Radio without a doubt, is the most important vehicle for a recording artist. How many times did you turn on your radio and hear a great song by a great artist- maybe Johnny Otis singing “Willie and the Hand Jive,” the Magnificent Men doing “Peace of Mind,” or the Soul Survivors performing “Expressway (To Your Heart)” – not realizing these were white performers, ones who had the soul and the ability to sound black?

Conversely, did you ever listen to an artist like Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae or Nancy Wilson and say to yourself, “Wow, what a fantastic performer,” and assume she was white? That’s the wonderful thing about music: The great equalizer, it knows no race, no color, no creed.