The Questlove Show - QLS Classic: James "JT" Taylor

Episode Date: June 9, 2026

As we celebrate Black Music Month, look back to late 2024, when James "JT" Taylor joined Questlove and Suga Steve to revisit his upbringing and two decades with Kool & The Gang. JT detailed arriving with the legendary Funk-Jazz band to help them reach new plateaus with hit songs including "Celebration," "Ladies Night," "Joanna," and more. This conversation also touched on JT's solo career at MCA Records, his ventures in film, and his recent Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction. This one is smooth and soulful—just like JT Taylor's incredible voice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for. Why do I watch the walk up? That's like asking me, why do I breed? And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fit.

It's not just a game. It's your culture. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. Listen to American football on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Joy is essential and it's also elusive, but now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence.

Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotby. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search Joy 101 and Listen Now. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotfi is presented by CVS. All right, listen up. The Jonas Brothers here.

Our podcast is called Hey Jonas. We've here since everyone has a podcast, we wanted to as well. And we've had some incredible guests so far. And now our good friend, Nile Horn, is joining the show. How's it going, boys? Hey, Niall. It was the same thing with Slow Hands. The whole answer is not about anything else really, is it?

You know, or taste so good can't be about food. You do the same, Nick, with some of the stuff that you've done. You too, Joe. Drop what you're doing and listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm human. Every single day, I'm still learning how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions ever since I was born. This isn't a normal podcast. Everything here is spontaneous, real and genuine, just honest conversations about what it means to be alive.

I'm Javier Tchariot-Orenandez and listen to Learning to Be Human on IHard Radio, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hiring. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in too, he's like, you know I love you, dog.

You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Questlove show is a production of IHeart Radio. What's up? It's June, and that means it's Black Music Month. And every year on Quest Love Supreme, and now the Quest Love Show, we honor it by bringing you an episode every day that celebrates black music.

It's history. and its impact. My team and I have selected episodes from our archive that we feel are especially relevant to the celebration, offering history, insight, and a little fun along the way. So be on the lookout for four brand new episodes throughout June, each connected to the past, present, and future of Black Music. We're going to highlight Trailblazers, Innovators, Ultra Conduettes, and Revolutionaries whose work continues to shape the world around us. Happy June, happy Black music money. We've been waiting. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode, a special episode of Coff's Love Supreme. We've been waiting for this. We've been waiting for this.

You know what, Steve, I'm actually more excited for the 12-year-old version of you right now. Yes, I am super excited to talk to this man and thank him for everybody who's ever had a bar, for before. This is going to be amazing. Yes, definitely. This is my Christmas gift to you, man. This is my Shaka Khan gift to you. I got you the king of all bar mitzvah. Exactly.

Never heard that title, but I'll accept that one. Oh, so? That's great. That's great. All right, I have to treat this like a movie. Okay. Even before I introduce what this show is, I just have to ask

our guests who have not introduced yet. Do you know the true story of how the song Celebration got written? Has Ronald Bell tell you the story of how it inspired him? Not totally, but I have my own version of it when I blew the experience. Okay. So maybe I need to hear this. I'm under the impression based on, okay, so I used to, ah, God, ladies and gentlemen, this is Questle of, of the course love Supreme. Of course, I'm here with Sugar Stephen. And our guest today, I don't even want to waste a long, arduous introduction because, you know, my introduction is it'll be 19 minutes. I'm sitting here with the God, the king of all bar mitzvahs, the God. He made the most velvet voice. Yeah. Supreme Jesus Christ. Like my, my Nat King Cole.

The voice. James J.T. Taylor. formerly of Cooling the Game. Thank you, my brother. Thank you. All right, so here's the deal. And I believe I might have told this on Robert's story as well, but at the time when I invited Ronald, Brother Bayonne,

Calais Bayonne, back when I was teaching at NYU with Harry Weiner, we once had Brother Ronald Bell saxophonist, primary songwriter of Cooling the Gang. And he told us the story of how he wrote Celebrations. So basically riding high off the third wave of what the band is about to experience. Of course, if you're fans of the band,

you know they came to it with a lot of jazz soul, more and more on jazz, a lot of tribe called Quest samples came from that wave. And then in 74, a joke sort of mocking soul macosa winds up being like one of the most pivotal, funk songs of the 70s, so they had a 70s wave. And then the dawned disco, of course, Open Sesame on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

That was kind of their third wave. And now they're about to start the hit-making wave. And of course, fresh off the success of their Ladies' Night single and the subsequent album of that same name. They were on tour. And they happened to be in the Bay Area. and I believe that they arrived in town the day before on a Friday to do some local record stores and signings because now, you know, the heat is back on. The heat's back on.

Yeah. And brother Ronald tells me that the promoter who's bringing you guys to the particular venue playhouse in the Bay Area has another show happening that night and would he like to attend? Would you guys like to attend? and that is when the Prince and Rick James show come to this venue and what winds up happening is Prince goes on first and at this moment Prince has the number one

song in the country on the Soul Charts Would I want to be 11? Right. And Ronald says that he really wasn't all that familiar with Prince like he heard about him but he really didn't pay attention and he definitely wasn't familiar with the song however he was highly

impressed at how within two seconds, everybody just screamed and lost their minds. It wasn't just like, oh, you know, like everyone. Oh, the circle star, right? It could have been there. The circle star, yeah. Okay. So he's more impressed with that. So that sort of brings out the antennas in his brain.

And it's like, yo, pay attention to the song. He was good for that. So he just pay attention to the song. And Prince finishes his set. It's like a 20-minute changeover. for Rick James and Ronald asked the promoter

yo run me backstage real quick to one of them dressing rooms that has a piano in it and there was a spare room and Ronald sits at the table and he starts notating what he thought he just heard Prince do

which is I want to be a lover da da da da da da da da da da da yeah he writes those chorus down and he stares at this course and as most songwriters do another way to get

to sort of squeeze juice from used fruit is you figure out different ways to flip a song right it again people do it all the time like all the time yep Fleetwood Mac famously on their reel it still says

Spinner's idea number two their favorite song was I'll be around and thus they made dreams on rumors about I'll be around So anyway, he's looking at the notes and suddenly he's like, yo, let me play this backwards. Now, then backwards is. So he notates, he notates the music. And he's like, all right, I got the idea.

I'm going to watch for his names. I believe when you guys got finished the tour, it was like three weeks later, and he's going to either demo or submit the ideas to you guys, but he's like, wait, I got to make this a complete song. I only got to groove. I want to do a complete song and add a bridge to it. And he was running, he didn't have any, nothing that was coming to mind. He looks on the table on top of the piano.

And there is a cash box magazine. and he opens up the charts he goes right to the pop charts and looks for the highest charting black song so this particular issue Rock With You by Michael Jackson was number five he knew rock with you well

and when he wrote the bridge for it's time to come together it's the same chords as girl close your eyes let this rhythm get into you everyone around come on. That to me was one of the most

genius stories I've ever heard of a song being constructed. Well, he was always like that. I call him the fearless leader, because he would do things like that and sometimes we would just hear it and we said what did that come from

and we just, you know, to ourselves. And sometimes he would, you know, regurgitate why he did it or why it came. But my understanding was that, But when it was there, you know, because when people, everybody would bring things in all the time, ideas, everything. You know, the lyrics here, a guitar player, a guitar part here. And it was more of a celebration of the resurrection. Like, Ladies Night came out, big record, and nobody knew it was cool in the gang because they heard me.

You know, but we said, well, how are we going to follow that up? So if you listen to Ladies Night, come on, that's all celebrate. it was already preordained that we were going to do celebration. Now, I don't know if that influenced him, but I know when I knew it was going to be celebration, I thought back, I said, you know, that spiritual thing starts hitting you and say,

like, we were like foreseeing this. Yeah. So we said, come on celebrate. So now let's sell all celebrate. And then with the group going through that down period from like 75, I think, to 78, something like that. Yes, 79. there was a drought and they told me the story that, you know,

the record label was going to drop them and all that stuff. And I said, okay, well, what are we going to do? You know, that came later. That question came later. But, yeah, so there was like a, like I said, a resurrection as well. And we had gotten over that first Ladies' Night album and that was big. And so how are we going to do it again? And people were actually doubting us, you know, it was more like, you know,

I want the old, old Cooligan. Yeah, I want to talk about it. I want to talk about that. Wait, I got to start the beginning. So I just wanted to ask if you knew about that story, but that was my cold open. No, that was the first I've heard of it, that in depth anyway. But I think, again, it doesn't surprise me because, you know, he was like that, man. He was a special kind of guy from many different angles, many different angles.

But, you know, a sweetheart. And I would say he was more, he was a clever. that he was a jazz guy, but you know, anything was possible you know, if it was there. And I think when he even heard, when he heard me sing, you know, he was just like,

there goes that celebration. Okay. Wait, ladies and gentlemen, we had technical difficulty. We just, we just, rewind it. Yeah, but Steve had punch the line of the century. He was like, well, there goes this celebration.

Oh, we got to write. this stuff down. This is the songs, you know. Yeah. It was either that or a, oh, la, la, oh, no. Oh, no. All right. So, wait, let me ask you, because we're going to get to all these things. But let me ask you, what was your very first musical memory? My first musical memory was, I had to be like six, because I remember we had just gotten our first television, about maybe five or six. And so I remember being in the kitchen and looking through to the living room. And my grandfather brought the television and when they turned it on, there was a group there. I still don't know who they were, but I just knew that they were dressed like a five-man group and they were just looking beautiful.

And I didn't even go to the television. I just stood back and watched them. It just kind of mesmered rather like looking like, you know, the puppy, you know, with the head, you know. and my sister, I have eight sisters, by the way. Oh, no. That's why I understand women. A household of women, you know, so I know how to move, you know. My sister, she entered into a contest on the Cousin' Brusie show, and this is taking

it back, and she actually won, and she won that big smiley-faced thing on Cousie, Cousin'Brusie. And she sang the song, wasn't Linda Jones, but it was called I Know. I know, you don't love me no more, no more, something like that.

And there was a trumpet solo. And I would like, and it was just, this is all radio, it wasn't on our television. And I was, and that radio was always on top of the refrigerator. And I would stand there

and mimic the trumpet solo. That was like my part. And that was like the first thing. that drew me into music right there. Wow. So you're one of nine? Yes. Well, yes. Ten, actually. Where do you fall in line?

I say, I always say that I was looked up to and look down on, right to middle. Because my, you know, my sister, you know, we had a lot of fun. You know, it's a house full of women going on. And my brother, he was younger. And I had an older brother who was. My mother's child, but we were all one family, and when we got together, it was a party. Are any of your other siblings as gifted? Is this a musical family?

I would say, yeah, because everybody sang in the church choir. You know, it was almost like mandatory. You know, my mom could sing, and we were born in the rural South, South Carolina. What city? And Lawrence, L.A. you are in us. And her mother, I think she realized, you know, I have to get my children out of here to get some type of opportunity going.

You know, this is just my thoughts. You know, we really talked about that. But when we came to Jersey, we actually went to Brooklyn first when we made more find our way over to Hackensack. And at the church there, the New Hope Church, my sister, you know, we were all in the choir, as I said, but my sister, Frida, she actually did a solo once. just her piano and I remember that being such a had a great effect that someone could be standing there with just a piano singing and she didn't dress in a robe she actually had a red dress on and with legs

show it in the church you know but it was it was classy you know what I mean and I remember sitting on the side just watching it and just saying just letting it all come in you know and but everybody I, you know, it's pretty much as far as the professional side, they didn't go into that. But that, that church part was something that was a big influence on all of us. Where's your household's attitude to secular music at the time? Like, were you allowed to listen to Motown or music of the day? Oh, yeah, absolutely. My mother, you know, I think, you know, listen, my father passed away when I was nine.

Okay, he was like only in this four. 40s, okay? So here's my mother with all these kids, you know, and her rules were law. You know, you came home from school, you did this, you did that, you got up in the morning, you did this, you did that. And her thing was to make sure that we were rounded up, that she knew where we were and what we were pretty much doing. So she had a transistor radio on the refrigerator again, which no one could touch. And usually it was either some gospel going on on there. And sometimes she would flip to like, some blues or something like that. But my uncle, who, uh, he used to come by and he would drop off jazz albums. He would first, he would bring jazz albums for me to listen to. And he would leave him there. And I mean, he went from, you know, Sil Austin. And then also, sometimes in the mix, he would have like a mom's Mabley album.

So as long as, you know, we were in the house doing our thing, she was pretty much happy so you know it's like we're playing all the motown she's in the live in the kitchen doing her thing and we're in here party and dance and back then it was the long r c a rca you know stereo you know the best sound in the world right okay you know you're putting the records on and then the quarter and all that stuff but as long as we were like happy and we were around her she knew we were we were having a good time she let us stretch out man it was um and i and that that also helped speed up my love for music and and and going into different genres as well happy pride month toronto pride is an opportunity for you to create your own space to celebrate your existence iHeart radio is proud

to be an official sponsor of pride toronto festival and we won't stop celebrate pride turn up the love and listen to iHeart pride canada your 24-7 radio stream and the only playlist you need for your Toronto Pride celebrations. Pride is so great because it gives a whole bunch of people this visibility that they've never had before. We have a ton to celebrate Toronto. Happy Pride! Iheart Radio. I love the sounds, the buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place soccer, football, at home.

Why do I watch the Walk Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? I inherited that fandom from my mom. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that make it great.

A soccer game is a festival. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull. It is an American game. The Brazilians don't like hearing that. Are they the only ones that don't like that? Nobody likes that.

As we get ready for the Men's World Cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the My Coutura Podcast Network, available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. Together, we're going to have meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people, like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame, years health challenges. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer and that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand postpartner depression.

I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm human. day I'm still learning how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions, ever since I was born. And I still have so many questions. Where do we come from? What happens after death? How do you deal with cancellation? Cristiano or Messi? Do aliens exist? What is love? Real Madrid or Barza? From every day and ordinary to the deep and extraordinary. This isn't a normal podcast. Everything here is spontaneous, real and genuine. This podcast is like a deep talk with your closest friends, where

vulnerability comes out. Conspiracy theories end up on the table and goals and lessons are shared. All in this life has an order perfect and all is just. Wait, me, I'm going to be going to be able to be able to come.

We are here to connect. The Chicharito. Oh, Javier Rangelo, and together with IHA Radio, we're going to make the ordinary extraordinary. Stay close.

It's a carac. Wow. Listen to learning to be human on IHard Radio, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. All right, listen up. The Jonas Brothers

here. Our podcast is called, Hey Jonas. We're here, since everyone everyone has a podcast, we wanted to as well. And we've had some incredible guests so far. And now our good friend Nile Horn is joining the show.

How's it going, boys? Hey, Niall. It was the same thing with Slow Hands. Slow Hands is not about anything else, really, is it? You know, or taste so good can't be about food. You do the same, Nick, with some of the stuff that you've done. You too, Joe. Drop what you're doing and listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. I'll say that you're, I'm not even going to say former employers. Your former group's stories been getting out in the first three years. And they kind of taken advantage of social media to tell these like two-minute Instagram animated vignettes of like what their life was like as teenagers before they formed a band. And the kind of war stories that Cole was talking about and George, you know, that were you growing up?

in that part of Jersey because like to hear cool tell it like I'm like yo I'm shocked you still alive like the amount of the gang stories he told me and you know every day fighting for like a quarter bread like literally to get a quarter to get a loaf of bread to eat that

day like yeah was that like what was Jersey like what were your memories of Jersey my memories of fun I had fond memories because we didn't have that that vibe you know we had a Boyfriend, you know, park scraps, everybody, you know, fighting and stuff like that. But it was more like very sparse.

You know, in our area, everybody knew everybody. We didn't have a real racial problem, you know, with the white students that went to school with us. And when we played, we had, it was within like about two to four block area. So you knew everybody. And when it was some fight, we never had like gangs fighting to get territory or somebody stealing your money. If somebody stole your money, there was a fight going on. But it didn't happen too often because

we had this place called Second Street Park. And it was like our babysitter, our parents' babysitter. They knew where you were and we weren't allowed to like just wander off downtown or go to this place. You had to ask and it to go home to ask

to be somewhere. So again, we didn't have that type of friction. No, nothing close to Jersey City. Do you remember the first time that you saw a concert or a performance? Like, who were your North Stars as far as like, wow, that's what I want to do? You're a rare breed of a singer that came out during the time you came out? Because you were kind of like, even to me, you were like an older brother figure. You weren't my pops.

Like that Teddy Pendergrass, turn it up. You know, like that to me sounded like my pops and my uncles. Whereas like, you were kind of like my cooler, older brother, like, too old for us to like live in a bunk bed, you know. But like, I like that. Barcity jacket level. So the thing is, is that I know, you know, by the time the Jackson 5 come out, you're like 8. So I don't know if it's hitting you the same way that it's hitting like my seven-year-old sister, like where the Jackson vibe was everyone's North Star. So for you like, because you have a Johnny Matthew's voice, I've asked like, were you more akin to like the styles of Frankie Lyman and the teenagers?

Yeah, that's good that you brought that up. Well, the thing is with my, I remember, you know, like I said, seeing seeing in the church quiet and everything, but I always had a band. man also. And I would, like, wherever there was music happening in town, I found myself there, whether it was older guys or, you know, guys my age. And when I had my first group of the way, we were like, I would call the Electro 5, you know, like the Jackson 5, you know, before, you know, when they were really, like, young, you know, he had Apple Jack hats and the nice shiny suits and everything.

And we would call it Electro 5, you know. And so that spread everything up. But there was a band in town called the Filet of Soul and like the best of soul. And I know it sounds a little fishy, but, you know. He got to Steve. I got to Steve. I had to get back at Steve. At least throw one at him, you know.

But these guys were so good, of course, I'm telling you, they played Sly, as closest things to Sly as Sly himself. And we used to actually follow. them around. And the thing that was odd was that the Catholic churches, the diocese would allow us to have parties. And they would have this like little drop-offs that they would go to Lodi to Hackensack over to this town. And they had a following. And I used to follow them. And years later, I ended up being the lead singer of that same group. So Sly became the one that I loved the most. And not just because it was him, but it's the eclectic part of their band having clarinets, trumpets, women, you know, drummer, you know, all these different parts.

And I had a B3 organ. So that was everything I pretty much grew up with. And he was like, and still is to this day, like my guy, you know. Wow. Okay. Yeah. What was up? What was the first album you ever purchased?

I knew you're going to dig with that one. That's a, see, the albums were in the house, but I never bought, because we didn't have money. So it was things usually like a Shirley Caesar album or something like that. But I never bought gospel albums.

My mother, that was like kind of her role. But if I think back to it, it had to be something with Motown or James Brown. Probably a James Brown record. Got it. Okay.

Where are you living now just out of curiosity? I'm in North Jersey. Okay. Yeah. Still home. Besides church, were there any other functions that you were singing at high schools or? I was singing anywhere. Any style in the park.

For nothing, you know, you wouldn't get paid. But I never, I don't have to see. I didn't say to myself, this is what I. I want to do. I was in the midst of it from the moment I heard music. If you understand what I mean. It's like I didn't have a time with, okay, this is what I'm going to do for life. It was just a part of me. You know, and it's like a lot of things are like that for me. You know, I don't have to really put on airs to be something or to accept someone doing something. And it's like when I see you and your band, it's like that's supposed to happen. And whatever you're doing, I'm just going to immerse myself in it and not be so judgmental.

Even if I don't particularly like everything, it's just I think that the life of music is like my life blood. And that's why I don't want to have a specific moment. But when you say a Jesus moment, it's like I remember like my mother used to, when we got too old to get that whipin, you know, she would like make us sit on the steps or something like that. And one day, you know, I don't know what I did, but she sat me on the back steps on our back porch. And I was just sitting there.

And I was always like a very like outside the Bible thing, you know, like things didn't make sense to me. There's why is this happening? I'm like, you know. But I meant that before. I didn't mean that. Yeah, I know what you meant, but I'm trying to get to something. So one day I'm sitting there and I actually felt like I saw the tree growing.

So this is when I was very, very young. So I've always had that feeling. So there wasn't a moment of that Jesus moment of music. I'm going to do this in my life. It was just a part of the maturation was all of it. So when it did happen, I was already in the midst of it. and it never overwhelmed me at that time. If you understand what I mean.

Yeah, yeah. I got it. So I'll ask you, what was your knowledge of the moment they became cool in the gang? I know they were various other groups, but were you wear them from their first self-titled record? Oh, yeah.

So what was your opinion of, like, what did you think? Were they just like, oh, they from Jersey or... No, no, I thought they were awesome. Because we used to, you know, carry the boomboxes a band. And a friend of my, Curtis, he would always have his boombox. And we would listen to Kooling the gang stuff walking to school. And sometimes I go to his house. And I remember, I forget what Albert was.

I think it was the ice block. Cooling the gang, it was like a block of ice. The message. Yeah. The message, yeah. And so I got into what they were talking about because we were growing up in civil rights. So those things they were talking about, in a musical way.

I saw, oh, that's pretty clever how they got the message across, you know, not even as blatant as like a girl Scott did, you know, but it was something that I could relate to musically as well as instrumentally

and something you could dance to at the same time. So that was always a magnet. And if you look at all the groups back then, from James Brown to, you know, I'm black and I'm proud, anything that anybody was doing, Marvin,

it was a social consciousness, while we were growing up that implemented music that showed instrumentation and all these great guys playing this stuff. And then, like I said, with my uncle dropping jazz music off, I realized that they were telling the same story growing up. So it was reaching and pulling me in all of these different directions. But I thought that cool and them were great. And ironically, when I mentioned the flay of soul, we actually opened up for them once at Newark. college, I think it's Kane College in Newark.

And I tried to get backstage to meet them. This was years before I became a member. And some security guy wouldn't let me come back to meet them. But I wanted to talk to them about, you know, what they were doing because I liked it very much, you know. Oh, okay. That's such a cool story. Yeah. It's all one, man.

It's all related in some way, you know. That's really interesting that you were a fan and tried to meet them. end up in the band. Right. Yeah. And end up in the band's crazy. How did you specifically get their attention? What's the story process that leads to you guys meeting to audition for the band?

There was a part owner of House and Music and studios in the West Orange. And I did a session with Jeff Dixon. Wait, what? Jeff Dixon, yes. Really? And I went to, I got a call that Stefan said, listen, man, this is this guy doing a,

he's trying to put this group together. And his name was Jeff Dixon. He wants you to come down. I told him about you. And we went to the session. And I did a, there was a section of the song that I did. And when I finished my part,

you know, I went out. And when it was done, he said, come back in. And he said, listen to what happens to the song when your part comes. And he played it through. And he said, you hear that? That's it right there.

He said, I got to get you with somebody. You know, and I was like, I was just doing what he instructed me to do. So when I got the call to come to audition, I don't know if it was Stefan, whether it was Jeff Diction that told Cool Them about me. But I know when I got there, Irene Conrad, I mentioned he said, yeah, well, cool them there down here. and I went in and I met Calise and the thing for me I really wanted to meet DT and Spike for some reason. I don't know

because DT was always like the cooler dress guy and he played a great horn and Spike played the trumpet and I'd seem like Spike Mackey. He had this just jazzy thing about him that was cool and he had the Widows Peak

kind of cut. He was just like an attractive ton of aura that they had you know So you really knew these cats? Yeah, I knew them from just the music. In my mind, I was like, especially now, I mean, you know, I'm Gen X. And there's some Gen Zs and Gen Alphas after Z's Alphas. Right.

That pretty much like started with millennials, but also with Gen Z and with Gen X Alpha, where it's just like a kind of blatant, purposeful indifference or is, weird. Like, I wouldn't think, I thought, oh, he's probably a new guy in a group and don't even know who Mickens is or who. Right, right. Like, oh, some old guys want me to sing in their group and

that. No, I never thought that. And, you know, Quest, back then, like, the albums, they had the liner notes. They told you who guys were, so you would sit there. You didn't have a cell phone or anything. So you would go through the album and you're listening to it and you're finding out,

oh, this guy played that. Oh, I didn't know And I didn't even know DT played the flute. Okay. And then I thought, oh, I said, I was him playing that. Oh, okay. So when I met her, I was like, yo, man, that part you played on this, you know, stuff like that. So I was telling them little things that I appreciated and, you know, Funky George and listening to that foot, man. I said, wow, that's, you know.

So I was like in heaven, so to speak, you know. All that I said about your velvet voice and you being a mind. modern Nat King Cole. I asked them in my class, like, what was that process like of finally striking gold? Because, you know, he told a story about everybody's disco dancing album, like, flopped, and they were in a store and doing an autograph session, and nobody was

there. And one girl was like, who are they supposed to be? Oh, cool, gang. Ew. Like, it was like, ah, man, we got to get a singer. We got to get a singer. It's like desperation. But he says that he knew, within the first three seconds, you were the singer because you sounded a light knacking cold. And I thought, like, that might have struck me odd, because I would almost

think, like, okay, during that time period, 79, you got to compete with all these gruff. All these high singers and the... I mean, either they're kind of over the top. I'm not saying primitive exotic, but, you know, unless you come super animated, oh. You're like superfood is animated.

Bootsie and Parliament They're animated Or you're coming like You know I mean the Mendego Or something if I somebody Yeah like or spiritual You came

Very Classy But you came classy But you came classy in a way That wasn't like Like I don't know If Johnny Mathis would be like Just walking down the hood

You know what I mean But You almost had like a You had some street confidence about you, but you also came off like you might have done two years in ROTC training or in college. I actually did. As much as I love the Jackson's and they were my heroes, I'd never looked at them once and thought like, you might be some college educated brothers.

You know, the Commodore's talk all the time about going to Skiy Institute. But, you know, but, you know, but. They still, ow. So for me, you were like the first look into what we might perceive De La Sol to be or like. Yeah, yeah. So for you, though, what was the audition process like? I didn't go in there like super nervous. And I think, again, as I said to you, the process was the whole thing included,

meaning the music process from being young all the way through. So this feeling that I've had, this spiritual feeling I've had was like, okay, I'm here. So this is what we're going to do. And he said, let me hear you sing something. I said, well, what do you want me to sing? He said, anything, just make something up. And he started playing these changes. And I sang, you know, in my baritone voice, you know.

And he said, can you sing high? And I said, yeah. And I did some falsetto stuff, you know. and that's pretty much all I remember doing for him. Did you know what you were walking into? No. So no one officially said, Cool me gang is looking for a lead singer.

No one said that? The only thing I knew was that they were looking for some background, for me to sing background on a record. Okay. And again, you know, that's what I do. So, okay. Where's the song that? You know, and my thing, I'm like that.

What's the song? what we're going to do. And thinking it's going to be more in the vein of what they did before, you know, background in the Hollywood, you know, jungle, boogie, all that stuff, you know. And when I met with, I think it was Gabe Figuero, the Light Records, he said, you know, that era has passed. And when I met Diadado, I don't think I was in the meeting, but he asked, Gabe, he said, well, who's going to sing this?

and he said him this j t and he said i want you to put the music around him his voice and i'm said okay okay and you know so i'm i'm green at this time you got to understand as far as studio work i've never worked in the studio in any capacity uh like what's going to come was diodato part of your audition like was he one of the people who was no No, he wasn't in there at all. I met him a little later. But he was already involved with them at that point? At that point, I was so, everything was great.

You know, I was like, I knew I was schooling gang. I'm in a studio, a house of music. They like me. And when we started working, we instantly, I wouldn't say instantly, but we started working on music. And we would go to, I think, on 30th, West 30th Street a daily planet, just playing songs there, you know. So when Diadado got involved, this whole thing was trying to mesh what they brought in,

what everybody was writing. And at the time, I wasn't bringing anything in as far as like songwriting, anything like that. I was more like just feeding off of what's coming at me. Let me be here. Let me listen to this guy. Let me be over here. And it was all interesting. Nothing was boring.

But the thing that was funny, though, was that they had three girls, three women, I would say, singing background. And a couple of other things. Something sweet, right? Yeah, something sweet. And there was a couple of other guys in there. And I remember them looking at me sideways, you know. And I'm up here saying, okay, I might have to get my street vibe on, you know, because what's going on? Like, what are these people looking at me like this for?

So I'm thinking, do I have to make a phone call, you know, get some of my guys that come because this is, all me thinking. This is not them. And because I'm saying, why are these daggers being thrown at me when I'm here to help? You know, I didn't ask to be here. I was encouraged and invited to be here. And I thought that they were good. And I said, well, we just keep them to myself. This is all internal. You know, while music is going on and people are walking around. And I don't know any of these people. I don't even know cooling them really. So I'm trying to vibe and make sure I'm safe at the same time.

And, you know, I wasn't a person who hung out in the city. So that whole thing, you know, was new too. So, you know, there's a lot coming at me. Pride Month, Toronto. Pride is an opportunity for you to create your own space. To celebrate your existence. Iheart Radio is proud to be an official sponsor of Pride Toronto Festival. And we won't stop.

Celebrate Pride. Turn up the love and listen to IHeart Pride Canada. Your 24-7 radio stream and the only playlist you need for your Toronto Pride celebrations. Pride is so great because it gives a whole bunch of people this visibility that they've never had before. We have a ton to celebrate Toronto. Happy Pride. Iheart Radio. I love the sounds, the buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place soccer, football at home. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? I inherited that fandom from my mom. I like watching it with my dad's.

It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernando Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that make it great. A soccer game is a festival. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull. It is an American game.

The Brazilians don't like hearing that, though. Are they the only ones that don't like that? Actually, nobody likes that. As we get ready for the Men's World Cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the My Coutura Podcast Network, available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. Together, we're going to have meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people,

like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer, and that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand postpartner depression. I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm human.

Every single day, I'm still learning how to live with you. problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions ever since I was born. And I still have so many questions. Where do we come from? What happens after death? How do you deal with cancellation? Cristiano or Messi? Do aliens exist? What is love? Real Madrid or Barza? From every day and ordinary to the deep and extraordinary. This isn't a normal podcast. Everything here is spontaneous, real and genuine. This podcast is like a deep talk with your closest friends where vulnerability comes out. Conspiracy theories end up on the table and goals and lessons are All in this life

has an order perfect and all is just Wait, I'm going to put up to be able to connect.

We are here to connect The Chicharito and Javier Rangelo and together with Iha Radio we're going to

make the ordinary extraordinary stay close It's a carac Wow Listen to learning to be human or IHard Radio

Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast All right listen up The Jonas Brothers

Our podcast is Our podcast is called Hey Jonas We're here Since everyone Since everyone has a podcast

We want to as well And we've had some incredible guest so far

And now our good friend Nile Horn is joining the show. How's it going, boys? Hey, Niall. It was the same thing with Slow Hands. Slow Hands is not about anything else, really, is it? You know, or taste so good can be about food. You do the same, Nick, with some of the stuff that you've done. You too, Joe.

Drop what you're doing and listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. What were you doing to survive before you joined the band? And how long was it until you felt secure enough that you were making your living as a member of Cool Nogame? I went to HBCU as well, Norfolk State, Virginia. I did two years there. And it just wasn't my time to be in college. You know, I was all about music, and I didn't study music there.

And I just had a difficult time. So I dropped out because music was my passion. you know but when i came home you know i was pretty much bumming around i was playing a lot of different bands and and working odd jobs got me an apartment and had a raggedy car that type of thing and you know all of this happened and then i get the phone call from cooling them but i think at 79 when we did the ladies in that album and we started going to paradise garage and all these different places for promotions and clubs in the city. You went inside Paradise Garage?

Yes, yes. We did it. What was that like? I knew I was going to raise the eyebrows. But we actually had the record company did a promotion there because, you know, it was the greatest sound system in the city. Right. You know, with the, what those.

The speakers. The speakers, right, cranked up. You wouldn't even be able to hear when you left there. But we did a thing when they dropped ladies night at Paradise Garage, you know, which was appropriate. And I remember we went up and the DJ called us, they said, Cool, the gang is new record, you know. And he said, Cool is here.

JT's here. Oh, Larry Levin. Yeah, you know, hey, oh, you know. And they dropped this. Oh, dude, I aspire to be his level of DJing. Like, that's a hero. He was awesome, man. And he dropped it.

And they hit the floor. And everybody just looked at each other. They were just like, okay. And the record company, I think that they knew. that they had it right there. Because again, nobody expected it to sound like that. You know, they were looking for all these horns and everything. And they were like, well, who's the voice?

Where'd that voice come from? And, you know, some people were like, nah, man, that can't be cooler than them. You know, and sometimes I got a little flack back for that. Because I want to hear the old stuff, the way it's style. And they were telling me, say, listen, man, we weren't eating on. that stuff anymore. Right. So,

yeah, it was awesome. Did I answer the question? Yes. Because at the ladies night out, that's when I realized I could, I start making a living and, you know, bouts of new clothes. I figured as much.

This is probably one of the rarest chances I get to ask this question. So I'm going to try to ask very carefully. Okay. Okay. So what could a working class musician make in 1979. I mean, I'm basically asking what is a living

in 79. And I'm only asking this because, okay, like hip hop has distorted the expectations of what one should expect from this industry. Because, you know, such a hustler culture and you see everyone just like their money away. And the thing is, is that my manager kind of told us from the gate look I'm not doing this

you guys aren't going to ball out of control like you're going to be able to slide your mom some very significant petty cash monthly you'll be able to have a hafties and crib and if I do my job right you know you guys will at least be able

to make at least what a surgeon would make at the time I did agree with that and I subscribe to it. Now, I'm in a mind state where I want to be a daredevil and dream my highest dream. But back then, I was really small-minded with it. But that said, you know, I think that's what at least for the 20 years of doing the roots, you know, before the Tonight Show, that that enabled me to not have distorted experts. and stay focused.

You know, like a lot of people, after their third or fourth time, like it took us four albums to really get to a satisfactory place, but I think a lot of people would start to give up or start sabotaging their self or, and I'm asking this because there really wasn't the standard of hip-hop baller lifestyles expected for black singers. So what could you expect to make a lot of? a living on as a lead singer of an established

ban with, albeit with a new lease on life that they didn't have before like in the 80s. Our situation, we didn't have that type of manager that you had. We were not given any direction as far as what you're going to make per se.

My expectations were simple math. You know, how many records did we sell? Okay. We got six of us. the record label gets this okay so where's that

was left over and that wasn't happening now I couldn't rock the boat at that point because I didn't really have the cache the input the

seniority to do that so they were rationing out weekly in So you were getting paid like a rookie? Like a rookie, right. But enough to live better than I was living.

Got it. Just about a little bit more above that. And we were actually working so much that it should have been maybe five to ten times more than that. You know, because we were killing it. And we were like working every day. Like, like, it seemed like we'd never stopped. So the money really wasn't adding up with the hands. hits and how much we were touring.

And my family started asking that question. I go, okay, well, you're at your apartment. You got a decent car now. And when I wanted to slide my mother that money you were talking about, I didn't have as much as I thought

to do that. Because at the time, you don't really need a whole lot. You know, you just kind of still in the midst of the musical part. You know? And you just expect the money to be there. You got around people around you. I'm with cooling them. They've been around here since the 60s. You know, all this is going to come around. And it was fine. You know,

when I started asking questions, that's when I started finding out, you know, all of the side deals, all the same things that were not there. And, you know, you just kind of find your way through, speak when you can speak. And some of the people that we work in, with, you know, I was told, you know, well, you can't talk to these people like that. I said, well, if I'm being a man, no one's going to stop me from talking and speaking up for myself. I'm not trying to be a bad guy, a street guy, and I'm just going to say that this shit ain't right, you know, and this should be a little bit more balanced right here, you know, so that was

always my position. Were the people that were running Delight Records, the same people by the time, you you got in the 79 position your tenure in 1979. Because Ronald told me that he was very careful with his words, but he's basically insinuating to me that the whole jungle boogie story was kind of at the insistence of some friends of ours. I would say that, yes. I heard that story.

That kind of hitman level. Okay. Well, same, same people. Wow. I see. And you understand what I'm saying. I totally understand what you're saying. I'm so glad for once it's not my people who are screwing up.

It was you. It was you. Have you read Morris Levy's Hitman? No, not yet. No, no, I haven't. No, that's the book that exposes the, you know, that's what Bill The whole game. Jersey.

Sylvie Robinson and all of them people. So I'm sorry. Let me interject here. So what about the publishing side of things, though? Was that also sort of shady? Because you were writing some of these big hits? Yeah, because when I came into the group, and again, when I started peeping some of this stuff,

it was more like they had told me they had a deal that was already set when I came in. So I kind of had to. by into what was already established. Right. You know, I was, I wasn't a separate entity. I was now a part of the, of the entity. And with that, that means that I had to adopt some of the things that they had already had in order. And that really wasn't anything I could do about it.

I do have a question about the repertoire when you first get in the group. You know, as I said, the top of the show, there's like almost five. to six levels of the band's history that one could gravitate towards if you're into a lot of early rap samples, then, you know, the first three years are your bag for kind of like the

first real true steps into funk territory, not soul. There's an era of like, you know, 74 to 79, and then there's the disco period, 77 to whatever, and then here comes the hits, 79, and so on. When you guys are putting your shows together,

is there any attention being paid to for the kind of pre-wilded and peaceful catalog songs or songs like NT or Raw Hamburger or like a lot of these or cool is back? Are they still a part of the show, like the instrumental part of the group? Not really. Or once you came in, then it was. Just just singer focus. Not totally, but

you know, Ronald, everybody was like, listen man, they want to hear the new songs. And I said, yeah, but we have the best of both worlds here, guys. And I used to preach. I said, man, we have to play open sesame tonight. And it depends on where we were playing. Oh, wait a minute. They wouldn't do that? No.

We did it. I consider that a hit. I'm talking about like obscure stuff. Yeah, once in a while. And I said that we would, because you know, we always had great segues. into songs, you know. I picked up a lot of that from working with, with Kaleease, and I said,

we could just sneak that in right here. We could sneak in T right here. Or, you know, Buku Bucks or something like that. Okay. Anyway. Batscar, no, no. Nasty little funky track, man. And then, of course, Open Sesame,

and Summer Madness, I'm sorry. Yeah, some of Madness, they didn't have a problem with that. And Hollywood swinging, we would play that. But as far as involving all the other stuff that I was grew up on walking to school with, over time, it just was moved out. And each album that we did, because we had like a almost a decade run of just top 10 or top five hits that those are the song that they said people wanted to play. And the audience became more global. And the global audience didn't know all of those songs that you and I like, you know, the NTs and all that.

They do celebration and all this. And I remember when we did Joanna, you know, this is one of the most hurtful things that ever happened to me. Solterian? No, no. We did. I was going to ask Don, with the way that Don, ah, okay, go ahead. Yeah, yeah, Dan. And we were doing Joanna, and we had this black station and, you know, we were rolling everything.

and the A&R guy was trying to get the record played. I don't think it was down with buttered down there in Philly. In Philly, okay. It was something like a big station like that. But anyway, they said that it wasn't black enough. Quest, I'm telling you, I remember going back to my room and walking, just pacing in my room back and forth. I don't know how long I did it. And almost like water coming on my eyes, right?

and I'm saying I'm thinking about Frankie Lyman and all these guys that paved the way to do all these things from, you know, jazz to Leontyne Price and all these. I'm thinking about all of them that were, you know, couldn't even dress in the dressing room had to come in the back door. All this is in my head.

We were going through civil rights and, you know, we're trying to find our way through. And I'm doing this song, this melodic song that is a part of me. And if it's part of me and me in the group, then it's a part of black America, you know. So how could somebody black tell me that it's not black enough? I said, what is black enough mean?

So that was the first time I was hit with that. And I remember calling my mother. And I said, mom, I said, I said, they said I wasn't my, my singing ain't black enough, you know. And she said something. She told me she eased my mind. She said, that's a good thing. that means that you're different. They try to tell you that you're supposed to sound like something they want you to sound like,

but you don't sound like that. So that makes you unique. How are you feeling? And it sobered me up because it reminded me that you grown in to this rainbow of styles from the little transistor radio, the filet of soul and then hearing all my heroes like the Motown and the and the Philly International sounds and all this and stacks records and all these different great people and you're amongst those people now so you don't have to try to be anybody but who you are and that is a black man who can do rock funk jazz love the love the classics

Leonthine Price Love Stravinsky You know what I mean You can It doesn't matter Black, it's not a color thing With music So she cooled my little ass down

Real quick It said, you know Know who you are You're telling And people have already Giving you The christen you You know

That they accept What you are So don't you start Thinking that you have To be somebody else Just because of the radio station Said This song ain't black enough

maybe not for what they want to play. But globally, the world has already said. We love this. You also got the last lap, bro. I mean. Yeah. Yeah. But it was a traumatic time, bro.

You know what I mean. Pride Month, Toronto. Pride is an opportunity for you to create your own space. To celebrate your existence. Iheart Radio is proud to be an official sponsor of Pride Toronto Festival. And we won't stop. Celebrate Pride. Turn up the love and listen to IHeart Pride Canada, your 24-7 radio stream and the only playlist you need for your Toronto Pride celebrations.

Pride is so great because it gives a whole bunch of people this visibility that they've never had before. We have a ton to celebrate Toronto. Happy Pride, IHeart Radio. I love the sounds, the buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place soccer, football, at home. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? I inherited that fandom from my mom. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force.

From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that make it great. A soccer game is a festival. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull. It is an American game. The Brazilians don't like hearing that, though. Are they the only ones that don't like that? Nobody likes that.

As we get ready for the Men's World Cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the My Coutura Podcast Network, available on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. Together, we're going to have meaningful conversations. with the world's most fascinating people. Like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer.

And that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand postpartner depression. I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And there's a ton of exciting because their new star is Javier T. Tarito, Hernandez. Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm human. Every single day, I'm still learning how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships,

emotions ever since I was born. And I still have so many questions. Where do we come from? What happens after death? How do you deal with cancellation? Cristiano or Messi? Do aliens exist? What is love?

Real Madrid or Varsa? From every day and ordinary to the deep and extraordinary. This isn't a normal podcast. Everything here is spontaneous, real and genuine. This podcast is like. a deep talk with your closest friends where vulnerability comes out conspiracy theories end up on the table and goals and lessons are shared. All in this life has an order perfect and everything is just.

Wait-in me, I'm here to connect. We are here to connect. The Chicharito. And Javier Tchartreli-R-Nandes and together with I-Hard Radio, we're going to make the ordinary, extraordinary, stay close. It is a carac. Wow. Listen to learning to be human on IHard Radio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Listen up. The Jonas Brothers here. Our podcast is called Hey Jonas. We're here, since everyone has a podcast, we want it to as well. And we've had some incredible guests so far. And now our good friend, Nile Horn, is joining the show. How's it going, boys? Hey, Niall.

It's the same thing with Slow Hands. Slow Hands is not about anything else, really, is it? You know, or taste so good can't be about food. You do the same, Nick, with some of the stuff that you've done. You too, Joe. Drop what you're doing and listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. This is the dumbest question I'm ever going to ask in my professional career.

But this is the only chance I get to ask it. When you shot that Schlitzmalt liquor bull commercial? Go ahead. Come on, come on. There was never a real bull on the premises, right? Oh, hell no. Okay. I would have been gone before he broke through that.

That was a pretty good pre-uh. editing, right? Pre-AI. To this day, when I go down a rabbit hole on YouTube, I literally watch all 45 minutes of every Slitsmont League of Bull commercial of every soul great running, and I always

wanted to know. They used to edit it. I mean, I hope I didn't ruin it for everybody, but yeah, we used to just, you know, just look and you know, run. I got it. But I was a hot commercial for a long It was. Yeah, yeah. It was, man.

Yeah, yeah. It was a big deal because you never saw, like, your favorites on that level. My dad especially liked it because sometimes they would juxtapose, like, you know, I think you guys did a version, and then it was the platters as well. We did win with the four tops. Or the four tops, yeah, like. Yeah, yeah. My dad, my dad comes from, you know, the 50s era.

So for him, it was, like, important to see the groups he, like, represented. Absolutely, yeah. So, when I was, like, he like, represented. I first got my record deal, like I would say that my first splurge like, okay, I've made it. It's not much. It was too much of a buildup, but, you know, for me, sneakers and my record collection. That was it. Yeah, it was all I wanted to do in life.

For you, what was your first, like, extravagant? I want cheese on my wopper, like. that type of thing let me see i think i think i got my first Mercedes ah okay because before as i said i had my own apartment you know barely paying the bill you know at a raggedy car so you know the beach showed a little little prestige man you know let me get a decent car because if the car i'm gonna tell you this story the car i had it had didn't hit from the side oh on the passenger side right so

Whenever I went to pick somebody up, I would drive and prop on the driver's side. Make sure we're getting. Yeah, I'm going to tell you something. Yeah, we had some pride, you know. We had a group purchase. We got a land cruiser that we all shared. Whoever needed the land cruises, I wasn't driving then. But Tariq would often dent that land cruiser.

And I get to the point where he would. pick, you know, his lady friends up. Only on the right side of the street so that she could never see. Right, exactly. That was me. That was the story. That's exactly what I did. I see.

I see. When you guys are on tour, do you have to do Dom Voices atlives on Jungle Boogie? I did, yeah. I tried. What was your first show like? With the group. your very first school in the gang show. I think this is before we actually started working on ladies' night.

I did a show with them. Oh, you were singing with them even before? Yeah, right before we started. Yeah, I only did one show. Okay. Right after my audition. And I think I did an Earth Win and Fire song on their show. I sang a ballad.

I was trying to remember which one it was. Be Ever Wonderful, a song for you. Yeah, I don't know, maybe from the head to the sky album or something. Oh, you went deep. Okay. Yeah, something like that, you know, because he asked me, because he just wanted to show the people that, you know, just all see how I, you know, respond to the crowd or something.

Yeah, you know, and it was very smart, but yeah. I mean, you're the lead singer. How do you know things like eye contact and communicating with the audience and, you know, make the whole room feel like, you know, the things that you will probably have to lodge a hundred shows under your belt to truly know, like, the back of your hand. Are you just being thrown in the river like Sing or Swim? See, what's up? Yeah.

But see, again, as I said, I wasn't threatened by that, not about being on the front of the stage because I was always that guy. Like, if I had a band and the band was called, you know, street dancer or flay assault, I was always JT, you know. Got it. And we were 13. So that wasn't your first show ever. Like you. No, no. Like when I was 13, we did the Apollo.

What was that like? That was scary. I think we were like 13. We were trying to, you know, make this something we were going to do. You know, it was like our little band. And in fact, we did the intruders, Cowboys, the Girls. We did the rehearsal. And I never forget at the Apollo.

I didn't think it was going to be this raggedy downstairs, right? where all the guests were. And there was the stairs that you had led us, you know, to go up to the stage. And there was this huge rat trap under the staircase. I'm saying, what the hell? And we're all sitting there. I'm saying, okay. So you just blank it out of your mind.

So that night, our biggest thing was to make sure that Sandman didn't hook us offstage. That was our goal. If we could do that, we got it. And we actually came in third place. And this guy, this older guy that's saying Nat King Cole, by the way, and on the piano, he won that night. But we didn't get pulled off. We just, we were in the line, you know.

Well, first, I'm thinking hand clapped, you know, third, you know. He said, okay, you guys come off and then he won. So we were just relieved that we didn't get pulled off by Sandman. Which member of Cool and the gang was the most diplomatic in welcoming you into the fold because you're also a rookie kind of coming to an established house where you know like even there was a point where Alan Iverson had to carry the bags of Sixers that he was better than you know yeah yeah yeah yeah I didn't do any of that which member was the most diplomatic in welcoming you into the fold I would say it was

uh Calees and cool because cool at the time uh he in fact when I was first started going to The House of Music, he actually came up from Jersey City and picked me up from my home. And he drove me down and back home. So Cool was more like that guy. And, you know, we started hanging out as well. But he and I was saying, Kalisa, went like to meet his mom, like, Kulis's mom and stuff like that, you know. And I just think they realized I was like, you know, I was a down guy. Like, you know, like you could, you know, I wasn't like a rough rider.

You know, but I wasn't, wasn't no punk either. You know, I was just like, and musically, you know, I could talk to them. And I actually learned so much from just sitting around listening. My mother said, just keep your ears open. You don't have to talk all the time, you know. Are you significantly younger than them or? No, just a few years, like three. I think George was three years.

I think who was three. So it wasn't too far. But a lot of people thought I was a lot. younger than them. I thought you were the baby brother. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Which member would you have the most complex with?

Well, in the beginning, you know, none. I was hanging out with everybody, but I don't even know where it turned, but for some reason, DT'd started, we started rubbing a little bit, you know, and I didn't

understand what happened because I was, I remember him and Penwaugh bringing their daughter, Michelle, to my room to meet me. Actors Michelle. Actors, yeah. The late, yeah. Family matters. And so, you know, it was all good, man.

We hanging out, party together. And somewhere along the line, you know, we just started friction. And I just didn't understand it because we were constantly, you know, banging out songs, you know. we were in the studio all the time and if we weren't in the studio we were on the road and most of those albums we were actually touring and would come home off the road

and go right to the studio and I think for almost a decade we never had a vacation you know so I didn't understand with the success what happened I tend to believe that more the focus became on me

than the group and and I used to tell them I said, listen, man, who's in the studio with you? Who's on the stage with you? These people are going to say whatever they want. And in any band, they usually gravitate to the lead singer. No matter, you know, if you had the stone, people know Big Jacker or Genesis, they know, you know, Phil. You know, so it's not put you down or anything like that.

It's just the way things are. Because I was never into that mindset or was JT, JT, JT. I said, man, listen, if it wasn't for this, guy being in the room, this wouldn't have happened. And I never forget that. Were you singing lead vocals on every song, on every album, as soon as you started on Ladies' Yes. Yeah.

But then on, it was all, yeah. And in the shows. And the shows, yes, as well. And we didn't have, like, background singers either. So we had, like, horn players singing background. And that was sometimes, you know, a bit more stressful for me because I would have to, you know, I'm emceeing, singing, highs and lows, singing background, dancing, and entertaining. And it started wearing me out a little bit, you know, later on.

For me, this is a rare chance to find out, like, what my life would have been like, you know, had I been born maybe 20 years earlier, like, if me and my best friend in high school, still say we started a group in 79 instead of 93, then this is about as close. as I'm going to get to, hmm, I wonder what happened if the roots came out like 15 years earlier. So was it a strict environment when you entered the group? Like, was there rules to adhere to? Nothing was said. The only thing when we, my first, first show I did was when we stopped to get something to eat.

And they were trying to convince me not to eat pork because they were Muslims. Only cool and Kali's, most of the people thought the whole band was. but there's only the two of them. And that asked, you know, I didn't mind that. Give a bacon there. Okay, it's food. So, but as far as, like, musically, their vibe, like, through osmosis, so to speak, it permeated you, you know. And my respect for what they did musically, I respected that greatly.

So I didn't really want to, you know, upset the cart. You know what I mean? I was kind of like fit in. And I think maybe Khalis felt that I had that type of spirit too like them because after a while it was almost like we had so much in common. Like they moved, their parents moved them from Youngstown, Ohio, you know, for a better life in Jersey. And my mother moved us from South Carolina for a better life in Jersey. So there was things that we didn't even have to discuss that was just part of our DNA, you know. that made it easy.

When you're tracking your vocals, what's the particular environment that you're used to? Is it like a whole crowd of them there watching or is it just like, do you prefer to be alone and just with Kalees or just someone, one person, or a mirror? In the beginning, I was so green that I had the, I wasn't accustomed to singing with headphones. Somebody would just say,

listen, just put one behind your ear. And that was kind of weird, too, you know, because I'm listening to the room and everything. So I had to really make adjustments. And it caused me to sing fragments, like part of phrase, things like that. You know, you sing ladies tonight, you know, girl, you all got one, you know. Then we had to go back. Girl, you know, do it over again instead of singing through. And but I found out that the more that I studied the song and I knew it lyrically,

then I could ingest the point of the song, and that made it a lot freer for me. But I didn't really care if who was in the studio, because I didn't really see them anyway. I would mostly see Dio and like Jim Bonifan and maybe somebody who was in the corner, but the concentration was just trying to do the best performance. I really wasn't worried about the people.

Got it. I'm one of those music kids that, never gravitates toward the single. And that's because, you know, in Philly, before kind of the 1997 bill was signed in which, like, radio conglomerates could pre-program all their own music, you know, black radio pretty much let their DJs be the tastemaker. And, you know. Oh, yeah.

But DJs had names, you know. Right. So that said, cats like Doug Henderson, Dr. Perry Johnson, like all the Philly cats spend at DAS. You know, it's weird. They played Jones versus Jones. Yeah, yeah, I know. More than, like, Jones versus Jones, was that even a single?

Oh. I recently found out maybe like four or five years ago that Stevie's isn't she lovely was never a single. What? That wasn't a single? Never a single. What? But Barry had a genius plan. He basically wanted to guarantee a number one debut.

So it was sort of like, choose what you want to play off the album and just play it. Most people gravitated towards, isn't she lovely? But then weird enough, like almost nine months later, they'll officially release I Wish. Yeah, yeah. Like a single, but it's like July of 77. And like, that was a great thing about DJs, though, because, you know, before even, what was that, the late night, Von Harper and all of them. Right. Frankie Krocker and them, they would play singles off albums.

And that also helped us spread out. So like you, I would find songs to say, oh, man, they did this need to be a single, you know. Right. And so that was, that was the DJ's had that power, man. That was a beautiful thing. When something special first came out, they weren't playing, take my heart. even though I know that was the first single. Right.

They was Philly owned Stepping Out. Stepping Out should have been the first single. We weren't mad to get down on it. That's sufficed. But, you know, back when DJs would get promos of the albums three months ahead of time. Yeah. Why do you think that's slow?

Why stepping out? Was that because of the party, the stepping parties they had? I mean, you know, I'm going to add all the keys to it. You're singing in a smooth falsetto. as a DJ I was like well you know okay so the group that did this all the time was and I kind of ridiculed them for this

but this is also how I live at the Tonight Show you play any barquee song for me now and I'll tell you the 45 of what they were originally playing it was like all right let's just ruby skew and mix this up and now like shine is is Earth 1 fires on your face or right right right shaking rooms to the fun you know what i mean like very but in my mind i was like i was like i bet you stepping out started as a quasi i don't stop to you

get enough groove i don't know but it's possible answer this for me what is the division of labor when you guys are recording in the studio like are you all together trying to jam something out or Or is it like, here's your part, here's a part, here's a part. And then you write the song later. It was all of that. Sometimes we would be playing together. But most of the time, after ladies' night, people were bringing bits and pieces. Like when we did Joanna, Charles came in.

It was just an upper stroke guitar. Tink, tink, tink, tink, kink. And he wanted to dedicate it to his mother. And we were sitting there, said, okay, dear mom, that's what he called it. We say, well, what else, man? And it wasn't really much going on. And I think George was the one that said, let's just take a name, Joanna.

Nobody, it wasn't a Joanna we knew. He just grabbed a name. And it sang really well. And we never changed it, for example. Who directed that video? I don't know. Who was that? We shot that acting up in North Bergen,

on the first part, and then over in Lindhurst, New Jersey. at the diner. I forget who actually got shot that though. That was a lot of fun. In retrospect, how burdensome was celebration?

Because this wasn't, like, at the rate where you released this song, do you realize that this song is not just a hit song? Like, that this song is never, ever, ever going to die, ever, ever, ever going to die? It's funny you say that because I don't know if you had a long talk with police, but I don't think police liked the guitar riff.

There was a part that he didn't like too much because we came off the road and it was, there was a part that was there, and I think it was a guitar riff, and he was really pissed off about that. We used to take the cassettes home to study, and this is the truth. I played it for my mother. that's what you think about that. She said, you're going to sing that for the rest of your life. Really? Q, I'm telling you, bro. She was always like that.

She was intuitive with certain things, you know? She said, you're going to sing that for the rest of your life. And here we are. That was enough for me. But we didn't know as a group, though. That song is still in my DJ playlist, but now it has a new meaning because I play the Spanish version. Yeah, yeah.

And when people, like, you know, when people are playing the hook, like I'll EQ it as such that they think they're in the regular version. And then when I put the Spanish version on, there's always a moment where they stop and they look at me. And it's like they got processed for four seconds. Right, right, right. And then, like, they're really, like, it almost energizes the more that you guys would have been so considerate.

I mean, Motown used to do that all the time, but whatever gets burdensome to. Yeah, that was a big thing to do. But we were really huge in South America. And that was the label's idea. They said, listen, man, you got a huge following in South America. Let's try the Spanish version. And Diadado actually wrote out the lyrics for me.

How did you guys hook up with Diadado? I don't know how he came into play, except that I think he was working at House of Music was a John Trope, if I'm not mistaken. and gave him talk to him about, you know, producing cool and the gang. That was before I came. So I don't really know that entire story. What was Diodata, from your perspective, bringing to the production, to the making of the music or the arrangements or anything like that? Well, the most I had heard, you know, he was this unbelievable arranger.

I didn't know much about him. And so I just started looking them up, you know, and I think he had, did he have 2001? Space Odyssey? Yeah, you did? Yeah, that time. But beyond, but more so than that, I just heard that his collection of and respect that he had as an arranger was pretty, pretty widespread. Everybody that spoke of him spoke very highly of him. So when he would talk to us about music, it wasn't so much telling us this is that.

We're going to put this major chord here, just minor. And it wasn't that. It was just, he would do it. And he would always do it with a smile with his little cigarette in his mouth, you know, his piece and, you know, an unassuming guy. But when he brought the orchestra in to do the stringing work, that's when I opened my mind again and saw him. They greeted him as doctor.

And I said, yes. And it actually flipped me back to when I was in high school, or what was it, maybe grade school, when my music teacher took us to see how the West was won in New York, the movie. But it was a screenplay. I mean, the movie was on screen, but there was a real orchestra. And that was my first time seeing an orchestra. So when I saw Dio do that, you know, I had become accustomed to first be quiet and listen and understand how parts work together.

I'm always curious what he was bringing to that, the recipe. Yeah, it was, again, I'm all ears, man, and just to bring it all in, and I think the key thing was just his arrangements. Yeah. Was he playing any of the keyboards? Yeah, sometimes he did, yeah. But he also brought in a couple of people, this guy named Adam on Too Hot. If you listen to Too Hot real close, there's a fender rose in the back besides the whole chords that are playing. And it's making these certain movements that each.

time I have a band keyboardist try to play it. They usually miss that because the movements have all these overtones going, you know, where those roads had that beautiful reverb on them, you know. But yeah, Dio, he's

a master, man. He's a treasure. And I think if he hadn't met him, or the group had met him, we would have all these hits. Pride month, Toronto. Pride is an opportunity for you to create your own space to celebrate your existence.

Iheart Radio is proud to be an official sponsor of Pride Toronto Festival and we won't stop. Celebrate Pride. Turn up the love and listen to IHeart Pride Canada. Your 24-7 radio stream and the only playlist you need for your Toronto Pride celebrations. Pride is so great because it gives a whole bunch of people this visibility that they've never had before. We have a ton to celebrate Toronto. Happy Pride. Iheart Radio.

I love the sounds. The buzzing from the stadium. the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place, soccer, football at home. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? I inherited that fandom from my mom. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots.

We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that make it great. A soccer game is a festival. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I took an elbow to my head which cracked my skull. It is an American game. The Brazilians don't like hearing that, though. Are they the only ones that don't like that?

Nobody likes that. As we get ready for the Men's World Cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the My Coutura podcast network, available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. Together, we're going to have meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people, like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer,

and that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand postpartner depression. I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Because their new star is Javier Tichorino Hernandez. Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm human. Every single day I'm still learning how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions, ever since I was born. And I still have so many questions. Where do we come from? What happens after death?

How do you deal with cancellation? Christiano or Messi Do aliens exist? What is love? Real Madrid or Barza From every day and ordinary to the deep and extraordinary This isn't a normal podcast

Everything here is spontaneous, real and genuine This podcast is like a deep talk With your closest friends Where vulnerability comes out Conspiracy theories End up on the table And goals and lessons are shared All in this life

has an order perfect and all is just Waiter me, I'm going to be We are here to connect The Chicharito I'm Javier Licharito-Nandes, and together with IHard Radio, we're going to make the ordinary, extraordinary. Stay close. It's a carac.

Wow. Listen to learning to be human on IHard Radio, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you get your podcast. All right, listen up. The Jonas Brothers here. Our podcast is called, Hey Jonas. We've here, since everyone has a podcast, we want it to as well. And we've had some incredible guests so far. And now our good friend, Nile Horn is joining the show.

How's it going, boys? Hey, Niall. It was the same thing with Slow Hands. Slow Hands is not about anything else, really, is it? You know, or taste so good, can't be about food. You do the same, Nick, with some of the stuff that you've done. You too, Joe. Drop what you're doing and listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. I would probably say that something special is... That's sentimental to me because, you know, I got that for Christmas. It was Christmas. Oh, you did you? Christmas of 81 was a special Christmas. 81, yeah, yeah, yeah. Of your canon.

which album do you feel is your best performance and of your song catalog? How are you going to steal my question like this, Mr. Questlove? Take it away, Steve. Well, no, no, because actually, they're coming from you because it's kind of like, you know, it's kind of, you're not supposed to ask this question, really, you know, like, because they're all in your babies. Yeah, what's your favorite kid you like? Yeah, exactly.

No, I'll say the album-wise, it would be emergency. Okay. Oh, wow. emergency album, but I think... That was also the biggest selling, correct? Yeah, it's double, yeah. Biggest seller. But I still say, you know, too hot has something that's romantic that, uh,

because when I listen to it, you know, I could listen how, I remember how, again, I was still learning things. Uh-huh. And I could hear vocal things that I say, hmm, we'd do that now, you know, or things that being more mature and able to, do more with my voice now. Things, I would have tried something a little different. But I think too hot as a song,

but emergency as the album. Wait, I don't know if I got the answer. Did celebration become burdensome at all? Like, did it get too big for you? Did you feel like it was ridiculed too much? Was it too successful? No, not for me. Like, this song took you places that,

I don't think your other contemporaries, like they weren't your contemporaries. It wasn't like BT Express or mass production or, hell, even Earth Wouldn't Fire kind of stalled at the gate of the early 80s. And you guys were able to go places that they weren't able to go. It was electric, man. Because again, you know, you write songs.

And when you finish, you just feel good about it. You don't know what's going to happen with it. You know, you just put your heart and soul into it. And that's basically what we did. And there was the pieces. We had a mechanic over here. One guy twisted a knob there. This guy turned that one.

This did that. And we put it together. And the label said, I think we got something. But you know, if the machine isn't there, a lot of songs that may have been a celebration level, you know, don't make it. We had everything. Everything was lined up for us, you know. And with me becoming more of a face and a sound that would become a familiar, they kind of went with that, you know,

and even the Yahoo's and all that stuff. And, you know, I always tell that joke. You know, you very rarely hear like a black group say Yahoo. You know, that's usually left out for the country groups, you know what I mean? Right, right. But it was, again, you know, you got the low voice. It's a solo grace. You know, so.

Something for everybody to sing. Yeah, yeah. And you just sing along. And we talk about the bar mitzvah. You're talking about, you know, the worst thing is when you hear them playing the wrong conversion. I'm sure you've been privy to every version of celebration known a man. I'm telling you, man. And the worst is when they try to get me to come up and sing, nah, I had too many drinks already. So, you know.

Oh, corner gang, saying it out. I'll tell y'all. Oh, yeah, exactly. Get J-T come down. Come down. Okay, so if you don't want to answer, you don't have to answer. Go, go to it, man. What were the hedonistic 80s like? girls girls some drugs but we didn't really really get into that it was just again

the success became big within a year to two year period that it consumed us in a way that we I don't think that the group knew how to be how to receive it in that way you know

so for you to come minute 79 and you're pretty much coming into a situation one you know that brings success and you're kind of the reason for that success yeah but i always wanted to know for the band members that were there before 1969 before the label deals and all that stuff or spike for d t for cool for Kalees, for George. What is success for them like? I mean, you guys are

the only Americans besides Jody Watley at do they know it's Christmas. Right. Right. You guys are at a crazy level of neuriety. So how are they adjusting to this?

If you can speak for them. I really can't. But all I know is that we all shit and everything equally. It wasn't like, at a certain point, you know, we were at one time flying coach, you know what I mean? You fly in first class. You know, when the tension started happening,

I started having my own car, stuff like that happened. But when we hit the stage, it was about, let's go take this, let's put the flag down, you know. And all of this stuff really helped me segue into my solo career. Right. It was a really proven ground, but I can't really speak to how they received it, whether they were overjoyed, because they never said to me, you know, don't forget this is the group, you know, or don't think you're too big and stuff like that. That came from outside, you know, and when it was time for me to make my exit, it had reached a height where that type of tension had gotten too much. And I didn't think that they had my back anymore.

And we did a show at, I never forget, at New Year's down in Atlantic City. And I had the flu. And I was really, really sick. And of course, back then I was about 150. You know what I mean? Soaking wet. And we had been touring and it was the end of the year. And, you know, New Year's is always big money night.

And I was sick, but I refused not to perform. and I went out there and sound voices half gone and I do and cherish and I closed my eyes and when I tried to open them all I saw was red

no not an object just a wall of red like just red and I froze and I opened my eyes again and it came open but then it went red again and I got scared to death man

And I was able to walk backstage and I pull, I think pool, I pull cool over somebody. I said, listen, play jungle boy, Hollywood swinging something. Let me go back here and get myself together. And when I couldn't, I had to come back out and I left the stage. That particular night, I'm back there. And all my family was at the audience. You know, they ran backstage. Even fans were coming back saying, you know, what's wrong and what happened?

They knew something was wrong. because I've never been like this and I'm sitting in my room and none of the guys came over to see how I was doing except one guy Curtis and he told him he said God you can't you see this guy sick you know he can't do it and that part hurt me more because I felt that their interest was more worrying about making the money than a guy who's who been here since the label was going to was going to drop you guys in the 70s And we got together, and I never claimed it was just me, you know, never had that attitude. But to get to this point and you don't even come back to check on the guy, I said, that's it. And I left. That's how you left the group? Yeah. That night, I called my family, and I said, I can't do this anymore.

So it was obvious, back to your question, that they must have felt something along the way, more than what I felt of them because I'd never looked at them any other way except what we did. But that was a rough time because I was really, really sick, but I never let on. And, you know, I've had that many times over the years.

I was not well, and I still did shows. You know, because I knew I had more responsibility than just myself. You know, they had families, you know, themselves. We had records to break and, you know, sacrifice, man. can do this. And many times I'd just go back to my room and, you know, taking myrrh and ginseng and, you know, all these different things. And, uh, I mean, Clifford Adams, you know, he would, he was into all of that and he would be me golden seal and I'm like, you know, trying to get

right. So, uh, but I never let all. Hey, man, I can't sing the night. You know, I was sometime, like when we was trying to sing, um, a stepping out was difficult because it was a falsetto. Right. And, you know, Sometimes that click wouldn't happen. And it would take like a few songs to get there. So we'd have to like take that out of the set. But most of the time, you know, you can walk your way through it. You know, but that was it, man.

But again, it, what I got into, you know, my solo, solo deal. And, you know, my first, I met with Gerald Busby. Right. And Gerald said, listen, man, I don't think you need to be at Motown. You need to go talk to Clive. And I remember sitting with Clive. And Clive played for me. You don't believe it.

That's what friends are for in his office. You know, with Luther and Stevie and Whitney. And at the time, I thought maybe he felt that. Maybe I should be one that was singing that could do that. And make a long story short, MCA offered me more money. So I ended up signing with MCA over there. Or the Master of the Game album, correct? Master of the Game.

I was the first, yeah, master the game. And, you know, working with Louis Silas over there, the A&R. I hear a lot about him, but his name always comes up when it's like new edition related stories or whatever. But what was it like being on your own and only having yourself to answer to? It was a little frightening. I must say, a little frightening because, you know, I was so used to from, you know, being a young teenager, always with the band.

like I said Electro 5 you know the street dance of these bands Filet sold you know pooling the gang

it was always like a group of collection you know and when I got out there I realized that I didn't know as much as I

needed to know about how to really structure songs like complete you know what I mean I could do parts and things like that

but and lyrics but I didn't claim to be a pianist like a skill musician and nothing like this, but anything I hear, I can write. I've always had that, you know.

And when I got with MCA, I realized that they wanted me to do something like I had done before with cooling them. And I was already beyond that. You know, I wanted to be more of an eclectic artist and bring in the styles that I loved, you know, from rock and all these different things. And so I hooked up with this guy named Dennis, Mikovsky. Okay.

He introduced me to James Ingram, Tata Vega, Rose Stone, Phil Perry, James, you know, Jeff Piccaro, Polino de Costa. And I was like, okay, this is, I love this, this collection right here. And that's when I started working on Mass of the Game. And plus publishers were sending me songs to, to choose from, you know. And that kind of helped me a lot. But Lul, he was there the whole time trying to help me get a hit record. You know, because, again, I got paid well, and the record company would just kind of let me do what I wanted to do.

And, you know, the first single, I still think they picked the wrong song. They picked the other songs, Sister Rosa. And I did a video with Michael Peters, you know, who did thriller, you know, with Michael and all that stuff. and we did the whole video and everything like this, but they didn't jump on the record because I still think they should have chosen Romanceia or some other songs. Yeah, you know, and so that kind of

a little bit of taste there and, you know, people were expecting, ah, JT, the song, you know, it ain't no ladies' night, you know, when are you going to do that? And I was doing my interviews, I tell everybody, I said, well, I did that and my mind isn't there now. and that's when I think Bobby Brown hit or New Edition.

Right. And Bobby was blowing the doors out, you know, right there. And they said, well, won't you give me something like that? And I was like, I said, didn't you talk to Bobby? It's like, well, man, we tried to be like what you did. Right, exactly. So how are you guys telling me to do something like that? So it started that's when the mill started turning.

And we knew we had to, you know, kind of go back at it, you know, And even with James Ingram and all these guys on, they still didn't, you know, promote it the right way. Was it hard adjusting in an environment more conducive to, like, new jack swing than say the kind of musicianship that you were used to? Like, what does it mean to be faced with a pivot? you know, instead of a band, you might have to have two dancers with you. I was fine. I did that. I did.

In fact, I actually, I know, well, I know that. Teddy, yeah, had Teddy. Teddy actually did a song, you know, eight days for me. So I had those dancers, but it was, again, it wasn't, it was music, man. It wasn't, this is not rocket science here. You know, it's like, what do you feel? You know, I'm still that same way today, you know, like I write every day. And it's always something that, you know, I'm sure when I finish with you, you know, I'm going to write something about this experience.

So, wow. I said, let's go at it. Okay. Hey, in the history of you being a professional singer, has anyone ever yelled fire and rain to you from the audience? You did steal my question. I was honestly wondering about that today. about, look at his victory pose. That's great.

No, I used to sort of study the publishing stuff in credits and like sort of books. And I was always wondering if the publishing ever got crossed between you guys, you know, on anything. Not the money. At that time, he was making big money. We weren't. But I used to, when I first went solo, the publishers got things mixed up. In fact, at the rock and roll hall of fame, he came over to my room, and I'm in the dressing room, and he came over to meet me. He said, I always wanted to meet you.

I said, really? No. That was the first time y'all met? That's the first time we met, right? I wish I could have been there for that. Yeah, man, and he came over, and we hugged each other, and we shared, share some, you know, conversation. And I told him that story. I said, I was getting these, like, kind of country songs, man.

And, you know, my manager said, wait a minute, I think this supposed to be for the other James Taylor. So we had a laugh. And I said, I want to do something with you. And he said, let's do that. You know, so that may happen in the near future. She's my voices. I approve of that. Do you know if Marvin ever heard your nod to him or take my heart if you want it?

I don't know, man. But I would tell you, because, you know, I'm a big Marvin fan as well. But we were doing the, that's when I was still with. cool. We did the rain, I think the rainbow room or the rainbow theater in London. And we're on stage because I don't know

what song we were singing. And I looked to my left over in the corner and Marvin is standing in the wing. Man, I was like, he was living there at the time. Yeah, he was living there, right. So, of course I had to bring him on. And just walking on stage, the place

with berserk. And you know, he walked off. And we were taking a picture to the other. He's looking over at me like this, you know, looking down on me. He said, J.T., you know I can slam dunk you, you know that, right? I said, brother, I can play ball too. Let's do this.

We never got to play. But he was amazing, man. I would have loved to just take the ball to him a little bit. Because he was a tall. He was kind of a tall guy. I see, I see. It would have been tough. But, yeah, but, no, I don't know if he ever did.

It's one of my favorite ad lit of yours, man. Like Marvin. I love that song. I was actually talking to George because George wrote the song. And it was like, who, I said, like Marvin. Like Marvin, huh? Right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Exactly. Exactly. You know, there was a time period in which videos were not necessary, but could be an option to help you sell a little more if you were trying to get your stuff played on like Top of the Pops or, you know, if you couldn't get to Europe in time. What was the video process like?

Because even that video for misled, which I'll never understand, like, are you just showing up and like, okay, is a chase scene with an Indiana Jones and a bunch of white ghost dancing around me? Yeah, right. Well, you know, of course, I've always been into film, you know, and like even right now, you know, my future project that I'm working on now. I'll tell you about that in a minute. But because I was in the film early in my life, I was able to, when videos came along, I could process everything that's happened because most of our songs was like a storyboard. You know, and you mentioned misled. It was about, you know, it was basically Colise's life story, part of his life story and my input.

And it was the metaphor of the white dancer was like, she was like the cocaine that people were taking, you know, misleading, looking beautiful and everything and taking you down that rabbit hole. You know, and my nephew, who played the young kid. The young kid. Yeah, that was my nephew, yeah. You know, and so to bring that part in, that was theatrical and the special effects.

So, and then the one thing that happened on that video was that we said, how are we going to get the band in? And I wrote most of that concept. And I said, well, you guys are going to be, you know, incognito as well. And it's a dream state. So that's why, you know, that happened. And when we came at the end and they were like, JT, we got to go, man, we got a gig to do.

They were in the dream and that's when they turned around. So Michael definitely influenced that as far as the video because remember, MTV wasn't playing us. And Michael turned that around. So that's when the whole video thing for black artists started kicking in. And we knew that Michael had raised the ball. So we had to raise the par because if you remember on most of the charts, if we knew Michael was coming, we had to get our position first. You know, because as soon as he came, you know, we're going to knock you out of number one. But being there in the top five or top ten, that means in the stores, your music was right there long side his.

And it would help yourselves. All of that, the video world actually helped me with the project I'm doing. now and what my future is going to be. Got it. At the time when you guys get invited to do Band-Aid, do you have any inkling of the clue what you guys walked into? No, because we were on tour.

You all just had a night off in London? No. We were actually just, I don't know if we, I think we did have a night off, but the thing that bothered me was that they had mentioned, I think, on the news or something that, you know, with all of these big stars there. And when we got there, there was no cameras. And I remember telling DT, I said,

you know, it was the press, man. And our people telling about the press. And we walked in. No one said, you know, okay, J.T, you're going to be doing this and it's going to be doing that. We kind of just walked in the studio and everybody was just sitting around the room. And Phil Collins and Geldorf and they were behind the board. And they just kind of waved. And, you know, And later on, I thought somebody mentioned that they wanted me to do the part that, what tonight, thank God is them. And I'm glad they didn't ask me because I would have never done that part. You're talking about Bono's line?

Yeah, Bono's line. Thank God it's you. It's them instead of you. I said, I would have never saying that anyway. Because that's just a little too much for me. You know, I wouldn't thank God as you. You know, that's not my vibe. I don't know what I mean.

But yeah, it was awesome, man. But we still didn't know how it was going to come out. I just enjoyed, you know, meeting, you know, sting and filled. But it was intense. It was like no time to really hang out and talk about it. And when they put us all on the stands together, it was just like, okay, this is what we're going to sing. We learned the song. And we went through the process.

For you, what was the best, like, when you think of, like, the good times or whatever, like places you played or even people you met or people that you never thought you meet. What's a career highlight for you of something like, like, wow, I can't believe this happened? There's many. Okay. But I think going to Africa for the first time was monumental. Because I remember when we were at House of Music once, and this was doing a podcast. And this agent came to the studio and asked us to play.

And that's when everybody was refusing to play Sun City. It was part of our protests. And I remember looking at this guy, almost tearing up that how could he have the nerve to come here and ask us to perform there knowing the atrocities that were going on? Right. And I remember we got a silver record, I think, from South Africa. And when we got it, I said, I refuse to hang this up in my house until Mandela is freed. And I put it in the closet. And when he was freed, I took it out and celebrated that.

But I think going to Liberia and then learning about the slave quarters and where our people were brought from the shores and things like that, the Ivory Coast up and down, you know. And I always felt like I didn't want to take money out of there. Like I, because it wasn't really built up as much like Ghana, right, like it is now. You know, and I just didn't understand what I understood, but I didn't feel good about doing a concert and taking money from a place that we should have just,

left it there, you know. But I think Africa was, it's still to the day, the feeling I get that touches my heart most. Pride Month, Toronto. Pride is an opportunity for you to create your own space, to celebrate your existence. Iheart Radio is proud to be an official sponsor

of Pride Toronto Festival, and we won't stop. Celebrate Pride. Turn up the love and listen to IHeart Pride Canada, your 24-7 radio stream and the only playlist you need for your Toronto Pride celebrations. Pride is so great because it gives a whole bunch of people this visibility that they've never had before. We have a ton to celebrate Toronto.

Happy Pride! Iheart Radio. I love the sounds. The buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place soccer, football at home. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breathe? I inherited that fandom from my mom. watching it with my dad.

It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that

make it great. A soccer game is a festival. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull. It is an American game. The Brazilians don't like hearing anything. that though. Are they the only ones that don't like that? Nobody likes that.

As we get ready for the men's World Cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the My Coutura Podcast Network, available on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. Together, we're going to have meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people, like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame. fierce health challenges. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer, and that was more difficult.

There's a lot of people who understand postpartner depression. I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm human. single day I'm still learning how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions, ever since I was born. And I still have so many questions. Where do we come from? What happens after death? How do you deal with cancellation? Cristiano or Messi? Do aliens exist? What is love?

Real Madrid or Varsa? From every day and ordinary to the deep and extraordinary. This isn't a normal podcast. Everything here is spontaneous, real and genuine. This podcast is like a deep talk with your closest friends, where vulnerability comes out. Conspiracy theories end up on the table. And And goals and lessons are... All in this life has an order perfect and all is just. Wait, me. I'm going to be able to be able to be able to be. We are here to connect.

The Chicharito. And Javierito-Nandes, and together with I-Hard Radio, we're going to make the ordinary, extraordinary. Stay close. It's a carac. Wow.

Listen to learning to be human on I-Hard Radio, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. All right, listen up. The Jonas Brothers here. Our podcast is called, Hey Jonas. We're here, since everyone has a podcast, we wanted to as well.

And we've had some. incredible guests so far. And now our good friend, Nile Horn, is joining the show. How's it going, boys? Hey, Niall. It was the same thing with Slow Hands. Slow Hands is not about anything else, really, is it? You know, or taste so good can't be about food. You do the same, Nick, with some of the stuff that you've done. You too, Joe.

Drop what you're doing and listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. One, congratulations on getting in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yes, yes, thank you. Were you surprised? or were you actively hoping for this? Well, you know, I tell the story. I said, when I think back to being at 13,

you never think about it. You never think about any accolades. At least I didn't. My whole thing was just a love for music, man. And, you know, when they told us about the rock, of course, I called all my family, and I think they announced it on the American Idol or something like that.

And we were all sitting around watching, waiting for it to come on, when they said, bam, cool the gang, my phone jumping off the hook, people talking about how can I get there, I want to come. We had a lot of family there, but it was just a combination of all of the years of the sweat, being away from my family, having my family there and joined some of it, coming into cooling the gang, and then leaving the group. And also, you know, I brought everything from Hackensack High School,

to, you know, the bands I was in, to, you know, Jersey City. Anybody that I met along the way were a part of it. And that's including you, your group, the Philly Sound, Motown, sound, you know, anything, it was like I was bringing all of you with me, you know. And then, of course, you know, to find out that you were going to be with me, I'm like, oh, man, this is too good to be true. You know, so, you know, when I walked up and met you, you know, I was like, yo, right in the middle of playing.

Yo, man, what's up? And I got a good picture I want to sit in you about that, too. I was nervous, man. I was, you know. Well, you were nervous. Come on, man. You were smacking. No, I mean, but just you were the only legendary luminary of, like,

my life sound check track that I haven't met yet. You know what I mean? So. Yeah. Yeah, it was awesome. And you guys played, man. And the thing about it was that you wouldn't believe this. That night, that was a week that week.

I had some dental work done, right? And I had this, I don't know if you ever heard of TMJ, but it's when your jaw locks. So that whole night in the performance, I couldn't open my mouth but this much. What? So I'm singing, and in rehearsal, I was actually, when I was walking around the stage,

was trying to find vowel sounds at how I was going to say certain things. And I couldn't hit like the high notes. Yahoo. If you listen back I couldn't do it. Oh, wow. All night. So I was in a little bit of an agony while I was enjoying myself.

That's a story nobody can tell, right? I didn't know, man. Nobody knew, you know. We wouldn't have been the wiser. Wow. But the night was awesome, bro, and it's like it's something that I will, you know, treasure forever. Before that night, had you had any

contact with cool, like was that the first time you guys spoke since the reunion or? No, no. The first time was a few years ago when we were inducted into songwriters' Hall of Favor. Got it. Okay. And

that was the first time I had seen them and since the right early 90s. I still went in there like, you know, just proud of what we had accomplished over the years and, you know, So they all came to me and we spoke and they were cordial. And in fact, Calice came to me and pulled me to the side and said,

man, why don't we get back together and do this again? And I was taken back because we did celebration that night, got our award. And, you know, we went our separate ways. And again, going back to the Rock and Roll Hall of thing, that was the other thing that was kind of bittersweet that, you know, George and Charles D.T. and Clifford and they weren't there. And it was like I'm sitting with their wives and their children. You know, we're talking and things like this.

And, you know, I was just a little empty. There was a space there that was empty, you know. But I hope that they're looking down, they appreciated what Kuhl and I did, along with, you know, you and the roots as well. What are you working on now? Well, you know, the thing right now is I just kind of, you know, I was right before COVID hit, you know, I realized I was doing out, going out, doing all this one-nighters, you know, money was great and everything. But every day you leave, you know, you come back home, you lose three days, three or four days.

And when I was working on, I started working on this project with my son, who's a filmmaker and a director. And we weren't getting anywhere. And so I said, listen, I got to stop this touring. And actually COVID helped me because nobody was really working that much anyway. So like I've always done, I said, well, I want to do something that hasn't been done before or something different and include different genres, social media, film, music, and make a combination of all of those things and involve people like yourself, you know, your group and different artists from different genres around. and include like the visual effects of things and, you know, devote all the time to new kind of music and development, you know, and, you know, it's enhanced my knowledge, you know, of directing and writing in that genre. Without letting everything out of the bag, it's like, you know, when you're trying to do something that hasn't been done, it takes a lot of attention. You know, you have to go through every little piece. It's not just one creative idea. The idea of.

grew and now we're at a point where we're at, I would say, the script, for example, you know, and all I can say to you is I will promise to lead you on as we've developed this because it's something that hopefully you will be a part of. I'll just ask you straight out, you know, and I think that it's something that is needed today because when I listen to some of the music that's out here. It seems like things have either plateaued or just have a little stagnant.

A little vibrational. Yeah, you know, so we need a little something. And, you know, and usually over the years, you know, we've had a collective of people doing so many different styles that we could pull from anywhere. You know, now it just seems like there's some things that are just not, you know,

when I listen to it, I'm not being fed. as much so um right you know six years of like revising this this project you know i'm kind of looking at some things that i wrote down combining like the you know mediums of music and film but it's it's like um how can i explain this it will be something that will be future but something with grassroots of the arts okay something i think that everyone will be able to relate to All I got to say is, man, you are in the highest sense of the term of Class Act, man. You just, you know, I'm so glad you got your flowers. I'm so glad you got recognition.

And that's often hard, especially for a lot of our brothers and sisters who are pioneers, our leaders. And oftentimes their artwork is taken for granted. And they're not given the proper respect to. and you are that person, man. I appreciate that. And, you know, and those artists that you mentioned, you know, deserve to be heard.

They deserve to have that, like, that renaissance, you know. And I really think that this project, you know, they're going to do that. And listen, before we be in this, man, there's so much more to talk about. But I just first want to, you know, congratulate you on the sum of soul. Thank you, brother.

Hey, bro. Where's that Oscar, man? I'm looking for that gold. Look behind you over there and put that statue up behind you. This is my office, man. I keep my Oscar at home. Yeah, well, this is going to be another one, brother. Thank you, my brother.

I mean, it was really so well put together, man. And like the way you, when you brought in the people from Harlem, you know, telling their stories, the way you interplayed that with the music. It was like a story book. It was magical, man. You have a special gift with that. And as I said, you know, with these specials, that you're doing, I think it's great to hear because it kind of leads into what we're,

what we're doing now. I want to say some, like sort of an announcement of my own. I've done the math, J.T. And since you've technically, technically, technically appeared at the most bar mitzvahs in the history of bar mitzvahs, I am announcing that you have been declared an honorary Jew and you can consider yourself bar mitzvah. All right. Do I have to learn my, my speech and everything? You are part of the Hebrew persuasion at this point. There you go. Thank you very much, brother, for doing this podcast. And, you know, on behalf of the family and Suga Steve, this is Kwestlove, brother James J.T. Taylor, the one and only.

Thank you so much. Love you. Thank you, guys. Appreciate it. Thank you, brother. Thank you so much, J.T. That was amazing. This is Sugar Steve.

Thank you for listening to Questlove Supreme. This podcast is hosted by Amir Kest Love Thompson, Laya San. Claire, Sugar Steve Mandel, and unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers are Amir Questlove Thompson, Sean G, and Brian Calhoun. Produced by Brittany Benjamin, Jake Payne, and Laiaea St. Clair. Edited by Alex Conroy. Produced for IHeart by Noel Brown. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio.

For more podcasts from IHeartRadio, visit the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fit. It's not just a game. It's your culture.

I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. its underdog roots. Listen to American Football on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Joy is essential and it's also elusive, but now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotby. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free I-Heart!

Radio app search Joy 101 and listen now. Joy 101 with Hoda Cotty is presented by CVS. All right, listen up. The Jonas Brothers here. Our podcast is called Hey Jonas. We're here since everyone has a podcast, we want it to as well. And we've had some incredible guests so far. And now our good friend, Nile Horn, is joining the show.

How's it going, boys? Hey, Niall. It was the same thing with Slow Hands. Slow Hands is not about anything else, really, is it? You know, or taste so good can't be about food. You do the same, Nick, with some of the stuff that you've done. You too, Joe. Drop what you're doing and listen to Hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm human. Every single day I'm still learning how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions ever since I was born. This isn't a normal podcast. Everything here is spontaneous, real and genuine, just honest conversations about what it means to be alive. I'm Javier Chichariot Hernandez and listen to learning to be human. on IHard Radio, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs.

We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come into you, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.