Eagle Harp

Story by: Gail Nobles
Intro by: Gail Nobles

The hardest working man James Brown. His songs made hits and now they are beyond hits. His songs are still being played. There is music in his name as I speak it. I can still sense the sound of him. It’s hard to say that his songs are oldies because everybody keeps on listening. They keep on listening to that sound of James Brown. I can still hear the cheering crowd. There are still people that imitate the man behind the microphone stand. There is still great love coming from his fans wanting more of his voice and loving his band. The band and the backup singers. James Brown, Godfather of Soul. Some call him Mr. dynamite. I call him gold. He could dance, slide, glide, and move. His music was funk. It had bass and horn in the groove. He's a legacy, and there is nothing left to prove. James Brown, his music still survives. DJ’s still spin his records like he's alive.

You're listening to the sound of Eagle Harp. In the window of his wings, the instrumental sound remembering James Brown. I'm Gail Nobles.

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Story by: Gail Nobles

James Ingram - I heard James Ingram say that he came up in the word of God and in gospel music. He said he was a musician and started playing around 12 years old. James and Michael McDonald wrote the song Yah Mo B There. I heard James say that a lot of people to this day didn't know that they were talking about God. Rod Temperton and producer Quincy Jones also were involved in writing the song. The song originally appeared on Ingram’s 1983 album It's Your Night. The song peaked in 1984 at number 19 on the U.S. Hot 100 chart. The performance earned the duo in 1985 Grammy or Grammy award for Best R&B Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals.

When I heard the song Yah Mo B There, I figured it was about God from the way the song was written. It is a contemporary R&B song, but I heard the message as a gospel. It's good that the song was written.

I'm Gail Nobles and you're listening to Eagle Harp.

Music intro: By Gail Nobles
This Podcast features music created using Drum Pad Machine. Available on the App Store, https://apps.apple.com/us/app/drum-pad-machine-beat-maker/id1057968965.

Today's topic is the Isley Brothers. I'm Gail Nobles, and you’re listening to Eagle Harp. Celebrity and music news. I'm going to talk to you today about a family musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Junior, Rudolph Isley, and Ronald Isley.


Do you remember the Isley Brothers popular song Shout? For a long time I didn't know they were the same group that I heard in 1985 singing Caravan of Love. Shout was a popular song written and originally recorded by American vocal group the Isley Brothers. In 1959, the Isley Brothers had a different sound and style back then. Shout was the fourth single which became the first single to chart on the Billboard hot 100 and sold over 1 million copies.
In the 1960s, the group recorded songs for a variety of labels including the top 20 single Twist and Shout and Motown single This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) before recording and releasing the Grammy Award winning hit Its Your Thing on their own label T Neck Records.

Today those records are still spinning. Radio Stations are still playing those songs.
And what about the Isley Brothers in the 1970s? Do you remember the Top 10 hit single "That Lady" and a UK Top 10 cover of "Summer Breeze?” What about hits like “Fight the Power” and “For the Love of You?”

Before music videos in the 80s, I only remembered hearing all those songs from radio, and I never knew what the Isley Brothers really looked like. When the 80s came along, I became interested in watching music videos and began to see more of the faces of music. But before seeing the Isley Brothers on video I first heard Caravan of Love from radio in 1985. It was a 1985 R&B hit originally recorded by Isley-Jasper-Isley. After breaking away from the family group, the group (notably Chris Jasper) wrote and produced this single intended to reach audiences by presenting Christian believes in his music. The song became the trios biggest hit going to number one on the billboard R&B singles chart and number 51 on the Billboard pop chart in 1985.

The Isley brothers has a long career in music. In 1985, the original Iskeys trio of O’Kelly, Rudy, and Ronnie signed with Warner Bros. Recirds and recorded and released the album masterpiece. Shortly a year after its release Kelly Isley died from a heart attack while battling cancer in March 1986. The remaining duo of Ron and Rudy release the Angela Winbush-produce albums Smooth Sailing in 1987 and Spend the Night in 1989.

And do you remember Ron Isley in the 1990s he recorded solo material he gained popularity as video villain Frank Biggs (or Mr. Biggs) in the music video for R. Kelly's hit "Down Low”.

There was a lot of past members of the Isley Brothers. Rudolph, O’Kelly, Vernon, Marvin, and Chris Jasper. The members now are Ronald and Ernie Isley.

Well I hope you have enjoyed today's topic. To find out more about the group and what they are doing today go to officialisleybrothers.com.

Music: Passion HiFi
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Giant Wings Flapping: Pixabay.com
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Photo: Wikipedia Public Domain

Voice Actor: Gail Nobles

Hello! I’m Gail Nobles. I’m going to take you into Retro News. Today’s topic: Redd Foxx. A stand up comedian & actor who left us at age 68.

Voice actor: I’m 65!

You remember Comedian Red Foxx who played a crabby junk man on the 1970’s television series “Sanford and Son”. He died after suffering a heart attack on the set of his show. Let’s go back to when he was alive.

On stage, Redd Foxx was kind of X-Rated. But I knew him mostly from the television series “ Sanford and Son” playing as the junk man.

Voice actor: I’m Fred!

Redd Foxx was born John Elroy Sanford. On Sanford and Son, he portrayed Fred G. Sanford and starred in The Red Fox Show & The Royal Family. His film projects included All the Fine Cannibals (1960), Cotton comes to Harlem (1970), Norman .. Is That You 1976), and Harlem Nights (1989).

It is said that Redd Foxx was shy, sensitive, a writer, and poet. Della Reese, his friend who also left us and co- starred on The Royal Family said that not everyone knew he was a poet. He wrote beautiful music and was a loving man. I’m sure his friends & family knew him best.

It was sad news to find out that Redd Foxx had passed away. I knew the television Red Foxx when he was clowning and joking. Watching him taught me a little bit about comedy, & he gave me the medicine of laughter.

I found out that Redd Foxx had financial and tax problems. Even at the time of his death he owed taxes. But now he doesn’t have to worry about that world anymore. That means no more heart breaks for Redd Foxx.

You’re listening to Eagle Harp. I’m your host Gail Nobles.

Hello! I’m Gail Nobles & I want to talk to you today about how this podcast, “Eagle Harp”, got its name. The podcast name has the name Eagle Harp because it’s a podcast about music. But there’s a bird called the Harpy Eagle. It is a very large eagle. A bird that is as tall as a person. When I first saw the Harpy Eagle in pictures, I had to look very closely to see if the bird was really real. Well, the bird is real and also beautiful. I’ve never seen a bird like it in all my life. The claw and beak is bigger than a normal size bird. It’s a bird I don’t think I want to see in my backyard. To tell you the truth, the bird almost looks like a person in a costume because it’s head is large and the height of the bird is just amazing. So seeing the Harpy Eagle is what inspired me to name my podcast Eagle Harp.

If you visit Pinterest, you’ll see all kinds of pictures of the Harpy Eagle, and also in Google images. If you just type in “Harpy Eagle”, in the Google search engine, you’ll find info about the bird ….

Music intro: by Gail Nobles
All vocals by: Gail Nobles

Song: I Just Want To Be Your Everything
Song by: Andy Gibb


I Just Want To Be Your EVerything is a song recorded by Andy Gibb released in 1977. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on the week ending 30 July 1977, and again for the week ending 17 September 1977. It was Gibb's first single released in the United Kingdom and United States.

“I Just Want to Be Your Everything" was written by Barry Gibb in Bermuda as well as "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" with Andy Gibb credited as co-writer on the latter. Andy Gibb was such a cool, young, & handsome singer. He was the younger brother of Barry, Robin, and Maurice who went on to form The Bee Gees.

Gibb came to prominence in the late 1970s through the early 1980s with eight singles reaching the Top 20 of the US Hot 100, three of which went to number-one: "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" (1977), "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" (1977), and "Shadow Dancing" (1978). In the early 1980s, he co-hosted the American music television series Solid Gold. ..

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Hi! I’m Gail Nobles & you’re listening to Eagle Harp. Today’s topic is Sugar Hill Records. The Hip Hop Label founded in 1979 by Sylvia Robinson.

The label's first record was "Rapper's Delight" (1979) by The Sugarhill Gang, which was also the first top 40 hip hop single. The Sequence was the first female hip-hop trio signed to the Sugar Hill Records label in the late 1970s and Early 1980s. I remember Cheryl The Pearl, Blondie, & Angie B. And there was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and Treacherous Three just to name a few.

Sylvia Robinson produced several music videos & a young Spike Lee making his first music video for the song “ White Lines” (performed by Mille Mel and the Furious Five). The label closed down in 1986.

A long time ago, a film about the Sugar Hill Records co-found Sylvia Robinson had been announced by Warner Bros. according to a news site. Paula Wagner, who was acquired the rights to Robinson’s life story will be working on the script. I hope the movie will be made. I’ve been waiting a long time to see it. I haven’t heard or seen any updates about the movie.

Well, that’s all for today. Im going to wrap it up. Tune in again next time. Thank you for listening.

Song: Jam
Song by: Michael Jackson
Photo credit: Luiz Fernando Reis
Usage: CC BY 2.0
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Podcast vocals: Gail Nobles
Music by: Gail Nobles

Jam is a single by singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. The song is the fourth single from his 1991 album Dangerous, where it is the opening track. It also appears as the second track on his 2009 This Is It compilation album. "Jam" is a new jack swing song whose bridge features a rap verse performed by Heavy D.

The music video of the song featured NBA basketball legend Michael Jordan. The song was also featured on the Chicago Bulls 1992 NBA Championship video "Untouchabulls" and was also used in many promotional ads of the NBA. The single peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2006, reaching number 22.

I thought the music video was hilarious. The music video for "Jam" takes place within an abandoned indoor basketball court, where Michael Jackson teaches basketball legend Michael Jordan how to dance, and in return, Jordan teaches Jackson how to play basketball.

You’re listening to Eagle Harp. I’m you’re host Gail Nobles.

Song: Ready or Not
Song by: The Jackson Five

Music by: samplefocus.com
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Keyboardist: Gail Nobles
Piano and Hard Rock Guitar
Vocals: Gail Nobles

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Today’s topic: The Jackson Five. Ready or Not Hear I Come ( Can’t Hide From Love). It’s one of The Jackson 5 songs in the album, Third Album. It’s a cover of one of the songs from Delfonics. It was written by Thom Bell and William Hart and was produced by Hal Davis. The Jackson Five’s The Third Album was released in 1970.

I was a baby when I heard songs from the album and Ready or Not was one of them. I don’t know what it was about the songs that made me sit quietly to listen. It was the background singing that stayed in my mind the most when I wasn’t hearing the record. Over and over again, I was hearing Michael sing background with his brothers for the chorus. I was at the age I couldn’t talk & I don’t remember singing with the record, but I do remember hearing.

I’m Gail Nobles & you’re listening to Eagle Harp. Today’s Topic: The Jackson Five: Ready or Not.

Music: No Limit Jean Terrell
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R&B and Jazz singer Jean Terrell. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in Jan. 1970. She is the sister of the former WBA heavyweight boxing champion Ernie Terrell, who fought Muhammad Ali. Jean was guided by her family to sing, and it was in the late 1960s that she and her brother formed a group called Ernie Terrell and the Heavy Weights.

Motown president Berry Gordy discovered the 24-year-old Terrell in 1969 in Miami, Florida where she was performing with her brother at a club. Gordy first signed Terrell to Motown as a solo artist, but then decided to drop her into The Supremes as Ross’s replacement along side Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong. Terrell made an instant impact fronting the new Supremes. With the group, she sang songs like “Up the Ladder to the Roof” & “Stoned Love”.

Jean Terrell started a solo career. She sang songs like “I Had to Fall in Love”, No Limit, and more. These songs came from “I Had to Fall In Love” album which was her only solo album released in 1978.

You’re listening to Eagle Harp. I’m your host, Gail Nobles.

All voices by: Gail Nobles
Music: deep swirl sound - Samplefocus.com
Keyboardist: Gail Nobles
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Voice 1: Hello!
Voice 2: Hello!
Voice 1: Todays topic
Voice 2: The Weather Girls

Martha Wash and Izora Armstead. They were known as the Weather Girls singing, Its Raining Men. Formed in 1976 in San Francisco California. The Weather Girls began their musical career as Two Tons O’ Fun, the female backup duo for disco singer Sylvester. After years of limited success singing back ground for Sylvester, the duo was signed in 1979 to Fantasy Records. The Weather Girls were launched into mainstream recognition following the release of their best-known selling single, “It’s Raining Men” in 1982 which became their first number one dance song. Paul Shaffer was the writer of the song.

Izora said, “ We’ve always worked with Paul Jabara. He’s the one that called us and said that he had a song for us, and we came over his house. We thought he was nuts. We learned the lyrics and went to the studio and did it in about 2 1/2 hours, and we didn’t know the song was going to really do what it did.

Paul Jabara wrote the song in collaboration with Paul Shaffer. It’s Raining Men was a number - one dance hit in the United States, and reached the top ten in various other countries worldwide.

Martha mentioned, “ First of all, they hear some good singing.”

Izora mention, “And then they noticed some large gorgeous beautiful women.”

When Izora was asked about a message in music, she said, “Positive. Always look for that hope and pull from the inside because you need all the strength that you can to face everyday life.”

You’re listening to Eagle Harp. I’m your host, Gail Nobles.

Music by: Samplefocus.com

I remember when Donna Summer was the hottest performer.

She said, “ Mahalia Jackson is the. Person that I really molded myself behind as a child.”

Yes, Donna was a great singer, and I wish I could have seen her in more movies. One of the movies that she starred in was “Thank God It’s Friday” in 1978. It was an American musical disco comedy film directed by Robert Kline and produced by Motown Productions and Casablanca Filmworks for Columbia Pictures. Donna Summer performed “Last Dance” which won the Academy Award for Best Original song in 1978.

Donna mentioned, ..” Some film work I hope and developing. I’m studying to become a director myself. So I have my own little video studio set up at home.”

Donna Summer was a great actress too from what I have seen. Sometimes she would act in concert while singing her songs & she change her voice. I miss Donna, and she was fun to watch. To me, she was an awesome singer & movie star. Also an awesome songwriter.

I’m Gail Nobles & you’re listening to Eagle Harp.