So i have had a very busy two weeks. The one thing about my shows is you never know what you are gonna get. I say that about the stage and the audience. The show we had at BB Kings had over 600 people inside who paid and no telling how many people snuck in or was on the infamous list. This was the biggest venue by far that i've headlined in New York, so i was definitely nervous. We would have had a good time even if it was two hundred people, but it made a statement that a completely independent soul artist could bring that kind of turn out. My jaw dropped when i walked out on that stage that night. Such a beautiful crowd. I couldn't see much with the lights on my face, but once and awhile i was able to take in all around me.. wow is all i can say. I flew Dwele in as my special guest, and we performed "Hold On" together. This was only the second time we've done this, and i clearly don't see this being the last. He's a real good brother, and the conversation we had on the way to the airport the next morning was just as important as the performance we shared. I will fill you in on that convoe one day. I also had Algebra Blessett open for me. The funny thing is i called her only two days before the show to see if she would come up and do it. The fact that she worked it out and came up says a lot about the kind of person she is. Not to mention she did a great job. Now if we could only get that album out.
We sold a ton of cds that night, and would have sold even more if BB Kings allowed us to sell the cds ourselves. But thats not their policy and they wouldn't budge. All good though.. One thing i didn't like was the number of email names on our mailing list. I have often said I'd rather have your email address than your 10 dollars for one of my cds, cause if i have your email address i have a connection to you. Almost everything that we've built is based off of the email list and emails in general. i would've loved to have had 600 email names that night, but that's just me being me. My staff did a great job though. We all had our hands full. To work for me you have to wear many hats. One second your selling cds, booking shows, organizing interviews, etc..
So now i am home for a week before i head to LA and start the shows all over again. We have Houston, Dallas, Baltimore, Philly, St. Louis and Seattle over the next three weeks. I plan to be a lazy bum until I leave, but I'm sure that will be impossible. But I'm working on it. Hahahaha..
Oh, on a very sad note. We lost a powerful soldier in the music game the other week. Ken Batie, the legendary radio DJ in Atlanta GA died in a car accident. He was one of my very first supporters I had in radio. I always enjoyed going to the station to holla at Ken, and his door was always open. He would instantly make you feel at home and will be truly be missed.
