In this rare 1994 interview with folk singer Ted Hawkins – recorded one year before his death – Ann Delisi speaks with Hawkins about going from busking on Venice Beach to getting a major label record deal, and appreciating the past to look forward to the future.

Ann Delisi's Essential Conversations

Ted Hawkins: Folk Singer, Busker (Rare 1994 Interview)

Husband and wife duo Ida Mae (Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean Ward) join Ann Delisi to talk about their blues influences, relocating to the U.S. from London, and their 2019 album “Chasing Lights,” recorded at Real World Studios.

Ida Mae Brings British Americana Across the Pond

Joshua Henry has been in every one of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musicals, starting with In the Heights (2008), and including his role as Aaron Burr in the first U.S. tour of Hamilton (2016). Henry talked with Ann Delisi about his career, and his new EP, Guarantee.

Joshua Henry: Tony-winning Performer on the Joys of Working with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and his Debut EP, "Guarantee"

Nearly 20 years ago, Robert Stiles discovered 29 unknown works by virtuosic bassist and composer Serge Koussevitzky. Now, Stiles is the Principal Librarian for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he puts his knowledge of music history and U.S. copyright law to work. Stiles spoke with Ann Delisi about his early career, discovering Koussevitzky’s works, and gives a behind-the-scenes look at how orchestra find and obtain the music for their performances.

Robert Stiles: Solving Mysteries in Music History

Gregory Porter is an accomplished singer and songwriter, but he didn’t do it on his own. In this episode of Essential Conversations, Ann Delisi talks with Porter about how his brother and mother were foundational in his career, which includes two Grammy wins for Best Jazz Vocal Album (Liquid Spirit, 2014; Take Me to the Alley, 2017). Plus, Don Was tells the story of how signing Gregory Porter was his first act as president of Blue Note Records.

“Rough Cut Stone”: Family is Foundational for Gregory Porter

Al Sutton talks with Ann Delisi about his award-winning career as a music producer. They talk about Sutton’s creative process working with some of rock music’s top talent at Rust Belt Studios, including Greta Van Fleet and Kid Rock. Sutton also tells the story of the “Wolfbox,” a key component of the Motown sound.

Al Sutton: Award-winning Record Producer at Rust Belt Studios

British blues rocker Joanne Shaw Taylor spoke with Ann Delisi about being discovered by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, performing alongside Paul McCartney and Elton John, idolizing Stevie Ray Vaughn, and moving to Detroit from the United Kingdom.

Joanne Shaw Taylor: British Blues Guitarist and Singer

Prolific musician and activist Ani DiFranco joins Ann Delisi to talk about her new single, “Do or Die,” how activism and social movements have defined her career, and why she chose to shave her head (again).

Ani DiFranco Is Still Fighting the Patriarchy With Her Music, 30 Years Later

In this rare 1994 interview, Ann Delisi talks with avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson about her decades-long career as a performance artist, her love/hate relationship with technology, writing a retrospective on her career, and getting out of creative ruts.

EP 28: Laurie Anderson: Performance Artist, Author, Musician, Filmmaker

Jeff Mills is one of the pioneers of electronic music. He talked with Ann Delisi about co-founding The Underground Resistance in Detroit, the early days of radio, and the challenges of working with Classical musicians.

EP 27: Jeff Mills: Electronic Music Pioneer and Co-founder of The Underground Resistance

John Sinclair co-founded the White Panthers, managed the MC5, and was at the center of a landmark 1972 wiretapping case that went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. Sinclair joined Ann Delisi to talk about his revolutionary life and work in Detroit as an artist and activist.

EP: 26 John Sinclair: Revolutionary activist, poet, and writer

The War and Treaty are a vocal powerhouse with a story as moving as their music. The husband/wife duo spoke with Ann Delisi about how they met, writing music while deployed in Iraq, and playing Saddam Hussein’s piano. Blue Note Records president Don Was also joins the conversation and remembers the first time he heard them sing.

EP 25: The War and Treaty

Since his tragic death in 1997, Jeff Buckley's music and legacy has only increased in popularity. Those who worked with him remember an incredibly talented, charismatic artist. In this episode, Ann Delisi talks with former WDET staffers about the day in 1994 that Buckley and his band performed live at WDET, and what it took to get him there.

EP 24: Remembering the day Jeff Buckley played at WDET

Billy Mann has worked with pop heavyweights like Carole King, P!nk, Cher, and Ricky Martin. In this episode of Essential Conversations, Ann Delisi talks with Mann about his longstanding songwriting relationship with P!nk, working with iconic musicians, and the bets big record companies make on new talent.

EP 23: Billy Mann

Adam White co-wrote this book with Barney Ales, who was Berry Gordy’s partner at Motown Records. While Berry handled the artistic and creative side of Motown, Barney Ales made sure the records got played on the radio, that they were distributed to the buying public and that Motown got paid.

E22: Adam White, Author of “Motown The Sound of Young America”

For decades, Detroit radio host, Ann Delisi, has been talking with people whose creative spirit drives them. With some Midwest charm, she talks with everyone from Saxophonist Dave Mac Murray, Musician Iggy Pop, NPR Correspondent Don Gonyea.

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Ann Delisi's Essential Conversations

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