It was only a matter of time before the “Hippest Trip in America” expanded into other territories. Providing alternative methods of transport, metaphorically of course, has helped to expedite matters. The train moved things along by land and by sea, there’s the cruise, the Soul Train Cruise.
The 2019 Soul Train Cruise will manifest the “Soul Train” mantra of love, peace and soul through more than 50 live performances, more than 25 celebrity interactive events, including parties, a gospel hour, cocktail receptions, Q&A sessions, dance classes with original “Soul Train” dancers, wine tasting, costume parties and much more over a seven-day period, Jan. 20 to Jan. 27, 2019. The cruise will take place aboard the Holland America Line NieuwAmsterdam, a luxurious ship that features an array of premier dining, lounges surrounded by panoramic views, a world-class spa and salon and elegant staterooms. The ship departs from Ft. Lauderdale and sails to the Dominican Republic, San Juan and the beautiful private island of Half Moon Cay. Further information is available at www.soultraincruise.com or by calling 844-266-7685.
Now that the logistics are presented, headline talent secured include Heatwave; Ray, Goodman and Brown; BT Express; The Dazz Band; Clifton Davis; Smokey Robinson; George Clinton, in one of his final performances before he retires; The Ohio Players; Stephanie Mills; Morris Day and the Time; the Chi-Lites, featuring Marshall Thompson; Bloodstone; New Birth; Evelyn “Champagne” King; and Gladys Knight, along with cruise host Tony Cornelius and co-host Angela Stribling of the radio show, “Pillow Talk With Angela.”
A recently added star in her own right, Meli’sa Morgan, is enthusiastically looking forward to the event for two reasons. “‘Soul Train’ was there before anyone was for R&B,” said Morgan “We got to put that face, with that music. It’s a legendary institution, and I was fortunate to perform there many times. I hope that I can provided the same excitement to the attendees that I felt each of the times that I appeared.”
She continued, “As much as I look forward to performing, I might be there more as a fan. I’m looking forward to seeing my peers and a few of the legends that I grew up on.”
She shared an antidotal moment of a particular legend. “I was doing background vocals for Kashif, and we were opening for Gladys Knight on Broadway,” she said. “That night a rep from Hush Productions [an esteemed management firm] heard me and I was signed two days later. So indirectly she helped me get to where I am now.”
That wasn’t the first time a legend helped her along. Her first single as a soloist, also by some deemed her signature hit, was “Do Me Baby.” In a chance meeting with the composer of the tune, a guy by the name of Prince, Morgan thanked him for the material, and Prince in turn thanked her for making the song great. The No. 1 Billboard R&B single “Do Me Baby,” also the title of the album, was followed by another top-five single, the ballad, “Do You Still Love Me” and a single that while having modest chart results, solidified her standing in Black music for generations with the single “Fool’s Paradise.”
“That song has had a life of its own,” she admitted. “When the album first came out, I was constantly on the road. I added the song to my set list before a date at Radio City Music Hall after my BFF told me how hot it was in NYC. When that first note hit, the response from those 5,000 people shook the house. From there on I tell the audience this is the song you stop watching me and party with me.”
Additional legs were given to the track when a young rapper who used the song as a sample, decided to remix the album version of the song with the original vocalist, relieving Mary J. Blige of those original duties. She recalled, “I got a call from Irv Gotti to see if I could do the remix. I didn’t know the artist, but them boys were throwing money around. I get there and this tall lanky dude walks in, and we go in and cut the song together live. He rapped. I sang. That was an amazing memory and moment. Thanks, JAY-Z.”
Meli’sa is back full circle. She said, “People think that I got my start in church, but in actuality, I got my start on 110th street and 34th Avenue in Corona. Right in my mother’s living room with emulating what Aretha Franklin was doing.”
More than 30 years since her debut, and a decade since her last project, she reconnects to the spirit of that little girl. “Love Demands” is the title of the new record, and it offers the best balance of business and creativity.
“The music industry has changed, and my new label, Cleopatra Records, is strong on what it takes to break a record in this new climate and they had belief in me as an artist,” she said. “They just had one stipulation. They asked that half of the songs be covers, since that’s what people know me for and the other half I can do original songs.”
She concluded, “The artist we covered [Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Al Green] made songs you leave alone if you don’t know what you’re doing. They all touched you, and the one thing you can’t escape in music is emotion. I stayed focused to maintain the emotion of the songs and remain me.”
Happy turkey day, people. And make sure to peep the “Soul Train Awards,” Sunday, Nov. 25, at 8 p.m. on BET/BET HER.
Holla next week. Til then, enjoy the nightlife.
