Elvis & The Sweet Inspirations — A Conversation with Ms. Estelle Brown

Join me for a very special conversation with Ms. Estelle Brown of The Sweet Inspirations, as she shares her remarkable journey through one of music’s most unforgettable eras. From performing alongside Elvis Presley to working with some of the greatest voices in soul and gospel, Ms. Brown reflects on the music, the memories, and the moments that shaped her extraordinary career.

It’s a warm and personal visit filled with behind-the-scenes stories, laughter, and heartfelt reflections from a voice that helped define the sound of a generation. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation with one of music’s true legends — Ms. Estelle Brown.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is Mark for the Mike Stone Show, Music, Stories, and Conversations. I want to welcome all of you to another edition of Mike's Special Conversations, where he sits down with some of the most fascinating voices in music and beyond. Today, Mike's talk will be with a true legend. Ms. Estelle Brown of the legendary Sweet Inspirations. From gospel roots to sharing the stage with icons like Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, and so many more. The Sweet Inspirations help shape the sound of soul, gospel, and rock and roll. Ms. Brown brings not only incredible musical history, but also stories from behind the scenes, reflections on faith, and a lifetime dedicated to music that has inspired generations. So sit back, relax, and enjoy Mike's conversation with Ms. Estelle Brown. Right here on the Mike Stone Show. This special program starts right now.

SPEAKER_02 0:55

First question is your early life?

SPEAKER_30 0:58

I was born and raised in New York City in Harlem.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Now, as you were growing up, some of the music you may have listened to or became interested in the music world.

SPEAKER_30 1:07

Basically, my interest was in gospel music.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_30 1:11

Because I was part of the church and I was a part of the church choir.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

So what church did uh you attend?

SPEAKER_30 1:17

Mount Zion Holiness Church.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Mount Zion Holiness Church. Yes. Now we should have said at the beginning, Mrs. Estelle Brown was a member of the Sweet Inspirations. Right. And uh played with so many artists during your career.

SPEAKER_09 1:32

Correct.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

But it all started right there in New York City. New York City. In the church. You know, I'm finding that so many artists started right there in the uh the church.

SPEAKER_30 1:42

And guess what? I'm still in the church.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

Did y'all have a group or singing group coming up?

SPEAKER_30 1:45

Yeah, yeah. Coming up, it was my brother, my youngest brother, he played the piano. Myself and my sister. We had a group called the Twilight Gyms.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Twilight Gems?

SPEAKER_30 1:58

Yes. Did you ever G-E-M-S?

SPEAKER_02 2:00

G-E-M-S. Right. You would go to churches?

SPEAKER_30 2:02

Churches, yeah. Go to different churches, put on different services for the church.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

Now the Twilight Gyms, did you ever record anything?

SPEAKER_30 2:10

We never recorded as a group, no.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

Okay. Well did you listen to any secular music uh back then?

SPEAKER_30 2:16

I used to sneak and listen to secular music.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_30 2:19

Because my parents, my mom, my mom said, no, that's the devil's music. I said, no, that can't be the devil's music. Every thought, every song, every whatever comes from God. So how did the devil get to be a part of that? I don't understand it.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

Can you remember maybe what secular music you first started listening to? The Cadillacs. Okay.

SPEAKER_30 2:41

I had a brother who was in the Cadillacs.

SPEAKER_02 2:43

All right, he was a member of the Cadillacs. Was that a do-wop group? Doo-wop group. Okay.

SPEAKER_31 2:48

So you listened to a little doo-wop? Yes, I did. A little rhythm and blues? Yes, I did. Okay. Yes, I did. Benny King. Benny King. Yes.

SPEAKER_30 2:57

Wilson Pickett.

SPEAKER_31 2:58

She would stick around.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Uh-huh. And uh.

SPEAKER_30 3:00

And I ended up singing with a lot of these people.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

Some of the people, as artists, you admired. Oh yeah. And that would be the Cadillacs.

SPEAKER_30 3:08

The Cadillacs.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

Wilson Pickett.

SPEAKER_30 3:09

Wilson Pickett. Benny King.

SPEAKER_02 3:11

Benny King. Dusty. Sam Cook.

SPEAKER_30 3:13

Sam Cook. Dusty Springfield.

SPEAKER_02 3:15

Dusty Springfield.

SPEAKER_30 3:16

Dion Warwick. These are all people that I knew.

SPEAKER_02 3:20

Now you mentioned Dion Warwick. Yes. And I know we'll talk more about them. Did they belong to the same church as you did? They had a different thing.

SPEAKER_30 3:26

Yeah, they lived in in New Jersey and I lived in New York. But we still met together because a lot of times the different uh gospel singers would get together and put on a program.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

Of course, we all know Miss Dion Warwick, but she had a sister.

SPEAKER_30 3:40

Yes, Dion.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Her sister was Dee Dee. Dee Dee.

SPEAKER_30 3:44

Delia.

SPEAKER_02 3:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_30 3:45

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

And we'll talk more about them as we go along. But the first time you really sang in public would have been with your uh your gospel family. Yes. My family. Group.

SPEAKER_30 3:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

And that's where you learn to have stage presence.

SPEAKER_30 3:57

Yes. And uh and not and lose the fear.

SPEAKER_02 4:00

Okay. Was you uh the main singer in that group?

SPEAKER_30 4:03

No. I wasn't, but I was well, I can't say because we all took a part in it, but nobody we didn't have no one main lead person. We all had a lead in that, in different songs.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

So, okay, we got you in the church. Y'all were singing.

SPEAKER_30 4:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

And somebody must have uh approached you then about going further with your career.

SPEAKER_30 4:23

I met Sissy Houston.

SPEAKER_02 4:25

You met Sissy? Yes. Houston. That would be uh Whitney Houston's mom, right? She is related to the to the Warwicks.

SPEAKER_30 4:32

Yes. Sissy was already doing recordings with different artists, and she needed some another girl to make out her group, and she asked me to help.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

So evidently uh she had uh seen you or your performed because you were right there. They were from New Jersey, right? Yes.

SPEAKER_30 4:52

And y'all were from New York, but but the churches got to be. Yeah, the community. Right.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

Yeah, and everybody uh knew one another.

SPEAKER_30 5:00

Right.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

So that's uh that's a great story right there.

SPEAKER_30 5:02

Yeah, and we went all over. We not just New York, but we went to New Jersey. We went to Brooklyn, we went to uh Long Island, you know, going to different churches.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

When you started singing with Sissy, was it still gospel?

SPEAKER_30 5:15

Started singing with Sissy, it was during recordings.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

Okay, what year would you think that would uh I know it's hard to go back there. It is, it is. We're still talking about early in late fifties. Late fifties. Late fifties probably. So she approaches you after getting a relationship, knowing the gospel singer.

SPEAKER_30 5:34

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

And she says, I need some help.

SPEAKER_30 5:37

Yeah, do you think you would mind? Because, you know, everybody at the during that time referred to Elvis music or or outside music outside of church as the devil's music. So she wanted to know if I would consider for you, hey, come on, do would you think about it?

SPEAKER_02 5:55

So that was not an easy uh step for you. Because you knew maybe that your family would say no. Still had an issue with that. Right. So who else would be singing then with uh she asked you, Sissa Houston asked you to sing, who else uh did she ask to to sing with Sylvia Hu Sylvia Shimwell. Sylvia Shimwell Shimwell. Myrna Smith. Okay, so that's sort of the beginning of the Did you call yourself?

SPEAKER_30 6:26

No, we didn't call ourselves the Sweet Special. They called us Sissy's Girls.

SPEAKER_02 6:31

Sissy's Girls?

SPEAKER_30 6:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

All right.

SPEAKER_30 6:33

And we do backgrounds for whoever they needed.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

Do you remember your first gig as a background singer?

SPEAKER_30 6:40

I remember where it was. It was at Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

Atlantic Records?

SPEAKER_30 6:44

Yes. Okay and Henry Smith and You wrote up a big name, Jerry Wexler. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Uh Jerry Wexler, he was with Atlantic.

SPEAKER_30 6:54

He owned, I think he owned Atlantic.

SPEAKER_02 6:56

Did you get the chance to meet with Jerry Wexler?

SPEAKER_30 6:58

Oh, yes. He's the one decided, after we did so many backgrounds, he was the one decided we needed to be a group.

SPEAKER_02 7:07

Jerry Wexler was the one from Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_30 7:10

Yes. Y'all sounded so good. We need to be a group.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

We need to put you in.

SPEAKER_30 7:14

And he wanted he wanted to name us the Inspirations.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

So that actually came from Jerry Wexler?

SPEAKER_30 7:21

Part of it. Inspiration. But we couldn't be called the Inspirations because there was a group out named Inspirations.

SPEAKER_12 7:29

Already out there.

SPEAKER_30 7:30

Already out there. So we said, no, we can't do that. So this guy, Chuck Jackson.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Chuck Jackson.

SPEAKER_30 7:36

He said, Why don't you put sweet inspirations? All right.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

So Chuck Jackson and Jerry Wexler named us. Named you the sweet inspiration. And that was okay with everything. With you all. So let's go again. Who was in the group at that time?

SPEAKER_30 7:52

Sylvia Shemwell.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Sylvia Shimwell.

SPEAKER_30 7:55

Myrna Smith.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Myrna Smith.

SPEAKER_30 7:57

Sissy Houston.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

Sissy Houston.

SPEAKER_28 7:59

And myself. And you're still brown.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

That's the four people. Yeah. So you sort of explained the beginnings of the Sweet Inspiration. And you just told me the early members. That was probably in the late 50s, early 60s.

SPEAKER_14 8:11

Late 50s, early. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

But you know, there's a still a lot of interest. Now, which did you like better? You did you like backing people, or did you like doing the uh recording as a sweet inspiration? Because I know the sweet inspirations did their own recording.

SPEAKER_30 8:23

I love recording as the sweet inspiration.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_30 8:26

So you I also like backing.

SPEAKER_02 8:28

So both would be sort of equal. Hand in hand, yeah. Hand in hand with you. So there's a different art, there's a different preparation. Right. Probably for all of those, right?

SPEAKER_30 8:38

Correct. Because um the sweet inspirations had to come together and get our songs together as a group for the just the sweet inspirations. But when you're working for somebody else, you do what they need you to do.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

You got a boss, a boss, a producer, and so forth that says, This is how we want it. This is what I want you to come in, this is how I want you to do it.

SPEAKER_30 9:00

And the the better part about it was that even though uh they knew what they wanted, they allowed the sweet inspirations to put their own input into the background song.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Which is so good because y'all are really just felt your music.

SPEAKER_30 9:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 9:16

You know? Yeah, yeah. I mean, it wasn't something you just looked on a sheet of music and just did the notes.

SPEAKER_30 9:23

Don't no, I'll tell you what they did. They played the song that they wanted to sing, that they were going to sing. They played it for us, and they let us hear what they were saying, and we came up with the background.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

So they let the sweet inspirations come up with the actual uh background, how you came in, how you harmonized, right? And all of that. So you had a lot of freedom.

SPEAKER_20 9:45

Yes, a lot of freedom.

SPEAKER_02 9:47

A lot of freedom.

SPEAKER_20 9:47

Right.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

Yeah. Could you read music or any of the sweet inspirations uh read music?

SPEAKER_30 9:51

I think Myrna played a little piano, Myrna Smith. I sissy might have, I'm not sure. But she might have.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Well, it came from your soul. Yes, it did. It came right from your heart.

SPEAKER_30 10:00

Yes, it did.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

And I think that's what makes the music. Right. You know, it's it's right there from your soul.

SPEAKER_27 10:05

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 10:06

We talked about the studios. Do you remember any studio that you went through, the name of any studio, or uh during that time, at the beginning of the Sweet Inspirations?

SPEAKER_30 10:16

Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

And that's in New York?

SPEAKER_30 10:18

In New York, Columbia Records.

SPEAKER_02 10:20

Columbia, that's New York.

SPEAKER_30 10:22

All of the studios that we went to was in New York. We went to one in in um Memphis.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

We're gonna get to that one here in just a minute. Do you recall any more producers that you had during that time? I may jog your memory here by a guy named Tom Dowd. Tommy Dowd, yeah. Tommy Dowd. Yeah. What do you remember about Tom Dowd as a producer?

SPEAKER_30 10:42

He was a good guy. He made sure that everything was right in place.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

Did he work at Atlantic Records?

SPEAKER_30 10:48

He worked at Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_02 10:50

He produced a lot of people during his uh tenure there, but you really liked his style. I know you recorded with Van Marson, Brown-eyed Girl. The producer there was Mr. Burt Burns.

SPEAKER_30 11:01

Do you recall I remember Burt Burns.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

Now he was quite a character.

SPEAKER_30 11:05

He was yeah, he was.

SPEAKER_02 11:06

But I think he also was associated with Jerry Wexler. Yeah. I believe.

SPEAKER_30 11:10

So it could have been that he was producing with Atlantic. They were all friends. All friends.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

Yes. The Brille Building down there in New York, where so many artists wrote, you know, so many songs, yeah. Came out of the Brille Building.

SPEAKER_16 11:23

Yes, they did.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

We can't go into all the artists there, but there was a heck of a lot of music came out of the Brio building there. Do you remember the first album, the Sweet Inspirations, recorded in 1967?

SPEAKER_13 11:35

1967.

SPEAKER_02 11:36

I believe the album was called Sweet Inspiration. And that's where that famous song Exactly. I love that Sweet Inspiration. That's got a groove, it's got a tone. Now, I don't remember who wrote the Sweet Inspiration song.

SPEAKER_30 11:52

Um Dan Penn.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

Oh, right, okay.

SPEAKER_30 11:56

And another Dan Penn is.

SPEAKER_02 11:58

I think I've got a dance, Dan Penn and Spooner Odom.

SPEAKER_30 12:01

There you go.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Did your homework. I did my homework here. Dan Penn and uh Spooner Odom.

SPEAKER_30 12:06

They wrote that song, Sweet Inspiration. Just for the Sweet Inspirations.

SPEAKER_02 12:10

And you said that was recorded in Memphis. Recorded in in New York. Oh, it was the album.

SPEAKER_30 12:14

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 12:15

The album was recorded. Yeah. And that that's it, I've got it here. It's about 1967.

SPEAKER_30 12:19

Right. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 12:21

And that was the first album that y'all had done. But Jerry Wexler had got you going.

SPEAKER_30 12:26

Yep. He Jerry Wexler got uh Dan Penn and Spooner Older. Spooner writer for I understand they wrote that song very quickly. Yes, they did.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

Like to think the band or somebody had had gone out and they they said, Well, we can write a song uh uh for them. It was fast. And it was pretty fast. I think while Dowd producing Dowd while he was out, they wrote the song. Okay. And he came in and I said, Here's a song.

SPEAKER_30 12:53

Right? So how did you go listen to this? How do you like this? What do you think about this? And he said, We'll try it. And we did. And it came out to be a hit.

SPEAKER_02 13:03

Was that your favorite song on that album?

SPEAKER_30 13:05

On that album.

SPEAKER_02 13:06

And I know you had a lot of it.

SPEAKER_30 13:06

And I can't do several songs here, but I can't remember all of them.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

Yeah, that was a top 20 hit with inspiration and a great, a great song.

SPEAKER_30 13:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

Now the next album that I've got listed here was What the World Needs Now in 1968.

SPEAKER_25 13:19

Yeah, I remember that.

SPEAKER_02 13:20

I believe that's a second album.

SPEAKER_25 13:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

This says it was for Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_30 13:24

Atlantic Records. Right. Every um album that we did, if I'm not mistaken, was for Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_02 13:31

You remember much about that secession? The What the World Needs Now at the Burke Baccherack and Hal David song.

SPEAKER_30 13:37

Right.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

You backed her, I believe, on that particular song, What the World Needs Now by Dion Warwick.

SPEAKER_30 13:43

By Dion Warwick.

SPEAKER_02 13:44

And I think you may have backed uh Miss Aretha Franklin.

SPEAKER_30 13:46

A whole lot. Almost all her all her hits backed them.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

And where would those be recorded in in New York? Sweet Inspiration did a lot of things with uh Miss Aretha Franklin. A lot of her hits.

SPEAKER_30 13:58

Most so all of her hits we.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

So that was the second album. The third album that I've got listed here is Sweet for My Sweets. Sweet for My Sweet?

SPEAKER_30 14:06

Shook for my honey.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

Yeah, sweet for my sweet, sweet for my honey. And that was in 69. That's what I've got. That was with Atlantic, you think?

SPEAKER_30 14:14

Yep, it was with Atlantic. Everything we did basically was on Atlantic.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

And I know it's hard to recall any particular song on some of these albums. It really is. How long would the Sweet Inspiration spend trying to learn these songs, get them ready for the album? Was it a pretty long process? No, it was not.

SPEAKER_30 14:31

I don't know why. Well, I do know why. God gave us minds that were vast. And we could catch and we loved music.

SPEAKER_33 14:40

Oh, no doubt. So you could see that.

SPEAKER_30 14:42

It was easy to learn the songs. The thing was the part each girl would sing. It wasn't hard at all.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

Would there be a lot of takes done or just very few takes? Very few takes. Very few takes.

SPEAKER_30 14:55

Which is so amazing, you know. Because most people, a lot of people go for days doing one song. But we could do song in an hour or two.

SPEAKER_02 15:04

That's probably why Jerry Wexler liked y'all so much. It didn't take up much studio time.

SPEAKER_30 15:09

Not at all.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

And back then, studio time cost a lot of money. Yes. Even, of course, now it's unbelievable. Yes, indeed. But even back then, in Atlantic, it would cost uh quite a bit. Right. And the next album I've got that's you sweet inspirations would be Sweet, Sweet Soul, 1970. Looks like y'all may have done three or four sweet inspiration albums before you got tied in with Elvis Presley. Correct, we did. So y'all were pretty well known. Yes, we were at that time.

SPEAKER_13 15:36

Yes, we were.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

What is your favorite sweet inspiration song? Sweet inspiration. Sweet inspiration. Sweet, sweet, inspiration. Yeah. And y'all had the moves down too.

SPEAKER_30 15:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

Now who choreographed uh all your moves?

SPEAKER_30 15:48

We did our. We did what we felt. So it wasn't uh it wasn't choreographed. No, no, nobody taught us dance moves or whatnot. We did what we felt.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

It was all natural.

SPEAKER_30 15:58

Natural. That's sort of amazing.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

That's sort of unusual. Now, before we get to Elvis, all the artists that you perform with, backed up their vocals, but these people are right at the top of the music world.

SPEAKER_30 16:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

Talking about Dusty Springfield. Dusty Springfield, did you son of a preacher man? Done them for yes, we son of a preacher man.

SPEAKER_30 16:18

And you know what was funny about that? Son of a preacher man. That song was presented to the Sweet Inspirations to do. And we did, no, we don't want to do that.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

And you heard it? Of course Aretha did that. Yeah. And you backed her as well, right? On the same song.

SPEAKER_30 16:33

Yes, we did.

SPEAKER_02 16:34

What can you tell me most about your uh time with Aretha? Great musician, great piano player.

SPEAKER_30 16:40

Great musician, great, and a good cook.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

And a great cook. Yes. Y'all had a little cooking while you were.

SPEAKER_30 16:45

Yeah, we we went to her house one Thanksgiving. With Aretha, she was just a real laid-back person, you know?

SPEAKER_02 16:52

Yeah. No pretension.

SPEAKER_30 16:53

No pretension, no, that's just Aretha.

SPEAKER_02 16:55

I'm just here with you.

SPEAKER_30 16:56

It set me like I am, or go on, you know.

SPEAKER_02 16:59

What would be your favorite Aretha Franklin song that y'all backed her up in?

SPEAKER_30 17:04

Uh Ain't No Way.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

Ain't no way.

SPEAKER_30 17:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:06

And y'all back Miss Aretha Franklin. Ain't no way.

SPEAKER_30 17:09

And Sissy did the aha blugato part.

SPEAKER_02 17:11

Sissy could get up there. Yes. Shaw came in there in the right place. Yeah. As well. Deion Warwick?

SPEAKER_30 17:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 17:18

Don't make me over. Don't make me over. Don't make me over her. That's another Bert Baccarack Hal David. It is, yeah. Uh tune. Yeah. And she did so many with Bert Baccharak. Dion, of course, you were very close with her from the very beginning.

SPEAKER_30 17:30

Yeah, from the beginning, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

Even before she became Dion. Yeah, before she became who she was, which was uh really one of the biggest stars of all time.

SPEAKER_30 17:39

Right. You remember her as being uh a regular she and her mother, her father, her sister and then and their brother.

SPEAKER_02 17:47

Someone I used to just hang out with. Your favorite song that that she did that y'all may have backed her up in?

SPEAKER_30 17:52

Probably Don't Make Me Over.

SPEAKER_02 17:54

Don't make me over. It's a great song. Yeah. It's a great song. And been covered by many people.

SPEAKER_30 17:59

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 18:00

Well, what about Wilson Pickett?

SPEAKER_30 18:02

Oh, Lord.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

Come on.

SPEAKER_30 18:03

Land of a Thousand Days.

SPEAKER_02 18:05

Land of a Thousand Days. And you backed Wilson Pickett on the Land of a Thousand.

SPEAKER_17 18:09

It is crazy self.

SPEAKER_02 18:10

I heard a lot of stories about Wilson. He also came to Muscle Shows and did a lot of songs there. Was that recorded in New York? Land of a Thousand Dances? Yes. Okay. Yes. And it was recorded at Atlantic. At Atlantic. Jerry Wexler.

SPEAKER_30 18:24

Yes. Okay. And a lot of songs we did, uh, we were not there with the artists, but they would send the track in.

SPEAKER_02 18:32

I got you.

SPEAKER_30 18:32

And we would sing to the track.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

They would send the vocals.

SPEAKER_30 18:35

The vocals.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

And the instrumentation. And that happened quite a bit. Quite a bit. But you did were with Wilson Pickett. Oh, yeah. I remember Rick Hall and Muscle Show said, man, you get Wilson Pickett going, and he couldn't get him stay in front of the mic. He'd be moving around and jiving everywhere. And a real quick story. He was in Muscle Shows, and that's an old studio there. Okay. And the carpet was buried, it wasn't too. He had a lot of sand, a lot of stuff in it, and Wilson was recording, and he's recording, stomping, and stomping, and he had a little sand on his on his face. And Rick Hall said, Man, what's happened to you? He said, I don't know. What's wrong? She looked in the mirror and he had all that stuff. He said, Oh, I got a new car. I got to get a new carpet in. How about Jimi Hendrix?

SPEAKER_30 19:19

Jimi Hendrix. I think his was sent in by track.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

But you did back to the city. How about Solomon Burke?

SPEAKER_30 19:28

Ooh, I loved him. He's a good guy.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

Van Marson.

SPEAKER_30 19:32

Van Marson. Brown eyed girl.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

Do you remember anything at all about that session? Sending the track to you?

SPEAKER_30 19:38

Yeah. Although we later on we did meet Van Marson.

SPEAKER_02 19:42

Sweet Inspirations backed up Brown-eyed girls.

SPEAKER_30 19:44

Yes, indeed. That's a big song.

SPEAKER_02 19:46

That's a big song. That's a big game. That's a great song, a big song. And one I listen to all the time. Everybody knows it. He doesn't like to perform it too much live. That's what I understand. Well, I think he played it so many times. So let's get to uh The King. How did the Sweet Inspirations, how did Joe become associated with Elvin the King?

SPEAKER_30 20:04

When he finished his duties in Germany, he was decided that he wanted to start his live performances again. And he thought, well, I need backup. He really wanted the blossoms.

SPEAKER_38 20:20

The blossoms.

SPEAKER_30 20:21

Right. But the blossoms was working with Tom Jones. And they could not leave Tom to go with Elvis for the length of time that Elvis would need them. But he heard Sweet Inspiration record.

SPEAKER_02 20:33

He heard the record. He heard the record. Sweet Inspirations.

SPEAKER_30 20:36

And he liked it. And he liked the people that were singing Sweet Inspiration. He said, Well, I want those ladies.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

Who are those ladies?

SPEAKER_30 20:43

I gotta find the Sweet Inspiration.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

Yeah, somebody go out and bring them in.

SPEAKER_30 20:47

And that that was it.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

So that would have been in 69? 69. And that started Y'all's association. Yeah. Because he had heard the song Sweet Inspiration. He couldn't get the bosses, but he got somebody better.

SPEAKER_30 21:00

I wouldn't say that. Yeah, this guy, Tom Diskin, used to handle his who is that? Tom Diskin. Tom Diskin? Diskin, D-I-S-K-I-N.

SPEAKER_02 21:10

D-Is-K-I-N.

SPEAKER_30 21:11

He used to take care of a lot of his paperwork. He called us and said that Elvis wanted us to work with the Elvis? No, no, no, no. And we two different. We sing gospel, but that's what he wanted. He wanted somebody that sang gospel.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

He wanted that feeling. Later on, y'all found that that was right down his lane.

SPEAKER_30 21:31

Exactly. And he was right down our lane. We didn't know it, but he was.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

Well, tell me about the first time you laid eyes on the king, Elvis Presley, how that happened. Where was it?

SPEAKER_30 21:41

We were in um in Las Vegas.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Las Vegas.

SPEAKER_30 21:44

At uh MGM Hilton. Where he was performing, or he said where he was performing.

SPEAKER_02 21:49

He had already started his engagement.

SPEAKER_30 21:50

He had not we opened the engagement with him. But the first time I saw him, we were at rehearsal. We were at at the um hotel in the showroom. Everybody gathered for rehearsal. He wasn't there. But we was there. Everybody else was there. So here he comes, strolling in. Hi ladies. My name is Elvis Presley.

unknown 22:14

What?

SPEAKER_21 22:16

Really? Oh really? That's who you are. Although we did not cut that button.

SPEAKER_02 22:21

Sure. I mean uh were you a little bit intimidated maybe or you just wondering how this is going to work?

SPEAKER_30 22:26

Yeah I was wondering how is this going to work? He's a rock and roll singer we're gospel singer. He came in, introduced himself gave every each one of us a kiss broke out into the music. And when we start singing it was like a marriage right then and there. The first practice the first rehearsal it it was it jived.

SPEAKER_02 22:46

It just connected.

SPEAKER_30 22:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:48

You connected with him on a human level.

SPEAKER_30 22:50

Correct.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Yeah. And all of you the sweet inspirations who would be the group now singing with Elvis the same people?

SPEAKER_30 22:58

The same people all except Sissy Houston.

SPEAKER_02 23:00

Sissy Houston had already left.

SPEAKER_30 23:03

She left because she wanted to groom Whitney so it would be I understand it. Three of you would be three it would it would have been Myrna and Sylvia has passed. Yeah I'm talking about the three of three of you when you first started with Elvis Oh it was it was when we first started Mernes after the first gig Sissy left and it just left three of us.

SPEAKER_36 23:25

Three of us.

SPEAKER_02 23:25

Myrna Sylvia and myself so there were four at first. At first it was four but then so how long did Sissy stay with y'all performing with Elvis? Very short time?

SPEAKER_30 23:36

Very short time. She just did the the first six weeks we did we did with Elvis in Vegas the first time he put it in Vegas.

SPEAKER_02 23:44

All right can you tell me tell me about the meeting Elvis rehearsing and y'all finding a connection with Elvis.

SPEAKER_30 23:52

Yeah. How about the very first show live show everybody was totally scared. Just nervous just nervous including Elvis. Yes including Elvis and his his being nervous helped to make us even more nervous.

SPEAKER_02 24:10

Because you could sense that yes and this was something different for all of a venue that's so large.

SPEAKER_30 24:16

And this is this is the first time that we'd ever played to such a large venue with so many people and then when he got out on stage you would never know he was nervous because it all evaporated because he was in his element.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Now it's just the singing exactly so yeah that would be in 1969 and the crowd was full?

SPEAKER_30 24:39

Full. Completely full completely full from top to bottom ladies down in front oh God they were everywhere. They were throwing things room keys underwear glass just everything. On the very first show very first show and so much screaming and a hollering flashing ashlette camera lights we saw him calming down and helped us to calm down even though we were sweet inspirations were leery because we didn't know how we would be received.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

Exactly can you recall any song from that first concert maybe the first song that he did That's Alright Lil Mama. That's Alright Mama. Uh-huh that was the first song that he performed with the Sweet Inspirations in Las Vegas with a big crowd. Right.

SPEAKER_30 25:35

That's all right mama any way you do it so that's all right little mama.

SPEAKER_02 25:42

And I was asking about any other songs you remember from that first concert. Blue suede shoes. Blue suede shoes Carl Perkins song he loved it he did love that song. Well they had an association with Carl Perkins and Roy Albertson and J. Lee Lewis.

SPEAKER_29 25:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 25:58

All of them performed at Sun Records you know there in Memphis or for Sam Phillips. Don't step on my blue suede shoes. Yes indeed. What would he close with if I can't help falling in love with you. Oh yeah. I can't help falling in love with you. That had to be quite an experience. It was quite an experience.

SPEAKER_30 26:16

It was I'll never something like I said you can take everything I got but you can't get my memories and there you were right there the third right there with the sweet inspiration.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

Yes. The king Elvis Presley on stage you know what?

SPEAKER_30 26:30

Everybody calls him the king but he didn't like that.

SPEAKER_02 26:33

He did not like it.

SPEAKER_30 26:34

He did not like that he said we have a king one and his name is Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

That was powerful.

SPEAKER_30 26:41

That was really powerful.

SPEAKER_02 26:42

And he let people know that yeah he did. We only have one king one king. That's Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_30 26:47

One king yeah that's impressive yes it is and that's very humble hard to sustain that kind of trying to trying to live up to other people's image that's not that wasn't him you know so and I I remember a lot of times we used to saw something whatever was going on hey hey boss hey boss such such a hey boss we're talking with Alice whoa whoa whoa I'm not your boss I'm your brother that caused made us become fam the whole entire group Mr Stell can you remember the other some of the other people in the in the band uh was it Jordan Ayers were they there at the Las Vegas or the backup the man there?

SPEAKER_24 27:26

JD Sumner.

SPEAKER_02 27:27

JD Sumner Stamps Quartet. Stamp's Quartet. Yes. So they would perform every night every night just like the sweet inspiration.

SPEAKER_30 27:35

Yes. I think it was harder for us the sweet inspiration because we opened the show. That was scary for us.

SPEAKER_02 27:41

Yeah it was the first ones to open your mouth and sing.

SPEAKER_30 27:44

But we were the first ones to sing. But before they had a a comedian Jackie Cahane. Jackie Cahane he was the comedian okay he opened the He opened the show and then we came on and that made us we were very frightened because we first of all we never performed to so many people at one time and then we didn't know if we was going to be accepted because we're black.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

And that even at that time in in 69.

SPEAKER_30 28:10

It was even worse in 69. But then nobody bothered us Elvis wouldn't have it wouldn't allow he would not allow it.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

No I hear a story once that y'all were because you did travel with Elvis travel everywhere yeah and one venue the promoter did not want the sweet inspirations on the stage.

SPEAKER_30 28:27

That's what he did he they wanted Elvis to come. You can come but you can't bring those black girls Elvis said okay if I can't bring them then I can't come.

SPEAKER_02 28:36

If you can't have the sweet inspirations you can forget about me. That's right.

SPEAKER_30 28:40

Well did the Harry on change their mind?

SPEAKER_02 28:42

Yes. I understand that the the daughter of the promoter had to drive y'all to drive us around y'all around isn't that ironic that is that's that's amazing. Well that's a you told him about the kind of person he was as we said a while ago he didn't see color no he he looked at the spirit and the soul of people and if we don't get anything else out of this interview yeah I guess the main thing we can say right now is why can't we be like that?

SPEAKER_30 29:06

Hey why can't we?

SPEAKER_02 29:07

Yeah that's how we were created yes so why can't we why can't we look past prejudices we've got more things where do all that come from anywhere? That comes from the wrong side you better believe the wrong side you better believe because uh we know we know that's not part of what our maker that's not not what God that's that's not what God intended. Well I'm glad we got that in because I think that's important to see it is what uh what we're talking about here with the man yeah with the person with a human being you know what I say the piano has more sense than we have. Yeah look at the piano black and white keys beautiful a song called Ebony and Ivory.

SPEAKER_30 29:45

Ebony and Ivory and that's a great song Paul McCartney I think and Stevie Wonder.

SPEAKER_02 29:49

Yes Stevie Wonder Ebony and Ivory Ebony and Ivory band members do you remember anything about the other I know James Burton from Treeport yes tree for that's one buddy your buddy he plays obviously the lead guitar yes he did Ronnie Tutt the drummer who Ronnie Tutt Ronnie Ronnie R-O-N and I R-O N and I Ronnie Ronnie Tutt Lindy Harden on the case piano Jerry Schiff jerry bass on the bass horn sections speed horn Marty Harrel. Marty Harrell yeah the conductor Joe Gershio Joe Gershio the conductor yeah that this core group stayed together the everybody stayed together on the shows there on the show every show everywhere we went and also when you went to the other day but you never went overseas never went overseas not because we didn't want to not because Elvis didn't want Colonel couldn't the Colonel the Colonel Parker well I was going to get to Colonel Parker and uh you you don't have to to go into that I don't want to go in because you're a person that you ain't got anything good to say about somebody I don't have nothing to say. Yeah don't say I don't have nothing to say yeah well you know what I appreciate that and we'll move right on past Colonel Parker and move and move right on. How many uh days a week did y'all perform there in in Vegas?

SPEAKER_30 31:08

Seven days seven days a week every day every day you had no no time how many shows two seven days a week two shows a day we did a dinner show later show how many years did y'all do that uh oh six nine to seventy seven but I know we didn't stay in Vegas all the time where did the Swedish inspirations live during this time did y'all have an apartment oh we stayed in a hotel stayed in the hotel yeah so everybody had a room in the hotel yes so that made it convenient yes very convenient did you each have your own room everybody had their own room all the band members everybody had their own room except if you had company you know invited somebody to come to be but everybody had their own room and Elvis had the suite Elvis had the suite yes he did tell me a little bit about after a show at after the show we thought we thought that was it you know the end of the show but no it was the beginning of a new show because we would go have to go to Elvis' room and we sit up almost all night long singing gospel.

SPEAKER_02 32:10

So he would get a lot of the people and he would uh take you up to his suite up to his suite because he wanted to relax and play and sing a little gospel.

SPEAKER_30 32:20

Right and that's what we did all night long every night.

SPEAKER_02 32:24

Would that be a lot of the band or just some of the some of the people some of the people. Okay sometimes the band all the band sometimes not I bet you ate pretty good too oh god yeah he had all kind of food uh but he didn't want to be alone too much you know correct that's how I felt well you told me about going on the road you remember much about some of the venues that you went on the road or any particular venue or anything no I don't remember particular any particular venue but I re remember that everywhere we went was really nice.

SPEAKER_30 32:55

We stayed in the best hotels we you know did the play in the best venues it it was just nice. So everything was taken care of everything was taken you know you get to where you had to be somebody would meet you give you your key your room was already all you had to do is take your key and go to your room.

SPEAKER_02 33:15

Did somebody come and get your bags take them to your room yeah do you know who handled his logistics like that make sure everybody had a room make sure everything was done right I know it had to be more than one person. I think it was Tom Diskin Tom Diskon probably handled and he probably had a a whole group of people working with him to do that. I'm quite sure well let's let's get to uh from your point of view what kind of person was Elvis when he was off the stage off the lights away from the limelight what would you say the essence of Elvis Preston?

SPEAKER_30 33:48

This is just me pe speaking personally because I I really don't know. But I think Elvis was just a lonely person. He didn't have room time enough to be himself you know he had to be on he had to be on uh he had to be up to come to yeah yeah yeah there was the the king over here right and there was the person trying to trying to figure out the way through all of that trying to figure out what am I supposed to be doing why do why do I have to go through this why why can't I just be me?

SPEAKER_02 34:23

Yeah you know and I think you said at the library that you think he probably would have been a preacher.

SPEAKER_30 34:29

I do I believe that I believe in my soul that he probably would have ended up being a preacher.

SPEAKER_02 34:36

Do you remember uh anything about Priscilla his wife do you remember ever meeting her?

SPEAKER_30 34:42

I met her and I all I all I can say about she was a very nice person she was very cordial to me to all of us you know she was a very very nice person she still is okay yeah I know she's still going yeah and of course I know the daughter yeah Lisa Lisa Maria's just passed away yeah did you did you know Lisa Marie?

SPEAKER_02 35:03

Did I know Lisa?

SPEAKER_30 35:04

Okay yeah yeah here we go yeah Lisa had a little bit of dad in her yeah she did she did Lisa would call me every morning when we was in Vegas about six or seven o'clock still yeah Lisa what did you want?

SPEAKER_02 35:22

I I I I I I want to go circus circus you want to go to circus circus how old would uh Lisa Marie been at that oh about very young seven eight if that all since you're on that I do remember you telling a story about when Sissy Houston was was performing with you that she would bring Whitney as a small child. Uh-huh and you said you remember babysitting for Whitney Houston.

SPEAKER_30 35:49

I did but not not on the road this is at home. At home yeah at their house at their house they used to go to their house to babysit Whitney this is sometimes Sissy had to do something else and could you tell early on about her have no idea that she would reach the plateau that she did reach but I didn't know did know she had the ins instinct in her because she would take a broom and sing the broom that would be her microphone you know do you have a favorite Whitney Houston song?

SPEAKER_02 36:21

I Will Always Love You that's one of the big songs of Dolly Parton. Yeah I will love you that's a good one too children are future Children of the Future of the world and great song great song that may be one of my favorite Whitney Houston songs. But did you notice towards the end and I think uh if you can uh help me here towards the end uh here in maybe 1977 that Elvis did not want to go to the studio and record. Okay. And he actually RCA brought the equipment in to the jungle room. Were you in on the jungle room sessions?

SPEAKER_15 36:58

I was there.

SPEAKER_30 36:59

You were there we never recorded they never recorded anything okay did they have all the recording all the stuff just there they didn't we didn't record I guess because Ellis didn't come down.

SPEAKER_02 37:12

He was upstairs in his room but he didn't come downstairs he didn't he just uh at that time yes well I heard there was a couple of songs that he maybe finally did hurt you remember that song we didn't I remember it from the stage not from not from the recording the jungle room recording sessions right and then another song It's easy for you which was written by Andrew Lord Weber and Tim Rice It's Easy For You evidently he must have come down and did a little bit after towards the end could you see that things were sort of sort of deteriorating with with Elvis just like with all of us you slim we gain we slam we gain you know that's I never thought anything in my wildest imagination I would never think that um there was something physically wrong.

SPEAKER_30 38:02

So tell us about the end when uh the Sweden inspirations when you heard about Elvis had passed away can you tell us uh briefly we were going to we were on our way to a gig I can't even remember where it was we were in flight the airport radio the pilot to come back so we stopped somewhere and they asked everybody to get off the plane for what? Now what? Marty Harrow, the drummer I mean the horn player he said y'all have to get off because I got something to tell you but I can only say it one time. So okay so everybody got off he said I had to tell you I have to tell you Elvis made his transition Elvis did what? Elvis died no he didn't you know no come on now enough is enough so it was just it was almost an unreal situation. You never so we got the the plane was all we were always loud and laughing and talking having fun but at this time when we got back on the plane it was total silence.

SPEAKER_02 39:13

Right had to be a difficult time it was for all of all of y'all for everybody yeah because he was such a a life force yes and uh y'all had been around him very personal for a long time well Mr for me it was eight years. Well let's uh we'll wrap this up and maybe I can ask you to remember your most favorite Elvis song that uh that sticks with you that you could remember. How great thou art how great thou art that's a great one to finish on yes you think he he preferred singing the gospel song I do.

SPEAKER_30 39:51

I believe he did. I believe he did because when he sang a gospel song you could see his emotions you know so well Mr.

SPEAKER_02 40:01

Stelle is is there anything that I haven't asked you that you would like to uh talk about I I tried to cover a pretty good history I you did and the long time of your career but what a great great career you had. Yes I have and uh what a great life I'm having you still have it I'm still having it yes because I'm still here you're still here and you're still having a great life and I wish you well in what whatever life brings you along thank you so we may start another singing group that's that's I can do a little elbow come on no no no don't don't do that don't do that start singing group start a singing group but don't be elvis please that's a great advice that's great advice please be yourself yeah be yourself for real that's about a great advice as that's what I tell the ETAs yeah you know they want to know who's who's the greatest Elvis friend I said Elvis so all the impersonators I applaud them yeah I give them A I give them E for excellent but they're not Elvis they're not Elvis and and never will be yeah some some of them get so involved until you never know who they are yeah and they don't they don't even know who they are they think they're Elvis but they're not Elvis they're not Elvis and that's gotta be not healthy. Right exactly that's what I say yeah because you gotta be who you are yeah and that's what I like so much about how you you know just the spirit you have you can feel that you can sense it you can know it that you are real and you are who you are and even though you around some of the greatest musicians of all time you sang with some of the greatest songs of all time but you are still who you are and very humble. That's how God made me that's how God made you exactly we're so thankful that you came today and really appreciate your time I think very quick in there if you want to have time yeah okay first question is your early life where where were you I was born and raised in New York City yes in Harlem. Now as you were growing up some of the music you may have listened to or became inter interested in the music world basically my interest was in gospel music yes ma'am because I was part of the church and I was a part of the church choir. Yes so my what church did uh you attend Mount Zion Holiness Church. Mount Zion Holiness Church now we should have said at the beginning Miss Estelle Brown was a member of the Sweet Inspirations and uh played with so many so many artists during your career correct but it all started right there in New York City New York City in the church in the New York you know I'm finding that so many artists started right there in the uh the church and guess what I'm still in the church well amen um did you have a group uh did y'all have a group or singing group coming up yeah in the coming up it was my brother my youngest brother he played the piano myself and my sister we had a group called the Twilight Gyms Twilight Gems yes did you ever G E M S G E M S Right You would go to her different churches yeah go to different churches put on different services for the church right and uh now the Twilight Gyms did you ever record anything? We never recorded

SPEAKER_30 44:00

Called it as a group. No.

SPEAKER_02 44:01

Okay. Well, did you listen to any secular music back then?

SPEAKER_30 44:06

I used to sneak and listen to secular.

SPEAKER_02 44:08

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_30 44:09

Because my parents, my mom, my mom said, no, that's the devil's music.

SPEAKER_12 44:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 44:14

And I said, I said, no, that can't be the devil's music. Every thought, every song, every whatever comes from God. So how did the devil get to be a part of that? I don't understand it.

SPEAKER_02 44:26

Can you remember maybe what secular music you first started listening to? The Cadillacs. Okay.

SPEAKER_30 44:32

I had a brother who was in the Cadillacs.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

All right. He was a member of the Cadillacs. Was that a do-wop group? Doo-wop group. Okay. So you listened to a little doo-wop?

SPEAKER_31 44:42

Yes, I did. A little rhythm and blues? Yes, I did. Okay. Yes, I did. So Benny King and Benny King. Yes.

SPEAKER_30 44:48

Wilson Pickett.

SPEAKER_31 44:50

She would stick around.

SPEAKER_30 44:51

Uh-huh. And uh and I ended up singing with a lot of these people.

SPEAKER_02 44:55

Some of the people, as artists, you admired. Oh yeah. And uh that would be the Cadillacs.

SPEAKER_30 45:00

The Cadillacs.

SPEAKER_02 45:00

Wilson Pickett.

SPEAKER_30 45:01

Wilson Pickett, Benny King.

SPEAKER_02 45:03

Benny King. Sam Cook.

SPEAKER_30 45:05

Sam Cook. Dusty Springfield.

SPEAKER_02 45:07

Dusty Springfield.

SPEAKER_30 45:08

Uh Dion Warwick. These are all people that I knew.

SPEAKER_02 45:12

Now you mentioned Dion Warwick. Yes. And I know we'll talk more about them. Did they belong to the same church as you did? They had a different thing.

SPEAKER_30 45:18

Yeah, they lived in in New Jersey and I lived in New York. So, but we still met together because a lot of times the different uh gospel singers would get together and put on a program.

SPEAKER_02 45:30

Of course, we we all know Miss Dion Warwick, but she had a sister.

SPEAKER_30 45:33

Yes, Dion.

SPEAKER_02 45:35

Her sister was DD.

SPEAKER_30 45:37

Delia.

SPEAKER_02 45:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_30 45:38

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 45:38

And we'll talk more about them as we go along. But the first time you really sang in public would have been with your uh your gospel family. Group.

SPEAKER_30 45:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 45:48

And that's where you learned to have stage presence.

SPEAKER_30 45:50

Yes. And uh and not and lose the fear.

SPEAKER_02 45:52

Okay. Was you uh the main singer in that group?

SPEAKER_30 45:56

No. I wasn't, but I was well, I can't say because we all we all took a part in it, but nobody we didn't have no one main lead person. We all had a lead in that, in different songs.

SPEAKER_02 46:09

So, okay, we got you in the church. Y'all were singing.

SPEAKER_30 46:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 46:12

And somebody must have uh approached you then about going further with your career.

SPEAKER_30 46:17

I met Sissy Houston.

SPEAKER_02 46:19

You met Sissy? Yes. Houston. That would be uh Whitney Houston's mom, right? She is related to the to the Warwick.

SPEAKER_30 46:26

Yes. Sissy was already doing recordings with different artists, and she needed some another girl to make out her group, and she asked me to help.

SPEAKER_02 46:39

So evidently uh she had uh seen you or your sissy, yeah, we met performed. Because you were right there. They were from New Jersey, right? Yes.

SPEAKER_30 46:46

And y'all were from New York, but but the churches got to be. Yeah, the community. Right.

SPEAKER_02 46:50

Yeah, and everybody uh knew one another.

SPEAKER_30 46:53

Right.

SPEAKER_02 46:54

So that's uh that's a great story right there.

SPEAKER_30 46:56

Yeah, and we went all over. We not just New York, but we went to New Jersey. We went to Brooklyn, we went to uh Long Island, you know, going to different churches.

SPEAKER_02 47:06

When you started singing with Sissy, was it still gospel?

SPEAKER_30 47:09

Started singing with Sissy, it was during recordings.

SPEAKER_02 47:12

Okay, what year would you think that would uh I know it's hard to go back there. It is, it is. We're still talking about early in late fifties. Late fifties. Late fifties, probably. So she approaches you after getting a relationship, knowing the gospel singer.

SPEAKER_20 47:28

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 47:29

And she says, I need some help.

SPEAKER_30 47:31

Yeah, would you would you would do you think you would uh mind? Because you know, everybody at the during that time referred to Elvis music or or outside music outside of church as the devil's music. So she wanted to know if I would consider for you, hey, come on, dude. Would you think about it?

SPEAKER_02 47:52

So that was not an easy uh step for you. Because you knew maybe that your family still had an issue with that. So who else would be singing then with uh she asked you, uh Sister Houston asked you to sing, who else uh did she ask to to sing with Sylvia Sylvia Shimwell. Sylvia Shimwell Shimwell. Myrna Smith. Okay, so that's sort of the beginning of the Did you call yourself?

SPEAKER_30 48:23

No, we didn't call ourselves the sweet inspection. They called us Sissy's Girls.

SPEAKER_02 48:28

Sissy's Girls?

SPEAKER_30 48:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:30

All right.

SPEAKER_30 48:30

And we do backgrounds for whoever they needed.

SPEAKER_02 48:33

Do you remember your first gig as a background singer?

SPEAKER_30 48:37

I remember where it was. It was at Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_02 48:40

Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_30 48:41

Yes. Okay. Jerry Wexler and Henry Smith and You wrote up a big name, Jerry Wexler. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:48

Uh Jerry Wexler, he was with Atlantic.

SPEAKER_30 48:51

He owned, I think he owned Atlantic.

SPEAKER_02 48:53

Did you get the chance to meet with Jerry Wexler? Oh, yes. Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_30 48:56

He's the one decided, after we did so many backgrounds, he was the one decided we needed to be a group.

SPEAKER_02 49:05

Jerry Wexler actually was the one from Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_30 49:08

Yes. Y'all sounded so good. We need to be a group.

SPEAKER_02 49:11

We need to put you in.

SPEAKER_30 49:12

And he wanted, he wanted to name us the Inspirations.

SPEAKER_02 49:16

So that actually came from Jerry Wexler?

SPEAKER_30 49:19

Part of it. Inspiration, but we couldn't be called the Inspirations because there was a group out named Inspirations.

SPEAKER_12 49:27

Already out there.

SPEAKER_30 49:28

Already out there. So we said, no, we can't do that. So this guy, Chuck Jackson.

SPEAKER_02 49:34

Chuck Jackson.

SPEAKER_30 49:35

He said, Why don't you put sweet inspirations? All right.

SPEAKER_02 49:39

So Chuck Jackson and Jerry Wexler named us. Named you the sweet inspiration. And that was okay with you all. So let's go again. Who was in the group at that time?

SPEAKER_30 49:51

Sylvia Shemwell.

SPEAKER_02 49:52

Sylvia Shimwell.

SPEAKER_30 49:54

Myrna Smith.

SPEAKER_02 49:55

Myrna Smith.

SPEAKER_30 49:56

Sissy Houston. Sissy Houston.

SPEAKER_02 49:58

And myself. And Still Brown. That's the four people. So you sort of explained the beginnings of the Sweet Inspiration. And you just told me the early members. That was probably in the late 50s, early 60s.

SPEAKER_30 50:09

Late 50s, early 60s. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 50:11

But you know, there's a still a lot of interest.

SPEAKER_30 50:13

I said the the fans know more about Elvis than I do, because that with me, Elvis with me, was the job. I was doing a job.

SPEAKER_02 50:21

And I didn't dig into the We're going to get to Elvis and spend plenty of time on Elvis because the Sweet Inspirations, folks, they were right there with Elvis for many years. So we're going to get to them. Now, which did you like better? Did you like backing people, or did you like doing the uh recording as a sweet inspiration? Because I know the sweet inspirations did their own recording.

SPEAKER_30 50:42

I love recording as the sweet inspirations.

SPEAKER_02 50:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_30 50:44

So you I also like backing.

SPEAKER_02 50:47

So both would be sort of equal. Hand in hand, yeah. Hand in hand with you. So there's a different art, there's a different preparation. Right. Probably for all of those, right?

SPEAKER_30 50:56

Correct.

SPEAKER_02 50:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_30 50:57

Because um the sweet inspirations had to come together and get our songs together as a group for the just the sweet inspirations. But when you're working for somebody else, you do what they need you to do.

SPEAKER_02 51:11

You got a boss, a boss, producer, and so forth that says, This is how we want it. This is what I want you to come in, this is how I want you to do it.

SPEAKER_30 51:19

And the the better part about it was that even though uh they knew what they wanted, they allowed the sweet inspirations to put their own input into the background song.

SPEAKER_02 51:31

Which is so good because y'all really just felt your music.

SPEAKER_30 51:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 51:35

You know? Yeah, yeah. I mean, it wasn't something you just looked on a seat of music and just did the notes.

SPEAKER_30 51:42

Don't no, I'll tell you what they did. They played the song that they wanted to sing, that they were going to sing. They played it for us, and they let us hear what they were saying, and we came up with the background.

SPEAKER_02 51:55

So they let the sweet inspirations come up with the actual uh background, how you came in, how you harmonized, right? And all of that. So you had a lot of freedom.

SPEAKER_20 52:04

Yes, a lot of freedom.

SPEAKER_02 52:06

A lot of freedom.

SPEAKER_20 52:06

Right.

SPEAKER_02 52:07

Yeah. Could you read music or any of the sweet inspirations uh read music?

SPEAKER_30 52:10

I think Myrna played a little piano. Myrna Smith. I sissy might have, I'm not sure. But she might.

SPEAKER_02 52:17

Well, it came from your soul. Yes, it did. It came right from your heart.

SPEAKER_30 52:19

Yes, it did.

SPEAKER_02 52:20

And I think that's what makes the music. Right. You know, it's it's right there from your soul.

SPEAKER_27 52:24

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 52:25

We talked about the studios. Do you remember any studio that you went through, the name of any studio, or uh during that time, at the beginning of the Sweet Inspirations?

SPEAKER_30 52:35

Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_02 52:36

And that's in New York?

SPEAKER_30 52:37

In New York, Columbia Records.

SPEAKER_02 52:39

Columbia? That's New York. New York.

SPEAKER_30 52:41

All of the studios that we went to was in New York. We went to one in in um Memphis.

SPEAKER_02 52:47

We're going to get to that one here in just a minute. Do you recall any more producers that you had during that time? I may jog your memory here by a guy named Tom Dowd. Tommy Dowd, yeah. Tommy Dowd. Yeah. What do you remember about Tom Dowd as a producer?

SPEAKER_30 53:01

He was a good guy. He made sure that everything was right in place.

SPEAKER_02 53:07

Did he work at Atlantic Records?

SPEAKER_30 53:08

He worked at Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_02 53:09

He produced a lot of people during his uh tenure there, but you really liked his style.

SPEAKER_04 53:14

Fun loving.

SPEAKER_02 53:15

I know you recorded with Van Marson, Brown-eyed Girl. Producer there was Mr. Burt Burns.

SPEAKER_30 53:21

Do you recall I remember Burt Burns.

SPEAKER_02 53:23

Now he was quite a character.

SPEAKER_30 53:25

He was, yeah, he was.

SPEAKER_02 53:26

But I think he also was associated with Jerry Wexler. Yeah. I believe.

SPEAKER_30 53:30

So it could have been that he was producing with Atlantic. They were all friends. All friends.

SPEAKER_02 53:36

The Brille Building down there in New York, where so many artists wrote, you know, so many songs came out of the Brille Building.

SPEAKER_16 53:43

Yes, they did.

SPEAKER_02 53:44

We can't go into all the artists there, but there was a heck of a lot of music came out of the Brille building there. Do you remember the first album, the Sweet Inspirations, recorded in 1967?

SPEAKER_30 53:55

1967.

SPEAKER_02 53:56

I believe the album was called Sweet Inspiration. And that's where that famous song Exactly. I love that Sweet Inspiration. That's got a groove, it's got a tone. Now, I don't remember who wrote the Sweet Inspiration song.

SPEAKER_30 54:12

Um Dan Penn.

SPEAKER_02 54:14

Oh, right. Okay. I think I've got a dance, Dan Penn and Spooner Odom.

SPEAKER_30 54:20

There you go. Did your homework.

SPEAKER_02 54:22

I did my homework here. Dan Penn and uh Spooner Odom.

SPEAKER_30 54:26

They wrote that song, Sweet Inspiration. Just for the Sweet Inspirations.

SPEAKER_02 54:29

And you said that was recorded in Memphis. Recorded in in New York. Oh, it was the album.

SPEAKER_30 54:34

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 54:34

The album was recorded. Yeah. And that that's it. I've got it here. It's about 1967.

SPEAKER_30 54:39

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 54:40

And that was the first album that y'all had done. But Jerry Wexler had got you going.

SPEAKER_30 54:45

Yep. He Jerry Wexler got uh Dan Penn and Spooner Over. Spooner writing a song for I understand they wrote that song very quickly. Yes, they did.

SPEAKER_02 54:57

Like to think the band or somebody had had gone out and they they said, well, we can write a song uh for them. It was fast. And it was pretty fast. I think while Dowd produced Dowd. While he was out, they wrote the song. Okay. And he came in and I said, Here's a song.

SPEAKER_30 55:12

Right. So how did you go listen to this? How do you like this? What do you think about this? And we said, We'll try it. And we did. And it came out to be a hit.

SPEAKER_02 55:23

Was that your favorite song on that album?

SPEAKER_30 55:24

On that album.

SPEAKER_02 55:25

And I know you have a lot of.

SPEAKER_30 55:26

And I can't do several songs here, but I can't remember all of them.

SPEAKER_02 55:29

Yeah, that was a top 20 hit. It was a bit. With inspiration and a great, a great song.

SPEAKER_30 55:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 55:33

Now the next album that I've got listed here was What the World Needs Now in 1968.

SPEAKER_25 55:39

Yeah, I remember that.

SPEAKER_02 55:40

I believe that's the second album.

SPEAKER_25 55:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 55:42

This says it was for Atlantic Records. Atlantic Records, right. What do you remember about?

SPEAKER_30 55:47

Every um album that we did, if I'm not mistaken, was for Atlantic Records.

SPEAKER_02 55:52

You remember much about that secession? The What the World Needs Now, the Burt Baccherak and Hal David song.

SPEAKER_30 55:58

Right.

SPEAKER_02 55:58

Do you remember anything else much about the making of that album? By the Sweet Inspiration?

SPEAKER_30 56:04

Dion does What the World Needs Now?

SPEAKER_02 56:07

Dion uh she did a lot of Burt Baccarack and Hal David songs.

SPEAKER_30 56:11

Yeah, we did we did we did it on the song.

SPEAKER_02 56:12

And y'all backed her, I believe, on that particular song, What the World Needs Now by Dion Warwick.

SPEAKER_30 56:17

By Dion Warwick.

SPEAKER_02 56:18

And I think you may have backed uh Miss Aretha Franklin.

SPEAKER_30 56:21

A whole lot.

SPEAKER_02 56:21

You backed Aretha on that.

SPEAKER_30 56:23

Almost all her all her hits. Backed them.

SPEAKER_02 56:26

And where would those be recorded in in New York? Sweet Inspiration did a lot of things.

SPEAKER_30 56:30

A lot of things.

SPEAKER_02 56:31

With uh Miss Aretha Franklin. A lot of her hits. Most so all of her hits, so that was the second album. The third album that I've got listed here is Sweet for My Sweets. Sweet for My Sweet?

SPEAKER_30 56:42

Shook for my honey.

SPEAKER_02 56:43

Yeah, Sweet for My Sweet, Sweet for My Honey. And that was in 69. That's what I've got. And uh that was with Atlantic, you think?

SPEAKER_30 56:50

Yep, it was with Atlantic. Everything we did basically was on Atlantic.

SPEAKER_02 56:55

Yeah, and I know it's hard to recall any particular song on some of these albums. But how long, how long would you would the Sweet Inspiration spend trying to learn these songs and get them ready for the album? Was it a pretty long process? No, it was not.

SPEAKER_30 57:10

I don't know why. Well, I do know why. God gave us minds that were fast. And we could get and we loved music.

SPEAKER_33 57:19

Oh, no doubt.

SPEAKER_30 57:20

So you could see that it was easy to uh learn learn the songs. The thing was the part each girl would sing.

SPEAKER_02 57:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_30 57:31

That that that was it wasn't hard at all.

SPEAKER_02 57:34

Would there be a lot of takes get uh done or just very few takes?

SPEAKER_30 57:38

Very few takes.

SPEAKER_02 57:39

Very few takes.

SPEAKER_30 57:40

Which is so amazing. Yeah, you know, because most people, a lot of people go for days doing one song. Yeah, but we could do song a song in a uh an hour or two.

SPEAKER_02 57:51

That's probably why Jerry Wexler likes y'all so much. And it didn't take up much studio time.

SPEAKER_30 57:57

Not at all.

SPEAKER_02 57:58

And back then, studio time cost a lot of money. Yes. Even of course, now it's unbelievable. Yes, indeed. But even back then, in Atlantic, it would cost uh quite a bit.

SPEAKER_18 58:07

Right.

SPEAKER_02 58:08

Yeah. And the next album I've got that's few sweet inspirations would be Sweet Sweet Soul. That's what I've got. Sweet Soul. 1970. I don't remember. I don't remember. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_30 58:22

Oh, what was all was what was on that album, Sweet Sweet Soul. I can't remember that.

SPEAKER_02 58:27

So you looks like y'all may have done three or four Sweet Inspiration albums before you got tied in with Elvis Presley. Correct, we did. So y'all were pretty well known. Yes, we were at that time.

SPEAKER_13 58:38

Yes, we were.

SPEAKER_02 58:39

What do you think? What is your I probably know the answer. Your favorite sweet inspiration song. Sweet inspiration. Sweet inspiration. Sweet, sweet, yeah. Inspiration. Yeah. And y'all had the moves down too.

SPEAKER_30 58:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 58:50

Now who choreographed uh all your moves?

SPEAKER_30 58:52

We did our own. We did what we felt.

SPEAKER_02 58:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 58:55

So it wasn't uh It wasn't choreographed. No, no, nobody taught us dance moves or whatnot. We just did what we felt.

SPEAKER_02 59:03

Yeah. It was all natural.

SPEAKER_30 59:05

Natural.

SPEAKER_02 59:05

Well that that's that's sort of amazing. That's sort of unusual. Yeah. Now, before we get to Elvis, we sure want to get to Elvis.

SPEAKER_22 59:12

That's all right.

SPEAKER_02 59:13

We talked a little bit about all the artists that you perform with, backed up their vocals. Not all of them, but uh a lot of them. Yeah, but these people are right at the top of the music world.

SPEAKER_30 59:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 59:26

Talking about Dusty Springfield.

SPEAKER_30 59:28

Dusty Springfield, Jimi Hendrix.

SPEAKER_02 59:31

First, let's go to Dusty. Dusty. Did you son of a preacher man? Son of a pre, yes, we do. Son of a preacher man.

SPEAKER_30 59:35

And you know what was funny about that? Son, son of a preacher man. That song was presented to the sweet inspirations to do. And we did, no, we don't want to do that.

SPEAKER_02 59:45

Did you heard it? Didn't didn't much like it.

SPEAKER_30 59:48

And listen.

SPEAKER_02 59:49

Mr. Still, you'd have still been going to the mailbox. Excuse me. Yeah, you'd have still been going to the mailbox on uh Son of a Preacher Man. Because Aretha did that. Yeah. And you backed her as well, right? On the same song.

SPEAKER_08 1:00:03

Yes, we did.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:04

All right. How yeah, well, we talked about Aretha. And uh what can you tell me most about your uh time with Aretha? Uh great musician, great piano player.

SPEAKER_30 1:00:12

Great musician, great, and a good cook.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:15

And a great cook. Yes. Y'all had a little cooking while you were.

SPEAKER_30 1:00:18

Yeah, we we went to her house on Thanksgiving for Thanksgiving dinner. Okay. But we um with with Aretha, she was just a real laid-back person, you know? Yeah. She just laid back, yeah, you know. Yeah, just a home girl. Just a lot. No pretension. No pretension, no, that's just Saretha.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:35

Yeah. You know. And um, I'm just here with you.

SPEAKER_30 1:00:37

Accept me like I am, or go on, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:40

What would be your favorite Aretha Franklin song that y'all backed her up in?

SPEAKER_30 1:00:45

Uh Ain't No Way.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:48

Ain't no way.

SPEAKER_30 1:00:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:49

And y'all back Miss Saretha Franklin. Ain't no way.

SPEAKER_30 1:00:52

And Sissy did the aha bulgado part.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:55

Yeah. Sissy could get up there. Yes. She should get up there. And uh, but y'all came in there the right place as well.

SPEAKER_24 1:01:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:03

And then uh, yeah, Dion Warwick.

SPEAKER_24 1:01:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:07

Don't make me over. Don't make me over. Don't make me over. That's another Bert Baccherack Hal David. It is, yeah. Uh tune. Yeah. And she did so many with Bert Baccherack and how he passed away now, but well, he was a great music writer.

SPEAKER_30 1:01:20

He was great.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:21

But uh Dion, of course, you were very close with her from the very beginning.

SPEAKER_30 1:01:25

Yeah, from the beginning, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:26

Even before she became Dion. Yeah, before she became who she was, which was uh really one of the biggest uh stars of all time.

SPEAKER_30 1:01:34

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:35

And uh you remember her as uh as a as just being uh a regular yeah and uh she and her mother, her father, her sister and then and their brother. Uh yeah Yeah, just just just folks. Just folks.

SPEAKER_30 1:01:50

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:50

What would she say? Your favorite song that that she did that y'all may have backed her up in?

SPEAKER_30 1:01:57

Probably don't make me old.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:58

Don't make me old.

SPEAKER_30 1:01:59

If I remember correctly, it's a great song.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:02

Yeah. It's a great song. And been covered by many people.

SPEAKER_30 1:02:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:06

Well, what about Wilson Pickett?

SPEAKER_30 1:02:08

Oh, Lord.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:09

Come on.

SPEAKER_30 1:02:10

Land of a Thousand Days.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:11

Land of a Thousand Days. And you backed Wilson Pickett on the Land of a Thousand.

SPEAKER_17 1:02:16

He's crazy self.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:17

Yeah. I heard a lot of stories about Wilson. He also came to muscle shows and did a lot of songs there. But uh was was that in was that recorded in New York? Land of a thousand dances?

SPEAKER_13 1:02:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:30

Okay. Yes. And it was recorded at Atlantic. At Atlantic. Jerry Wexler.

SPEAKER_30 1:02:33

Yes. Okay. And a lot of songs we did, um, we were not there with the artists, but they would send the track in.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:42

I got you.

SPEAKER_30 1:02:42

And we would sing to the track.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:44

Yeah, they would send the vocals.

SPEAKER_30 1:02:45

The vocals.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:46

And the instrumentation. Yeah. And that happened uh quite a bit.

SPEAKER_30 1:02:54

Quite a bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:55

Yeah. But you did meet with you did you were with Wilson Pickett. Oh, yes. Yeah, and then uh we won't go too much in detail of Wilson.

SPEAKER_30 1:03:04

We don't do no DKT.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:05

They said uh I knew I remember Rick Hall at Muscle Show said, Man, you get Wilson Pickett going, and he he couldn't get him to stay in front of the mic. He'd be moving around and driving everywhere and going everywhere.

SPEAKER_30 1:03:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:18

There's a I'll tell you a real quick story. He was in Muscle Shows, and that's an old studio there. Okay. And the carpets were buried, it wasn't too sand, a lot of stuff in it, and Wilson was recording, and he's recording, stomping, and stomping, and he had a little bit of the sand on his on his face. And Rick Hall said, Man, what's happened to you? He said, I don't know. What's wrong? She looked in the mirror and he had all that stuff. He said, Oh, I got a new car. I gotta get a new carpet in. How about Jimi Hendrix?

SPEAKER_30 1:03:45

Jimi Hendrix. Um I think his was sent in by track.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_30 1:03:57

But you did back.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:00

Yeah. Solomon Burke.

SPEAKER_30 1:04:02

Ooh, I loved him.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:04:04

He's a good guy.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:05

What song do you remember uh backing him? He had several hits.

SPEAKER_30 1:04:10

We did what's one that they play all the time on on TV. Oh wow. I can't think of the name of it right now. I'll think of one.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:20

Yeah, well we'll we will um but I knew that y'all had Solomon Burke. And uh we did did we say Van Marson?

SPEAKER_30 1:04:28

Van Marson, Brown Eye Girl. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:31

Do you remember anything at all about that session?

SPEAKER_30 1:04:34

Not really, because it was tracked too.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:36

Oh, it was sent in as tracked. As tracked. So you never really were with Van Marson?

SPEAKER_30 1:04:41

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:42

Okay, they just sent in the track to you. Yeah. All right.

SPEAKER_30 1:04:45

Although we later on we did meet Van Marson and whatnot.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:04:49

But uh we didn't do the recording together.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:53

Right. Did you uh have any initial reaction to Van Marson?

SPEAKER_30 1:04:58

Um not that I can't remember.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:02

He's this character.

SPEAKER_18 1:05:03

Yeah, I can't I can't. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:04

Irish guy.

SPEAKER_18 1:05:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:06

And uh he's prolific. He is still singing and still making album.

SPEAKER_22 1:05:10

Oh, fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:11

But you did, y'all, the sweet inspirations backed up Brown Eyed Girl.

SPEAKER_30 1:05:14

Yes, indeed. That's a big song.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:17

That's a big song. That's a big song. That's a great song, a big song. And one I listen to all the time. Everybody knows it. He doesn't like to perform it too much live. That's what I understand. Well, I think he played it so many times, you know, that he's tired. Maybe going on.

SPEAKER_21 1:05:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:31

So let's let's get to uh The King. The King. And how did how did the Sweet Inspirations, how did how did Joe become associated with Elvis the King?

SPEAKER_30 1:05:43

When he uh finished his uh duties in Germany, his army duties, he was um decided that he wanted to start his live performances again. And he thought, well, I need Some help backup. He really wanted the blossoms.

SPEAKER_38 1:06:04

The blossoms.

SPEAKER_30 1:06:05

Right.

SPEAKER_38 1:06:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_30 1:06:06

But the blossoms was working with Tom Jones.

SPEAKER_38 1:06:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:06:10

And they could not leave Tom to go with Elvis for the length of time that Elvis would need them.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:16

Sure.

SPEAKER_30 1:06:17

But he heard Sweet Inspiration record.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:20

He heard the record.

SPEAKER_30 1:06:21

He heard the record.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:21

Sweet Inspirations.

SPEAKER_30 1:06:23

And he liked it. And he liked the people that were singing Sweet Inspiration. He said, Well, I want those ladies.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:30

Who are those ladies?

SPEAKER_30 1:06:31

I gotta find the Sweet Inspirations.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:32

Yeah, somebody go out and bring them in.

SPEAKER_30 1:06:35

And that that was it.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:36

So that would have been in 69? 69. And that started Y'all's association. Yeah. Because he had heard the song Sweet Inspirations. And uh he couldn't get the bosses, but he got somebody better.

SPEAKER_30 1:06:47

All right. I wouldn't say that.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:06:51

Yeah, this guy, Tom Diskin, used to handle his who is that? Tom Diskin. Tom Diskin? Diskin, D-I-S-K-I-N.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:59

D-Is-K-I-N.

SPEAKER_30 1:07:00

Yeah he used to take care of a lot of his paperwork.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:04

I I never heard that name.

SPEAKER_30 1:07:05

Okay, well he he called us and said that Elvis wanted us to work with the Elvis?

SPEAKER_17 1:07:14

What about Elvis? Yeah, we don't know.

SPEAKER_30 1:07:17

We don't know.

SPEAKER_17 1:07:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:07:18

And we two different, we sing gospel, and he sings. But that's what he wanted. He wanted somebody that sang gospel.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:25

He wanted that. That kind of feeling. Yes.

SPEAKER_30 1:07:28

And that's what happened.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:29

And later on, y'all found that that was right down his lane. Exactly.

SPEAKER_30 1:07:34

And he was right down our lane. We didn't know it, but he was.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:37

Well, tell me about the first time you laid eyes on the king, Elvis Presley, how that happened. Where was it?

SPEAKER_30 1:07:43

We were in um in Las Vegas.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:46

Las Vegas.

SPEAKER_30 1:07:47

At uh Hilton. Not the Hilton. Wow, I can't think of the name of the hotel. But it's it's a Hilton Hotel. Yeah, it was the big, big uh MGM Hilton. Whatever.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:01

Yeah. Where he was uh performing or became, huh?

SPEAKER_30 1:08:05

Where he was performing or he said where he was performing.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:08

Okay, or he had he had already started his engagement, he had not. He had not.

SPEAKER_30 1:08:11

We still have opened the engagement with him, but the first time I saw him, we were at rehearsal. We were at at the um hotel in the showroom, and um everybody gathered for rehearsal. He wasn't there, but we were there, everybody else was there. So here he comes, strolling in. Hi, ladies. My name is Elvis Presley. What? Really?

SPEAKER_21 1:08:46

Oh really? That's who you are, really? Yeah. Okay. Although we didn't act like that, but sure, sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:54

I mean, uh, were you a little bit a little bit intimidated, maybe? Are you just wondering how this is gonna work?

SPEAKER_30 1:08:59

Yeah, I was wondering how how is this gonna work how is this gonna work? He's a rock and roll singer, we're gospel singers, and how is it gonna work? Well, um he came in, introduced himself, gave every each one of us a kiss, and um broke out into the music. And when we start singing, it was like a marriage, right then and there. The first practice, the first rehearsal.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:29

It jived. It just it just connected.

SPEAKER_30 1:09:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:32

You connected with him on a human level.

SPEAKER_30 1:09:34

Correct.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:35

And in and and the and the singing level was uh of the songs and the and the the way it was. You could just feel that it was right.

SPEAKER_09 1:09:42

Correct.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:43

Yeah. And all of you, the sweet inspirations, who would be the group now singing with Elvis? The same the same people? The same people. Okay.

SPEAKER_30 1:09:52

All except Sissy Houston.

SPEAKER_35 1:09:54

Sissy Houston had already left.

SPEAKER_30 1:09:57

Okay. She left because she wanted to groom Whitney.

SPEAKER_35 1:10:00

Sure.

SPEAKER_30 1:10:00

So it would be I understand it.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:02

Three of you.

SPEAKER_30 1:10:03

It would it would have been.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:10:05

So since Myrna and Sylvia has passed.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:10

Yeah. I'm talking about the three of the three of you when you first started with L it was Myrna.

SPEAKER_30 1:10:17

It was Myrnie's, the fourth Swedish Pressure.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:10:20

And then um after the first gig, Sissy left. Oh just left three of us.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:27

Three of us.

SPEAKER_30 1:10:28

Myrna, Sylvia, and myself.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:30

So there were four at first.

SPEAKER_30 1:10:32

At first it was four, but then.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:33

Yes. So uh so how long did Sissy stay uh with y'all performing with Elvis? Uh very short time.

SPEAKER_30 1:10:41

Very short time.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:42

Very short.

SPEAKER_30 1:10:42

She just did the the first uh six weeks we did we did with Elvis in Vegas. The first time he played in Vegas.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:51

All right, can you can you tell me about you told me about the meeting of Elvis, rehearsing, and y'all finding a connection with Elvis?

SPEAKER_24 1:10:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:00

How about the very first show? Live show.

SPEAKER_30 1:11:04

Everybody was totally scared. Just nervous. Nervous. Just nervous. Including Elvis. Yes, including Elvis. And his his being nervous helped to make us even more nervous, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:19

Yeah, because you could sense sense that. Yes, and but this was something different uh for uh for all of you.

SPEAKER_30 1:11:25

I mean, you're talking about uh a venue that's so large and this is this is the first time that we'd ever played to such a large venue, you know, with so many people. And then um he he just when he got out on stage, you would never know he was nervous because it all evaporated. Yeah because he was in his element.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:52

Now it's just me. It's just it's just the singing.

SPEAKER_30 1:11:55

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:56

So yeah, that would be in 1969. Okay. And the crowd was full?

SPEAKER_30 1:12:01

Full.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:02

Completely full.

SPEAKER_30 1:12:03

Completely full from top to bottom. A lot of ladies down in front. Oh God. Oh God. They were everywhere. They were throwing things, room keys, underwear, glass, just everything. They're just throwing everything.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:21

From the very very first show.

SPEAKER_30 1:12:23

Very first show. And so much screaming and a hollering, flashing and flashlights, camera lights.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:31

But it didn't take long for everybody to relax. And everybody got they never did relax.

SPEAKER_30 1:12:36

Oh talking about the uh the band, the band, and so forth. Yeah. We saw him calming down and helped us to calm down, even though we were uh sweet inspirations were leery because we didn't know how we would be received.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:51

Exactly. Can you recall any song from that first concert? Maybe the first song that he did. Can you recall any song? That's all right, Lil Mama. That's all right, mama. Uh-huh. That was the first song that he performed. Yes. Yeah, with uh the Sweet Inspirations. Right. And the in Las Vegas. Right. With a big crowd. Right. That's all right, Mama. That's all right. Well that was right, that was right in that was one of his.

SPEAKER_30 1:13:17

Any way you do, it's all right.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:18

Can you remember any other song from that concert in particular? Oh, so that's okay. Yeah, we got hey, hey Rick, can we get some water? You wanna take a I don't know where he went. He was at this so he is. Yes, yes, sir. Yeah. Uh yeah, I'll be okay, yeah. They'll get you some water, then we'll return. Yeah. We ain't got much more, okay? Okay. Yeah, you are you okay?

SPEAKER_09 1:13:42

I'm fine.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:43

Yeah, well, you you look fine and doing fine. I hope I'm uh Yeah, you're doing good.

SPEAKER_30 1:13:48

Bringing it to you. Yeah, yeah. And uh you're helping to bring my bring job my memory.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:53

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well that's good.

SPEAKER_30 1:13:55

That's good.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:55

I love to do the research and the study of all these people, yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:13:59

You have done that.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:00

Yes, yeah. Well I'm not gonna bring you all the way over here and not uh have done my homework.

SPEAKER_30 1:14:06

You've done your homework.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:07

Yeah. Because uh again, this will be a great and I will sure let you know when we get it all out of fixed up all fixed up.

SPEAKER_30 1:14:15

But he he he he el oh didn't uh during the um when we met first met?

SPEAKER_02 1:14:21

Yeah. Well let's let's wait till we get to you get you some water, then we will uh go back to that.

SPEAKER_30 1:14:26

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:28

Thank you, really. Yeah, can you get it open, Jesus? You're doing great.

SPEAKER_10 1:14:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:01

Yeah, you can just uh take it right here and give it to you when you Okay. So you were talking about the uh we first brought it on the first show that he did, and you said, you need someone Yeah, take your time, man. That's all right, that's all right, Mama.

SPEAKER_30 1:15:15

That's all right, little mama.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:16

And I was asking about any other songs you remember from that first concert. Blue suede shoes. Blue suede shoes, Carl Perkins song.

SPEAKER_29 1:15:25

He loved it.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:25

He did love that song. Well, he had associations with Carl Perkins and Roy Auberson. Okay, and uh J. Lee Lewis.

SPEAKER_29 1:15:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:33

All of them performed at Sun Records, you know, they're in Memphis or for Sam Phillips.

SPEAKER_30 1:15:38

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:38

Blue suede shoes.

SPEAKER_30 1:15:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:40

Don't step on my blue suede shoes.

SPEAKER_30 1:15:41

Yes, indeed.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:42

And that's a powerful one. What would he close with? Uh I was just going to say, uh Probably can't help falling in love with you. Oh, yeah. I can't help but falling in love with you. Yeah. And uh that had to be quite an experience.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:00

It was.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:01

Quite an experience.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:02

It was. I'll never something that like I said, you can take everything I got.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:06

But you can't get my memories. You can't take my memories.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:10

And there you were, right there, the third memory, right there with the sweet inspiration. Yes. With the king, Elvis Presley on stage.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:17

You know what? Everybody calls him the king, but he didn't like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:21

He did not like it.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:22

He did not like that. He said, we have a king, one, and his name is Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:28

Oh, that was powerful.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:30

That was really powerful.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:31

That was powerful. And he let people know that.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:33

Yeah, he did.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:34

We only have one king. One king. That's Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:37

One king. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:38

That's impressive.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:39

Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:39

And that's very humbling. You know, from uh a person who uh really was uh and yeah, he didn't I'm sure Elvis did not like the God hit the God figure that he was. No, he didn't. You know, some of that had to be troubling. It was far. It was uh hard to sustain, that kind of trying to trying to live up to other people's image.

SPEAKER_30 1:16:59

Yeah. That's not that wasn't him.

SPEAKER_35 1:17:00

Right.

SPEAKER_30 1:17:01

You know, so you know, and I I remember a lot of times we used to saw uh something, whatever going on. Hey, hey boss, hey boss, such such a hey boss, we'll be talking with Alice. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm not your boss, I'm your brother. Another powerful, in other words, we made us become families.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_30 1:17:24

The whole entire group.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:27

Well, can Mr. Stell, can you remember the other, some of the other people in the in the band? Was it Jordaniers? Were they there at the Las Vegas or the backup, the men? The um the J.D.

SPEAKER_24 1:17:39

Sumner.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:39

J.D. Sumner.

SPEAKER_24 1:17:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:41

He was there. Stamps Quartet. Stamps Quartet. Yes. So they would perform every night. Every night. Just like the Sweet Inspiration.

SPEAKER_30 1:17:48

Yes. I think it was harder for us, the Sweet Inspiration, because we opened the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:53

Yes. And that that was scary for us. Yeah, it was the first ones to open your mouth and sing.

SPEAKER_30 1:18:01

But we were the first ones to sing. But before they had a comedian, Jackie Cahane.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:07

Jackie Cahane.

SPEAKER_30 1:18:08

He was the comedian.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:09

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_30 1:18:09

He opened the He opened the show. And then we came on, Sweet Inspirations came on. Okay. And that made us, we were very frightened because we first of all we never performed to so many people at one time. And then we didn't know if we were going to be accepted because we're black.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:18:27

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:28

Yeah. And that even at that time in 69.

SPEAKER_30 1:18:32

It was even worse in 69. But then nobody bothered us.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:18:36

Elvis wouldn't have it.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:38

We wouldn't allow it. He would not allow it. No. Yeah, I I hear a story once that y'all were because you did travel with Elvis.

SPEAKER_11 1:18:44

We traveled everywhere, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:45

And at one venue, the promoter, did not want the sweet inspirations on the stage.

SPEAKER_30 1:18:51

That's what he did. They wanted Elvis to come. You can come, but you can't bring those black girls. Yeah. Elvis said, okay, if I can't bring them, then I can't come.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:02

So if you don't, if you can't have the sweet inspirations, you can forget about me. That's right.

SPEAKER_30 1:19:06

Well, did the Harry on change their mind?

SPEAKER_02 1:19:08

Yes. I understand that the daughter of the promoter had to drive y'all. Had to drive y'all around. Yes, he did. Yes, she did. Isn't that ironic?

SPEAKER_30 1:19:17

That is that's that's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:19

Well, that's a you thought I'm not the kind of person he was.

SPEAKER_30 1:19:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:22

As we said a while ago, he didn't see color.

SPEAKER_30 1:19:24

No.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:24

He he looked at the spirit and the soul of people. Exactly. He was he was that was not what I was.

SPEAKER_30 1:19:29

I wish she was like that. I wish she was like that, Arthur. I really wish it was like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:34

We could use and if we don't get anything else out of this interview, I guess the main thing we can say right now is why can't we be like that?

SPEAKER_30 1:19:41

Hey, why can't we?

SPEAKER_02 1:19:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:19:42

That's how we were created.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:44

Yes. So why can't we be why can't we look past prejudices and the things that uh we've got more things.

SPEAKER_30 1:19:51

Where do all that come from anyway?

SPEAKER_02 1:19:52

Yeah. That comes from the wrong side. You better believe the wrong side. You better believe. Because uh we know we know that's not part of what our making is.

SPEAKER_30 1:20:01

That's not not what God, that's not that's not what God intended.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:04

No matter. You know, so I'm glad we got that in because I think that's important to see what uh what we're talking about here with the man, with a person, yeah, with a human being.

SPEAKER_30 1:20:14

You know what I say? You say the piano has more sense than we have. Look at the piano. Black and white keys.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:23

Yeah. Beautiful, man. Beautiful. There's a song, beautiful. There's even a song called Ebony and Ivory.

SPEAKER_30 1:20:28

Ebony and Ivory.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:29

Yeah. A great song. Paul McCartney, I think, and Stevie Wonder.

SPEAKER_30 1:20:32

Yes, Stevie Wonder, yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:33

Ebony and Ivory.

SPEAKER_30 1:20:35

Ebony and Ivory.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:36

We'll have to put that in our show, Ebony and Ivory. Uh the other band members, do you remember anything about the other? I know James Burton from uh Streepport.

SPEAKER_30 1:20:47

Yes, Shreeport, that's one of the Buddy.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:49

Your buddy. Yeah. Okay. Um he played uh obviously the lead guitar.

SPEAKER_30 1:20:54

Yes, he did. Ronnie Tutt, the drummer.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:56

Yeah, who?

SPEAKER_30 1:20:57

Ronnie Tutt.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:58

Ronnie?

SPEAKER_30 1:20:59

Ronnie. R-O-N-N-I.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:01

R-O-N-N. Ronnie.

SPEAKER_30 1:21:02

Ronnie Tutt. Glendy Harden. Glendy Harden.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:05

Glendy Harden, okay.

SPEAKER_30 1:21:06

Piana. Jerry Schiff.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:08

Jerry Schiff. On the bass.

SPEAKER_30 1:21:10

Uh Glendy. Horn sections? Horn. I can't don't know what I know. The lead horn, Marty Harrell.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:18

Marty Harrell.

SPEAKER_30 1:21:19

Yeah. The conductor, Joe Gershio.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:22

Joe Gershio, the conductor. Yeah. And those that core group stayed together?

SPEAKER_30 1:21:28

Everybody stayed together.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:29

And the mo and uh on the shows there. On the shows.

SPEAKER_30 1:21:32

Every show. Everywhere we went.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:34

And also when you went to the other day. But you never went overseas.

SPEAKER_30 1:21:40

Never went overseas. And uh not not because we didn't want to. Not because Elvis didn't want to. The Colonel couldn't.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:48

The Colonel? The Colonel Parker. Well, I was gonna get to Colonel Parker. And uh you you don't have to to go into that. I don't want to go into that. Yeah, we don't want to go into that. I didn't figure you wanted to say because you're a person that you ain't got anything good to say about somebody.

SPEAKER_30 1:22:00

I don't have nothing to say.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:01

Yeah, don't say that.

SPEAKER_30 1:22:02

I don't have nothing to say.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:03

Yeah, well, you know what? I appreciate that. We'll move right on past Colonel Parker and move and move right on. So uh how many uh days a week did y'all perform there in in Vegas? Uh how many days a week? Was it six days a week? Seven days a week. Seven days a week.

SPEAKER_30 1:22:20

Every day.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:21

Every day. Yeah, no time.

SPEAKER_30 1:22:23

No time.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:24

How many shows did you do every two. Seven days a week. Two shows a day.

SPEAKER_30 1:22:29

We did a dinner show and a l uh eight o'clock, later show.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:34

How many years did y'all do that? Uh oh.

SPEAKER_30 1:22:38

I can't, let me see. How many years? From 69 to I know I worked with him for 69 to 77, but I know we didn't stay in Vegas all those, did we?

SPEAKER_02 1:22:52

Yeah, I know, yeah. 69 to 70.

SPEAKER_30 1:22:55

78 years.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:57

Yeah, I was I was gonna ask. Well, where where did where did the Swedish spirituals live during this time? Did y'all have an apartment or no?

SPEAKER_30 1:23:04

Everybody stayed where they lived. I lived in in California.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:09

Okay, I'm talking about during your Las Vegas when you performed every night. Where would y'all go?

SPEAKER_30 1:23:14

When we left?

SPEAKER_02 1:23:16

No, yeah, every night. Every uh every night. Yeah, would you all go to a home or an apartment or Oh we stayed in a hotel? Stayed in the hotel. Yeah. So everybody had a room.

SPEAKER_30 1:23:23

Everybody had a room.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:24

In the hotel. Yes. So that made it convenient.

SPEAKER_30 1:23:26

Yes, very convenient.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:27

Yeah, for everybody. Did you each have your own room?

SPEAKER_30 1:23:29

Everybody had their own room.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:31

All all the band members.

SPEAKER_30 1:23:32

Everybody had their own room.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:23:34

Well, that was uh Except if you had company, you know, invited somebody to come to be, but everybody had their own room.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:43

Right. And Elvis had the suite.

SPEAKER_30 1:23:45

Elvis had the suite.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:46

Yeah. Yes, he did. And tell me a little bit about after after a show in the one of y'all's shows, what what what took place after some of your shows?

SPEAKER_30 1:23:55

After the show. We thought we thought that was it, you know, the end of the show. But no, it was the beginning of a new show because we would go have to go to Elvis' room and we sit up almost all night long singing gospel.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:10

So he would get a lot of the people, and he would uh take you up to his suite. Up to his suite. Because he wanted to relax and play and play and sing a little gospel.

SPEAKER_30 1:24:20

Right. And that's what we did all night long. Every night.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:24

Would that be a lot of the band or just some of the some of the people?

SPEAKER_30 1:24:27

Some of the people.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_30 1:24:28

Sometimes the band, all the bands, sometimes not.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:32

I bet you ate pretty good too.

SPEAKER_30 1:24:34

Oh, God, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:35

He had all kinds of food there. Oh yeah. But uh he probably seemed like a point he didn't want to be alone too much, you know. Correct.

SPEAKER_30 1:24:42

That's how I felt.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:45

Okay. Well, you told me about going on the road. Uh you remember much about some of the venues that you went on the road or any particular venue or is it anything else?

SPEAKER_30 1:24:55

No, I don't remember particular any particular venue, but I re remember that everywhere we went was really nice. We stayed in the best hotels. Yeah. We, you know, did the played in the best venues. It was just nice.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:11

Yes. So everything was taken care of?

SPEAKER_30 1:25:13

Everything was taken care of. You know, you get to where you had to be, and uh somebody would meet you, give you your key. Your room was already, all you had to do is take your key and go to your room. Did somebody come and get your bags, take them to your room? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:29

Do you know who handled his logistics like that? Make sure everybody had a room, make sure everything was done right. I know it had to be more than one person.

SPEAKER_30 1:25:36

I think it was um Mr. Diskin and what's his name? It wasn't Colonel.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:45

Right. Yeah, because it this takes uh a lot of work, a lot of uh and you said maybe Diskin? Tom Diskin. Tom Diskin. Probably Hannibal, and he probably had a a whole group of people working with him to do that.

SPEAKER_18 1:25:59

I'm quite sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:01

Well, let's let's get to uh I think a question that I asked you when we were in the library when you did your talk, which was a great talk, by the way. From your point of view, what kind of person was Elvis when he was off the stage, off the lights, away from the limelight? What would you say the essence of Elvis Presence?

SPEAKER_30 1:26:23

This is just me p speaking personally, because I I really don't know. But I think Elvis was just a lonely person.

SPEAKER_27 1:26:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:26:31

He didn't have room time enough to be himself, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:38

He had to be on.

SPEAKER_30 1:26:40

He had to be on, uh he had to be on to, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:45

There was the the king over here. Right.

SPEAKER_30 1:26:47

And there was the person trying to try to figure out the way through all of that. Trying to figure out what am I supposed to be doing? Why do why do I have to go through this? Why why can't I just be me?

SPEAKER_02 1:26:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:26:59

You know.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:59

And I think you said at the library that you think he probably would have been a preacher.

SPEAKER_30 1:27:04

I do. I believe that. I believe in my soul that he probably would have ended up being a preacher.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:13

Do you remember anything about Priscilla, his wife? Do you remember ever meeting her?

SPEAKER_30 1:27:19

I met her. And I all I can all I can say about, she was a very nice person. She was very cordial to me, to all of us. Yes. You know, she was a very, very nice person. She still is.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:32

Yes. Okay, yeah, I know she's still going. Yeah. And of course, I know the daughter. Yeah, Lisa. Lisa Marie has just passed away.

SPEAKER_13 1:27:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:39

Did you did you know Lisa Marie? Did I know Lisa? Okay, yeah. Yeah, here we go.

SPEAKER_30 1:27:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:46

Lisa had a little bit of dad in her, huh?

SPEAKER_30 1:27:48

Yeah, she did. She did. Lisa would call me every morning when we was in Vegas. About six or seven o'clock. Still.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:27:58

Lisa, what did you want? I I I I I I want to go to circus circus. You want to go to circus circus.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:07

How old would uh Lisa Marie been at that?

SPEAKER_30 1:28:09

Oh about very young, seven, eight.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:28:15

If that all.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:16

And I'll and since you're on that, I do remember you telling a story about when Sissy Houston was was performing with you that she would bring Whitney as a small child.

SPEAKER_30 1:28:26

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:26

And you said you remember babysitting for Whitney Houston.

SPEAKER_30 1:28:30

I did. But not not on the road. This is at home.

SPEAKER_36 1:28:34

At home?

SPEAKER_30 1:28:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_36 1:28:35

At their house. At their house. Okay.

SPEAKER_30 1:28:37

They used to go to their house to babysit Whitney. This is sometimes Sissy had to do something else.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:44

Could you tell early on about her what Whitney I didn't know, had no idea that she would be She just a baby.

SPEAKER_30 1:28:51

Yes. I didn't know she would have no idea that she would reach the plateau that she did reach, but I didn't know did know she had the ins instinct in her because she would take a broom and sing the boom. That would be her microphone.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:29:06

You know.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:07

Do you have a favorite Whitney Houston song?

SPEAKER_30 1:29:11

Children of Future.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:13

Children of the Future of the World.

SPEAKER_30 1:29:15

Give it a sense of pride.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:17

Great song. That may be one of my favorite Whitney Houston songs. He also had a girlfriend, Linda Thompson. I don't know if you're. You remember Miss Linda? She was on Hee-Haw for a while. And I think she wrote she wrote some songs herself, I think.

SPEAKER_30 1:29:30

Yeah. I can't remember what they were, but she did.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:32

She had quite a life. Yes. I think she married Bruce Jenner.

SPEAKER_30 1:29:35

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:36

I think Elvis had a relationship with her for I think one of the bodyguards that was the bodyguard's sister. Yeah. And that's how that became familiar. Yeah. Do you remember anything about her much, Linda Thompson?

SPEAKER_30 1:29:49

Not not really, you know, because we didn't associate with uh his companions or whatever. But we we knew them.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:59

We were cordial to each other, but did you notice towards the end? And I think uh if you can uh help me here, towards the end uh here in maybe 1977, that Elvis did not want to go to the studio and record. Okay. And he actually RCA brought the equipment in to the jungle room. Were you in on the jungle room sessions?

SPEAKER_15 1:30:23

I was there.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:24

You were there?

SPEAKER_15 1:30:24

But we never recorded.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:26

They never recorded anything. Okay. Did they have all the recording? All the stuff just there.

SPEAKER_30 1:30:32

Yeah. But uh they didn't we didn't record, I guess, because Ellis didn't come down. He was upstairs in his room. But he didn't come downstairs.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:41

He didn't he just uh at that time. Well I heard there was a couple of songs that he maybe finally did called Hurt.

SPEAKER_30 1:30:51

Hurt.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:52

Yeah. Uh you remember that song?

SPEAKER_30 1:30:54

No, we didn't. I remember it from the stage. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:57

Not from from the not from the recording session, the jungle room recording sessions. Right. And then another song, It's Easy For You, which was written by Andrew Lord Weber and Tim Rice. It's Easy For You. That was another song that he did. Did he ever do that one? I never heard of that. Okay. Evidently he must have come down and did a little bit after. But I yeah. But uh towards the end, could you see that things were sort of sort of deteriorating?

SPEAKER_30 1:31:24

With Elvis, I look just like with all of us, we get, we, we, we slam, we gain, we slam, we gain. You know, that's I never thought anything in my wildest imagination. I would never think that um there was something physically wrong.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:46

So tell us about the end when uh the sweet inspirations, when you heard about Elvis had passed away. Yeah. Can you tell us uh briefly?

SPEAKER_30 1:31:54

We were going to we were on our way to a gig. I can't even remember where it was. The his last gig that he never didn't do.

SPEAKER_05 1:32:04

Right.

SPEAKER_30 1:32:05

Well, we we were in flight and uh the airport radioed the pilot to come back. And um they made the announcement, no, but they stopped so we stopped somewhere and they asked everybody to get off the plane. For what? Now what? You know, and uh my Marty Harrow, the drummer, I mean the horn player, he said, y'all have to get off because I got something to tell you, but I can only say it one time. So, okay, so everybody got off. And uh he said, I had to tell you, I have to tell you, Elvis made his transition. Elvis did what? Yeah, Elvis died. No, he didn't. Yeah, yeah, you know, no, come on now. Enough is enough. Yeah, but it we knew it had to be something because the plane had to land before we could continue.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:19

So it was just it was almost an unreal situation.

SPEAKER_30 1:33:23

You never So we got the the plane was all we were always loud and laughing and talking, having fun. But at this time when we got back on the plane, it was total silence.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:34

Right. Had to be a difficult time. It was for all of all of y'all. For everybody, yeah. Because he was such a a life force. Yes, yes. And uh y'all had been around him very personally for a long time. Well, Mr. Stale was. For me, it was eight years. Yeah. Well, let's uh we'll wrap this up, and maybe I can ask you to remember your most favorite Elvis song that uh that sticks with you that you can remember.

SPEAKER_10 1:34:03

How great thou art.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:04

How great thou art. That's a great one to finish on.

SPEAKER_10 1:34:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:08

You think he he preferred singing the gospel song?

SPEAKER_30 1:34:12

I do. I believe he did. I believe he did. Yeah. I believe he did. Excuse me. Because when he sang a gospel song, you could see his emotions. Right. You know, so well, Mr.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:27

Stale, is is there anything that I haven't asked you that you would like to uh talk about? Uh I tried to cover a pretty good history.

SPEAKER_19 1:34:35

Uh you did.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:36

And a long, a long time of your career. You did. But what a great, great career you had. Yes, I have. And uh what a great life.

SPEAKER_30 1:34:43

I'm having.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:44

Yeah. I'm sorry, yeah. You still have it.

SPEAKER_30 1:34:46

I'm still having it.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_30 1:34:48

Because I'm still here.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:49

You're still here, and you're still having a great day.

SPEAKER_30 1:34:50

There you go.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:51

And uh and I wish you well in what whatever life brings you along. Thank you, sir. We may start another singing group. I can do a little elvis.

SPEAKER_30 1:35:01

No, don't know. Don't don't do that. Don't do that. Start a singing group, but don't be Elvis, please.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:08

That's a great advice. That's great advice. Please. Be yourself.

SPEAKER_30 1:35:12

Yeah, be yourself. Real. That's about a great advice as that's what I tell the ETAs.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_30 1:35:17

You know, they want to know who's who's the greatest Elvis for. I said Elvis.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:22

Yeah. So all the impersonators.

SPEAKER_30 1:35:25

Right. I I I applaud them. I give them A, I give them E for excellent, but they're not Elvis.

SPEAKER_37 1:35:32

They're not Elvis. And and never will be.

SPEAKER_30 1:35:35

Some some of them get so involved until you never know who they are.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:41

Yeah, and they don't.

SPEAKER_30 1:35:42

They don't even know who they are. They think they're Elvis, but they're not Elvis.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:45

They're not Elvis. And that's gotta be not healthy.

SPEAKER_30 1:35:48

Right, exactly. Not healthy. That's what I say.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:50

Yeah, of course. You gotta be who you are.

SPEAKER_30 1:35:52

You have to be.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:53

Yeah. And that's what I like so much about how you, you know, just the spirit you have, and uh you can feel that, you can sense it, you can know it.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:01

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:02

That you are real. I think that's true. You know you are real. You're who you are. And even though you were around some of the greatest musicians of all time, you sang with some of the greatest songs of all time.

SPEAKER_22 1:36:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:13

But you are still who you are.

SPEAKER_22 1:36:16

I'm just who I am.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:17

And very humble.

SPEAKER_22 1:36:18

That's how God made me.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:19

That's how God made you.

SPEAKER_22 1:36:20

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:21

We're so thankful that you came today and really appreciate your time.

SPEAKER_30 1:36:25

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 1:36:27

What a true honor it has been spending this time with the legendary Miss Estelle Brown of the Sweet Inspiration. Your voice, your story, and your incredible journey to music history have been nothing short of inspiring. Thank you, Miss Brown, for sharing your heart, your memories, and your music with us today. And to all of us, thank you for joining Mike for the world special conversation. I'm Martin, and this was going to be another memorable moment on the Mike Don't go until next time. Keep the memories alive and take care, everybody.