Sarah Vaughan – Divabetic

02/14/202402/14/2024

I Wrote A Love Song!: Standards

The moment you wake up on Valentine’s Day and realize you wrote a love song!!!

STANDARDS is my homage to 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 my friends, vocalists Crystal Blackman Wilson and Penny Wilson.

I sent them my lyrics sheet and a recording of myself singing the melody. Penni called me a few days later and said she loved the song, but my vocal skills needed some TLC. Thankfully, Penni and Crystal got to work. They tweaked a few lyrics (Penni came up with the hook, and Crystal came up with the melody). Then, my friend Ivan Hampden Jr. jumped on it and built the song. It was an amazing collaboration. I feel so fortunate to work with talented people I greatly admire. Crystal, Penni, and Ivan bring to life my personal reflections and set them to music. My friend and graphic designer George Corsillo (who designed multiple album covers for Luther Vandross) designed the artwork.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3B1Ash4Rhg7HcZzD3sx4tP?si=f503fb19b9e9409b

“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.”

Romantic relationships play an important role in our everyday lives. But when diabetes enters the picture, it can complicate even the most loving and open relationships. Divabetic’s e-book, “Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide To Love & Intimacy With Diabetes,” Dr. Janis Roszler PhD, LMFT, CDCES, LD/N, FAND, and Donna Rice MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES is available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today!

“Sweet Romance” Co-Authors Janis Roszler and Donna Rice offer advice on discussing your diabetes diagnosis as well as issues related to intimacy, fertility, and menopause,

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.

11/08/2022

New Singing Sensation: Samara Joy

Last night, 24-year-old jazz singer Samara Joy wowed the crowd at the Blue Note in New York with a voice as smooth as velvet. Her album, Linger Awhile, is out now.

After winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, Samara Joy’s star seems to rise with each performance.

“I was suddenly on the jazz radar. It’s still bizarre to think of how fast things have progressed.”

Her rich and velvety yet precociously refined voice has already earned fans like Anita Baker and Regina King, appearances on the TODAY Show, and millions of likes on TikTok — cementing her status as perhaps the first Gen Z jazz singing star. On Linger Awhile, Samara will introduce that massive audience to a slew of classic standards several times older than she is through her timeless, irresistible sound.

Samara Joy’s gentle rendition of Guess Who I Saw Today, originally popularized by Nancy Wilson, showcases the young singer’s exceptional control, range, and refined, distinctive style.

Her album’s release is just one more step for the ascendant vocalist, who will spend the rest of the year touring increasingly large stages — still shocked to be performing in front of thousands who hang on every word. “I’m still very much a student, even though I’ve graduated,” Samara says. “So this is only the beginning… there is much, much more to come.”

One can only hope that one day Samara Joy will record one of my songs like the new Holiday classic, Pink Champagne, by Ivan Hampden Jr. and Paulette McWilliams.

10/31/202110/31/2021

Divabetic Celebrates Altoween on Halloween!!!

Thanks to my talented friends, Paulette McWilliams, Pat Lacy, and Brenda White-King for showing us how deep, rich, and soulful a woman’s voice could be. Because of you, we’re celebrating amazing vocalists just like you this Halloween!

Sade remains one of the most successful, lucrative artists of the past four decades. She’s sold over 50 million records worldwide. She achieved her success by ignoring fads, fashion, and anything trend that might steer her and her band off course.

“She was one of those rare artists I fell completely in love with because she came just the way she is now,” Susan Blond, a former vice president at Epic Records.

Some people may think Millie Jackson’s onstage antics and song lyrics are too crude but we like the way she broke the rules. In a musical landscape where misogynistic lyrics dominated the airwaves, she turned the tables and objectified men.

Sarah Vaughan’s dynamic vocal range, iconic vibrato, and innovative phrasing helped to transform jazz and popular music.

With voices this sweet, we don’t need to Trick or Treat!

We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade.

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

If asked to name sugary foods, you may think of sweets, chocolate, sodas, table sugar, and perhaps even fruit. But sugar also appears in savoury foods such as ready meals, soups, salads and sauces; as well as ‘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, CDE, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP. Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.