Legendary Interviews
Sheldon Reynolds
Reynolds toured with blues performer Millie Jackson and later played and produced music for Capital recording artists, Sun. He joined The Commodores in 1983, replacing original guitarist Thomas McClary. He remained with the group until 1987, when he left to join Earth, Wind & Fire. Reynolds is most widely known as former lead guitarist and vocalist with the Earth, Wind & Fire. During that era, Reynolds also recorded with the group Chicago. His tenure with Earth, Wind & Fire lasted 14 years. Reynolds received an Image Award for lifetime achievement while a member of Earth, Wind & Fire. In the mid 90’s Reynolds was nominated for a Grammy for the popular song Sunday Morning, which Reynolds wrote and recorded with EWF. In 2004, he formed Devoted Spirits with two former members of EWF, Morris Pleasure and original member Larry Dunn. They recorded and released a tribute CD to their former band called Devoted Spirits "A
Jesse Johnson of The Time
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JesseJohnson— Guitarist/Composer/Producer—Has an impressive set of credentials. With accomplishments including four solo LPs (A&M Records), four LPs with The Time (Warner Brother’s Records), numerous Gold & Platinum LPs, numerous performances and recordings with and for top artists around the world, Jesse has established himself as a bona fide talent.Johnson has produced a wide variety of artists, most notable are TaMara and the Seen, After7, Paula Abdul, Da Krash, Kool Skool, Janet Jackson,Debbie Allen, Cheryl Lynn, and Les Rita Mitsouko. By 1990 The Time reformed and issued Pandemonium, which was even more of a group effort thanIce Cream Castle. The album allowed Johnson to contribute his heavy hard rock guitar sound to several tracks
After a nearly 14 year absence from the music scene, Johnson released a new double album Verbal Penetration Volumes 1 and 2 on October 27, 2009.
In February 2012, Johnson served as house guitarist behind a host of all-star blues musicians in the PBS special "In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues". Other members of the house band included Booker T. Jones, Bobby Ross Avila, Narada Michael Walden, Ernie Fields, Jr., Freddie Hendrix and Fred Wesley. Performers included B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Keb Mo, Trombone Shorty and Gary Clark, Jr..
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Cynthia Robinson of Sly & The Family Sone
Sly & the Family Stone harnessed all of the disparate musical and social trends of the late '60s, creating a wild, brilliant fusion of soul, rock, R&B, psychedelia, and funk that broke boundaries down without a second thought. Led by Sly Stone, the Family Stone was comprised of men and women, and blacks and whites, making the band the first fully integrated group in rock's history. That integration shone through the music, as well as the group's message. Before Stone, very few soul and R&B groups delved into political and social commentary; after him, it became a tradition in soul, funk, and hip-hop. And, along with James Brown, Stone brought hard funk into the mainstream. The Family Stone's arrangements were ingenious, filled with unexpected group vocals, syncopated rhythms, punchy horns, and pop melodies. Their music was joyous, but as the '60s ended, so did the good times. Stone became disillusioned with the ideals he had been preaching in his music, becoming addicted to a variety of drugs in the process. His music gradually grew slower and darker, culminating in 1971'sThere's a Riot Going On, which set the pace for '70s funk with its elastic bass, slurred vocals, and militant Black Power stance. Stone was able to turn out one more modern funk classic,
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