Special Guest Blog: Love for Miss Jody Watley
-- by DJ Bill Coleman of Peace Bisquit
"Where are my keys?" Ugh, I generally don't like the concept of Black History Month to be honest - feels so limited, and it occurs during one of the coldest and shortest months of the year no less! That said, I greatly appreciate the light it sheds on many unsung heroes for not only Black or African-Americans but for all Americans.
As far as iconic performers are concerned - there's been sooo many that have and continue to influence, inspire and were unquestionably true pioneers ...
Diahann Carroll, Lola Falana, Dorothy Dandridge, Chaka Khan, Sammy Davis, Jr., George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Aretha Franklin, Bill Cosby, The Emotions, Quincy Jones, The Pointer Sisters, Pam Grier, Grace Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Salt-N-Pepa, Sister Sledge, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, Run DMC, Sidney Poitier, Biggie, James Brown, Ashford and Simpson, Richard Roundtree, Richard Pryor, the entire cast of Good Times, Chic, Nona Hendryx, Prince and the beat goes on ...
I'd like to give some props to Miss Jody Watley. From pop locking with fierce teen hair on Soul Train to the synth-etched R&B nuturing of her Solar years in Shalamar to a fashion-forward solo launch in the '80s, Jody constantly enraptured with the looks, attitude, grace and a wholly distinctive vocal style.
Always with a 'girl next door' glint, she has consistently kept us interested and curious. From "Right In The Socket" and "A Night To Remember" through to "Don't You Want Me" and "Real Love," there's always been a melancholy smile to her tone - at once familiar and comforting but also passionate and assured. No one could make a broken heart sound so good in 4/4 time!
Watley's classic releases combine good ol' pop songwriting ("Most Of All", "Everything") with the rhythmic pulse of that era ("Some Kind Of Lover"). Spanning genres of R&B, adult contemporary, dance and pop, the Chi-town native conquered the charts and our hearts effortlessly. The introduction of music videos as a mainstream medium cemented Jody as an icon and ushered in a Grammy win for Best New Artist.
The vintage clothes! The freestyle dancing! The empowering lyrics! The chunky beats! And oh, yeah ... The flaming queens! Whether it was her "fabulous" friends ("Still A Thrill") just working the runway ("Real Love") or inviting a host of trannies, voguers and scenesters to serve it with rapper Rakim ("Friends"), Watley always kept us on her radar with her videoclips and wasn't afraid to let the world know what the 'T' was - before it was de riguer.
This was unprecedented from an African-American pop performer. Peep her sleek, stylized "I Want You" clip and you'll see all the seeds of visual inspiration for everyone from En Vogue and Janet Jackson through to Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce.
Often underrated, Jody has been worked with some of the top fashion photographers, video directors and stylists before their names were marquee: Matthew Rolston. David Fincher. Michel Comte. Steven Meisel...and turned out a larger than life Gap ad long before today's celebu-tots!
Flash forward as Jody celebrates 30 years in the mix with nine albums and millions of records sold worldwide, still keeping a pulse on today touring the world and releasing new music. As a songwriter, producer, and label owner, our proclaimed "queen of cool" continues to surprise, delight and hone her talents by collaborating with the likes of fan favorites Masters At Work, 4 Hero, King Britt and Dj Spinna. Experimenting with soultronica ("A Bed Of Roses") , midnight lounge ("Saturday Night Experience"), club rhythms ("A Beautiful Life") or putting a fresh makeover on classics ("I Want Your Love"), Watley quietly breaks ground over and over and over as she has for the last three decades - with class and purpose.
So the next time one of your new divas poses for the camera, dips it low, snaps for the kids, says everything's just fine, does the Naomi Campball walk, tells you to let him go or to not stop the music - please be kind, rewind and remind - JW did it first. Hasta la vista, baby.
Special thanks to New York DJ and manager BILL COLEMAN of Peace Bisquit for this guest blog!
Amen! Well said! Jody Watley is ONE! She innovated many great developments in black music, as well as the merging of music and fashion. She is one of the great black icons of the past 20 years. And thank God for Bill Coleman and Peace Bisquit!
Posted by: Mervin Malone Jr. | February 18, 2008 at 03:48 PM
she is always different.
not caught up in the black or the white steriotypes.
an amazing songwriter and even more stuuning when she sings live...
all my life i dreamt of seeing a live performance of the "queen of cool".
my dream came true when i stood infront of a stage in london last year with 6 friends who came up to join the london crowd all the way from germany...
and what a night it was.
today she sounds better and more soulful than ever before:
no fake hair, no powerful man behind her back, no special effects and the crazy crowd not to the left to the left but infront of her singing along every song loudly!
there was a time when realness could not be bought!
calling madonna the white jody in the 80ies was true in some sense but today it would be a very big compliment!
a very big compliment for madonna!
i live in london now and here she had another number one song in the dance charts a few weeks ago!
when it comes to black women there is only a few names that i remember hearing as a child :
josephine baker
Iman
dina ross
and
jody ICON watley
Posted by: firouz | February 18, 2008 at 08:49 PM
Jody's 2006 CD The Makeover was one of my top 5 that year and is still in rotation on my stereo and mp3player! A great voice and talent, with a mind and direction all her own. I am eager to hear what she does next.
Posted by: Ben | February 19, 2008 at 07:43 AM
"No one could make a broken heart sound so good in 4/4 time!" WORD! Leave it to the immensely talented and accomplished music guru Bill Coleman to tell it like it is! There is no question that Jody Watley has influenced countless artists with her style and grooves. She is a true icon of modern popular music. Thank you for this informative and beautifully composed tribute!
Posted by: Van Roy | February 19, 2008 at 04:02 PM
Snaps are too sexy....Miss jody is the great tycoo in modelling field
Posted by: Bret bobby | February 25, 2008 at 01:51 PM