Ray Parker Jr.'s 'Unsung'

Recently watched the "Unsung" episode on Ray Parker Jr. Learned stuff about him I never knew, such as that he played guitar for Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and other artists before starting his solo career. Also didn't know he had a group called Raydio before he went solo. I only knew him as a solo artist growing up.

Funny that one commentator described Ray Parker Jr. as being like "your cool uncle." He's always reminded me of my Uncle Dennis - they look just alike and are around the same age.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar's An Author - Who Knew!

Just listened to Kareem Abdul Jabbar's book "On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance" on CD, came across it in the library. Very entertaining book with Kareem talking about growing up in Harlem, with guest appearances by the likes of Maya Angelou, actor Avery Brooks and even Billy Crystal talking about the area's rich cultural heritage. A great "read" for Black History Month

Remembering Whitney

Really saddened by Whitney's death.

Some of her favorite songs of mine are lesser-known singles such as "Miracle" from the "I'm Your Baby Tonight" album, "Step By Step" from "The Preacher's Wife" soundtrack and "Try It On My Own" from "Just Whitney."

I thought LL Cool J's opening prayer in her honor at the Grammys and comments about music having the power to heal were classy and on-point. Jennifer Hudson's performance of "I Will Always Love You" was raw and moving.

I thought Whitney was such a fighter that she'd always be around, maybe not topping the charts like she used to but pulling it together enough to have a long career and continue to perform live, make television appearances here and there, maybe even go back to her gospel roots. May she rest in peace.