You Can't Tell It Let Me Tell It

I think that no one can tell my story like I can tell my story.  I think that stories should be told by the people who live them, because you NEVER know who your story helps and uplifts.  I say this because I was watching "UNSUNG" on TVOne last night.  The group featured was HEATWAVE.  I don't think that there are many people who were born in the 60s 70s or 80s who have not heard the song "ALWAYS & FOREVER".  That song has to be on the Billboard chart of the top 100 love songs of all time. I think many people would agree with me on that.  However, until I watched last night's repeat episode of UNSUNG, I never knew what the man who sang this world famous song even looked like.  He did not look the way I saw him in my imagination.

UNSUNG gave us a look into the humble beginnings of the musical group Heatwave.  I didn't know they were from Dayton, OH.  I didn't know the struggle of where they came from or where they went.  I applaud TVOne from the bottom of my heart for developing this show.  It will do so much to keep our history and R&B music alive. ( In my opinion it is dying).  What I did know is "Ain't No Half Stepping", "Boogie Nights", "Sho Nuff Must Be Love", "Always & Forever", "Groove Line", & "Mind Blowing Decisions".  These songs are songs that I have on many a mix CD, and Ipod, that I listen to in my everyday music listening pleasure, even in 2010.  It felt great hearing their history and the struggle that went into this great music. It makes me appreciate it that much more.

I didn't know that the legendary song writer Rod Temperton ( I Wanna Rock With You - Michael Jackson ) came out of Heatwave. I didn't know that the lead singer of Heatwave, Johnnie Wilder, was in a terrible car accident and was paralyzed from the neck down.  I didn't know that he and Teddy Pendergrass were best friends.  I didn't know that his spirit was so vibrant that he taught himself how to sing again.  He then continued to run Heatwave until for many years, then sang and recorded gospel music until his death a few years ago at age 56.  But now I do know it and I feel so inspired and empowered by it.

I give TVOne so much credit for digging into the annals of R&B music and pulling out the heart and soul of what made this music so mainstream.  I think that it is the job for the rest of us artists to take this rich history and continue to march proud and boldly into the future holding up the proud banner of R&B and keep it going.

Out history is larger and deeper and more widespread than just Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston (who was much more POP than R&B) Earth Wind & Fire, and The Temps and The Supremes.  Who is writing about Blackstone? Who is researching Blackstreet? For every EWF that is known across many different racial lines, age lines, and musical genres, there is a Heatwave, The Sylvers, Blue Magic, Enchantment, Con Funk Shon, Troop, Hi-Five, & Next. Who is Lyn Collins? Who is the lead singer of Mother's Finest? Who were the Three Degrees? Why are they calling Ray Parker Jr a 1 hit wonder on VH1's The Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s?  That is crazy....You can't tell my story, let me tell it.

We need to tell our stories.  We need more historians who will dig into the deep deep deep well of black music and bring out these pearls.  We need to hear their stories so that we can continue to be inspired and know that there is nothing but DEATH that should defeat our passions and our greatness.  I learned that from the late great Johnnie Wilder........and the one still proudly carrying the torch, Keith Wilder.  Thank you gentlemen.  You have truly inspired my heart and soul. 


We should listen to the bass lines and the drum lines and horn sections and string sections and take the beauty of the old and fuse it together with the new and make R&B as relevant as it was at its conception. 

We need to find a way to keep it alive.

I will continue to write about it in my blogs and in my portry it in my plays and make you feel it in in my performances.  But we need more people than me keeping our RICH RICH RICH heritage alive.  And not wait for other people to tell our stories.  No body can tell our stories better than we can.  But we have to first understand the richness that dwell in our stories and pass them on to our children.  We need to put love into their hearts through music, and this will stop this shooting and killing.  We need to put hard work on their minds through letting them know and hear our struggle, and understand that there is a world outside of your neighborhood that you can make a mark on.  We need more love for our history and love for each other and one of the ways that black people love each other is through our music.   We need to find the love for and the love in our music once again.  Music soothes the savage beast!  We need to use love to defeat hate and a lot of our love in hidden in the chords and staves of our rich beautiful music.

The reason why ROOTS was such a powerful story is of course many reasons.........but as it relates to what I am talking about now........Kunta Kinte told his story to Kizzy and she told it to Chicken George and he told it to Tom and Tom told it to his daughters and they told it to their children and their children told it to their children so that Alex Hailey was able to research and know where to begin to get HIS great story that inspired a nation. 

TELL YOUR STORIES AND LET'S KEEP OUR HISTORY ALIVE.