East to West Classic R&B (240)
One of the first radio stations that I was able to tune into while I was scanning the dial landed on 107.5 WBLS. Oh man, back then WBLS wasn’t just a radio station; it was truly the heartbeat of New York City. They called it the “Total Black Experience in Sound,” and the man behind that magic was the legendary Frankie Crocker. He was the program director from the mid-70s until the mid-80s. He had a knack for making music feel sophisticated and real. He is the reason that station became the biggest and best radio station in the country. Frankie certainly had an impact on my musical palette.
As a loyal listener of East to West, you probably are aware that East to West is all about world music. We travel all over the map looking for sounds from every corner of the globe. But tonight, I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to go to the roots of all of it, when it started for me when I first arrived in the USA.
But the real thing started for me Monday through Friday with a program that was introduced by Frankie Crocker but was hosted by Vaughan Harper and sometimes his co-host Champney. I’d be sitting there and this voice of Vaughan Harper would come across the airwaves. If you ever heard Vaughan Harper, you know exactly what I’m talking about. He had that smooth, velvety, Barry White type of voice that was so suitable to that hour of the night. He was the host of The Quiet Storm, and I became obsessed with The Quiet Storm.
Every night, Monday through Friday, I would have my thumb on the record button of my cassette recorder and I would record a whole show, commercials, music, and Vaughan Harper. And on the weekend, I would edit it to one 60 or 90-minute cassette called “The Best of The Quiet Storm.” I might have probably about a dozen or so cassettes from that era, and I’m in the process of digitizing them all.
So tonight, I’m digging deep into that feeling. We’re going to play the songs that Vaughan used to spin, the kind of music that makes you want to turn the light down and just be. And I’ve got some heavy hitters coming your way tonight: The Isley Brothers, a Frankie Crocker favorite, what he calls and defines as “sophisticated soul sound” of WBLS; or Phyllis Hyman who was a New York voice and frequently mentioned and played by the station; as well as the legendary Luther Vandross. If you’ve seen the documentary about Luther, you know that he got his start in New York City doing some jingles.
Tonight’s Playlist
Today’s Playlist
| Track Title | Artist | Length |
| My Mood | MFSB |
4:15 |
| You Know How to Love Me | Phyllis Hyman |
5:00 |
| Do What You Do | Jermaine Jackson |
5:33 |
| Never Too Much | Luther Vandross |
4:41 |
| Back Stabbers | The O’Jays |
3:09 |
| Kisses in the Moonlight | George Benson |
4:25 |
| Cassie’s Theme | Grover Washington JR |
4:01 |
| After the Love Has Gone | Earth, Wind & Fire |
4:39 |
| After All | Al Jarreau |
4:21 |
| Let It Be | Gladys Knight & the Pips |
3:04 |
| Can’t Take My Eyes Off You | Nancy Wilson |
3:23 |
| EDEN | Ben Tankard |
4:58 |
| All the Love in the World | Dione Warwick |
3:30 |
| Come Go With Me | Teddy Pendergrass |
5:48 |
| Feel Like Makin’ Love | Roberta Flack |
2:55 |
| Just Came Here To Chill | The Isley Brothers |
4:11 |
| Lay In Low | MFSB |
3:42 |
| Hangin Downtown | Cameo |
5:07 |
| Oh Honey | Delegation |
5:57 |
| Easy | Commodores |
4:16 |
| You know How to Touch Me | Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes |
5:27 |
| cool out | leroy hutson |
3:01 |
| I Wish You Love | Natalie Cole |
4:09 |
| Ain’t No Way | Aretha Franklin |
4:13 |
| Un-Break My Heart | Toni Braxton |
4:33 |
| You Make Me Feel Brand New | The Stylistics |
4:47 |
| Fire and Desire | Rick James & Teena Marie |
7:17 |
| My One and Only Love | MFSB |
4:34 |
But that’s just a partial list. I’ve got some Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, and I’m going to bring you some soundbites from WBLS with the voice of Frankie Crocker and some of Vaughan Harper. So whether you are into classic R&B or you just kind of sort of like it—whatever it is—I want you to just feel the vibe tonight. Let’s get nostalgic together. Stay with me for the next couple of hours. This is East to West, and we are taking it nice and slow.
