Stay tuned to meet a couple
whose lives were transformed
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by the power of the Holy Spirit
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through the
witness of little Richard.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis.
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And you're
watching Urban Report.
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Hello, and
welcome to Urban Report.
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Recently, Danny Shelton and
I interviewed Little Richard
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and in the audience
was his close friend
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and bass player, Jesse Boyce.
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Jesse and his wife Asieren
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consented to do
an interview as well.
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Jesse is a phenomenal musician
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and a Dove and
Grammy Award nominee.
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He studied classical piano,
organ, electric bass guitar,
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and drums at Sterling High
in Greenville, South Carolina.
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He and his wife
Asieren love the Lord,
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and have started
keeping the Sabbath
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due to Richard's influence
in their lives and of course,
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the Holy Spirit's promptings.
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I was so
impressed with the Boyces
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and wait till you find
out about their journey.
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Take a look at this.
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This is a first
for Urban Report.
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We never have an audience.
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And now today,
we have an audience
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so what a
blessing it is to be here.
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We are actually in
Shelbyville, Tennessee.
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And earlier, Danny and I
interviewed Little Richard.
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And right now I have the
privilege of interviewing
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Jesse and Asieren Boyce.
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Yay! Thank you.
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Thank you, Yvonne.
Oh, yes, thank you.
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Now, Jesse, you have
such a unique testimony
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because you have
been with Little Richard
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also we call Brother Richard,
Brother Richard Penniman.
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You have been with
him for so many years,
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tell us about...
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First of all, let's
find out about your journey.
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Where were you
raised? Where were you born?
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What was your life like
before you became a musician?
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As long as I can remember,
I've always been a beginner
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as a musician
because I started playing,
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as the little Richard
talked about black folk music
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which was called
R&B prior to that
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it was black folk music.
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The music that
became what we now know
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as country music was
then black folk music.
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I see. I never
heard it called that.
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I never heard it
called black folk music.
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Yeah, it started out
with the old black musicians
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who played the blues and
with some of the same riffs
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and things like that.
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And I was born in
Asheville, North Carolina,
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Buncombe County, moved to
Greenville, South Carolina,
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where when I became
cognizant of who I really was.
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I knew my name and
became really involved
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with my family.
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I had an uncle who
played that kind of,
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that style of
music, who had a...
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What we call back
then a string band.
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A string band
was very similar to
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what you would see on Hee-Haw...
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Oh, wow. Back then.
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And he had one where we
would travel on weekends
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in the trains
with the amber lights,
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it was very dim on
those lights at night,
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but I can remember as a child
traveling all over the South
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and Northeast
going to play with them.
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And what
instruments did you play?
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I started out
guitar just playing
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I had a little red guitar.
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And my uncle took
such an interest in me
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because I stuck with him 24\7.
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When he would fish on weekends,
I was there even though
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I made up a bunch of noise
and he couldn't catch one fish.
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I just wanted to be
near him and learn from him
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because I was so
happy that someone took
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an interest in me and wanted
to teach me how to play music.
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So instead of having to
take his guitar all the time
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when we were at home,
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he would turn the
big acoustic piano around
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so I could learn to
play while he played.
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And so when my family realized
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that I had an
interest in piano as well,
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they insisted that I take piano.
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So I learned to
play classical music
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up until age maybe 17
or 18 through high school.
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But I wanted to play
everything that I heard
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on the radio
particularly, Little Richard.
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So you were
familiar with Little Richard
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before you even
went to play in his band.
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I was very much
familiar. You were a fan.
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And I would say,
maybe around age 12, 13,
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he used to come to Greenville.
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And he would come to stay with
one of his favorite musicians
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as he said he would come
and practice with and hang out
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with this gentleman
by the name, Esquerita.
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And whenever I could
sneak in on a rehearsal,
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if I couldn't get any
closer than the front porch,
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I just wanted to see
what they were doing.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Because they they had
to going on that thought
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and I learned a lot
from the two of them
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in that regard.
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So that got me interested
in and I wanted to play music
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as a jazz musician as
well, as a church musician.
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So I started playing
at church at age of 11.
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We had a family group
called, the James family.
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We used to travel around.
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We used to open
up for the people
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like Shirley Caesar, Sam
Cook, the five black boys.
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Yeah.
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All these groups
that would come through,
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we feel so blessed.
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I was like, "I can't
believe I'm doing this."
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But because someone
took an interest in me
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and mentored me, I was
able to do that with my family.
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So skipping ahead, I did
get to play with some major acts
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who came to our town...
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Such as?
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The impressions, Jackie Wilson,
Mary Wells, Major Lance...
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Oh, yeah.
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People like that
who had come through,
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they would look for
the younger musicians
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'cause they don't
have to pay as much.
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And when they have
musicians that were missing
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or couldn't make the
show, they knew who to call.
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So they would call on us
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and so I got the
exposure early, early, early.
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By getting that
exposure it prepared me
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for what would happen
maybe it was so years later
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which is where I met
Little Richard in 1970.
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Wow.
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And I was in the
hospital, in Muscle Shoals,
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I had gotten a
position there with Rick Hall,
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a FAME recording studios.
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If you've ever seen
the movie Muscle Shoals,
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you'll see some maybe
some cool little shots of me
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being like real skinny with a...
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Some hair.
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With some hair and all of that.
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And my point being is that
I was ill when Richard came,
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I was so upset.
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I had bronchitis and pneumonia.
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And when Richard
realized that I was not there,
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he insisted that I come.
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They told him I
was in the hospital.
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And I got a word that he
insisted that I be there.
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So I said,
"Okay, I'm going." What?
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You sent yourself
out of the hospital?
00:09:09.21\00:09:10.75
I sent myself
out of the hospital,
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made it over to the
studio of FAME Recording Studios
00:09:13.11\00:09:16.89
and played on this great
record called The Real Thing.
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And it has some other great,
great records on there as well.
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But it was one, this
record Richard allowed us
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to compose along
with him in the studio.
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After the session was
over, Richard called myself
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and few members into
his room and he said,
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"You guys are so good.
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You made my
record so much better
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than it would have been."
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He said, "I just
want to thank you, baby."
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You know, and he
was so nice and he said,
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"I want to ask you something."
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He said, "Would you consider
going on the road with me?"
00:10:01.10\00:10:05.70
And I said, "Wow."
00:10:05.73\00:10:09.27
That was like a dream
come true for you, isn't it?
00:10:09.30\00:10:10.64
Oh, I'm like...
00:10:10.67\00:10:12.01
I've heard him
saying I've watched him
00:10:12.04\00:10:14.48
on black and white TV.
00:10:14.51\00:10:17.08
I've heard him do "Whoo!"
00:10:17.11\00:10:19.91
Yeah. You know, all that.
00:10:19.95\00:10:21.28
I said, "I just need
to check with my family,"
00:10:21.32\00:10:24.72
Check with my family.
00:10:24.75\00:10:27.12
So once I did that,
00:10:27.16\00:10:29.69
and they thought
that it would be okay.
00:10:29.72\00:10:34.03
I took full advantage of it
and he moved us to California.
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And then we spent most
of our time in New York
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because that's where
most of the work was.
00:10:43.24\00:10:46.07
So the journey
with Little Richard,
00:10:46.11\00:10:50.18
I must say exposed
me to the music industry
00:10:50.21\00:10:54.98
in so many different ways.
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I had access to
the rest of the world
00:10:58.25\00:11:01.12
because we traveled everywhere.
00:11:01.16\00:11:04.33
But I want to jump to
something that I think
00:11:04.36\00:11:07.93
is really
crucial to share with you
00:11:07.96\00:11:10.77
about watching Little Richard
and how you impacted my life
00:11:10.80\00:11:15.70
as a musician because
even when we were on the road,
00:11:15.74\00:11:18.97
I was in the church.
00:11:19.01\00:11:22.31
Going to church
on Sundays, you know.
00:11:22.34\00:11:24.65
And I thought, "How
am I going to continue
00:11:24.68\00:11:29.58
to manage this 'cause we
had to go out on weekends.
00:11:29.62\00:11:34.12
And kind of found out
00:11:34.16\00:11:36.09
that Little
Richard went to Sabbath.
00:11:36.12\00:11:40.40
And I was like, "Thank God."
00:11:40.43\00:11:43.50
So every Sabbath, we had
a chance to go to church.
00:11:43.53\00:11:48.24
I didn't get to go every time,
because I might be overwhelmed,
00:11:48.27\00:11:53.38
tired or whatever,
00:11:53.41\00:11:54.81
but every
opportunity that I had.
00:11:54.84\00:11:58.31
My clothes were
ready the night before.
00:11:58.35\00:12:01.35
'Cause I knew that the
van would be waiting outside
00:12:01.38\00:12:05.12
and blown for us
regardless of what was going on.
00:12:05.15\00:12:08.36
So we had an opportunity
to travel around the world
00:12:08.39\00:12:12.83
and still be in
church in that environment.
00:12:12.86\00:12:17.47
One of the major
things that happened
00:12:17.50\00:12:19.40
during that process was
that Little Richard called on me
00:12:19.43\00:12:23.10
and asked if I would
put a band together for him.
00:12:23.14\00:12:25.91
This was later on
say like '83, '84.
00:12:25.94\00:12:31.78
I was in college.
00:12:31.81\00:12:33.62
And I skipped, because
00:12:33.65\00:12:35.45
this is the next
major thing that happened.
00:12:35.48\00:12:38.69
When Richard came off the
road and stopped playing R&B
00:12:38.72\00:12:44.99
and rock n roll,
he called me first.
00:12:45.03\00:12:49.06
I was in college and he said,
00:12:49.10\00:12:51.37
"Jesse, I would like you
to go back to Muscle Shoals
00:12:51.40\00:12:54.80
and put a band together for me."
00:12:54.84\00:12:58.21
I'm like, "Me?
00:12:58.24\00:13:00.81
You want me to put a
band together for you?
00:13:00.84\00:13:03.31
Yes, I can do that."
00:13:03.35\00:13:05.48
So I went back to Muscle Shoals,
00:13:05.51\00:13:07.68
I got Travis
Wammack, I got Wayne Chaney,
00:13:07.72\00:13:10.85
all these great
musicians from Muscle Shoals.
00:13:10.89\00:13:13.89
And what's his name, Wammack...
00:13:13.92\00:13:18.19
Travis.
00:13:18.23\00:13:19.56
Travis Wammack and
we went, the first...
00:13:19.59\00:13:22.80
Then we did was California.
00:13:22.83\00:13:25.10
And then he felt so
good about what we had done
00:13:25.13\00:13:29.20
and putting the band together.
00:13:29.24\00:13:30.71
And was this playing
gospel or was this playing R&Bs?
00:13:30.74\00:13:33.38
This was playing R&B. Okay.
00:13:33.41\00:13:36.58
But then like he said he
was kind of like back and forth
00:13:36.61\00:13:41.72
at that point.
00:13:41.75\00:13:43.85
When he got his
first opportunity
00:13:43.89\00:13:45.95
to do a gospel album,
00:13:45.99\00:13:48.16
it was the most exciting
thing that could happen for him.
00:13:48.19\00:13:52.09
Yes.
00:13:52.13\00:13:54.73
He invited me again
to put the show together
00:13:54.76\00:13:59.73
and the music
together and write the music
00:13:59.77\00:14:02.94
to go do a gospel
album in Europe, okay?
00:14:02.97\00:14:08.08
So here I am in
Europe with Little Richard
00:14:08.11\00:14:10.91
and we're doing a gospel album
and they were insisting on him
00:14:10.95\00:14:16.32
doing some R&B on this record.
00:14:16.35\00:14:18.99
He didn't want to.
00:14:19.02\00:14:21.52
And the enemy was so
emphatic about him warning him
00:14:21.56\00:14:27.83
rather to do some Rock n Roll.
00:14:27.86\00:14:30.27
And he said, "I
didn't come here for that.
00:14:30.30\00:14:33.37
I came here to
give God the glory.
00:14:33.40\00:14:35.84
You said that you...
00:14:35.87\00:14:37.21
We were going to come
here and do a gospel record."
00:14:37.24\00:14:42.44
And they kept
the pressure on him
00:14:42.48\00:14:45.21
for like four, five days.
00:14:45.25\00:14:47.98
And he called me to
his room and he said,
00:14:48.02\00:14:50.15
"Jesse, I can't do this.
00:14:50.19\00:14:51.99
I've made a commitment to God
00:14:52.02\00:14:54.09
and I'm going to stick to this."
00:14:54.12\00:14:57.33
And he said, "I know
that I can make more money.
00:14:57.36\00:15:00.66
They'll add another
50,000 or whatever."
00:15:00.70\00:15:04.97
But he stuck to it and he said,
"You know, what I'm going to do
00:15:05.00\00:15:08.04
and I'm not telling anyone else.
00:15:08.07\00:15:10.64
But I'm leaving."
00:15:10.67\00:15:12.87
He made sure that we
had access to a ticket home
00:15:12.91\00:15:17.21
and all that but he
had to leave to come
00:15:17.25\00:15:21.85
from beneath all of the pressure
00:15:21.88\00:15:24.12
about doing this record.
00:15:24.15\00:15:25.49
But that's when
he had the wreck.
00:15:25.52\00:15:27.52
You remember? Mm-hm.
00:15:27.56\00:15:29.02
He had the wreck.
00:15:29.06\00:15:31.29
After he left Europe?
00:15:31.33\00:15:32.86
Yeah, so he left Europe.
00:15:32.89\00:15:34.63
He was so afraid that someone
was going to try to hurt him.
00:15:34.66\00:15:39.43
I mean, really, you know,
messing with him physically
00:15:39.47\00:15:42.50
or whatever he...
00:15:42.54\00:15:44.57
Drove his car back to...
00:15:44.61\00:15:48.14
He went rather into the
airport to pick up his car.
00:15:48.18\00:15:52.31
I think he had...
00:15:52.35\00:15:58.12
it's a little sports car.
00:15:58.15\00:16:00.22
And he wrecked it.
00:16:00.26\00:16:02.06
And that's when he got...
00:16:02.09\00:16:03.43
Messed up his
knees, and all that stuff
00:16:03.46\00:16:05.29
what you just see
him struggling with now.
00:16:05.33\00:16:08.56
Because his battle
with the enemy was that
00:16:08.60\00:16:11.83
if you don't do what I say
to, then I'll take you out.
00:16:11.87\00:16:15.17
And that's sometimes
is what we have confronted
00:16:15.20\00:16:19.61
with as Christians.
00:16:19.64\00:16:21.78
From confronted
with giving up our lives.
00:16:21.81\00:16:25.01
Yes.
00:16:25.05\00:16:26.38
Sometimes, when we
don't do what the enemy says
00:16:26.41\00:16:28.88
and Richard had made up his mind
00:16:28.92\00:16:31.25
to say no
regardless to what it took.
00:16:31.29\00:16:33.96
Yes.
00:16:33.99\00:16:35.32
How did seeing him
take a stand for Jesus,
00:16:35.36\00:16:39.79
how did that impact
your spiritual work?
00:16:39.83\00:16:42.56
It impacted in every way
because I took the same stance.
00:16:42.60\00:16:48.27
All right. From that point.
00:16:48.30\00:16:51.14
And I saw that
God can deliver you
00:16:51.17\00:16:57.05
from intimidation, sickness,
00:16:57.08\00:17:02.02
and anything else
that may come against you.
00:17:02.05\00:17:05.02
We want you to choose God 100%.
00:17:05.05\00:17:08.92
And it changed my
life because when I saw him
00:17:08.96\00:17:14.06
with his tongue cut off.
00:17:14.10\00:17:17.30
And he is and literally
his tongue was cut off.
00:17:17.33\00:17:22.70
The enemy meant to take him out
so that he can never sing again
00:17:22.74\00:17:26.61
but look at him now.
00:17:26.64\00:17:27.98
Yes. Praise the Lord.
00:17:28.01\00:17:29.41
Do you see what I'm
saying. Yes, indeed.
00:17:29.44\00:17:30.78
So to be able to look
at an example of a man
00:17:30.81\00:17:34.68
who was willing to walk away
00:17:34.72\00:17:37.09
from everything
for Jesus Christ.
00:17:37.12\00:17:40.79
Yes. Yes.
00:17:40.82\00:17:42.56
How can one not follow
00:17:42.59\00:17:44.96
such a serious
disciple as this man.
00:17:44.99\00:17:48.10
Praise the Lord.
00:17:48.13\00:17:49.46
So I started to
change my own transition
00:17:49.50\00:17:56.27
and I went back to Seminary.
00:17:56.30\00:18:00.71
Had a great business,
we're making hit records,
00:18:00.74\00:18:05.88
dance records, and
reassigned Bobby Jones,
00:18:05.91\00:18:11.62
and some of you may know
him, we had Shirley Caesar
00:18:11.65\00:18:15.86
on our label and all of
that, but we stopped, right?
00:18:15.89\00:18:19.46
And we went to college.
00:18:19.49\00:18:23.00
And we graduated from undergrad
and then I went to Vanderbilt
00:18:23.03\00:18:27.17
and then I went
back and taught college.
00:18:27.20\00:18:30.17
All right. All right?
00:18:30.21\00:18:31.94
And then... So did
you kind of leave...
00:18:31.97\00:18:34.48
I have to bring in Asieren here
00:18:34.51\00:18:36.54
because she
hasn't said anything.
00:18:36.58\00:18:38.41
I have to find out
how she responded to...
00:18:38.45\00:18:43.59
My calling and all
that. Yes, to your calling.
00:18:43.62\00:18:46.62
Well, you know, it
was very, very easy for me
00:18:46.65\00:18:50.26
even though Jesse and I
had not discussed his calling,
00:18:50.29\00:18:55.76
I saw the change in
him and it did coincide
00:18:55.80\00:19:00.94
with Richard's stance.
00:19:00.97\00:19:03.14
And when Richard
made, he took his stance
00:19:03.17\00:19:06.24
and his position on
what he was going to do.
00:19:06.27\00:19:09.34
And I'll never
forget one Sunday morning
00:19:09.38\00:19:11.51
we were in worship.
00:19:11.55\00:19:13.38
And Jesse was playing the organ.
00:19:13.42\00:19:16.08
Church was over
and they had extended
00:19:16.12\00:19:18.89
the invitation of
Christ and all of a sudden
00:19:18.92\00:19:22.22
Jesse got up from the organ
and he began to walk across
00:19:22.26\00:19:26.83
the front of the church.
00:19:26.86\00:19:28.93
And I knew right then
I'm going to tell you exactly
00:19:28.96\00:19:33.23
what I felt like, it felt like
00:19:33.27\00:19:35.87
I was a wheel in
the middle of a wheel.
00:19:35.90\00:19:39.44
And as he moved, I moved.
00:19:39.47\00:19:42.68
And without, it was
just burning up in my spirit
00:19:42.71\00:19:46.48
and in my heart.
00:19:46.51\00:19:47.92
And when he
made that commitment,
00:19:47.95\00:19:50.39
I just couldn't
see that my husband
00:19:50.42\00:19:52.52
would make that commitment.
00:19:52.55\00:19:54.59
And then he was in
Seminary right away
00:19:54.62\00:19:58.46
and I began to
study with him right away
00:19:58.49\00:20:02.23
because I needed to understand
how to maintain this oneness.
00:20:02.26\00:20:07.54
Not sameness, but we
won't want to call it.
00:20:07.57\00:20:11.64
Which is a very good distinction
00:20:11.67\00:20:16.44
because you are one.
00:20:16.48\00:20:18.01
Yes, exactly right.
00:20:18.05\00:20:19.38
There might be some areas
that in which you don't agree.
00:20:19.41\00:20:21.78
Yes.
00:20:21.82\00:20:23.15
So it's not sameness per
se but it is one in Christ.
00:20:23.18\00:20:27.39
Yes. One in Christ.
00:20:27.42\00:20:28.76
And I watched it happen.
00:20:28.79\00:20:30.16
I watched it happen and then
00:20:30.19\00:20:32.29
as I began to know Richard more,
00:20:32.33\00:20:35.83
I understood why
Richard called Jesse his son.
00:20:35.86\00:20:40.70
And I understood why Jesse
respected Richard as his dad.
00:20:40.74\00:20:47.01
You know, and
they had, you know,
00:20:47.04\00:20:49.74
if Jesse talks to me now he
loves his parents, you know,
00:20:49.78\00:20:54.15
his biological parents,
but he will often tell me
00:20:54.18\00:20:57.95
that Richard molded him.
00:20:57.99\00:21:01.46
You know, he
spiritually grounded him.
00:21:01.49\00:21:05.86
And he modeled
walking what you talk.
00:21:05.89\00:21:10.63
And so many shows that
I'm setting in where Richard
00:21:10.67\00:21:14.74
in the middle of the
show he had an audience
00:21:14.77\00:21:17.74
right in the palm of his hands.
00:21:17.77\00:21:19.97
And he took an opportunity
to minister in the moment.
00:21:20.01\00:21:23.78
He did not allow
that to escape him.
00:21:23.81\00:21:27.05
If you want to know
me, then you need to know
00:21:27.08\00:21:31.12
about this guy that I serve.
00:21:31.15\00:21:32.79
Yes. Yes.
00:21:32.82\00:21:34.16
Right in a moment
00:21:34.19\00:21:35.52
and the crowd
would just respond.
00:21:35.56\00:21:37.59
And he had an
opportunity to do that
00:21:37.63\00:21:40.16
over and over and
over and over again.
00:21:40.20\00:21:43.97
And he didn't care if
it was a small audience,
00:21:44.00\00:21:47.20
in the airport
or if he had 60,000
00:21:47.24\00:21:51.21
in the audience doing a concert.
00:21:51.24\00:21:52.87
Absolutely. Yes. Yes.
00:21:52.91\00:21:54.24
He took advantage
00:21:54.28\00:21:55.61
of every
opportunity God gave him.
00:21:55.64\00:21:56.98
Praise the Lord.
00:21:57.01\00:21:58.35
And you know that
comes from the Holy Spirit
00:21:58.38\00:22:00.08
impressing on Him to share.
00:22:00.12\00:22:02.98
If something is
good you have to share.
00:22:03.02\00:22:05.05
That's true. God is good.
00:22:05.09\00:22:06.82
Yeah.
00:22:06.86\00:22:08.22
And he reached
outside of themselves
00:22:08.26\00:22:10.63
and was just sharing.
00:22:10.66\00:22:12.69
Yes.
00:22:12.73\00:22:14.06
But, you know, before we
go because I can't believe
00:22:14.10\00:22:17.93
our time is running out.
00:22:17.97\00:22:19.30
It's okay.
00:22:19.33\00:22:20.67
What is your main
challenge right now?
00:22:20.70\00:22:22.24
What's going on
with you right now
00:22:22.27\00:22:24.64
and how is God
helping you through this time?
00:22:24.67\00:22:28.68
Well, I think
the next major thing
00:22:28.71\00:22:33.92
that happened in
our lives was in 2003,
00:22:33.95\00:22:39.65
I was told that I had cancer.
00:22:39.69\00:22:43.46
Did you hear what I said?
00:22:43.49\00:22:46.19
I said 2003.
00:22:46.23\00:22:49.76
Fourteen years now. It's 14.
00:22:49.80\00:22:52.43
Amen. Amen.
00:22:52.47\00:22:54.34
Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:22:54.37\00:22:55.77
Amen.
00:22:55.80\00:22:57.14
When I made the
announcement to Little Richard,
00:22:57.17\00:23:01.58
he just kind of fell
apart because we were so close.
00:23:01.61\00:23:05.18
He has another
brother also who had gone
00:23:05.21\00:23:07.45
through the same
thing and he did chemo.
00:23:07.48\00:23:10.99
And Richard was so
distraught about that
00:23:11.02\00:23:12.95
because he saw it
taking Robert's life
00:23:12.99\00:23:17.69
and that's what
chemo is, it's a chemical.
00:23:17.73\00:23:21.43
So point being is that
when I shared that with him,
00:23:21.46\00:23:26.10
he was so upset but
he was very supportive
00:23:26.13\00:23:30.71
at my operation.
00:23:30.74\00:23:33.81
And I'd gotten well to
where I could function.
00:23:33.84\00:23:37.18
He said, "Baby, I want
you to travel back to London
00:23:37.21\00:23:41.92
with us and I'm going to
have Asieren go with you,
00:23:41.95\00:23:45.22
so he can help
take care of you."
00:23:45.25\00:23:48.92
But I didn't like that even that
00:23:48.96\00:23:50.93
before when we came
out of the hospital.
00:23:50.96\00:23:53.90
Richard was there. Yeah.
00:23:53.93\00:23:55.96
From the...
00:23:56.00\00:23:57.33
Anointed Jesse
from the top of his head
00:23:57.37\00:23:59.77
to the soles of the feet.
00:23:59.80\00:24:01.14
Yeah.
00:24:01.17\00:24:02.50
He came to our
house on Thanksgiving Day.
00:24:02.54\00:24:04.57
Yes.
00:24:04.61\00:24:06.34
He could have
been with his family
00:24:06.37\00:24:08.68
but he chose to come and see.
00:24:08.71\00:24:11.58
I think he was with
his family. He ministered.
00:24:11.61\00:24:13.82
Yeah.
00:24:13.85\00:24:15.18
And so by him doing that
and that still being able
00:24:15.22\00:24:20.69
to keep it together and go out
00:24:20.72\00:24:23.09
and still play
and things like that.
00:24:23.12\00:24:27.66
We stayed close.
00:24:27.70\00:24:29.80
Now I still have cancer.
00:24:29.83\00:24:36.40
But before we go off
the air, I want you to know
00:24:36.44\00:24:38.67
the cancer doesn't have me.
00:24:38.71\00:24:40.08
Come on. Come on now.
00:24:40.11\00:24:42.44
That's right.
00:24:42.48\00:24:46.41
Amen.
00:24:46.45\00:24:47.78
And it taught me watching
Richard in pain every day.
00:24:47.82\00:24:53.86
Yeah.
00:24:53.89\00:24:55.22
He would acknowledge his
pain but he would never say.
00:24:55.26\00:24:58.23
It's got me down.
00:24:58.26\00:25:00.23
He has never said it pained,
I mean, amidst of so much pain,
00:25:00.26\00:25:04.93
but I can't do nothing today.
00:25:04.97\00:25:07.80
I have never heard him
say, "Oh, it's so painful,
00:25:07.84\00:25:11.47
but I can't make it to church."
00:25:11.51\00:25:13.98
He's never said
that, "I'm in so much pain
00:25:14.01\00:25:17.18
that I don't know if
I can do this today."
00:25:17.21\00:25:20.48
I would watch him get up
from his sick bed every day
00:25:20.52\00:25:26.55
and he still does it.
00:25:26.59\00:25:28.72
How could not one have the
tenacity and the courage...
00:25:28.76\00:25:33.13
That's right.
00:25:33.16\00:25:34.50
...to get up every
day and say, "Yeah,
00:25:34.53\00:25:37.83
I have pain but
pain doesn't have me."
00:25:37.87\00:25:40.07
Yeah.
00:25:40.10\00:25:41.44
Shut up.
00:25:41.47\00:25:45.04
And we really have, I
mean, it's like he's carried us
00:25:45.07\00:25:49.18
on his wings even through
Jesse's most recent, you know,
00:25:49.21\00:25:53.78
incident of him
being in critical care,
00:25:53.82\00:25:56.79
it was not a day.
00:25:56.82\00:25:58.15
Yeah.
00:25:58.19\00:25:59.52
That when I was at
my most vulnerable,
00:25:59.55\00:26:01.96
that I was at my weakest,
00:26:01.99\00:26:03.56
that I was at
Jesse's feet praying,
00:26:03.59\00:26:06.23
that Richard was not covering me
00:26:06.26\00:26:10.27
and supporting me
and lifting Jesse up.
00:26:10.30\00:26:13.03
And when Jesse
couldn't hear him,
00:26:13.07\00:26:15.00
I would have the
phone to Jesse's ear.
00:26:15.04\00:26:17.14
As Richard prayed us through,
encouraged us to move on
00:26:17.17\00:26:22.54
just a little while longer.
00:26:22.58\00:26:23.91
What she's referring to is that.
00:26:23.95\00:26:28.05
I died.
00:26:28.08\00:26:29.45
Oh, my...
00:26:29.48\00:26:31.59
I died and I was resurrected.
00:26:31.62\00:26:35.09
Praise God. Did you
all hear what I said?
00:26:35.12\00:26:39.03
I stopped breathing.
00:26:39.06\00:26:41.20
And God brought you back.
00:26:41.23\00:26:42.56
And God brought me
back to be the testimony.
00:26:42.60\00:26:45.63
Yes.
00:26:45.67\00:26:47.34
That allowed me to...
00:26:47.37\00:26:50.37
the courage to
just get out today
00:26:50.41\00:26:52.61
because I'm not
feeling my best today.
00:26:52.64\00:26:55.74
Yeah.
00:26:55.78\00:26:57.11
But when you are in a
situation where God shows
00:26:57.15\00:27:03.69
everybody around
you what God can do.
00:27:03.72\00:27:05.69
Yes.
00:27:05.72\00:27:07.06
You know, if you just
have that next level of faith
00:27:07.09\00:27:10.93
and you just get on up anyway.
00:27:10.96\00:27:12.59
Yes.
00:27:12.63\00:27:14.76
It can raise you well.
00:27:14.80\00:27:16.13
Yes, indeed.
00:27:16.16\00:27:17.50
He can raise you not
only from your sick bed,
00:27:17.53\00:27:20.44
but from your death bed.
00:27:20.47\00:27:21.84
Yes. Amen. I'm
the living witness.
00:27:21.87\00:27:25.17
That's why I'm still
here because my journey now
00:27:25.21\00:27:29.48
has more to do with
me having a testimony.
00:27:29.51\00:27:32.45
Yes. That's right.
00:27:32.48\00:27:33.82
That I have to
continue until God says when.
00:27:33.85\00:27:37.89
And I can't end it on
a better note than that.
00:27:37.92\00:27:40.46
Thank you so much.
00:27:40.49\00:27:42.22
May God continue to
bless you and restore you.
00:27:42.26\00:27:46.76
Thank you.
00:27:46.80\00:27:48.13
Thank you so much. Thank you.
00:27:48.16\00:27:49.50
Thank you so
much for inviting us.
00:27:49.53\00:27:50.87
Thank you, Richard. Thank you.
00:27:50.90\00:27:52.23
Thank you.
00:27:52.27\00:27:53.60
Wow!
00:27:53.64\00:27:54.97
What a
wonderful couple they are.
00:27:55.00\00:27:56.34
Well, join us next time
00:27:56.37\00:27:58.21
because it wouldn't
be the same without you.
00:27:58.24\00:28:01.08