to Fire. Oh, okay. Well, all right, speaking of it, it was one thing I forgot. Did you guys have any response to let's take it to the stage, or you just took it as playful ribbing?

You said what? Did you guys have any any response or or feelings about the song let's take it to the stage or did you consider that just playful ribbing of fungadelic calling out all the soul bands of the

70s? I don't I'm not familiar that's crazy What does he call them again? Her earth, hot air, no fire. Like he, you know, slip in the family break. Snufus. Tell me something good. He's basically saying, let's take it

to the stage, let's battle. And names like you know, six or seven acts, but, I mean, you know, where was that? 76? 74.

74. On the let's take it to the stage album. Oh, okay. Never too late for a battle, though. George is about to retire. Yeah, it is. So it's too late for that. It's too late.

It's too late. Yeah, but I always wanted to know if, if you guys, like, ever, you know, you know, took serious offense to that or, you know, was it just, but you didn't know until right now this. No one ever mentioned that to you? No. Wow.

Johnny Graham, let's take it to the stage. It's just weird that nobody's ever mentioned that because I remember the first time I heard let's take it the stage. I was like, whoa. Calling them out. Yeah. I was like, what did they think? Yeah.

I was like, what did everybody think about this? Well, yeah, I always wanted to know if there were bad. Well, how did you guys feel about other bands in the day? Like, I was getting ready to say. Could you name a band, name a band that you felt some sort of way about like, man, we got a-biting, we got to, forget biting. We just didn't, we just didn't beef like that back, you know, like. Like nobody guys, kept you guys on your toes? Everybody, you know, everyone wanted to be original.

You know, we were kind of been out of shape when Ohio players bit on our, music a lot. You know. Really? Yeah, you know, like, just like almost verbatim, you know, like, but, but up to that point, there were like very few bands that wanted to sound like the other band. You know, you, we would do it ribbon each other, you know,

or something, you know. I would say barquees more than Earthman fire. But you literally, every barque but they admit it that they would buy the 45 of whatever band it was and then switch, which is why shine sounds like on your face or whatever. So the battle of spirit versus songs in the Key of Life

of course, I think one of the first event moments in black music I remember because I was five at the time. But a lot of my dad's bandmates were speaking of this. Of course, both, I think, spirit and songs in the cave of life

were released within a week of each other. Wow. Right. Yeah. Right. Of each other. Wow. And I think you guys came out the day before.

I'm not certain. But were you at all, did you have any investment whatsoever, like expectation investment to debut at number one? The end result, of course, the songs in the Key of Life debuted at number one. You guys debuted at number two. But, I mean, was there a feeling of competition at the time? Like, the most important artists in the history of black music is releasing their definitive statement? No.

There's this another day to you? You got to remember that. It's a different time. You know, a lot of the things that you're talking about right now have kind of been ingrained in culture, as culture has moved along. You know, but for us, I mean, Stevie has always been beloved, you know, as an artist, and I'm sure that he feels the exact same way about us, you know.

And so, you know, we were inspired by one another, you know, Because, like, when he said, when he heard Shining Star, then he went home and wrote, Sir Duke. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wish the thing. Oh, I wish. He went home and wrote.

I wish. You know, but, yeah, it was just one of those kinds of situations where, you know, it was like we had admiration society. You know, we were happy for him. and I'm sure he was happy for us. Okay. Is there a particularly reason why, this is a nerd question, a serious nerd question,

why you guys dropped the original intro off of a getaway? Do you remember the 15 second? No, there's a, it's, when I heard that, I was like, yo. Hey, we play that now. You still do it now? We do it now in our show.

They took it off for radio. Wow. And I always wanted to know why you guys never kept that on the album. I'll actually say that imagination. Listen, man. Let me tell you something, man. What was you on that day? Because I feel like that.

Look. Even more now. Because there's the Angels mix. It's like the mix. There's like an acapella mix of it that it was on the reissue. The reissue, yeah. Oh, my God. Man, y'all vocals.

That's what I was asking. What do you feel? Yeah. What do you feel your? best performances. I think that probably was one of my best, you know. Even more than I write a song for you? Probably. Just thinking about it, you know, like, because you know how, you know, you're in studio all the time. And so you think you remember how you felt in different situations and stuff. And, uh, I remember, you know, I, I do remember the imagination vamp. How do you chart out your ad lips?

Because they're so, well, no, I mean, they're just so nuanced and so, I mean, they're, they're, their, their own universe that even in listening to it, like, I feel as though you really master, that's why I said skilled, you mastered the, the perfect pacing of an atlip. Because, I mean, people would think like, oh, yeah, just do, you know, and I'm guilty of that a lot where I'd tell singers like, okay, just ad lib at the end. and see what happens and no magic ever happens. But you like, you know, raise it and then lower it, lays it, lower it, and go. How do you, do you take the song home? Well, you have to understand. I'm a musician, too, you know. So, and, you know, loving the musician part of, you know, musician part of me, you know,

it's just like it's a solo, you know, so like when you're taking a solo, there's a beginning, a middle, and then in. You know, so I'm, you know, I'm not thinking that way, but, you know, just the artistic arc is, you know, the energy, I say, you know, is, you know, you ain't going to start, you know, just nowhere to go. You know, nowhere to go, you know. That's the thing.

A lesser, a lesser singer normally, like today, cats go zero to 60 instantly giving themselves like no room to to build up to that point and yet you know I mean you're given 16 bars to figure out how to get a to Z

and a very skillful like navigation so how long does is the recording of like do you do your main vocals first so you don't lose your voice and then do you come back to do the atlips? Because that's some hard singing you're doing or on imagination. On some songs, we would,

I would sing it and then go home and listen to it and know that, okay, I was going to have to, you know, do the vamp. I remember, because doing, I mean, the vamps are, the art is, there's an art to do it. doing the vamps. I remember, you know, some of the emotions we have conversations they call, and I got to do my vamp tomorrow on this or that, you know, and we might, you know, tell me, you know, listen to it, you know, give them some pointers.

You know, I'm sorry, Mr. Bailey, a vamp is. Oh, the avidap part. The outlet part. The end of the end of the end of a ride, you know, like, because, you know. He's the king of at the end of a song. No, I got the ad lit. Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson is the king of ad livin at the end of a song. I mean, you know, more than you. You know, the rhythm, the rhythm. I'd like to throw Felipe winning this. You know, yes, yes.

The rhythm and how he builds, you know, those songs. But the thing is that Mike will tend to get locked into a thing. Like, the other things I do for you could also be the end of working day and night. Like, he has his default go-to thing where people, and that's the thing. You don't have a default. That's what I'm saying, skilled because you are one of the few at-libbers that, you are one of the few ad livers that... Now, with Felipe when, first, the only reason why I feel is though he's so masterful is because half the time, that's the only part of the song he's allowed to sing.

Because we, I'm just slowly discovering, especially now having all the Soul Train episodes, that Felipe ain't singing the lyrics. They just like, all right, Felipe, go and clean up. And, you know, if you're giving like 30 seconds a sign, you're going to say any and everything. But you never have a... a route where it's like you repeat yourself or have a line. Actually, wait, can you explain to me what is the genesis of the body eye? Thank you.

I was waiting for you to ask that. No, I'm not talking about Bayo, the song, because I also want to know how that song did not make it. And yet you guys found that little 30-second gym that, of course, now everyone's favorite interlude of all time. But I'm just saying in general, the Earthwin and Fire atlib is always a body out. Bop, bop, bop, bop, bop. Why that specific? Memories love Brazil 66.

Oh. We love, we love, we love some Brazil 66. And we love Brazilian music. And we study, we know, we studied that stuff, you know, a lot. And, you know, a research, like, you know, if it's grooving, you know, he wouldn't, Wouldn't mess with it. You know, and it sings, you know, it, you know, it sings, you know, like, you know, like a phrase on a horn or whatever, you know.

Wow. So the actual song, Beheo, or, how do you, Beio, Beio, Beio. Yeah, play it for the people. Yeah, I got to find it. I was Milton Nassimento, you know, because we were, we were, he actually played but that's when we were in Brazil. You know, we played the stadium and stuff. We were big fans of his and stuff.

But the song, and we did a song. That song was with him? We did a song, but we didn't use a song. Yeah, why did that song not make it? It goes all over the place, so I could probably see why it made the cutting room floor. But more importantly is whose idea was it defined the right elements that led to the interlude of what,

We now know it as the Oh, Reese. Wow. Phil, how did y'all decide which songs would go to other artists and which was staying in the band? One song that didn't go to another to the artist who they had cut it for

was, what was they? Chambers Brothers or something. What was, was Boogie Wonderland. It was like, Al had produced it on another group and Maurice heard it. you like come here

you know and you know that's how that's how we ended up doing uh bulky wonder Charles also dies during the did he die before the spirit

we were in it yeah meant wait so what did that do to the band's chemistry and what pressure was that on you guys to now take over the car

now that you had no more a driver. I mean, it was immense, really, because Maurice was so much in his zone with Charles. Because, see, he could think, he could think as far as he wanted to think, as fast he wanted to think,

and Charles musically was able to galvanize things, and then Reese could make it help. And Al McKay could make a group. So it was a team, you know, and Larry Dunn could make it sweet, you know, and me and Reese could do the vocal. So it was a great team. You know, when Charles left, there was a serious void because the only other person that we found that Maurice really respected like that, that we had success with was David Foster. So is essentially David Foster

Charles's replacement? No, not. Maurice need a father figure or just an equal? He didn't need He, the issue was, you know, Reese really didn't respect a lot of different, a lot of people. Okay.

You know, definitely didn't need no father figure, you know, but he needed. So Charles wasn't a father figure? Well, but he was the only one. He was the only, you can say, Runi, get that shit out of here. You know, that's how you talk, you know. Right.

He's the only one that Reese, how Reese talked to us, that's how Charles talked to Reese. Rewing, ruin, get this shit out of here. You know, no. But because he really respected Charles in that kind of way. So nobody ever replaced him.

You know, no one ever replaced him. But David did have that same musical ability not the same, but he had a credible music ability that Maurice respected so we were able to do things. Besides wild was it

for new birth? Wildflower. Besides Wildflower, what did David have that at least got his rep out there with people like, yo, I'm going to mess with him or? Well, he, you know, he has a really good sense of songs

and you know like and he was accomplished as a as a as a as a

pianist so him and Maurice were able to you know to craft you know like in the stone and all that kind of stuff and Maurice was able

to make it commercial okay okay but David didn't come for all and all did he what is a serpentine fire serpentine fire

17thine fire is the male sex drive. So Viagra. No, that's something you take for the drive. There's a 7-7Cialess out of you. Was how... His passion, you know, lust. Okay. On the male side.

I... It's serpentine. Not Viagra, man. what you're supposed to have naturally. Oh, word. Okay. Thank you. Why you.

Anyway. So then all those lyrics will make sense to you now and you're going to read the lyric now. Well, no, just seeing the commercial again with the whole, you know, pyramids and stuff, I just thought you guys are just on. Because I had to ask where you said anything. What the hell? Sturm, teeth fire. Okay, I'm going to sing this, but.

A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the Fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions. my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices

that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist.

I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends.

Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Ego Wode. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo.

My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved.

And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall, and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that.

There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast

to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand

the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, Follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Sond's, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their. tax dollars were being used for.

Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Gregalespian and Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police.

As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't. over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So in 77, with the dawning of disco, and you guys absolutely at your, you're the highest heights of your creativity, Serpentine Fire was such a risky song to put out.

It's half speed, so it's like 72 BPMs. I mean, it's a hard funk song. But are you guys even aware of four on the floor culture? We hated it. Oh, wow. So you made a, because this, we hated it. I'm just saying to this day, I can't even play. Yeah, what do you make 17 fire in with?

You don't, like, well, you can miss it with trap rap. But it wasn't going to where. We hated. but it wasn't going to place so reese we had to you know there was nothing we could do you know you know Donna summers had all those hits and um um marauder what is name roder georgia marauda yeah jo and um so our answer to uh disco was uh boogie wonderland but that's 79 but i'm saying in 77 was walter yetnikov like was walter yetnikov saying like where's my disco record Yeah, like I got a...

No one ever, no one ever, executives didn't ever get in Maurice's artistic thing. You know, they never, you know, that to my knowledge, no one ever came and said, you know, okay, yeah, you know, you should do this, that, or the other, you know. I don't know who talked to him in,

that's probably Bob and Cavaldaugh and Ruffalo talked to him into the power light, though. I didn't even Come on, man. Lee Power light alone He wasn't talking to me. Do you remember recording

running? Do you remember what that was like? Yes. Yep, yep. What was the vibe like in that? Was this supposed to be lyrics? No. Okay.

That would have messed that song totally out. Man, that shit is too much. I would assume that body-eye songs are songs that will later be added lyrics. Well, hence, what's her name telling us? Ali Willis telling us about buggy. Well, no, no, when she wrote September. September, yes, right. She said that body-eye was just a placement, and then they were going to think of something later,

and it never got to it, so they just left it. Right. So I just, okay. So, yeah, running is one of my favorite. I love that song, man. Y'all sounded. I love that record. How did you guys get a relationship with Doug Henning?

Because I'm totally forgetting that you guys damn near invented black theater. And Doug Henning is... Doug Henning, the magician. He would have been the David Blaine of his day. Right. So a big part of black music culture is taking the Chitlin circuit or Motown.

I guess the Motown review was the height of black excellence in concert. and what many will credit Earthwood and Fire to do that will later inspire Parliament Funkadelic and then further inspire the Jackson is introducing theater and concert. So the idea of Verdeen levitating during his bass solo or explosions and...

Or the drums, we did the drums, where the spinning drums? Yeah, in Philly once, my aunt cried, you're, I guess, during that all the... Oh, yeah. You remember this night? Yeah, where we go into that pyramid thing and then, you know, it disappears.

Right. And then the, the, the, the, the, the, and joids or whatever come up to the stage. Right. That put us in there. Right. And they take their hats off and it's us. But I think during the intro of the All and All Tour,

you guys came down these tubes. Yeah. And your tube... It's on the same... Your tube wouldn't live off or something. Oh, right. It's on the same... That's on the same concert.

The tubes and the pyramid disappearing. Right. I guess in the Philly show, your tube didn't go up. So, like, guys had to run and manually lift you out or whatever, like, the smoke and, you know, added exaggeration. I guess he thought you were going to die or something. I don't know. But who, like, how do you guys rehearse that stuff or who conceptualizes? Is that all duck hitting or?

Now, you know, Bernie wouldn't know exactly because he's totally the historian. I don't remember if Doug did that particular show because we were working with several people at that time. All right, but I mean... We was working on Doug Henning, David Copperfield. Oh, man.

Really? Right. Right. So did you feel a certain way, did you guys feel a certain way when other acts? The Jackson's. We're starting to levitate as well and explode and. Hmm, let me just think.

Yeah, I'm. Would you go see shows? No, yeah, for sure. So if you're watching the Jackson's, like. Oh, yeah, because I went to Kansas. I flew to Kansas City to watch the Jackson's and all that stuff. Yeah, man, but, and it was, that was one of the best shows I've ever seen

you know just timing the production and performances and all this stuff was like crazy but did you guys feel like that this is your thing and suddenly everyone else has taken a cue like well it really wasn't our thing though to be quite honest about we were

maybe we were the first African American band to start doing it but you got to remember that the rock groups were doing... Oh, I forgot. They were doing stuff. Yeah, they were.

All right, now I Am. What are your feelings on I Am? If anything, I think you have a feeling about I Am more than Rees. No, I Am was still, everybody was still in pocket. The team was still together pretty much. I Am is probably the last great Earth, Win the Fire record. Wow. In your opinion.

In my opinion. In my opinion. So in your mind, your classic canon, it ends with IM. Yeah, because it's all and all before that. Well, all in all, I am and then faces. Oh, no, but faces, no, faces, I was saying. I found a couple jam on faces.

It's some joys old faces. You know, I thought, I was just, I was really disappointed that faces didn't do better, because I did think it was sound. What happened? Because all the elements were there. Like, love goes on. No pun intended. Yeah.

What did I say? You said all of the elements are there. Oh, yeah. Sorry. No pun intended. But yeah, all the elements were there. Do you think it would it fare better if you guys just made it a single album or? Yeah, probably for that, you know, when you're thinking about it now.

It's still won gold, so it wasn't a failure. And it was a double record. it might have been better if they had done it who knows but I thought I thought the record was sound I wasn't better it had moments

it had moments to it my first actual Earth 1 and Fire record that I own I got for Christmas my uncle brought me Touched the World Believe it or not I stood up

Sister my survival Oh man That was my first official He's a young buck To Earth Wonder Fire too They're just babies. Oh, but when y'all had the boys come out for Heritage. Come on.

Y'all are young. Y'all were official with me at that point. Man, I'm glad you said that. We got dogs. We got dogs. Really? Oh, my God. Yeah.

It worked for me. It worked on me. It worked on me. You had me. I was like, because Heritage was 90. 91, 92, maybe? Might have been an age. I was 12.

I definitely feel as though that album is responsible for why they are the sons of, what do they know? The sons of Kimet. The sons of light. You know where they are now. They're, they're. They're earthwind and fire. They moved to Africa. Yeah, they moved to the continent.

They moved to Africa. They're the sons of light. They have locks, long locks. They are. Where did their chiqued? You guys had effect on them with the heritage album because. And somebody plays the flute. One of them.

Yeah, yeah, whatever. Talk about the illumination album, the one with, because y'all worked with Brian McKnight on the record. Raphael Sadiq, yeah, what was that record like? And someone else. Were you on that record? No. Just the Japan edition, I think it was.

Oh, oh, dang. The Japan edition. Back before record labels realized there was only one internet. Oh, right. Oh, dude. This will be out by midnight, It's out everywhere.

But talk about that record. That was, for a lot of people considered a quote-unquote comeback record. But what was it like, what was the chemistry like with you and Maurice working at the time? It was,

our chemistry was okay, but that was, it was a very tough time for us. Yeah, because he, you know, his Parkinson's disease had really set in and had taken the,

his ability to perform and sing, you know, so he wasn't singing nearly. is strong or, you know, in the way that he would want to, you know, that he had in the past. So, you know, a lot of, you know, I did a lot of singing on that record, and then we started, you know, using other people to in the, in the backgrounds and stuff. So it was, you know, it had mixed emotions about it, you know. But it was fun working with everybody that was on, you know,

worked with on a project, especially, um, floateries, flowchries on that practice, too. Right, right. And music,

soul chow and, it was great. It was fun. That was fun. Okay, so now let's reach you back just a little bit. We,

we definitely have to get to your solo career. Man, yes. Because there's a generation of people. Black and white. Black and white. Yeah, well, no, you're also an MTV award winner.

I forgot. Is it. He's a level. one, man, walking on Chinese, wow, that was the best of both fields. It was, the best of both fields. Both fields. But you work with George Duke on continuation, right? Mm-hmm.

I know. Oh, that was a chance. That's my joint. My own album is Viya, though. What did you say? Baya. That's my cut. Yes.

So, stepping away from the band, did you think at the time, after Electric Universe, that, okay, well, I'm leaving the band or is this like what took you so long to do a solo record? I didn't actually take me a long time because I was always doing other stuff especially after the

you know the extensive touring and all that kind of stuff just to have a different outlet to really you know just have my own autonomy. You were on a Polino-DeCosta album. Yeah, yeah.

And then, you know, I did three gospel albums. I was going to ask, because you got a lot of play. Yeah, I want to grab me for one of them for triumph. Yeah. On Philly Christian Radio, you were a mainstay. But why weren't the Christian albums on CBS as well? It was on a subsidiary. Oh, no, it was on their own word.

Yeah. And one was Murr records, right? Yeah. Yeah, they were same. Yeah, you know, that was a different time. So Columbia didn't feel a certain way? Yeah, they gave me the right to go and do that on a Christian label. Because they didn't have a...

Right, Christian distribution and all that. Okay, I see. So in promoting those records, how was the circuit different? Well, I toured with Amy Grant. What was that like? Wow. You know, that was fun. That was fun, too.

I got all my equipment. So, stole the second date of the, of the, of the, of the Christian circuit? Yep. In Florida. How? They backed, they backed the truck up against the, the, uh, the actual hotel and stuff and took the ignition out, you know, because they, because they knew that they said, you know, in Florida, they were notorious for stealing, you know, those.

you know, those trucks and stuff. Man, they towed that truck away. Wow. They told the whole truck away, and I had to, I was in debt for three, four years. Wait, what? Yeah, because I had to pay it for everybody's equipment. That was my first,

no touring insurance? No touring insurance. No touring insurance. Insurance and none of it? I think Michael W. Smith did it. You were so funny. Oh, my goodness. I'm sorry.

Okay, Michael W. You got to tell, like, give you. That was her first husband. Oh. I'm sorry. I had to go there. Maybe Grant's first husband. Oh, okay, okay, okay.

Oh, yeah, because she's married. Okay, yeah, because she's married to Vince Gil. Yeah, thank you. Whoa, what? Vince Gill, yeah. They've been married for like over decades. What? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I never knew that. Yo, as soon as they did that song, House of Love, you remember that? Yeah. I was like, there's something going on between them, too. That song was too good for just, you know, just to be a random duet. Oh, Amy Grant, man. It was a period where only Christian radio was on in my household.

Like, my parents had just only did Christian radio. Same here. So, same here. And let me back, that introduced me to Philip Bailey's voice by way of Andre Crouch. Oh, okay. I've got the best. Oh, come on, brother. I used to play that song to death when I was a kid.

That's right. I forgot that. And Maurice did something with the Hawkins family. Yeah, we both did. on their anniversary record. Oh, okay. Okay. Steve?

Okay. Well, I'm sure everybody here knows the same amount as I do. I know, but I feel horrible, like, taking all the Phil Collins. No. So you and Phil Collins both have the same first name. Was that what's going on there? Is that a coincidence or the marketing scheme? That's the both feels, son.

Okay, why did you want? Why was he your chosen producer for Chinese Wall? Why did you name it Chinese Wall? Oh, okay, two questions. Because actually, the Phoenix were playing with him on his record and tour. And when they played in Los Angeles, I went to the show. And I wasn't really that familiar with Phil's music. But I was very impressed with the son.

songs and stuff and I was getting ready to do my second record and so I said man it's a crazy idea but let's see if Phil has any songs that I could do on my second record and the record company and my manager says well why don't we talk to me about producing your you know your second record oh man I know that was his dream yeah because so we yeah that always imagined myself as the fun time that's the 15th member of earthworm-in-fire I was a fun time, fun time. From the video, it looked like it was a fun. It was very natural.

It was very natural. I mean, and nothing, none of that was staged. I know. They just picked me up. Oh, what? The video we're talking about, right? They picked me up from in the helicopter and to the studio site. And cameras were running?

Cameras running, everything. And, you know, everything, they just filmed everything. And we got finished. We sang the song a couple times. They said, okay, yeah, that's it. I said, well, we're going to do the video? You just, y'all just did it. You ever see the video line?

Are you out of your, don't, you ever, are you? Like, I know, I know, I'm not to, y'all, but come on, it's easy. Usually I, I know the dance moves. Like, I know. And then when they, do you just believe it? Right. Back in the day when HBO used to show music videos in between movies. Yeah.

They did? Yeah, we won an MTV Award for that, too. Yes, you were MTV Award winner as well. No, I was saying that Phil Collins is notorious for making all of his video. videos about making videos. He's done it four times. I can't dance. Like video directors explain to him in the video what you should do.

Baby, don't you lose my numbers. Same thing where a video director is trying to explain to him. Well, let's do it like this. Let's do it like that. And easy lovers basically a very like candid, just him and Phil. and Phil. Wow. You're right.

They both are the same names. Why did you sit in me right now? It's like one of the best videos of our times. No, easy lover. Like, Matt, man, I remember that song would come on and like, when I realized it was both fields, I lost my motherfuckabom. Yes. And it's a video. Yeah.

They're friends. Right. They're friends. Can we give it up? Because that's one of the greatest song intros ever, too. Yeah, I was going to say the intro. Listen. Yeah.

Wait, did we do it? We tried that once. Yeah, he sat in on the show. No, no, I'm talking about we... Would you sample it or something? I think during game theory, we tried to figure out a way to incorporate that intro. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Best intro ever.

Are you... Are your songs allowed to ever be messed in Earth, Wind, and Fire shows are not, like... I'm sure you have a contingency of people asking for Easy Lover during Earth One? You know, we did it for a little while, I mean, like a few shows or something like that. Back when Morris Pleasure was in the band, because Morris is a keyboardist and a bass player. Okay. So, and on that, he would play the bass. But, yeah, there's so many songs to do until we haven't done it.

So I have one more question about Easy Lover. No, no, but were there other Phil Collins songs on Chinese Wall that you can contribute to that? No, that was the only one that we, I mean, we wrote that at the end of the project because we was listening back to everything. That's always the case. That's always the narrative. The big hit always comes to you know, because you know what needs to happen. And so Nathan started that base thing, we just kind of figured it out. Nathan is.

Nathan is. Who are the other musicians on that album? Lissette. Well, let me just look. It's right here in front of me. A special shout out to Children of the Ghetto. I love that record, too. That song.

Oh, well, you have all the monsters on here. Well, you have a lot of, okay. Of course, you have the Phoenix horns. Wait, Aref Martin, did your strings? Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast,

it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either.

We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care.

So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo.

Woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day. And I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through,

and I know it's a place that come, look for up-and-coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. Mm.

and he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that.

There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East-West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar.

This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in someone, correct?

I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Alespian and Michael Marantini. My mind was blown.

I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Ameriopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So now that you're leader by default.

Right. How many shows do, and you do a lot of shows with Chicago? Yes. Well, we've done tours. We've done a lot of. tours with them over the last 15 years or so. Is Peter Satera still singing with him? No.

He's not okay. The guy who's singing with him now is kind of like a ringer, though. Oh, word. I saw the show in 2015. It was a great show. So you ain't Miss Peter. I'm wearing the shirt I bought at the show. Wait, I do have a question.

I saw something that was kind of crazy. I saw Earth, Wind, and Fire, on Ice. Wow. Oh, right. the production thing. How did that come to be? Like, I don't remember how that actually, I don't remember how it came to be.

Yeah, it was just crazy. I was turning the channel one day, and at one point when I think September was playing, I was like, wow, it's a weird backing track. And then I realized that Earth, Wind, Fire, was actually a part of Earth, Wind and Fire were nice. Question about September. History is showing that that's probably the most loved Earthwood and Fire song.

But at the time, I wouldn't have called, oh, September is going to be the... Well, we must be brothers of the same lodge then. Because when they got finished with it and they played it for me, I was like, crickets. Crickets. Wow. And I said, okay, it's all right. I said, sounds so simple to me. I think that's the way, you know, because it was just that, you know,

because we're so used to having all kinds of stuff going on. Well, you all had the formula by then. But I was totally wrong. Yeah, people have chosen. Here's kind of a controversial question. Is there a fan favorite that you just don't like flat out? Not really. Besides reasons at weddings.

Yeah, not really. Okay. Were there any other records in Y'all had a lot that you thought would be bigger that you really like, but maybe they didn't? do as well as you thought. Really? You know a song I really like? And love goes on.

Yes, that was off Faces. Faces. I love that song. Now, I thought that that was, you know, I thought the energy on that was really powerful. That to me is classic Earthwind, Fire. Actually, I have some questions from a friend of mine who's probably the biggest Earth Went and Fire on the planet.

But here's one. I'll give you the easiest question first. How did Brenda Russell come into the picture to write song in my heart for The Faces album? I've got a song in my heart. Well, you know, Brenda's iconic as a lyric writer. And I was so excited about, I worked with her quite a few times. I had a little crush on it, really.

But no, she's very, very talented. And Maurice actually called her, that's how we begin to work together and stuff. And now for the more difficult questions. Astrology played a big part in the presentation in the name of the band. Were the other members of the band as observant of the philosophy as Maurice was?

No, not at all. Not at all. This must be deep, so let's roll with it. Would he ever call, you know, let's talk about, you know, this and that, or like where there are meetings where he would, you know, kind of explain things that he was thinking or, you know, this is what the album cover means? Because there's a lot of symbolism going on on there.

So. No. No. He never did explain. No. No, you just saw it after. it was conceived. At any time,

did the band was like, you know, what's all this crap? Or did it, you guys were just used to it? Yeah, we were pretty much used to it. Because you got to, you guys, you have to understand that, Reese had, he had the experience and he had the tenure. You know, he'd been on the road, he'd been touring, he had been successful as a writer,

a producer, recording with chess and perform with with Ramsey. We were just coming from Mama, you know what I'm saying? You know, in college, you know. So, you know, every day was a good day for us. You know, it's like, okay, which way we go now? You know. Here's another easy one.

Besides Milton Nascimento, am I saying that right? Okay. Were there any other Afro-Latin musicians that inspired you guys? Like, what were you guys all listening to? Felaire. Cute? Fela Coutte. Yeah.

Yes. Were you guys aware of him in real time or like just recent? No, we were aware of him back in the 70s. Did you guys go to Africa during the heyday of Earth, Wind and Fire? No. Just to visit. Never, right. Never to play.

Wow. Wow. I'd imagine an Earth one and five show in Egypt. Dude. Dude. That's crazy. I'd sore you guys like went there. So all those like interludes and stuff there's just like visiting,

Marie's visiting or that sort of thing. No, no. We went to Egypt. You know, all the stuff The pyramid stuff that you're talking Speaking of. No, we were there. We went there just to visit.

Wow. You know, yeah, we went to visit. Is that the only country you guys visited in the continent? Yeah, in the country over Africa. Okay. Okay. So today, you're working on solo material right now. You have a project coming up?

Yeah, yeah, it's called Love for Finding Away. Okay. And it's a collective. the project of something like great friends Chickoria and Christian McBride

Christian I'm with the high school Christian Yeah Yeah yeah Um Kamazi Washington Oh whoa You know

Christian Scott Um More jazz leanings or Well you know It's a It's a record that We took a couple Blows on the record

Wow Okay. We took a couple of songs that kind of reflected the times that we were, that we were struggling in the 60s and stuff because we did some Curtis Mayfield joints. But Robert Glasper flipped him. So Robert's, you know, on the project. And it's a hot project. It really is.

It's going to come out with on Verve. while we're trying to get a release date. We were just with them today, actually. But it was, it's probably one of the projects I've usually asked somebody about their new stuff and it's like, this sounds good. Can't wait for that. Who comes in mind after I stutter

that impresses you vocally today? Like not, they don't have to be a new artist. I just mean when you think presently, of who's alive and who's still impressing you vocally? Shoot. You know, a lot of artists actually. I'll say it for you. It's not new.

I mean, it could be, you know, you've named some names on your album. They're like, young, but don't. Who are your go to? Like, when you just want to hear some music and, you know, I love Layla. Okay. See, that's a young voice. And, of course, Palau and who else I started to listen to you? Trinney.

Shoot. I'm trying to think of who just really sticks out that it's young. Gospel. Trinity said gospel? Yeah, there's a lot of gospel. And it's a lot of jazz stuff, all the young jazzers. You're on Astro World.

How did Travis Scott come to get you for the album? Well, it was very quick. Really? Yeah, it was just kind of one of those things that we have the same manager. Yeah. And so Damien's been managing me for a long, long time.

In fact, he was his best friend with my oldest son, you know, back in Denver. Sir? Huh? Sir? No. Yes, sir. Yeah, he has the best of the same. He's doing well.

Give him a hello from the QIOS, man. So anyway, so, yeah, you know, that song stopped turning to be got that, me and Stevie guessed it on a little bit. That's how that came about, actually. And, you know, the rest is history, really. Wow. Impressive. You're still going strong in hypothetical situation because...

I thought you were going to ask Sergeant Pepper's... I was going too early. I was thinking of all the questions that. I forgot about that. This is a hypothetical situation. I am going to ask about that, though. I'm giving you a blank check. you can do whatever you want with it.

Like, you can record whatever you want with whoever you want, wherever you want. What do you think you would do with that? Wow, that's so huge. Like, what is your dream project? I actually think that I just did it, you know, on this project that we just did. I definitely think that I just did it. You know, to be able to do what you want to do with. people that you've always respected and stuff and to finish it and and people that are

listening or saying or having comments that you're hoping when in your in your in your creating the project that you'll have you know it's very gratifying and stuff so you know yeah I think I we we just did it I can save my money then yeah I'm gonna check for that one and by the way I loved off the last the door 45 I'm from 2013 splashes and I really love that song. Oh, yeah, yeah. It's the strongest dope. Are you going to ask a twins question?

No. I was... Nighted outside and end. Any chance of reuniting with the other Phil for a follow-up single? I can't believe you brought up twins, bro. You never know. Oh, yeah, right.

Oh, the movie twins. That's right. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Him Little Richard. Oh, wow. I only bring it up because whenever a set of twins comes on the Tonight show. You guys play that?

That's always the song we played. We know twins left them right. Man, how do you, you know, let me ask you, this off the cuff, but when I, when I was, came on the show, how do you guys just like, you look like you guys are going like a thousand miles a minute? In real time? Yeah. I mean, I'm sure that you have it with the band as well, but there's a point after maybe

10 years where you guys just you know you know each other so well that you talk like we're to the point now I would I would probably say that maybe in five years we get the roots the roots and I can probably have a

conversation without speaking a word we're now to the point where we know how to communicate with each other with rhythm like if someone if someone like real bad enters a room like whatever like we have a rhythm for that and all of a sudden it's it's it's stands of attention like which one and then if it's uh like i have to do a code to let you know

third row four up that's morris and then no no literally but it's it's we we have a language like we're just you do it i think the the the whole point of the whole 10,000 hours of egos of egos. genius practice thing is that when you do it so much that you're able to do other things and have other forms of communications. Right. Yeah, that's what it really seems like. Yeah, I mean, we have fun doing it. And, you know, I guess this is the point where we're just in the zone with each other.

And we're actually friends. We're friends now more than we've ever been in the 30 years that we've, like, known each other. Or, I mean, a combination of. we've all the configuration you see now has as somewhere between like 10 to 20 years

into it. Yeah I think there's a point where you just you grow up and then you're you're just friends so what was it like doing that thing that you did with us? You know, okay, here's the thing.

I have two experiences. Okay, so I had the pleasure of working with earthen burning fire back in 2000. I think the Boodoo tour was doing like a week in L.A. So

and I had two experiences. One with you and sir. And then one with Maurice. Now the thing is, is that really, really being like green and wet behind the ears and still like new, that sort of thing. And talking to

Maurice and just like, you know, going through our whole fan out thing. And of course, I know, like... How many Columbus you got? Yeah. It was like that sort of situation where, you know, I was basically set myself up before

fall. But, you know, Marisa said that, you know, I want what's in the future. And I was, like, talking about sound and everything. The first thing you mentioned was like, your snare drum sound is real low. And in my mind, I'm like, well, that's the sound of classic earthwood and fire. Like, you know, deep snare. And, and... And he's like, no, man, I won't, like, give me today.

Give me what you want. And I remember being just a little heartbroken in the fact that he didn't trust the process that we today are looking to what, you know, like, what y'all were doing. That's not what he, he over that shit. Right. And we didn't did that.

It'd be like if somebody asked you to, you know, get an upright base of roads. But here's the thing, though. Now, the difference between you tell me this now and maybe you tell me this back in 2002, I almost feel as though when artists are like, like, I used to do that or that's the old me. Well, first of all, no one likes ageism. You know what I mean? So no one wants to feel like, oh, man, was my best work 30 years ago and I just don't want to admit it.

I feel as though maybe it's a fear of not matching up, you know, do I have a fear of not? being 22-year-old Amir that was working on do you want more in Ilydeau Half-Life? So a lot of times we just tend to go linear and go for it. But I feel as though you should go circular.

So yes, now today, I will totally get an upright base in Offender Roads. I mean, I damn near work with the same equipment. So I'm lucky enough to one be cheap enough to not have upgraded. Did y'all ever upgrade pro tools? Did y'all finally do that?

No, Steve. Ron Pertil's one and a half. Steve has convinced me to not upgrade so that we don't lose the vibe of what we've had for 20 years. Can you lose a digital vibe, though? So I'm saying

with you and sir, though, y'all kind of gave me room to do my thing. So, you know, I'm still pleased with the song. I wish we, we could have fleshed out the song idea some more. But, you know, it was enjoyable.

I'm always going to have a great story to tell. And it's on the promise album. Yeah, it is on the promise record. Yeah. So I will say that on behalf. Is there anything else before? No more. You sure?

I'm trying to, yeah. Y'all don't let Mr. Bailey go home. I am. I am. I am. Y'all ain't going to never see him again. Hey, man. We got to give our heroes, they flowers, why to hear.

And yes. No, for real, we appreciate you coming on the show, and this is definitely one of our. No, man, this is an honor. Your music has been the soundtrack of my entire life. And just, we thank you. Well, thank you. I got to say one thing for, before we go to Mouse. Ha!

Now, I hear that Mouse is saying that Earth, Wind, Fire, don't play their music. Oh! Okay, wait, wait, wait, time out. Shout on. Let me, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Let me say, let me save Mous's ass. No, what I was saying, I brought up, I brought up the difference between. What had happened would.

On a previous, on a previous episode of Quest Love Supreme, we're Greg Cillingame. We were talking about, okay, so he was talking about the crafting of Heartbreak Hotel by the Jackson. And how initially, the bass tones and the bass sounds of, of fantasy like all those inflections there have been

rumors or whatnot that again that Earth One and Fire was more like a Beach Boy situation where Maurice White as Brian Wilson using the record crew

like using his house musicians to record Earth, One and Fire records versus the people whom we saw on stage. So we were discussing that theory, but he didn't say that you guys weren't playing on your records.

But we did delve into that for at least five minutes on whether or not that was true or not. No, no, no. But, I mean, for the most part, that's one of the biggest smoking mirror tricks that a lot of music fans don't know. I mean, for this case and point, James Poyser might as well be an original root member

because he's been there since the beginning. He just finally like, you know, gave up. I wore him out and just like, all right, well, now you're in the group. But for the longest, James Poyser has... I was rereading the things fall apart, Liner Notes the other day. And there was all these James, y'all going to pay me this time? Right. Poyser quotes.

Exactly. Exactly. So that was it. No, mouse did not. sending you with that. All right. Now, you're off the hook. Good. All right, well, thank you very much on behalf of Fantigolo, Boss Bill, Unpaid Bill, missing in action, and Sugar Steve and the Sugar Steve Network.

And it's Lai'ia. This is Questlove. Thank you very much, Bill of Bill for coming on the show. It's been fun. It's been fun. Oh, my God. Thank you. And we'll see you next week on Questlove Supreme, only on Bandura. Quest Love Supreme is a production of I-heart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. For more podcasts from IHeartRadio, visit the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft.

And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider,

you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax.

You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian. Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young.

This is love trapped. Laura, Scottsdale police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.