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The RnB Talk Show, Louisville, KY (2026)

10/14/2025

Happy Soul Legend Birthday

won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards, and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 singles "Happy" and "Baby".

She then co-wrote and provided background vocals for Jennifer Lopez's 2002 single "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)", which peaked the Billboard Hot 100.

Billboard magazine ranked Ashanti at number 100 on its Top 200 Albums of the Decade.The album has sold six million copies worldwide.

Ashanti debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with first-week sales of 503,000 units, the biggest first-week sales for a debut female artist up to then.

Chapter II spawned three singles, including the Billboard Hot 100 number two song "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)", the R&B ballad "Rain on Me" and "Breakup 2 Makeup (Remix)".

Upon its release, the album debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 326,000 units. Ashanti has been honored multiple times at the Soul Train Awards, receiving both the Lady of Soul Award and the Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year. She has also won competitive awards for her music.

Ashanti won two American Music Awards (AMAs) in 2003 for her success as a new artist. She was also the most-nominated artist that year.

Ashanti's success at the Billboard Music Awards is primarily defined by her sweep in 2002, where she took home a record eight awards. She was the biggest winner at the ceremony, which was held on December 9, 2002.

Ashanti has acted in several productions, debuting in the film Coach Carter and starring in the TV special The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (both 2005), the latter of which attracted nearly eight million viewers. She also appeared in John Tucker Must Die (2006) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007).

Her fifth album, The Declaration (2008), was met with moderate reception and became her final release on a major label her sixth album, Braveheart (2014), was released independently. Ashanti has sold nearly 30 million records worldwide.

10/13/2025

Anita Baker - Giving You The Best That I Got (1988)

It was Baker's first and only #1 album in the US, her second #1 R&B Album, and was certified 3× platinum in 1989 by the RIAA.

The album earned Baker three Grammy Awards and three Soul Train Music Awards.

10/13/2025

Remembering....Sam Moore on his heavenly birthday
October 12, 1935 – January 10, 2025

He was best known as a member of the soul and R&B duo Sam & Dave from 1961 to 1981. He was a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame (for "Soul Man"), the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The Sultans of Sweat", and "The Dynamic Duo" for their gritty, gospel-infused performances, Sam & Dave are considered one of the greatest live acts of the 1960s.

Many subsequent musicians have named them as an influence, including Bruce Springsteen, Al Green, Tom Petty, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Steve Van Zandt, Elvis Costello, The Jam, Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Joel, and Steve Winwood.

The Blues Brothers, who helped create a resurgence of popularity for soul, R&B, and blues in the 1980s, were influenced by Sam & Dave – their biggest hit was a cover of "Soul Man", and their act and stage show contained many homages to the duo.

Recorded primarily at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1965 through 1968, these included "Soul Man", "Hold On, I'm Comin'", "You Don't Know Like I Know", "I Thank You", "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby", "Wrap It Up", and many other Southern Soul classics.

"Soul Man" was a number-one Pop Hit (Cashbox: November 11, 1967) and has been recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone magazine, and RIAA Songs of the Century. "Soul Man" was featured as the soundtrack and title for a 1986 film and also a 1997–1998 television series, and Soul Men was a 2008 feature film.

10/13/2025

Remembering....Dick Gregory
October 12, 1932 – August 19, 2017

Comedian, civil rights activist, writer, and social critic. Rising from poverty in St. Louis, he used his unique brand of satire to address racial injustice, helping to pave the way for future Black comedians.

A new voice in comedy: Gregory emerged as part of a new generation of Black comedians who broke away from minstrel stereotypes. His material was sharp, political, and based on current events, a stark contrast to the less confrontational humor often performed by Black entertainers of the era.

The Pl***oy Club breakthrough: In 1961, he got his big break as a last-minute fill-in at the Pl***oy Club in Chicago. Performing for a crowd of mostly white, southern businessmen, Gregory won them over with his pointed humor and was signed for an extended run.

The first TV guest: Later that year, Gregory was invited to appear on The Tonight Show with Jack Paar. He became the first Black guest to be asked to sit on the host's couch for a chat, a privilege previously reserved for white performers.

Successful albums: His popularity grew throughout the 1960s with hit comedy albums like In Living Black and White (1961) and Dick Gregory Talks Turkey (1962).

He was a co-host with radio personality Cathy Hughes, and was a frequent morning guest, on WOL 1450 AM talk radio's The Power, the flagship station of Hughes' Radio One. He also appeared regularly on the nationally syndicated Imus in the Morning program.

Gregory ran for president in the 1968 United States presidential election as a write-in candidate of the Freedom and Peace Party, which had broken off from the Peace and Freedom Party. He garnered 47,097 votes, including one from Hunter S. Thompson,with fellow activist Mark Lane as his running mate in some states. His running mate in New Jersey was Dr. George Wallace of Plainfield, a biologist, Rutgers professor, and Chairman of NJ SANE (Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy).

10/13/2025

, songwriter, producer and rnb legend

10/13/2025

Whitney Houston - "Miracle" 1991 classic, the lyrics & music video still resonate, R.I.P. Whitney Houston, thank you for blessing 🙌🏽 us fans with this timeless hit.

10/13/2025

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10/12/2025

Remembering....Thomas Mikal Ford
September 5, 1964 – October 12, 2016

He was best known for his role as Thomas "Tommy" Strawn in the sitcom Martin, which originally aired from 1992 until 1997.

He also had a recurring role as Mel Parker in the sitcom The Parkers from 1999 until 2001. He also was known for his role as Lt. Malcolm Barker on New York Undercover.

He played Ben Cummings in The Power of Passion as one of the characters whose wife cheats on him with the pastor.He was also known as "The Pope of Comedy", due to exposure as a judge in TV One's comedy competition show Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes?In feature films, Ford appeared in the Kid 'n Play movie Class Act as Mink.In Harlem Nights, he played Tommy Smalls, the brother of Arsenio Hall's character.In 1997, he played Detective Siegel in the crime drama Against the Law.

In 1993, Ford directed and produced the play South of Where We Live, about six African-American professionals who return to the communities where they were raised and learn about the social issues that now exist. The play was performed at the Los Angeles Ebony Showcase Theatre, the oldest black theater in the country. Ford chose the Ebony Showcase in order to raise money for the theater, which was in danger of closing. The same year, he directed the play Jonin', a comedy about fraternity life at a historically black college in Washington, D.C.

Ford co-hosted the Texas Gospel Music Awards in 1993 with singer Yolanda Adams and actor Troy Curvey.In 1998, Ford founded a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization named Be Still and Know. The organization's mission was to build better communities for youth.

Ford wrote two inspirational books for children, titled Positive Attitude and I Am Responsible for Me.Ford spent time traveling to schools to inspire and empower children, and encourage responsibility.In June 2016 (four months before his death), Ford directed a documentary on bullying, entitled Through My Lens Atl; it aired in October 2016, on Aspire TV.

10/12/2025

Happy Soul Legend Birthday

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Hall scored numerous Billboard chart hits and is regarded as one of the best soul singers of his generation.

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014.

Hall & Oates reached the US Top 40 with 29 of their 33 singles charting on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1974 and 1991. Six of these peaked at number one: "Rich Girl" (1977), "Kiss on My List" (1980), the two 1981 releases "Private Eyes" and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" (also a Hot Soul number 1), "Maneater" (1982), and "Out of Touch" (1984).

Their overall 16 US Top Tens also include "She's Gone", "Sara Smile", "You Make My Dreams", "Family Man", "Say It Isn't So", and "Method of Modern Love".

In 1984 Hall co-wrote and produced, with Arthur Baker, the single "Swept Away" for Diana Ross, which reached US No. 19, US R & B No. 3 and US Dance/Club Play No. 1. In 1985 he performed two songs during the first Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Illinois. Hall participated in the We Are the World session as well as closing the Live Aid show in Philadelphia. He also made an album with Dave Stewart that year, Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, which yielded his number five solo single "Dreamtime". He has recorded solo works like Soul Alone in 1993 and Can't Stop Dreaming in 1996, both of which were received well internationally. In 1994 composed "Gloryland" that was official album of the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

On June 21, 2024, Hall toured with Elvis Costello, and released "D," his first solo album in 13 years, co-produced by fellow RHOF inductee Dave Stewart, who co-wrote seven of the nine new original songs, with Hall penning the other two, on Virgin Records. The album spawned two singles on the AC chart with "Can't Say No To You" reaching number 13 and "Whole World's Better" reaching number 20.

10/12/2025

Remembering....Earle Hyman
October 11, 1926 – November 17, 2017

Hyman was born in 1926 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, as George Earle Plummer according to the North Carolina Birth Index. He claimed Native American ancestry.

His parents, Zachariah Hyman and Maria Lilly Plummer, seeking better educational opportunities, moved their family from the south to Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1920s, where Hyman primarily grew up. Hyman knew at age 4 that he wanted to become an actor after performing a poem at a church play and was determined to become one after seeing a production of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts.

Television, and film actor. Hyman is known for his role on ThunderCats as the voice of Panthro and various other characters.

He also appeared on The Cosby Show as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable. Singer Phyllis Hyman was his cousin.

In addition to his stage work, Hyman appeared in various television and film roles including adaptions of Macbeth (1968), Julius Caesar (1979), and Coriolanus (1979), and voiced Panthro on the animated television series ThunderCats (1985–1989). He played two roles (at different times) on television's The Edge of Night.

In 1959, he again appeared in the West End, this time in the first London production of A Raisin In the Sun, alongside Kim Hamilton. The show ran at the Adelphi Theatre and was directed by Lloyd Richards. A life member of The Actors Studio,Hyman appeared throughout his career in productions in both the United States and Norway, where he also owned property. In 1965, he won a Theatre World Award and in 1988, he was awarded the St Olav's medal for his work in Norwegian theater.

He studied acting at HB Studio in New York City. He made his Broadway stage debut as a teenager in 1943 in Run, Little Chillun, and later joined the American Negro Theater. The following year, Hyman began a two-year run playing the role of Rudolf on Broadway in Anna Lucasta, starring Hilda Simms in the title role. He was a member of the American Shakespeare Theatre beginning with its first season in 1955, and played the role of Othello.

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