BCfm – Divabetic

02/16/202402/16/2024

Pop Goes Country, and I Love It!!

Billboard Magazine posted an article about Pop Goes Country on the heels of Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs’ epic ‘Fast Car’ duet that symbolized how music bridges cultures and unifies us.

Sadly, at a moment when we feel hope that people can set aside their differences and come together, there are people to keep us apart.

I was upset hearing about a Country Radio station refusing to play Beyoncé’s new song, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” They should be thrilled that this incredibly talented songwriter, producer, and singer is creating music for their audiences.

I’ve heard the song, and I love it!

What’s so surprising about Beyoncé making country music? She’s from Texas! And she’s not the first musician to create music for multiple radio formats.

According to the story, Lionel Richie’s hit “Stuck on You” topped the Adult Contemporary chart but also reached No. 24 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1984. By the way, on a Michael Jackson World Tour, I had one of the most romantic nights of my life singing this song at a Karaoke Bar in South Korea.

Lionel In 2012, Richie (who was also the sole writer on the Kenny Rogers hit “Lady”) released the album Tuskegee, reworking several of his own hits as collaborations with a slew of country artists.

I am someone who grew up on R&B radio. I’ve endured a lot of nasty nicknames over my lifetime for my love of Soul Music. One Christmas, I remember Santa brought my brother, Bob, a “Supertramp” album, and I received the original soundtrack to “The Wiz.”

The memory still makes me laugh. I can’t explain why or how this music appeals to me.
Thankfully, people’s taunts and awful name-calling didn’t stop me from pursuing my dreams. I feel fortunate to have worked with talented entertainers like Luther Vandross (who wrote the song “A Brand New Day” for the Wiz), Lionel Richie, and Maxwell. I’ve also written songs with some very talented songwriters, producers, and vocalists, including Ivan Hampden Jr., Cindy Mizelle, Paulette McWilliams, and Crystal Penny.

Back in the 90’s, I wrote the lyrics to a dance song, “That Man Of Mine”, that made on the Billboard Dance Charts.

One of my songs, “Mama’s Kitchen Table,” landed on the UK Soul Chart.

Another one of my songs, “Standards,” made it to #2 on the BCfm Soul Chart last Summer. This song is about how my love of popular ballads from the Quiet Storm radio format influenced my thoughts and attitudes about love.

I want to hold on to the feeling I had watching Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs perform. I know plenty of us in the world believe we can all get along.

05/12/202305/13/2023

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:

04/24/202304/24/2023

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.

04/21/202304/24/2023

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.

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 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.

04/18/202304/18/2023

Crystal Penny’s STANDARDS Jumps To #3 on BCfm Official Soul Chart

It is a thrill to find that our song, Crystal Penny’s new single, STANDARDS, jumped from #5 (last week) to #3 on the Official BCfm Soul Chart countdown this week.

STANDARDS is my tribute to the leading ladies of R&B and Soul Music whose timeless classics captured my heart’s ideals of love listening to the Quiet Storm. The song’s catchy chorus features the names of Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Etta James, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, and Dionne Warwick.

Sisters Crystal Wilson Blackmon and Penni Wilson collaborated with producer Ivan Hampden Jr. and lyricist Max Szadek to write STANDARDS. Crystal’s daughter, Shanice Wilson, lent her voice to the background vocals. The song is a timeless R&B tune brought to life by Penni and Crystal’s trademark vocal harmonies, an engaging melody, and lyrics praising the legendary soul music divas.

Thank you to DJ Tony Griffin and BCFM Radio for embracing Crystal Penny’s STANDARDS as much as I do. I am overjoyed! STANDARDS will be available on all music streaming apps on Friday, April 21, 2023.

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

The core sentiment of their single is a celebration of many of the greatest female vocalists of all time, who sang with their hearts on the Quiet Storm. Many of these icons’ personal and professional journeys hit close to home to the Wilson sisters. “The women mentioned in the song are legends to my sister and me,” says Penni Wilson. “We grew up listening to Sarah Vaughan and idolized Etta James and Dionne Warwick. They inspired us to sing in the first place.”

Sisters Crystal Wilson Blackmon and Penni Wilson understand that 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 Penny is the dynamic duo of singer-songwriter sisters Crystal and Penni Wilson, who have shared the stage or recorded with such icons as Barry White, Maurice White, Rick James, Lou Rawls, 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 (best known for her megahit I Love Your Smile, her husband, actor and comedian, Flex, and their children.

Growing up in a family of gifted singers, the Wilson sisters started singing at a young age. With music in their souls, they continue to thrive after five decades of brilliant song.

04/12/202304/12/2023

Crystal Penny’s STANDARDS Jumps To #5 on BCfm Soul Chart

The song I co-wrote, Crystal Penny’s new single, STANDARDS, jumps from #15 (last week) to #5 on the Official BCfm Soul Chart countdown this week.

STANDARDS is my tribute to the leading ladies of R&B and Soul Music whose timeless classics captured my heart’s ideals of love listening to the Quiet Storm.

My former boss, Luther Vandross also, was a fan of many of the divas whose names are mentioned in the chorus of my song. Luther founded and was the president of the first Patti LaBelle fan club at his high school!

Coincidentally, Patti LaBelle, who is living with type 2 diabetes, inspired me to create national diabetes nonprofit, Divabetic, in 2005. Divabetic, a combination of the word “diabetic” with the letter “V” inserted for Vandross, evokes feelings of power and a positive attitude associated with the great divas Luther loved, like Patti LaBelle.

I like to tell his fans that Luther had over fifty people support him with his music, but when it came to managing his type 2 diabetes. Stroke is related to the mismanagement to type 2 diabetes. The connection between diabetes and stroke involves how the body handles blood glucose to make energy. People with untreated or mismanaged diabetes accumulate too much glucose in their blood, and their cells don’t receive enough energy. Over time, excessive blood glucose can increase fatty deposits or blood vessel clots. These clots can narrow or block blood vessels in the brain or neck, cutting off the blood supply, stopping oxygen from getting to the brain, and causing a stroke.

Thank you to DJ Tony Griffin and BCFM Radio for playing Crystal Penny’s STANDARDS as much as I do. I am overjoyed! STANDARDS will be available on all music streaming apps on Friday, April 21, 2023.

04/06/2023

Crystal Penny’s STANDARDS Debuts At #15

Life’s joys and chart positions go by so fast; I want to hold on a bit longer before they pass.

The song I co-wrote, “STANDARDS” appearing on the Official BCfm Soul Chart, is my tribute to the leading ladies of R&B and their timeless classics that shaped my young heart’s ideals of love.

I grew up listening to their standards on Quiet Storm on WDKX in Rochester, NY, and have been a fan ever since.

There will also never be any doubt about the monumental role Luther Vandross and his music played in my life. His genius as a songwriter, producer, and artist for conveying all the emotional yearnings of romance are the rhythms to which all lovers dance.

“Luther Vandross was the most polite Soul singer to have ever lived. His music was less a quiet storm and more a beautiful sunshower,” writes Matty Wishnow for Past Prime.

Luther also adored our favorite ‘divas,’ so our song celebrates him too.

Thank you to DJ Tony Griffin and BCFM Radio for enjoying Crystal Penny’ “STANDARDS” as much as I do. I am overjoyed! STANDARDS will be available on all music streaming apps in late April. Stay tuned!