WHAT A ROLLER COASTER WEEK

Donnie Simpson

Ron Isley & Lauryn Hill

I had a wild dream the other night, the legendary Donnie Simpson and I were hanging out since neither of us are in radio right now. We talked about when we get back into the game, we chipped some golf balls in my backyard (I did say this was a dream right?) All while we listened to some new music that I downloaded (the music if for real). We listened to a couple of interesting remakes. There was the Burt Bacharach classic "Close To You" by Ron Isley singing the duet with Ms. Lauryn Hill from Ron's soon to be released album "Mr. I" on Def Jam Records. When I first listened to this I liked it for the arrangement but the vocals are an acquired taste. I mean, it's good to hear Lauryn's distinctive voice after such a long layoff. Ron Isley's voice is starting to show its age. In my opinion this is for the very mature audience and lovers of classic ballads only. You might have to hunt around for this one on radio unless you can catch it on a show like "The Original Quiet Storm" with Jeff Brown.

Corrine & Knowwax

In my dream I was giving Donnie some golf tips on chipping his ball better and I had to get on his case for almost breaking one of the windows in my house's sunroom. Hey it's MY dream! I can golf better that Donnie Simpson in MY dream! Anyway, next we listened to the next single by Corrine Bailey Rae who has done a fabulous remake of Bob Marley's "Is This Love." This cover has all you would expect from little Ms. Rae, an airy delivery with that small hint of sensuality. It's a very organic, acoustic and anyone with a set of ears could tell, this will be a BIG hit for her! Listen for this track to be released October 12th. 

Our Godfather, yes all of us have the same one, Chuck Brown dropped a taste of real DC Go-Go love on us with the help of Jill Scott. It's the first release from his new 3-Disc album called "We Got This." The song is called "Love" and it is that and more! Chuck blessed us with an outdoor "free" concert in downtown Washington, DC on friday September 24th right on Pennsylvania Avenue not too far from the Obama's. Chuck kicked... WIND ME UP, CHUCK!!! Oh, excuse me but the 75 year old did his thing performing "Love" and a whole lot more. Get ready for "We Got This" which includes one studio recorded disc and two discs of the "Godfather of Go-Go's" live performance.  

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A few weeks ago I wrote about going to an album showcase for Lyfe Jennings and his new CD that some are saying will be his best yet and what Lyfe called his "final" studio album, "I Still Believe" featuring a bonus track called "If Tomorrow Never Comes" that was described by Mark Edward Nero in a album review, on About.com, like "...a man who has a terminal disease or otherwise facing his own mortality." Now we know what Lyfe may have expected when he was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for his role in a 1998 domestic dispute. It should be noted that this is Chester Jennings' (Lyfe's real name) first run-in with the law since serving a 10 year bid for arson. During those 10 years Jennings rediscovered his love for music and began performing. 

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Antonio

Earlier I was writing about playing golf in my dreams but I could kick myself for not taking part in what I hear was a great event in the real world! Antonio "The Cuban Cigar Smoker," held a benefit golf tournament for the lifeSTARTS organization www.lifestarts.org. My good friend Sherri Warren, owner of Tippy Inc. filled me in (after the fact) that Antonio had just about total participation from his NBA, NFL and entertainment celebrity friends. I look forward to my invitation to play next year Antonio!

This is my favorite sports time of year. Pro and college football season is off and running, the NBA camps are getting ready to open and the weather is just right for taking in a local soccer match. Tailgating is a blast at NFL games but there have been polls taken lately which show that people would rather watch football on television but basketball, especially in two of my favorite cities New York and Washington, is more of a social event. I love being at the Washington Wizards games and even when the team wasn't so good, there was championship Washingtonian watching in the hallways and every other section of the Verizon Center. This year might be rough though with John Wall on the floor and the parade of interesting people in the concourse's. What's a man to do? I plan to attend as many games as I can because I have a feeling Chinatown will be the place to be this winter. It will be even better when the team gets out of those ugly uniforms and back into the Red, White and Blue of the glory days of the Washington Bullets in 2011 (no official pictures yet). Will a name change be next!    

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Wendell Williamson

I hate to end on a sad note this week, but I couldn't go without paying tribute to one of the people who first accepted me when I came to the DC area. Initially Wendell was just a big quiet guy with shaded glasses that would shake my hand and give me a compliment at concerts. Later I found out that he was Wendell Williamson a former announcer and Producer at WHUR. It wasn't until his passing this week that I found out this guy was more than just a radio man but a musician (sort of like my own story.) But, Wendell and his band went a lot further than my musical journey. He persuaded LA Reid of then LaFace Productions to give the band a look.  They also were finalists on "Natalie Cole's Big Break", an America's Got Talent type of television show during the late 80's that featured then unknowns like and R. Kelly & MGM (the predecessor to R. Kelly & Public Announcement) and a band who knocked out Wendell's group featuring a brother and sister who named the group after the brothers middle name "Benet", yup, Lisa Jordan and her younger brother Eric Benet Jordan. So, I found out that the quiet big man in the shades was a pretty deep brother and he'll be missed by many.