Episode 018 - Interview with Keni Burke
08/12/22 • 80 min
Narada speaks with American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist who began his career with four siblings in the 1970s band the Five Stairsteps. Skilled as a guitarist and bassist, Burke continued to work for the Dark Horse label as a session musician, while burgeoning a solo career of his own. During this period he contributed instrumentation to songs by a diverse range of artists such as Sly & the Family Stone, Natalie Cole, Billy Preston, Terry Callier, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Dusty Springfield, Diana Ross, and Gladys Knight and more. In 1981, Burke released his self-produced follow-up solo album, You're the Best, but it was his third album, Changes, which appeared the following year, that made a more significant impact.[2] This album included the singles "Hang Tight" and his signature hit "Risin' to the Top," a big success in Chicago.[2] The latter song has become a popular sampling choice for hip hop artists, having been borrowed by artists such as Doug E Fresh ("Keep Risin to the Top"), Big Daddy Kane ("Smooth Operator"), LL Cool J ("Around the Way Girl"), Pete Rock & CL Smooth ("Take You There"), Mary J. Blige ("Love No Limit"), O.C. ("Born 2 Live"), and Sean Price ("Sabado Gigante"), "Rising to the Top" appeared in the soundtrack for the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, on fictional radio station Vice City for Lovers. Throughout the '80s and into the '90s, Burke continued his session and production work for artists such as Peabo Bryson, The O'Jays, The Jones Girls and Keith Sweat, and in 1998 released his last album to date Nothin' but Love, containing the hit "Indigenous Love", which was popular in the United Kingdom via the Expansion Records Label
Visit Narada at his website and socials and leave a comment, like and subscribe if you enjoyed the podcast!
Website: https://www.naradamichaelwalden.com/allinpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialnarada
Apple Music https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-narada-michael-walden/id1470173526
Narada speaks with American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist who began his career with four siblings in the 1970s band the Five Stairsteps. Skilled as a guitarist and bassist, Burke continued to work for the Dark Horse label as a session musician, while burgeoning a solo career of his own. During this period he contributed instrumentation to songs by a diverse range of artists such as Sly & the Family Stone, Natalie Cole, Billy Preston, Terry Callier, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Dusty Springfield, Diana Ross, and Gladys Knight and more. In 1981, Burke released his self-produced follow-up solo album, You're the Best, but it was his third album, Changes, which appeared the following year, that made a more significant impact.[2] This album included the singles "Hang Tight" and his signature hit "Risin' to the Top," a big success in Chicago.[2] The latter song has become a popular sampling choice for hip hop artists, having been borrowed by artists such as Doug E Fresh ("Keep Risin to the Top"), Big Daddy Kane ("Smooth Operator"), LL Cool J ("Around the Way Girl"), Pete Rock & CL Smooth ("Take You There"), Mary J. Blige ("Love No Limit"), O.C. ("Born 2 Live"), and Sean Price ("Sabado Gigante"), "Rising to the Top" appeared in the soundtrack for the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, on fictional radio station Vice City for Lovers. Throughout the '80s and into the '90s, Burke continued his session and production work for artists such as Peabo Bryson, The O'Jays, The Jones Girls and Keith Sweat, and in 1998 released his last album to date Nothin' but Love, containing the hit "Indigenous Love", which was popular in the United Kingdom via the Expansion Records Label
Visit Narada at his website and socials and leave a comment, like and subscribe if you enjoyed the podcast!
Website: https://www.naradamichaelwalden.com/allinpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialnarada
Apple Music https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-narada-michael-walden/id1470173526
Previous Episode
Episode 017 - Interview with Alvin Taylor
Narada speaks with American drummer, producer and musical director Alvin Taylor who is best known for his work with Little Richard, Elton John, Eric Burdon, George Harrison, Billy Preston, Bob Welch and many more!
Visit Narada at his website and socials and leave a comment, like and subscribe if you enjoyed the podcast!
Website: https://www.naradamichaelwalden.com/allinpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialnarada
Apple Music https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-narada-michael-walden/id1470173526
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5agWJLSreLNze8Sjxit4Na?si=928a8dd6316d4986
Next Episode
Episode 019 - Interview with Ramon Hervey II
Narada speaks with American music executive Ramone Hervey, active in the American music industry since the 1970s. Born in Chicago and raised in California, Ramon did not remotely want to be part of the entertainment industry when he was younger. Following his graduation, he worked as a flight attendant for a while, before plunging into the world of music. In 1974, he started working as a publicist for ‘Starlite Music Artistes’ and later served as a writer/ publicist for many other media houses. He started working alongside famous musicians such as Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross and gained significant experience in artist management. Subsequently he started managing music artists such as Bette Midler, the ‘Bee Gees,’ and Herb Alpert. He finally started his own artist management firm, ‘Hervey & Company,’ in the 1980s. The company rose to fame in the 1990s, with support from some high-profile clients. In the 2000s, Ramon widened his long list of talents and became an executive producer. He worked in award-winning documentary films such as ‘Chisolm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed.’ He is also known as the father of popular American singer and dancer Jillian Hervey.
Visit Narada at his website and socials and leave a comment, like and subscribe if you enjoyed the podcast!
Website: https://www.naradamichaelwalden.com/allinpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialnarada
Apple Music https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-narada-michael-walden/id1470173526
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5agWJLSreLNze8Sjxit4Na?si=928a8dd6316d4986
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