“for the LOVE of Music” with Sara Trow and her guest Keith Mitchell, on air from June 3rd
Born in Indianapolis, Keith Mitchell’s musical roots were planted early, singing in church at age seven with his siblings in The Stars of Zion. By twelve, he was leading songs and shaping harmonies, setting the stage for a life steeped in music. Though he majored in business at Indiana University, music pulled him stronger. Through the acclaimed IU Soul Review, he refined his R&B sound, which led to the formation of After 7 with his brother Melvin and Kevon Edmonds. Together, they soared to gold and platinum success with era-defining hits. The trio was initially produced by mega hit-makers Babyface (the Edmonds’ younger brother) L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons in the group’s self-titled 1989 debut album which spawned the Billboard #1 R&B (and Hot 100 Top Ten) hits “Ready or Not” and “Can’t Stop.” They released two more albums (including the platinum-selling Takin’ My Time) over the next decade before their initial split.
Yet even amid commercial fame, Keith’s spiritual foundation stayed strong. As a member of World Changers International under Pastor Creflo Dollar, he experienced a deep renewal of faith that redirected his path. This spiritual reawakening inspired a new sound, one that blends his soulful R&B roots with powerful gospel truth.
Now, as a solo artist, Keith is channeling a lifetime of musical mastery into a fresh chapter. With the guidance of faith and the support of like-minded young producers, he’s crafting a sound that is both contemporary and timeless, a testimony of transformation, purpose, and praise. His music is more than melody; it’s ministry with rhythm and soul.
After rejoining After 7 for their 2015 comeback and contributing to their 2021 album Unfinished Business, Keith Mitchell officially stepped away in early 2024. He now begins a new chapter as a solo gospel artist with “He’s Alive,” the powerful lead single from his upcoming debut album Food for Your Life. Rich in testimony and praise, the song marks a bold return to his spiritual roots.
Keith’s journey began in the church, singing with his siblings in The Stars of Zion. Though he strayed from his faith in his teens, he rediscovered it at 40 through the teachings of Pastor Creflo Dollar. That reconnection sparked a deeper purpose, one that now fuels his music with messages of transformation, grace, and spiritual awakening.
Songs like “The Kingdom,” “Rescue Me,” and “Virtuous Woman” reflect his personal evolution and divine inspiration. “He’s Alive” is more than a debut—it’s Keith’s heartfelt testimony and invitation for others to experience the living presence of Christ. As he puts it, “There’s no greater honor than using music to minister to the heart.”
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“for the LOVE of Music” with Sara Troy and her guest Gene-O, on air from November 21st.
Gearing up for the release of “Time for Change,” the infectious, insightful and timely debut single from Classic Twist – the fresh, grooving and innovative, multi-genre duo he’s formed with veteran writer/producer Kevin Flournoy – renowned R&B/jazz singer/songwriter Gene-O played the track for some industry movers and shakers in their home base of Southern California. Their response was auspicious – it reminded them of a modern version of “We Are the World.” If ever the planet needed a hopeful and uplifting new anthem to inspire us to look past our differences and come together in a spirit of love, the time is now.
Written by Gene-O and produced by Flournoy, “Time for Change” is an emphatic call to action that pointedly reflects on everything we need to do to come together and achieve a better world. Over a unique musical vibe that, true to the fusion-driven spirit of Classic Twist, incorporates elements of pop, R&B, country and rock, Gene-O passionately sings, “It’s time we leave our comfort zone/It’s time for you and I to rearrange things/Cause everybody knows it’s time for changes/It’s time we see the light/It’s time to do what’s right. . .So much love/That’s what we all should be thinking of…”
“We recorded this song and are releasing it as our first Classic Twist single because globally we desperately need to effect major change,” says Gene-O, whose most recent solo albums were the back-to-back releases of Born to Love and Christmas with Gene-O. Having spent years performing around the world (China, Japan and the EU) and the U.S., the singer started his career recording and performing with such artists as Baby Bash, N2Deep, The Jets, Maserati, and Sheila E to name a few. Once designated as Best New Artist of the Month by Talking Smooth Jazz Radio – more recently he has shared the stage with the likes of Brian O’Neal (The Bus Boys), Howard Hewitt, Eric Darius, Dru Hill, Lenny Williams (Tower of Power), Joe, and his mentors, Phil Perry and the late great Ricky Lawson.
“Our world is so crazy right now on so many levels,” he adds. “I had the message in my mind and I felt it was something we needed to do together. Kevin and I talk about these issues all the time. Every time we turn on the TV or listen to the radio, they’re talking about more division. The song, like all of the music we’re making together as Classic Twist, reflects the way we live, just loving people. Love and unity form the concept of everything we’re going to do on this project.”
“As veteran musicians and live performers, we know the joy that’s possible when thousands of people from all different backgrounds and beliefs come together to hear music and experience an elevation of positivity,” adds Flournoy, who has written, performed or recorded over the years with Chaka Khan, Babyface, Donny Osmond, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Teena Marie, Jeffrey Osborne, The Pointer Sisters, Jennifer Hudson, Howard Hewitt, Jamie Foxx, The Jazz Crusaders and contemporary jazz greats Boney James, Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum and Harvey Mason.
The duo plans to follow “Time for Change” with several other original singles before releasing an EP or full-length album comprised of new compositions and explosive re-imaginings of classic rock tunes. One of these is the whimsical, high-energy country-soul-rocker “Things are Changing,” a lighthearted song along a similar theme about going out and having some fun. The other is “You’re My Hero,” an inspiring, R&B/gospel flavored tribute to the love of hard- working, self-sacrificing women everywhere that was picked up by an international women’s foundation as their new anthem; Gene-O and Flournoy will be shooting a video for this song this fall. As for the covers, down the road, Classic Twist is excited about presenting their dynamic versions of Simply Red’s “Holding Back the Years,” Journey’s “Faithfully” and Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind.”
The concept of Classic Twist is rooted in the longtime friendship and musical camaraderie of Gene-O and Flournoy, who first played together informally at jam sessions hosted by smooth jazz bassist Darryl Williams at Simply Sharon’s restaurant in Temecula, CA. Sometime later, when Gene-O was at one of Flournoy’s gigs at Felix’s Barbecue with Soul in San Diego, the two got to talking about their mutual musical passions, became fast friends and began gigging together.
Over the years, while perfecting their chemistry doing regular gigs at San Diego area hotspots like Covo and countless high-end parties, the two began talking about developing a unique hybrid style that incorporated two of Gene-O’s all-time favorite genres – country and classic rock – that he never had a chance to record or perform because of his success in jazz and R&B and the popular demand for him to continue in that vein. Flournoy, a veteran arranger and producer who loves those styles as well, helped develop and bring to life some of Gene-O’s new songs in a way that incorporated such elements as banjo and steel and electric guitar. They plan to bring in some of the top musicians in the business to cut each song live like an old school ensemble, leading to a transcendent, one-of-a-kind sonic aesthetic that will inevitably be Classic Twist.
Having sung at church from the age of seven, Gene-O began his professional career at seventeen with a Bay Area band called Sho-fur. He has written, produced and collaborated with mega- producers Felton Pilate, Preston Glass, and Tank as well as contemporary jazz greats Adam Hawley, Blake Aaron, Darryl Williams, Cal Harris, Jr. and Will Donato. Flournoy, who earned a B.A. from the UCSD in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Music Science and Technology, is the owner and CEO of Kay-Flow Productions, LLC, a division of Flournoy Entertainment, Inc. His first major label success as a producer was Big Mountain’s international hit “Sweet Sensual Love.” As an artist/producer, this past year he released two versions of a cover of the Jam/Lewis SOS Band Top 5 R&B hit “Tell Me If You Still Care” – the first featuring Phil Perry on vocals, the second with saxophonist Richard Elliott.
All of our shows/interviews are done by donation, if you enjoyed this show please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support, thank you. and please support Our Forgotten Children’s anthology and help to bring this book into production.
“for the LOVE of Music” with Sara Troy and her guest Joe Colman, on air from December 11th
Joe Coleman, former lead singer of ‘The Platters’ Joe Coleman joined the Platters for a two-decade stint as the group’s lead singer in addition to gaining a successful career as a songwriter and playwright. Joe Blunt performed and recorded with the Drifters for over a decade in venues all over the world alongside Ben E. King and Johnny Moore, earning a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sony Records. Theo Peoples was discovered and hand-selected to join the ‘Temptations’ group in 1992 and made Motown history by becoming the first musician to be in both The Temptations and The Four Tops.
Now also an Author of a children’s book with a message and a song, he shares his life in the Air Force, his love of music and his continued passion to bring soul to his audience.
The Voices of Classic Soul have been around the world and back again several times each as the lead singers of four of the most legendary vocal groups of all time: the Temptations, Platters, the Four Tops, and Drifters. The three singers have a back-story right out of a Hollywood movie; Coleman, Blunt & Peoples grew up singing together in church and on street corners throughout the 1960s before finding fame and fortune separately, then reuniting after 30 years to harmonize together once again.
The DanSing Pancakes’ Healthy Choices Musical Story is a new, edutaining, high-action, illustrated children’s book written in rhymes, and with a “scan and play” audiobook by voiceover narrator and actress Shayna Small and with a hot new song, written and performed by legendary Platters® lead singer Joe Coleman.
The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington [DC] proudly had a cameo part in the fun song. Please visit www.DanSingPancakes.com.
Pablo and Priscilla Pancake were born suddenly in a frying pan at a home near yours. They bathe in bowls of syrup and they attend Panfry Primary School. There they encounter “human” classmates smoking, and talking about drinking and doing drugs.
Through their adventurous story and a hot new song, the DanSing Pancakes help kids resist drugs, alcohol, and smoking while teaching them positive choices such as studying hard, eating healthy foods, and being good friends.
What readers are saying about Joe Coleman’s DanSingPancakes: “I wanted to tell you about a little boy I read it to in the play therapy room. His mother, who has struggled with addiction and is on the verge of losing him was in the lobby. He sang the song until he memorized it. He then went out to the lobby, got down on his knees in front of his mother seated in the chair, and sang it to her and made her sing it with him. Joe it was quite honestly one of the most moving things this old therapist has seen in 30 years. So that is my critique of your book through the eyes of a little boy who dearly loves his mother.”-Beth Hughes; Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and Certified Trauma Therapist who specializes in treatment of traumatized children & adolescents, and their families.
All of our shows/interviews are done by donation, if you enjoyed this show please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support, thank you. and please support Our Forgotten Children’s anthology and help to bring this book into production.
“for the LOVE of Music” with her guest Swapna Abraham, on air from December 5th
Dedicated to my grandchildren Cai, Bodhi & Navid and written for the children of the world. Composed live – music and lyrics, one song everyday for 1000 days from 8 April 2017 to 2 January 2020
This project was an afterthought before embarking on a world record attempt to establish legitimacy in the outcome. And proceeded to be a world record in its own right with the Golden Book of World Records – Longest quotidian feat of composing, producing and publishing children’s song incessantly
Music & Lyrics: Swapna Abraham
Songs for kids aged 4-12
Songs about life, their world and the world at large – illusory and factual
Songs that impart values in the young mind
Songs that encourage them to dream
Songs that inspire them
Songs that trigger their imagination
Songs that nurture them and educate them
Songs that help them process their emotions
Loud songs, soft songs, colorful and sad; songs to play, clap, sing, dance and sleep to
Songs to meditate and unwind
Songs that also speak to parents, grandparents and caregivers
Adults invariably get to listen to children’s songs, and almost always, on repeat. The songs needed to be more bearable and relatable for the adults as well.
The Disney movies have proven children have an appetite for real songs.
The songs needed to convey more values, virtues, facts about life, with positive messages as much as possible, but also not keeping the truth away from the children.
I’ve a strong feeling these songs will also resonate with most adults that are just waiting to awaken the child in them. Since all the songs have positive/ factual unbiased messages, it is quite the balm for the soul.
Multiple World Record Holder & Award Winner, Singer-Songwriter, Actor, Author, Interior Designer, Mentor and Versatile Corporate Professional
A multiple world record holder and award winner, Swapna Abraham is a singer-songwriter, actor, author, interior designer, mentor, and versatile corporate professional from Kerala with her roots and formation in India and prime experience in the UAE.
Swapna has authored and produced 21 musical albums and performed extensively on the international gospel music platform (www.swapnaabraham.com). Holding 4 world records in singing and songwriting with the Golden Book of World Records (www.1000songsin1000days.com), she has also published a memoir ‘She Played In The Dark’ entailing the journey and lessons through the 1000-day world record journey.
A mentor in singing and songwriting, Swapna championed the first branded karaoke cafe ‘Kafeoke’ in India with a school for singing and songwriting and a recording studio. She is also known for her acting performances as Donna in the Mamma Mia musical directed by the late Mithran Devanesan, and Meenakshi in the Tamil feature film Nadunissi Naaygal directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. An alumnus of the T A Pai Management Institute and Indian Institute of Management Kolkata, she is the India Country Chair for Media Arts & Communication of G100, a global organization for the equitable elevation of women. Leaving no flair unpursued, Swapna is also an interior designer and member of the Designers Society of America (www.alikainteriors.com).
Her most recent musical work is the 12-song album titled LOVED. One of the songs NO LOVE LOST (feat Devan Ekambaram) received the following awards through 2023:
Silver – One Earth Awards – Best American Roots Song
Silver Medal – Outstanding Achievement – Global Music Awards – Country, Female Vocalist
Finalist – Spring 2023 – World Songwriting Awards – Best Modern Country Song
Official 2023 Finalist – InterContinental Music Awards
Official Nomination – Hollywood Independent Music Awards – Country (Crossover)
She is presently producing the 1000 songs that were written on A Children’s Song A Day through the 1000 days and that set one of the four world records; and is soon expecting it to be published internationally along with the song book in two volumes. This will be the biggest album of original songs made for children in the age group of 4-12.
In culmination, Swapna is the recipient of the NeedStar Award (2010), a Women’s Day Citation ‘Role Model for her progress and success in the field of Mainstream Career, Art & Entrepreneurship’; the Lamp-Icongo Karmaveer Chakra for Gospel Music Maestro Award (2012) for the contribution to gospel music from 1991-2012; the Aspire World Award (2019) for her Passion for Excellence at the 31st Global Women’s Empowerment Summit, Dubai; and the Women of Excellence Award at the Women Economic Forum (2022). Swapna was awarded a doctorate (honoris causa) in music in 2022 from Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation (Deemed To Be University).
All of our shows/interviews are done by donation, if you enjoyed this show please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support, thank you. and please support Our Forgotten Children’s anthology and help to bring this book into production.
Multiple World Record Holder & Award Winner, Singer-Songwriter, Actor, Author, Interior Designer, Mentor and Versatile Corporate Professional.
A multiple world record holder and award winner, Swapna Abraham is a singer-songwriter, actor, author, interior designer, mentor, and versatile corporate professional from Kerala with her roots and formation in India and prime experience in the UAE.
Swapna has authored and produced 21 musical albums and performed extensively on the international gospel music platform (www.swapnaabraham.com). Holding 4 world records in singing and songwriting with the Golden Book of World Records (www.1000songsin1000days.com), she has also published a memoir ‘She Played In The Dark’ entailing the journey and lessons through the 1000-day world record journey.
NEW SHOW AIRS DECEMBER 5TH, JUST CLICK ON THE BANNER.
SHOW THREE.Composed live – music and lyrics, one song everyday for 1000 days from 8 April 2017 to 2 January 2020
This project was an afterthought before embarking on a world record attempt to establish legitimacy in the outcome. And proceeded to be a world record in its own right with the Golden Book of World Records – Longest quotidian feat of composing, producing and publishing children’s song incessantly.
SHOW TWO.‘She Played In The Dark’ is the story of a protagonist that found her own definition of and path to fulfilment and success if one may call it that. All this with the responsibility of caring for two college-going children, one of which got married and had two babies in the course of the challenge; aged parents who were always at the back of her mind, the hustle with a rather busy day job that paid the bills, health matters, any travel whether it was on the road to work, by air reaching family and friends or in a lift headed for home (and the challenge).
SHOW ONE. To share my story of realizing my calling after having reached what I imagined was a dead end. There are people out there that are probably at that dead end and cannot see the light of day. If mine could help them see and navigate, I’d have achieved far more than I did through my 1000-day challenge that set four world records in singing-songwriting and everything until then.
Swapna has authored and produced 21 musical albums and performed extensively on the international gospel music platform (www.swapnaabraham.com). Holding 4 world records in singing and songwriting with the Golden Book of World Records (www.1000songsin1000days.com), she has also published a memoir ‘She Played In The Dark’ entailing the journey and lessons through the 1000-day world record journey.
A mentor in singing and songwriting, Swapna championed the first branded karaoke cafe ‘Kafeoke’ in India with a school for singing and songwriting and a recording studio. She is also known for her acting performances as Donna in the Mamma Mia musical directed by the late Mithran Devanesan, and Meenakshi in the Tamil feature film Nadunissi Naaygal directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. An alumnus of the T A Pai Management Institute and Indian Institute of Management Kolkata, she is the India Country Chair for Media Arts & Communication of G100, a global organization for the equitable elevation of women. Leaving no flair unpursued, Swapna is also an interior designer and member of the Designers Society of America (www.alikainteriors.com).
Her most recent musical work is the 12-song album titled LOVED. One of the songs NO LOVE LOST (feat Devan Ekambaram) received the following awards through 2023:
Silver – One Earth Awards – Best American Roots Song
Silver Medal – Outstanding Achievement – Global Music Awards – Country, Female Vocalist
Finalist – Spring 2023 – World Songwriting Awards – Best Modern Country Song
Official 2023 Finalist – InterContinental Music Awards
Official Nomination – Hollywood Independent Music Awards – Country (Crossover)
She is presently producing the 1000 songs that were written on A Children’s Song A Day through the 1000 days and that set one of the four world records; and is soon expecting it to be published internationally along with the song book in two volumes. This will be the biggest album of original songs made for children in the age group of 4-12.
In culmination, Swapna is the recipient of the NeedStar Award (2010), a Women’s Day Citation ‘Role Model for her progress and success in the field of Mainstream Career, Art & Entrepreneurship’; the Lamp-Icongo Karmaveer Chakra for Gospel Music Maestro Award (2012) for the contribution to gospel music from 1991-2012; the Aspire World Award (2019) for her Passion for Excellence at the 31st Global Women’s Empowerment Summit, Dubai; and the Women of Excellence Award at the Women Economic Forum (2022). Swapna was awarded a doctorate (honoris causa) in music in 2022 from Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation (Deemed To Be University).
All of our shows/interviews are done by donation, if you enjoyed this show please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support, thank you. and please support Our Forgotten Children’s anthology and help to bring this book into production.
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