 Jeff Forman catches up with singer/songwriter/producer Calvin Richardson upon the release of his fifth full-length album, ‘America’s Most Wanted’. Tune in for a refreshingly honest, revealing conversation with one of contemporary soul music’s best.
Jeff Forman: Greetings to the SoulMusic.com galaxy. Jeff Forman here, and I’m very pleased today to have with me… I guess he’s been referred to as our current-day Otis Redding, Bobby Womack, Luther Ingram—take your pick. But he still authentically represents himself and his own sound. You guys know him from his duet with Angie Stone, “More Than a Woman”; from his recent Grammy-nominated tribute album to soul master Bobby Womack; he’s the writer of Charlie Wilson’s recent smash, “There Goes My Baby”; an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award-winner; he’s been dubbed the Soul Prince. A warm SoulMusic.com hello to soul singer extraordinaire, Mr. Calvin Richardson. What up, Calvin? How are you, sir?
Calvin Richardson: Hey, man, what’s going on? I’m good.
JF: Good, good—how are things with you?
CR: Everything is beautiful, man. I’m excited—it’s an exciting time for me right now, you know?
JF: As it should be, because you are about to drop… what is this, your fifth solo project?
CR: My fifth album, that’s right. This is going to be my fifth one.
JF: Wow. That’s quite an achievement, man—many don’t get past the first one. Many don’t get to the first one, let alone past the first one.
CR: [Laughs] This is true—this is true, man, so I feel blessed to be in my position, right now, you know?
JF: Absolutely, absolutely. But before we jump into the new release, which is entitled ‘America’s Most Wanted’, I want to start off with… I want to put you on the spot a little bit. Nothing dangerous, nothing too pernicious—
CR: I’m nervous [laughs]. Okay.
JF: I want to get your take on the state of contemporary soul singing right now. What’s your feeling about where it is? Just want to talk about that for a little bit. What are you feeling about that right now?
CR: Well, I think that the position that it’s in right now is not where it should be, and I think that’s due to a couple of different reasons: the lack of artists that are coming with that type of music—but I think the reason for that being is the outlet for the music—the support—or lack, I should say, of support—for that type of music. You know?
JF: Right.
CR: Coming from the industry standpoint. I think, obviously, that it could be a whole lot better, you know what I mean? There are a couple of artists out there that’s representing it, and myself being one of them. And if I have anything to say about it, everything’s going to get back to just where it’s supposed to be.
JF: Your label, Shanachie, seems to be one of the few who really still represents that true, honest, authentic soul sound. You know?
CR: That is true.
JF: And we are definitely grateful for that. Any particular singers out there you’re paying attention to, right now?
CR: There’s… not really. And that’s not a negative thing, it’s just I’ve been real focused on where I’m trying to get, and where I’m going, and stuff. I’m not really paying particular attention too much to what anybody else is doing.
JF: Absolutely.
CR: So that’s the reason why that is.
JF: Cool, cool, cool. So let’s jump into the new project, ‘America’s Most Wanted’, dropping the 31st, right? August 31st?
CR: August 31st, that’s right.
JF: Which is next Tuesday.
JF: Are you ready for that?
CR: Oh, man—I’m so ready for it, I don’t know what to do.
JF: [Laughs]
CR: [Laughs] Yes sir, I’m ready.
JF: Tell us a bit about the record; what you’re trying to say. I know the lead track is “You’re So Amazing.”
CR: Right.
JF: Which is a beautiful, beautiful song. Talk a little bit about the record.
CR: Well, the album, you know, I wrote pretty much the entire album, and produced the majority of it. But it’s basically, man, you know… this particular album was written about how I was feeling for over the last year or so. You know, I’ve accomplished a lot in the last year or so, at least I was acknowledged for quite a bit, the last year or so. So I was in a real good state of mind; a real good place. So I just wrote about things that was kind of important to me, like, you know—obviously, love is always important to me—
JF: Of course, of course.
CR: And happiness—and the pursuit of happiness. But it’s a real good feeling. I got records on there like “Feels Like We Sexin’” when we’re dancing, but it ain’t got nothing to do with that—it’s not a sexual record. It’s more a stepping type vibe of a record, you know?
JF: Right.
CR: The tempo, you know what I’m saying, is something you play in the club; you dance to it, you vibe to it; it’s real good feel good music. And I felt like… Also, I wrote about the thing that was important to me—and I figure, if it’s important to me, it’s important to other people as well that’s like me, because I come from a real standpoint like an everyday guy—things people go through on an everyday basis, you know what I mean?
JF: Absolutely, absolutely. And you just referenced some good things that happened within the past year. Let’s talk about that. I know you are the writer of Charlie’s big hit of the past year or so—Charlie Wilson—“There Goes My Baby.”
CR: That’s right.
JF: Huge record for him. What’s the backstory behind that? ’Cause you had written that a while back—with Babyface, or no?
CR: Yeah, yeah—I wrote it with Babyface.
JF: Now how did you and Face link up? How did that come about?
CR: We linked up to do my—what would have been my third album. It was going to come off of Hollywood Records. And Babyface was actually executive producer of that project.
JF: Oh, okay—right.
CR: Yeah. So along with that song, Kenny and I, we wrote… oh, man, we probably wrote six other songs that’s just as good or better. Just the collaboration with him, we wrote a lot of great songs, but that album never came out. Hollywood, you know, they pulled out of the deal. That’s when Babyface was going through his divorce with his wife. So the schedule wasn’t meeting up, and there was a lot of money being spent, at that particular time, so… they cut their losses. They pulled out of the album and they walked away, and we were left with those records, and no place to really put ’em, you know? ’Cause Hollywood owned those masters and stuff, and so… that particular song, I didn’t write it for Charlie. It was for me, and it was for my third album, and stuff, so… the producer of the record was this kid out of L.A., and he was working under Babyface. And he played it for Charlie when Charlie was putting together his project for his album, his last album that he came out with. And Charlie just fell for it, and they called me and told me he wanted to do it. And the rest is history, now.
JF: Very, very cool, man. What about the other songs from the Babyface collaboration? You said there’s at least a handful of others. Any plans to record them for yourself, or pitch them to other artists, or what?
CR: Yeah, those songs are, right now—I have ’em—we’d have to re-record them, in order for them to come out, and stuff like that.
JF: Right. Absolutely.
CR: So you know, man, right now… that was back then, and the music… certain music that you write, it should be timeless and stand the test of time. Like Charlie Wilson’s record was written in ’05—and it just came out last year, or whatever, you know what I’m saying? And it was the number one record for, like, seventeen, eighteen weeks. So music should stand the test of time, and we can always go back and touch up those records; I could put out those records—but this album right here, it was about the state of mind that I was in right now.
JF: Today. Right, right.
CR: Not yesterday.
JF: It’s just that I’m sure there’s some real gems—
CR: Oh it is, it is.
JF: —among those other songs you wrote with Face, and we, those who love you and what you do, would love to hear that stuff. Even if you—
CR: Definitely, man.
JF: —either via you or another talented singer—
CR: That’s right, that’s right. It’s gonna come out, man, it’s gonna come out. It’s in the safe right now [laughs].
JF: Cool. So I’m assuming the success of Charlie’s hit led to the ASCAP award.
CR: Yes, it did.
JF: The Songwriter of the Year award.
CR: That’s right.
JF: That’s quite an achievement, man.
CR: It is, man—especially after being in the business for so long. I’ve written a lot of songs, a lot of good records… you know, I’ve done a lot over the years. And then to be finally recognized for that; to get that particular award, it was surreal for me.
JF: And as you know, songwriting is the bread and butter of the music business.
CR: Don’t I know it [laughs].
JF: I tell every artist I know, “If you do nothing else, learn to write songs.” It’s great to sing, it’s great to perform—but write songs. You write songs; you can eat for the rest of your life.
CR: You can eat for the rest of your life.
JF: And you’re a testament to that, I’m sure. Just as far as collaborating with other singers and songs for other artists: anybody out there you’d like to write for, specifically? Any singer you’re like, you know, “I would love for them to sing one of my songs.”
CR: You know, there is not necessarily anybody in particular I would really want to write for, I just love to write. I just did a song for—I know you know Glenn Jones?
JF: Absolutely, sure.
CR: Yeah I just wrote a song for him, it was awesome. He just called me yesterday wanting another one for his new album and stuff, so you know… I’ve got a lot of people that’s calling me and wanting me to write stuff for them now, so… it’s a great thing for me, man. You know, I used to have a wish list of people that I wanted to work with. And because in their minds, because I hadn’t sold a million records; I hadn’t wrote a number-one record and I hadn’t done this, that and the other, it was hard for those people to understand why it was I wanted to work with them. Or to get them to want to work with you as well. And they feel like, well, he ain't on my level and stuff. So I threw away my wish list a long time ago, because people get caught up on their own hype. The hype don’t last no longer than tomorrow, it could be gone, you know what I mean? You know what I’m saying? So now, I don’t necessarily worry about trying to write for particular individuals. People that recognize what I do and they appreciate it, if they reach out to me, and it’s just that easy; it’ll get done.
JF: I guess I ask because I can definitely hear, say, Anthony Hamilton singing a Calvin Richardson song, you know what I mean?
CR: Right. Right.
JF: Or even, you guys even possibly doing something together, in terms of a duet or even a tour, you know?
CR: Absolutely.
JF: That kind of thing. But before we jump back into talking about the new record, I want to touch on the tribute album that you did for Bobby Womack… when was that, last year, or 2008?
CR: Yeah, it was last year.
JF: It was last year.
JF: Man, what an elegant, beautifully recorded and produced record—
CR: Thanks.
JF: —which actually garnered you, what—two Grammy nominations? At least one. A couple?
CR: Yeah, I got two.
JF: Congratulations on that, man. Talk about how that project came about: who conceived the concept for it; why Bobby, of all the great soul singers—why did you guys choose him?
CR: Well, this is how it came about. Randall Grass over at Shanachie Entertainment, he’s the general manager. And when I did my deal with them—my first deal with them in 2008 for my album, ‘When Love Comes’—I did it with him and he gave me a call. He had been a fan of the music or whatever, so… he approached me after that album and… I did a one-off deal with them, which nobody knows what that is: it is, you do your album. From the time it comes out a year later, that’s it—you have no further obligation. So he wanted to do a second deal. He approached me and was, “Well, what do you think about doing a cover album of Bobby Womack?” And so he introduced it. And you know, when he first introduced it to me, man, I was a little reluctant—because, you know, Bobby Womack is such a great…
JF: Right [laughs].
CR: He’s my idol. I grew up on him. So I’m like, I don’t know. It’s one thing… in 1999 on my first album, I did a cover of “I Wish You Didn’t Trust Me So Much”—a remake, I should say.
JF: That’s right—right, right.
CR: Yeah. So it’s one thing to sing one song and you pull that off—but then you got a whole album where people gonna critique it—you know what I mean?
JF: Right.
CR: It was a little pressure, that’s how I looked at it. I told him, “I have to think about it.” So I thought about it for a few days, and I was like—you know, the thing of it is, you don’t have to make something that’s already great, better. I had to look at it like Bobby Womack is an unsung hero, as far as I was concerned. There was a lot of people of my generation who didn’t even know who Bobby Womack was.
JF: Right, right.
CR: So it was a way for me to introduce Bobby’s music to a lot of my fans of the younger generation. And it was twofold: two folds, I should say, because it introduced me to a lot of people that was Bobby Womack fans that had never heard of Calvin Richardson.
JF: Right, right, right. Did you guys feel like you needed to go to Bobby first to kind of get his blessing, or did he even know of this happening before you guys started recording, or…?
CR: He didn’t know before—he didn’t know before. What happened is, we went on and recorded it, and then we reached out to Bobby—we had the material to send to him and play it for him, you know? But—
JF: And—I’m sorry, go ahead.
CR: But once Bobby got the music, once we sent it to him—Randall got in touch with his people and sent it over to him—man, Bobby reached out. He said he loved it.
JF: That’s great, man, that’s great.
CR: He said he was blown away. So that was enough for me, if the Grammys never came, you know what I mean?
JF: Right.
CR: If the nominations and all that stuff never came, it was enough for me.
JF: Right, right. Like I said, he’s obviously one of the greats, you know—of all time, really. Just a completely authentic, genuine soul singer. And I just appreciated that someone of your generation acknowledged him in that way. Because like you said, he is unsung in a lot of ways.
CR: He is. Right.
JF: And he has obviously paved the way for a whole bunch of folks who have come after.
CR: Right.
JF: So it was just good to see a younger cat like yourself really reach out and say, “Yo—pay attention to this important force that came before.”
CR: That’s right. His greatness is not to be overlooked or denied, you know what I’m saying? And ironically, right after we recorded that record, Bobby got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that year.
JF: Did he? Wow.
CR: Yeah, he did.
JF: And deservedly so. Good for him. That’s great, that’s great. Now I know Ann Nesby’s on that project—Ann from Sounds of Blackness.
CR: Right.
JF: How did you guys pick her to do… what song did you guys duet on? It was…
CR: “Love Has Finally Come at Last,” which was one of the songs that I was nominated for the Grammy.
JF: The Grammy, okay. And who—Bobby originally did that with who, was it Patti?
CR: Patti LaBelle, right.
JF: Right, right. Now how did you guys decide on Ann to sing with you?
CR: It was never even a question for me. When I was picking the songs—I chose all the songs, and I picked that song right there, and Randall was like, “Who do you want to do it with?” And I was like, “I want to get Ann.” Ann—she was signed over at Shanachie at one point, too—she put two albums out over there. And so her husband, he had put the band together that played with me, recording the album, so he was executive producer of the album.
JF: Oh, okay, okay.
CR: So you know—
JF: So it was like family, almost.
CR: It was family at that point, you know what I mean? So I just made that request, and Ann, she said she loved my work prior to that, and she came to the studio and man, she just blew it away.
JF: Yeah, great voice, obviously.
CR: Awesome.
JF: And one has to be pretty sure of oneself to even jump on a track with her, which obviously you were.
CR: Absolutely.
JF: Any particular favorite from that album that you… maybe there’s a Bobby Womack song that was kind of extra, extra special to you that you really enjoyed recording?
CR: Well, that being one, and you know, just the opportunity of working with Ann on that. But “I’m Through Trying to Prove My Love to You” is probably one of my favorites on that album. You know, you gotta understand too that when I put these… Bobby has his catalog is so vast, he has so many songs, so I chose the twelve of my favorite songs. But after recording them, obviously you don’t say I’ve taken—it’s a different connection that I have with the record, once I’ve recorded them, you know?
JF: Absolutely, absolutely. So let’s get back to the new project which is coming out next week, ‘America’s Most Wanted’. I know… the first single, “You’re So Amazing,” I think you devoted it to U.S. troops serving overseas right now, right?
CR: Yeah. Well, the video, yeah.
JF: Right. Talk a little bit about that.
CR: Well you know, the image that I wanted to portray was that of a serviceman coming home from the army and stuff, ’cause the President right now, he’s working on bringing the troops home, so that’s what I wanted to show: like okay, I’ve been in service, now I’m coming home, and I’m coming home to that one person in the world that’s always going to be that one for me. And she had moved on with somebody else, and I came back to get her, you know what I mean?
JF: Right, right.
CR: And so it was just, basically, paying my respects to the troops out there putting their life on the line to fight for the country, and keep our borders safe and all that stuff. So that was me being a little patriotic, basically.
JF: Nothing wrong with that, ever.
CR: Right.
JF: There’s a lot of folks out there who are doing what they feel they should do to protect the nation, you know?
CR: Right.
JF: Tell me this: at this point, what are you guys looking at in terms of the next track or the next single? What’s jumping off the project so far? In terms of feedback, what are you guys…?
CR: In terms of feedback I think the title track, “America’s Most Wanted.” That’s in the top running. And… what’s the other one? Well, “America’s Most Wanted” and… I’m trying to think of the other one, man. “You Possess My Body,” we’re getting a lot of good feedback from that one as well, so… I don’t know right now, man, we’ll see. Once it get out there in the hands of the people, it’s for the people, so it’ll be determined by the people.
JF: Right, right.
CR: That’s the way it should be, as far as I’m concerned.
JF: And there’s one track—there’s one duet on the album, which features an emerging artist. A new young lady—her name again is?
CR: Nadia. Nadia Chambers.
JF: Right. And how did you guys connect? How did you hook up?
CR: She’s from my hometown, down in Monroe. She’s a local artist down there and I think she’s got a great voice. When I wrote the song I got her to demo it with me. I was developing and working with her, trying to help her develop—basically, just artist development. Trying to build her confidence, her sound, her skills and stuff like that. And when we were in the studio and recorded the song… I had someone else in mind that I was going to put on the song that has a name in the industry, who’s sold some records and stuff—you know, doing the business part of it and stuff. But then I got out of that mode and… just the fact of the creative part of it, man. And she did a great job with it, and I was like, I really don’t even want to take her off. So I decided to keep her on it.
JF: Man, kudos to you for that, because as you mentioned, it would have been so easy to just pick somebody with some name value to help market the record. But you chose somebody who, creatively, you felt worked best for the project. And that’s rare these days [laughs].
CR: It is, man. You know, it would have been, for me, contradicting the message that I was trying to send with her, to build her up to a certain point and then take her off the record and put somebody else on it. You know what I’m saying? It’s not a good message. So like I said, she did such a great job with it, and I’m all about trying to help the next person. If I can bring somebody up, man, then I’m all about that.
JF: It’s funny, man, ’cause one of the things that kind of… I’ll just say it irks me, is you tend to see the same handful of singers and even MC’s, even rappers featured on everybody’s records, you know?
CR: Right.
JF: And it almost dilutes the power of that artist, because they’re spread so thinly now. It almost doesn’t mean anything when you see them on five different records at the same time. And especially when their album drops, it’s like, well, I’ve heard you on five other records over the past year—I don’t really need to hear another twelve songs from you right now. You know?
Right.
JF: So it’s just refreshing to hear a brand-new voice, just somebody completely new. ’Cause like I said, we just don’t get to hear that that often.
CR: I thought it was important. I guess, as you said, the people—everything is just so recycled now, man. You got this person, they get hot, you hear them on everybody’s records. So by the time they get ready to put out an album, I mean—why should I buy that? I’ll just go pull out my other CDs with you on the other five records, you know?
JF: Absolutely. Cool. Hey, I got a question about “More Than a Woman”, the joint you recorded with Angie a few years ago. At some point, I guess, a different version was phased in on her album that featured Joe, right, singing the same song.
CR: Right.
JF: What’s the story behind that, if it’s not too personal, if it’s not too difficult to discuss? ’Cause I was just curious, I never heard about what the rationale for that was. To me, your version was bomb. I mean, you guys sounded great together. So I didn’t know what the story was behind that. What was that about?
CR: I’m going to give you the short version. When I recorded that song, it wasn’t a duet. It was recorded on my album, ‘2:35pm’, that was the version that I put out—that was the original version of the song. Well, when I was on Universal, recording what would have been my second album before I went to Hollywood, I wrote that song with Eddie F. and Darren Lighty, just the way that we put it out on my ‘2:35pm’ album. Well, I left Universal because they decided that they wanted to turn my deal into a singles deal, and I decided to leave. But it was that song that they wanted to put out, but I said, no. I took the song. They played the song for Angie when she was getting ready to work on her ‘Mahogany Soul’ album, and she—they gave her my number, man, and she just tracked me down. Finally she said she had to have that song on her album.
JF: [Laughs] Right.
CR: So what we did... I was like, cool, it’s Angie Stone—I’m a fan of her work or whatever, she a soul singer—we connected like that. So we talked. And what we did, we’d take the masters over, and I went up there to a session and just pulled my second verse off, so she could sing the second verse. And we didn’t record it; it wasn’t like we were in the studio together and made the record like that. And we started to work together and went on a tour and stuff, and we put together a company and did a lot of things. And I had an album that was going to come out—well, I had a record deal with J Records.
JF: Okay, cool.
CR: Which was structured—
JF: Which was her label at the time, right?
CR: Yeah, it was her label at the time, so it was structured through her. And then I decided that that wasn’t the best situation for me, so I decided to—I had an offer from Hollywood Records and I took it. And there was a falling-out behind that. So J Records wanted—Clive (Davis) wanted to put that out as her second single, but she didn’t want me on the record after that, know what I mean? Like, she—
JF: Gotcha, gotcha.
CR: Like I said, that’s the reality of it. And you know, it was her album and she had every right in the world to do it, but like you said when you were talking earlier about people writing and being writers and learning to write… I wrote the song, so it don’t matter how many ways people sing it—
JF: [Laughs] Absolutely.
CR: —how many people you put on it, or sing a line on it, the checks will still route right back to me. So that’s what happened, man. That’s how that went down.
JF: You know it’s funny, because to me… I guess I probably heard the Joe version, but the version that you did with Angie is the one that sticks with me. And probably for most people, you know?
CR: Yeah. I heard that from most people that ever heard it, but you gotta understand: that was my record. She went out and she got Tyrese; Tyrese tried it. And you know, Tyrese and me were good friends at the time, so he called me from the session and he was like—he couldn’t do it like it was done, so he was like, Ah, nah. So she went and got Joe. So it goes back to what I was just saying about Nadia, man—she was a… don’t nobody know her name, except for people from where we are. And my name was a lot less known than Joe’s, so there was a little bitterness there. And she was looking at it like, Joe done sold all these records, and yada yada…
JF: Right.
CR: We’ll get Joe. You know what I’m saying? It was one of those things, but you know, I never got mad about. It’s all good, you know what I’m saying, I still got a lot of respect for Angie, and you know—that’s what happened. That was the short version. It might have got a little long and if it did I apologize.
JF: No, no, no. I’m gonna tell you man, I appreciate the candor, the honesty—that too is very refreshing to hear from an artist [laughs].
CR: Yeah [laughs].
JF: No, I definitely appreciate that. Before we get out of here, before I let you go: any plans to tour? Are you trying to get out on the road to promote the new record?
CR: Actually, man, I’ve been on the road for… I don’t know. I’m always on the road, traveling and touring and promoting and stuff like that. I’m not on a tour per se, but I’m all over the place, man, so you know what I’m saying? We hopefully will put together a tour specifically for that, but I’m on the road all the time, marketing and promoting. I’m actually getting ready to hit the road again tomorrow. But my Web site, where people can find out my schedule and what’s going on with me, is iamcalvinrichardson.com, and you can find out when I’m going to be in the city nearest to you.
JF: I ask because I spoke recently to Lyfe Jennings, who has a record coming out, I believe, same day as yours, I think.
CR: Oh, really?
JF: Yeah, I think the 31st. yeah, I believe so.
CR: That’s cool.
JF: And he mentioned there was talk of him going out on the road with, I think it was Raheem DeVaughn, Anthony Hamilton, Jaheim and maybe Kem, also—I’m not sure exactly. But man, that’s a bill that I think you would be perfect for.
CR: I think so, too.
JF: I don’t know where it is in terms of its configuration, if it’s happening, if it’s not happening, or what. But that’s something your people might want to look into, because I think you’d be a perfect fit for that.
CR: Okay, I think you’re right, man. I appreciate that. A little bit of knowledge there.
JF: It feels like a tour that kind of… almost requires that you be a part of it, you know what I mean [laughs]?
CR: [Laughs] Yeah.
JF: No, ’cause in terms of just the current generation of male soul cats, it is that crop of people, and you, and maybe one or two others. And that’s essentially it.
CR: You’re right. I agree. We’re gonna look into that.
JF: Cool, cool. Thank you, Calvin. Before we jet, let people know where to find you online. You just mentioned the Web site, but are you on Facebook as well?
CR: I am on Facebook. I’m on facebook.com/thestreetpreacher. And myspace.com/calvinrichardson. And I answer all of my messages; I respond to every last one of them. But if anybody tries to friend request me on Facebook, unfortunately, I’ve reached my limit and they won’t give me anymore. But I have a fan page as well, so I deal with both, but like I said, you can get at me directly there or at iamcalvinrichardson.com. I’m gonna set up a Twitter, I don’t have a Twitter right now…
JF: I was about to ask you, are you Tweeting? Are you doing the Twitter thing [laughs]?
CR: [Laughs] I had been, man, but it had gotten to be a bit much for me, a little overwhelming, with all the time to keep everything going and being creative, and all that stuff. I’m going to get back on it, ’cause people are wearing me out about that: “Why aren’t you on Twitter?” So I guess I’m going to get with the program and jump back with it.
JF: I’m going to tell you, I don’t know how anybody manages Twitter. That’s just… I mean, I struggle just to reply to the few emails I get every day, and the text messages, and the phone calls…
CR: [Laughs] Hey, I feel you.
JF: Twitter would make me jump off of a bridge, man. I couldn’t deal with that one. I couldn’t handle that one.
CR: Hey, I was there, man. I told my assistant, I said, “Delete it—I can’t do it no more.”
JF: [Laughs] But the funny thing is, for an artist like yourself, it’s almost mandatory today, you know?
CR: Exactly. That’s right, that’s right. It’s crazy. You’re forced to do certain things in order to stay connected with the people.
JF: Yeah, even if you had someone else manage it for you, it’s… you gotta do it these days, you know?
CR: You gotta do it.
JF: Love it or hate it. Calvin, thank you, sir. We appreciate your time, SoulMusic.com definitely appreciates you taking the time to talk with us today. And just for the record, anytime you want to swing through, update us, let us know what’s going on with you and your music, you are more than welcome—you have a home here, definitely.
CR: Thank you, I really appreciate it, man. And likewise, as I say, if you ever need me for anything, don’t hesitate. Just holla.
JF: Thank you, sir. And again, for SoulMusic.com: Jeff Forman, with the infinitely talented Mr. Calvin Richardson. Thank you, Calvin—talk soon, man.
CR: Okay, be good.
JF: All right. Later.
CR: Alright. Bye.
About the Writer
Jeff Forman, a music industry vet, heads Mylestone, his artist advocacy firm in New York City.
|
|
|
