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GARY TAYLOR EXPLAINS HIS BOLD LETTER TO BLACK RADIO: Three part series begins tomorrow.

By Angela Spann / info@eurweb.com

(October 10, 2006)

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“Black radio is not doing anything differently. They’re all playing the same five songs.” Truer words were never spoken, particularly where Black music is concerned. In today’s store-front radio market, it’s become less about the music and more about the business. Real big business, in fact, and the Generation Y crowd and their power dollars run the boardroom’s playlist.

They determine what’s hot and music executives and their advertisers are all too hip to this fact. Mainstream companies who made public statements that they didn't want “urban” artists wearing their clothes are now featuring them in their advertisements at almost every turn. McDonald's once family-oriented commercials now look like hip-pop video knockoffs.

It can be a very difficult terrain to navigate, especially for the new breed of old school artists. Unless, of course, you are an artist who just happens to be a singer, songwriter, producer, and owner of your own successful independent record label. But then, there’s only one Gary Taylor.

In the upcoming three part series, Taylor takes Black radio and its politically-driven power brokers to task. In his frank and downright no-holds-barred conversation with EUR’s Lee Bailey, Taylor discusses his frustration with the state of Black radio and the subsequent lack of opportunities for real soul music to reach the airwaves.

In his frustration lies the passion. So much so that he has penned an open letter to Black radio and is urging his Black people to read it with their hearts and with their ears. He urges the real music lovers to take back their quiet storm one slow jam at a time.

Unlike many of our beloved soul legends of the past, Taylor has managed to continue to sell truckloads of records in the absence of mainstream radio airplay and three-letter video station endorsements. No videos, no movie soundtracks, and no overworked hot producers of the month – he only offers music and it sells. How else would many of you reading this be within an arm’s reach of any one of the solid projects from his impressive and very consistent discography – Take Control, Square One, The Mood of Midnight, Under the Nightlight, or Eclectic Bohemian, just to name a few. And the journey continues. His newest album, Retro Blackness, released October 3rd is sure to continue that legacy. Check out his groove-a-licious ode to Blackness, "Loving My People," via his MySpace site.

In tomorrow’s installment of this series, Taylor discusses his fearless motivation for writing the letter to radio stations and how he really feels about Tom Joyner’s role in the state of Black radio. He also talks about the impact that technology will play in radio’s future as well as the “S” word – syndication. He’ll also define Retro Blackness – the music and the movement. Stay tuned.

Angela N. Spann is a Washington, DC based writer and author. Her new book, "In Search of Silence," will be released on November 23, 2006. And yes, she's a Gary Taylor fan.

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