vinyl record/fashion archaeologist. VP of radio @RMPBS, frmr @vocalo/@wbez. writer @DownBeatMag. occasional podcaster @nprmusic. author Energy Never Dies.
Joined May 2013
- Tweets 3,079
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572 Photos and videos
Pinned Tweet
24 Nov 2021
What a feeling! To have so much of my life’s work in my hands. My first book, Energy Never Dies: Afro-Optimism & Creativity in Chicago is shipping paperbacks now! Hardbacks soon come. press.uillinois.edu/books/?i…
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Folks who know me know I am seldom THAT person, but the part about pre-EWF not being a story is totally ahistorical. Multiple Salty Pepper 45s, and his time in the Ramsey Lewis Trio was crucial. He said as much. SMH
Jun 8
If something is gone, there was a reason: money/publishing, no living witness, or somebody said “no” (you’d be shocked how many “no’s” I get).
Maurice pre-EWF? A dingy Salty Peppers 45 and a funny flat-tire story in Oklahoma. That’s it. Cool story but woulda just been 10 mins extra on a story not leading us to EWF.
The Salty Peppers is a card us music geeks flash at the “I only know September” crowd—cool one upsmanship trick, but not the movie.
My producers and HBO wanted the band in 20 minutes. My first cut hit EWF an hour fifteen in. Impossible lol.
And yeah, Maurice got considered for Prince and MJ gigs—but that’s not the story. The story is what he did to land on that shortlist.
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May 17
Theaster Gates, Heiji Choy Black to open tea salon and cocktail lounge near Obama Center - Chicago Sun-Times chicago.suntimes.com/food-dr…
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May 10
Happy Mother’s Day to my foundation. I love you mommy 💗
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May 8
Isaac Hayes in the studio at Stax in Memphis, arranging the Memphis Horns for "So I Can Love You" by The Emotions (1969).
Hayes and David Porter produced the record, which was written by a 16-year-old Sheila Hutchinson and went on to hit number 3 on the R&B chart.
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"The Bottle" by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson, 1974.
Off Winter in America on Strata-East. Brian Jackson's flute carries this one, a Caribbean groove that became an underground hit and has been sampled over 70 times since.
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Thérèse Nelson-chef/founder: #BlackCulinaryHistory preserving Black food culture discovered a home in Lewis’s work. “I was deeply looking for a heritage-Ms. Lewis showed me we’re inheriting these dishes and techniques. She was so cleareyed in her POV” nytimes.com/2026/05/01/dinin…
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One of soul's greatest treasures. The legendary Minnie Riperton performing "Inside My Love" on The Midnight Special, 1975.
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Verrrry Interesting
Scoop! The Costume Institute has been quietly saving its money from the Met Gala, and soon it will have enough to be self-supporting. Which means.... nytimes.com/2026/05/01/style…
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Apr 29
Black Classic Literature: Autobiographies 🍯
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Apr 20
Killer of Sheep (1977)
Black working-class life in Watts — quiet, aching, and full of grace. Directed by Charles Burnett.
Screening tonight, April 20 at Semana Jazz Is Dead, Belo Horizonte, Brasil at Centro Cultural Unimed-BH Minas. Details via @mtccultura
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Apr 14
"Dancing The Revolution: From Dancehall To Reggaetón" celebrates music as protest at MCA. blockclubchi.co/4dTbBh7
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Apr 11
Jorge Ben's "Xica da Silva" live in the studio.
From his pivotal record África Brasil (1976)
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Friendly reminder that it’s arts week in chicago and ofc you can go to Expo at navy pier to see art from around the world BUT ALSO make sure u visit the local galleries and art parties that can expose u to the movements happening here! Do both! I’m finna hit expo now but I’m super excited for the Ernie Barnes doc that Coodie did and is showing around the city! See yall out there art lovers 🖼️
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His comments weren’t just about a hotel. They reflected a deeper reality about how Memphis is perceived, positioned, and too often overlooked.
memphisflyer.com/lebron-said…
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Don’t know exactly what this is referring to, @theBreaux, but it’s applicable to so very many things right now…
Apr 7
The people that have never developed taste are the only ones who don’t understand it.
It seems like this we are headed toward a future where people have no taste because AI made too many decisions for them.
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Apr 3
TONIGHT ON @FoodNetwork
Apr 2
Tune in to @FoodNetwork on Friday, April 3rd at 8PM CST to see us on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives: Triple D Nation. #DDD
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Happy to announce that I recently joined the board of @LabMemphis, happy to be of service on a project that appeals to my love of music, culture, archive… and of course, Memphis! memphislisteninglab.org/abou…
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Mar 18
Preservationist Elizabeth Blasius, writing in the Trib on landmarking Chatham's recently shuttered Pride Cleaners, touches on a point that needs to be hammered home: The last 86 years remain excluded from the Chicago Historic Resources Survey. Update now.
chicagotribune.com/2026/03/1…
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1965, San Francisco- just a cramped stairwell, but history fills the frame. Big Mama Thornton stands unshaken, Muddy Waters steady beside her, Chicago Blues running deep in every face behind them. No stage, no spotlight- just the raw truth of the blues.
📸 Jim Marshall
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Mar 16
Being born & raised in Chicago, I really loved the Chicago-Mississippi duality in Sinners too.
Buddy Guy is a Chicago blues legend who recently urged the city to build a monument cementing it as the Blues Capitol.
Lawmakers are working on a proposal now.
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