I was thrilled to be interviewed by Richard Marzetti on his Soul Life show on the UK radio station Solar Radio. Richard’s show features an uplifting selection of the newest and contemporary soul releases, classics, and modern goodies.
I discussed my experience working for Luther Vandross. Thirty years ago, Luther changed my life when he relocated me from San Francisco to New York to become his full-time assistant. I was a big Luther fan before I started working for him, and I became an even bigger fan while working alongside him.
After Luther had a stroke due to mismanaged type 2 diabetes, I became his caregiver. During that time, I began my work as a diabetes advocate, which led to the creation of Divabetic, the national diabetes organization. Through live programs, videos, podcasts, and Zoom programs, I aim to empower women and their loved ones to stay upbeat about their diabetes care and create an ‘entourage of care’ of friends, family members, and healthcare collaborators to help them stay on track with their self-care management.
Luther Vandross was an incredible entertainer with an exceptional eye for detail. Luther invested in his live shows to create memorable experiences for his fans.
From his beautifully designed, crystal-encrusted costumes and Art Deco-style stages to evocative lighting and elegant choreography, Luther, his band, and his vocalists took audiences on an emotional journey with his music.
Wow, Wow, Wow! I’m excited to be a guest on Richard Marzetti‘s upcoming Soul Life program on Solar Radio! I can’t wait to share my memories of working for Luther Vandross.
Growing up, I listened nonstop to Rochester, New York’s WDKX. Sometimes, I pinch myself when I realize I worked for one of R&B’s biggest stars. I owned every Luther album! To this day, it still seems unreal that a kid from Rochester would one day get the opportunity to work for Luther Vandross.
Amazingly, I started working on the Never Let Me Go tour thirty years ago.
Just so you know, I was a big Luther fan, just like the listeners of Solar Radio, before I began working for him. I’m really thankful to his fans for keeping Luther’s music legacy alive and for those new and old fans who strive to prevent mismanaged diabetes complications such as stroke from occurring by managing their diabetes daily to ‘keep their house a home.’
Being featured in the Luther: Never Too Much documentary is an honor, and I feel privileged to represent the hardworking, talented, caring, and supportive people who worked behind the scenes for Luther. Working on a tour in the wardrobe department for Luther was indeed the gold standard.
I’ve been hooked since my friend Mark Love introduced me to the UK’s Solar Radio a few years ago. Their fantastic mix of new and classic R&B, gospel, and dance music is incredible!
It’s been a joy to hear Richard Marzetti feature my music, Mama’s Kitchen Table by Ivan Hampden Jr. and Paulette McWilliams, and Standards by Crystal Penny on previous programs.
Sharing a new unreleased, hidden gem by Luther on this program (thanks to SONY Legacy) and a song by a good friend is just the cherry on top! I hope you can tune in on Friday!! I’ll post a link in the comments section.
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.
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 Divabeticpodcasts.
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!
The song I co-wrote, Crystal Penny’s new single, STANDARDS, jumps from #15 (last week) to #5 on the OfficialBCfm 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 STANDARDSas much as I do. I am overjoyed! STANDARDSwill be available on all music streaming apps on Friday, April 21, 2023.
Many people find the phrase “reversing diabetes” misleading.
I know I do. First, there are many types of diabetes – which one are they talking about? Unfortunately, you cannot reverse type 1 diabetes, so making a blanket statement about ‘reversing diabetes’ is wrong and upsetting to anyone with type 1 diabetes.
Regarding type 2 diabetes, I remember being told that my boss Luther Vandrosswas no longer living with type 2 diabetes because he had lost weight. Looking back, I assumed they meant he didn’t need oral medications. However, their misleading comments had me convinced he was cured.
I lived in that bubble until he suffered a devasting stroke in 2003. Sitting in a chair in ICU, his doctors told me that he still lived with diabetes even when his weight changed. Throughout the over twenty years of living with diabetes, Luther had periods of well-managed and mismanaged diabetes. Like many people, who gain a significant amount of weight, he routinely gained or lost a hundred pounds or more; he stopped managing his diabetes. The damage he did to his capillaries during these periods of mismanaged diabetes was nonreversible.
Maybe he fully recovered from the stroke, returned to the stage, and continued to entertain fans worldwide; I would have a different opinion about ‘reversing diabetes.’ But given my life experience, I don’t like or use the phrase ‘reversing diabetes’ because it fuels the chaos or confusion regarding self-care.
Reversing diabetes is a term that usually refers to a significant long-term improvement in insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes who get their HbA1c below 42 mmol/mol (6%) without taking oral diabetes medication are said to have reversed or resolved their diabetes.
I prefer the phrase “moving forward with diabetes” much more inspiring and motivating.
How about you? Does the phrase ‘reversing diabetes’ motivate you or annoy you?
Whether or not you embrace the term ‘reversing diabetes,’ you shouldn’t deny your living with diabetes.
More than 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 1 in 5 don’t know it. 96 million US adults, over a third, have prediabetes, and more than 8 in 10 don’t know they have it.
Although it’s not always possible to reverse type 2 diabetes, you can manage it. Seek help managing your blood sugar levels, lifestyle choices, oral medications, or insulin therapy to prevent complications from developing. One thing I learned from Luther was trying to manage your diabetes alone is a risky business. Luther had over twenty people helping him with his musical career. However, he tried to go ‘solo’ when managing his diabetes. After his devasting stroke, related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes, I realized the importance of a team approach to diabetes self-care.
Let Lisa Stansfield inspire you to live loud and proud with diabetes. You Can’t Deny it!
Helpful Ways to Begin Accepting Your Diabetes
Enlist the help of a mental health professional like our friend, Dr. Bevery S. Adler PhD, CDCES. She’s a licensed Clinical Psychologist, Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist, Author, and Speaker. Not only is “Dr. Bev” a fantastic therapist, but she’s also been living well with type 1 diabetes for over 50 years. She walks the talk. Take the time to interview therapists to find the one that best fits your needs.
Make an appointment with a certified diabetes care and education specialist to learn more about diabetes and how to manage it. Our friend, Rachel Zinman, living with LADA diabetes, said the ‘AH HA’ moment leading her to go from ‘survive to thrive’ with diabetes came after meeting with a diabetes educator.
Consider joining a diabetes support group. There’s nothing quite like being surrounded by people who know exactly what you’re dealing with. Many people hesitate about joining a diabetes support group. Still, the truth is that anyone who has ever attended a Divabetic Support meeting walks away with a better attitude about living with diabetes. Make sure you find a group with a qualified moderator. No one wants to sit in a room and be judged.
While you may not be able to reverse diabetes, you can reverse some things in life, like your car, DVD, or even this podcast!
We’re flipping the script on this podcast and presenting our regular show format from back to front because we hope to inspire you to look back at past mistakes with a new attitude. Mistakes teach important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal: optimum health. There’s no room for shame or blame when you’re able to accept your diagnosis. Let us help empower you to look back at your life with the satisfaction of knowing that diabetes didn’t dim your dazzle!
Singer-songwriter Lisa Stansfield inspires us to ‘throwback’ and discuss the concept of ‘reversing diabetes’ on this podcast.
In the late ’80s and throughout the ’90s, Lisa Stansfield was one of the coolest popstars on the planet. Her seductive, soulful vocals and timeless dance-pop songs took her to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Four of her albums were international hits selling more than 15 million copies and spawning over 20 hit singles.
Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Kathy Gold RN, CDCES, Neva White DNP, CRNP, CDCES, the Digital Divas, Jessica Issler RD, CDCES, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie and special guest Cheri from Long Island, NY.
In tribute to Lisa Stansfield, we will be playing many of her biggest hits courtesy of SONY MUSIC.
By the way, we printed t-shirts with the phrase ‘Denial’s Not My Style’ over 20 years ago. We still stand behind every word in the phrase. There’s nothing new about the positive attitude we promoted in 2003 and will continue to promote in 2023. We might have to reprint some t-shirts to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
Please help me toast the holidays by listening to my new Christmas song, Pink Champagne, by Ivan Hampden Jr. and Paulette McWilliams.
The song is a passionate story of self-love and a woman’s journey from victim to victor at Christmastime. A mindset that I hope anyone who feels brokenhearted can find comfort in.
Breakups are hard. But the holidays seem to magnify the loneliness of heartaches: parties with everyone coupled up, romantic Christmas music and movies, and those annual Christmas letters brimming with friends’ burgeoning families. The airwaves are filled with upbeat holiday classics leaving little room for sadness and contemplation.
Take it from me, you can’t experience the joy of the holidays unless you let go of the painful emotions instead of holding them in. Hopefully, Pink Champagne can help bring joy and help those of us experiencing the same to move on during the holidays.
If you like my new release, Pink Champagne. please ‘like’ and share
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.
