Blue Magic

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell us who you are and what you do.

A. WS: We are the original classic R&B group Blue Magic, and we are legends in the music business.

Q. Tell us a little about your journey and how the group got to where you are today?

A. WS: We started out in Philly as the Shades of Love; the group consisted of myself Wendell Sawyer, my brother Vernon my best friend Keith Beaton and Richard Pratt who just recently passed away. After auditioning for Dennis Cain of WMOT/ ATCO Records, we were paired with lead singer songwriter Ted Mills formerly of the Top picks and the rest was history. This combination was the start of a musical journey that has spanned 50 years. Blue Magic still exists today because of persistence and perseverance through many challenges and obstacles in the music business and our personal lives. We are blessed by God to still be able to do what we’ve been created to do.

Q. How did you get the name “Blue Magic”? What’s the meaning behind the name?

A. Well…let’s just say the record company took a negative connotation of the name and made it into a positive one so that now when people hear the name Blue Magic it is associated with great music and classic songs that move the heart and uplifts the spirits of people.

Q. Let’s talk about your new single and the motivation behind the song?

A. FK: The new single was written by our lead singer Robert Williams and his friend Derrick Nelson. RW: Your Love is Magic was motivated by the effect that this particular person and her love was having on me. You know how it is when you’re in love and it feels intoxicating, like you’re under a beautiful spell...

Q. What can we expect from the group for 2022?

A. RW: You can expect for Blue Magic to give our fans an even better experience when we perform, we will be adding more classic songs to our repertoire, we also are going to be looking a bit more stylish thanks to Fernando Key who functions as our group stylist.

Blue Magic is also looking forward to collaborating with various artists in the hip hop genre in 2022. That’s going to be awesome. We are also excited and looking forward to performing at the Borgata and Hard Rock casinos on a permanent basis.

Q. Can you tell us what has been one of your favorite performances you’ve had in your career?

A. WS: Wow let me think … We’ve performed at some the greatest venues in the world with some of the greatest artists it’s hard to have a favorite however, I think Performing on Soul Train numerous times is at the top of all of our lists.

Q. Can you share one of the craziest stories you’ve had being on tour?

A. FK: One of My most

interesting experiences was performing with just two of us in California because Wendell and Keith were snowed in back east. Lead singer Cliff Perkins and I was still able to wow the crowd with the classic hits!

RW: My craziest was just barely making my standby flight to Palm Springs. I was the last on the standby list. I was praying because Fernando’s flight was Blue Magic cancelled so that meant that only Wendell and a very sick Keith were waiting in Palm Springs with no lead singer. That was a close call!!!

Q. What’s your favorite Blue Magic song you love to perform?

A. BM: I think the whole group loves to perform our number one hit Sideshow. That song is special to us and our audience. You can tell by the response we get when the song starts and ends. Also, our fans love to sing along with us.

Q. What do you think is missing in today’s R&B music?

A. BM: Heartfelt lyrics and Orchestration definitely!!

Q. Tell us what has been your favorite albums you enjoyed last year?

A. BM: Sorry to say we don’t have any favorites because the music including R&B has changed so drastically because of the lyric content and lack of richness and depth in the musical arrangements. We do have our favorite artists though … .

Q. Do you think we should bring disco back to this new genre of music?

A. BM: Disco was an era in music that came and went in a flash and it can’t be duplicated however, certain elements of disco can be incorporated into today’s music to give it a certain appeal to the mature audience.

Q. What has been the most challenging time as a group in your career?

"I'm just a man standing in need of grace."

A. WS: As I look back, I think the late 70’s and 80’s was the most challenging because of the shift in music from meaningful R&B to Disco. Richard Pratt was the first to leave the group and then my brother and I followed suit. Keith and Ted continued to perform but it wasn’t the same for any of us until we reunited in 1988. Then Ted was involved in a terrible auto accident in 1990 which motivated us to replace him with Rod Wayne.

Q. What is one message you would like to give to your fans?

A. BM: In these challenging times you must put and keep God first in your life along with being grateful for all that God has done and is doing in your life.

Q. Are you working on any projects or upcoming events?

A. BM: As of now we don’t have any projects on the table however we are looking forward to celebrating our 50th anniversary at every event we perform at this year. As far as events are concerned, we perform in NYC on April 16th to kick off the spring/ summer season of concerts.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. They can follow the Legendary Blue Magic on Facebook and on Instagram.