Singer Anthony Hamilton has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season including his health.
“The Covid-19 pandemic and fully recovering from the virus has taught him to appreciate life,” he tells DRUM.
“It’s taught me to be thankful that you are healthy and have people you can depend on. Nurture those because we will need each other through time. Rest is important and it doesn’t take a lot to create. You don’t have to run around and wear yourself out. Prioritize yourself and make quality moves,” he says.
Anthony Hamilton’s goal was to avoid cliché and not repeat the formulas that shaped holiday records for years on his Christmas album,Home for the Holidays.
“The mundane songs that have been recorded over and over again, I really didn’t want to do that,” he says. “I didn’t want it to be so sterile that you couldn’t feel the personality. And I wanted it to be true to who I am as an artist.”
Anthony Hamilton thought about where he’d come from and applied it to the music. Instead of a traditional arrangement for “The Little Drummer Boy,” he told producer Kelvin Wooten, “Let’s put a little Outkast to it.” And for the title track, he called in a friend — singer Gavin DeGraw — to add a different flavor to the music.
The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic rings in the holiday season with inspiration from Grammy® Award winner Anthony Hamilton on Divabetic’s popular monthly podcast. Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Susan Weiner RD, MSN, CDCES, CDN, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDCES, Author Lisa Eugene, Poet Lorraine Brooks, and Mama Rose Marie. This fast-paced, fun-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice focuses on healthy celebrations for the holidays.
Enjoy Anthony Hamilton’s performance of ‘Home For The Holidays.’
Keep an ear out for Anthony Hamilton’s “Superstar” featuring Jennifer Hudson on his new album, Love Is The New Black. “It’s such a beautiful rendition, and it pays homage to the late, great Luther Vandross,” Anthony Hamilton tells City Metro.
Anthony Hamilton’s T.A.S.T.E Foundation’s mission is to address some of the most widespread issues facing the Black community in his home state of North Carolina and around the country such as hunger, homelessness, health, mental health, foster care, and education.
We’re talking about Weight Loss Journeys & Diabetes with musical inspiration from Jennifer Hudson on this episode of Divabetic’s monthly podcast.
We’ve watched Jennifer Hudson soar to stardom as her powerhouse pipes have taken her from American Idol back in 2004 to coveted roles in film, theater and TV, including as a judge on The Voice. Throughout that journey, the singer has also had another major life change: She went from a size 16 to a size 6, dropping 80 pounds. The star followed poor dieting practices and finally chose to approach her weight loss in a healthy way after giving birth to her son, David.
While studies show most people who drop significant pounds regain the weight they lose, Jennifer Hudson has managed to keep her svelte figure for the past nine years.
“I’m very careful and cautious of what I’m eating, so I just try to pace those meals throughout the day,” said Jennifer Hudson.
Jennifer Hudson supports the Barbara Davis Center (BDC). BDC’s mission is to provide state-of-the-art care to children and adults with type 1 diabetes and to teach patients how to prevent or delay complications. Their research is devoted to finding prevention, cure, and most effective treatment of diabetes and associated disorders.
Guests include Vanessa Hunter, Dr. Wendy Rapaport PsyD, Dr. Stewart Harris, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Autumn Reed.
Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from Jennifer Hudson’s self-titled album, ’Jennifer Hudson’ courtesy of SONY Music.
I am not only obsessed with Luther’s fantastic ability to put his stamp on classic songs, A House Is Not A Home, Superstar, and Anyone Who Had A Heart, but also his genius at mashing up two separate songs to create one phenomenal masterpiece. For example, his classic Power Of Love/Love Power celebrating its 30th anniversary this week.
Do you know that this song is a medley of two songs, his original Power of Love and the remake of Love Power? Love Power had been a minor hit in 1968 by the one-hit-wonder R&B group, The Sandpebbles (I’m crossing my fingers for a reunion tour) and then, Dusty Springfield performed a live version.
I echo the sentiments expressed by music critic Ken Tucker for Entertainment Weekly, ” Luther Vandross has joined two different songs, both featuring gliding, colliding melodies that offer the singer an opportunity to apply his delicate tenor to witty, chanted variations on the songs’ titles.”
Luther’s version, Power Of Love/Love Power, spent two weeks at #1 on the US R&B chart and peaked at #4 on the US pop chart, becoming his biggest pop solo hit (at the time). We played Luther’s Power Of Love/Love Power at the end of every one of Divabetic’s national Makeover Your Diabetes diabetes outreach programs.
Learn more about the backstory of the making of Power Of Love/Love Power on this remarkable FANDROSS video:
“Are you running away, Mom?” Mark Crenshaw rubs his eyes awake. Behind his mother, he can see it’s 12:15 AM on the clock on the nightstand. He eyes her suspiciously, standing in her bedroom doorway of their modest home in the San Fernando Valley.
“What?” Candace jumps from the sound of her eighteen-year-old son’s voice. Once again, her son manages to sneak up on her without her noticing. When he was younger, he did that a lot. She reasoned, without a father, he needed constant reassurance his only living relative was alright.
Fortunately, for Mark’s sake, Candace Crenshaw has never given her son reason to worry until now. Her unshakeable self-confidence was shattered a few days earlier when one of her music students, a young boy, was a fatal school shooting victim. Since then, she is jumpy, anxious, and on edge. “Remain calm,” Candace tells herself. She isn’t ashamed of what he caught her doing as much as she is scared. After all, the weekend trip she is packing for isn’t for her, it’s for him. This is something she should have done a long time ago.
Eighteen years earlier, the day after discovering she was pregnant, Candace cut off all ties with her past and ran away to Los Angeles. In quick succession, she needed to make things happen. Find an apartment in a good area. Enroll in college to get a music education degree. Join a church. Find a doctor. After Mark’s birth and with her degree in hand, she got a job teaching music at a public high school. Her passion for teaching caught the eyes of several administrators at nearby schools and she soon transferred to a school with a more extensive music program. The salary increase from switching jobs allowed her to purchase a small two-bedroom bungalow in the Valley where she and her son reside today. In those early days, she only had time to take care of her son, go to school, work odd jobs, and repeat it again the following day. She held firm to her goal to provide a safe, stable environment for her son. The pride she felt in the making over her life she held on to like a badge of honor.
Now her baby was this tall, self-assured young man standing before her. The dark clouds she saw reflected in his large brown eyes did not comfort her. She could see the wheels spinning in his head, questioning her actions. “What are you doing up?” she snaps back. She thought he was sleeping when she started to pack, but maybe her music was too loud. She always loses herself in Luther, especially listening to Dance With My Father. But the last thing she needs is for her son to start giving her the third degree. Her nerves are already shot from the tragedy.
“Why don’t you tell me first.” He points to the mountain of clothes on top of her bed.
“If I’m running away, then I’d better get a bigger suitcase to pack your stuff too.” She lets out a nervous laugh. Candace looks down at her suitcase struggling to remain calm. She fully intends to tell him about her trip after she returns. Right now isn’t the right time or place. She doesn’t know the outcome of her trip yet, so there’s no guarantee she can protect him. The thought of her son being vulnerable, like the boy who died, terrifies her. She has to steer their conversation in a different direction. The school counselors caution parents to explore rather than ignore their children’s random thoughts and questions using clear, concise communications.
“I’m packing for the coping conference this weekend I told you about.” But when her son’s expression makes it clear he doesn’t buy her explanation, she attempts to turn the tables on him. “I know that look on your face. Should I guess what you’re thinking, or are you going to tell me?”
“Destiny’s Mom doesn’t know about your conference,” he says with air quotes. “I asked her earlier. So what’s really going on?”
Her mother’s intuition warned her that Mark would ask Destiny’s mother, Sheila, the nurse at her school, about her trip. These days Mark spends most of his time at Destiny’s house. She gives him her prepared explanation. “It’s for teachers. The Board of Education has one for school nurses in a few weeks. Are you okay? You should be sleeping.”
His eyes soften as he looks at her. “The whole town feels like it’s in a daze.” He looks over to his Mom. “Starting with you.”
When Luther’s rendition of Superstar fills the room, Candace starts humming along as she debates to herself whether or not to pack a black cardigan sweater. Deep in thought, it takes a minute for her to realize Mark has stopped talking. She turns to look at him.
“Sorry. Luther’s voice had me thinking about how love had the power to put people in a daze, not violence. People fell in love and celebrated love at Luther’s concerts. Even couples with problems got swept up in his music. Their troubles melted away as soon as he began to sing.”
“Can you feel something for someone you don’t even know?”
“I think so.” Candace tries to keep her voice calm.
“That’s how I feel.”
Candace nods in agreement. Every night since the shooting, she lies awake thinking about the potential dangers lurking outside her front door. She was lucky nothing happened to Mark. But what about next time? She shakes away the thought from her mind.
“Come here, and give me a hug.”
Candace sighs and goes back to packing for her trip. From her bed, Mark watches his mother grab a plain understated business suit out from her closet. She looks at it, shakes her head, and puts it back. Unsure of what to pack for her trip, Candace keeps changing her mind about what she should pack. She takes out every item from her bag and starts over. Her actions make her son very nervous. Her graceful gestures, the ones honed for years from dance lessons, are gone. She appears clumsy and jittery at best.
“I have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear. How can that be possible?” Frustrated, she accidentally slams a dresser drawer shut, and it catches her finger. She screams in pain.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go. We haven’t spent much time together lately.”
His mother’s behavior is so atypical. Usually, Candace is usually decisive, grounded and reserved. She is her son’s rock.
“I’ve been busy. Here, let me help.” As Mark gets up to help her, a greeting card slips out of the pocket of his sweatpants. Mark picks it up, hands it to his mother.
“This is for you, Mom.”
Candace looks up from the envelope and smiles. Opening the envelope slowly, she finds a Father’s Day card inside. Her shoulders relax. She grabs her reading glasses off the nearby dresser, then gently pulls out the card and opens it. Candace reads aloud the message inside. Her son writes:
To the best Dad, a son can have. I love you, Mom! Mark.
Candace pushes clothes aside and scoots beside her son on the bed. She feels a lump in her throat as they glimpse at the muted TV screen. There’s a news flash of the shooting in front of their eyes. She turns to Mark.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned this week, it’s that life is precious. Promise me – do the things that make your heart sing. Don’t let yourself settle for less.”
“Like the way you did when you toured with Luther?”
“This moment right now is what makes my heart sing.”
Yesterday she offered words of comfort to the victims’ parents and classmates. Who would comfort her if something happened to Mark? Or what if something happened to her? How would her son cope with the loss? She is both his mother and father. They are each other’s worlds.
“I heard you singing to the Power Of Love (Love Power) when I was at your door.”
“Did I sound like my touring days were a long, long time ago?”
“Nah, You still sound just like you do on the record, Dad.”
The word ‘Dad’ sticks in his throat. Deep down in his heart, Mark’s burning desire is to know who his father is or was.
“Doesn’t the guy pictured on your card look like Luther?”
At the mention of Luther’s name, Candace presses Mark’s card against her chest. She comments, “Both of you have such beautiful penmanship. Your swirls and curves are just like Luther’s.”
“So, I take after my father?”
Candace looks up from the card. “There you go again, talking nonsense.”
“Why else did you teach me his songs when I was growing up? It has to be him.” Mark looks at her intently. He wants his mother to confirm what he is sure he already knows. The legendary R & B icon Luther Vandross is his father. The father he has never met. She constantly compares the two, like she just did. Why can’t she just admit it?
“Stop saying that! People will get the wrong impression.”
“Then, why don’t you tell me who he is?”
“According to you, I am.” She points to the card. “You said so yourself. Now, move your behind so your father can finish packing her clothes and go to sleep.”
“You always say his music is responsible for making babies. I must be one of those babies, right?”
In honor of Luther Vandross’s 70th birthday on April 20, 2021, Max Szadek shares an excerpt of his Luther jukebox musical idea, ‘Last Dance With My Father,’ which focuses on a group of fictitious female backing vocalists’ lives and loves.
Synopsis: A son’s ultimatum on Father’s Day causes his mother, one of Luther Vandross’s vocalists, to reunite with her former bandmates for a Luther Tribute Concert after a twenty-year absence. Old rivalries, secrets, and heartaches threaten to break up their perfect harmony.
Daily links will be posted on Divabetic.Org and the Quiet Storm Fans FB page. There’s also a Last Dance With My Father playlist on Spotify.
Today Kentucky Fried Chicken announced the return of its fireplace logs which, of course, smell like those 11 secret herbs and spices.
The fan-favorite is exclusively available at Walmart starting today.
“In a year of unpredictability, nothing is more comforting than knowing that you will once again be able to cozy up next to a fried-chicken scented fire while enjoying the mouth-watering taste of KFC’s world-famous fried chicken,” the announcement declares.
The chicken is sold separately, but the logs are a partnership with fireplace-fuel Enviro-Log—and they’re made with recycled materials, for an eco-friendly bent. Walmart’s online store lists the regular price as $19.98 but is offering the logs for only $15.88 apiece.
Studies have shown that taste and smell are closely linked. Food-related odors have also been shown to increase rated appetite, and induce salivation and release of gastric acid and insulin. Not only does the smell of food make you hungry, but it makes you hungry for that specific type of food.
A study from the University of California, Berkeley, and published in Cell Metabolism found that one’s sense of smell is linked to weight gain. The findings suggest that the odor of what we eat may play an important role in how the body deals with calories. If you can’t smell your food, you may burn it rather than store it.
Are you always feeling hungry?
When blood glucose levels remain abnormally high ( hyperglycemia) for long periods of time, glucose from the blood cannot enter the cells – due to either a lack of insulin or insulin resistance – so the body can’t convert the food you eat into energy. This lack of energy causes an increase in hunger.
We’re honored to celebrate Luther Vandross and his musical legacy as well as raise awareness for eating disorders and diabetes health-related complications (such as stroke) on our annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast.
Guests include‘Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes’Author Dr. Michelle May, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, R & B Singer Alyson Williams, ‘Here & Now’ Songwriter and Entertainer Terry Steele, Seveda Williams, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian and Luther Superfan John Price.
Throughout the podcast we will be featuring selected songs from the album entitled ‘Busy Body’ courtesy of SONY Music. On ‘Busy Body’, Luther Vandross’ third album features ‘Superstar’, ‘For the Sweetness Of Your Love’, and the duet with Dionne Warwick entitled ‘ How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye’.
Join us for the inaugural Fandross Festivalpresented by the Vandross Family Estate and Divabetic celebrating the musical legacy of Luther Vandross and raising awareness for the prevention of diabetes health-related complications such as stroke on Saturday, March 12, 2018, 6:30 – 9:30 PM at SVA Theater in New York, NY.
Fandross Festival recaptures the elegance and excellence of Luther’s career with a film presentation of his iconic performances, stage memorabilia and an in-depth discussion with Luther’s former band members, vocalists, and superfans.
+ See Luther Vandross Exclusive Memorabilia: Luther’s dazzling music awards, bejeweled stage costumes and more will be on display
+ Watch R & B legend Luther Vandross on the Big Screen: His most iconic live performances, biggest songs, popular videos and rare clips larger than life with Dolby sound.
+ Meet the Team! Enjoy an interactive Panel Discussion hosted by Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek featuring Luther Vandross’s former musical director, Nat Adderley Jr., singer-songwriter Fonzi Thornton,vocalist Alfa Anderson, vocalist Robin Clark, guitarist, composer and arranger Carlos Alomar, vocalist and songwriter Tawatha Agee, Luther Vandross historian Leon Petrossian, and more.
+ Sing Back Up! Vocalist Patricia Lacy leads the audience in several of Luther’s most iconic background vocals. Learn how to create harmony parts and hold firm no matter which other vocal parts surround you.Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity!
+ Greet other Luther fans, share your stories and revisit memories of one of the world’s most treasured performers.
We will be spotlighting the 35 Anniversary of the release of Luther Vandross’ Busy Body album featuring ‘Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)’.
Admission: $10 Advance. $20 Door
If Luther’s “smooth as silk” voice, dramatic ballads and up-tempo jams are a major part of the soundtrack of your life, you do not want to miss Fandross Festival. We invite Luther fans of all ages to attend and celebrate Luther’s “so amazing” contributions to music, arts, and culture.
The Vandross Family Estate and the national diabetes nonprofit organization, Divabetic (divabetic.org), proudly present Fandross Festival. “Keep your House a Home” and learn how to prevent diabetes health-related complications (such as stroke) from occurring.
Fandross Festival 2018 on Saturday, May 12, 2018, 6:30 – 9:30 PM at SVA Theater, 333 West 23rd Street, New York, NY, 10011. Tickets available at Eventbrite. BUY TICKETS
Can’t wait? Listen now to our Annual Luther Vandross Tributepodcast featuring 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 will be featuring selected songs from the album entitled ‘Luther Vandross’ courtesy of SONY Music.
Tennis champion, Serena Williams knew something had gone terribly wrong just a day after giving birth to her child.
She explained what happened in Vogue Magazine stating,”The next day, while recovering in the hospital, Serena suddenly felt short of breath. Because of her history of blood clots, and because she was off her daily anticoagulant regimen due to the recent surgery, she immediately assumed she was having another pulmonary embolism. (Serena lives in fear of blood clots.) She walked out of the hospital room so her mother wouldn’t worry and told the nearest nurse, between gasps, that she needed a CT scan with contrast and IV heparin (a blood thinner) right away. The nurse thought her pain medicine might be making her confused. But Serena insisted, and soon enough a doctor was performing an ultrasound of her legs. “I was like, a Doppler? I told you, I need a CT scan and a heparin drip,” she remembers telling the team. The ultrasound revealed nothing, so they sent her for the CT, and sure enough, several small blood clots had settled in her lungs. Minutes later she was on the drip. “I was like, listen to Dr. Williams!”
A near death experience in childbirth involving one of the greatest female athletes of all-time will inevitably create buzz on social media but it’s also the story of millions of women of color across the nation.
ProPublica has published an investigative series on the effect socioeconomics has on motherhood in America. One piece in that series, titled “How Hospitals Are Failing Black Mothers,” reports, “It’s been long-established that black women… fare worse in pregnancy and childbirth, dying at a rate more than triple that of white mothers. And while part of the disparity can be attributed to factors like poverty and inadequate access to health care, there is growing evidence that points to the quality of care at hospitals where a disproportionate number of black women deliver, which are often in neighborhoods disadvantaged by segregation,” writes Annie Waldman.
Data like this highlights the fact that the American medical system has a long-standing racial gap for dealing with diseases such as diabetes.
Let’s not forget that compared to the general population, African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes as reported by the American Diabetes Association:
13.2% of all African Americans aged 20 years or older have diagnosed diabetes.
African Americans are 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes as non Hispanic whites.
African-Americans are significantly more likely to suffer from blindness, kidney disease and amputations.
Good diabetes management can help reduce your risk of developing a diabetes health-related complication; however, many people are not even aware that they have diabetes until they develop one of its complications.
About 2.8 percent of U.S. adults — one-third of those with diabetes — still don’t know they have it reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
You cane help us change that staggering stastistic!
Join us for Fandross Festival on Saturday, May 12 2018, 6:30 – 9:30 PM in New York, NY. We will be raising awareness of the prevention of diabetes health-related complications such as stroke by celebrating the legacy of R & B superstar, Luther Vandross. Don’t miss it! TICKETS ON SALE NOW
One final thought, Serena Williams reflecteed on her post-birth complications and said, “it made me stronger’ on the Today Show. Words to live by.
