The Questlove Show - QLS Classic: The Emotions

Episode Date: June 21, 2026

In this Black Music Month QLS Classic, Grammy Award-winning vocal group The Emotions talk about their unusually early musical start, how hip hop reinvigorated their career and the deep influence of their family on everything they do.    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 Kot me. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Listen to Joy 101 on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby is presented by CVS. Hey, this is Chuck from Stuff You Should Know, and we're submitting our most sciencey episodes for your peer review with our new stuff you should know doing science playlist.

Out now. You want to know about Occam's Razor? Simplest Explanationation. is usually the right one, we got you covered. Wondered what chaos theory is ever since the first time you saw Jurassic Park? Well, come on down. So distill a nice pot of tea, everybody,

turn down the gas on your Bunsen burner, and slip into your most comfortable lab coat and listen to the stuff you should know doing science playlist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. He left Nigeria, he conquered Hollywood, and he never forgot where he came from.

David Ayelho is one of the most powerful storytell. of his generation. On this episode of 154, we go deep. Nigeria, identity, navigating Hollywood at the highest level, and the responsibility that comes with using your platform to change the world. This is 154, new episode streaming now. Don't miss it. Listen to this episode of 154, available now on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeartRadio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. Hey, what's up y'all? This is Questilov. And as you've noticed, throughout June, we are celebrating Black Music Month by releasing an episode every day. So, every day, you're either going to hear a special pick QLS classic. And on Wednesdays, we're dropping new two-part episodes with Wayne Brady and James Poyser, both of which were filmed in studio.

So make sure you also watch us on YouTube. And on this QLS, we sat down with the emotions. That's right, the emotions. This is special comprehensive chat with three incredible Grammy Award winners. Total icons. Ladies and gentlemen, this is QLS Classic from May 10th, 2017 with the emotion.

We talked to the Grammy Award winning Chicago, Illinois songbirds who had five decades under their belts of harmonies, hits, and samples. that have become the staple of our lives. Joining them, it's also Yian Vaughan of Dr. Dre's The Pharmacy Show, and they recall their family history and song and memories. It's really cool. We hope you enjoy this episode of KOLS Classic with the emotions.

Suprema, Subrama, Roll Call. Suprema, Sub prima, Sub prima roll call. Suprema, Sub-Sup, Suprema Roe-Call Supremma Ro-Call Don't touch that dial Yeah Don't push and shove Yeah

Because you getting the best Yeah My name is Fonte Yeah I am not Questlove But it is my love Yeah You get the best of

Sub-Supp Sub-Sub Sub-Simma Roca Boss Bill's my name Yeah Chilling with the tribe Yeah Shout out to the emotion

for my jam love vibes. Roll con. Supra, sub, sub, sub, suprema, roll call. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, suprema, roll call. My name is Sugar. Yeah. We in LA. Yeah.

All these emotions. Yeah. It's our last day. Roecom. Supraima, Supraima, Supraima, Roe, Supraima Roca.

I'm unpaid Bill. Yeah. Drinking Camboucha. Yeah. What rhymes a camera? The future. Supremia! I knew I was a film.

Supremia, yeah. And I'm very excited. Yeah. Three beautiful ladies. Yeah. I know why I was invited. Rocah. Supraima Role call.

Supraima, sub, sub, suprema roll call. My name is Wanda. Yeah. Oh, you got the best of me. My love, I'm a passion, I found that gift up above. Supremma, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, subprima, roll call. Supremma, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, subprima, roll call. I'm Ryan Vaughn.

Yeah. The voice of reason. Yeah. I'm hot, I'm spicy. Yeah. Call me well season. Low call. Oh, superma, sub, sub, supremac.

Supremea roll call. Supraima, sub, sub, sub, suprema roll call. My name is Pam. Yeah. And I just came here. Yeah. Give you my number. Yeah.

I'll play your game. Rocah. Suprema. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, subprima roll call. Suprema. Suprema. Suprema. Subrema, sub, sub, subprima, roc call.

Suprema, sub, sub, subrema role call. Damn. My can boot your future ride. Shit. What rhymes with Cambucha? It was, I'm unpaid bill drinking kombucha, happy them toilets. I'm from the future.

At least I got to say it. Those are some pretty futuristic toilets back. I mean, I was so busy trying to coordinate my sample. That I couldn't. That I couldn't. I was trying to coordinate my sample. Wow. These complicated roll call the whole.

That is so funny. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of Course Love Supreme on Pandora. We are in the presence of royalty, ladies and gentlemen. Yes. Royalties. For over five decades, the world has been blessed with the distinct harmony and vocal stylins of our next guests from their humble beginnings in Chicago. Chicago, correct? Yes.

Yeah, as a gospel group. The Sunbeam. Hutchinson's, exactly. Later evolving on the world stage as the emotions. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our very distinct guests. Our first group. Yeah. On the show.

Wow. Yeah. A first. I like that. Well, yes. That's our first singing group, though. Yes, our first singing group. Welcome.

Oh, wow. We're so. Madam Pamela Hutchison, Wanda born, and Y.N. Born. Collectively known. known in our hearts as the emotional. Thank you. Thank you.

I'm so delighted to be here. I just must say, Quest, I just love seeing you play those drums. I love it. I'm not hearing it. I sing with you. I can't, I really can't. I know people think I'm being

disingenuous when I say, I can't believe you know that I'm alive. This is really a great moment for me. So, You know, the purpose of our show is to really go in depth into the guest that we have on the show. Because oftentimes, you know, you have favorites, but you really don't know them as people.

And, you know, especially pre this decade, you know, where people's lives are always on display more than their talent or whatever. That's true. You know, there's a lot of us, me included, that, you know, I don't know. much about the emotions as a, as humans, you know, I know about your beginnings in Chicago. So you guys started obviously in church?

In church, that's true. We were singing on Sunday sometime at Maheja Jackson's Church, over on 87th Street, right down the street from, what was the guys that played, the boys from Chicago? No, not the shylights,

but, oh, okay, the Jackson 5, emotions, and the little guy that sings and drums, oh, I know so. Not men's condition. Huh? No, not men condition. No, that's the wrong decade. He said, she said sing and drum, and I'm like, because they play the drums, and then their sister was in the group.

The stair steps. Oh, the five stair steps. Oh, the five stair steps, because we all did Apollo together just so happened, the very first time we did it. Really? Apollo, Jackson, Five, emotions. Oh, wow. Yeah, and Ronnie Millsap, however.

Wow. Ronnie Millsett. I know if nobody. Shout out to Ronnie Millsap. But anyway, what a beginning. Love from the third degree, Ronnie Milsep? Yeah, he had a hit in the 80s. Never had it so good.

Yeah. No. Well, yeah, love in the third degree. No, there was another one. It was top 40 hit. Which one? I can't remember. I remember love.

I'll get back to you. We can skip Ronnie Millsap. Wait a minute. But she said Ronnie Millset played the Apollo. Yes. That is mind-blowing Well, he's blind So he didn't know where he was.

Oh, my goodness. Aw. Oh, my God. Okay. But anyway, that was our first thing. Your mic privileges have been revoked. Oh, my gosh. But we had a gospel show there in Chicago

called the we actually sang in Al Abrams Pontiac. It was a showroom of all the Pontiacs that were at that time. Tempest, the Grand Prix, and we were the singers. My father playing guitar, he also sold the cars and gave people insurance.

And that's where we met Don Cornelius. He was actually giving insurance. I mean, he was a salesman there, you know, for insurance. But anyway, and we sang with a Jubilee Showcase, which is now on YouTube. It was on the Unsung. Right, yeah. But anyway, that was our first, and I just happened to, because you know how Social Security sends you, your very first thing that you did.

That was the first thing that we did. Wow. And from, what, seven, eight years old when we first started? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When the motion, well, we were the Hutchinson's and Sunbeams at the time. And then, of course, the staple singers. I was about to say, so it was sort of like your father was Pops.

Yeah. Was our father. Right, but I mean he's like Pops Staples. Like Pops' Staples, exactly. But he got Pervis Staples to manage. He was our manager. You know, when we got with Isaac Hayes. Doesn't he once have a nightclub too?

Yes. On 79th Street. Yeah, he left the staple singers to. And he had a big Cadillac on the top of it. I'm trying to pick the name of it, though. And that's when he was going with Melbourne. But I remember that. We would sing there about once a month,

and he would have people that come in town, come there, and Joe Simon. I mean, oh, all the best. Nice. How easy was it to, well, obviously, you must have your parents' blessings because they're in the act with you. Yeah. I often hear of times of groups that start in gospel.

Yes. And try to sort of sneak their way into the secular world, to the nightclubs and what. Like, how do you, was it easy to switch the two? Well, it was more of a situation for my grandmother, dad's mom out of Terre Haute, Indiana. Mama Rose? Yeah, Mama Rose. And she was like, wow, you know you brought them girls up to sing for God. Now, singing for the devil ain't part of that.

I mean, she was really like that. And our first at the, what's the Regal Theater in Chicago, when we won the contract in 69 to sing on Stacks records, I can't go. I can't go. And you girls, you got to say, he said, but you got to promise me you got to sing a gospel song every time you do a show. And if anybody knows us, when we do a show, we say, in gospel. So we kept that part in there. I said, but mama, we're not singing about people who aren't married.

We're just singing about people. They're in love and getting married. Yes. Yes. And, you know, Sheila wrote the first song, so I can love you. Which Isaac Hayes produced. But anyway, that was the first thing that came out in 1969. So what was that whole, at least that the grind?

between, because I'm certain that you guys, between Chicago, I'm sure that you went to. Memphis, that's what we recorded in Memphis, Tennessee. But I mean, between Chicago, like just the Midwest, between Chicago, Indiana, just that whole circuit. What was it like? Like, was everyone, I mean, a typical day for those contests or whatever. Were there always?

Yes, and we were still in school. So we always did the contest at the school, you know, at the high school and the junior high. And we would have, and everyone would want to sing with us because we still sang in Chicago before we had a record deal. Right. So people knew of us, you know, in the area because my father had a radio show on the Gospel Morning radio, you know, situation.

So everyone kind of knew us. So they would want to sing with the Hutchison Sunbeams when we would do the, what do you call the show? The concert. Jubilee Showcase. But, you know, we'd have to pick someone who's the winner. the auditions. Oh, oh, oh.

Yeah, talent shows. All the talent. That was a big thing in Chicago. That was a big thing. Everyone in the talent show. Yeah, and then all of the radio folks, they always came out to the school. That's what's so different about this age and before. They were more into the community.

Exactly. It was at the community process center. Yes, yes. Even at nine years old, my brother had his own band. And I sang Aretha Franklin's song. by myself. Yes. I didn't have a, you know, at nine years old.

I wanted to be kind of flashy, so I had an orange dress, red socks, a green pearl necklace. Wow. I was real colorful. Well. All the colors of the rainbow. And Herb Kent would be the guy. I don't know if you remember Herb Kent, the gent. Herb Kent, the gent, yeah.

Yes. And he would come to all the sock hops. we had sock hops. We tried to start that and we came out here. People went, sock hop. What communities are going to come? You have to do it on the night. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. What is a sock hop in the gym? It's not a dance. It's a dance with the socks on. Take off your shoes. I didn't know that you had to take off your shoes. Most people wore Bobby socks. I thought that's why you called to that.

That's what it was. Well, you couldn't wear shoes on the gym floor. Yes. Got it. Yeah. But in socks. Yes. Because you're on the court where

basketball players and you know you can't wear hard shoes you didn't want to scuff it up right right okay I'm like what was the way in Chicago dancing and flipping and doing all that that uh yeah and then at the Catholic church which is amazing because all the black folks went to the Catholic church just to the sock hop there was the skating you'd skate to the 70s music at the at the Catholic church because they had the big arena you know so but it was amazing because we come out and then all the white people would be standing outside because they wouldn't come in on the nights that we that we had the skating. So Chicago

was integrated? Well, at that time. Not at that time. And even when it did integrate. It was 68, you know. Chicago has always been an interesting, like, segregated type of city, right? It's an interesting type of city. Yeah. Interesting. Yes. Still. Mm-hmm. That's crazy. But the church let us have it there, and it was certainly a Catholic, you know, it wasn't the Baptist Church. It was the... Right. Right. It was 100% Catholic.

But they wanted to be a part of the community, which was really something. and even the largest, like the car dealers and so forth, they would let us have, they would move the cars back and let people have a dance situation or talent show. And you know what? It was really smart because they got their parents and then, you know, they're fixing to buy a car,

so they're going to buy a car from the place where they can go dance. And I'm like, gosh, I wish L.A. had that kind of a, you know, now. But I don't know. I don't know if anywhere has that kind of a thing now. Yeah. I was going to say, I want to work there. That was great. Community was the...

It seemed like that was the center of everything, though. That every... Like the radio outlets, cars, church, every one sold into the community. That's true. That's kind of awesome. So, okay, so you said that Don Cornelius would be there. Did you...

You guys obviously did the local version of Soul Train, correct? Yes, we did. The very first one, Channel 26, which was UHF. Oh, you know. Wow. The very first Soul Trains were on UHF. So how... revolutionary was that at the time in Chicago, like the idea of a show where you saw all black teenagers dancing and...

It was a really big deal. It was really... Uh-huh, because it was, you know, they... Normally their people would have a... What was that guy, the real famous dance show? American Bandstand? Yes, American Bandstand. Dick Clark.

Dick Clark. Yes, Dick Clark. And this was before they moved out here. Before they moved Soul Train. Yeah, I meant the local Chicago. Yeah, you're right. How big was the room? The room was no bigger, a little bigger than this.

Well, the actual room where the commitment was at that hotel, you know, down there. Downtown Chicago? Yeah. It was at the hotel. It was a small room, Billy. Mm-hmm. Not with the dancing part where the people were. Yeah.

It was small. Yeah. Did you do that one with the Monty? Yeah. You know what she's talking about it. What we was actually saying. I know. But the dance part was in the.

the lobby kind of, you know. It was bigger. No. Yeah. It wasn't. Sounds like two different stories. You were nine years. Oh, that's a nine.

Okay. Jeanette was in the group, then. Ladies. I did that. There goes that question about. I did it. This is a real, you both must know. This is a real family business.

Oh, we know. And it's so funny because I have to remember, like, these are real sisters. I see them as mom and auntie, but when they have their fun times like this, I have to remember, like, as if it was. me and my sisters, that's called step back. I don't have jurisdiction in that. I don't have a dog in the fight. I wasn't there. I was not.

To us on YouTube, we didn't even know that was on YouTube. That was the one though when you guys did when you had the white on and you did best of my love. Was that in the... Yeah, but no, that was out here. That was what I'm telling you about. That's the big one. Yeah, that's the established one. I'm at the

before, before, when it was black and white and before... Black and white. Right. Before it, you know, got big. That version of the soldier. But you also mentioned a lot of your contemporaries. You just ever so casually, like, down the halfway.

So because Chicago is just the epicenter and such a musical birthplace for many of our favorites, on a casual week, like, who were you seeing that are gods now? But who was just, who would you run into? The impressions. All the,

time. Shaka Khan. Shaka, my baby. Yeah, Shaka. We went to school together. Yeah. And when they had, when King, that thing happened and they were looting and doing all of this so-called.

Right. And I went to the disciples, you know, the gangs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And because they loved us and knew us, they let us talk to them and, you know, in the same room. And the police used us to go. I mean, it was just so wonderful. Used us to go into their places where they would meet to talk to them and like,

Don't go over here. You know that's brother so-and-so's business. And they're okay. And they did it. And we were like so shocked because me and Chaka had these froes like this. And we had those tops that stopped right here and the bell bottom pair. And they would really listen to this. Yeah, I would have listened to it.

You're right. Okay. Let's go home. But anyway, it was quite a situation. then. You had that one picture when you guys were singing at Mahalia's church, and Mahalia Jackson was looking up. Did you see her often? Yes, because my dad, because he was singing with us when we were doing gospel. And so when we would go to her church, it would be like a Sunday, every other.

It was the tea when they would have the tea. And we would do this repertoire. And when dad would sing with us, we did, what was that, Avamaria. We would do all these songs that things like barbershop or four or five-part harmony. And he played, well, he did. Well, he did play electric then because he started out not playing electric. But he would play these songs. And so she would ask that, we did Prodigal Sun and somewhere over the rainbow, you know, a lot of songs like that.

And she says, are you going to put these girls in some kind of music conservator? I would love to, you know, be a part of their education. I mean, she actually said that to him when we were, we weren't even thinking about, you know, a music concert. Did you realize that she was royalty back then? Or was it just like. Yes, because all these people would come from. Because it was in a black neighborhood, and they would be coming from Europe or coming from wherever they just to hear her sing.

And she would do that home song. She would do the, oh, my gosh, the song that was in the movie, you know, imitation of life. Oh, my God. But she could sing just a regular, Amazing Grace. When she was, your skin would crawl, mind. Yeah, well, yeah. Would just crawl. And then I wasn't even, you know, I was a kid.

And I was like, why is my skin crying? I mean, what is that? What is that? And she's not singing all these runs that. everybody does today. But she's just singing that guttow real cool. And then she had very little vibrato, and she knew when to make it the smooth tone and the contralto.

And I didn't know those words then. I couldn't figure out what was it making me go, you know. But anyway, I kind of enveloped it into my lead singing. And it was really a thing, because I always sung the gospel mostly in the group. But she had a way of doing a guttural low squaw. that I've never heard anyone do. But she did it.

And, I mean, you're, you just, everyone in the place is crying. It's like, why are they crying? You know, I mean, but that, anyway. So how did you learn? Because, like, hearing you use the terms of, like, control toe and, you know, the vibrato and everything, did you ever actually take, like, formal lessons, or were these just things you picked up along the world?

My father. My father, he had us, like, you know, when we would rehearse, he would have us just listen to, now, believe it or not, We watched the Lawrence Welk show. Oh, wow. And what's those girls that sing? Andrew sisters.

And we did a lot of commercials in town. There were those guys, the high lows. And we got to go down there to. All that barbershops up. Yeah, where the impressions recorded is actually where they did, the CBS studios at that time. And we got a chance to watch them. And we was like, wow, that's how they had to our singing, you know,

because we sang Acapella in the rehearsal. Right. We weren't singing with music and stuff. And so dad would go, and you knew what this meant, you go low, you go high. Because no one could figure out, I remember when BNGB was recording, I Don't Want to Lose Your Love. And she said, how did you guys sing the harmony? You know, one would be on top and the other one would be on the back. But my father was then to fourths and fifths because he said those were the anointed intervals.

And anytime we see those movies, do, do, do, do. That interval is always a fourth or a fifth. I really didn't know that then, but dad would tell us this stuff. I'm like, hmm, now where did he get this? Right, right, right. But anyway, that's kind of how we got into it. But it was something, and the more that we sang and then saw others that knew, I mean, not new as to telling us, but you could hear it in their voices like Stevie.

You're right. Or, you know, someone just had that voice. But BNGB was like, okay, you know, she recorded, I don't want to lose your love, hammer called me one night. I couldn't believe it. I was cooking or doing something. And she said, hey, Wanda, this is I'm here with so-and-so, the guy who knows you. I'm just called you because I'm recording

this song on BNJB, and it's these words, I don't want to lose your love. I don't want to lose your love. I think you need my love. When we go to that, you can't be. We go to a whole another interval of harm. He says, who stays on the bottom note? Don't the lead

stay? I said, no, the lead doesn't stay. I love it. I love it called to ask you that. No, yeah. And she had to find out. They called for that. In vogue? In vogue. They called for those things.

Just the harmonies. Just how they did the harmonies. But dad did that. He did our harmonies that way. And I was like, and then when we got with Charles Stepney, he was saying we were doing, how can you stop loving someone? One of my favorites. Yeah.

How can you stop loving the one you do? And he says, Wanda, how did you write this song? Do you know this is the Beethoven? He named some sonata that Beethoven. I said, I don't know another. about a sonata that Beethoven wrote. He said, do you know you're actually doing 28 bars

of the blah? I said, no, I don't know anything about that. But anyway, he said, oh, okay. So I know, and people would ask us those kind of questions, and I'm like, oh. What was Charles Stepney? Like, he was someone that, a hero of mine, but I mean, he died so young.

So young. What was it like working with him? Okay, we were in this living room. Maurice was in... Maurice White. Maris White was in LA and he told us how to get to my father took us over to Charles's house and so we sat there upstairs and we're just hearing this lovely music come from the basement where his eight-foot piano was and he said oh well and his wife carried the old was her name Liz she carried and she said

oh don't worry he does that about three hours every morning he has to play you know uh it sounds like the Beethoven move the opera kind of music because one he was the director for the the Phil, not Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony. Remember? And I didn't know that then. And so he was rehearsing because him and Minnie Ripperton were fixed to perform about a week, that weekend or something. And I was like, Minnie Ripperton, but he's playing opera. I mean, he's playing.

He said, that's how he prepares. That's awesome. Wow. That's awesome. Wow. So when he said that, that really made me feel like, wow, he thinks I write a song that's like a sonata from somebody with, you know. And did you play piano or all your songs?

Yes, I play piano. Okay, okay, gotcha. And that's where you would start all your songs that you wrote on the piano. How competitive were the talent shows that you guys were doing? Like, you mentioned, you know, the five stair steps and the Jackson's and all those. Right. Like, how, I mean, from the Jackson's end, I know that, you know, they had to rehearse.

Oh, yeah. Yes. Yeah. to the white meat fall off. But I mean, just in terms of in preparing for a particular competition, was it like, you know, we have to, like, who was in your targets?

As in, we got to be as good as or better than. Yeah, I did. I love Mavis. Mavis Staples. Were the Stables in? Were the Stables in? Were the Stables? The competitions when you guys would be doing the staple singers?

The staple singers. No, because we were so much younger. Yeah, I was going to say, like. Yeah. But who was in the circuit of the talent shows that were like? Who would you be going up against? Because that's something because the Jones girls had come. I remember when they came in there because we knew they did.

My dad knew their dad. And, oh, these other groups. But the Barrett sisters, like you were saying, you know. Mm-hmm. and Josephine Howard caravans. See, that would take us to all the gospel shows, the gospel concerts. And they would be at the high school auditorium

where Vernon went to high school, as a matter of fact. But that's where all of the... It was because it was so huge, and the sound was really cool. And we would see Mighty Clouds of Joy, the caravans, oh gosh, those were the harmonies. besides those girls, the Lennon sisters, and the, I don't know,

Dad had 78s of those, and he would play them. And so, but there were so many talent shows, just talent in Chicago that never got out. That was like us. And for whatever reason, I know a couple of them, you know, they tried to do some things in Chicago,

but I don't know, they just, now you're talking about the singers that live in Chicago, right? Well, no, I meant just, you mentioned, doing a talent contest and winning the Stacks Prize. Right, right. But I just meant in the everyday circuit, would you always see the Jackson Five, would you always see?

Those types of names. Five Stairs Stairs. Yeah, like were they always, and in your mind, was it like, we must win? Or was it like... You know what, they were more helpful. You would go to the high school situation.

You would go to the community center, and when you would rehearse, there was a, oh, let's so and so come up. oh, this is so-and-so family from, blah, blah, blah, blah. And they'd come up, and you would actually help them. When you know these, the Hutchinson Sunday, you were like, oh, can they show us something? And you would do that. That doesn't happen today.

But that's what happened then, you know. Oh, cool. So they're so competitive day, nobody wants to help the other one, you know, come up. But then, I mean, they were ready to ask and ready to learn, you know. I remember when we first met the Destiny Child. We were doing the Robert Thompson show he had. in the house. Yeah, I saw that.

Yeah, yeah. Some kind of show. Parenthood. Yes, parenthood. And, you know, you always had to sing a song that you just did, a cappella. And that one that day was a, it was a gospel tune. Well, I'm trying to think because Sheila and my girl, Beyonce, come over.

Yeah, remember when he came on in the house. You did flowers together, right? I want to say it was flowers. You did flowers together. I remember that episode. Yes, you get that. It was on that one. And Tyrese was on there

because I had to teach him Maurice's part for Boogie Wonderland. We all sang that at the end together. Got it. Got it. But that's the closest thing I brought that up that reminded me of and Beyonce is so humble. Her heart, you know and she came, she said,

well, you all know now. Am I singing the right part? I mean, she just and I was like, wow. And we wouldn't say anything. I said, well, it's not you, but it's the other girl. No. Yeah. Yeah. It was the other girl. Yeah. But anyway. Don't stop.

Don't stop Mama from giving the Tee. I'm like, I'm like, Beyonce is sweet. That's why. Sorry, sorry. Al-bye your mom.

We're not naming. But she was actually very humble. And my mom took us out of high school for that because we went with her. And I was in 10th grade. I was in my geometry class. And they said, Ms. Vaughn, your mom has sent a limo for you outside.

I was like, where? Here I am 16. I got up like, they had a car here's still about Mama, they had a car that sent for us, and it took us down to, I forgot what area we were in, maybe Century City-ish,

sort of everything. I wasn't driving back then, but we went there, and it was so nice, the way that Robert Townsend had done it, everything was so nice in plush or whatever, and they had all gone to do their makeup, and I'm thinking,

and mom's coming back to this little cottage place where the dressing room, excuse me, where we were all stationed while they were all at makeup. And, you know, we hear the knocking everything. And I'm like, mommy, and it's Beyonce. And I'm just like. I'm just like, I like you. I think you're amazing.

She's like, oh, I just wanted to come and tell you that I love y'all mom. Like, I love y'all mom. I mean, like, so when she talks about her admiration for the emotions and she's a steward, like she is a student, it's genuine. And she's not, that's so real. And she was a sweetheart then and she's a sweetheart now.

She's still a sweetheart. Yeah, she's sweethearts all around. Happy Pride Months, 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.

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 Coultera 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. Hey, this is Chuck from Stuff You Should Know, and we're submitting our most sciencey episodes for your peer review with our new stuff you should know doing science playlists. list. Out now. You want to know about Occam's Razor? Simplest explanation is usually the right one? We got you covered. Wondered what chaos theory is ever since the first time you saw Jurassic Park. Well, come on down. So distill a nice pot of tea, everybody, turn down the gas on your Bunsen burner, and slip into your most comfortable lab coat and listen to the stuff you should know doing science playlist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam? This Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast, Point. game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed. He has to guard Julius Rand. handle. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers

why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The contract that you guys won brought you guys to Memphis. Yes. So you were, I mean, you went down there by yourselves or your whole family moved? Well, you know the staples were on stacks. They were on stacks records.

Right. And so Purvis, who was our manager, he said, Al Bell. And, oh, and then, you know, Maurice and them had deal. That's right. I forgot Maris lived in Memphis. Yeah. Yeah. So, but anyway, that was after.

What about Isaac Hayes? I know. It was Isaac Hayes in Memphis. You're right. Yeah. Yeah. But he produced the staple singers' song. Betty Crutchard.

And what's the other guy that did, Shaff? David Porter. David Porter. Oh, him and David Porter. And, I mean, the writers down there, you really, you know, you saw where the blues, because There was so many, oh, Luther, and we sung with Luther the first time. I can't believe that guy. His voice, the clarity, you know.

There hasn't been a voice like that, actually. Right. Since him, not even. Rubin. No. But not that pristine. It's, you know, it's another league. You all were living down there when you was recording in Memphis?

Did you guys live down there? No, no, no. No. No. But we stayed there so long. I mean, we just made it our home. We knew where all the restaurants were. and the thing that they had

were Martin Luther King, Lorraine Motel, which the studio is nowhere from the walking distance. And so just to pass that place and then where he would eat all the time at the 4-way, that was the name of the restaurant, I had the best peach cobbler in the world. Jeez. And, oh my gosh.

But anyway, that was right. We haven't had lunch yet. What was the Stacks Records operation? and like I've seen like just interviews with Al Bell and seeing documentary and stuff. What was that like? Because at the time they were independent and they were a small black on business.

Oh, that's right. What was that like being? It was something because Marvell Thomas, Rufus Thomas's son, Marvell who played the organ and so forth. And then what was his sister's name? G. Oh, Carla Thomas. Carlis Thomas to see them in there.

And he's coming up with this. song that he's just writing and Ruth and his father well, he comes, that ain't fast enough. Every time he comes, he always said, Ruth's saying, that ain't fast enough. And no matter what it was. Did you know? But he was so, you know, genuine. I mean, they were just something to work with. And the mad lads and the, what was the guys, James and them, the rhythm section.

The barcase. The barcase. Nice. Oh, I love just seeing that. Okay, you would go in that studio, see them. Then we go in the studio where Isaac is, show me how, that's what we were doing. And he's showing the strings are sitting there. And I'm like, wow, look at it.

And what he's doing is he's singing the parts to them. There was no. No, no, maybe somebody wrote it out later. Right. But he just heard him in his head. And he could play piano, but not, you know, real virtuoso or anything. But he could hear every string. part and he could hear the horn parts

and that's how he did it. He was just dictated a song. I didn't know that's the way you did. He said, well most people don't. Most people, Johnny Pate and all the rest of them, they would actually write it out and then they would play it but he just sung it to them and they would play it well they would note it you know

and then play it, show me how and that was something for me to see you know. So the first album was So I Can Love You, correct? Yes, the first song. All right. So what Is it weird to you guys now because from not the world I come from. I come from all worlds.

Right. What's weird to me was that I really, not until I started digging when hip hop produces, you know, go through old records that are in their parents' collection or that sort of thing. So is it weird for you to see the renaissance of a lot of your songs, especially from the Stacks period come up and sort of find new life in hip hop.

It's like it's weird because Blind Allie My father wrote that. My father wrote that. If you listen to the lyrics, you know that's an old school I've got who I want got who I want, sorry you don't You know, right.

And that's how that would, you know, that's, you know, a dad thing. Even, you know, it was something. And then when Big Daddy came, did. Yeah. You know. I learned that. I didn't know. I just learned that that was Mom and Them song in 2015.

Dre taught me. Oh, wow. Like 2015, like two years ago. Oh, you got to walk me through it. Yeah. Oh, listen, Blind Allie has been sampled. Wow. So many times.

You would know that. Dream lover by Mariah Carey. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Oh, yeah. What part of the dream lover? Well, what part?

Okay. It's the entire song. Oh, okay. Thank you. Thank you. How about, okay, I'll play Blind Alley for two seconds. All right. That's all is going to take for you to recognize it.

And they did it at UNLV. Oh, yeah. I think a big Daddy King. Yeah. Right. Oh, yeah. I'm with this. I'm the Big Daddy Kank, Daddy Kank.

Yeah. That's clap your hands by Dauze. Oh, man. It's like a million The Remix's scenario An episode of the breaks Right, yeah Yeah, it is

See Is that Auntie Teresa? But what's even weird Is that Those actual drums have like Fed Oh, baby At least over 400 hip-hop songs

Like Yeah And that's muscle shows Yeah The rhythm section Really That's muscle shows That wasn't the

Stacks house band? They were the Doug Don. Well, I thought Muscle Shoals were in Alabama. Well, at something,

we didn't know when they said Muscle Show, we didn't know that was a place. We thought that was just that rhythm section. That Doug Don

and what's the white guy on the guitar? Oh, he's the funkies. Steve Cropper? Ask me about any white guy. So the MZs? Yeah,

the MZs. That's what, that's just talking about. Oh, Donald Duckin. Okay, that makes sense. Okay. So does that mean that Al Jackson was on drums? Al Jackson, yes.

So crazy. Okay, so I forgot why I went to the Stack Studio in Memphis, but in a cage, there is Al Jackson's one and only drum set. Yeah. Whoa. And I'm like, what are you guys going to do this drum set? You're just going to keep it in a cage. Like, if it were on display, it'd be one thing, but it's just like... Well, that's what they turned it into, you know.

It's supposed to be turning it into a movie. Remember, did we all... No, we didn't get the chance to go. We had to be a gym? Yeah, I didn't go to the museum. We went. I must have came back for something then. I must have to teach.

Yeah. Because me and Wander went. Ain't that nothing. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. You all did it early, and I was probably still asleep. That's probably what happened. But, oh, man.

There's also, there's a, I don't, I believe it's on a, it's on a, one of those like the European version of the stack spots set but you guys have a version of as long as I've got you that's like well I mean

Shammels put it out but there's an emotions version that's like like it's true wow you really know it's killing I always wanted to know like for who who makes the final decisions of

what makes the albums and those sort of things I'm telling you it was Isaac Hayes because I would see them going through you know what and it wasn't my father you know he wasn't involved in that part but usually Isaac and David and then sometimes

Al Bell and they would argue sometimes but usually Isaac would win so that's the way it was yeah it's like on a the Japanese one of those Japanese compilations. I got

the second of it. Oh, you got that. The orange. It's killing, though. It's killing. Yeah. Dang, why. Oh, it's been a long time. It's killing. Your mama and your aunties the shit. You know this.

That's Jeanette. It is. That's Auntie Jeanette. I think I like this version better. I know. I'm like, Auntie Jeanette. And for the life, because, because that, Because that song is also a hip-hop staple. And it's not like you guys can see in 1969,

like, hey, Zion music's going to come out 30 years ago. That can just revitalize our entire catalog. Oh, wow. But it's just like, but then it also goes to show you that quality. Things were so much high quality back then that even your throwaway songs could have changed someone's life so 30 years later. That's amazing.

But I always wanted to know why didn't you guys? released that song because it's killing. I've never heard that. Me neither. That's on the Stax compilation. We have it. The orange set. Mom, that's crucial with everything around me. That's cream. Large orange. I don't know what you're talking about. That is humonging. We should redo that. You guys. What? I'm floored.

You know, it's almost like we were on the Tom Joyner Cruise. We're singing. Biz Marquis comes up to us. something. He comes off and he says, you know, there's never any, he couldn't find, how you say, how to get in touch with us. Because when he used the feeling he is, I said, you used what? Yeah, he did. Sheila wrote that. Sheila wrote that. Yeah, yeah. He actually, he, right there, he had whoever was with him, lawyer, whoever it was, take Arthur, do you know he started paying her from that to, and you know how long ago that had come out? Yeah. The time joined it just started

those things a couple of years ago. And he did. He got her thing and everything and start paying her. That's so dope. Really?

Why for? I'd never. Well, wait a minute. A feeling is? What goes around? Goes around. It comes around. And then Quit used it for

I got the feeling. Well, quick. Mom loves quick, quick. Oh, quick. Yeah. Oh, yeah. He loves it.

Well, wait a minute. Your mind must be blown. I hope you know about the Rayquine only built for Q Lynx. verbal If you think it You might as well do it

If you think it Oh my name Don't cry Don't cry Wow But what if he hurts me From Wickwan Oh she's about that

I don't know the doctor It's such a It's such a cruiser Like that That sample for me Man listen That same Was

Because I remember I remember sitting a tour bus And The way that Riza uses samples and he always dug into his stacks records at the time I was like wait a minute why are they rhyming

over her talking right right right and I we sat there the whole time like is this allowed like this is not usually with hip-hop you wait for the clean four barbed and that was the first time I ever heard anyone from Wu-Tang just blatantly

rhyme over it's like we don't care if she's talking we'll just and then Ghostface started rhyming over the go crazy. Right. Wait, so, public announcement. If you think you might as well do it. If you're thinking, you might as want to do it.

Night wonder shows me so much and how we miss that one because I didn't know that Blind Alley was in the remix to scenario. Yeah, it's the drums. I didn't realize that. He showed me some stuff. Drey showed me some stuff. I've never heard that. My mind is blown.

No, I'm telling you, in your show, in your show, like at least four or five, of your Stacks classics could be done and a bunch of 30 to 40 hip hop heads would just be like Oh my gosh Yeah so there's

I mean beyond the Columbia stuff So let's move to that So how There was a law between 1972 and 1976 Before the Flowers album came out Stacks went back back from

So you were still contractually obligated to stay Well, they went bankrupt and union planners took over everything. I didn't know a bank could take over songs. But Union planner bank in Tennessee, Memphis, took over everything. So it was getting away from that hullabaloo and how to, you know, go to the next thing. But we got, you know, we were right in high school and we were just at the part. We're in a senior, I remember.

Because we had got, I got a scholarship to go to Northwestern. Minnesota, no. I thought it was northwestern, my bad. In Missouri, where Bellebvre, where he went for music, anyway. But, and we were like, oh gosh, well, that's good.

That's not happening. So now I could go out and do my, you know. And then here comes Maurice White. He says, hey, you know, I just did something. I got Nisi. Antimmy. Yes. Yes.

And Ramsey Lewis. And so who was some. Okay. But it was a... Pockets. He needed a girl group. Yeah. And Ron Ellison, my father's friend who also was a drummer in Chicago, jazz drum.

Anyway, and he lived with Marisa at the time. Anyway, they were playing around places in Chicago. And he said, well, hey, Ron says to Marisa, I can hook you up because Joe is my buddy and we'll hook you up. And their thing is over with stacks. So, you know, and that's when they arranged the meeting. That was our first meeting was at Charles Stepney's house. Because Stephanie had just done... The Ramsey Song, the Ramsey song, the Ramsey...

Sun Goddess. Yes. There you got us. It just done it. Nice. Was the Stacks bankruptcy the reason why the third album didn't come out? Yes. Okay.

Because everything was held up. They put a hold on everything. You couldn't get no masters. Well, whoever had to get the Masters. Right. Wow. Do you guys support yourselves in that time from 72 to 76? Well, we were still doing things in Chicago, and we were on tour.

Oh, we were doing little tours and so forth. Nice. That was. How were you? And then we're doing a lot of commercials, too. How were you guys in at that point? 16, 17s. Because, see, my grandfather started them at 3, 4, and 5.

So they're talking about all of this stuff they're doing. but they still are like just 18. I'm thinking you guys are in your mid-20s. No. We were on the Jerry Van Dyke show. That was the first contest besides the something Mac hour. I forget that. But anyway, the Jerry Van Dyke show in Terre Haute, Indiana.

And my father's mother was the talent coordinator for that show in Terre Haute, Deanna. Then we were on the Ed Sullivan show and won the whatever on that. And what's her name, Donna Show Chevy Show? Well, it's Donna. That just shows you how many. But that's the Donna Shore. Donna Shore. Chevy show.

I mean, I know it had to do with cars. I don't know why. Look like everything had to do with cars then. And we won that talent show. So it was just, you know, a time, I guess, that we got through those particular ones. And I was like, huh, why is there no other, I would always wonder, family groups that we knew of that should be on these shows. Got it.

But I don't know. So since you started out so young, did it take a while for like the men around you to respect your voice outside of the singing, just your voice and your opinions? Well, what was really something? When we sat down with Charles Stepney, he was saying, you know,

Marie sent us all these songs, but do you guys have any songs? That was the first time we were ever asked that. Charles did it. And we sat down, boy, we started playing songs. I had about 20 shillip. Shilla had about how many ever

Janette had love vibe you know Yeah that's Auntie Jeanette And I love that song So we had all He said Well we go to Charleston

We go throw these all the way We would do And we kept the one Denise wrote though Did he order? Okay Okay Did Al

Right Al McKay wrote flowers Was it with you guys? With Maurice He wrote Vestamala Mm-hmm Okay And what

Who wrote flowers? Maurice We saw him writing it right there in Chicago. Oh, okay. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, he was writing it.

And at the same time he was writing it, we were like doing just the hook. Because he always had, we hold the key to the world's destiny. He always had that. And Charles was on that little Fender Road's electric piano. But you wrote, I don't want to lose your left, correct?

Yes. Okay. And I wrote it. It made it sound like it does now. I wrote it as a slow, it was a slow torch song, where Dad called it a torch song. And dinner is ready

And the wine is chill My baby's coming over Want to let him know how I feel Then I went Hey because I don't want to lose your love I had it that slow And then Maurice heard it he said Wanda

That song, you know you've been singing for 15 minutes And you still ain't done with that song And then he said I think we should speed it up I said, here's somebody saying, making faster. Yes, exactly. That was Rufus.

But anyway. But he said, he said, well, that's cool. And then his brother got on the drums. No, on the drums. Fred. Oh, there you go.

Fred played out and won't lose your love. He played the drums on that. And he got on the drums and started, so he said, well, I don't know how they figured out how they could speed it up like, but they did. And when he did, I just sung the same thing faster. You know, because I don't want to lose your love

Think how it feels, baby It's getting harder I said, but I got to make my runs faster Because I used to make them, you know, real slow And gutterian, right, right I was Tina Turner I love Tina Turner So I was Tina Turner

But he didn't, he wanted me to sing it faster So that's what he did It was a good call Then when he did I got to do my love To keep it And you know, we got that breakdown. Ain't no month to hide.

That's right. Oh. But. Thinking man theme. Temple tappers. Okay. Temple tappers. Did it take BNG B and you'd the same amount of time?

She took her longer to learn the songs and says, well, yeah, because they just were singing the wrong lyrics, you know, in the breaks. And there wasn't Wikipedia back then to look up the lyrics. Right. Right. Right. She sang. See. See.

You won't believe. believe my love and she would say you you won't can she see my love or something but we weren't saying we were saying you won't believe but she just had the little words she just didn't hear yeah that's crazy like today's technology

we could just look on our phones and get lyrics instantly but back then you actually had to call somebody but it's dope that they actually call they respected that's that's dope what was working with Maurice like working with Marries White what was that process like for you guys

what was he like in the studio. He was so cool. Him and Skip Scarborough. Look like I can say him without saying Scarborough. Because Sheila, you know, the slow song, I was the fast song. When he, we were staying at the Franklin Plaza at that time, and he gave us these songs. He gave Sheila's cassette, gave me one, and we had our little cassette player. And so I came in the next day, and he said, okay, put the track on, put the track on.

And so I was singing it Doesn't take much Like Mavis down there Take me He said Wanda What you do? I said I'm singing He said I want you to sing in an octave higher

I said well you didn't say that I don't sing hi I sing low I sing Mavis stables She's sing that in a little register at one point No that's how I came in I know but I mean You tried to sing that

Oh yeah That's what I used to say that I was glad it's night I was Mavis down. I was, you know, Mahalia Jackson. I was, I was low. And, and, um, but anyway, I said, I don't know, Reese.

I don't think, he said, just stab at it. Just, just see. And I said, okay, I'll do it. But she was the high singer and Jeanette. They're the ones that sing high. I sing low. Just try it. Just try it.

Okay. So I did. I did everything octave higher. He said, just belt it. Don't worry about it. Just belt it out. And I did. And, um, believe it not.

That one was the one you guys heard. We did about seven others, but they didn't like that one. They liked the first one. I was like, but I was even crack. If you listen to, I mean, there's some little cracks, some little, like, you know, I can't believe I'm hitting these notes, you know, these, but anyway, and that became the one that they used.

So then I start singing higher, you know. Yeah. I wasn't singing, you know, as low. Oftentimes, in, in, history, you'll see when singers do multiple takes of a song, they always go back to take one or take two. That's the one I think is the most honest.

The more you keep doing it, it gets kind of rehearsed, then it's like, you can't recreate that first thing. Oh, you're right. That's spontaneity. How exciting was it for you guys to because that song was number one for five weeks, I believe? Yes. Number one, I have the what do you call the Billboard 100

and the other one and there were two songs The Best of My Giving You the Best of My Love And every week They would change to one and we'd be two And then they would be two And then we would billboards Yes yes

It would be you know back and forth like that But it was That was amazing Nothing like that There was a song you had on I think it's It believes on flowers, the changes we go through. That was like an interlude.

Oh, my goodness. I wrote that. It was a long gospel song. And but they said, oh, let's just try. And then Marisse, of course, he just orchestrated. Let's use it as an interval, he called it, an interval piece that we take through the album. I said, okay.

And all we would do is we go to change it. Changes, we go to. To this day, that's a very, very difficult harmony. I've learned it for like some of the shows that we do. Yes. But if my sisters try to join in sometimes I would just be doing something, they do what stereotypically,

you know, you have your note, you have your third and your fifth. No, no, no. They interweeps. And they interweave. They don't. The first time our mom is high. Then Auntie is high.

Then every time they sing it, it's different. We go to changes. Changes, we go to. And my mother, we go to changes. There's the melody changes we go to. Yeah. Wow. But that's how my dad would do.

He didn't want anyone to sound like us. So he said, I know. We'll just switch up into, you know, make it sound like one thing when it's another. That's the whole family thing. You just said your sister's Y.N. Yes. So I'm like, does everybody's kids? Yes.

So what's Thanksgiving like? Oh, no, the Christmas is the one. Christmas is the one. It's a concert. It's a humongous concert. Everybody is singing. It's pretty amazing. And so we're all the Ws.

Wayne, Wanda, Wayne, Wendy, Wyn, Whitney Warren. Wait. One more time. There you go. There you go. You've had practices. You're all W's? We're all Wos on this side.

So it's Wayne, Wanda, Wayne, Wendy, Wyan, Whitney Warren. They all sing, rap, do music, all of us. And then I do poetry. So it's all of us. My husband wrote Let's Groove tonight. Yes. He wrote Let's groove. Yes.

My daddy did. Yes. Yes. Exactly. And about six other songs. Uh-huh. And but that has, side-by-side. He wrote a side-by-side.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. My mom in there. That means an air horn. Yeah. All right. I needed that. Yeah.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Well, you said six others. What were the other one? I was breastfeeding then when we wrote that. Oh, really? You know.

Who's the cat I work with in Japan? Yeah. Toshi Capoda. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Between 96 and like 2000, Japanese singer named Toshi Kubota was like the Lord Jesus Christ in Japan. Like he played stadiums of like 80. He would play like 80,000 seat arenas,

but he came to Philadelphia to work with us. And to him, he explained to me I was always a fan of that Ray's album Earth One and Fire and for him he's just like

you know I want to be with you by Earth One and Fire that's what I want to sound like and all the ad-lips at the end of that song is all that that was his life goal

so in four songs literally all the ad-libs that Maris White would do on the ba-bap-pa-pah-ba-ba- Yeah, yeah. It was literally on every song. That is hilarious.

Wow, I can't believe that. What else did he write? Those are the three that I know the best. I don't know if, do you know what daddy did? Please don't say Moonwark. I'm not going to say that because I'm not sure, but I know those are three. And like I was telling Fonte earlier,

I could be better at this, but I've kind of fell in love with Greatest It's albums. first. You didn't know the album. And then went back. Yes, and hip hop actually helped me go back into digging in crates and stuff like that and understanding how dope, you know, the catalog actually is. But

yeah, everybody sings, Chloe, my cousin, my auntie's daughter, she's artistically inclined in the fine arts and the visual arts. So she's like an animator and a painter and she does illustration. I did a poetry book. She did all the illustrations from my book.

And our other cousins, Everyone is seeing some sort of art, though. Everything art. Dancing, this, that. Everyone is doing something. It's always a party. Now, you came aboard for the Rejoice record, correct? Yes.

So what was it like coming in cold to fill in that spot and to... It was great. It was the best part of my life. I, as a baby, was always in all the rehearsals. So when she said that, when we were talking about the soul train, the local soul train, I was thinking about it and possibly I was just there in the background. And I just didn't remember. But I wasn't as young as she said because I do remember dancing in the, with, you know, in the audience.

And the room was small. But. Oh, I know it was small. I've seen photos. I've seen photos. Yeah. It's like living room small. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. But as long as I can remember, I've always been around the music, and then I've always looked forward to joining the group. And then one day when dad asked me, but I like to, you know, he gave me a tape to start rehearsing. And this is like, I'm about 16 then. And I actually joined after I graduated in 76. Okay. So, yeah.

Oh, wow. He had started training me, and he had his, when they were out of town, he had his friend, Uncle Billy, Billy Shelton, one of the guys from his own singing group that he used to sing when he was singing gospel. And he would train me, and he would teach me all those songs like, you know, with the harmonies, the groups, the Andrews sisters. What is that? I can't think of their names. name, but... Another girl group? No, no, it was a man's group.

But it was different harmonies, barbershop style. And he would give me the album to listen to and then he would have me sing each part. Each part? Yeah, and that was another thing.

When he trained me, my dad, he would have me sing each part of the girl songs. So, because he would call me the utility girl, which meant I could sing every part, everything everybody was doing. Yes. So whenever they, you know, if they wanted me to go there because they were horse or something, I would go there.

Or if they're having problems on stage, I would go there. You know, I could go to any part. It's so weird because you have the highest, I think you have the highest voice. Well, yeah, but on harmonies, I can go low too. Really? You know my part? Well, but you know all my part? I know all your parts.

Ah, who? Yeah. Utility woman. I know it's parts. Wow. It's lit. It's difficult. I promise you.

The stepping up to the plate, because like we say, it's a family business. So that my grandfathers who put, you know, the girls together, my mom and aunts together. And my, you know, grandmother, of course, is hold down the fourth. There's six kids. So three were always on the road and three were always at home. Right? So now being up in age and stuff, my grandmother is the one who needs, you know, her children's help. So currently my aunts, Auntie Sheila, whose place I'm taking in the group and Auntie Jeanette, are, you know, being assisted by my grandmother is being assisted by them right now, you know, and everything's because we're just self-contained and everything is organic.

But when my Auntie Sheila was teaching me technically how to become her. when she was showing me some things because I come from, you know, it sounds like their beginnings. I'm even hearing more of this than on unsung and in the house. So this is educational for me right now. But barbershop and gospel

is a lot of their humble beginnings. Well, throw my dad in there, Mr. Les Groove and stuff. I knew Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Weather Report more than I know any gospel. I can probably name you a couple gospel people Mehalia being one of them and anyone else

I'm like Clark sisters maybe But you were more from a jazz background Jazz all day jazz all day I was scatting and stuff I was like that sort of person Auntie Sheila Is that true

Auntie Sheila's more of the She's the jazziest singer Of the girl So it was almost seamless How that ended up happening Yeah and she And so she would teach me Stage control

Because she's also the animated one on stage She's the actress You know She's the you're the You know, get out there. And when she says, show me how? Oh, my Lord. Some of the stuff, I just sit there and just be like,

Auntie, show me more. Because you can't take your eyes off her. Like, she's, whenever she's singing, you believe her. Whatever she's saying, you're going to believe it. Because she's that, you know, everything, you know, I wish you guys could see what I'm doing in the studio right now. I'm just kind of being a black woman right now. You know, but I got the net roll and the fingers up.

You know, but she's, you know. But she's that sort of a singer. So if she was telling you not to ask her neighbor or if she wanted you to show her how, she's going to make you feel that. Oh, absolutely. And that's probably what the most of the learning, because our voices and textures were kind of similar.

She was like, no, you get out there, Nisi, and you own it. You have to own it. People are going to look at you and be like, hey, she's not an original emotion. She's young. Nothing. You are my baby. You're going to get out there.

I'm like, come on, Auntie. She was pebble. I felt like I can do anything. So, but that's exactly what ended up happening. And that happened, it happened a couple times so far as me stepping into the group. Yeah. But by 2009, fall semester, my first semester of my master's program, I think that was when I most consistently started being with mom and all,

mom and all the girls and everything. So the other, your other aunties, because I want to get the, the lineup. straight. Yes. In the beginning, it was, it was you, Miss Wanda, and it was Jeanette. It was Jeanette. She's the tall, dark skin, woman.

Yes. And then, uh, Auntie Sheila. Uh-huh. And then. Don't ask my neighbor girl. Ah. So that's her singing lead on. Yeah.

Auntie Sheila. Yeah. That's what I'm telling you. Listen to that dog on song. And she did G. Whiz. Ah. And Carla, I mean, she sat there and just cried.

I mean, when we were doing that, oh. Marvell was playing. He's a genius, too. The one really knew, but I just love it. And how, even Purvis Staples, who, not that he wasn't a producer or singer type, but he said, you got to always seen the slow song, you got to always see the fast song. And I'm like, every producer after that said that, and they never met Purvis. But that was just the way it was, you know.

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Get your ass up and down the court and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What was it in making the rejoice album? Probably the notable

absence on that record was of course Charles Stephanie passing away. Was the Flowers album one of the last albums he worked on? That and this is Nisi. I know flower Oh that's right I think he was

I think they were working on spirit When he died I thought Okay But I thought that your records came out After spirit I thought that flowers came out 70

No 7 7 was first And then Flowers was first Flowers came out in 76 76 yes Okay But I mean

What was it like Because I know that he was such a A father figure In the studio And working with him How was it how was it making that transition from the two? From Maurice to...

From Charles to Maurice. Was it pressure on him to be the rock and to fill in the blanks where... Well, you know, the poet that Maurice was, that's the way he talked to you. Like, if you didn't know what we hold the key to the world's destiny,

if you didn't know it, then that's on you. But he would tell it to you, that. Charles would tell you where a little two-year-old will know exactly what you're saying. And believe it down, yes. Now, I went through it and so did Ramsey. When Ramsey would be in there and they would be playing, you know, like the last thing that actually they were working on was Ramsey's album. And they were having a thing about the court. Where should go here? We're which one should be the course of it and which one should be the hook. Right.

You know, I know nothing about that today when we talk to young kids. But because everything is, it's just 80 bars of whatever it is. But anyway, so they were having a thing with that. And Ramsey, and I'm just sitting there, and I just love the fact that Maurice and Stephanie, they would never have anyone in their recording sessions. That was their thing. No one could talk. No hangars on.

No. But I could always come. And one day I came in with Johnny Pace. He said, wow, you know, John. Yeah. But I like seeing I don't talk. I don't ask any questions. I just, you know, just serve.

That's all I do. And reach new it. And you can't ask any questions. You can't have an opinion. And that's okay because it's not your dime. Right. And, but they were having, okay, which one should it be? Should it be?

And I thought, oh, it was one time I wanted to say something. Ramsey's was the one. And guess why I thought it? Because of something my father had nothing to do actually probably with what they're thinking. But it was the fifth of the court of where the verses were. And I always thought you should go there for the reprise. I just always thought that. Just in my observing different things.

But I didn't say anything so. And when they left her that afternoon because they said, well, let's just break. We kind of, you know, they had to break. Let's go to lunch, you know. And Ramsey said that thing. And so they did. Stepney never came back. That's when he died.

He went up in the hotel. And we were knocking on the door. He was like, well, he said he was going over. He was going to stop by famous, famous. And I know his wife didn't want him to stop by famous Amos because

diabetic. And, dang, that was a store. They had a famous Amos store. That was a store. I remember him. I didn't know he had a store.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And so we're all waiting for him. And so they went on with the session. And sure, he's going to come sooner or later. And never did.

And they went on with the thing. They finally did it, though, the reprised away Ramsey. You know, for whatever reason. It just happened that way. Maybe because Stephanie weren't there. I don't know. You know, because it was too much, it was a short period of time that, you know, when they found it out.

And so when they've got the hotel key to go in his room, that's... Oh, no. Wow. Wow. Yeah. How did Boogie Wonderland come to be? Ali Willis, right? Ali Willis.

And I'm going to tell you this. It was really something. There's always a story. Was it an easy transition? Well, not an easy transition. I know much has been said about Boogie Wonder. Well, much has been said about it and sort of like, you know, I've talked to Philip about it. I've talked to Maurice about it.

They kind of have conflicting stories. It's conflicting. And even David Foster has this two cents about it. What is your, you know, I mean, a Grammy one's a Grammy one. And that's something that you can't take away from, you know. But at the time, like, how did it, how did it even fall into your lap? Maurice was in New York doing Sergeant Pepper. And he got a call.

And then Allie, he said, listen, I just got this song. And I got to call Ben because I want Ben to arrange it. When he heard it, he heard just this little hook. When they land, huh, huh, dance. He just heard like that little eight bar thing, not the verses or anything. He said, oh, the emotions have got to sing this. But Allie, of course, oh, no, it's got to be Earthwinning Fire. Well, Orson Fire, of course, is going to finally do it.

Yeah. But he heard it, you know, like that. And so my father was saying, and at that time they were into a thing with the Cavallo and them as to the record company going you know, by itself or something. At that time I didn't know what it had to do it, but it was just the fact

that my father wanted the song to be on on you guys' album. Our album, too. So Boogie Wonderlandland was supposed to be an emotion song? Yes.

It was supposed to be on our album. As well, you mean. On the Sunbeam album? Yes. Yikes. Yes. And it wouldn't have happened. You mean it's supposed to be

on your album as well? Yes. Okay. It should have been on our album. album. And my father nearly had a heart attack with it with a caballo and that, you know, fussing about it. And I didn't understand why they wouldn't let it. So what? It's to look like they get to double the money. It just looked like to me. But anyway, I don't know what the head trip was with it. But we went on and done. I said, well, you know, we're doing this on our record time.

You're interrupting the, you know, our session to do it, to do the vocals. So why would there be a problem with it going on our see that's why that just sounded like like a yeah no brainer you know that it was supposed to go on there

they wouldn't allow it it was they Caballo and Ruffalo and I don't know you know bad guys I don't know yeah but and it didn't happen

that way but when we heard the song we did that you know the dance dance puppy went in the air and he said Ben Wright's got to do the strengths

oh yeah oh yeah Ben right every time I hear him now the Justin Timberlake stuff, you know he had to do it. But anyway, it was just amazing how that part went down. And Maurice wasn't going to be able to even sing on it or anything until he got back from Sergeant Pepper. Because he was there doing the song for Sergeant Pepper.

Got to get you in my life? Yes, yes. And I don't know why he wasn't doing it in L.A., but, you know, we didn't know a lot of stuff then. But so he was doing that in New York. He said, well, have them put the hook down. You know, have them put the, I'm going to send you the track, Massenberg. And that's what happened.

He sent him the track, and we went on doing it. And then my father was like, oh, no, we got to get this on paper. No, because you're doing it on the girls' session time. And you know, I didn't really know what that had to do with it. But, of course I know now. Right. So your father was on it like a hawk. Yeah.

Yeah. So with Caballo and those guys, were they managing you guys as well? or your father was your manager? Yes. Okay. Yes. I see. And on all the tours, of course, it was always them meeting, you know, dad and, you know,

Uncabalo and what we did and where. What was touring like for you guys? Because you're raising. We used to travel in a bus catching up with their airplane. And then I said, that's it. They're not going, we're not traveling no more. If you don't get us in the airplane. Really?

So then they got us in the airplane. Oh, that's up. That's all the text You should have been asked Come on, Kurt But Denise wasn't in there and then the other folk And then the other folk wasn't in there and play But we're singing these songs

I mean we're actually, it'd be different You are on paper with us You know, doing and then Well, I didn't say that You know, that's probably was that's thing But that was the thing The Boogie Wonderland episode Did that kind of lead to the deterioration

Of you guys working relationship it with Maurice? Oh, yeah. At the same time, see, he got away from Sony, were there Sony? Yeah. He got away from... The ARC thing?

Right. And he got ARC. That was when that happened. So we were signed to his production company, so it became a conflict of interest. That was what was told to us. It was a conflict of interest. Bill and I,

boss Bill and I often have these conflicts. when I always say that the turning point of a career is once a producer is given his own studio complex in vanity label. Wow. And that often, Bill does not agree with me, but. Oh. Not in every case. Yeah, but in both of our cases, yeah. I don't know.

It's a, if it's not broken, don't try to improve it. Got it. Even to this day. Yeah. I'm serious. Like, the studio conditions that I record and have to be as dire and cheap as possible. Wow. I'm sorry, I don't mean to throw you under the bus.

Tarique is the one that's the fruit plates and the fresh cookies, fresh big cookies and stuff. No, I need it. I need roaches running around my studio. so I feel at home. That part. Was I mistaken, I believe, sometime in 1998, was there not an off-Broadway play about you guys' career? Bigger than bubble gum.

Yes. Okay. This makes sense now because there was a group that my band was working with at the time called the Jazzy Fat Nastys. And I remember, this is like when we were making our fourth record and we were living in New York in an apartment and I think for a week straight

they were going to see I guess, I think they were going to do something with the play, I don't know if they were going to star in the play or something like that. But they kept telling me that, yeah, you know, the motions are trying to get their off-Broadway play ramped up to do.

But what was the basis of the play? Was it just about you guys in the beginning? Yes, how we started. And it opened with the scene, my father, we were at the church, and he's in the, he's being, he's in the coffin. It's a funeral at his funeral. And we're reminiscing all of the things, how we started singing. And we started singing our theme song, which was the Hutchinson, Jesus wants me for sunbeam to shine for him.

each day, then we would sing that. Then we would sing some of the other songs back in the day. But we would end up going on the road, meeting Maurice, and then you would see all of these guys coming promoters, you know, come here, come here and do this, do that. And then, you know, but, and then it culminated with the fact of having the Grammy, the American Music Award and receiving all these things. And then the breakup.

up. And then it had the part, you know, the reconciliation. What were some of the causes of you guys breaking up? What happened? Well, the promoters seeing, well, the record company, seeing different ways than my father. And that caused when the art thing happened, actually, because we had to rewrite the contract because it's a, no, we don't rewrite it. You just stay with, oh, no, that says. We got to rewrite the contract. because it was going from one company to another. Right. And this is after the Sunbeam album.

Who produced the New Affair album? Billy, what was it? Billy, it was Maurice and the guy. No, New Affair? That was a... New Affair, yeah. That guy, I can't think of his name. I know.

I look it up. And he's got his show out right now, and he's got those two sons. after the love is gone. David Foster. David Foster and Maurice. Why did I get with Billy? I know.

I'm like Billy. I'm going with... But there's another guy, too. It's another guy that I can't. I know. And you know them too because the songs he wrote, you know them. Have you guys ever done recording as a fort as a quartet? No.

Really? It was always three of us. Well, on the... On some of the songs, on Blessed. It was all of you guys. It was all of us. And even my uncle Joey wasn't his vocals in there too. Oh, yeah.

I rejoice because he wrote that, my brother. Yeah. Rejoice. My uncle Joey was on there. And when they would do their tour, you asked about tour life. When they were out on tour, stuff like that. I'm walking the line. Remember the guys that was saying, well, Maurice sung it on the record.

Yeah, but we sung it all four of us. You're right. Yeah. That's what I was going to say. So they had some of them where it was a quartet, but it was three girls and my uncle. Joey and Joe and everything. And I think that would be what? That would be mom, Auntie Sheila and

Billy Myers. Billy Myers. There you go. Right. You just remembered it. Hey, go, Mom. Okay. Auntie Pam and Uncle Joe.

So that, when they did do a quartet sort of a situation, it was three girls, one brother, right? Right. It was always. I don't think it was ever all four of you. It was. On blessed and rejoice. And on bless it. That's what she was paid on.

Yes. Bless it and rejoice. And, well. more. It was one more, too. Mm-hmm. So were you fun with it ending in 81, like, okay, well, let's... Oh, yeah, because I'd start having a baby every year.

And then... 81. The older sister. 82 is me. Thank you. 81, yeah. Her other sister. 82 and then 86 and 90.

Well, yeah. And then we were doing that. And then I was writing with Patty and doing stuff with Ritha, writing songs for her. You end that. They both started doing a whole lot of stuff. What did you write after? Two thousand miles away from me. The Diva album.

The Diva. That was a rea. The Diva, Rieckland? Yeah. Did you see that? Did you hear that? I'm sorry, no. It's just so much has been made of that particular record.

But it's a duet that she did. Yes, on there. You wrote that song? No, not that. Oh, okay. That's the album. You're saying that's the album that your song was on. Do you know that?

That was the name of the song. Yeah. To this day, Aretha explains that her transferring to Clive at Arista. And her anger at the old regime at Atlantic was because of them dropping the ball on the Lidiva record. Yeah. Wow. That was something. That was something.

Yeah, but they were doing that. You was doing, you was doing a lot more stuff at home. Because I remember when she did the soul train, like when they were in the white suits, and that was in L.A., she had to leave us, and I was, I saw them on TV, and I was grabbing at the TV, like, Mom, no. Like, get here. And my dad just described me. Oh, yeah.

That was Midnight Special. That was Midnight Special. My bad, my bad. Sorry. Is that Don Kirster? No, that's rock concert. That's right. You did rejoice at rock concert.

Yes. I'm sorry, my middle name is, well, actually. I'm sorry. Wait, what were you guys wearing when you guys did the soul trail? I thought dad said that I was going crazy over the soul tree. Those were like brown dresses. They were dresses. Okay.

Okay, I had the A-line. We had different designs of the same. Right, right. Well, I was going nuts, though, and I wasn't happy. I was also. What was that? What was I like? Like two or three.

Yeah. Number one, you couldn't understand, you know, I couldn't explain why she was this tall, like five inches. When I'm like, but she's here. She's so much taller. Why is she only this big? You know, I thought there was something wrong, you know, but. When did you put two and two together that, oh, mom was something? Oh, late.

I'm so late on that stuff because she was just mom. So I'm talking about, like, high school when people would see the teachers. There wasn't a. a manel piece with these things and trinkets. But I never thought about it. I never thought about it like that because, like, Maurice was like a godfather for us. Stevie would be at the house. This is just, this was regular.

And that was nothing to you? That was so regular. That's so regular to me. Yeah, Stevie would come over for the... I don't feel like helping him walk in the living room. You're helping me. Like, how about this? You want to talk about pressure?

I wrote my first song on the piano at 10 years old. And the first person I had to audition it for was Stevie. Because she's like, oh, just play that for SIV. I'm like, now I do know who SIVI is in my head at 10. I'm like, yeah, no, I'm not going to do it. Nah. Are you serious and everything? So this was New Year's Eve, and she finally had me on one.

I just, I was like, oh, my Lord Heaven. So I ended up doing it or whatever, and he did not laugh at me, and I respect that man to this day. Yeah. For just letting me be, and I'm like fingers shaking and clunking and stuff or whatever. Oh, that was good. But yeah, for mom and them, I would say, It's so funny.

No, not even, you know, putting on. Hip hop is what explained to me how serious mom and them were

from the sampling type stuff and from when people would see me in a studio, learn me and it would be like, oh,

she's a great girl, great energy, so nice, blah, blah, blah, blah. And wait, her mom is, wait,

who is her mother? No, the first time we met, like, I was, I was kind of insulted. Like, because she was like, because we did the interview.

It was after a foreign exchange show. We did, absolutely. It was an L-ray, I think. At the Elbray. Absolutely. And so as we met and she was like, oh, I'm like, what's going on?

We did the interview and she was like, oh, well, you know, my mom is no wind of the mother. What? I know. And she was like, yeah, she's like, I'm sorry. I just, most of these young guys don't know. I'm like, hey, thank you for calling me a young guy. I'm like, honey, I don't think you know you're talking to. Like, your mom is who of what?

Like, do you understand how I grew up, like how my mother used to play these records? Yes. Every day. Like, don't ask my neighbor. was the morning song of me going to school like dude do you

yes yes yeah that was well I wanted to ask you about covers because on it was Jade's album

in night oh yeah they cover blessed and yes they did I thought they sounded great I did too

I thought it was wonderful I thought it I remember Skip Scarborough telling me about it he said

I like it but they're using the wrong chords oh well actually Right, that. There you go. Yes. Did any people ever seek you out after, you know, after 81 once, you know, you guys had kind of disbanded?

Did you do any, like, backup work or session work for just for? Yeah, we did a lot of commercials. I went on tour with Patrice Bush. And she, yes. Right. Jeffrey Osborne. Yes. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. She did. Jeffrey Osborne. Yes. That was born. What year? When she had her, they had their song. Forget me nuts?

Yes, forget me nuts. Yes. 80, what? I remember. What was that? 82. 82. Something like that.

Yes. Because my dad was still alive. So it had to be 82. Oh, yeah. He passed in 85. So, yes. Yeah. Yeah.

What was working with Patricia, Patrice Russian like? It was great. It was just me and her as the only girls. She would always go play racquetball. and she would invite me to go and you played record ball and they were the same height Oh

I didn't know Black people love recordball in the 80s They played tennis I tried to hang out with the band They sure did I learned backgammon on the plane With Earthwind fire That's when I learned

It's like every black household in the 80s And then we would always play tennis And Andrew Wolf and I was always Yeah Maurice Maurice and who would always be his part Besides dad, someone else. But me and Andrew,

we were the net, you know. Lord. I was the best to volley. They really, she literally, in her head, she coaches Serena and Venus

as she watches them on everything they do today. But yeah. Yeah, so you did that back in 80s? But she always, what, 82? Yeah. 82, 83.

So, in. 78 for the longest. My aunt and I would go to a record store and harassed the sales clerk about do you have the emotions 45 you're going to make me love somebody else. Oh, wow.

For weeks. No, no, no, no, no. Not that one. It took us seven weeks to realize that was not the emotions. What were your feelings on the Jones girls You're going to make me love somebody That's who it was, the Jones girls

I loved them I love seeing them and I love their voices You guys are severely diplomatic. Wow. Did you feel any way like Like they biting or it was... Because even when Free came out, I just naturally assumed that

Because I... Are you by Denise Williams? Here's the thing though. I mean, this is coming out when I'm six and seven. Oh, God. I'm not a super adult, but. A super adult.

No, you're not. You're seven. No, but I was mature. I'll say that at seven. I was probably, no, I was probably 19 as a musician because of the household I grew up in. Nice. Nice. I knew Earthwood and Fires backdrop when I heard it.

Smart. Yeah, yeah. Certain because they were using that stuff. So in my head, I thought, oh, free. That's the emotions. And I also thought Because of a certain It's a certain

Claveade That spoon thing That Morris White uses It's a lot on rejoice It's on rejoice, yeah But it's also when you're going to make me love somebody else Oh, okay So instantly I was like

Oh, you know emotions Must be the emotions Right, right And it wasn't. It wasn't Palliano di Costa Paulino de Costa It probably was was, but I don't know.

Usually Philly International musicians are self-contained. You're right. It wasn't him. However, like, okay, so you were saying that, we love the Jones girls. Okay. Not once where you're like, hmm. But you know what? Everyone had that perception that we should have been.

Well, no, I mean, it's, it's cool. It is definitely building on you guys. I'm going to tell you, Mariah Call, Carrie. called me from MTV. I'm sitting in my living room. And that song that came out that everybody thought she bit off of... Emotions.

Yes. Oh, you got me feeling emotions. Oh, you got... Oh, emotions. Yeah. And everybody wanted us to be mad at her. No, that was an homage. But that's what I'm saying.

She even named it after you, so it was obviously like an homage. I thought it was just the most wonderful thing that she did that. And I said it, you know, because I had no idea she was going to call or anything. And that was just so happened. And I was like, oh, my gosh.

I thought it was wonderful. I thought it just made me feel special. Maybe, you know, I don't know. I just thought it was wonderful. And then I met her some time ago. Anyway, she was so cool. What is life like? She's a backup singer for Luther back in the day.

It was Luther and Lisa. What? Lisa Fisher. Yes. She's a monster. She's a monster. On the Anita Baker, Luther. It's crazy because Lisa was a background singer.

I love it. I remember that. I remember that. She's astounded. I would go to hear the background. I knew what Luther was going to do. So was my mom. Yeah.

My mom, you should always just watch them. Amazing. I love to hear them sing back. What is life like for you guys now? I know y'all still tour. You still write Ms. Wanda, like, what do y'all do now? Right. And we are touring with all the 70s stylistics.

We're always the only girls that are there, but from the 70s. Except for one Atlantic Star, though, when some of them are, yeah. Heat wave. Oh yeah, it'd be heat wave. Harold Melvin's Blue Notes. Blue Magic. Blue Magic. Cuba.

He still got his voice. Shilat. I think he said already. And we did the tempts. We did the temptations was on. Yeah. And then Billy Paul, that's amazing. The Billy Paul passed, I mean, within nine days, we were together on stage.

Yes. Then nine days later, he was gone. I was like, wow. And we know, we know his wife really well. And, but that was something. And he could be some kind of way, off-state. And you wouldn't know. I mean, he was cool to me.

He always called me the youngster on the set. She would tell us. Oh, yeah. I loved him. Every time he was there, he was like, hey, I got my young, my youngsters here. I'm like, hey, you know. So I always bring the hip-hop to the 70s soul jam. Why, Ann, are you the only second generation on those kind of shows?

Are there other second-generation? There are some other replaced members. I don't know. Oh, the temp. The Timps. Paul. Paul. Oh, Paul's son.

Son. With the Tempts with Otis. Yeah. With Dennis. Yes, with Dennis. Yeah, we've done a lot of things with them. He's a second generationer, but the other ones, they have people who are in, who aren't the original members. But I don't know.

Like the sledge girls. Right. Well, the sledge, they do. We haven't been on anything with them. That one thing. We wasn't the same night. It was in Las Vegas. Remember, we were in the stands.

We were in the seats. We were watching them. And we were on a different night. So it was like a whole thing they were just doing or whatever. And we just got to stay for all of them. But I got to see, what would? Kathy? Is that same?

Yeah, Kathy. And her, man, I'll say something. That baby, whoever the new generation is, that girl is Prite. She's a pretty young thing. Probably Gabriele. What did you have her name? I love Gabrielle. Gabrile.

Yes. She's gorgeous. That's her. She's gorgeous. She's a sweet teen. I do love me. A little sweet, like a thing. But yeah, so when we're out there, though,

yeah, it's very rarely that we have anyone my age. But wait, what's my boy from the Delphonic's? Oh, yes. He's the most hip-hop of everybody I've met on those things, and he'll keep up with any young thing that I'm anything. What you got for me? What you got for me? Who out there?

She did her research paper on. Which Delphine is there? A William Bell? Is that who it is? The high singer. Or Hart, is it? Heart. Oh, William, Mark.

Yeah, because I worked with his son at a radio station. Yeah, romance. Yes. And listen. He's the coolest one. He just did that record with Adrian Young a couple years ago. Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's really fucking cool, man. And, yeah, so I go there and mom always has to advise me to be more my R&B self than my hip-hop self. Throw your hands in a hand. I know, right? I get way too amped some nights. I'll be honest. And I know better. So now I've been doing this since, what, 2009?

So here it is 2017. So we, I got almost seen me. I got almost seen me. I stopped it. I stopped it. I stopped it. I stopped it. And then I said, I had you.

Ladies and gentlemen. When they first did it in L.A., the crime was crazy. Everybody did crazy. I know it. I didn't even know. Why? I didn't. I heard you go and you were doing that?

Snoop was, yes. You had hills on it. Yes, absolutely. You're not supposed to do something. He said we weren't supposed to do the step on there or something. He appreciated us, though. He appreciated, yes.

He calls them Auntie. And we did him proud. Yeah, he does. Shots out Uncle Snoopy. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. Well, ladies, we thank you very much for doing our show today.

Oh, my, yes. Thank you so much. It was amazing. Oh, thank you, Chris. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Yes. Yes.

Thank you. We enjoyed it. My auntie motions. On behalf of Ronnie Millsap, Sugar Steve, Boss Bill, Fon Tigolo, unpaid Bill,

and Laia. This is Questlove. Quest Love Supreme. Only on Pandora. We'll see you on the next career. Thank you. West Love Supreme is a production of a high.

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