Divabetic Salutes Stephanie Mills



Stephanie Mills’ voice is so distinctive that it is hard to mistake it for anyone else’s. She has been nicknamed “the little lady with a big voice,” but this hardly does justice to her status as a living legend. Although her impressive string of hits in the ’80s and early ’90s might qualify her as an R&B icon, it was her electrifying performance as Dorothy in the Broadway show “The Wiz” that made her a household name.

Did you know an up-and-coming songwriter named Luther Vandross penned “A Brand New Day“, also known as “Everybody Rejoice“? 


If you do a few Google searches,  you’ll find “The Wiz” wasn’t her first foray into showbiz. At the ripe old age of nine, she achieved considerable success in a background role for the 1968 musical “Maggie Flynn. After that, she won amateur night not once, not twice, but six sensational times at Showtime at the Apollo. 

Her Broadway success in “The Wiz” led Stephanie Mills to be signed with 20th Century, scoring her first top 10 R&B hit in 1979 with “What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin’.” From there, she segued to Casablanca and then MCA, where she recorded five No. 1 R&B singles, including “I Feel Good All Over” and “Home.”
She freely admits, “I love all my albums [but] I think my prime album would be the Home album because I put a lot of thought into re-recording ‘Home‘ and the songs on that album. But each of my albums [has] a story of a time in my life [and] what I may have been going through at that time.”

Although we’re glad to hear she loves her albums and still tours, we can imagine the time, dedication, drive, and diligence it takes to be at the top of your game for over six decades. “I sing every day, but I get a lot of rest. I sleep a lot, but I love touring,” she said in an interview with one of our favorite websites, Rated R&B. “It’s not taxing. I’m older, so when I come home, I am tired, but it’s a good tired because I love leaving everything I have on stage with my audience.”

Recently, Stephanie Mills chose to fund her own recording. She explained to the White Mountain Independent, ” “I’m doing this on sheer will, faith, and my experience in the business. I didn’t set out to do this on my own; it just happened. But I believe in this.”

When asked what keeps her inner rhinestones glowing, Stephanie Mills said, “Seeing the audience’s faces and seeing them enjoy my singing. I take pride in trying to sound as close to my records as I can. In fact, when I sing, I sing to my original recording. People pay their hard-earned money to come see you. That’s big. That’s a lot.”On social media, Stephanie Mill has no problem speaking her mind. She’s shared her feelings regarding the R&B whitewashing and defended her friend, the late Michael Jackson. 

Her recording of Angela Winbush’s “I Have Learned To Respect The Power Of Love” is a standout. Her voice is rich, clear, and powerful. She pours emotion into every line of lyrical sentiment that speaks to your heart. It’s one of my most beloved Quiet Storm ballads. You don’t hear songs like this anymore. 

“I’ve had a fabulous life and fabulous career,” the legendary singer confidently told Rated R&B. Asked what she credits for her longevity in the music industry, she said, “Never following a trend. I’ve always done my own path and stayed on my own path. I didn’t listen to a lot of noise of what people say: “Oh, you should do this, you should do that.” I took the best from whatever they said that I felt was best for me and would work for me and I would do that. I always took my time and just slowly did the slow walk. I didn’t do a fast run. I did a slow walk.”

We can’t forget that our friend, singer, and songwriter Tawatha Agee penned the monumental duet “Two Hearts” for Stephanie Mills and Teddy Pendergrass. Released in 1981, the song reached #3 on the Billboard R & B Charts.


After working in showbiz for half a century, Stephanie Mills must feel content knowing that people still enjoy watching her perform. It’s difficult to imagine the numerous setbacks, disappointments, and frustrations she has faced throughout her career. From the singles that failed to make it to the top of the charts to auditions for roles that she didn’t get, Stephanie has likely endured more challenges than most of us could handle. Therefore, we celebrate her longevity steeped in excellence with great admiration.

Divabetic remembers Luther Vandross (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) with this special podcast. Luther Vandross was a musical master whose style has influenced an entire generation of today’s vocalists. His distinctive brand of satin-smooth vocal magic moved international audiences and continues to touch people today. Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek, who worked with Vandross for more than 14 years, hosts this tribute podcast featuring Luther’s former vocalists Paulette McWilliams, Pat Lacy, Tawatha Agee, Cindy Mizelle, and Kevin Owens, band member Bryon Miller, Vandross family member, Seveda Williams, friends Darren Margo and David Jones, the Luther Vandross historian, Leon Petrossian and Luther super fan, Jane Goodman from Great Britain. Throughout the podcast, we will play selected Luther Vandross songs that he recorded during the 1990’s courtesy of SONY Music.

Divabetic Diabetes Outreach At the Apollo Theater

Nothing beats presenting diabetes outreach with DAZZLE at the Apollo Theater. One of my all-time favorite moments in Divabetic history was playing Serve, Taste, or Trash! Food Game at the Apollo Theater because it was an opportunity to combine honoring Luther’s musical legacy with diabetes wellness outreach.

The game’s initial goal was to allow confessed picky eaters to express dislike of certain fruits and vegetables and then challenge them to try them differently.  The game was born out of my dislike of peas.

Experts agree that we shouldn’t overwhelm ourselves with a plate full of new foods. Instead, serve familiar favorites and one new food you’re ready to try. Commit to just a few bites. You’ll still have something to eat if you don’t like it.

However, Serve, Taste, or Trash‘s aim morphed into raising awareness for the amount of added sugars in popular food and drinks.

On this episode of Divabetic’s podcast, we’re talking about ADDED SUGARS with musical inspiration from Sade.

Added sugars contribute calories to your diet but no essential nutrients.

Many people consume more sugar than they realize. Knowing how much sugar you consume is essential because our bodies don’t need sugar to function properly.

How Much ADDED SUGAR Is Too Much?

The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 6 percent of calories each day. For most American women, that’s no more than 100 calories per day or about 6 teaspoons of sugar. It’s 150 calories per day for men, or about 9 teaspoons. The AHA recommendations focus on all added sugars without singling out any particular types, such as high-fructose corn syrup.

As in most of my Man-in-the-street videos, nothing was pre-planned at the Apollo Theater. My friend Arthur and I just showed up, found a spot, and started shooting.

When we went around the block to the stage door, the Apollo historian, Billy Mitchell, magically appeared. He was gracious enough to agree to be interviewed.

Billy and I discussed Luther Vandross’s history at the Apollo Theater. Luther was a member of Apollo’s musical ensemble called Listen to My Brother.

The ensemble was made up of 16 New York City kids.  Peter Long put the group together from the Apollo, whose wife, Loretta Long, was a Sesame Street cast member.

The 16-member group performed at the Apollo Theater in the late 1960s, opening for many of the venue’s famous performers and making several musical contributions to Sesame Street. Luther sang lead vocals  on “You Gotta Learn.”

Luther confessed during a Motown special taped at the Apollo that he’d blown Amateur Night four times.

Crazy as it sounds, we were filming using a small digital camera (not even an -iPhone!!!), so the fact that he stopped to talk with a guy in a fruit suit was amazing!

From 2003 – 2005, I was fortunate to participate in several Health Fairs in the lobby of the Apollo Theater. I met so many wonderful people living with, at risk, and affected by diabetes whose interest and support of my diva brand of diabetes outreach motivated me to keep on, keeping on.

It was days like this in the blazing Summer sun when haphazardly, we met terrific, colorful characters in the street who played along with the Divabetic health games that kept me going. These moments of sheer coincidence have helped me create new ways to inform people entertainingly.

On this episode of Divabetic’s podcast, we’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘ADDED SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade.

Sugar is everywhere. But do we understand the impact it has on our diabetes health?

You may think of sweets, chocolate, sodas, table sugar, and perhaps fruit if asked to name sugary foods. But sugar also appears in savory foods such as ready meals, soups, salads, sauces, and ‘healthy’ foods such as breakfast cereals and yogurt. Furthermore, starches such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes also convert to sugar in our bloodstream, having the same impact on our bodies. These ‘hidden sugars’ can add a surprising amount to our daily intake.

Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller, Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast, we feature music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.

 

Serve, Taste or Trash! At the Apollo Theater

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic plays the food game, Serve, Taste or Trash!, outside the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. The game spotlights the harmful added sugar in some of our favorite drinks.

Most of us drink more calories and added sugar than we think.

Added sugars include sucrose, dextrose, table sugar, syrups, honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices.

Added sugars contribute calories to your diet but no essential nutrients.

Popular sugar-sweetened beverages that contain added sugar are iced teas, sports drinks, soda, fruit juice, and flavored iced coffees.

Drinking too much added sugar makes achieving a healthy eating pattern difficult without taking in too many calories.

The American Heart Association suggests limiting the amount of added sugar to no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) for most adult women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.

The Apollo Theater is a national icon with a legacy that resonates across generations, ethnic groups, and continents. Since opening its doors in 1914 and introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in the emergence of innovative musical genres, including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel blues, and soul. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo stage.

Mr. Divabetic talks to Billy Mitchell, the resident historian and official tour guide for the Apollo Theater, about some little-known facts about the theater and the legendary people who performed there.

Tune in to Divabetic’s free monthly podcasts hosted by Mr. Divabetic on blog Talk-Radio, iTunes, and Spotify.  Guests include healthcare collaborators, beauty, image/style, fitness experts, entertainment industry leaders, and VIPs: women and men living with, at risk of, and affected by diabetes.

We’re honored to celebrate Luther Vandross and his musical legacy and raise awareness for diabetes health-related complications (such as stroke) on our annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast.

In the years since Luther’s passing, one constant has remained to define his life and musical success: the voice. Like any great singer of the past 100 years, Luther Vandross’ voice and distinct singing style led to monumental success and instant recognition when you hear him singing–through your stereo, on the car radio, on TV, or in a movie. With that voice was Luther’s unique ability to write and sing about love and the shared emotions we all feel in searching for and enjoying love. Through his songs, for the last two generations, Luther Vandross became a staple in the most joyous moments of people’s lives.

Featured guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Luther percussionist Steve Kroon, Luther vocalists Tawatha Agee and Pat Lacy, Luther historian Leon Petrossian, members of ‘The Luther Re-Lives Experience’, family members, friends, and superfans.

Throughout the podcast, we feature songs from the album entitled Luther Vandross courtesy of SONY Music.