Category Archives: Music

Host Charmaine Bassett: The Lady Is a Media Champ

Leave a reply

Just in case you’re wondering (as we were), Charmaine Bassett is no relation to Angela Bassett. But that doesn’t mean she’s any less entertainment savvy than the leading lady who played Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. Currently the host of Lady Charmaine Live here on BlogTalkRadio, Charmaine—who tells us, “I was called an ugly duckling until I reached high school”—has appeared in print and broadcast ads for companies ranging from Dove to FedEx to Radio Shack. She also had a role in the 1987 flick The Principal, starring Lou Gossett Jr. and Jim Belushi. And along the way, she worked as an entertainment reporter for CBS Radio, and DJ’d for KHYL-FM in Sacramento, Calif., KDIA-AM in Vallejo, Calif., and KGRM-FM in Grambling, La. Now settled in Sacramento, Charmaine, along with her hubby Joseph, pastors the Spirit of Excellence Christian Center. On that holy note, please put your hands together for this week’s SoundBits subject, Lady Charmaine…

soundbits_blog1

Give us a 15-second pitch for your show—why should listeners tune in?

Lady Charmaine Live is fun, informative and uplifting. Each weekday between 3 and 4:30 p.m. ET, we bring you interviews with your favorite gospel artists while playing all your favorite gospel songs. Plus, our “Hot Chocolate” and “Coffee Talk” segments focus on topics that concern us day in, day out—from health, to money management and more.

Lady Charmaine: Joyful noise jockey.

Lady Charmaine: Joyful noise jockey.

Tell us two things listeners would be surprised to learn about you?

I was a guest on The Tyra Banks Show in 2005, and a contestant on The Price is Right in 2009. And in 2004, I had a near-death experience when I suffered a bowel obstruction and the doctors told me I wasn’t going to live. But thanks be to God, I am here today!

Who’s your broadcasting hero?

Oprah Winfrey.

If you could book any person on earth as a guest on your show, who would it be and why?

I’d book Continue reading →

‘WDKK Radio’ Host Darryl Williams: Got a Job—and Couldn’t Ask for a Better One

Leave a reply

Whether you’re a soul enthusiast, funk aficionado or R&B devotee, Darryl Williams is the man for you. As host of WDKK Radio, he regularly sits down with legends in each genre for in-depth discussions that cover everything from their creative inspiration to career peaks (and valleys). Darryl’s guests in the past year alone have included Billy Paul, Jeffrey Osborne, The Ohio Players, The Brothers Johnson, Otis Williams of The Temptations, Gil Saunders of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge. And if it seems that Darryl, who makes his home in Dayton, Ohio—and serves as chief visionary officer for radio-station management company Full Cirkle Media Group there—has an inside track on the music biz, that’s because he does. His dad, Kae Williams Sr., was a broadcasting pioneer who not only worked the Philly radio circuit, but also managed The Silhouettes—and wrote the doo-wop group’s No. 1 hit, Get a Job. And on that note (Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip), we give you this week’s SoundBits subject, Darryl “The Soul Man” Williams…

soundsbits

Give us a 15-second pitch for your show—why should listeners tune in?

WDKK features the absolute finest in legacy artists. Not only do you hear the stories behind these great performers, but you get up close and personal with them, while getting their advice for aspiring talent. Scattered in between are history lessons in music and broadcasting that you just won’t find anywhere else in radio.

Darryl: Keeping the family legacy alive on BTR.

Darryl: Keeping his musical heritage alive on BlogTalkRadio.

Tell us two things listeners would be surprised to learn about you?

(1) I am a second-generation broadcaster. I grew up in and around the music industry, which has given me a unique perspective on the radio and recording industries.

(2) The late Solomon Burke was my godfather. He acknowledged during one my shows that I was the first Internet radio interview he had done—just as my father was the first traditional radio personality to play his records on the air. What an incredible honor. Continue reading →

Solomon Burke: 1940-2010. ‘It was a great dream for me, in my lifetime, that will never happen again,’ legend said of final album

1 Reply

The King of Rock ‘N’ Soul is gone.

Solomon Burke—who penned such classic tunes as Cry to Me and Everybody Needs Somebody to Love—died of natural causes earlier today at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport after a flight from his hometown of Los Angeles. He was 70 years old.

The legendary soul singer had been due to perform with Dutch rock band De Dijk this Tuesday.

Just six months ago, Solomon dropped by BlogTalkRadio to chat about his then-just-released album, Nothing’s Impossible, which was masterminded by Memphis producer Willie Mitchell—the man behind all of Al Green‘s hits during the ‘70s.

"The spirit that's in those songs is locked in for the people of the world—and me," Solomon told us of his final, Willie Mitchell-produced CD. "I was designated spiritually to sing those songs."

"The spirit that's in those songs is locked in for the people of the world—and me," Solomon told us of his final, Willie Mitchell-produced CD. "I was designated spiritually to sing those songs."

Just 10 days after Solomon and Willie completed Nothing’s Impossible, Willie passed away at age 81.

Interviewed May 4 of this year on Icon Fetch, Solomon chatted for 20 minutes about his storied career and the making of his final album.

“We had a relationship over the phone and through conversations of other people for, like, 30 years-without meeting each other,” Solomon told host Tony Peters of Willie.

“I had been in Memphis several times and Continue reading →

Doobie Brothers Frontman Tom Johnston: Michael McDonald Was a, ah, ‘Blessing’ for the Band

4 Replies

We’d be fools to believe that original Doobie Brothers vocalist and guitarist Tom Johnston wasn’t a little—just a tad, mind you—envious of Michael McDonald.

After all, it was Michael who propelled the band to superstar status in 1979, by composing and arranging What a Fool Believes, which snagged them their first-ever Grammy Award. Three Grammys, in fact—for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Vocal Arrangement.

CAPTION: "I left the band in ‘77 because I just decided this isn't working for me," Tom (above) tells us of his Doobie departure. "I just left and went and played baseball for a year."

"I left in ‘77 because I decided this isn't working for me," Tom (above) tells us of dumping The Doobies. "I just left and went and played baseball for a year."

Co-written with Kenny Loggins, the tune, which hit No.1 on the pop charts, featured backup vocals by none other than Michael Jackson, who also sang on two of Michael’s (McDonald’s, that is) other tracks from the Minute by Minute album: Here to Love You and Minute by Minute, the latter winning The Doobies their fourth Grammy, for Best Pop Vocal Performance.

Interviewed on Icon Fetch, Tom—who co-founded The Doobies in 1970 but was replaced by Michael in 1975 due to a peptic ulcer—reflects on Michael’s contributions to the band.

When host Tony Peters points out that Michael took Continue reading →

Dick Clark’s Lost Interview: My Close Call with the Wrath of Madonna’s Manager

1 Reply

Dick Clark may have been the dean of the pop-music scene for more than five decades, but that doesn’t mean he’s any better at picking winners than your average armchair critic.

Case in point, the American Music Awards—which he himself founded in 1973.

CAPTION: Dick: Made Her Madgesty parachute in from Penny Marshall's movie set.

Dick: Made Her Madgesty parachute in from Penny Marshall's movie set.

In an interview with Milling About host Robin Milling from New Year’s Eve 1992—which has never before aired anywhere—the cultural icon chatted about wrangling nominees into the theater for the event.

“Years ago I talked to [Madonna's then-manager] Freddy DeMann. I said, ‘Madonna must be here— she’s up for two awards. I mean, you must know in your heart that she’s going to win those awards. She’s a runaway smash hit,” he said of the 1991 AMAs, while the Material Girl was filming A League of Their Own.

“They arranged a convoy and strategic air command sort of thing and got Continue reading →

Faith Evans on Her DUI Charges: ‘I’m not sure what the outcome is gonna be. But it can’t be anything too serious’

1 Reply
CAPTION: "It is what it is," Faith (above) tells us of her wine-fueled bust. "And I'm sure it'll work out."

"It is what it is," Faith (above) tells us of her wine-fueled bust. "And I'm sure it'll work out."

Faith Evans isn’t sweating her drunk-driving rap—despite the fact that, if convicted, she could land in the slammer for six months.

Interviewed on Mutha Knows, Notorious B.I.G.‘s widow, who snagged a Grammy in 1998 for the single I’ll Be Missing You, speaks out about the misdemeanor DUI charges stemming from her Aug. 21 arrest near the Marina Del Rey section of Los Angeles.

“It wasn’t really a big situation. Actually, I live near Venice Beach, and anybody that lives out here knows there’s these checkpoints every single week in there, so I pass Continue reading →

Mashonda on Alicia Keys: ‘I Need for This Woman to See My Eyes’

30 Replies

After meeting Mashonda face to face, Alicia Keys will no doubt be on her best behavior in the childcare department.

Interviewed on Embrace Life Radio, Mashonda—who wed rapper/producer Swizz Beatz in 2004 and divorced him last year—dishes about sitting down in person with his new wife for the first time.

CAPTION: "I tell him all the time, ‘You know daddy is going to have a baby and you're going to be a big brother,"' Mashonda (above) tells us of explaining to her son about Swizz and Alicia's upcoming bundle of joy.

"I tell him all the time, ‘You know daddy is going to have a baby and you're going to be a big brother,"' Mashonda (above) says of explaining to her son about Swizz and Alicia's upcoming bundle of joy.

“It was very important for me to sit with her and just have her see how serious I was,” the No Panties singer, who has a son, Kasseem Dean, with Swizz, tells host Tiffani Walker of Alicia—who’s expecting Swizz’s child in November.

“I don’t think she would ever hurt him. I don’t think that his father would ever let her hurt him. It wasn’t about that.

“It was about, I need for this woman to see my eyes. I need her to hear my voice so she could feel how serious this is,” Mashonda says of Alicia, whose 2001 debut album, Songs in A Minor, snagged five Grammy Awards and sold more than 12 million copies.

“We spoke about nothing else but Continue reading →

Justin Bieber’s BFF Diggy Simmons: My Famous Family Hasn’t Helped with My Fame!

8 Replies

Ever since Justin Bieber brought Diggy Simmons onstage with him in Allentown, Pa., on Sept. 4 for the Baby remix, countless fans of the mop-topped superstar have been wondering, Just who is this Diggy?

Well wonder no more, because in December, the 15-year-old son of Run-DMC’s Rev Run Simmons—and nephew of music mogul Russell Simmons—sat with host Timothy Hodge for a full 15 minutes.

CAPTION: "I'm doing it all on my own, all by myself," Diggy (above with Justin) told us of his success. "The Internet is really pushing this."

"I'm doing it all on my own, all by myself," Diggy (above with Justin) told us of his success. "The Internet is really pushing this."

During that time, Diggy— whose new Space Age clothing line was (as calls it) “mentored” by hip-hop star Pharrell Williams—discussed how he got started as an MC.

“A lot of people think this is new to me, but I’ve been rapping since I was five years old,” said the First Flight singer.

“I was young, so people used to write my rhymes. And, you know, I kinda stopped rapping when I was like 10.

“And then this summer I had a lot to express. And ‘cause music isn’t something I’m like, Oh, you know, it’s cool to do-nah nah nah nah-my music is an expression of me. Each song that you hear Continue reading →