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- 4 years ago
After the Show with Karl Reed
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00:00Detroit what's up welcome to our first very first Mason and Star after this show podcast we keep
00:08talking about it you're here you're hanging out with us I got my man D what's up peace peace
00:13what's going on can they see you on camera I'm thinking on that camera oh they got this under
00:19control shout out to we big time Detroit what's up so for our premiere podcast who better to be
00:28our first guest then I call him a star a legend from Detroit when I first started hearing about
00:35him I was dreaming because he was the best hairstylist I had ever heard about in the D
00:41everybody was talking about Mr. Carl Reed but not only is he a hairstylist he's a vocalist R&B and
00:48at that kind of soulful groove he's got that cover too and it seems whatever he touches he masters
00:54so I'm gonna bring in my man Mr. Carl Reed welcome to the Mason and Star thank you for having me I'm
01:02happy to be here today how are you how long have you been singing I've been singing since I was a
01:09child actually and um in high school I used to do some talent shows and I would write songs with no
01:16music and um I got into hair and I had a passion for hair and music and I was um Sherelle's hairdresser
01:24for years and then I used to one day I just told her you know I'm not gonna do your hair anymore unless
01:29you get me into the business and she took me serious on that so we um flew to Minneapolis she had
01:37to do an award show with Alexander O'Neill and I met Jimmy and Terry and um um from there we traveled
01:43over to London to do Alex's never knew love like this music video and she introduced me to Alex and
01:52he uh one day called me outside after we were doing the shoot and just out of nowhere said you know
01:56Sherelle said you can sing so I want you to be my background singer and I said well you know I don't
02:02you know just like talking to be talking so if you're serious you know you got to you know show me that
02:08you're serious because I'm a serious individual and he looked at me like you know do you know who
02:13you're talking to and you know but he got the understanding that I was serious he said well
02:17I'm gonna call you out of the audience in Detroit when I do a show in two weeks with um Gladys Knight
02:23at Masani Temple he said I'm gonna see what you're all about and he called me out and I went up on
02:27stage and did my thing and then that's when my music career started wow you said you meant
02:32Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis yeah I used to do Terry's hair him and his wife and um um Sherelle introduced
02:39me to a lot of entertainers wow so I did Pebbles Whitney Houston oh man and more let me let me let
02:46me try to explain to you okay back in the day hairstylists like Carl Reed were like superstars in the hair
02:54industry women would wait hours hours do you hear me to get their hairstyle by Mr. Carl
03:02B he is an educator he is like a superhero of hair he said he did Sherelle's hair Sunday Monday
03:08Tuesday we know Sherelle with Alexander O'Neal so all the stars go to this man right here for hair
03:15and he told Sherelle I'm not gonna do your hair anymore unless you get me in the music industry
03:20which I love this story and he does hair so well she was like okay I gotta do what I gotta do because
03:24once you find a hairstylist that you love you're gonna do what you need to do to keep that hairstylist
03:29so then Alexander O'Neal hears him and it's like whoa now who else have you worked with
03:35um musically or musically um Keith Washington he Keith Washington and I are very close friends
03:42and we are we've written songs together and he's really been a big mentor um um
03:50Ali Woodson of The Temptations I used to do his hair and Ali you know he he and Alexander really um
03:56um took in um took me under their wing and taught me stagemanship and then Obie Benson from The Four
04:03Tops he uh helped me craft my songwriting and then I've had my vocal lessons with Dorinda Twinkie and
04:11Karen Clark the Clark sisters what was that like it was something else like what tell me they they
04:18they work you tell me a challenging moment when you went whoa they they serious um one challenging
04:24moment one time was when I remember a class I had with Dorinda and she was teaching me how to breathe
04:31and she was trying to show me how you have to keep wind in your lungs at all times because you never know
04:37when you need to hit a high note so you got to have the wind so she's teaching me how to do get these
04:42breaths every time you say get it and you know she was like I was like I'm trying she was like you
04:49gotta have it there you know and then as time went along I mastered it every every moment you can get
04:54when it comes to seeing that you can fill your diaphragm up with air you got to get it because
04:59you never know the emotion you're going to have and what you want to build out and if you don't have
05:03the air to build it it's not coming out it's not going to come out right anyway that's real wisdom
05:08that's true that's why a lot of performers are lip-syncing now D because they don't understand
05:13that when you make a record in the studio and you try to perform it live on stage you got to be able
05:18to breathe and dance and sing and that's just a gift that real artist performers understand tell me
05:25some more your inspirations musical inspirations um Alexander really is my my biggest inspiration um
05:33with him touring for years he was um a master of entertaining and I remember one period we were in
05:44England on a tour for like three months and we started at Scotland and we worked our way all
05:49way down through the UK to London was the last city and when we got to London we were sold out for 18 nights
05:56in London at the Royal Albert Hall and another place called Wembley Arena and we would have we
06:05would do like two shows two or three shows and have a night off and when we at the Royal Albert Hall
06:10it's like Carnegie Hall in New York it's the most prestigious concert hall to be in and this one
06:16particular evening on the song if you were here tonight we would the background vocals would leave the
06:21stage so I would always stand at the side of stage and watch Alex because I and he used to tell me
06:26he said you're going to be there one day he said just don't never give up so this one particular evening
06:30he comes off the stage and he walks by me he says what the hell you looking at I'm looking at you he
06:36said you better keep your eyes on me he said where your boys at he said I said I don't know he said you
06:40pay attention he said when we go in this audience tonight I want you right by my side I mean I want you
06:45directly by my side I'm like okay so when we go in the audience we're walking through we're singing
06:51fake the last song of the show and he's like leave right you're pulling the mic away leave right you're
06:57still here and he's supposed to stay right here he said pay attention to what's going on and he was
07:02showing me how to direct the bodyguard in front of you which way to go you touch the left shoulder he
07:10goes to the right you touch the right shoulder you're moving to the right put your hand on him he stops put
07:15your head push him in the back he keeps moving forward so he was teaching me how to get through
07:18the audience and that your so your security would know where you're going and also how to to work
07:25the security to keep the women off of you you know so that was very inspiring and then the other
07:30inspiration I had mainly was um that really got me into music my parents were friends of Motown
07:37Smokey and Claudette were my mother's friends so they were always over our house when we were little
07:41and my aunt she had some footage somewhere of me sitting on Smokey's lap while he's singing and um
07:48when David Ruffin died I went to the funeral and I walked up to Smokey and I guess it was just the
07:53wrong time I tried to explain to him who I was but he wasn't he wasn't there mentally to be hearing that
07:58from me but I said one day I hope that I get to meet him again right if you listen to some of my music I
08:03have traits of Smokey in my song and it's not by design it's just how it comes out but you know they would be
08:10over to our house and I could remember the miracles Bobby and Claudette and then my father and Marlon
08:15were friends so um a lot of times my father used to take me to this place called the 20 grand it
08:21used to be up on 14th talk about it 14th and um and forest and um they would put me in like a little
08:30closet where they kept a liquor and I would look out and watch the Motown acts before they go on the road to do the
08:36Motown review I would see them all up there performing and then my grandparents would take
08:41me to the Motown reviews at the Fox Theater when the temps used to have the five microphone poles
08:46stand yes so you know all that stuff you know when I was young I always wanted to be
08:51an entertainer I always wanted to be a star I don't care about the fame end of it I just like to be on
08:58stage and I could do hair well so you know it was like there was my stage and for the longest I've had
09:04two careers crashing against each other like right now this music is booming I mean it's on other
09:10radio stations and everything but at the same time I tried I was trying to get out of here and my
09:16clientele is banging I'm like oh my god here we go again every time I try to get out of here
09:22it is and the thing is my clients you know they came to my review I had a release party for my first
09:28two singles and my clients were all worried they're like you know well what are we going to do let's
09:33cross that bridge when we get there I said hopefully I'll just be you know leave out on Friday don't do
09:39here Friday and Saturday do your Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday do my shows Friday Saturday and Sunday
09:44you know leave out Friday we want to go do an interview do a show then go to the next city
09:48like that but I got to get out of here at some point I'm 45 years in it and and I'm like I'm still I'm
09:54still happy doing here you know it's a it's a hard profession but you know I've mastered it you
09:59know I've taught everybody work for all the companies been the national educator and educational
10:05director for so many companies but and they call me now trying to get me back out there I'm like nope
10:09I got something else when I say I'll be calling you guys back shortly let me get this single to blow
10:14up like I wanted to then I need you guys to endorse it you know what I mean well speaking of that single
10:19your hair uh clients they might have to worry or you're gonna have to train somebody to be robotic
10:24like you because I think this is gonna shine from Detroit um I love the the style of it the groove
10:32of it let let's let's talk about your project your latest song the concept where did it come from
10:37and tell them the title okay well I have two songs I know it's a two song go ahead start well in the
10:43moment go ahead okay in the moment um um was a song the title was given to me by Michael Mendergaard
10:50the guy that makes my music or some of my music okay and um when I first heard the track I told him
10:56what I wanted something once I wanted something house ER and B and so he gave me that and first
11:01I couldn't feel it I said Mike I'm not feeling and he said you need to go listen to it in your car
11:06I said I'm not hearing the stank on it man he said go listen to it in the car and when I once I got
11:10in the car and have the bass line on it I'm like oh this is dope you know so um he gave me the title
11:16he said write something about in the moment about right now so that's where that concept came from
11:22and um anywhere you want it that's my song but go ahead right please explain this concept that's
11:28check it out this is wisdom D this is real wisdom no no meaning this some love go ahead tell
11:34them what the song is anywhere you want it it's just a song about um a guy who um who has this
11:42lady that he really digs and no matter what she wants or how she wants it he's going to give it to
11:47her and please it to her no matter how it is where it is or when it is anywhere you want it you can get
11:53it you can get it on the bedroom floor on the wall against the door in the shower between the sheets
12:01anywhere you want it you can get it from me I love that I love that but we have other songs they're
12:06not I mean they're they're they're recorded and they're going to come out what we're doing we're
12:10releasing two songs at a time and hopefully we'll have the whole project out by first of the fall
12:16so I got another song I love you baby oh it's bad and another song called so fine
12:21and I was I was trying to contact someone so I could give you all those songs just to have
12:25them but I can when we get done I can do it from my phone okay all right those songs are something
12:30else those are um all of them have been you know I recorded them over the last two years
12:34but we decided to release these two in the moment and any way you want it first in the moment
12:40is more of an international type of song you know um the the house DJ some of them play it but
12:46I'm taking that matter of fact and I'm having a friend of mine he's going to put a different
12:50house beat on it so uh once the company approves it then it'll be out and this it's going to take
12:56in the moment to a whole different level so I'm going to have a radio version and the club version
13:00that club version is going to be roof
13:03see and he you're thinking wise because a club DJ is a certain beats that they mess with
13:08versus just the way the song comes out if it's not matching to be your DJ yeah it's harder to get
13:13the song played but I you have the Detroit I call it Motown special gift from God DNA
13:21you write you write you write your lyrics correct yes so what what tell me your process
13:29um lyric writing is deep and um and the funny thing yesterday on my facebook page I got a um a pop-up
13:39from um her and she has a new songwriting course that you can take over your phone and I'm considering
13:48taking it because I like how she writes right but I've written a lot of book I've read a lot of books
13:55on how to write songs and I've learned the importance of hooks and phrasing so when I write you know
14:03like I got a song now that I got from um that I've been working on for the last two months I've
14:09written two songs to this music already and they're nice but they're not the ones they're nice and then
14:15after I listen for it for a couple of days I'm like I need something cold and they're cold-blooded but
14:21to follow up what's out right now the next song that I write it has to it has to come over the top of
14:28that one you know and if they have to connect and um the um song is actually a ballroom and step-ins
14:35right and um the writing of this song is is is is is giving me hell sometimes I can write a song in
14:43an hour and a half sometimes it may take a week sometimes a couple days sometimes it may take four
14:48or five months songs have to be nurtured like a flower you have to you have to plant them you have
14:54to have the right soil you got to water them and feed them make sure they get sunlight and you have
14:59to constantly watch the growth of it and to see what it needs and what it don't need it's not just
15:05like poetry you have to really really nurture a song and build it from the bottom to the top until every
15:11part of the song is in your mind a hit song even though it might not be one you pray that it is but
15:20that's how I write I write first thing in the morning like about 5 36 o'clock when I wake up I
15:27usually spend the first 10 or 15 minutes in the morning if I'm going to write I spend 10 to 15
15:32minutes and write what I can in 15 minutes and I'm done to the next day or the next time I have
15:37a feeling sometimes in that 10 to 15 minutes if it's if it's grooving right I make one extra 15
15:43minutes then I put the put put the pen down because when you wake up that's the best time to write
15:49you have nothing else on your mind and writing is like uh say a scuba diver you dive into the ocean
15:56you dive down and you see the treasure and when you get down to the treasure you know you can't
16:01hold your breath but for one minute so the next time you go back down you will try to figure out how
16:07fast can I get down to the bottom can I take a bag to get some of the treasure up
16:11the next time you go down you'll figure out how to take a net and a bag and scoop it up and take it
16:17back up until you learn how to do more within a minute's time to get more accomplished that's how
16:24you write that's Kyle Reed y'all that's some wisdom right there I love it and the thing is you know um
16:32I just don't want a song out I want a Grammy and the thing is I've been wanting one bad and I've been in
16:40the music since 88 with Alexander and you know I'm six I'll be 62 this year and I shouldn't tell
16:46you how my age I know I don't look like black don't cry period you look right never too late you know
16:54for everybody listening it's never too late you know you you strive and you know it's in God's plan
17:00when you when you when you pop out because I have I've had people why he wait so long you know or you
17:05know you know people so I remember this one guy I used to go to Baker's all the time doing karaoke
17:11and this guy used to work for Motown one day he had the audacity to tell me that I can't sing he
17:16said you're a hell of a writer but you can't sing I'm like you must be out your damn mind okay and
17:21then everybody in the place where I saw I did ooh baby baby by Smokey right killed the joint right
17:26and so when I got done I said did everybody like that and they like yeah I said can I seen this like
17:31hell yeah that's how you handle that and then I looked at him like uh-huh and walked on away
17:37you know I mean but he would always compliment me on the songs all right because a lot of times I
17:41would sing my songs at at karaoke trying to build my brand right and my right and my fan following
17:47but that that tripped me up to hear something and then I've had other people tell me that you know
17:50why you wait so long or you know you know it's too late for and I said man you know if you ain't got
17:55nothing positive to say you know keep it moving bro you know I'm on a mission you know and you and and
18:00speaking of your mission when I found out that I would have the opportunity to interview you
18:05first thing I said to myself was he is so aggressive he is so active shows every time I'm
18:12looking because I look at Facebook all the time and I always would see you working pushing your
18:19product your brand you believe in it you're the kind of artist that I want to support it's so
18:24important that people people think it happens overnight they think it's instant success but it
18:29takes consistency with excellence and that's I think what you present all the time so I am so proud
18:36of you thank you please tell Detroit how they can hear all of your music all your platforms break that
18:42down well I'm on all social media platforms Instagram and I am Carl Reed Facebook Carl Reed
18:48Twitter at Carl Reed um Spotify iTunes Apple Music Pandora um YouTube it's everywhere you know I mean
19:00and there's more to come it's a lot more to come I mean for what's out there right now I love it but
19:05I love what's coming and um especially this new song I'm working on I can't wait to get done with this
19:11and the song is called I can't wait and I mean if you just think about it you know I can't wait for
19:16what just think of what I can't wait for it could be I ain't gonna give up too many of the clues
19:21but the track is dope and it's like it's it's a ballroom and steppers track I had the BPMs put where
19:26you could step in a ballroom to it and um it's it's it's like if you um it's it reminds you of something
19:35that Neo would do musically but it's um it's with the Carl Reed style of singing and I'm and you know
19:43the each song I've written two songs to this music but I use the same singing style styling the song
19:50that um that I'm going to write on with the new words to the new lyrics to it and I'm just excited
19:55about this song coming out I'm excited about the whole project this this has been a long journey these
20:00these past two years um and it's something for new artists that are coming you have to be patient a lot
20:06of people you know I've had in the in the last few weeks people say well you know I don't see what the
20:11record company's doing for you know it's not for you to see okay number one number two um you know
20:17people look to see they want to see you know did you get a bonus a signing bonus or you know where
20:24are you playing at and all that and the thing is it takes time you have in this in this business
20:28especially at the age that I am you have to understand what patience is all about it's not
20:33going to happen overnight your brand has to be built you have to get your company to believe in
20:38you and back you 100 percent like for example if I was younger and signed a label with Luther well
20:43who you think they're going to put their interest in Luther right I'm gonna sit up on the shelf until
20:47Luther dies down he said well let's see what we can do with him yeah well I've been patient so now I'm
20:52the priority on the label you know at this time and I don't want I want to remain the priority so I
20:58got to do and say the right things at all times around all the companies people to make sure that
21:04that's my boy you know what I mean because that way you stay in the pocket doesn't matter who comes or
21:09who goes I got to be right front and center so that I get this goal accomplished you know it's it's not
21:15we're not there yet we're just at the beginning I Carl know you have an open door with us know that I
21:23appreciate I feel like your family I mean really you are a legend when when when the company told
21:29me I was having an interview with you you know I was like oh this is going to be fun you know
21:33because I had interviews they were just like oh god what are we talking about right you know
21:38but this is exciting you again I just can't you just a jewel from Detroit and we're going to support
21:45you um I just keep doing what you're doing D I'm sorry because I invited you in no you good
21:51any questions you said you wanted a grammy how come like what is the I want to win a grammy so
21:57other people come to me so I can write their songs ah okay okay and you know I don't care about the
22:02trophy I mean I've got I mean it's so funny I've had so many trophies from here and won competitions
22:08and when my ex and I got a divorce I threw all the trophies in the in the trash mister because
22:13they're just going to sit there you know I mean I got the memories here you know I don't care about
22:17no piece of metal I want to say I did it I did what it takes to win one now who needs me to write
22:23for them because I can't I'm not going to be able to sing and keep this look for another 20 years
22:29I'm getting older so I got I got them taking advantage of it right now and I got people calling
22:34asking me to write for them and I got a few folks on hold because I want to get this project done
22:39but um that's that's the main reason I want a grammy I want to be able to walk across the stage
22:44and accept the grammy and have my detroit swag that's what I'm talking about
22:48I'm talking about with a white rhinestone come on yes we deserve it it's time with some glass
22:56heel shoes yes they're like old school claim it it's coming it's yours in detroit we need that love and
23:03thank you for representing us again in excellence whether it was hair music whatever you touch
23:09again you master in excellence so when you all have an event that you need me please call we got
23:14you we we are we are connected know that you yes yes so thank you won't be dissatisfied oh I already
23:22know okay you're a gift from god from detroit to the world thank you and your example when you talk
23:29about what it takes for you to do what you do that's the message god wants delivered to these
23:34younger people you understand so it's deep and you're doing what you need to do and you're shining
23:40thank you very much and we're going to have a grammy party
23:42sending them out to the grammy because i see it i claim it no listen one more thing to you all
23:47don't mind i'm performing this thursday friday and saturday with um lauren harper he has the uh soul
23:53of r&b musical at mary grove okay so i'm going to do one song each night um one of my new i'm gonna do
24:01i love you baby one of the new songs that's on this that's that's not on the actually see that you
24:05have it's going to be on the project all right so i'm going to do that song each night so if you all
24:10really want to hear me sing um come out and um support um this musical coming up and for all you
24:16hair designers i have a um a presentation i'm going to do on how to become a platform artist an
24:22educator coming up at the smg show um uh you can give me a call and i'll give you that information if
24:29you all don't mind go ahead 248-910-6101 if you want to become an educator a platform artist give me
24:36your call i'm gonna give you a seminar on that coming up in i think it's may may the 17th i
24:41believe it's on a monday but call me and i'll give you the information told you guys busy working doing
24:46what you do to be successful thank you for being on the first mason and star active show podcast my man
24:54thank you what's up detroit carl reed we're going to the grammys i'm claiming it detroit
25:01and i want to mention my my videographer can you come so that we can see him because he look cool
25:07music group is in the house what up dog what up dog jd to be here man they call me tommy briggs i'm
25:15here supporting carl reed man i've been following him for a long time and he's a big brother of mine
25:20and a great singer and i appreciate y'all for having him on here hey carl reed the world is
25:25yours i know that's right carl reed detroit music listen to support local music speaking of local
25:32music though carl the record label that's showing you this love right this blue rivers records right
25:38here from detroit and um you can go to blue rivers.com that's blue rivers with the s r-i-v-e-r-s blue
25:47rivers records that's my record label that supports me and local detroit artists we need
25:53to support them remember home of motown blue river records next motown coming from detroit again thank
26:00you blue rivers blue rivers thank you thank you amazing star at the show podcast
26:06mwah mwah peace peace out y'all we out listen to the music all right