Category: Entertainment-Celebrity

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Tina Turner, Mismanaged High Blood Pressure & Chronic Kidney Failure

Tina Turner is ‘simply the best’ for raising awareness for the link between untreated high blood pressure and kidney failure during her lifetime.

“I can’t remember ever getting an explanation about what high blood pressure means or how it affects the body,” Tina Turner said in an article for Show Your Kidneys Love, an international campaign for kidney health.

“My kidneys are victims of my elevated blood pressure” -Tina Turner

She was on dialysis after having a kidney transplant years ago due to untreated hypertension. Untreated hypertension can cause blood vessels to narrow, decreasing blood flow to the kidneys. Without proper blood flow, the kidneys cannot remove excess fluid and waste from the body — and as that fluid builds up, blood pressure will only increase further. Chronic kidney disease may cause arms, legs, and face swelling. It’s a dangerous cycle that can lead to kidney failure, but intervening early is possible.

“I considered high blood pressure my normal,” Tina Turner is quoted on Show Your Kidneys Love’s website.  “Hence, I didn’t really try to control it. In 1985 a doctor gave me a prescription for pills of which I was supposed to take one a day, and that was it. I didn’t give it any more thought. After suffering a stroke in 2009 because of my poorly controlled hypertension I struggled to get back up on my feet. This is when I first learned that my kidneys didn’t work that well anymore. They had already lost thirty-five percent of their function. I tried to learn more about these organs’ function and meaning. Most people probably don’t even know where their kidneys are located and what they are for until their health is at stake.”

Mismanaged high blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure in the US.

Memorial Day Weekend is an excellent time to inform people of the link between alcohol and high blood pressure. Drinks with friends can be the best part of a three-day weekend, but when, what, and how much you drink matters.

Research shows drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily raises blood pressure. Repeated binge drinking can lead to long-term increases in blood pressure.

What is Moderate Drinking? 

Moderate drinking means having no more than one drink daily for women and no more than two drinks for men.

One can argue that Tina Turner frequently admitted she didn’t smoke or drink alcohol. But she admitted that after being diagnosed with high blood pressure in 1978, she thought of it as her “normal” and didn’t attempt to control it.

“I put myself at great danger by refusing to accept the reality that I required daily medication for the rest of my life,” she wrote on Instagram on March 9.

“Show your kidneys love. They deserve it.”

We’re discussing kidney disease and diabetes on this Divabetic podcast with musical inspiration from P.M. Dawn.

Prince Be, the psychedelic pop-rap group P.M. Dawn’s frontman, suffered various health problems from mismanaged type 2 diabetes. He had several strokes, including one in 2005 that left him partly paralyzed, and gangrene, which led to the partial amputation of one leg. He died of renal failure resulting from complications of diabetes at age 46.

Renal failure  (often called kidney failure) is when the kidneys stop working and cannot remove waste and extra water from the blood or keep body chemicals in balance. Acute or severe renal failure happens suddenly (for example, after an injury) and may be treated and cured. Chronic renal failure develops over many years, may be caused by conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, and cannot be cured. Chronic renal failure may lead to dialysis (cleaning the blood by passing it through a membrane or filter) or a kidney transplant.

Podcast Guests: Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie, Lynette Luckers from the Marion Luckers Kidney Foundation, Chef Robert Lewis aka The Happy Diabetic, Janis Roszler, RD, CDCES, FAND and  Luther Vandross Superfan, and Historian Leon Petrossian.

Tina Turner believed most people don’t know their kidneys are located; this video proves they don’t know where their pancreas is either! Your pancreas produces insulin. Insulin lowers blood sugar levels in your body.

 

 

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Opera, Puccini & Diabetes

Yesterday, my mother and I went to the Palmetto Opera‘s performance of Great Voices from Broadway to Opera for a belated Mother’s Day celebration. The program featured some of opera’s greatest arias, duets, and memorable songs from the Golden Age of Broadway. My mom loves Phantom of the Opera, and I love Turandot‘s Nessun Dorma and La Traviata‘s Sempre Libera, so it was a win-win for both of us.

The concert also featured two songs from Italian composer Giacomo Puccini‘s masterpiece, La Boheme (O Mimi, tu piu non torni, O soave fancuilla).

Giacomo Puccini was born in 1858 and later diagnosed with diabetes in 1908. Numerous reports mention that he struggled to manage his diagnosis for much of his life. Understandably, managing diabetes was difficult before the discovery of insulin wasn’t until 1921.

Before insulin was discovered in 1921, people with diabetes were put on very strict diets with minimal carbohydrate intake. Some doctors prescribed as little as 450 calories a day! Sadly, some people with diabetes died of starvation.

On this Divabetic podcast, we intersperse highlights of the history of diabetes, self-care treatments, and innovations for the past hundred years as we discuss Puccini’s artistry and life.

Divabetic podcast guests include Toby Smithson, MS, RDN, LD, CDCES, FAND, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.

Throughout this podcast, we will feature music from Puccini: Great Opera Arias courtesy of SONY Music.

Giacomo Puccini’s artistic triumphs include La Bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly. Unfortunately, his last opera, based on the fable of Turandot, would remain unfinished due to his death from throat cancer in Brussels in 1924.

Plus, we had the added treat of hearing the Theme from The Godfather and The Impossible Dream from Man Of La Mancha.

People with diabetes and their loved ones probably considered the discovery of insulin the impossible dream.

A young surgeon named Frederick Banting and his assistant Charles Best figured out how to remove insulin from a dog’s pancreas in 1921. They continued to experiment with dogs until January 1922.  Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy dying from diabetes in a Toronto hospital, was the first to receive an insulin injection. Within 24 hours, Leonard’s dangerously high blood glucose dropped to near-normal levels.

The news about insulin spread around the world like wildfire. In 1923, Banting and Macleod received the Nobel Prize in Medicine, which they shared with Best and Collip. Thank you, diabetes researchers!

My boss, Luther Vandross, who had type 2 diabetes, recorded The Impossible Dream for his Songs album. He performed it many times in concert to the thrill of audiences. Recently PBS aired his performance at Royal Albert Hall in London.

Interesting Fact: The University of South Carolina boasts a top-rated music school with an Opera department. 

We’re discussing minimizing the drama in our diabetes lives with music from the ultimate diva, Maria Callas.

Maria Callas changed how we listen to opera—and charged the ambition of the singers who followed her.  Her ability to interpret a wide variety of different roles truly set her apart, establishing her as a phenomenon, an operatic diva. She could fully exploit the dramatic strength of her low vocal range as much as the high and bright notes of her high range.

Opera takes any dramatic story and tries to make it more exciting and more believable with the help of music. Symptoms and situations related to diabetes are often dramatic and come on very suddenly. But how do you react to them? Are you a ‘drama queen’?

Whenever we are immersed in something overwhelming, we can learn how to deal with challenges better.

Divabetic podcast guests include Dr. Wendy Satin Rapaport LCSW, PsyD, Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, Lorraine Brooks, American Heart and American Diabetes Association’s Know Diabetes By Heart Ambassador Rob Taub, Yoga for Diabetes Author and Director Rachel Zinman and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES.

Throughout the podcast, we will feature music from the Grandiose Stimmen: Maria Callas album courtesy of SONY Music.

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Today in Music History, Jeffrey Osborne Goes Solo

Today in Music History (May 18, 1982): Jeffrey Osborne releases his solo debut album. Before that, Jeffrey Osborne was the lead singer of Love Togetherness and Devotion (later shortened to L.T.D.), one the best and most popular self-contained Soul groups of the 70s.
He credits his long career to staying healthy. He admits he has run every day since he was 18 years old. “I work out five days each week. “I’m up at 6:30 in the morning every day, and I’m in the gym for an hour and a half to two hours,” Jeffrey Osborne says. “I’ve always stayed in shape.”
Other members OF L.T.D. include Carle Vickers (trumpet/sax/flute), Toby Wynn (sax), Abraham “Onion” Miller (sax), Arthur Lorenzo Carnegie (sax, flute, guitar), Jeffrey (drums and vocals), and brother Billy Osborne (keyboards), Henry Davis (bass, flute, keyboards), Jimmy Davis (keyboards and musical director), guitarist Johnny McGhee and horn player Jake Riley.
“In all the time I was with L.T.D., I was never allowed to do an interview by myself. I wasn’t even allowed to talk on stage between songs,” says Jeffrey Osborne. “I couldn’t get a publishing agreement or a production deal because everyone had their own little role to play in the group… and the money, well, anything split 10 ways can’t be much.”
L.T.D. landed a #1 Soul hit in 1976 with the now-classic love song “Love Ballad” and the album “Love to the World.” They topped the charts again the following year with the funky dance cut “Back In Love Again” and the #1 album Something To Love.

How does Jeffrey Osborne still sound the same?He says the secret is to stay active and eat healthy. He’s been a vegan for about a year. “I thank the Lord to still have the voice that I’ve always had,” he said.

The group continued to score over the next three years with a series of wonderful Osborne ballads, including “Stranger,” “Where Did We Go Wrong,” and “We Both Deserve Each Other’s Love.”

Throughout the L.T.D. albums, Jeffrey Osborne became a larger and larger presence. His debut album would begin a career as a solo artist that surpassed even his work with L.T.D.

“Everyone in the group sang when I joined them. That was one of the problems with L.T.D.: there was no focal point,” says Jeffrey Osborne. “It took until 1976, or about six or seven years, before I was put into the spotlight as a vocalist. That’s when I recorded ‘Love Ballad,’ and it became a hit for the group.”

The album features radio-friendly ballads like “On The Wings of Love” and “Congratulations,” an emotional song of loss that remains one of his most requested tracks.

We’re celebrating Divabetic’s 12th Year Anniversary of Podcasting with musical inspiration from Babyface and music from his A Closer Look album courtesy of SONY Music. Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, FADCES, Ivan Hampden Jr., and Collage Artist Tom Cocotos. Hosted by Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek.

Our musical inspiration, Kenneth Edmonds, known professionally as Babyface, has written over 250 top-10 R&B and pop hits, working with Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston.

“The blessing of being able to write music and let the music speak for itself is you let the melodies and let the lyrics and the groove talk to people instead of me talking to people,” says Babyface.

What makes Babyface so great? His ability to craft a song that touches our emotions captivates our ears and perfectly harmonizes every word. It’s a rare gift that not many people have in music.

“I would say that I’ve been lucky. Being blessed and not really ever giving up,” says Babyface.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your diabetes wellness journey! We’re looking forward to sharing more insight and advice on diabetes self-care from experts and peers, along with more great music in the next year!

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Crystal Penny Guest on Richard Marzetti’s Soul Life on Solar Radio Today!

I’m thrilled my friends, Crystal Wilson Blackmon and Penni Wilson, professionally known as Crystal Penny, will be on Richard Marzetti’s Soul Life show on Solar Radio today.

They will be discussing their new song, “Standards.” I wrote this song with them and my Luther Vandross musical family member, Ivan Hampden Jr. – it means so much to return to music twenty years after Luther’s passing.

Ivan and I have had professional and personal ups and down’s over these past two decades.

Thanks to you, I channeled my grief into helping people affected by and at risk for diabetes through my work with Divabetic. Like anyone in the entertainment industry, I experienced disappointments and setbacks throughout my career. I feel fortunate that I still have the passion, perseverance, and imagination to write song lyrics. “Standards” is my ode to all my favorite divas – Dionne Warwick, Etta James, Phyllis Hyman, Sarah Vaughan, Chaka Khan, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight, and Patti LaBelle (who has once again sparked my creativity!)

Penni and Crystal are super-talented sisters who have survived several music career setbacks and disappointments to continue making incredible music. Their passion for making music began in Pittsburgh, performing as teenagers as The Lovations preserved a bad record deal and several broken promises to continue today. Another retro disco song I wrote with Crystal and Penni, “Are You Ready?” was the theme song for the first year of Divabetic podcasts.

During the pandemic, UK audiences rediscovered the Lovation’s Original Soul Classics records on multiple music streaming apps, which sparked Penni and Crystal’s interest in returning to the studio. Fortunately, I was the lucky fool who called them up to collaborate on a song. I wrote lyrics and recorded (an off-key) melody for a song called “Standards,” paying tribute to several female vocalists they idolized growing up. With Ivan Hampden Jr.‘s magic touch and polish, we released “Standards” earlier this Spring.


Crystal Penny Guest on Richard Marzetti’s Soul Life on Solar Radio LISTEN NOW

It’s been a fantastic journey for all of us. We were surprised and delighted by the response our song, “Standards,” received from UK Audiences. For the past six weeks, “Standards” has been on the BCfm Soul Chart hosted by Tony Griffin. We climbed as high as #3, which isn’t too shabby!

Check out “Standards” on YouTube using this link:

 

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Crystal Penny Shows Their ‘Standards’ on Tribute Songs To Divas

Get drenched in a hefty dose of R&B and Soul with Crystal Penny as this musical duo has returned with another gem of a musical creation. Offering a punch of retro vibes and breezy tunes, their latest track ‘Standards’ is buzzing in the industry. This dynamic duo is best known for their exceptional vocal skills and sync between two which sounds a like single energetic entity. Let’s find out more about these talented music artists.

Crystal Penny is formed by Sisters Crystal Wilson Blackmon and Penni Wilson, the musical powerhouses who started music at an early age. They became seasoned music artists by their teenage and started performing as professionally as the Lovations. Their sheer individuality and the original essence of the soul could be noticed in their musical psyche. With the tunes and grooves of “I Keep Singing La, La, La, Oooh,” “I Want You,” “Later Baby,” and “Heaven Told Me So”; this duo came to Los Angeles to follow their dreams. After singing for legendary Motown Records, they have performed with numerous artists like Maurice White, Rick James, Diana Ross, Lou Rawls, Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions, and many others.

This dynamic duo has also appeared on OWN network’s reality TV show, “Flex & Shanice,” featuring Crystal’s daughter, Grammy-nominated recording artist Shanice Wilson, and her family. They have previously dropped a few songs like ‘My Vow to You’, and ‘My Heart Belongs to You’ that offer a redefined taste of soul music. Amid the global pandemic, with the help of fans from the UK; this musical duo started revolving at the center of attention with their timeless hit track “Keep Singing La La La Ooh.” It garnered over 350K views on YouTube and 150K Spotify streams.

Bringing back their original essence and the trademark soulful harmonies, the musical duo has come up with another new R&B and Soul track named ‘Standards’. Beautifully crafted and masterly produced by Ivan Hampden Jr., the track offers an amazing groove and an enticing musical experience. Not to mention, their eclectic vocals skills add more creative layers to the track. It is amazing to witness how two artists can be so much in control while complementing each other. This song is buzzing through all the major music platforms such as Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music. Follow Crystal Penny on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get more updates on their upcoming musical projects.

Song Link:

 

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Don Lemon Lost His Father to Diabetes

Watching someone you love die slowly from mismanaged diabetes complications is difficult. They’re slowly robbed of their dignity and quality of life.
I know firsthand how difficult it is to watch someone suffer from a stroke due to mismanaged type 2 diabetes. They’re slowly robbed of everything they took for granted – eyesight, kidney function, memory, and the use of their limbs.
I often tell myself that if I had known that mismanaged diabetes could cause something so destructive as a stroke, I would have done something to stop it. But could I?
Most people with diabetes face mountains of shame and blame regarding their condition. They don’t want anyone telling them what to do. Their narrowminded, stubborn attitude quickly leaves you shaking your head and waving a white flag to surrender. Then, you’re forced to witness the painful consequences of mismanaged diabetes.
Madonna famously sang in these lyrics; the road to hell is paved with good intentions in her song, 4 minutes. Is it true?
Many women in the Divabetic community admit their motivation for properly managing their diabetes is their grandchildren.

Broadcast journalist Don Lemon’s father’s early death due to mismanaged diabetes has made him rethink his life goals after his abrupt departure from CNN.

Speaking to reporters on the red carpet,  Don Lemon talked about the challenges he has faced in his life, noting the tragic death of his sister in 2018 and losing his father young from diabetes. “Listen, I didn’t lose my job. I lost my sister. A job is something that is not as important as a person,” Lemon said. “I know what’s important in life.”

A few years earlier, he posted on Instagram, “Dad died of diabetes when I was a kid. Glad I can help @JDRF spread awareness for type 1 diabetes (T1D) during #NDAM. Will u spread the word?”

His late father, Wilmon Richardson, was an attorney remembered for being part of a lawsuit that successfully challenged the segregation of public transportation in the family’s hometown of Baton Rouge.

Don was still a child when his father died due to mismanaged diabetes. Common diabetes health complications include heart disease, chronic kidney disease, nerve damage, and other problems with feet, oral health, vision, hearing, and mental health.

37.3 million people have diabetes (11.3% of the US population). Sadly, 8.5 million people with diabetes are undiagnosed. An estimated 96 million adults aged 18 years or older had prediabetes in 2019.

Don Lemon shared that his mother eventually married his late stepfather. He didn’t specify his name.

With a new father figure, Lemon also recalled having a good relationship with his stepfather. There was no lack of love and connection in his family, too.

 

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Happy Birthday Ella Fitzgerald!

Happy Birthday Ella Fitzgerald, on her 106th birthday!

Ella Fitzgerald was living with type 2 diabetes. Sadly, she had both of her legs amputated. But losing her limbs didn’t stop her from performing on stage. I think that’s a great testament to her strong will and determination.

There are still so many obstacles blocking people with disabilities from living their best life. I’m sure Ella Fitzgerald encountered many of them, from the smallest stair to the pity and scorn in people’s eyes. Week after week, traveling on the road from city to city to perform at night makes it difficult to maintain and sustain a health regimen, especially diabetes self-care. As someone who has traveled on the road supporting musician, I can easily understand how the rigors of touring can take a toll on your physical and mental health.

It’s easy for someone to write her off for not taking care of herself because it’s harder to admit how easy it is to ignore your diabetes. The number of people who don’t manage their diabetes dramatically outnumbers those who do.

Sadly,  ignoring your diabetes leads to disastrous consequences. Mismanaged diabetes can lead to amputations, usually of the toes, feet, or legs. Causes include reduced blood flow or peripheral neuropathy. Managing your blood sugar is one way to help prevent it.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)Trusted Source, about 130,000 people in the United States who have diabetes have amputations yearly.

Better diabetes management and foot care have caused lower limb amputations over the past 20 years. However, 2018 research suggests that young and middle-aged adults in the United States are experiencing an uptick in diabetes-related amputations.

With ongoing diabetes management, foot care, and wound care, many people with diabetes can limit their risk of amputation or prevent it entirely. Education is crucial.

We proudly celebrate the First Lady of Song and raise awareness for the greater need for diabetes education on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast with Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, CDN, Lorraine Brooks, Ansley Dalbo, Anna J. Stewart, and Leola and Cornelia.

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Crystal Penny’s Standards Is #3 on BCfm Official Soul Chart

Crystal Penny’s new single, Standards  is #3 on the BCfm Radio’s Official Soul Chart hosted by Tony Griffin.

Sisters Crystal Wilson Blackmon and Penni Wilson, are known as the singing-songwriting duo Crystal Penny. Their timeless R&B tune is brought to life by Crystal and Penni’s trademark vocal harmonies, an engaging melody, and lyrics praising the legendary soul music divas.

Standards’ catchy hook is a list of famous divas’ names, including Etta James, Sarah Vaughan, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan, Phyllis Hyman, and Patti LaBelle. These women taught higher standards of romance to generations of Quiet Storm listeners.

Many of these legendary ladies’ personal and professional journeys hit close to home to the Wilson sisters. “The women mentioned in the song are our icons,” says Crystal Blackmon Wilson. “We grew up listening to Sarah Vaughan and idolized Etta James and Dionne Warwick. These women inspired us to sing in the first place.”

 Crystal and Penni understand how love songs affect the way we love, live, and interact with one another. “Our favorite vocalists express the grand illusion of what love should be and what we should feel,” Penni adds.  “We hear it on the radio and strive to find it in our lives.”

The track was produced by Ivan Hampden Jr., who scored a UK Soul Chart hit with his song, Mama’s Kitchen Table, featuring Paulette McWilliams last Spring.

Already embraced by UK audiences, Crystal Penny’s new single, Standards,  is a follow-up to their original soul classic recordings (performed under the group name The Lovations) that have gone viral and will be available on all music app platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon.

Crystal Blackmon Wilson and Penni Wilson began their singing career known as The Lovations. They wrote and performed a string of original classical soul hits that recently went viral.

Their immortal hit, the Lovations‘ I Keep Singing (La La La Ooh), gains 1,000 new listens each month on Spotify.  They don’t know who uploaded their songs to Spotify and YouTube, but they were shocked to see how many people enjoyed them. They hope a promoter will bring them to Europe to share the new and old material with fans.

Since then, they have shared the stage or recorded with such icons as Barry White, Maurice White, Rick James, Lou Rawls, Diana Ross, and Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions, among many others. Their sweet harmonies accompany the late maestro Barry White on his classic hit “Practice What You Preach.” The two also appeared on OWN network’s reality TV show, “Flex & Shanice,” starring Crystal’s daughter, Grammy-nominated recording artist Shanice Wilson, her husband, actor and comedian, Flex, and their children.

 

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Little Richard: I Am Everything Is Worth Seeing

I’ll admit that before I saw the Little Richard: I Am Everything documentary, my shortsightedness only allowed me to see the caricature he put forth in the media, not the multi-talented, compassionate, multi-dimensional person. Sadly, I didn’t realize he created this fanciful, rhinestone-encrusted facade so that he could do what he loved – entertain people of all colors. 

 
Little Richard’s story is a sad commentary on American Life. The adult black man must be neutered and robbed of their masculinity and sexuality, and depth of skin tone to appeal to a mass audience. This isn’t new news, but watching Little Richard’s life unfold, and his struggles to be an entertainer is heartbreaking. The lack of respect and acknowledgment for creating Rock n’ Roll would make anyone angry. That he frequently ended a heartwrenching declaration of being done wrong by society with a  belly laugh and a high note is incredible. 
 
The film makes you wonder how race, gender, and sexuality affect your journey in life. Why should I feel threatened by a strong, masculine black male? Why does my sexuality as a gay or bisexual man make me more appealing to the mainstream but less respected? 
 
It’s easy to see that the stage was where Little Richard felt he could be himself. He was the supernova he claimed to be. How else could he have survived his terrible upbringing and created a long-lasting legacy if he was anything less? Little Richard makes you believe anything is possible. Throughout his life, he overcame many obstacles that would have stopped most people, including me. I am glad someone as talented and compassionate as the Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning film producer and director Lisa Cortés told his story. However, after watching her documentary, I can honestly say that his life is worthy of a series of documentaries. He led so many different and exciting lives in one lifetime. 
 
“There was really no one like him,” says Cortés of the flamboyant pioneer.
 
Her film follows Little Richard from his childhood in Macon, Georgia, through the many ups and downs of a long and storied career. It adeptly reveals the layers that influenced the person who became the performer no one could ignore. It is also the story of rock and roll’s birth, queer culture, and being a Black gay man in America. 
 
One of my big takeaways was learning about the singer, songwriter, and pianist, Esquerita, known for his frenetic performances. Little Richard credits him, along with Marion Anderson and Mahalia Jackson, for influencing his music, singing, piano playing, and electrifying performing style. 

My big takeaway from the documentary was Little Richard’s lifelong struggles with his sexual identity and financial compensation. I left the theater wondering if he ever had a fulfilling relationship with a  man and whether he was fully compensated for his early hits. 

 
His early life growing up in Macon, Georgia, was heartbreaking.
 
Little Richard’s father beat him routinely for being ‘different’ than his other sons. Other boys bullied him. Little Richard dressed in his mother’s clothes and wore makeup and long hair. His father kicked him out of the house at the age of twelve. 

 
Unfortunately, the blame and shame his father inflicted on him are still common today. As much as people like to tell us that things are different, they aren’t for everyone. Many young LGBTQ+ people are not accepted by their immediate family. I found out LGBTQ youth compose 40% of the homeless youth population with one click of a Google search.
 
Interestingly, wearing makeup helped him to crossover to white audiences. He crafted an appearance to succeed. Because he wore pancake foundation, eyeliner, and mascara, he was considered less threatening to the fathers of white girls than other black male entertainers like James Brown and Fats Domino. He was still arrested in many cities for exciting teenage audiences. 
 
Luther Vandross wore makeup and rhinestones too. Watching the film, I wondered if Luther used rhinestones and mascara to make himself seem less threatening.

We can assume that the same people who found James Brown threatening would find Luther’s six-foot, dark-skinned appearance identical.  Luther, like Little Richard, wanted crossover success. Who could blame them? Their white counterparts sold ten times as many albums as they did. In the documentary, Little Richard admits that Pat Boone’s bland rendition sold more copies of Tutti Frutti than he did!
 
Saying that Little Richard was gay is a cop-out too. He was sexual.
 

“I had all these orgies going on,” he reveals in the new documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything.”

He loved both men and women: “I just loved whatever came. You know, I didn’t refuse nothin’ if you knocked on my door and I wanted more. Fo sho.”

In a few interviews on YouTube, he identifies himself as ‘gay,’  but I think bisexual or ‘omnisexual,’ like the phrase Sophie B. Hawkins coined, is probably more on point. Society has a hard time acknowledging that some people love both sexes equally. 

Is Little Richard the Architect of Rock n Roll? 
Hell, yes!  No one did what he did before him. He borrowed from other performers like Mahalia Jackson to create his unique recipe for performing. Every entertainer is subconsciously or consciously influenced by others who came before them. The documentary proves his claims of creating Rock n’ Roll. 
There’s also no doubt that his black queerness stopped him from being fully acknowledged. Little Richard would have a bigger imprint on our society if born white. During his lifetime, his music, style, musicianship, and performances impacted everyone from Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones to Elton John, David Bowie, and Prince. He deserves much more respect for his contributions. 
Fortunately, he found an unlikely ally in Dick Clark, who honored him with the Merit Award at the American Music Awards in 1997. Perhaps Dick Clark, the host of American Bandstand, was more aware than most of Little Richard’s enormous contribution to music. 
Little Richard’s religious background, as much as his skin tone, seemed to have stopped society from acknowledging his contributions or enjoying financial compensation. His abrupt departures from performing at various times cost him substantial financial losses.  He seemed so deeply conflicted between his rock n’ roll lifestyle and his religious beliefs that he broke recording contracts and signed away the rights to future royalties to his early hits. However, at the height of his fame, Little Richard said he was making half a cent per record sold. 
“I looked around and didn’t have any money,” said Little Richard. “Those record companies paid me nothing, you know? Nobody had paid me a dime. All those hits.”
He returned to performing Rock n’ Roll music only when he was desperate for money. The electricity and energy of many of these comeback performances influenced people like the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger admits it too, and Nile Rogers states that Little Richard heavily influenced David Bowie. 
Little Richard’s frustrations about the lack of respect from the music industry came to a head at the 1988 Grammy Awards. While presenting Best New Artist with the New York Dolls David Johansen, the legendary musician pointed at Johansen’s pompadour hairdo — a carbon copy of how he wore it in his ‘50s heyday — and remarked, “I used to wear my hair like that. They take everything I get — they take it from me.”

 
Little Richard passed away in 2020 at 87 following complications from bone cancer. 
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Release Day: Crystal Penny’s New Single, Standards Is Out

Sisters Crystal Wilson Blackmon and Penni Wilson, the singer-songwriter duo known as  Crystal Penny,  released a new song, Standards, on all music streaming platforms. Their timeless R&B tune is brought to life by Crystal and Penni’s trademark vocal harmonies, an engaging melody, and lyrics praising the legendary soul music divas. The track was produced by Ivan Hampden Jr., who scored a UK Soul Chart hit with his song, Mama’s Kitchen Table, featuring Paulette McWilliams last Spring.

 

Already embraced by UK audiences, Crystal Penny’s new single, Standards,  is a follow-up to their original soul classic recordings (performed under the group name The Lovations) that have gone viral and will be available on all music app platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon starting April 21, 2023.

The core sentiment of their new single is a celebration of the Queens of the Quiet Storm. Many of these legendary ladies’ personal and professional journeys hit close to home to the Wilson sisters. “The women mentioned in the song are our icons,” says Crystal Blackmon Wilson. “We grew up listening to Sarah Vaughan and idolized Etta James and Dionne Warwick. These women inspired us to sing in the first place.”

 Crystal and Penni understand how love songs affect the way we love, live, and interact with one another. “Our favorite vocalists express the grand illusion of what love should be and what we should feel,” Penni adds.  “We hear it on the radio and strive to find it in our lives.”

Crystal Blackmon Wilson and Penni Wilson guest on Toni B’s radio program for UG:ONE on Saturday, April 22, 2023. The dynamic diva duo are celebrating their song charting at #3 on BCfm Radio’s Official Soul Chart hosted by Tony Griffin.

Standards’ catchy hook is a list of famous divas’ names, including Etta James, Sarah Vaughan, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan, Phyllis Hyman, and Patti LaBelle. These women taught higher standards of romance to generations of Quiet Storm listeners.

Don’t miss Crystal Penny when they appear on Richard Marzetti’s Soul Life program at Solar Radio on May 12, 2023.

Crystal Penny is the dynamic duo of singer-songwriter sisters Crystal and Penni Wilson. They began their career known as The Lovations with a string of original classical soul hits that recently went viral. Since then, they have shared the stage or recorded with such icons as Barry White, Maurice White, Rick James, Lou Rawls, Diana Ross, and Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions, among many others. Their sweet harmonies accompany the late maestro Barry White on his classic hit “Practice What You Preach.” The two also appeared on OWN network’s reality TV show, “Flex & Shanice,” starring Crystal’s daughter, Grammy-nominated recording artist Shanice Wilson, her husband, actor and comedian, Flex, and their children.

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