LET’S JAZZ IT UP!

from The Heat Seekers- March/April 2024

Books That are Trending!!

WITH BRENDA MOSS

Teresa B.: What persuaded you to go into the radio profession?

Brenda Moss: Matter of fact has been nine years. And I started off in 2014. Due to a friend of mine. She was doing Blog Talk radio.com and giving gardening tip on her platform. I was always tuning in to her platform and she said Brenda you will make a good radio host.. I said, I don't know and it took me to the end of the year of 2014 to start loading things up and getting things together. I set up everything for my studio. I was so excited. I recorded interviews. Some people I would go to their house and record an interview and then put it on block talk radio. I interviewed a boxer. He was blind so I had to go to his house. It was very challenging and then all of a sudden my platform blew up. It just took off. I'm not the kind of person that likes taking photos. So I always stayed behind the mic. I am so much of an introvert. So I'm really trying to come out of my shell. But 2014 was the beginning and around 2015 people started to notice me,

Teresa B.: What kind of interviews were part of your platform back then?

Brenda Moss: Mostly music And books of course and I had you on my platform. I interviewed a lot of artists that had books that were featured. They first came out with their book And I only got to read part of the book, but when I got to interview them, they gave some of the features in their book. I mean I guess we were really trying to get people to listen and buy their book. And the music artists I had on my show.

Teresa B.: Nice, okay and back then because it wasn't well-known did you know of your competition or did you have access to other podcasters where you could learn from or listen to?

Brenda Moss: Yes, I had a couple of friends that were also on the Blog Talk Radio platform. I had a lady friend. I call her my BFF. She's been on blog talk radio or podcasting for several years under her belt and I learned from her. And when you're a podcaster or rather your radio host you have to develop your own personality and your own character. You can't be like someone else or do what they do. You had to develop your own. Character or personality, per say, But I took tips and suggestions. And I'm not good at asking for help. I sit back and observe and watch. Everything dropped in my lap, and I had to go with the flow and learn it on my own. As far as training and looking at YouTube videos, I didn't do all that. I had to naturally learn on my own.

Glenn Jones is best known for his smooth R & B Lyrics with such songs as “We’ve only just begun”, “Show Me”, and “Here I Go Again”. “I’ve Been Searching” and “Here We Go Again” reached #1 on the Billboard R & B charts in 1991 and 1992.

Teresa Howell: Mr. Jones, tell us how it all started.

Glenn Jones: I started a long long time ago. I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. Came up in the church singing gospel from the time I was about five years old. I formed a group called The Modulations. I started writing songs when I was about 14 years old and recorded a couple albums. My first album was produced by Rev James Cleveland. The second album by a guy named Norman Connors who heard some of my gospel work and wanted to meet me and asked me to be a part of his new project. He was doing an album called Take It to the Limit. He had a song called Melancholy Fire that I was featured on. He released the single on Arista records at the time and release the record and my song Melancholy Fire was the second single from that project and the record kind of took off. It went to top 15 or something like that and then I got an offer from RCA records and did my solo debut R&B record with them and just stayed with RCA for a couple of records then went to Jive for a couple of records and then went to Atlantic Records. The rest is history as you say.

Teresa Howell: Okay, and how old were you at that time?

GJ: When I signed with what RCA? I had just turned 21.

Teresa Howell: how was it being in the music industry at such a young age?

GJ: It was great because it was what I always wanted to do.I just felt like it was an opportunity that I prayed for and it's been great. I mean, everything has its peaks and valleys, but I wouldn't change a thing.

GJ: When I was doing gospel, I had an older brother. I mean, I come from a large family, a family of nine. I was the youngest one of the family and always had big brothers, and my two older sisters to be there for me. When I was traveling doing gospel, two of my oldest Brothers, they were like my chaperones. They drove and took me all over the country, supporting me and helped me get equipment, transportation. It was just great. So once I finished the two gospel albums that I did, I met a lady named Louise West who was an entertainment lawyer from New York. She heard my gospel music and she was the one to introduce me to Norman Connor. So once I got with her, she was like a mother's hand, so when I moved to New York, I had some support there because she was practicing law in Manhattan.I was always fortunate enough to have people like Louise, in my corner.

Teresa Howell: Okay, and can you tell us of one of your most memorable experiences while traveling on the road?

GJ: I got quite a few of those. I remember getting a call from Aretha Franklin asking me to come to Detroit to sing for her birthday party. I remember meeting Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach asking me to do a record with Dion and Burt. I was living the dream.

Teresa Howell: Okay, and when covid hit? How was the music industry for you? Everyone has a different experience, but how did it affect you?

GJ: I was just stunned! I had never seen anything like that, just as many other people hadn't. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't go on the road for over a year, I was just at home. The first time I did a gig, during covid, was in St. Louis. I had a gig with Carl Thomas. But I was still very cautious and afraid to get on flights and stuff. So I just got in my truck and drove from Atlanta to St. Louis and did the gig. It felt good to be back on the stage and I just took it one day at a time.

Teresa Howell: Yes, that was an experience that I don't think any of us will ever forget but the only good thing I could say that came out of that is that all the celebrities were sitting at home so I could interview everybody.(laughing)

GJ: Yeah, right. Yeah, yeah (laughing).

Teresa Howell: Right, right and so being in the industry that young did you have someone come with you? When you went to did you have a mentor or a family member that kind of guided you throughout or did you just find out everything on your own?

Teresa Howell: But other than that.. So, if you had to choose two people that you've never worked with before but would like to work with on an album. Who would it be?

GJ: I probably would say, Lela Hathaway and maybe Musiq SoulChild?

Teresa Howell: Wow, okay. That would be dope.

GJ: Yeah.

Teresa Howell: How long have you lived in Atlanta?

GJ: I moved to Atlanta in 2015?

Teresa Howell: Okay. You have to let me know when you do a local show so I can come out and see it. During your music career, changes have been made, for the digital world of music. Has that affected you any? We don't have CDs and other ways to distribute music outside of being on stage. How do you feel about the digital industry now?

GJ: It's really different, back in the day. I enjoyed being able to go to the record retailers and going to the distribution places to meet the people that were putting the music out. It's different because the industry has really turned independent, which means that in order to do your projects you have to fund them yourself. You don't have a team of promotional reps, running from one station to another, to promote new records. I think some people miss actually holding the physical product, being able to read the credits and the notes and that kind of stuff. It seems that in order to really make money from it, you have to have a zillion downloads. it's different but, one good thing about it is that you get to do the kind of record that you want to do. You don’t have someone sitting in that seat telling you what kind of record they think you should do. People that have never written a song in their lives telling you what you should do. So I enjoyed the freedom.

Teresa Howell: Okay. Do you write most of your music?

GJ: Yes, I write most of it and co-write with some of my friends. So I've been doing that, forever. I've been writing since I was 14 years old.

Teresa Howell: Oh Wow, talented, talented. So what are you working on right now?

GJ: Well, actually, I just dropped a new single. I covered a song called I Want To Be Closer, which is an old song by the group Switch. I believe they released that record back at 78. It was written by Jermaine Jackson and Gregory Williams from Switch. The single has been getting some really great reception. Tell all you folk to go to whatever sites that they like to download and get the new single by Glenn Jones and Eric Nolan. Eric Nolan is from The O'Jays. He's been with them for 28 years, I believe. We figure another cat named Tony Exum Jr. Amazing sax player, and I think you'll enjoy it.

Teresa Howell: Okay, and do you have any other projects that you're working on? Any plays, movies, any other music projects?

GJ: I do have an EP I’m working on called Love By Design. It's a really great project. I have a song on that project with Regina Belle, the title track Love By Design. I have another record that featured Nick Colionne, a Jazz player. He played on it and then I have two songs that I can’t think of right now. Two duets, it's pretty much what people expect from me. , have a couple of songs that are for the steppers. Chucky Booker produced two songs on the album, so yeah…

Teresa Howell: Nice, nice. So, if you gave advice to the music newbies, what would you tell them?

GJ: I don't know what advice I can really give them because it has changed so much as I said before. I would say be on top of your business, because it is the music business, and just try to be true to who you are as an artist. I mean people always try to dictate and tell you what type of music to do, but I think R&B It's forever. It's classic, and I think that a lot of the new music that we hear now it's been a part of. the classic R&B. The vets, the veterans, that have done great music, it's like It never dies. You can take it and kind of do it, with some new type Vibes, maybe drum loops and all that kind of stuff, samples and all that but the real music, great melody and great lyrics - I don't think that's ever gonna change.

Teresa Howell: Tell us how can we reach you if we wanted you to sing at a wedding or you tour how could we reach you?

GJ: You can get me at Instagram @realGlennJones. I don't have a Facebook page anymore because it was hacked and I haven't been able to reestablish my page. I had hundreds of thousands of people following me on Facebook, but somehow I got hacked and Facebook has not been any help for me to get it back. You can get me on tiktok.

1.The Heat Seekers: How long in the music industry?

1.The Heat Seekers: How long in the music industry? 15yrs and going. 15yrs and going.

2. THS: What do you like about making music the most?

Listen to the idea’s of a good story. Listen to the idea’s of a good story.

3. THS: Who inspires you?

My family my daughter and Just people I consider really close believes in my talent and My family my daughter and Just people I consider really close believes in my talent and skills. skills.

4. THS: What music do you have out currently?

So far no music released, but strongly working on my ReverbNation page.

5. THS: What are your upcoming projects?

Lots of diversity I always tell people you’re not a real artist if you can’t paint on any canvas.

6. 6. THS: Will you be collaborating with anyone this year? THS: Will you be collaborating with anyone this year?

I most definitely plan too.

7. THS: What is your take on today’s method of music distribution?

I feel social media has made It absolutely simple to distribute but a lot less of talent and I feel social media has made It absolutely simple to distribute but a lot less of talent and more ignorance sadly. more ignorance sadly.

8. THS: Is music production a full time job for you?

In the future I plan for, as they say it’s never a Job when you love doing It. In the future I plan for, as they say it’s never a Job when you love doing It.

9. 9. THS: If you could change the world with music, what would you do? THS: If you could change the world with music, what would you do?

Absolutely Absolutely

10. THS: 10. THS: Who is your favorite artist? Who is your favorite artist?

Chris Brown Chris Brown

11. 11. THS: How can the public reach you for shows and the purchase of your music? THS: How can the public reach you for shows and the purchase of your music?

Right Now @ www.reverbnation.com/a c23