Hello, and welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I was a casting director for film and TV and commercials for over thirty years. I transitioned to a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New Jersey Drive with executive producers Spike Lee and director Nick Domez. I auditioned every rapper from biggiees Balls to Tupac, and I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help
transitioning to acting. My clients consist of musical artists from Buster Rhymes to Eve, Missy Elliott, Angela Yee from The Breakfast Club, and Vanessa Simmons, to name a few. I also coach sports stars and host as well. I feel I have the best of both worlds. As a casting director, I know exactly what they're looking for, and as an acting coach, I can coach you to be remembered in that room. Now I know, I know actors want to
get the job. I get that, But being remembered by a casting director that is powerful.
And now it's time for meditation of the day.
There is power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, and in using your authentic voice, Michelle Obama, Don't waste unnecessary time trying.
To figure out if people like you, if they don't like you, if they're talking about you, what they're saying on the dms, and talk all of this stuff.
It's such a waste of time, especially because you don't know these people. Why invest the energy on trying to please or negotiate or compromise with people.
That have no influence in your life. And even if they do have an influence in your life, you have.
The ability to choose.
You can listen to the noise, listen to the distractions, be a part of the distractions in drama, or you can disconnect and stop wasting time. Because time is precious and time is something that you can never get back.
Today, I will respect and enjoy my time.
Before we get started, I like to remind everyone to go to Krackical Network to view seasons one and two of my show Inside the Black Box that I co host with the great Emmy Award winning Joe Morton. Look out for news on season three soon. Welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore.
I am honored to have.
Our guest here today, especially since we're celebrating and supporting June as Black Music Month.
I want you guys.
To put your hands together for Ralph roll who is a legendary, acclaimed drummer, and also he's an entrepreneur, which I'm excited to talk about his company. He is the founder of the Soul Snack Cookie Company.
Ladies and gentlemen, mister Ralph.
Rollo, thank you, dank you, Ralph, Hey Trace, how you doing.
I'm excellent. How are you?
I'm doing great. I'm in London right now on tour with nol Rogers, so we'll we're having fun. He's a great guy.
I am so happy that I can share this story with you, which you probably don't remember, so I'm cool with that. But I landed in New York City in nineteen eighty three and there was a YEP August fifteenth, nineteen eighty three, and my roommate was being managed by Russell Simmons. And when I got off the plane, we went to Green Street Studio run DMC was there, Curtis Blow Full Force and they're recording.
That was my first experience getting off right that.
Evening, I went with who later became my husband, Steve Salem. He was friends with Nile Rodgers and took me to a club in the seventies, which I want to say was like Sugar Bar, but I don't know if that were Sugar something. I don't know if it was there back then, but we were in the seventies. I remember that, and Nile Rogers I was I lost my mind, lost my mind. So I kind of met you indirectly, maybe in nineteen eighty three because ladies and gentlemen.
He's been playing since fourteen.
Sixteen, and no I started. I started professionally when I was nineteen.
But prior to that, you were playing.
I've been playing since I was nine years old.
Look at that and then a professional.
I don't know if you guys heard professionally at eighteen. So I want to start off with your life, like where, what was your.
Inspiration to be a drummer? How did that start?
I started? I grew up in the Bronx and I grew up in bronxhiver houses, which is kind of iconic because the true backstory from hip hop is hip hop and it's promotion started in Bronx ripper. Although cool Herk does get the accolades for being the first person to actually do this art form. The real branding of hip hop started with Africa Bambata because he was a very young,
just business minded guy at a very young age. So he was the one that was doing the flyers and the promotion and all those things that no one was ever doing. So he kind of put hip hop on the map in a way where cool Heurt was coming to him, hang out with him, to go to these shows. Wow, and that's that's that's the you know, that's.
The the Bronx. The Fever right.
Yeah, Yeah, disco Fever was over on Jerome right off of Jerome Avenue when University Avenue. Yeah, the Bronx was kind of hot back in the seventies when it came to uh, when it came to music. But I started playing drums in my apartment because my brother, who's seven years older than me, he was the male role model. I grew up in a single parent household, and he
was the one that was always getting into something. My mother raised four kids by herself, and she always you know, if you're a parent, you know that there's a strategy every day that your kids don't even know that you're strategizing about. Yeah, So he was the one that she had to keep the closest eye on. So what she did was she allowed him to have a drum set in the room because she knew if the drones is playing,
his behind was in the house. But the fact that I looked up to my brother so much and I did everything, I did everything my brother did. I mean, I tried to copy the way he used to walk, you know, when he when he was in the bathroom combing his head back. When I had hair, I would comb it the way he'd combed it, And you know, just tried to have my brother's swag. So playing drums because he played, I was like, I want to play drums.
So he said, you can play, there's no problem, but don't switch the drums around because I'm left handed, and I would I would have had to change the drums completely to the opposite side. So I learned how the I played drums open handed, which I still played to this day.
Wow.
Yeah. So the drums were around for about a year or so, and then they disappeared out the house and I asked my mother what happened to the drums. She said, don't ask me, go go find your brother and asked him. Right. During that time, he started dating a young lady named Michelle who lived in the next building, and they were to get all the time. It was like all the time. So I went over to her house and I knocked
on the door, and Michelle came to the door. How he came to the door and I said, hey, man, how you doing. He says, I'm doing okay. I said, what happened to the drums? He said, well, first of all, Mommy put me out. That's that's the first thing. And second of all, Michelle is pregnant, so I had to sell the drums. And you know, you're going to be an uncle, and you know, and we're gonna get get married and all of this stuff. And I just looked at him. I said, but where's the drums? That's all
I cared about it. I care about all that, you know. The good story is that they've been together over sixty years. They have four kids and a bunch of grandkids.
Yeahs a blessing.
He left and moved to Virginia first, and he was an engineer and started his own company, did very well, retired and moved to Florida. We brought him a drum set for his fiftieth birthday, and he gave it away because he knew he could. He wasn't going to play, so he gave it to some young kid who could play. But that's how that's how it started for me. I started as just watching him and I just I just stuck with it. And it's been good. You know, it's just been a good run.
You're a great storyteller, so visual, so visual. I saw your mother yelling at your brother, kicked him out.
I thought it one time.
One time she went to work and came home in the back of her you know, you never touched your mother's console stereo and you know it had the TV and the record player and the radio had stations from other countries. You know, it was the big one, okay. And he took the back off. He found some speakers outside and wide speakers from the living room all the way back to our bedroom. I'm surprised he was alive
after that one. Yeah. But he was a tinker. He had always been a tinker, very smart a young man. He's one of the first black supervisors for DuPont's engineering department. Wow, he was a Brillian guy.
You know, it's funny when you said that about your mom.
My mother used to come in and blow us away because she was like, who moved the couch? Like little stuff? And we're like, what are you talking about? Who moved the couch? And then she would walk over and like push it back, like somebody really was crazy. Because I grew up with two brothers, I wanted to ask you because for me growing up, Prince, well, let me start with Parliament and Funk of Dellen. They were the most
outrageous group. George Clinton, like that was outrageous and I was all for it growing up in San Francisco when Nile Rogers, Nile Rogers was like Prince to me, Like I had never seen heard of Nile Rogers. Ever, how did you meet him? How did you guys form? Because how long have.
You been with him?
Right now you say you're in London with him.
I've been after Tony passed away. The drummer that came after was a gentleman named Omahaikim, very famous drummer. And then me, so I've been here now almost twenty years. Wow, yeah, almost almost twenty years. Yeah. Yeah, I actually left the Apollo to work with now because I knew that what he brought to music, sad to say, is an anomaly when it comes to black producers. Sad to say, because there aren't many. There aren't many groups like ours that are tory tour and has done the kind of things
that now has done. He's you know, there's I know, amazing producers. I grew up with them, but there was only they only make enough slots for just a couple of people. And he got into that to that space and he killed it. I mean, he's in his seventies and he's worked with Beyonce and and he just works with everybody.
Everybody. Yeah, like I was, I was going to say.
He has to be close to the seventies, but that's it's amazing.
Like I just finished working with Buster.
We were working on Naked Gun with Liam Nelson and Nilsen, and Liam said to me after we were working, he was like, you know, Chase, I'm seventy two. And I was like, I didn't know that. I also worked with Joe Morton on a show that Scruce and I work with Inside the Black Box, and Joe is in his seventies.
So I'm saying that to say that, you know, I often talk to young people and say, you know, the beauty is in the aging process to me right now, and saying that you have had such a plethora of experiences, You've worked with the best in the industry. Y do you feel like at this point like because this is what I feel because I'm at a certain age.
Howsoever, I still feel sixteen.
I still feel like almost like inside the black box gave me this other chapter and I'm running with it because I'm looking at you and I am you know, as a casting director, we don't deal in age. We deal with rage. But your experience and your range are not in.
Sync with each other. You look very like, really great.
So how do you maintain stamina? How to maintain all of that?
Because traveling is it's heckic.
Well, the stamina is because it's a lot of good drugs in my neighborhood. And and I'm kidding. Truth, the truth of the matter is I grew up at a time where where I came out of the heroine age into the cocaine age. Me too, and I was smart enough two uh see what it had done to my community. And it was one of those note to sell things, don't to self, don't do that, don't don't go on that because the results are bad. So I stayed away. Honestly,
I stayed away from it all. You know, you know a glass of wine, you know, bottle of beer, and that's it for me. The band here, you know, they called me the lightweight because if I have a glass of wine, I'm like all right time ago. Yeah, I just I just chose to stay away from it because I you know, I know and saw what it did to. You know, even before my brother became a dad, he was a mess. And I know that's why I didn't know it. Dan. I didn't find out until I was
in my thirties that he was. Also he had his issues, so I had it around me all the time. You know, my father was all that, he was never he lived across town. You know, my brother had his issues, and I just said, I don't want to ever be that I'm a good father because of what my father Wasn't I told him. So I've learned to answer your question to take the positivity away from the negativity, and I teach it in my master classes to find the positive
lesson in everything negative. And that's how you grow, that's how you that's how you gain experiences, not allowing whatever happened to you to compound into your mind that it becomes an exercise that that backs you into a corner. So so, and any of my achievements just came out of constantly wanting to push forward, getting past the PTSD of whatever happened to me, whatever I saw in my neighborhood and all of those things. Yeah, you know, and now I actively give it back as much as I
possibly can. So that's just amazing.
I love the fact that you teach a masterclass.
And because that's, you know, my only experience being around a drummer kind of consistently. My cousin married Anita Baker, and so I would go whenever they came to New York.
I was always at the shows.
But always love live music, love drummers, you know, because.
It's an art all, you know.
I never in school, I was never I never took an elective for musical instruments because I didn't feel like.
I really didn't feel like I could play the piano.
I didn't feel like I could really grasp how to play an instrument.
I gravitated more to acting, but drums like.
Amazing, it's a great instrument. To play, and I find that drummers have this bond that is amazing. I don't know what it's about. I don't know it's because you know, it emulates the heartbeat. I don't know what it is, but drummers I am most of most of the people that I know in the entertainment well, the closest friends I have with drummers, and sometimes we're competitives, but all the times we're friends, you know, And that that's something
that I really love. And you know, one of me is why I maintained being a musician is because I just loved the sensitivity and the communication that music does. And the reason why you're in the arts is for probably a lot of the same reasons. This other part of us that people that don't do it don't understand. It's like we're freaking x men and aliens. They don't they don't get the psyche and that the mentality that we have that this is this is a very sensuous
part of our thinking. To do what we do, to lay a whole life in front of people to get their acceptance. It's some hardcore stuff if you think about it. From the answers to actors to musicians on down the line the arts. You know, we do it because it's our passion. But it's you know, on the day to day it's kind of crazy. You go to auditions, you don't get the audition, but you go back to the next audition and you yourself up and keep going. And if you think about it's kind of crazy. But no, yeah,
but passion does that. And one of the things I do say in my masterclass is that passion has no expiration date, so you'll continue to do it until you can't do it anymore. And that's what we do.
Yeah.
Absolutely, a forty something years, I'm still out here strong, you know. Ye with these young.
Boys, Yeah, well they standing on your shoulders, so I know that they are very grateful and on into being your presence. I'm going to tell you my favorite part of any concert, and especially jazz, is when they do the drummers solo.
That's my favorite part because just to watch and.
Sometimes I've watched drummers and seen like four arms. You know, it's like, you know, my favorite part of the concert because that's when you can truly hear the isolation of just the drums and see work that you guys put in Man's.
I got to get you out to his show.
Oh yeah, Oh my god, I'm a fan.
I gotta absolutely get you out to his show.
Oh my god.
And I wish I knew what that club was, Ralph, I'm gonna find out. Unfortunately, I'm still friends with Full Force, so I can ask them.
Uh huh. Where was it located?
It was like seventy second Street. And because like you know, I was fresh in New York, so I didn't know anything. I just knew it was the furthest that I've ever been. It wasn't Harlem, and maybe it was.
Wasn't there a Birdland? Was Birdland?
Well, okay, Sugar Bar is on seventy second Street when you walk in, Yeah, go to the left, there's a bar right there on the stages to the back. Yes, Sugar Bar has been around for about I would say about thirty years now. And then across a little further over there was a place called Chas and Wilson's.
Oh I remember that, Yes.
Yes, I remember that. It was one of those. And then then.
It was very intimate the club that we went to.
It might have it might have been Sugar Bar. Yeah, A lot of folks hang out over there.
Oh my the last time I was there before it closed, Valerie and we used to have We used to call him Black Jesus and Valerie Simpson and her husband.
Oh my god, his name just left me.
Oh Nick Nick.
We used to call him Black Jesus and Valerie and Nick were performing.
That's the last time I went to the Sugar Bar.
Yeah. I was in there band for a few years. And I got to tell you, Nick Asher is one of the nicest people be able one to meet.
Oh my god, we loved him.
How do you we when he he Oh my god, we were crazy over him there. You know, I'm seventies so Earth Wind and Fire Chic all that music, And this is the question I want to ask you before we transition in terms of music today. Yeah, how do you how do you feel about because I'm missing R and B. I'm missing words that tell stories or say something. Especially when I go to.
Atlanta, I'm like, whoh, you got to use your words.
You got to get at csarist you got to get some life experiences to use your words.
How do you feel about the climate of music today?
Well, I'm old a lot of a lot of the stuff that I hear. I can't it's nothing. I don't like it, I can't relate to it. Okay, So by judgment of it is music has its evolutions and it's evolved to this. But the question is always in my head is where where are the legends? Where where are the gladys Knights? Where are the Teddies? Where are the luthers? I'm not getting a lot of those because you know when we were coming up and that you know, this sounds like when you know when I was coming up.
You know, when we were coming up, we were fortunate to have a smaller market that allowed major talent to come through. So we had legends and a lot of them. We don't have that many now because the market is so saturated and although modern day communications social media is so important, it's actually limited the market because so many people are out there, so for someone to come to
the top, it's very difficult for that to happen. You know, the whole, the whole structure has changed to a place where you know, artists can make money on their own and you don't hear from them until later on, and then nine times out of ten they were flashing the pan. You got to really be something to come through now and they're not making songs like they used to. And these kids are just chasing the money. They're chasing trends
and fads as opposed to what's in their heart. You know, every once in a while, somebody comes along that just explains how it's done. DiAngelo is a perfect example of that. D'Angelo came along and everybody was like, now that right there, that boy's dope. And so then the market shifted where you had India and you had music soul child and all of these folks came following him. Before that, Tony Tony Tony came and everybody was like, yo, they're doing
real music. And but the crazy thing is based on what you're saying. These young kids can't tour like that. They can do their little time and then no one hears for them. Again, if Tony Tony Tony announced themorrow that they were going on tour, they could tour for the next two years, but that because they were doing music. Yeah, I'm with a fifty year old almost sixty year old group, but we just played in front of twenty five pupil the other day because of the music, the content. So
I say again, I'm old. I don't get this stuff. I don't. I don't. I don't know what it's about. Yeah, my daughter has come full circle. She's she's she's twenty one, and she would hear what I would play in her card and for a moment there in her you know, her teens. Why are you playing on that old people's stuff? Yeah, I'm like, you know. Then she came home from college her first year, and she's I listened in her room
and she's playing Edna James. Yeah, and I'm sitting in the living room going, yep, I'm here at a jam. So I'm went in her room and I said, is that at a jim? She said, yeah, this music today is I don't. I don't understand that. And I'm like, oh, okay, so she's getting it, Yeah, get it. But to your point, I don't know about the music today. I don't really want to comment as that much to say I don't like it or do like it, but it's just what it is.
Yeah it is, and I can't comment on it either. Just you know, thank god for YouTube. Oh my god, we have five minutes. Okay, I got to switch just hand, so you tell us how you transition.
What how did the your company.
Because we have some entrepreneurial skills here the soul Smack Cookie Company. How did that evolve?
Where did that come?
Okay, first shout out to Spruce Henry who hates my cookies because he doesn't like soft cookies, my cookies, all all this soft.
Oh, I love soft cookies.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. But I started. I started when I was living in the Bronx and Bronx over houses. I was a shy kid and I used to I was, like I said, I grew up in a household with all mostly women, and we used to go to my grandmother's house and she would bake. And my mother made it a point that everything the girls did, the boys did. So I knew how to sew, I knew how to bake, I knew how to cook, I knew all of that. So I just loved baking
and being a nerdy kid. And I was kind of smart. In school. I gotten skipped and I got teased because I was smart, and my mother put me in a white shirt every day, which they used to snap on me. So I wanted to meet girls, but I didn't have swag like my friends. So I would bake cookies and give it to girls and it worked like it was.
Yeah.
Years later, after my mother passed away, my girlfriend moved in with me and for the holidays, just to announce that we're together, we decided to make the cookies and that turned into now people saying we want more. You should start a business. And I said, you know what, this is a good time to do this. I think I should do it. I called Melbourne, who has Melbourne's Restaurants.
She was the restaurant.
She's actually the niece of Sylvie. A lot of people on that from Silvio. Yeah. So she ran an open mic that I was playing and I called up and I said, no, I want to have this thing that I want to do. Said, okay, if I come by with the cookies. She said, yeah, come on by. Brought the cookies, brought samples. Didn't know what the hell I was doing. The way I put the bag together. I put cookies in the sandwich bag, a sandwich bag in the brown bag, taped the bag, school glued the label on.
I was tacky, gave out samples. People loved it, loved the cookies. They bought them. I thought they brought them out of sympathy because the drummer was like, selling these the brown bags looked like you. But it just happened to be a guy from YSB magazine at the at the bottom, and Melbourne was telling him about the fact that I was a drum at the Apollo and she my girlfriend, also from public housing. She graduated from Juilliard. So he was like, wow, this is a great story.
The article. He interviewed us. The article came out, and you know, long story shot through rest his history. We went from selling nothing to now fast forward, we're in Walmart and Kroger and the trip the journey. I mean, Spruce knows the whole story, but the trip in the journey is something that I'm teaching. I'm just giving away the information because I find that in our communities, will we become successful? And this is not everybody. So let
me just say that it will become successful. And they go away and you don't really hear from them. I'm back in my neighborhood all the time. I work with a youth program and this thing called Manday Monday. I work with ex incoce rated individuals I hire from the community, and I'm a national brand, and I just think it's important to do so. The cookies. The cookies a good spruce.
Yeah, they are spruce, and I have and I believe you. It's okay, Ralph. I got you, right, I did, and I rolled mine too, but Scrooce didn't see it. But I'm gonna tell you this, Ralph, because I got you. I would love to invite you back to the show and do a segment. I will talk to Spruce. Do you see me roll my eyes. I have to talk to Spruce and see if Spruce will led me. But I would love for you to do a segment on entrepreneurial tips, because this is.
The deal I have. There is a young woman, Kenya, who was in my class. She created body butter.
Doing so this is like good information because actors sense the strike, in my opinion, but prior to that too, you need something else. You need something else, and the strike, did you know, settle some things. But monetary wise, actors got to work. They really have to work. So I'm going to extend that invitation. I'm going to bring on else the laything, because Elsa is going to introduce you.
We have two actors who have questions for you. But we're going to do it, Ralph, with or without Spruce's approval, because Spruce doesn't tell me what to do. You understand, I'm not afraid of him.
I guess what. I ain't scared him either.
Okay, good, good. The both of us together are straw.
Else they stand up. That's what I got to say, BX, stand up. I'm from the South Box, What Street No. One fifty six and Jackson Saint Mary's see.
That's what I'm talking about right that we here. I ain't even got to look at you right now, we're.
Right here exactly. And I love your snow your soul snacks too.
Thank you? Have you had them before I have?
I have? Yeah, absolutely absolutely your numbers, Bruce.
Yeah.
So today we have two of our spirited actors on who are multi talented. We have Miss Nia Simone Smith. Welcome Nia, you can come on camera. And we have mister Sam Bryce. Welcome back. Sam can come on camera also.
Both of them, Ralph, who I love my favorite people right here?
How you guys doing.
More multi hyphen it to you?
Yeah?
Hi, how are you wonderful? Wonderful? Thank you?
So of course ladies first on this show. So miss Nia Simone Smith, you are a first with your question.
My question is for actors, like like Tracy said, we do need to do something else because by acting it's not always fruitful. But I do musical theater and I was wondering if you had any tips on how to get into background singing.
It's funny you say that because I just had a session done in New York while I was out here. Uh, for for background singers, I want to introduce introduce you to a gentleman named John James. John James is my partner in a in a project that we're working on. And Uh, it's it's the kind of thing that you have some advantages because of social media to get yourself out there. So it's good to post. I believe that it's it's who you know and where to be and
how how to get there. One of the one of the people that I am crazy about, we actually were very very close, is Cindy Mizel. I don't know if you ever heard of her. Yeah, yeah, Cindy Mizel. If you look on the back of many, many, many, many records, you'll see Cindy Mizel's name. And I've watched her in the studio. She's a technician, also Lisa Fisher to wifer Age, Paul At McWilliams, dwell Took's, Uh, the list goes on and on, but I realized that they all have a
certain style about when they're in the studio. It's it's obviously being on time, understanding the music, understanding different textures in your voice to be able to blend and work with with with others. I find that some singers that come out of certain genres can't work outside of those genres vocally, so it limits them because the producers have big ears and they can hear if you're if you can fit in there. So I would, I would honestly say to you is just keep doing your social media
thing and right place, right time. This is the right place the right time. I'm going to introduce you to my partner, John James. He's also a chairperson over sag After so he has a lot of connections and and it could be good for you. I mean, once once I make the introduction, it's all on you. But that's the same thing that happened to me. Somebody made the introduction that they couldn't they couldn't hold my hands and play the drums. I had to do my thing once
I got there, you know. So I will make that introduction for you as soon as today. Wow. And he will definitely tell you what to do because John works a lot. He used to. He used to be one of the singers with Toto. He did the rain Forest with Gig with the sting he did. He was the one who did. He sung the fourth of July. Uh, just just passed year. He did the solo or one of the songs. John's a bad Boy wo. So it's the connection part is going to happen. So it's up to you once that connection happens.
I want to thank you too. Thank you, Nia. I want to thank you because Nia, you're going to get a chance to hear Nia. We have class and session after this, so you'll be able to hear as well.
Thank you, Yes, thank you, You're welcome. And so next up we have mister Sam Brice with his question. What's your question?
Sam? Excellent you, mister Roll, I'm fine, sir. Good. Now, this question actually might sound kind of random.
I saw this article where you got a chance to go and play an abby role and how you were extremely excited because you knew that the Black Panthers soundtrack was done there and everything like that. So my question for you is, do you have, drum wise a favorite track from the Black Panthers soundtrack?
You know what, It's the thing that stuck about my My wife got sick of me doing the chant. It wasn't even part of the soundtrack. It was the chant when they when they came from out the mountains. That chance just stuck with me. I was like, I love that. I was everybody I was doing that. Did you be quiet? The soundtrack? Let me tell you, the soundtrack overall for
Black Panther is is so amazing, uh. To to listen to the orchestrations and how it fit with the actual movie is actually, you know amazing the connection for us as a as a as a people. There's so many other, you know, underlying messages in that in that movie that that I hope people paid attention to. But the soundtrack overall, I got to tell you. So, when I went to Abbey Road for the for the first time, I knew that I was walking in some doors that were iconic.
It was the same way I felt when I walked in the Apollo stage door for the first time. It's it's emotional for me too, because I'm a fan. I don't care how many years I've been doing this. I am a fan. I met I met Bernard Party, the famous drummer, Bernard Purty, Pretty Purty. He's the drum on rock Steady for Rita Franklin. He's done stuff with Steely Dan. I met the man. I hugged him and I cried like a baby. I'm still a fan. I'm now, believe
it or not, that relationship has now started. I'm producing the documentary for him. So it's it's so when I hear things like that soundtrack, when I walk into the doors like Abbey Road, when I go backstage at the Apollo, you know, it's it's one of those things that I feel like when I go through the door, there are so many people with me, and it's never alone to me. It's never I did this. I'm like, I'm I'm this is the work of a lot, lot of people, you know.
So that's when you saw the exuberance when I walked in the abbey Road. That's what that was about. I've been fortunate enough now. I worked on the soundtrack to Rocketman. In there, I worked on the soundtrack to Cats. I did a session with du A Leper in the abbey Road. So again, I'm carrying the Bronx with me, I'm carrying New York with me. I'm carrying my people when I no matter what I do, because I try to tell
these young folks when you're out here doing whatever. My mother used to tell me this, my grandmother, so I never forgot it. You're not just there yourself. You're not accepting awards yourself, you're not taking gigs, and it's just you. There's a whole lot of Sammy Davis juniors back there that went through stuff to get you to where you go. So to answer your question, I can't give you a specific song, but I could tell you what I've when I when you saw my face going in the abbey Road,
I'm like, dude, we're here, we here. Yeah, we know I'm not here. We are here, We are here.
Yeah.
And that's that's just how I always feel.
Yeah, And like, sorry to interject, but something that you said earlier, when you said, like drummers just kind of like gravitate towards each other, and that's really how it is.
Because I'm a drummer too, so nice.
You know, I was thinking about Black Panther and all of that, and I'm like, for me, the Jabbari chant, I completely understand where you're coming from and kill monger versus the childt that whole drum ah.
Yes, that's my stuff right there. So I dude, I can watch Black Panther like I never saw it, you know. Again, So here's what I did. I am probably one of the only people and I'm not bragging, but this is true. I've seen Black Panther on six continents. I saw it in Australia, North America, South America, Africa, I saw it in legos uh and in Japan. I went and sold in Japan an Asia. So I just I just wanted to be that guy. So I'm like, yo, I saw a black path like all over the world.
Son, Yea, yeah, yeah you could stand in that son. Thank you for asking that, Sam, I have. I wanted to squeeze so much into the session with Ralph, but with or without Spruce's permission, we're going to do this, Elsa.
Thank you for bringing everybody on.
Absolutely you are welcome.
Okay, So Ralph, well we're going to do besides talk about Spruce behind his back.
We are going to come.
Back with class in session and you are going else is going to introduce we have a lovely surprise for you.
So everybody sit back please, Ralph Role is not going anywhere.
When we come back on the Spirited Active Podcast with me Tracy Moore, We're going to go into classroom session. Welcome back to the Spirited Actor Podcast.
And we are so blessed and honored to still.
Have Ralph Roll with us. And Ralph is hilarious. Thank you for being here. Ralph so much fun and he's coming back. You guys, Elsa, we have a surprise to you, Ralph, and we also have a surprise first first two he can okay, all right.
Elsa, Yeah, thank you Tracy. So today's class in session is a special one for mister Ralph Roll. We have miss Nia Simone smith Beck. Welcome Nia, hi, and Nia is going to display one of her other talents today. She's going to sing a special song for mister Rolle okay, and you can just give her any feedback you have when you're when she's done, okay, uh Nia, you can take it away when you're ready.
Great.
So today I'll be saying hound dog from the Duke musical Smokey Joe's Cafe.
You ain't nothing but a half dog. Counsoothing out my door.
You ain't nothing but a dog.
Consume there my door.
You can't wear your tail, but I ain't going to future no more.
You told me you were high class and I can see that.
Yeah, you told me you a hoss and I can see you that.
You daddy do that's you.
No real care. You make me feel so yeah, make me wake and moll.
Make me feel so.
Yeah, make me wake. And you ain't.
Looking for woman, not my talent.
Well, I can tell you this. I can tell you this from from what I'm hearing. Yeah, you have you have a really you have good tone, very very soulful voice, very so thank you. I wish I could have heard more because you do have a really really great sound.
And thank you.
You belt, you're you're you're belter. Yeah, I know the I know they didn't acquired. It was going, no, you're gonna come up front girl. You're coming up front girl, because you want you right in the front.
It's so funny because I have to be an alto in the choir.
Sometimes it's just too much.
It's too much, too much.
I love it, ladies and gentlemen. Okay, that was classic session. Okay, and now I want you guys to put your hands together for mister Ralph Roll. Ralph Legendary acclaimed you guys, We honored, and I'm so glad that we have you on the show for June Black History, Black Music History months. But more importantly, just your spirit, your kindness, your generosity and sharing not just your knowledge but also giving back.
And I love when they say, you know, I'm gonna teach you how to fish, and I feel like that's what you've been doing, teaching us all how to fish, and continue to do that so that we can continue to build and grow and teach generations to come. So thank you so much, Ralph for being here. You are phenomenal. And now it's time for Kudo's Corner. Kudos Corner is where we celebrate actors and we support them and we introduce them to you. This week's Kudo's Corner puts the
spotlight on spirited actor Leticia Harris. Letitia makes great use of her creative talents. She has been featured in the crime re enactment shows Thou Shalt Not and bride Killer films include The Oracle and Sinners Wanted, as well as voiceover work for both government industrials and children's books. At the Lover of Theater, Letitia thurs as VP of the Drama Ministry Department for the nationally known First Baptist Church of Glen Darden in Maryland.
There she has performed.
In, directed, and stage managed their renowned plays and musicals. As a stand up comedian, Letitia has performed at FBCG as well as DC Improvs and bus Boys and Poets. Kudos to Letitia Harrison and now it's time to give love. We have to start saying no to other people's needs and start saying yes to our own.
For example, as a casting director.
And when I used to cast live auditions, my assistant and I would sometimes forget to eat because we were so engaged in the auditions, bringing the actors, being on time, all of these things. Well, after a couple of days, that's not good for your body, and it throws you off because then when you leave, you know you want to you know, gorge on fast food or whatever that's not helping yourself.
It's okay to lend.
A hand and to share with other people, but make sure before you lend a hand to someone else, extend it to yourself first. Make sure you're feeling good, make sure you have great thoughts circulating in your mind. Make sure physically you feel good and you're putting foods and liquids in your body that are going to strengthen you and help build your stamina. You have to take care of yourself first in order to reach out and take care of other people.
Hi.
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