Yesterday was an exciting day! DJ Richard Marzettifeatured the song, Mama’s Kitchen Table, that I co-wrote with Ivan Hampden Jr. and Paulette McWilliams on his show Soul Life on Solar Radio! Paulette McWilliams returns for an exclusive interview on Richard’s show on Friday, June 3, 2022.
Mama’s Kitchen Table is about a woman’s desire for a good, reliable, honest, and decent guy. Someone who doesn’t give up when times are tough but shows up. A respectable man you can bring home to your mama’s kitchen table – the heart of the home. The place where your family gathers to mark milestones, celebrate accomplishments, and honor commitments —the one place in the world where you feel comfortable being your true, authentic self.
Mama’s Kitchen Table continues Luther Vandross‘s musical legacy by uniting his background vocalist, Paulette McWilliams, his songwriter, drummer, and studio engineer Ivan Hampden Jr. and his long-time assistant, Max Szadek.
Paulette McWilliams is a singer and songwriter. She began her career singing with the bands The American Breed and Rufus and has appeared as a backing vocalist on recordings and on tour for numerous artists. She worked with Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, The Jacksons, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and as a member of Bette Midler’s backing group the Harlettes, among many others.
Ivan Hampden Jr. is a jazz and R&B drummer, composer, and record producer. He was Luther Vandross’ tour and session drummer from 1987 to 2003. Throughout his career, Hampden toured and performed with a number of celebrated artists, including Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan, Eartha Kitt, Jennifer Lopez, Bonnie Raitt, India Arie, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Little Richard, Gladys Knight, Vanessa Williams, among many others. Ivan Hampden Jr. was recognized for his participation as Arranger/Musician/Programmer on two Grammy Award-winning recordings at the 2004 Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album “Dance With My Father” performed by Luther Vandross, and Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group with Vocals “The Closer I Get to You” performed by Beyoncé and Luther Vandross.
Mama’s Kitchen Table written by Luther Vandross band alumni Ivan Hampden Jr. and Paulette McWilliams, and Luther’s longtime assistant, Max Szadek was added to the UK Soul internet-based radio station, Chocolate Radio‘s playlist.
Chocolate Radio London was first formed in 1992 by Roger Brooks who was inspired to do so after London’s Pioneers of Soul Music Radio, Invicta (1979 to 1984), JFM (1981 until 1985) and the legendary Horizon Radio (1981 – 1985) on 102.5fm and 94.5fm ceased broadcasting in a quest to obtain licenses. During the early 80’s these radio stations took soul music broadcasting on FM in the UK to a whole new level that saw Horizon Radio on par with London’s top music station for listeners. Read more about Chocolate Radio London & Soul Music in London in those early days.
Today, the Worldwide Soul Radio Station Chocolate Radio broadcasts 24hrs a day, delivering the best in Soul, R&B, Jazz-Funk, Soulful House, Hip Hop, House, Northern Soul & Reggae music, coast to coast around the world. The music played on the station covers over 6 decades, from the pioneering sound of Detroit.
After successfully establishing Hampton Music Institute in Clayton, North Carolina, Grammy Winner Ivan Hampden Jr. returns to his first love of making music with the release of Hamptown’s Mama’s Kitchen Table featuring Paulette McWilliams, available on streaming apps.
“I love teaching,” says Ivan Hampden Jr. “But making music is in my blood. I spent half of my life touring, recording, composing, and producing music.”
Ivan has previously collaborated with many prominent artists such as Luther Vandross, Nick Ashford, Chaka Khan, Eartha Kitt, and others. He has been recognized on four Grammy Awards for his work as a musician, arranger, and programmer on Luther Vandross’ multiple platinum recordings.
Mama’s Kitchen Table was a chance to rekindle making soulful music that Luther fans love for Ivan, Paulette, and Max.
“Max came up with the hook, and Paulette and I just took it from there,” says Ivan. “It feels great to still be making music after Luther’s passing.” Still, he adds, “Luther and Nat (Nat Adderley Jr.) taught me so much about the aspects of recording when we were working in the studio for Luther’s albums.”
He’s also applying his knowledge to help younger up-and-coming musicians.
Hampton Music Institute’s mission is to help the next generation of music creators succeed on their journeys.
“My students have taught me a lot, too,” says Ivan. “I’m applying what they’re listening to on their playlists to my music.”
Mama’s Kitchen Table is available on streaming apps, including Spotify and Apple Music. Additionally, Max Szadek’s national diabetes nonprofit, Divabetic.Org, features Mama’s Kitchen Table in the organization’s Mother’s Day outreach programming.
You can now enjoy our latest Divabetic Mysteries podcast, A Christmas Peril in its entirety (Episodes 1-11), on Facebook, YouTube, and BlogTalkRadio. We pack our annual mystery podcasts with diabetes and diabetes self-care information, a suspenseful mystery, and a few laughs.
Our main character, Mr. Divabetic is perfectly flawed to help us illustrate some of Divabetic’s cornerstone messages.
1. He’s resilient. Minor obstacles like a disastrous recipe or big problems like getting mixed up in murder investigations don’t deter his dreams of becoming the Next Food Network Star.
2. Healthy food doesn’t taste terrible. Unfortunately, Mr. Divabetic hasn’t figured out how to make one of his culinary creations taste good yet, but he has learned from his mistakes.
3. He doesn’t have all the answers, and that’s okay. Instead, he solves problems with the help of a team of friendly, upbeat certified diabetes care and education specialists, friends, and family members.
4. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. Instead, he rolls with the punches and punchlines and keeps his eye on the prize.
Divabetic Mysteries are a team effort that takes almost a year to produce. Each podcast is performed live on-air without interruption.
We have a blast from the initial story outline and first read-through to endless scriptwriting and fact-checking sessions and the final live broadcast! Of course, performing a 60-minute play without interruption is a bit nerve-racking and stressful for our cast of diabetes advocates, educators, authors, musicians, and poets.
Everyone’s afraid to make a mistake or even cough! But it’s also exhilarating to challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. We might not be trained actors, but we sure do like pretending to them for an hour!
Our story was inspired by Kevin Houdeshell’s tragic true-life story. Thanks to the Houdeshell family for their advocacy efforts on behalf of the Emergency Insulin Act of 2019 and the emergency prescription refill legislation. Known as Kevin’s or Howdy’s Law, it allows pharmacists to dispense an emergency supply of a chronic maintenance medication if the doctor cannot be reached – a common-sense act that could save a life.
Starring Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, USA Best Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie Gentle, Terri Seidman, MaryAnn Nicolay, Trisha Artman, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, and Wendy Radford. Special thanks to the Houdeshell family, and Pharmacist Mandy Reece. Original music by Ivan Hampden Jr., Celine Dion’s vocals courtesy of SONY Music. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Video by Joe Hackney from Pixabay.
In the spirit of Scrooge’s awakening at the end of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we encourage you to honor Christmas in your heart by living in the Past, The Present, and the Future. Try to embrace the Spirits of all Three and the lessons that they teach.
Divabetic Mysteries are podcasts that use a cozy mystery format to educate people about diabetes and diabetes self-care. Our goal is to encourage people with diabetes to act like detectives. When unexpected issues related to your diabetes health occur, search for clues, take notes, consult with your healthcare team and work together to solve problems.
Hopefully, the intrigue and deception will draw you in and challenge you to see if you can figure out the puzzle before it’s revealed. Our stories always end on a positive note to wrap the story up with an important life lesson and bow. Invariably, Mr. Divabetic’s dreams of becoming the Next Food Network Star remain intact thanks to the encouragement of his friends and mother long enough for another misadventure.
We hope you feel like you’ve just spent time with some good friends by the time you reach the end of the podcast. Our team enjoys rehearsing and performing these podcasts for you annually. Thank you for listening!
Our ‘A Christmas Peril’ podcast was inspired by Kevin Houdeshell’s tragic true-life story. Thanks to the Houdeshell family for their advocacy efforts on behalf of the Emergency Insulin Act of 2019 and the emergency prescription refill legislation. Known as Kevin’s or Howdy’s Law, it allows pharmacists to dispense an emergency supply of a chronic maintenance medication if the doctor cannot be reached – a common-sense act that could save a life.
Starring Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, USA Best Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie Gentle, Terri Seidman, MaryAnn Nicolay, Trisha Artman, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, and Wendy Radford. Special thanks to the Houdeshell family, and Pharmacist Mandy Reece. Original music by Ivan Hampden Jr., Celine Dion’s vocals courtesy of SONY Music. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Video by Joe Hackney from Pixabay.
In the spirit of Scrooge’s awakening at the end of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we encourage you to honor Christmas in your heart by living in the Past, The Present, and the Future. Try to embrace the Spirits of all Three and the lessons that they teach.
Christmas song. I sat down, and the lyrics to a song I’m calling Pink Champagne poured out. I liked it so much that I called my Luther Vandross musical family friends, producer Ivan Hampden Jr., and vocalist Paulette McWilliams. They agreed to record the song.
Here are the first lines of Pink Champagne:
Oh, Baby! pour me a glass
of Pink Champagne
after a few sips, I’d love to explain
why I decided on Christmas Day
to give my gift for you away!
Rather than post the rest of the song lyrics, I decided to share the short story that I wrote inspired by the song on this blog throughout December. Enjoy!
The bright streams of sunshine are as bitter as the taste of flat champagne this morning coming through the window of my bedroom. Once again, my husband, Jasper, left early. I’m alone. He’s made it a habit to leave for work before anyone else in the house wakes up. But, for the past three months, Jasper’s been coming home late too. Like my father with my mother, he can’t stop himself from reminding me that someone has to work to put food on the table.
It’s true. Someone in the household has to pay for our family’s life necessities. But lately, Jasper uses his role as ‘breadwinner’ as an excuse to stay away. Our family’s lifestyle gives him plenty of excuses, too, because we live in the Hamptons. Jasper is proud to tell anyone who asks that we live in a ten thousand square feet residence with 6 bedrooms and 8 baths. It features a clubhouse, high-end fitness center, and outdoor pool located just a short walk to the Village of East Hampton and a little over a mile from pristine beaches. Just the upkeep alone for our home isn’t cheap either. But, according to our account, Jasper’s cousin, Aramis Fishbourne, we don’t have a choice. If we let the value of our home slide due to negligence, it would be even more costly to our finances.
But today is Christmas Eve! Weeks ago, Jasper promised to spend the whole day with the twins and me. No phones, no interruptions, just family time. Now, his side of the bed is cold, and the kids aren’t even up yet. If he stayed home for breakfast or dinner, he’d know that our children have been counting down the days until our annual trip to the city to see Santa Claus. So why does his boss expect him to work? More importantly, why does my husband agree to go?
I turn to look at his pillow and find a note, “See you at 8”. Jasper didn’t bother to sign it. I guess I should be happy that he remembered that we are going on a date tonight without me having to remind him. Still, my mind can’t help but fixate on his initial lack of enthusiasm. He was actually upset that I distracted him from reading his Art Auction catalog. Still, I didn’t let that deter me. I gently took his catalog away as I explained to him how we used to go out on Christmas Eve when we were dating. We’d dress up, sip champagne and enjoy an elegant dinner at the Plaza Hotel. We’d spend half of the evening looking around and fantasizing about being as rich as Rockefeller. But, somewhere between getting engaged, married, buying a home, and supporting a family, our little romantic tradition was lost.
Lately, we act like co-workers instead of man and wife. My job is to raise our family, his job is to support our family, and our bedroom is the water cooler where we catch up with each other. All that to say, I haven’t felt any chemistry between us in a long, long time. So hopefully, ‘date night’ on Christmas Eve will jumpstart an office romance.
TO BE CONTINUED …
Click HERE for Pink Champagne Christmas Story Part 1
Click HERE for Pink Champagne Christmas Story Part 2
Click HEREfor Pink Champagne Christmas Story Part 3
Pink Champagne lyrics are a slight nod to Nancy Wilson’s iconic “Guess Who I Saw Today” and Marlena Shaw’s delicious “Go Away Little Boy”. Both of these songs have brought me tremendous joy over the years. If you have never heard these immortal songs – enjoy them!
From slurring words or forgetting lyrics to her famous side-to-side, stutter-step shimmy, Chaka Khan‘s performance at the recent Verzuz “competition” with Stephanie Mills has many speculating that she was either drunk or high.
But could she have been experiencing low blood sugars?
Some symptoms of low blood sugar can look the same as being drunk. The most common ones are feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or confused; and getting sleepy. However, others may think your signs of low blood sugar are due to drinking. As a result, they may not realize you need help.
The Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes back in 2011. She credits her vegan diet for helping her lose a significant amount of weight after her diagnosis.
“I felt like I needed to heal my body, so I would just fast and eat no meat, no dairy,” she said. “I’ve never been a fan of meat, dairy, and sugar. And when I developed diabetes I said, ‘Oh OK, I’m not going to be here long. A change is coming,’” Chaka Khan told the lifestyle website Essence.com.
Assuming Chaka Khan experienced low blood sugar levels on stage with Stephanie Mills, let’s review some suggestions for treating it.
First, eat or drink 15 to 20 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates, then check your blood sugars and retreat if necessary.
The best options are sugary foods without protein or fat. Chocolate contains fat which slows down the absorption of sugar, so it’s not the best option. Instead, you need food or drinks that easily convert to sugar in the body. Try glucose tablets or gel (sold in your pharmacy), fruit juice, regular — not diet — soft drinks, honey, and sugary candy. Keep in mind, 15 grams of carbohydrates is far less than a whole can of soda or a tall glass of juice. The amount is significant because if you overtreat a low blood sugar by eating or drinking too much, you risk experiencing high blood sugar levels.
Finally, you should know that alcohol makes your blood sugar levels drop by inhibiting the liver’s ability to release glucose.
Ivan Hampden, Jr., Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Pam Butler MS, CDCES, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDCES, CDN, Cookbook Author and Culinary Expert Holly Clegg and Ginger Vieira on this episode of Divabetic’s monthly podcast.
I had a great time working with my Luther Vandrossfamily on this remake of Luther’s hit song, Take You Out, to encourage others to take the necessary precautions.
The concept popped into my head when Keith Anthony Fluitt mentioned that one of his favorite Luther songs is Take You Out. My immediate reply was, “we should update the lyrics to reflect what was happening with the pandemic.”
A few days later, I was hosting our weekly FANDROSS zoom call. At the end of the session, we took turns pitching project ideas. When it was my turn, I pitched the idea of remaking Take You Out. I shared how I wanted to change some of the lyrics to emphasize COVID precautions. Keith jumped in and said he would do it, and shortly after, everyone agreed to participate.
The next thing I knew, Ivan Hampden Jr. had created a track for us to work with. Then, to my complete surprise, I was gifted the fantastic experience of songwriting with Lisa Fischer!! We collaborated over the phone. I texted Lisa my initial lyric ideas, she sang them back, and then we tweaked and altered them as needed.
Lisa, Ivan, and I played the track and shared new lyrics with everyone in the next zoom session.
From there, Keith, Kevin Owens, and Clayton Bryant took turns singing the lead, and Lisa Fischer, Alfa Anderson, Tawatha Agee, and Cindy Mizelle sang the backgrounds.
Once the song was finished, we were challenged with how to share it. Everyone wanted to do a video, but New York City’s health protocols prevented us from getting together. I decided to take a stab at producing a video by myself. I ran around the streets of New York shooting videos on my i-Phone. FANDROSS producer and longtime Divabetic collaborator Leisa Chester Weir provided me with royalty-free videos I altered in iMovie.
Of course, none of it would have happened with the love and support of Luther’s niece, FANDROSS CEO, Seveda Williams. Seveda heard my initial idea and loved it. She fully supported the project from the jump. You can’t ask for a better friend!
It will always be an honor and privilege to support and continue Luther’s musical legacy. I feel so fortunate to have known and worked for such a musical genius. Luther Vandross was SO AMAZING.
Enjoy our chic FANDROSS twist on one of Luther’s iconic songs, Take You Out as we urge you and your loved ones to take the necessary precautions to stay safe.
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 Remix: Ivan Hampden, Jr.
Vocal Arrangements: Lisa Fischer
Mixer: Aaron Whitby
Luther Vandross Archival Footage: Thornworld
Hats & Masks Images: Harlem Heaven’s Hats
Revised Lyrics: Max Szadek, Lisa Fischer
Video Compilation: Leisa Chester Weir, LGK Marketing
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
Divabetic (Divabetic.org) presents a month-long showcase celebrating 10 years of diabetes podcasting. Each of the featured podcasts spotlights our favorite guests, topics, poems, games and/or musical inspiration. Enjoy!
Our monthly podcasts are dedicated to Music Lovers living with, at risk and/or affected by diabetes. We aim to be the epicenter of the circle of care, a link between patients and their health care providers, a translator of clinical speak and a bridge between denial and acceptance, fear and confidence
On Day 10, we’re spotlighting one of our most popular podcasts of all time, Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Chaka Khan from November 2012. The slimmed down superstar diva, Chaka Khan is inspiring Diabetes Roundtable for National Diabetes Awareness Month!
The year before, The Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2011. Her diabetes diagnosis sparked an impressive weight loss.
“I had type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. So I went on a radical change in lifestyle. I was on liquids for a year, and that gave me a good jump-start,” Chaka Khan said in an article on Diabetes.co.uk. “It sort of changed my whole way of thinking. You have to get the mindset.”
Her new diet, combined with regular exercise sessions, has led to a dramatic improvement in health and allowed the singer to ditch her type 2 diabetes medication.
Mr. Divabetic hosts for this thirty minute whirlwind of wellness with superstar guests including Chaka Khan’s former bandmember and producer, Ivan Hampden, Jr.,Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Pam Butler MS, CDE, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, Holly Clegg who is the author of six cookbooks including ‘Kitchen 101’Mama Rose Marie and real-life diva, Ginger Vieira, who is the author of ‘Your Diabetes Science Experiment’ and record-setting competitive powerlifter living with type 1 diabetes.
“The only downside to this Chaka Khan inspired podcast is that back in 2012 we weren’t playing music between show segments,” says Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek. “On the bright side, we have a great excuse to feature Chaka Khan’s music on an upcoming Diabetes Late Nite podcast!”
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, fun Virtual Scavenger Hunt on Zoom with special guest, Best-Selling Intimacy & Diabetes co-author, Janis Roszler LMFT, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND on Thursday, July 16, 2020, 7 – 7:35 PM, EST.
One lucky winner in our random drawing will win Janis Roszler’s best-selling e- book, Intimacy & Diabetes. A second lucky winner in our random drawing will win aDario Blood Glucose Meterstarter kit.
https://youtu.be/wPSuO-zUHik
This all-in-one pocket-sized device can track blood sugar fluctuations and trends and identify hyper/hypoglycemic episodes right from your smartphone, providing readings within as little as 6 seconds. It’s scientifically proven, HIPPA compliant, and includes Dario Coaches to offer support and motivation to help manage your diabetes.
Thank you to everyone who has taken measures to protect our Divabetic community members and their loved ones by wearing cloth face coverings and social distancing. We are so grateful! Divabetic will continue to provide free Virtual Diabetes Outreach events with qualified health experts to keep you safe, informed a
Divabetic was inspired by the late music legend, Luther Vandross and created in 2005 by Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, who, as Vandross’ assistant of 14 years, witnessed his boss, mentor, and friend struggle in silence and solitude with the diabetes and its related complications. Since its inception, Divabetic has presented outreach programs in 15 major U.S. cities, reaching hundreds of thousands of women, their families and health care professionals.
Experience more of our GLAM MORE, FEAR LESS philosophy at divabetic.org
