Erykah Badu, I’ve said on many occasions, is on some other stuff. In a day where artists have to pull out all the stops to make a big impact on the charts, (think Usher “Confessions”, 2004) where there just HAS to be a big story before the release of the album. He and Chili (formerly of TLC) had the huge breakup and the cheating story which we ALL thought was the inspiration of the album, which went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide (and probably his BEST album to date). There have been countless stories of the sort since then. Sooooo, Erykah has created one of the same stories in which she films a guerilla-style video for her lead single for “Window Seat (From “Nu Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh”), where she strips naked, no permits, in downtown Dallas, at the site where JFK was assassinated (Dealey Plaza). The video is released two days before her album was released, then pulled from You Tube…and everywhere else! Well, I’m here to tell you, the ONLY place you can find the video now is on her official website, www.erykahbadu.com….I’m just sayin’…MARKETING GENIUS!!!

In over 25 years of living in the State of North Carolina…Washington, D.C. born, but the Carolinas I proudly call ‘home’, I literally stayed glued to the television(as I’m sure many of you were), trying to stay informed, and at the same time doing a WHOLE LOT OF PRAYING….as some of the worst weather likely tested both our fears and faith over the weekend. Honestly being the sport nut that I am, I was in the middle of watching the remaining NCAA Basketball Tournament games, when the local news affliate interrupted programming to discuss the threat of impending weather. At first I really didn’t pay it much mind, giving…at the time…it was a mostly cloudy afternoon and most of the weather reports I had heard during the early half of the week just called for another/typical cloudy afternoon with scattered showers and a possible thunderstorm.

But that soon all changed when ALL of the local television networks broke in during their regular programming to talk about the possibility of severe, even threatening weather heading in our direction. It was then that I started to pay a little more attention to the current situation, and ended up getting very little sleep as the t.v. stations continued with several hours of pin-pointing where the storms were gonna hit and around what time.

Although I wasn’t directly affected(living in Winston-Salem where most of my family and friends are also located), I began thinking about, especially co-workers living in the areas that were greatly affected…Davidson and Guilford counties and in particular High Point that took a pounding from what later was confirmed as TWO tornadoes and storms that ripped through homes(destroying so many in its path), and dumping heavy amounts of rain and hail….that fact that NOT ONE fatality was reported is truly amazing and can only be the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

We as a community can rebuild our homes..but we can’t bring back a life! In closing, what a blessing the rest of this week will bring..absolutely gorgeous weather going into our Easter holiday weekend, and no doubt, prayers of ‘thanks’ at the many upcoming Sunrise services that will take place…and may we all keep the families who were displaced in our everyday thoughts and prayers…as this storm too….shall pass!

What does dating mean to you? It sounds like such a simple question but yet we seem to make it difficult. Some people look at dating as having a variety of different relationships with no real expectations. Keeping things light and no real boundaries. Probably in the urban community dating is almost exclusively one on one until  recent years. Of course there’s some exceptions but on the whole we don’t openly casual date. Maybe that’s the problem with urban relationships. We don’t think outside the box when it comes to relationships. Maybe if more people would date a variety of people casually it would take some of the pressure off. Maybe it would give you a real good look at the person for who they are and not what they can provide  for you. I know for me with the dating nightmares I put myself in I could probably benefit from slowing down and dating casual. Dating doesn’t mean your sleeping around either. Just getting to know each other with zero expectations and if things happen we handle it as adults.No matter what side of the fence your on when it comes to dating just make sure your honest to eachother about what you want from eachother. Sounds simply enough right? RIGHT! So….What is dating to you?

CHANGE is an inevitable factor of everyday life. Your breathing changes from one breath to the next. Each step you take is a CHANGE from the step before. Well, CHANGE has come to 97.1QMG and I am blessed to be part of that CHANGE. Radio and music has paid the bills for all of my adult life, and to be able to still do what I love doing is a real blessing. I have experienced a storm of changes over the past year, from losing my job, my father and 3 of my best “radio friends. And now CHANGE has brought me back to the place where I enjoyed my best radio days. As I thanked God for the wonderful opportunity to come back home to work among family and friends, I asked Him for even better days ahead. With all the changes life has allowed me to experience, I’m gonna enjoy this one most. There’s no place like home.

As a father of six, I do have some experience when it comes to parenting.  But like any good mother or father will tell you, no one ever perfects the craft.  Those who tend to succeed at it do so with a clear understanding that lifelong  “parenting continuing education” is a prerequisite.  I will freely admit that I’m far from being a perfect father, but I humbly submit that absolutely no one could love my children more than me…other than my wife, their mother.

There is probably very little else in the world that incites  passion in a mother more than when she feels her child is in danger.  Believe me, nothing incites more passion in a Black mother than when her “skills” are called into question.  While I can identify with the surge of anger my own mother may have felt when she was forced to respond to false allegations of abuse, I have learned to harness the power of my emotions when dealing with people who disagree with my approach.

There is probably very little else in this world that irritates me more than seeing a child exhibiting bad behavior in the presence of a parent, only to see that Mom or Dad refuse to bring correction.  There is no need to even attempt to provide me with any explanation.  I will never understand it.  I refuse to live in a world where I’m afraid of my own children.  THERE IS NO WAY!  I have vowed never to raise any children that you or anyone should ever “fear” without reason.  In order to accomplish my goal, I no longer care about my own reputation.  I could care less about what Jim, Jackie, Milton, Mary, Barry, or Betty thinks about me.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen kids do things in public that needed immediate corrective action.  However, their Mom or Dad thought more about their own reputation than seizing the moment and helping their child see the error of his/her way.  In other words, some parents literally “opt out” of  disciplining their child because they’re more concerned of how others will perceive them instead of their child.  Not here.  Not now.  Not ever.

Call me “old school”, but I will never forget Ms. Williams coming into the Collett Street Recreation Center gymnasium in Morganton, NC  one afternoon wearing a robe and rollers and carrying a switch…alright, it was more like a tree limb.  Me and the boys were playing a pick up game when Ms. Williams busted through the swinging doors and made a bee-line toward Odell and was all over him like white on rice in seconds.  She beat him with that switch all the way from the free throw line to the car parked in the emergency lane outside the front entrance.  I know because we all watched in horror as we followed them all the way.  Buddy, that’s what we called Odell, screamed and begged to no avail.  Nobody did a thing to help him…not even the center authorities.  They knew Buddy.  But, they also knew Ms. Williams.

They knew how much she loved Buddy and how much she had sacrificed for him.  They knew she worked 3 jobs and slept when she could so that she could provide for her household.  They knew she would do anything for him to succeed.  They also knew of the heartache many other parents faced because they hadn’t “loved” and “corrected” their children.  All I and the other kids knew was that you didn’t mess with Ms Williams.  She was not afraid of any of us, our parents, or, for that matter, anybody, except the Lord God Himself.

As it turned out, Buddy was suppose to go straight home from school that afternoon.  He chose to do something different.  Bad decision.  Although there were some parents who felt they were too dignified to grace the recreation center in pajamas, Ms. Williams didn’t consider her wardrobe when it came to giving Buddy some “tough love”.  Today, there are even fewer “Ms. Williams” in the world, and not surprisingly, a whole lot more “Buddys”.   Their wrong choices, though, don’t go unnoticed or unpunished.  Law enforcement both notices and punishes.   Usually by then, the only wardrobe anyone is concerned with is of the “orange” or “black & white stripe” variety.

Ms. Williams is not with us anymore.  However, Buddy is alive and well.  He never had to wear an orange jumpsuit.  He has never donned a black and white 2-piece.  He’s a college graduate teaching and coaching in a NC high school.  And he’ll be the 1st to tell you how much our community needs more parents like Ms. Williams.

Buddy, meet your old friend.  You used to call me Ray-Ray, but now they call me Mr. Level.

Ms. Williams is one of my heroes and I hope I do as fine a a job raising my children as she did with you, Odell.

Dude’s got some moves!!!

In a brief re-cap of the Tom Joyner Morning Show from this past Monday…March 22nd the TJMS was joined by Johnathan Rogers of TV One to highlight a new season of  the original bio series  “UnSung”…a visual ‘where are they’ now artists that included Rose Royce and Stacey Lattisaw just to name a few! Of course Jay Anthony Brown with his comedic timing suggested a future show on Disco King/Queen(depending on the day of the week..lol…) Slyvester, who had that infamous disco hit..”You Make Me Feel(Mighty Real)”….Sylvester James used only is first name professionally(by the way)…

Well sure enough as our production guru(s) are accustomed to taking a musical cue, started playing that song in the background as Jay and Tom initially started singing it accapella…thank God the REAL song saved us from hearing Tom and Jay’s version(sorry guys):)  but nonetheless the song not only stuck in my mind throughout the rest of the morning..I just had to see a video version…which I found(although quite grainey and out of focus on YouTube), and taken a back(just a bit) of how hard folk used to party at the club(s) back in the day!

What memories indeed..and if you’re bold enough to admit and even share some of your disco faves from back in the day, please don’t be shy…I’m just sayin’~~***WARNING!!!….Beware of a whole lot of booty shaking going on, and is for the grown and sexy only!!

As a former student athlete, I’m keenly aware of the influence coaches have in the lives of their players.  Sadly, some of it isn’t good.  However, most of it is absolutely necessary for the development of young men and women.  Coach John O’Neil is a coach I’ve always liked as a kid, and as an adult. 

I first met coach when I was a little league athlete.  All of us kids knew who the “big” coaches were.  In our little town of Morganton, Freedom High School athletics were huge, and “Fat Friday” night football was “King”.  Coach O’Neil stood out, if for no other reason because he was the only Black coach.  It was a fact all of us knew, but, at that time, didn’t really understand nor appreciate.  And, it was something Coach O’Neil never made a big deal about…not even a little one.

As I progressed my way through the ranks of being ”one of the ones they really wanted”, Coach O’Neil eventually became one of my football coaches at Freedom.  He didn’t talk a lot, but he would, without hesitation, offer you a word of encouragement.  He even gave me rides to and from practice.  I’ll never forget once getting into his car, I was being extra careful not to mess up anything up in the car while getting in it after a dirty practice.  Although I can’t recall what type of car it was, but I considered it “nice”.  Coach noticed my feeble attempt, smiled and said, ”Man, get in.  I would never have a car that I wouldn’t let anyone ride in!”  To a young kid who had dreams of having some of the finer things in life, it was a lesson learned that has impacted me for life.  Now, I’m not blaming coach or using him as an excuse for me having one of the “junkiest” cars in America, but certainly, no material possession of mine is too good for me to share with anyone.  I could tell Coach also appreciated the extra effort and hustle I put in during, and after practice.  After encouraging me to run the stadium stairs for a week, I dropped my 40 yard dash time from 4.9 to 4.7.  I, too, also remember seeing disappointment in me wrought across his brow.  It was a regular drill during football practice.  I did it what was required.  But Coach knew when I finished I hadn’t give it my all.  Everyone else thought I was doing my normal “Mr. Hustle” routine and patted me on the back.  Everyone that is, except Coach O’Neil.  He knew, and it was written all over his face.  And thanks to his cute, little wife, Mary Ann, he also knew when I wasn’t giving my best in the classroom.  As it would turn out, I had the fortune of having Mrs. O’Neil as MY high school guidance counselor.  Go figure. 

And yet, before any of us could believe it, it was over.  I was a high school graduate ready to head off to college in Charlotte and determined never to return to live in Morganton, NC.  Not that I didn’t enjoy my life in Burke County, it just wasn’t big enough for my misguided ambition, and obviously my youthful arrogance.  I mean, why would anyone stay in such a small city when there were areas like Atlanta, DC, New York, and Chicago to conquer.  In my hurry to get out and grow up so fast, I failed to appreciate the reason why Coach and others stayed in Morganton…ME…and numbers of young Black boys and girls who needed someone (other than our own parents) to look up to.  WE needed their commitment, their guidance, and their love.  In order to fulfill the will of God for their lives, they needed us…and WE needed them more. 

I’ve come to believe that Coach O’Neil’s quiet, outward demeanor probably violently conflicted with a inward, raging passion…not for winning, but for fairness and equality.  Maybe it’s just me, but behind those steady eyes and straight face, I could sense that he felt things weren’t always right…that something, or someone wasn’t quite getting his (of her) fair shot.  Obviously, he somehow managed to keep it to himself…sort of.  You see, in reality, he has sowed that same passion into me and countless number of young men and women who have had the privilege of calling him Coach. 

Although I haven’t lived in Morganton since 1983, I regularly saw Coach here in my current home of Greensboro, NC during NC A&T’s homecomings.  Plus, the O’Neil’s only daughter has lived here since she finished school in Greensboro, herself.  

Now, when my 6 kids question why “Mom and Dad” choose to live in this little town called Greensboro instead of Atlanta, DC, New York, and Chicago, I can smile, too, and know that, like Coach in Morganton, I’m simply doing my part where God called me to do it. 

Thanks, Coach.  I’m glad you help to raise me into a man that you could call your friend.  I’ll continue to think of you often

Am I the only one STILL a little off track from daylight saving time! It really all started after one of the best Old School parties with Chuck Brown(Saturday night) and then reporting for radio duty early Sunday morning, all while turning the clock AHEAD one hour before getting off the air at 6am….or was it REALLY 7am!?! Well the practice of DST(daylight saving time) is to temporarily advance our clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and the mornings have less, but did you know there’s also some controversy tied in to this practice….adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunight after working hours, but also causes problems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun.

So how did DST come about? Well…during his time as an American envoy(which nowadays we likely refer to as an Ambassador) to France, Benjamin Franklin, author of the proverb…’Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise’, published a letter(excluding his name of course) suggesting that Parisians economize on candles by rising earlier to use morning sunlight…All I can say to that is thanks Ben, as I will be trying to catch that lost hour of sleep between now and when we turn those clocks ‘back’ one hour come fall…I’m just sayin!!

For those of you (happily) married to your one true love…I dedicate this blog to you! I shared this story Friday morning on the Tom Joyner Morning Show and was just estatic to read that the world’s longest marriage on record belongs to a wonderful couple from New Bern, North Carolina..NC represent:) They are 104-year-old Herbert and his beautiful wife of 85 years, 101-year-old Zelmyra Fisher…in fact come May 13th, the happy couple would celebrate their 86th wedding anniversary…God Bless’em and I hope they indeed live to see it and celebrate with family and friends! The were married in 1924 and just THIS past Valentine’s Day were on Twitter sharing their love and longevity of marriage to other couples. The lovely couple credits their marital success to their faith in God, a loving family, and a few big fusses over being married for such a long period of time! What a beautiful story to pass along to all of us who have ‘loved’ that special someone!!