R & B Legend, Luther Vandross and his love songs are synonymous with Valentine’s Day and he had a long tradition of performing at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on that special day. The glamour and glitz of his stage productions was captured in his only live album, Live Radio City Music Hall 2003, recorded on Valentine’s weekend.
Enjoy this cautiously cheek-to-cheek twist on one of Luther’s iconic songs, “Take You Out” with a reminder to take the necessary precautions to stay safe. we urge you and your loved ones to take the necessary precautions to stay safe. Wear a mask to protect yourself and others and stop the spread of COVID-19. Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from others who don’t live with you. Avoid crowds. The more people you are in contact with, the more likely you are to be exposed to COVID-19.
Early studies have shown that about 25% of people who went to the hospital with severe COVID-19 infections had diabetes. Those with diabetes were more likely to have serious complications and to die from the virus.
Now new evidence suggests some people who’ve recovered from COVID-19 are developing type 1 and type 2 diabetes according to research published November 2020 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
More than one in 10 coronavirus patients (14.4%) were newly diagnosed with diabetes after recovering from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to the analysis of 3,711 patients across eight different studies.
On a personal note, this project is near and dear to my heart because several of my family members contracted COVID over the Christmas holiday. I am so grateful to the care, kindness and treatment that my family members received from the healthcare workers at Prisma Health Baptist Hospital in Columbia, SC. I was thrilled to lend a hand in helping Luther Vandross’s Former Vocalists & Band remake his iconic ‘Take You Out’ song with #COVID safety message.
CREDITS: “Take You Out” written by Warryn Campbell, Harold Lilly, and John Smith Lead Vocals: Keith Anthony Fluitt, Kevin Owens, Clayton Bryant Backing Vocals: Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, Tawatha Agee, Alfa Anderson. Music: Ivan Hampden, Jr. Vocal Arrangements: Lisa Fischer Mixer: Aaron Whitby Luther Vandross Archival Footage: Fonzi Thornton for Thorn World Hats & Masks Images: Harlem Heaven’s Hat FANDROSS CEO: Seveda Williams Revised Lyrics: Max Szadek, Lisa Fischer Video Production: Max Szadek
According to his family, the 18 time GRAMMY winner is taking each day one note at time. Bennett’s greatest therapy is singing. He rehearses twice a week.
“He has devoted his whole life to the Great American songbook and now the songbook is saving him,” Susan Bennett told CBS This Morning.
Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease characterized by progressive memory loss that affects speech, understanding, and recognition of family and friends.
There’s research suggesting a link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s, suggesting that people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, are at higher risk of eventually developing Alzheimer’s dementia or other dementias.
Alzheimer’s symptoms may initially include repeating questions, getting lost in a familiar place or misplacing things, and may eventually progress to hallucinations, angry outbursts, and the inability to recognize family and friends or communicate at all. Alzheimer’s has no cure.
Tony Bennett, first diagnosed in 2016, has so far been spared the disorientation and the episodes of terror, rageand/or depression.
Susan Bennett said that he can still recognize family members, but the magazine reported that “mundane objects as familiar as a fork or a set of house keys can be utterly mysterious to him.”
His diagnosis hasn’t stopped him from performing. According to People Magazine the 94 year old singer has has concert dates scheduled for later this year, with the first in March.
“It kept him on his toes and also stimulated his brain in a significant way,” Bennett’s neurologist, Gayatri Devi told AARP The Magazine. “He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder.”
“He’s not the old Tony anymore,” his wife, Susan, said. “But when he sings, he’s the old Tony.”
18x-GRAMMY winner @ItsTonyBennett is battling Alzheimer's disease. His family revealed his 4-year battle in an @AARP article. @GayleKing spoke w/ his wife, Susan Benedetto, who says music still plays a major role in his life & why the family decided to share his diagnosis now. pic.twitter.com/taSobf8mLd
Bennett’s family kept his secret for four years, but decided to break their silence now with the release of his new album. The disclosure is a way to remove some of the stigma associated with the incurable disease, they said.
“Being open about a diagnosis in such a public manner takes great courage and compassion,” said Beth Kallmyer, vice president for care and support with the Alzheimer’s Association.
Editor’s note: It has not been reported that Tony Bennett is living with diabetes.
“It’s hard for me to do these concerts and watch people walking in with canes who can hardly move,” said Jeffrey Osborne in an interview with Real Health. “People don’t realize that’s a result of their diet.”
The 72-year-old Grammy–nominated singer–songwriter,and musician has watched several of his eleven siblings succumb to different chronic illnesses. “I have only one sister left,” he says. “I have three brothers still living; the others either died from cancer or suffered from clogged arteries.”
Jeffrey Osborne rose to fame as the drummer and lead singer of the American R&B/Soul group L.T.D in the 1970’s. Recently, he released his first album of original material in 15 years entitled Worth It All.
Back in mid-’70s, Jeffrey Osborne toyed with the idea of becoming a vegan. “But it wasn’t cool then, and there wasn’t as much research at that time or great products like there are now,” he says.
What Is A Vegan?
A vegan is a person who does not eat any food derived from animals and who typically does not use other animal products. Foods from animals that vegans do not eat include eggs, cheese, milk, and honey. Foods made from plants that vegans eat include: Fruits and vegetables. legumes (peas, beans, and lentils), nuts and seeds, breads, rice, and pasta, dairy alternatives (soy milk, coconut milk, and almond milk) and vegetable oils.
Vegan Diets & Diabetes
Studies have shown that those people who follow a low-fat vegan diet, avoiding meat and dairy, lower blood sugar levels very efficiently and lose weight reports Diabetes UK. Researchers have shown that people with diabetes who eat a vegan diet also lower their cholesterol and improve kidney functioning.
Jeffrey Osborne tried adapting a vegan diet again in 2017, on his 28-year-old son’s recommendation after their family watched the documentary, What The Health, about our nation’s health and how big business influences it.
“I did not know half of the things going on with the beef and poultry industries, and that just opened my eyes to so much, and that’s what started me.”
Now he and his family follow a plant-based diet. “It’s been incredible,” he says. “I feel so much better and have more energy, and I feel good. My bones and joints— everything—feels so good.”
“Worth It Allfinds Osborne picking up where he left off in the vein of new songs with 2003’s Music Is Life, remarkably displaying as much vocal agility and ease with range as ever atop a variety of urban-contemporary grooves and melodic R&B ballads that often reach back to harmonic and structural sensibilities of ‘80s soul while bearing a rhythmic foundation that adult-contemporary audiences came to appreciate during the early 2000s,” writes Justin Kantor for Soultracks.com.
This success of Frank Sinatra’s highly acclaimedDuetsalbum, released in 1993, would not have been possible without the remarkable vocal talents of Luther Vandross.
The Making of a Multi Platinum Album…
Billed as “The Recording Event of the Decade,”Duets brought together an array of global superstars including Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Gloria Estefan, Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin, for an album of standards that featured many songs instantly associated with Ol’ Blues Eyes.
Music insiders referred to it as groundbreaking because it showcased Sinatra alongside his peers in the hitmaking royalty category.
Luther Vandross was reluctant to participate in the project when he was approached by the album’s producer, Phil Ramone. “Why do you want me, Phil? Frank Sinatra’s never heard of me.”
When Luther finally agreed, he requested the Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart classic “The Lady Is A Tramp.” This songwriting duet created it for their Broadway show, Babes in Arms,and it was sung by the show’s star Mitzi Green in 1939.
Sinatra performed the song in the movie version of the play in 1957 and it quickly became one of his signature songs.
Although Luther and Sinatra recorded their parts at Capitol Records Studio A in Los Angeles, a familiar studio for Sinatra, they did not sing together, nor did any of the others. The album was engineered with such utter precision, most listeners never knew that Sinatra hadn’t actually performed beside his duet partners.
Luther Vandross Was The Catalyst for The Album’s Creations
Luther and Sinatra’s song was the first to be brought to Sinatra for his approval. The entire project’s completion hung on whether Frank Sinatra liked what he heard. The verdict was, “That’s wonderful,” and it’s Luther’s voice, not Sinatra’s, that kicks off the album. Pretty wonderful indeed!
https://youtu.be/1WdgZmwgfK8
“Duets is a marvelous and nostalgic comeback from a singer who has been absent from the recording scene for many years,” reported The Christian Science Monitor.
Frank Sinatra’s Duetsalbum is the only Sinatra album to date to achieve triple platinum certification. It is also the biggest worldwide selling duets album in history.
For Luther Vandross, it’s just another example of his musical genius.
We’re celebrating the musical legacy of Luther Vandross and raising awareness for diabetes health-related complications (such as vision loss) on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast.
Diabetic eye disease, caused by diabetes, is a leading cause of blindness and vision loss. Because of the high risk for eye disease, all people with type 2 diabetes should receive an annual dilated eye exam..
Guests include Andre “Doctor Dre” Brown, Nat Adderley Jr., Dr. Khoshnevis, Danny Clay, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE. Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s album, ‘The Night I Fell In Love’ courtesy of SONY Music
Let Barry White’s legacy inspire you to take your blood pressure seriously
Barry White battled chronic high-blood pressure for years. Unfortunately most people don’t even know they have high blood pressure because high blood pressure (HBP, or hypertension) has no obvious symptoms to indicate that something is wrong.
Barry White was twice admitted to the hospital after suffering from hypertension – once in 1995 and again in 1998.
Before his passing in 2003, Barry White announced that he was on dialysis and searching for a kidney donor.
“Doctors confirm that Barry White has a history of hypertension [high blood pressure], which has led to a decline of kidney function,” a statement from Island Def Jam Music Group said reports NME.
UnfortunatelyBarry White died at age 58 while waiting for kidney transplant.
How Is High Blood Pressure Related to Kidney Disease?
When the blood vessels become damaged, the nephrons that filter your blood don’t receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to function well. This is why high blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) is the second leading cause of kidney failure reports the American Heart Association. Over time, uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause arteries around the kidneys to narrow, weaken or harden. These damaged arteries are not able to deliver enough blood to the kidney tissue.
Damaged Kidneys Can’t Regulate Blood Pressure
Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called aldosterone to help the body regulate blood pressure.but as more arteries become blocked and stop functioning, the kidneys eventually fail.
Over a four-decade career, White sold more than 100 million records, earned dozens of gold and platinum albums and won two Grammy Awards. His buttery baritone was musical Viagra and he reveled in his reputation as the Godfather of Love, never apologizing for his shamelessly romantic material.
We’re talking about the symptoms, causes and prevention of stroke with musical inspiration from Angela Bofill. on this episode of Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the US. As many as 5 to 14 percent of stroke survivors have a second stroke within one year.
With her strong, distinctive alto, Angela Bofill carved a niche as an outstanding interpreter of soul ballads and became a mainstay on the Quiet Storm radio format.
Angela Bofill suffered two strokes but neither stroke could take away her positive, humorous personality and her fighter spirit. After she lost the ability to sing, she returned to the stage for “The Angela Bofill Experience” in which she skillfully narrated her life story, while her band and other singers .
Podcast guests include Angela Bofill, Catherine Schuller, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Neva White DNP, CRNP- BC, CDE, and Rose Hall from Tessie’s Teas.
Throughout the podcast we will feature music from Angela Bofill’s albums Angie and Angel of the Night courtesy of SONY Music.
Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?
Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, virtual diabetes support event with style. Divabetic’s dynamic diabetes empowerment meeting features a Hat & Face Mask Fashion Show and a Diabetes Educational Group Activity and Discussion on Thursday, February 4, 2021, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.
Don’t let anyone talk you out of your goals. Your diabetes wellness journey is yours alone. Brush off the negativity and surround yourself with people who will lift you up rather than pull you down.
Back in 2003 when I started Divabetic (Divabetic.Org) I was laughed at, shamed, belittled and told I was wrong by so many people for focusing on women living with, at risk and affected by diabetes. Vice President Elect, Kamala Harris’s words on today’s CBS Sunday Morning Show program spoke to my heart. I’m sitting down at my table and taking a big bite of ‘NO’ this morning.
Get a daily dose of positivity, encouragement, empowement from the real Divabetic. Tune into our free monthly podcasts, Diabetes Late Nite, available on blog talk radio and i-Tunes. Since 2005, Divabetic has been promoting attitude and advocacy to further your diabetes wellness.
We’re talking about a ‘New Year, New You‘ attitude about living with diabetes with musical inspiration from Aaliyah on January’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.
Although Aaliyah died at the age of 22 and had a short music career due to her early passing, the singer’s music helped to redefine R&B, pop, and even hip-hop. And her legacy continues to live on. Her hard work ethic, creativity, and her sweet demeanor have inspired fans over the past two decades.
Diabetes Late Nite podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Pendulum Therapeutics CEO and Co-Founder Colleen Cutcliffe, Ph. D., (the maker of Pendulum Glucose Control), Virginia Valentine, APRN, BC-ADM, CDE, FAADE, Dr. Darren Wayne from MealBetix and Yoga For Diabetes Author Rachel Zinman.
Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Aaliyah’s Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number album courtesy of SONY Music.
Tune in over 140 Diva TalkRadio podcasts available for free on i-tunes (search ‘Divabetic’).
Get the latest in diva news, diabetes headlines and inspiration by joining our Divabetic facebook page.
Divabetic‘s Carb Kitty game videos make carbohydrate counting fun!
Carbohydrate counting, or “carb counting,” can help you manage your blood glucose levels.
Foods that contain carbohydrates raise your blood glucose values. By monitoring the amount of carbohydrates you eat can help to better understand your blood glucose levels.
Carbohydrates (“carbs”) can be counted 2 ways: by grams or by carb choices.
Remember: 1 carb choice = 15 grams of carbohydrate.
The golden rule of treating hypoglycemia know as ‘15–15 rule’—have 15 grams of carbohydrate to raise your blood sugar and check it after 15 minutes. If it’s still below 70 mg/dL, have another serving. Repeat these steps until your blood sugar is at least 70 mg/dL. Once your blood sugar is back to normal, eat a meal or snack to make sure it doesn’t lower again.
We’re talking about a ‘New Year, New You‘ attitude about living with diabetes with musical inspiration from Aaliyah on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.
Although Aaliyah died at the age of 22 and had a short music career due to her early passing, the singer’s music helped to redefine R&B, pop, and even hip-hop. And her legacy continues to live on. Her hard work ethic, creativity, and her sweet demeanor have inspired fans over the past two decades.
Diabetes Late Nite podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Pendulum Therapeutics CEO and Co-Founder Colleen Cutcliffe, Ph. D., (the maker of Pendulum Glucose Control), Virginia Valentine, APRN, BC-ADM, CDE, FAADE, Dr. Darren Wayne from MealBetix and Yoga For Diabetes Author Rachel Zinman.
Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Aaliyah’s Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number album courtesy of SONY Music.
We’re talking about a ‘New Year, New You‘ attitude about living with diabetes with musical inspiration from Aaliyah on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.
Although Aaliyah died at the age of 22 and had a short music career due to her early passing, the singer’s music helped to redefine R&B, pop, and even hip-hop. And her legacy continues to live on. Her hard work ethic, creativity, and her sweet demeanor have inspired fans over the past two decades.
January’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Pendulum Therapeutics CEO and Co-Founder Colleen Cutcliffe, Ph. D., (the maker of Pendulum Glucose Control), Virginia Valentine, APRN, BC-ADM, CDE, FAADE, Dr. Darren Wayne from MealBetix and Yoga For Diabetes Author Rachel Zinman.
The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic talks with Rachel Zinman about how yoga and meditation practices can help you to manage the mental health aspects of living with diabetes.
Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Aaliyah’s Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number album courtesy of SONY Music.
Tune in over 140 Diva TalkRadio podcasts available for free on i-tunes (search ‘Divabetic’).
Get the latest in diva news, diabetes headlines and inspiration by joining our Divabetic facebook page.
Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller gets ‘coz’y with a giant python named ‘Diamonds’ in Divabetic‘s Mystery podcast, Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes.
The mystery is set in the fictitiously decadent world-renowned Gingerbread Men Cookie Baking Competition in New York’s Central Park Zoo. Mr. Divabetic’s healthy culinary misadventures continue in this year’s escapade as he enters the competition with headless cookies and pureed kale hot cocoa for the judges to sample. As if this dreadful combination wasn’t bad enough to land him at the bottom of the throwdown, his mother, Mama Rose Marie, is accused of poisoning one of the celebrity judges! Things go from bad to worse when the snake phobic Mr. Divabetic hears about the giant python’s escape.
Now, the happy healthcare host must decide to face his fear of snakes and recipe rejection or throw in his apron and risk getting caught up in another murder investigation. Can Mr. Divabetic and his team of amateur sleuths hunt down the real killer and get Mama Rose Marie out of jail? Will he be the next murder victim? Can he ever create an edible recipe?
The cast ofGingerbread Men Prefer Blondes features Mama Rose Marie, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach (Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and MaryAnn Nicolay BA, DTR),The Happy Diabetic Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, Coach The Cure’s Trisha Artman, Jillian Walsh, Wendy Radford, Dave Jones, Lorraine Brooks and Max Szadek.
Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from the original Broadway cast recording of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes courtesy of SONY MUSIC.
Gospel singer Tamela Mann started her 50+ pound weight loss journey by walking, even though walking was a challenge for her. A few months before beginning her amazing weight loss journey last year she had knee replacement surgery.
“During my recovery, physical activity was difficult for me, but I made it a priority to focus on my mental health and nutrition,” she wrote in an Instagram post her procedure.
One month later, Mann recovered enough to begin physical activity again. “Starting to walk without a cane, thank you to everyone for your prayers. The journey continues,” she wrote in the caption on her instagram post.
Her journey grew to include cutting down her portions, using an elliptical machine, and following WW weight loss program . The program sets you up with 24/7 access to a virtual coach and features a “science-based SmartPoints system” that’s personalized for your age, height, weight, and sex. It guides you on what to eat, cook, or choose at restaurants and parties based on your preferences—no food is off-limits. “We can still drink and eat!” Mann wrote in an Instagram caption.
https://youtu.be/2b03pUrQQIk
Tamela Jean Mann is an American gospel singer, and actress. Mann began her career as a singer with the gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family. Since starting the WW (Weight Watchers) program she has lost over 50 pounds.
Tamela Mann and her husband, David, are working together on their weight loss reports Prevention. David’s favorite healthy foods during sheltering in include watermelon and eggs.
David has asked Tamela to be his “sugar manager since he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2013 according to the Praying Woman website.” If David strays too far from his plan (she notes he has a weakness for sugary breakfast cereals), she gently reminds him.
“You don’t realize that we drink a lot of our sugar: in our sodas, our sugary juices,” David says. “I just tell people: Cut back off the juice and sodas.”
Tamela pre-plans her meals and typically starts her day with eggs, toast, and bacon for breakfast. “I’m beginning to eat the eggs without cheese to save SmartPoints,” she said. And her favorite ZeroPoint foods, which you can eat unlimited amounts of on the WW plan? Fruit! “There’s a wide variety of fruit [on the ZeroPoint foods list]—I love that,” she told WW.
https://youtu.be/ZK3Q7lJrzdE
The Grammy award-winning gospel singer and actress admits her husband and 31-year-old daughter Tiffany, who also joined WW, are her biggest inspirations.
“It’s nice to have a family member who’s like-minded on this journey! We both have goals we’re trying to reach,” Mann told WW. “Mama has always led by example—she’s a great wife and mother, and an incredible performer. I’ve found myself looking to her to learn how to take better care of my body because she’s taken off! She is doing so good!” Tiffany said of Mann.
https://youtu.be/YzYVporCGTM
WW and Pre Diabetes
Millions of people are estimated to have prediabetes and don’t even know it. WW’s proven weight-loss program can help people with prediabetes manage their weight. Weight Watchers doesn’t have a system for counting carbs, it does provide guidelines for making smart food choices. The WW SmartPoints® system guides you to foods that are lower in sugar and higher in protein.
Elliptical machines are easier on the joints and features an uninterrupted circular motion that allows for an impact-free workout. This can be helpful for individuals with knee, ankle, hip or lower back injuries. These allow you to exercise both your arms and your legs.
Gospel superstar, Yolanda Adams is inspiring our conversation about healthy ways to celebrate the holidays on this episode of Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.
This Grammy-winning Gospel/Adult Contemporary artist has one of the most persuasive and popular voices in music and works closely with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources to ensure that kids in low- income areas receive immunizations. Along with that nationwide program, she lends her energy and commitment to Houston charities such as juvenile diabetes and The Escape Center. ”I’m very involved with kids because after being a teacher for seven years, I just can’t stop loving the kids. I am a teacher forever.”
“I like to listen to Christmas music year-round. It puts a smile on your face, and then it gets you in a spirit heart-wise to give and be gracious,” Yolanda Adams admitted.
December’s podcast guests include Dr. Bart Roep of City of Hope, Janis Roszler, LMFT, RD, LD/N, CDE, Hint Water‘s Anthony Fiorello, FAND ‘Know Diabetes By Heart’ Ambassador Christina Herrera, Elizabeth Gallagher, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE.
Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Yolanda Adams’ album,“What A Wonderful Time” courtesy of SONY Music.
One of our ‘FAVORITE THINGS’ for Christmas 2020 is a stylish Harlem’ss Heaven Face Mask. Check out their wide assortment and bejeweled and beautiful matching face masks and hats collection.
