Remember when Tawatha Agee was part of the ’80s R&B group, Mtume? She, along with the group’s founder, James Mtume, and the rest of the group had us jammin’ off of their hits, “Juicy Fruit” and “You, Me and He,” back in the day. Well, we found her and guess what? She NEVER left the music scene.

She’s Still Living Her Musical Dream

Tawatha has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson, to Gerald Levert, Mary J. Blige, Al Green, Al Jarreau, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Sting, The O’Jays, R. Kelly and the list goes on and on. She and the trio, ‘Lovely Ladies,’ often tour as background singers for the multi-platinum selling Dave Matthews Band and she also sang background on Lenny Kravitz’s album a few years ago.

The “Juicy” singer has also been making a great living singing TV and radio commercial jingles. She is living her dream and we love it! Read what she revealed about herself in a prior interview with Bentley Funk…

The songstress got her first voice lesson from Whitney Houston’s Mom, Cissy Houston, while in elementary school at Bragaw Avenue School in Newark:

Tawatha Agee: “She’s [Cissy Houston] the godmother because she’s one of the pioneers. She helped pave the way for us all with dignity and grace.”

Tawatha was singing with the late, great Luther Vandross up until his last days:

TA: “I’ve sung on every single Luther album since “Never Too Much”. The only one I didn’t sing on was one that he was working on when “Juicy Fruit” came out and we were on tour and I couldn’t get back to do it. But I sang on every single Luther album, and I’ve had the privilege of working with him onstage. As time went along and I was doing other things, Luther would use me as a sub’ when one of his girls couldn’t make it. This was in the later years, because I was doing jingles and television commercials, and it was more lucrative for me to do that, than to travel on the road. …

He was such a consummate teacher and performer, that it was like going to school all over again, but it was just fun. He knew exactly what he wanted at all times and he knew how to pull out the best from each singer that he used.”

On working with the Dave Matthews Band:

TA: “We [the three background singers] became what Dave Matthews called the ‘Lovely Ladies’– that’s what he called the group that sang with him. The level of musicianship in that band was so amazing…and the singers just enhanced what they already had.

Each one is good in its own way, but Dave Matthews totally blew me away because of the musicianship and the crowd. College kids, 30,000 people, and that was like the smallest stadium they ever played. … We put a different spin on what they were doing, because we had a very ethnic look and he loved it.” 

The many jingles she sang on:

TA: “Burger King, KFC, Vagisil, airline commercials. There was a Crest thing! Soulful Crest (laughs). It’s a lot of fun, and you can do very well doing television commercials.”

Today at 66 years young, Tawatha Agee is just as vibrant as ever, has remained true to herself, and is continuing to build her legacy. Keep doing your thing queen, we see you!

Interview excerpts courtesy of BentleyFunk

The post Remember This “Juicy Fruit” Singer? She’s Loving What She Now Does For A Living appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Meet The Simpsons’ Son

A while back we introduced all of you, in our I Love Old School Music fam,’ to Donnie and Pam Simpson’s son, Donnie Jr., who is also a well known a pastry chef and the owner of Uprising Muffin Co. in Washington, D.C..

At one point Donnie Jr. followed in his Pop’s footsteps and worked in the radio industry as a producer on his dad’s radio show on WPGC in Washington D.C.. After WPGC made the decision to attract a younger audience, Donnie Sr. and Donnie Jr. said ‘Peace out’ to the station in 2010 and that’s when Donnie Jr. decided to follow his other passion and so far business has been booming for the brotha and his wife.

Meet The Simpson’s Daughter

Donnie and Pam’s beautiful daughter, Dawn, is a 2nd grade school teacher.

Meet Their Multi-Racial Family

Introducing the blended Simpson fam’…

What we noticed, after Donnie shared a photo family pic online, is that some of his fans were apparently caught off guard after learning that both of his children married outside of their race.

Dawn and her husband also welcomed a new baby boy in January 2020. Donnie shared the precious photo below and captioned it with:

“My daughter, Dawn & her husband, John, blessed us with our 6th grand baby today. It’s their 3rd.
It’s a beautiful boy and his name is Miles Hudson. With a name like Miles, you know he’s cool.
Thank you Lord for blessing my family so. #BabyMiles💙 #blessed #proudgrandy”

Donnie Jr. and his wife, Katie have been happily married for years…

They also share three children…

Donnie Jr.’s and Dawn’s spouses are White, as you can see, and some fans have expressed their shock:

One fan wrote, “Ummmmm…. well…..I guess the kids had a preference. All in all…nice family pic.”

Another fan questioned, “Who are all these white ppl?”

And then another followed with the same question, “Wait, is this his family????”

It’s understandable why many may be surprised at Donnie’s family, given that he and his wife, Pam, have been like a pillar of #BlackLove for so many decades. However, the thing that cannot be ignored is that they all clearly love each other, beyond color lines.

That fact is also evident by the touching online tribute Donnie Simpson paid to his daughter on her wedding day in 2015. His post captured the essence of a father coming to terms with the fact that his little girl ain’t so little anymore. It also captured the essence of what transpires after the realization that when we pull back the outward layers of skin tones, race and all of the unfortunate social issues that come with it, there is a human element that lies within.

[KK-POST id=”87927″ title=”Who Knew “Video Soul” Legend Donnie Simpson Has A Twin Brother? Must See…” desc=”He & his twin brother sure kept this quiet back in the day, but his female fans are gonna love this…
“]

Now, don’t get me wrong, it is oftentimes way too difficult to merely get to that pure, human element without seeing race. Why? Because the fact of the matter is that there are far too many injustices stemming from slavery, that still plagues our society today, but it’s still cool to witness the human element of color-less love in all of it’s shades when we get the opportunity to. Thus, we leave y’all with Donnie’s tribute to his daughter and son-in law:

https://www.facebook.com/51573788527/photos/a.10150206679513528.317311.51573788527/10152858612063528/?type=3&theater

The post Donnie Simpson And Wife’s Multi-Ethnic Family Photo Caught Many Fans By Surprise appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

If you were watching “Video Soul” and “Soul Train” back in the late 80’s era, you probably remember the model/dancer you’re about to see. His name is, or rather his name was, Rudy Houston. He was the dude plenty of women, and teenage girls alike, were going crazy over when he played Janet Jackson’s leading man in her “What Have You Done For Me Lately” video.

He was also the brotha who singer, Pebbles, was asking if he wanted to “Ride in My Mercedes Boy” in her  80’s video as well. Although his initial start as a “Solid Gold” dancer was a solid gig for him, after Janet and Pebbles shined the lights on him, it was on, and his popularity shot through the roof. Things are a lot different with him now though…

Well fam,’ that was then…this is now, and Rudy Houston makes Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner) look throwback. In fact, Bruce was still enjoying life as a fairly newly married man to Kris Jenner when, in 1995, Rudy Houston was beginning his transition into his new reality. You see, Rudy was formerly a ‘he,’ but now he is a ‘SHE’…completely, if y’all catch my drift.

Janet Jackson’s Former Male Video Model After Transitioning To Female

Here she is! Rudy’s name is now Lana Houston. That’s right ladies, the former heartthrob that many of you were fantasizing about, is now one of you. We’ve gotta give Lana nothing but respect for doing what her heart told her to do,  no matter what the social stigma is, or was, for her following her transition.

The interesting thing is that, when Lana Houston was Rudy Houston, there were many men who would have LOVED to trade places with the brotha. Women were damn near throwing themselves at Rudy back in the day and willing to do whatever he requested just to please him, but for Rudy, that just wasn’t his true self. He was living a life inside of a body that didn’t feel like an authentic reflection of who he was on the inside.

The below video is one that Lana created to display more pics of herself now and her transition into a woman is a must see… 

Lana Houston Discusses Her Transition

The statement below was quoted by sources, regarding what Lana Houston said about her transition from male to female:

“I am formerly known as Rudy Houston, I am now known as ‘Lana.’ I appreciate all thoughts and concerns and I appreciate your interest in my whereabouts. Yes, it is true that I have transitioned from male to female. I began my transition from male to female in 1995. I needed time away from the entertainment industry to find my inner peace, and to embark on my intense, and wonderful journey to womanhood. I am finally at peace and comfortable in my skin. I am currently residing in LA where I work as an artist painting portraits, and abstracts. Although I took a break from show business, I am contemplating on coming back. I’m currently in the market for songwriters/music producers to collaborate with. Again, thanks to all those concerned about my whereabouts. I’m back from the ‘Dead.’
Sincerely,
LANA (aka) Rudy Houston”

And there ya’ have it people! We just wanted to spread the word about Lana Houston, who is from the old school music era. I wonder if the world would give her as many props as they’ve give Caitlyn Jenner if they actually knew Lana’s story too.

The post Male Model From Janet’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately” Video Is Now A Real Woman appeared first on I Love Old School Music.