Shea Diamond Sings At The HRC National Dinner

I met Shea Diamond during the 2017 BTAC conference in Dallas, and one of the highlights of it was our Family Day when she, Shea Freedom, Diamond Stylz backed up by Carmarion Anderson on percussion gave us an impromptu mic drop worthy singing performance.

Last Saturday the 22nd annual HRC National Dinner was held in Washington DC at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and Shea Diamond was tapped to sing at the event. 

Shea has been blowing up since I last saw her at BTAC.   She has been signed by a major label, and she is currently working on her debut EP that is being executive produced by Justin Tranter. 

After being introduced at the dinner by Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, she went on stage and handled her business, singing an acoustic take on her hit song 'American Pie'.  She also gained a new fan in our former Vice President Joe Biden. 

VP Biden was so moved by her performance he met with Shea backstage after she finished



Congrats Shea on all the positive things happening in your life right now.   Looking forward to hearing that EP when it drops.

The Queen of Soul Has Joined The Ancestors

Was saddened to hear the news that Aretha Franklin has passed away moments ago at age 76 in her hometown of Detroit.

The iconic singer was known as the Queen of Soul and her career spanned seven decades.   She won 18 Grammy awards and had a string of 20 number one R&B hits from 1967 to 1985.  She sang at the inaugurations of three presidents, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W Bush in 2005. 



And oh yes, out of the three versions of the theme song for the iconic TV show A Different World, my fave is Aretha's version (sorry not sorry Boyz II Men)

Aretha also lent her talents to raising funds for the African American Civil Rights Movement, and sang at the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr's funeral 

In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

She had announced her intention to retire last year and only perform at selected events   Franklin had been ill in recent years from an undisclosed illness, and in the past week her health worsened to the point where she was reportedly in hospice care at her home

She is considered by music critics to undeniably be one of the greatest singers of all time, and she will be missed by her family, friends and her fans. 

Rest in power and peace, Aretha.   Our ancestors are waiting with open arms for you. 

Breanna Sinclaire Sings The National Anthem At Another MLB Game

As an Astros fan, I'm enjoying the 2018 Major League Baseball season almost as much as I enjoyed last year's 2017 World Series championship run.

One other thing I'm enjoying is hearing about my talented opera singing sis getting the opportunity to sing the national anthem at another Bay Area baseball game.

She first did so three years ago on June 18, 2015 at an Oakland Athletics game.  By doing so, Sinclaire made some trans history became the first out trans person to perform the national anthem before a Mator League Baseball game.

Sinclaire is also featured in the Nicole Opper documentary Mezzo, that chronicles her life.

Now the San Francisco Conservatory of Music grad on Friday has received another opportunity to sing the national anthem on the other side of the Bay.

Sinclaire on Friday sang the national anthem before the San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Stadium against the San Diego Padres.   

Congratulations again Breanna!   Continue to blaze trails and be a possibility model for our trans kids out there.

30th Anniversary Of Marvin Gaye's Death

Now that I've gotten my April Fool's prank post out of the way, back to giving you readers what y'all surf over here for. 

This one is making me feel my age.  

It was 30 years ago today on April 1, 1984 when I and the rest of America learned that the story we were hearing about iconic soul singer Marvin Gaye being shot to death by his father on the eve of his 45th birthday was not an April Fool's Day joke, but was tragically true.  .

Marvin was just 44 years old when he was shot twice by his father at 11:38 AM PST after intervening in a argument his parents were having.   His wounds were fatal ones, and he was pronounced dead at 1:01 PM PST once he arrived at the hospital

It's 30 years later, and I find myself wondering what Marvin's music would sound like if he was still around and still writing songs today.   The ones he did write are still as relevant today as when he penned them back in the 60's and 70s'.    'Sexual Healing' is probably responsible for some of my readers being here today .

And he's one of the few singers who put their own spin on the national anthem as he did at the 1983 NBA All Star game in Los Angeles and made it a memorable. 




Rest in Power, Marvin.  You're still missed.   

Happy 55th Birthday, Cherrelle!

I had the pleasure of meeting her while working an LAX flight in the late 90's.   She was traveling under her birth name, but I knew who she was the millisecond she walked up to gate C-14. 

It also worked out than on this particular LAX departure it was swapped to one of the widebody aircraft that had an expanded first class.  I got the opportunity to improve the seating assignments of one of my fave singers and have an enjoyable chat with her for a few minutes before she boarded.

I'm going down Moni's airline memory lane for a moment because today is the 55th birthday of Cheryl Anne Norton, known to the rest of the music world as Cherrelle.  
She was born in Los Angeles on this date in 1958 and is another one of the talented group of singers that Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced into R&B stardom in the 80's and early 90's.

She is also the cousin of Perri 'Pebbles' Reid, who is a Grammy nominated singer who had a few hits herself. in the late 80's early 90's.  You can hear Cherrelle's voice on her her cousin's song 'Always'.

Her signature hits like 'I Didn't Mean To Turn You On'   (yes people, she recorded it first, NOT Robert Palmer), 'Everything I Miss At Home', and her 'Saturday Love' and 'Never Knew Love Like This' duets with Alexander O'Neal.  

She's still touring and pooping up at various events like the BET Honors in which she sang 'Saturday Love with her back in the day duet partner.
 
Happy birthday Cherrelle!  May you have many more..

Whitney's 50th Birthday-You're Still Missed

Still hard to believe it's been over a year since we lost her, and we got another sad reminded of the person and iconic musician we lost because today would have been Whitney Elizabeth Houston's 50th birthday.

She died way too soon and is missed by her family, friends and legions of fans.

I play and look at my Whitney Houston CD's from time to time, see my copy of The Bodyguard and think about the fact that I will never be able to buy new music from her ever again or enjoy seeing her in concert.

I'm also thinking of her mother Cissy on this day, who had to endure what no parent ever wants to go through in having to witness the burial of their child. 

While the heavenly choir gained another singer, we're still pondering her loss.  We still have her music, the love, and all the memories of her she left behind to hold on to.

rest in peace Whitney, you're still missed.

Why Y'alll STILL Hatin' On Beyonce?

Frankly, I think a lot of the industrial sized Hateraid that's directed at Beyonce Giselle Knowles stems from jealousy. She's living what seems like a fairy-tale life. She's breathtakingly beautiful but down to earth. She's won Grammys. She sings the national anthem at the 2004 Super Bowl played in our hometown. She has a wealthy boyfriend in Jay-Z. She just became the first non-athlete, non-model and the second African-American woman to do the coveted Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover solo. If I'd come up with her story as the basis for a fiction novel people would roll their eyes and claim it's unrealistic.

TransGriot 'Why Y'all Hatin' On Beyonce'   February 20, 2007.

It's been a week since the inauguration in which she did a kick azz rendition of the national anthem and  looked good doing so until US Marine Corps band member Master Sgt. Kristin duBois mysteriously opened her mouth and accused her of lip syncing it.   

Still have to ask the things that make you go hmm questions as to what motivated Sgt duBois to do so in the first place.  I'd also like to know more about her accuser Sgt duBois down to her ethnic background.. 

I also find it interesting that duBois and the media were quick to claim Kelly Clarkson wasn't lip syncing, but felt the need to pile on Beyonce Knowles-Carter. 

Even Sen Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is head of the Joint committee that organizes the inauguration event is reportedly demanding an apology. 

Careful Chuck, Jay Z is a New York resident and probably won't be too happy that you're joining in the media feeding frenzy and fake controversy aimed at his wife.  He may remember that when you show up at his office in 2016 trying to get a contribution for your reelection campaign  


So what's up with the hatin' on Beyonce meme that seems to be fueling this kefluffle along with the deep seated conservaneed to do something to embarrass the POTUS?

Some of you peeps just live for hatin' on Beyonce, whether it's the feminist community , the gossip blogosphere, or just you peeps full of foaming at the mouth jealously that Beyonce in her 31 years on the planet has been blessed many times over.

You peeps hating on Beyonce isn't going to change the fact she has a daughter, married a man that is worth $500 million, has $200 million of her own money in the bank, had a trophy case full of awards, and will be the halftime entertainer at this year's Super Bowl.

And she's once again is going to look fabulous doing it.

Last Dance: Donna Summer Passes Away

You peeps who have been longtime readers of my blog know that I long ago revealed my unabashed love for all things disco on the electronic pages of this blog.  

One of my favorite singers during that period was the Queen of Disco, LaDonna Adrian Gaines, better know to the world by her stage name of Donna Summer.  Of course, Donna could sing any style of music with her mezzo soprano vocal range as she repeatedly proved throughout the late 70's and 80's, but she made her name and rep during the 70's 

Summer was an NAACP Image Award winner, a five-time Grammy Award winner and the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the US Billboard chart.   She also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a thirteen-month period from 1977-1979.

She was also nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 and 2011 but to mine and many of her fans disappointment wasn't chosen for enshrinement.   Hope they will rectify that oversight soon.

I was shocked and saddened to hear that Donna Summer passed away this morning at age 63 after a battle with lung cancer.

My music collection runneth over with many of her CD's, and there was more than a few times on my way to work I played or sang off key She Works Hard For The Money and countless others of my favorite songs of hers.

But unfortunately we won't get to hear her sing them live any more because another one of our iconic singers and part of my teen years has unfortunately made her Last Dance. 

Rest in peace, Donna Summer.   Your family, I and your devoted fans around the world are definitely going to miss you.  

Rihanna Goes Off On Euro Racism

I love Rihanna, and I was not a happy camper to hear about her having to deal with two racist incidents on the European continent within mere days of each other. 

She's there for the European leg of her 'Loud' tour, and while at a hotel in Portugal before her December 18 concert date in Lisbon was incensed when a guest went on a racist rant about Black women he aimed at her.

RiRi called his bigoted behind out before getting the manager involved and reported on her Twitter feed:

"I just met the most racist **** EVER!!! This man said the craziest shit abt black women called us dogs, sluts, we don't look like s**t, we don't belong in the same hotels ... needless to say, the #NIGGA in me came out! Bajan accent and all! Lol! Turns out the hotel manager's black.


"Oh and he had the NERVE to diss black people in his Tighty whitey's!!!! SMH...and tbh a lil black wouldn't hurt him (sic)"

Then while she was still fuming about what happened in Portugal a caca storm blew up about an article written about her signature style in the Dutch fashion magazine Jackie.  It referred to her as a 'n***ab**ch" in the headline and RiRi had to put now former editor of that magazine Eva Hoeke in check as well

"@evajackie I hope u can read english, because your magazine is a poor representation of the evolution of human rights! I find you disrespectful, and rather desperate!! You ran out of legit, civilized information to print! There are 1000's of Dutch girls who would love to be recognized for their contributions to your country, you could have given them an article.  "Instead, u paid to print one degrading an entire race! That's your contribution to this world! To encourage segregation, to mislead the future leaders to act in the past! You put two words together, with the intent of abasement, that made no sense...'N---A BITCH'?!"

"Well with all respect, on behalf of my race, here are my two words for you ... F---K YOU!!!"

After a weak azz apology in which Hoeke tried to claim it was a misunderstood joke (where have we heard that bull feces before?)  she resigned as editor of Jackie magazine.

Aaliyah's Been Gone Ten Years

Today was the shocking day we got the word that Aaliyah and 8 other people in her entourage were killed in a 2001 plane crash in the Bahamas hours after filming the Rock The Boat video.

Hard to believe that was ten years ago.  

Aaliyah's name means in Arabic 'the highest, most exalted one, the best', and did she live up to it and then some. 

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was 22 years old and things were blowing up for her.   The Grammy nominated music career was putting her on the edge of superstardom.  She filmed Romeo Must Die in 2000, had a part in Queen of the Damned and was signed to do two others.   With her striking beauty she was beginning to get modeling work. She had already filmed part of her role in The Matrix Reloaded and was also tapped to do a role in The Matrix Revolutions.   As busy as she was with her various careers she still graduated at the top of her high school class.

And then she was gone.

I make the argument that had it not been for her untimely death, Beyonce and Rihanna wouldn't have had the giant void that they were filled because they would have spent the 2K's in Aaliyah's considerably growing shadow.   The role in the movie Honey that went to Jessica Alba was originally Aaliyah's and the Sparkle remake that she was to star in was canceled.

But sadly, we'll never know just how big a star she would have become..  You marvel at the fact that she accomplished in 22 years what some people take several lifetimes to do.  She was a remarkable young woman and our lives here on this planet are poorer with her not being a part of them.  



  
Rest in peace, Aaliyah.   You are still missed by your fans.

Happy Birthday Patti!

Today is the birthday of iconic Grammy winning singer and actress Patti LaBelle, who in 1944 was born on this date in Philadelphia, PA.

The career of the 'Godmother of Soul' spans several decades and she is an iconic presence in the African American community.

She's especially loved in the rainbow African American one.    Back during the 80's and early 90's the two most popular people my FI friends used to emulate were Diana Ross and Patti LaBelle.    She's also loved in the African American TBLG community for her advocacy work that earned her a GLAAD Media Award in 2007. 

She's not only an Apollo Legends Hall of Famer, she was listed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of 'The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time'.  Her voice is the one that Oprah used for her show's theme song from 1996-1998



And those of us who were (and still are) fans of the groundbreaking  television series A Different World can't forget her recurring role performances as Dwayne Wayne's mother Adele Wayne.

Happy birthday Patti!   May you have many more!

Happy 60th Birthday 'Lufer'

Today would have been the 60th birthday of Luther Ronzoni Vandross, who was born on this date in New York City in 1951.  There are more than a few of you younglings who probably owe your existence on Planet Earth to the fact that your parents were listening to his music the night you were conceived.

And what music it was.   While we all remember the romantic ballads and remakes of classic songs that he gave that Luther touch, he could put together some songs that would make you move as well.

And he is a music legend that is sorely missed.   




 

R-E-S-P-E-C-T The Queen Of Soul's Birthday

Today is Aretha Franklin's 69th birthday, so it is time to bow in the direction of Detroit and pay homage to one of our iconic singers while she still walks amongst us mere mortals in her queendom.

The Queen of Soul was born on this date in 1942, and yes I have much love for her music.




Don't forget she sang at the 2009 inauguration of President Obama.




PETA may hate her, but as I said in last year's birthday post,  frack them.   Who cares what those fools think?  .

Happy birthday, your royal higness!

Kim Petras Performs New Song Live

Enjoy the YouTuibe video of Germany's Kim Petras' new song One Piece Of Tape. 

Teena Marie's 55th Birthday

Today would have been the 55th birthday of one of my fave singers Teena Marie.    She was born on this date in Santa Monica, CA in 1956 and recently passed away the day after Christmas of natural causes.. 

I and all her fans feel as though the Ivory Queen of Soul was taken away from us far too soon, and know her born on Christmas Day daughter Alia Rose probably feels the same way.   She is definitely missed, but she left us a lot of wonderful music to remember her with.


Alia is following in her mom's musical footsteps, and if she's even half as good as her Grammy winning mother, the music industry can sure use her.

Rest in peace Lady Tee.

It's Sade's Birthday!

Happy birthday to Helen Folasade Adu, known to the rest of the world as simply Sade.

Y'all know how much I love her music and wasn't letting today pass without at least doing some kind of shout out birthday post to her.

Damn, Lady Tee Passes Away

Mary Christine Brockert, better known to legions of R&B fans as Teena Marie, passed away in her sleep Christmas Night at age 54.     She was found by her daughter Alia Rose at her home in Pasadena, CA early this morning.

I wrote a post about her on her March 5 birthday back in 2009.   Back in the day I loved me some Teena Marie (and still do).   The Grammy Award nominee was a 'blue eyed soul' singer with some serious pipes.  



I had more than a few songs of hers I liked and her CD's have a prominent place in my collection.   Besides her 'Fire and Desire duet with Rick James, I loved a song on one of her earlier albums called 'Behind The Groove'.

Rest in peace, Lady Tee.   Thanks for the music and memories.  As  sad as we are to see you go, Rick James is probably happy his protege and duet partner is finally joining him on the other side.