QLS Classic: Millie & Keisha Jackson Pt. 1

Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio Happy Black History Month from Quest Love Supreme.

We have an incredible two part QLs classic episode. It's a legendary Millie Jackson and her equal legendary daughter, Keisha Jackson. This mother daughter tandem was wonderful. When QLs got them in Atlanta back.

In September twenty twenty three, million in.

Particular kicked down many adore about what you can say on record and what you can't say on record.

But she said everything and she's not one of the miss words. All right, So here's part one.

Enjoy Suprema Sun Sun Supremo.

Roll Call, Suprema South South Supremo Roll Call Suprema South Supremo Roll Call Suprema South.

Suprema Quest Love Supreme. Yeah, and we down South.

Yeah.

I cannot believe we got fante at the house.

Suprema Suprema Role call Suprema So so, Suprema role called.

My name is Fantee. I hope y'all miss me. I'm feeling good. Yeah, but you feeling bitchy?

No, no, no, my name is Sugar. Atlanta's lit. We're doing roll calls back to the ship.

Supreme It's like, yeah and we're back.

Yeah, the Jackson ladies are here. Yeah, all ready for that.

No supreme pick it up, Suprema Supremeo.

Roll call.

My name is Keisha.

Yeah I don't know.

Yeah, I had to say it.

Yeah, my mama's Supremo roll.

Supremo roll call.

Ain't no roll call, y'all, just calling out my side back to the ship. Yeah, Supprivo roll call, Supremo Supremo, roll.

Call, Supremo Supremeo, roll call, Supremo Supremo roll call.

Wow, first time in three d yo. Know what I'm saying? This is a.

Yeah. We were.

We were ladies and gentlemen. We were very nervous. Like you should have seen us. It was like not even the first.

Day of school.

But I'm gonna see this on this Yes, oh god, they're literally seeing us right now. Man, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to an episode, just a regular episode of Quest of Cyprise.

Fante. How did we get you out the house?

Man?

Is this the first time you left North Carolina? Uh? Yeah, even minus gigs or whatever.

No, we didn't play those gigs. We didn't not been on the stage in two we did the first Little Brother show we did. It was in May March, Yeah, it was. I was outdoor gig we opened for Silver net so but that was it.

Man.

I haven't been nowhere. I've been in the crib. I've been knocking on wood, you know, gratulations and sliding. No COVID, no nothing.

So congratulations.

I know how we got him at the house.

How do we get him out the house?

It's an all expense paid trips.

Jack, What are you talking about?

Yeah?

Why?

He almost started crying the second she saw us, because the way we hugged it was almost like I was feeling like it's Bill Sherman's funeral or something like.

Because Bill's not here, I.

Assume he's still at Sesame Streets, which is why.

Yeah, yeah, Fonte, almost we are here. I told him we almost busted a titty yesterday in our first, our first hug.

It felt so good. Wow, it was just so tight.

It was good.

Though I missed him. I missed Fonte. Ain't nothing like a Fonte hug. You if you had one, you know out there, you know.

It's really as good to see y'all.

Man.

It's if I really missed y'all.

I got my Fonte h.

Okay, saying I got my f Yeah, I got my publisher's clanhouse thing.

I don't know.

So I will say that we had Quest left Supreme. Definitely didn't want to go third year without at least a Supreme roll call, so it was important that we all do this in person, and I guess we wanted to do this in grand fashion. So in case you're listening, we took a pilgrimage to the Great State Old Georgia. Yeah, we're going to be here doing many, many episodes that you'll hear. Probably the next six or seven Quest Love Supreme episodes will be based in Atlanta, Georgia. Wait, I'm

They don't let me have very much, so I see this is good.

Well, you know, without further ado, I'll say that we're really excited to have our special guests on the show. Wait, can we also just admit that we are now officially on YouTube.

Line.

Yeah, we've been doing this. No, well, I didn't know.

I didn't realize until the Steve Rifkin episode that we were that we had a.

YouTube page with Jennifer Lewis.

Yeah, even wait, the Jennifer Lewis episode from people that don't even listen to Yeah, we made it to the talk on that one.

Bro.

Oh, we're legendary on.

The top Jackson, but we're.

Not really on the talk.

That means that, you know, wow, okay, right now kids know us well. I'll say that I've been begging and hoping and wishing for this moment for the longest, and it was when we did said Steve Rifkin episode in which we've reminded that as legendary father, Jules had signed our guest today to the label. I don't know, thoughts just started racing my head because it's like I see Spring Records almost as the precursor of like a deaf Jam simply because our guest today is truly the mother,

Hear it the first time.

What she said?

Oh my god, what's that? Yeah, that's that's that's this moment. You know what I mean.

And you know it's such a legendary disciography. I mean, name these like there's caught Up, uh still caught Up, even better than the sequel. Uh, the aforementioned feeling bitchy, her so good, my favorite Live and Uncensored. I think I got first got sent to the principal's office for singing uh fuck you in the third grade. That's the first time I got sit at the principal's office. Uh

Got a check last week.

Yes, come with it, not to be outdone, because epigenetics is real. Yes, her legendary daughter is also joining us right now. We've known about I've known about her since the late eighties. But you know, she's done amazing work with like a lot of our favorites with you know, name him Do Whitney Brown, Houston.

Not to mention the legendary outcast.

She she has history, she has legacy, you know, the the daughter's a legacy project that she's been a part of with Isaac Hayses, like this sort of the progeny of of all the greats of.

Isaac Hayes's kids.

Yes, of uh Al Goodman right, of the moments in Ray Goodman Brown.

No, they don't say no, they don't. The kids don't sing at all.

So it's not so you just.

So it's Isaac, Isaacay's daughter.

We had Ray Charles's daughter, she's in and out sometimes we have any right, Betty Wrights, right, uh huh.

And we have.

Ruth Pointer's daughter who was also.

That his daughter, oh we found out were Bonnie.

And we have Anne Nesby's daughter Jimmy sounds of blackness.

But not to mention you've been hipping me to the Your Yacht Rock Review project, which I can't wait to talk about. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to Quest Loft Supreme. Incomparable. Now I feel like Don Cornelius because I say, be incomparable. Millie Jackson, Keisha Jackson, the Quest left Supreme, thank you so much.

Man.

I will say that this episode probably started forty five minutes ago. We just started taping now it did, But if we have started taping before then I'm certain that we'll insert stuff.

So how are you, ladies today?

I'm fine?

Thank you.

We were paying homage to you, you know.

Oh, that's why you were saying back to the ship and filling by.

The Queen is coming.

I wasn't ready and me either.

And fuck you, yes, thank you, Yeah, I got you.

You can't even spell it and you still saying it?

Yeah? Absolutely can you spell? Fuck you? Yes?

Spell it? Your spell it?

Give me a shot?

Good p h U c K.

You ain't finished?

Eh you dash you?

Oh e you no? Just he is you? Just you? Just me you c K dash you Yes that's how you spell it? Yeah? No, it felt good to be cursed out by Millie Jackson.

My life.

Just told me my mom was dirty.

I was like, word all my life. That's what people say. I want to meet your mom so she can cuss me.

Out right exactly.

Our first question of the show is can you two share your first musical memory?

Mine is her?

Yeah, speak on, Yeah, my musical memory was her, but it's kind of hard to pin it down.

Wait a minute, not to interrupt you, but were you allowed to go to shows when you were kids?

Absolutely?

She did background for the show. I beg your pardoner, what I mean, d But.

No, I was there like nothing. Listen, we'll get into that later if you want to. Yes, definitely, definitely went to shows early on. Didn't really know what I was witnessing, you know, And as I got older, I was like, oh, this ship ain't normal.

This is this what ain't normal?

This is this ship ain't normal? And it's really funny. And she does that because she knows that I don't. I typically don't cuss. I cuss, but I typically don't cuss in front of her. That makes it so even though I've been exposed to it all my life, I just it's a respect thing, and it's a but every now and then, listen, it flies out, is what it is I.

Want to want to take a pull? Are we cussing for my mom? Is yet? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, I just you curse not I lost her out of you allowed to do it.

The only thing you don't do is bitch like I almost caught myself the other day.

No, we're not there.

We compliment, but you go like bitch, same same, I don't do I don't do the B word, and I don't do I don't throw F bombs.

Okay, gotcha? Got you? Gotcha?

Or not not even p H bomb?

Not not when you know I'm listening, correct right when I remember you coming out to dressing room with the background singers one time and didn't know I was in the hallway and I thought Millie Jackson had died doing background.

Yes, it goes down, so definitely goes down.

You.

I mean, surely you know that the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree.

So but hey, I was shocked.

And then she was saying thanks to the other background singles because she was pissed off that I haven't even said.

She created new words that I had never heard.

Now she said, and I'm going, what what what? And she came out and saw me and went yeah, I.

Would probably react that way today though, if she saw me like in my real you.

Know, right. So she was your first musical memory.

Yes, she was my first musical memory, but I don't have any specific memory like that comes to mind. It was just always music in the house. It was always the Blues. It was always b Be King, Bobby Bland like so I remember going to those shows because she was on the shows a lot with BB and Bobby.

Then it got into z I.

Don't know why, Easy Hill, Denise lesaal like those.

Don't know what really was it? You didn't like we were with.

The same agency, you know, so I kept getting stuck in there.

So they kept putting her with Blues or a little bit more because they didn't know.

They just didn't know where to put her.

So my Richard Prior was still alive, did a show that would have been doped.

I did that what us once?

How was it.

Now?

What I thought it would be?

Was his audience shocked?

Uh no, he was what do you mean?

He met me on the elevator and looked at me like I was Satan number one.

I said, I just met your mother, he said.

He intimidated, He was intimidated.

Yeah, I did not want to work with him.

No more.

Irony of it is that, you know, I think, you know, back then it was the misogyny as well.

Like you know, it's for me to speak like that, but his mother was.

At his show and I met his mother and she was nice and sweet and.

She had the brothel, right, so like she been.

I mean, you know, she was cool to me, but he wasn't.

You was her people? Probably she probably was like that. I'm fucking with that.

Yeah, obviously, you know, I think in the case of being good for the goose and good for the game, they're like men are definitely territorial. And because even if you remember when WAP came out, Snoop had like.

Did his first almost a lady shouldn't be saying that. I'm like, yo, didn't you make it? D Yeah?

Did I miss the memo? Well, since you're speaking of that time period, I always wanted to know, have you ever had any interaction whatsoever with Betty Davis?

Uh?

Okay, Betty Davis the actress No no, no, no, no, not a singer, uh, the ex wife of Miles Davis, who she wanted, she too wanted to push the envelope in like the NAACP kept I.

Don't be.

I met Miles and he was more like the other one.

Are you serious?

Yeah?

They who were the So were there any guys in the industry that like really were respectful and like really the case?

Yeah? Who are the people that really was in your corner?

Joe Simon?

Oh wow?

Okay, yeah, he was one of the owners actually of Springs Records, and he was cool back back then. Yep, fat back band. But we I think I only worked with them maybe once, but Joe Simon and I work together quite often.

Okay.

Yeah, our audience they'll know Joe Simon from Drowning to See Your Love, they'll know that sample.

But he died about a year and a half.

A year, Yeah he did, and he had I sent him preaching that. Yeah, he gave he gave it up and went preaching. I used to laugh about that.

I said, did I do that?

But for you before you got your deal? Like I know that. I guess your injury into this was writing poetry, so.

Not really really, So tell me about your being, Like, what was the moment where you were like, I have a god given talent and I want to express this.

I owe my entire career and cussing and everything else to a very nice gentleman who I I never heard curse in my life, Billy Nichols.

Okay, who was he?

Like?

Billy Billy Nichols. He had a band and a group came out afterwards. I'm trying to remember the name of his band. But he, you know, took me to Spring.

Okay, yeah, what year is this?

Nineteen seventy one?

In fact, though I did one song prior to that with MGM, a little bit of Something's worth more than a whole lot or nothing, none, And then it took me two years to learn how to cuss, and I went to Spring because MGM didn't didn't nothing, no, no, no, But how.

Do you learn? You said two years to learn how to cuss?

I already knew.

How did you? When did you feel safe?

Because the thing is that, even though we're joking about it, it's very real because you know, as I mentioned, when Betty Davis tried to do it, it was to the point where she couldn't do shows no more because they would actually have like bomb threats and literally like she was a threat to people. So to be so unrestricted like what was the for you? What was the turning point of.

All they had to do was see my live show and say sign her because I was always cussing at.

The live show.

And club promoters and they were fine with that.

Or oh yeah, they say adults only. Okay, okay, So some people was upset when they came to see my show. So I had to really cuss them out because since it said adults only, I guess they thought I was supposed to be getting undressed adults only. That's for the strippers. You see nothing here and get cussed out. If you asked to see something of legs, Yeah, I gave him leg Now. I had always had nice legs. No ass, but nice legs.

Okay, ladies are good, you're doing well. You're doing well for yourself.

So when in the studio, at least when you are doing your legendary raps. When we say legendary raps, you know there's this start streaming.

Sang the song, shut the hell up and turn the mic on.

Really, so you would just do it live with the band right there.

And yeah, whatever comes up came out. I mean it was in my head. It always related to whatever the song was.

Okay, yeah, well, I just meant in terms of, you know, when you're structuring the song, is it you see the.

Terrible thing about being in love with a married man?

Tell me go in that's the first line.

Wait for you to keep going.

But I'm saying, you know, I do unfinished singing. If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right.

So now you see the terrible.

Thing about being in love with a married man, the fact that you can't see him when you really want to. And on stage, you know, you see the terrible thing about being in love with a married man. You gotta get fucked after he sucked his wife.

So two versions, Yes, that's the show.

Fun.

You know it was a life God damn.

Sometimes you just have you were You were nominated for Grammy for that version of loving you is wrong?

Why do you want to remind me?

Why do you I didn't even want to be in the mic to say this.

I'm giving you your flowers. I'm giving you your flowers.

Let's get in tall.

The story that let's talk about.

Don't know the story, then nominate me for the Grammy. They gave it to Aretha Franklin for a fucking song that was two years old?

What was this?

Ain't nothing like the real thing one. I think that you.

Two years old.

It shouldn't have even been nominated.

It shouldn't have been. It shouldn't have it.

Was it Clive, No, it wasn't Clive. It was pre Clive.

Because it was I don't know who it was, but they got.

And yeah.

Yeah.

So it's funny because there's a video on YouTube with the and David Bowie is introducing the award and he's high as hell, like he was like, hello, he's high and swayed Jill Coole as hell and he's like, the nominees for Best R and B Singer Female is and it was like it was Mom, it was I think it was Thelma Houston. I forget who the others were.

Wow, So everybody knew.

All the other ladies knew what was going down, so when it came time.

But how does that affect your relationship with Aretha? Because technically it wasn't her fault. That's her people like putting it in, you know, placing her in the right place.

I have no problem with Aretha except for the fact that I was also booked by the same agency and I wouldn't let up the hallway one day.

She was there.

What does that you wouldn't let her?

She she was coming up the hallway and I stepped in front of and she looked at me like and stepped over. And I stepped over again, and I said hello, Lordretha, and she says hi. I said, that's all. I just come up here every day after I get off from work and I see you, and you won't speak. So I was determined that you was gonna say hello to me today. You can go on back to fucking business.

It's just be life.

Boom.

I love it. Energy.

Yeah, I still had my day gig.

So you're still working. You were still working like a regular job. What were you doing? What was your day job?

I was working in the garment district, Yes.

In New York City.

In New York City, yes, doing what Yes, I was, And I work from nine to five and get up for working, go up to Queen's Booking Agency to see my agent.

Every day, who also booked Aretha.

In fact, they damn near booked everybody black, but the top of.

The list was.

Sammy Davis Junior, Dinah Washington, and when Dinah died, they stuck.

Aretha in there. Yeah, but it was.

Sammy Davis Junior, Dinah Washington and the jazz artist what's her name?

I can't think of a name.

It's all right, I'm curious. I'm like, were you priority in this list?

Oh?

Hell no.

That's where the Aretha problem comes in because.

So it's so many Aretha issues because they had.

Yeah, they were, she was on their roster, and so she got the gigs and she was pushed down.

The thing up.

The reason I ended up at Queen's Booking Agency is Henry Nash was the tour manager for a show I did prior to him going to Queen Booking Agency. He was on tour with Elsie Cook Sam Cooks. Yeah, and we toured for two years prior to him going to Queen Booking agency and booking me.

Yeah.

In fact, I didn't even have a record when I was out there.

And we've seen what else he was that gospel? Was that primarily gospel?

Hell to the now gospel?

What was he?

So?

What was he wasn't a gospel singer?

No?

Oh okay, no, he just never had a hit because of his brother. His brother just took away all his stardom. Yeah, but actually he he had one I think he maybe had one album, but he had.

To do blues.

So with you, when you were talking about them putting you in the blues category and olymping you with blues artists, where did you want to be?

Did you feel like you were more soul R and B? Where did you want to be?

I was?

I talked a lot.

I talked too much, so I was like the female Isaac Hayes.

Ikes wrapping up? How did those collaborations come about.

Me and Isaac?

Yeah, we both ended up with the same record company and they wanted me to do something with a man. I said, well, you got Isaac's cross.

Okay, that's right. Isaac did sign the Polydor and yes, seventies.

I was with Spring who was distributed?

What was Jules Rifkin, Like, Jules Rifkin was everywhere.

No, No, Jules Rifkin was there because he was Roy Rifkins's brother. Roy Rifkin was the president, Julie was the vice president.

But who actually took.

Care of all of the music and had the ear was Bill Spatowski.

Wow, I didn't remember his name from Steve.

They all did, now, Okay.

And this is the thing.

Whenever we have either an act or an executive that was especially active in the sixties and seventies, you know, the question I always asked him is I know that labels were mafia run.

I don't think the Rifkins was in that.

No, No, no, they weren't. I know.

But it's like, how do you avoid running into them? That's the and that's the thing that amazed me about Jules Rifkins, the fact that you know, in the days of marsh Levy and all of you know, the the mafia run labels and whatnot, like coal do was German? Well, yeah, that's what I'm saying, Like this is the beginning of the major labels establishing and taking out the smaller labels.

How did you avoid because usually with.

From what I know is that if you have some sort of success or nariety, then they're going to take you or Jackie or your manager winds up dead in the alleyway somewhere.

I didn't have one of those. They would be give yourself the prize.

So you've managed yourself pretty much.

Who never had? How does that happen? You keep your day job.

So you never want This is not the first time I've heard this, because.

So you can tell somebody to go fund yourself. I got a job paid with without you.

Hey, but how do you do the business? You still got to do the business representing yourself, like because.

You majored in business.

Let's talk about it. I see we didn't get to see. Okay, I need to know.

This is interesting to me because I'm just finding out makes so much sense that Bill Withers didn't even feel safe in leaving his airport job until adjustments came out.

So that means still Bill, just as I am, he was working, he was.

He was he was an airplane and the airplane wow wow.

So picture of him.

With us, yes, so that the cover of the album the last thing he's actually on his lunch break with his actual yeah, like I thought they manufactured that thing, like, oh you know every day got Bill Withers.

No, he was like, this is my lunch break. Take the photo.

So for you working, that was the way of keeping your autonomy, that was a way of all.

Yes, I worked down in the garment district and I got my all of my uniforms for twenty off of the regular price. Not no, no, we don't deal with.

That wholesale price. Wholesale you got twenty wholesale sell.

Yes, that's where all your stage clothes came from.

Yes, you never said that explained?

So what you never said what your job was in the garment district? What was the gig?

I was assistant supervisor of shipping far Kimberly Nitwell.

Shipping.

Yes, power in that.

Well, are you about to go get a job right now in the garment district shipping.

I'm just thinking about how she used that power.

There's no shame in that. You know. I've always had nineteen jobs and now I got seven. So yeah, and.

I knew since I was in the garment district, I know where to go and get all the Ryan Stones and his stuff to put on my Kimberly.

Knit Well ooh, and they liked that you woreter shit to.

Know, they did not like they kept and they didn't know anything about any of that. The point is when I hit the stage, I looked like I was one of them people that was making a whole lot of money perception because I had my twenty percent off wholesale hotel, lots and lots of rhyme stones and beads that I sold on myself.

Keisha, when did you know that? You said, you know you were a kid us go around music. It's you know, it's just normal. When did you know that it wasn't normal? When did you know that?

Your mom was like, holy shit, my mom is like a start.

She didn't know it to I sent her to college.

Well, so I got a I kind of started to feel it. We moved from Brooklyn to Tack.

Jase, Where were you? Where were you born? And where were you born?

I was born in Thompson, Georgia, one hundred twenty nine miles north.

Of here of Atlanta, Georgia, Okay.

And I was born in Brooklyn, King's County Hospital.

You're ruling King's County, Jordan, Okay, So Jordan.

She moved on her own basically from Georgia to New York wow, and.

That to Newark were up north. People in Georgia didn't know no better, they including me.

New York.

She's gone to New York walk took two years before I decided to go to the Apollo Theater and had to go through the Holland Tunnel.

Now much what you do?

Yeah, what is what?

I'm gonna keep it a buck with you.

I haven't been in New Yorker.

She had no idea.

Yeah, I'm gonna keep it a buck with you. I still I'm sorry New Jersey. And while I'm at it, I'm also sorry New Zealand. Like I just sort of considered y'all New York like like I consider New Zealand Australia behind everyone's back and they get mad at that.

Yes, right, and New Jerseyans and whatnot.

I actually think it's better to look at New York and live in New Jersey than to actually.

Be Okay, So everybody that was recording and working in New York telling people they lived in New York actually live across to George Washington Bridge and t Neck and Inglewood.

They still do that.

And I'm gonna tell you the real reason why, because you got to keep your family based on where I live right now, I ain't trying to put people out there, but I definitely know that my apartment is side Chick Central.

That's a nice Yeah, that's a Sidechick building.

And I'm just saying I see a lot of Lamborghinis and you know whatever, and that's where I can't mention that. I will say, yeah, I will say that most people you are in New York.

I live in Manhattan.

Yeah, okay, okay, and we'll see you.

I'll see a lot of sports figures in my building, like they live here.

And then I realized, ah, okay, but you midtown, right, No, I don't live I'm.

Trying to keep it low.

What's what one question?

When you leave Jersey to go to New York, do you go through the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel or the George Washington Bridge Holland Tunnel?

Oh you what wasn't mean?

What was it?

I don't.

Downtown New York.

Yeah, I live George Washington Bridge.

You at the time, No, I don't live near George in two minutes away, you know me?

Okay, so you go cross the George Washington bridge.

Ain't nobody to go go all the way downtown to go through the Lincoln Tomas.

I live downtown, But.

You're gonna expose all the people like me and Theleys and everybody else that claimed they were in New York.

The famously Jersey I.

Feel Raging and Brown Chuck Jackson, they were all neighbors.

And so when you moved to Jersey as a kid.

So when I moved, right, I moved from we moved from Brooklyn to Teck and I was six, and so at that point I knew, okay, we're moving.

On up, Like I knew something was up. But did you know? You just you just go like but.

You was going to the ship. Now you weren't going to the shows by that time. You didn't know what you were doing.

No, I didn't know.

I was just it and I wasn't paying attention to the shows. I'm in the back, probably playing with somebody else's kids. Can't wait till the show was over, you know. And then so but it was when I went to.

She did not see me at the Apollo, which Apollo, which Apollo shows something you can feel Apollo where you're going around the feeling. No about the other apollos when you were allowed to come to the show but not to go out in the audience.

Okay, because I used to sell the roses with the lights in it.

So that's what I was.

And pictures what.

You're talking about.

She majored in business.

But this was before I had nothing to do with She had nothing to do.

No.

I was just like, that was my way of kind of hustled, my way to get on to get on the road. So I stayed in the lobbies during the show selling the light the lighted roses. And then they always wanted to buy from Millie's daughter. Okay, we had several people, but no, I told him because I wanted the money, you know. I was like, because my mother's getting ready to come up. That's your yes, ma'am, how many broses do you want?

You know?

So that's what I would do to just kind of cassette types pictures and.

So was it was it just y'all was like, well, where was your dad? Was he in the picture of this time?

You were.

Again no, no, he did not say no.

So it was so it was y'all two and you're working in the garment district and you had you were were you born by this time?

Was it was this solid.

Time when you were having your nine and five en garment District?

No, that was big before me.

Oh that was before you. Okay, No, because I was trying to see, like were you taking care of the kid?

Working and doing I.

Was like, man, okay, got you. What I do want to know is in your day job? Did they know you were legendary Millie Jackson?

No?

Wow, how I.

Wasn't that I was going to say.

At that time, I stayed there the Sephony one, okay, and I had had a little bit something wasn't lord then a whole lot of nothing now then that was my first song clean, not a curse word in it. Then in seventy one, Joe Simon putting them a child of God is hard to believe that it's called a child of God, and in parenthesis it said it's hard to believe. And Joe Simon was promoting this song on the album and they were telling him off and he

And when the.

Record first came out, you know, but they after they finally got it. Uh, and they heard you see the terrible thing about going with a married man, and yes, so they thought the gospel turned yes, And Joe Simon is saying, is.

It my fault you didn't read the title of the song or listen to the song before.

It's hard to.

Believe it's in parenthesis under a child of God.

Yeah, that's That's still one of my favorite songs though.

Just because of this, I know some people who go to church on Sunday them that same people or watching Lyunchon on Monday talk about justice and being free.

But they'll watching Lynchon so easily. Yes, it's hard.

Hard to believe their child love God. Yeah.

Wow mm hmmm, serious business.

Some people call these people children of God. M So glad we sitting.

Here with you.

This is amazing. So okay, So you mentioned y'all didn't have to get quiet, didn't.

No, No, you were seeing we take folks to church and talk.

We listened. I was just doing a little You went.

To Jive Records in eighty five. Wild Hot I'm Restricted was in nineteen eighty five or eighty six.

I put them out of business, cussed time to sign a new contract and I asked for so much money, Spring couldn't pay it and they closed the dose.

Right, and then Barry signs you to jive. Is that how you know the beer is different in the UK.

Yes, That's why I didn't want to ask.

When did Battery Studios get built? Because every artist that was on Job Royden in London would have to fly to London record once.

Okay, and I start.

Then I started cussing.

Well wait, okay, so what was the decision.

I'm not saying your comeback, but Hot Wild, Unrestricted Crazy Love wasn't you know?

That?

Was?

That was your your your mainstream offering without the spice?

First of all, whose suggestion was that?

And how long was it before you decided to go back to?

Actually?

Hot Wild Unrestricted Crazy Love was.

Done by.

U two writers that they already had signed. They was staff writers.

I see, and you recorded that album in the UK.

Not the whole album, no, just a couple of songs.

What was that experience like recording over there?

They were that's where the company was that for two days and back.

Home experience okay? Everyone else was like, you know.

I was the producer, so after that, so wow, I don't go into the studio till I know what I'm.

Getting ready to do.

I see it, And most.

Of the songs was written by me, so yo, I knew what I was gonna do.

Wait, you were right live in the studio. No, it was never demoed ahead of time or when I.

Was the producer.

I would do the track off the top of my head because I already got the words.

I already wrote the.

Song, and then I'd go back and do it again, the the vocals again because I said a word that kind of off.

I think I should do that over. But you do that when you produce it.

When you say do the track? Would you like dictate? Do you actually play instruments?

Would you dictate the ideas to other musicians? How would you do it?

Ain't doing no instruments.

I played keyboards to write the song, and then I ain't playing on it no more.

This is the song.

I played the keyboards on childiguard and then he come see what I'm doing, and he do what I'm doing and do it better than me, because I can write fok songs while I'm playing the keyboards on one song.

I have a question I want you to talk about.

Uh, there's a song of yours called give it Up and with your advocated.

Going to hell.

Wait a minute, that's not a song title. Youre going to hell.

I was just you're not supposed to use the Lord's name in vain.

Ain't that something?

Now?

I had to say that to her before because I she heard me say goddamn it.

She was like, don't come. I was like, you made a whole record.

Give it up. God damn, give it up right now, give it up.

You look, I'm just recapitulating. No, But I mean at the time it was it was I'm a little pushing because people weren't thinking about rights for women or rights for the LGBTQ, like.

They weren't even identified back then.

But what made you like was that your demographics like who who was in seventy nine? Like I really became familiar with you with my aunt. My aunt used to always play live and I'm restricted. So that was when I realized, like, oh, my dad got Millie Jackson records and then I go back and see them at the bottom of the pile or whatever.

But who was coming to the shows?

Because even at those shows, the audience is almost louder than you are, so it's it's like, who was your audience at that time?

Let me say something.

Yes, I remember, I wasn't into the audience. I distinctly remember. I distinctly remember her being on phone multiple times talking to potential promoters, people booking shows, and she would say, when is it the twenty ninth, that's it, that's the last week of the month. The people that come to my shows don't have no money. So it was welfare recipients, it was people that she knew.

They knew when that knew.

She did not play.

She did not play around with it.

And there what times that she would say, I'm not doing the gig and it didn't matter what money they were offering. She was like, it don't matter because I ain't no people gonna be there. And she knew that when.

It came to the week of the twenty third, and.

She knew that, I'm not gonna go because I'm not gonna get my money at the end of the night, because you're gonna come to me crying about how the people didn't show, people didn't pay.

So she never I remember that.

Wow, I got that.

That's what she did for.

I never thought of that.

I never knew that one could be that strategic with their career time.

Now I'm like thirty years right.

I told you I'm the manager.

How did you balance all that? How did you balance between the management in the music?

Like?

How did you? How did you balance it?

I always thought that managers was overpaid for doing something that they had to tell you to do when you already know what you want to do. Why would you you know, why do I need you to tell me to do this gig?

I know if I want to do this gig or not.

And they have to bring it to her to finalize it. Enjoys So she's like, if you got to bring it to me to say yes, and I may as well just do it.

But we never expounded on your background when it came to business though, because you said you went to college, you made it a bit, you.

Didn't go tout.

Wait, you can't go to college.

So wait. I thought you said you made it, you made it in business, but not I.

Did in night school, okay, so what.

So tell me about that then? So you went to night school to finish your.

I got out of that, got out of high school, yeah, because my biology teacher sucked.

And they were horrible.

She was.

She said to me one day we were getting You know, you do A and B classes the first year you do this and then you go to B of the same class, and I would be was a real teacher in biology, and I knew I was gonna fail B. And I've been on the un the road and this old bitch and A would stand up in there and talk all day long. And one day I just got pissed and I stood up. I had held my hand up and she would not acknowledge my hand for fifteen minutes,

She's right there now in this moment, and she.

Sent me to the principal. She sent me to the principal, and mister Landorfi said, what did you get last semester? And I told him I'm still on on a roll. He says, well, you're not gonna fail the subject because it was the last semester of the turn, you know. And he said, what other subject would you like to take? He goes, send me to somewhere else, though, I don't have to go back to her class no more, cause if she give me an for the last I'm all ready had the past.

Shout out to mister Landelphi.

So yes, yes, I says, I don't need biology. I don't need to know what's going on here and there with a frog and a dog and a whatever.

I want bookkeeping, all right, So there you're having, folks.

That's allful Part one, of course, Love Supreme with one and only Millie Jackson and Keisha Jackson come back for Part two, where Millie sings one of her latest songs and Keisha talks about working with outcasts and they share an incredible mother dar story that it has to be heard to be believed.

All right, see y'all next week West. Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.