Bunny DeBarge Unfiltered: Bunny's Journey to Redemption

Mama watching that happen must have been

very hurtful for her and um I really

think that

uh my

mom um had a dream as well

to be a star and I think that's why she

put in us um you know a gospel singer

you

know and we never really got to lot of

promises Mom we're going to do this and

we're going to do that you know um but

that never came full circle either and

now my mom is

um in a nursing home okay and so that's

kind of sad to me that that that didn't

come full circle so I just wish that um

it would all come full circle and that

we like I said

earlier come back together as a

family

yeah but nice meeting you nice meeting

you too um and so as we start off I you

know um we have a global audience of you

know everyone comes from everywhere from

America the UK um Africa they always

like to know you know where you're sort

of Born and Raised so we can get a a

geography map as to where you're

from I was actually born in Detroit

Michigan um left there when I was like

12 13 years old so I claimed Grand

Rapids Michigan as well okay okay okay

um so Detroit via Grand Rapids or grand

rapis via

Detroit

um I I was born back in the

50s say that

wow during the time when you were grown

up in Detroit then was

mtown the whole you know the the tempson

were they around or when you of course

um The Supremes and marthes and the

velic The Temptations The Four Tops yeah

yeah but um we left Detroit when I was

like 13 years old by the time we were

interested in getting into uh the

secular world because coming from the

church you know

um miltown and left they were in

La did did did you ever think that

you've missed a chance when they moved

out so what what did that no

way okay no way um I can remember seeing

the Jackson 5 on the at elvan show

they're you know you coming out singing

and I said that just inspired me um me

and my brother Bobby who was in the

group switch

yes he said we can do this we can do

this you know so I never thought

uh you know Motown not being there

anymore was going to be I didn't know I

was going to be with mot I just knew I

was going to be a star I'm be a star one

day but uh when we got out there Motown

was there then it was like Hey you

know yeah let's go with mtown yeah you

know you started off by saying the

secular word u and I take it that um um

your faith and and grown up within the

the gospel scene was really something

that really was important for the for

you and and and your

family of

course yeah um we're raised in church

and

um we didn't listen to secular music One

supposed to be listening to secular

music um uh so uh we would sneak and

listen to it um we were raised in church

mama you know started us as children

singing and um I was first since I'm the

oldest I'm the oldest of the 10 wow and

uh El actually is the fifth he's a the

sixth sixth child yeah

um he's like

uh the oldest of the next there's five

of us and then there's L and then

there's four behind him so I call him

the oldest of the second five you know

first five paved the way in everything

so me and Bobby are right next to each

other and um we were raised in the

church I started singing The Lord's

Prayer in church doing they would uh

request for me to sing my uncle was the

preacher so he would take me with him

and he had a little tweet for um the

churches that he preached said I got my

little niece with me today and I was

seeing only what you do for Christ will

last somebody bigger than you and I and

um it was always said okay you guys we

don't want you to go to the secular

world no the secular world was where

devil music

was so uh

yeah what was it like I mean you know

I'm I'm I'm the oldest of three of four

boys um but we're all two years apart I

can't imagine what it would be like

being the oldest of 10 children um what

was that like being the first child and

have nine siblings behind you oh boy I

never got to be a little girl I'll tell

you that well you know a little child um

had to move out the way because the

first five of us aren't even a Europe

part so um and then it's like eight boys

me eight boys and then my sister which

I'm 15 years older than wow so you kind

of like I kind I took on

a uh not just a big sister but a mother

thing as

well did how hard was that then to be

able to you know especially in in in

those days to think I've got to look

after my siblings support my mom with

that but I still have this dream of

being a star I mean is there balance

between trying to pursue that career but

then also supporting your mom with your

siblings well um I had a very abusive

childhood okay so I don't know I have

books out about it um called the C ones

uh three book series called the C ones

had a very abusive

childhood and

um I was raised in a biracial family my

father's white and my mother's black so

in back in those days it wasn't

seeing like that you know where the

father was black and um I'm sorry the

father was white and my mother being

black we didn't see any other children

like us so and it was very strict back

in those days it was strict you know the

parents were strict um so uh I wasn't

really I was more into the church so I

wasn't really thinking oh I'm going to

be a star I didn't I didn't think that

until I saw like a Michael Jackson in

the

one

at Copan show um I just knew that you

know I think in the beginning we we

didn't know that uh uh we had a gift of

singing you know we thought everybody

could sing um and uh as later on when we

went we got into choirs and stuff we we

knew that we we uh everybody couldn't

sing everybody didn't know how to do

harmonies and all that stuff so we had

okay okay we're kind of special in that

way and um so it was like uh the first

five of us had a little group that Mama

would take us to the radio stations and

um to the different uh young people's

meeting at the different churches to

sing um me being the oldest of all that

um I think it was good that I was a girl

if I was in the middle I probably

because of eight boys probably would

have been tom boy but I was able to uh

you know the age difference then was

like that little bit of age uh kept me a

little ahead of them so I can blossom

around you know what I'm saying yeah but

then um was it your mom's brother that

was the pastor and Grand Rapids that she

was staying

with when in Grand Rapids was that your

uncle your mom's brother or cousin or

yes yes that was Mother's Brother P and

was was was he hoping to keep you guys

you know singing within the church

within the gospel Community was that the

Hope yes yes they were afraid for us to

leave from the church that that would

wake us up as a

family which it

did um and

uh only what you do for Christ will last

and that was one of the songs that I was

singing that followed me all my life you

know want you to do for Christ who last

um and then all the the drama and the

stuff that comes with being out um in

the music industry they were afraid for

us yeah but whose idea was it to be able

to say let's come up with a group um as

opposed to go solo my mother I mean a

secular group when we

in okay um Bobby

was the one that um was the first one to

go out and sing to do the little

nightclubs um to uh play him and Tommy

and uh at first Bobby wouldn't sing at

all uh he was teased as a a young boy

that he sound like a girl so he stopped

singing but he was still writing and and

uh playing the piano so he um would have

me sing the songs that he would write

and I would sing the songs that I would

write

so it was me Bobby and Tommy at first um

but I stayed in the church and Bobby and

Tommy weren't really in the church at

the time and so they ventured out to the

different nightclubs in Grand

Rapids and from there uh Bobby when he

got 19 he went to California and was in

a group called white heat which uh was

bar whites fan oh okay now he if when he

goes off what's mom telling you guys on

your uncle are they saying look stay

back don't go oh of

course yeah they didn't want us to go

and we didn't really want to go I think

we were more into the church um and uh

we wanted to do uh like Andre Crouch

Andre Crouch was a big you know mentor

of ours oh

so we uh we wanted to um sing in the

church to sing gospel so we did a demo

and um this is what this is after Bobby

and Tommy had left and they were in

California um I was with my brothers El

Randy and

Marty and um we were a group called

God's Children of

Harmony and we rehearsed every day in

the basement and um that's where we

learned how to uh blend and swell and

and cut off at the same time and um we

would just get music you know um writing

all the time you know and singing our

own songs um so we wanted to be like

Andre Crouch we did a dinner and we sent

it to light

records and they told us that

uh they loved our

music but we were so different they

didn't know where to place

us and that discouraged us really did it

discouraged us so we said okay our

brothers Bobby and Tommy have gone out

to California they're now with mtown

records um we GNA go we going to go

check secular World out oh we were very

disappointed when we found out the

gospel would you know we didn't fit

there or

whatever but we never changed our music

it's crazy because we never changed our

music um all this love and the

um uh share my world all that stuff

what's your name uh that stuff came from

our gospel stuff we just changed the

changed it to a man or a

woman

so what exactly did they

not were they concerned about when they

when you know as in the gospel scene was

it that they want more um you know I

don't know what kind is it the harmonies

did it sound too secular when when they

what did you think did they did you ever

find out I don't know I don't think it

sounds I think that we never changed our

music so

um I don't know maybe they wanted

hollering or you know I don't know we

didn't

the when you have an interesting

dynamics of um one female a sister and

and and brothers you you'd think glad is

night in the Pips how did you guys

decide okay who's going to be singing

lead and how does everyone get their

parts you know um in a in in you know in

a group where there's a females and and

males in in

there I think that how we had it was

everybody brought a

song and um song to the table and it was

for for all of us to pitch in and make

sure that that song was

done

um El brought his songs and El will sing

his songs the songs that I brought I

would I would sing and sometimes they

were half finished so we all would get

together we were family and we would

help finish the song but it was still

their song in the industry as it went on

that

changed uh everybody wanted their own I

do my song I do my song and I want my

name on that song and all that that came

with the you know industry but when we

went in we went in as family and we we

help finished everybody's song but it

was still their

song

so uh everybody got to

sing you know like they wanted to sing I

sung my songs um El sung his song If he

was the one that brought the song he was

the one to sing it and uh we would just

finished you know the songw writing was

we helped everybody helped

out how did you get into your

songwriting then and as as you know just

because it's um you know songs are

powerful into our songw writings Yeah by

yourself I mean did you do how did you

did you how did you learn to be a

songwriter I didn't learn to be a

songwriter um I guess just being under

of my uncle my uncle James who was the

minister of music of our church um just

following after him watching him white

the choir songs um just being there as

he would write them um we learned how to

do uh a lead a hook um and and a bridge

you know to a song write a story I think

it started mine started out with poetry

um just writing poetry and seeing little

Melodies came from Hook made Hooks and

we started at a very early age at um

making little hooks up and uh I think

the very first song that we wrote as

children and little children was

Hallelujah Jesus buckle my shoe some

nice harmonies in

it nice harmonies okay but as We Grew

Older um we just learned how to

uh to put it in a pattern and then when

Bobby went out and and uh he was in

switch we learned Le more of what the

hooks should sound like and um when the

hooks should come and all that it was

put in a format and uh it was crazy

because when we first came out there we

didn't know about strings and horns we

know you know we didn't know that that

goes on the album we do all that so we

were singing our strings and U singing

our

horns horn Parts yeah so when you hear

on what's your name

the

horns

and

strings so is this stuff that um when

you're working with producers eventually

they'll start to be able to tell you and

then you be able to work it out um down

the road because as I would assume you

guys would have been playing behind

singing behind a piano and and Harmon we

just with a piano and then we would hear

all these different parts in our head

and we would sing those parts wow you

know so it's like um like when we we

little the little parts of

uh faraha

faraka you know that faraha that sing

behind it and all that we learned that

and then we just learned how to put them

in songs it was just part of

our creativity I

guess then we had it from my mom my mom

my mom would just all the time she's

bouncing around the house singing making

up little

Melodies and we got that from

her who who became your original because

Bobby's not around who became the sort

of I want say Chet director but who who

sort of shaped how okay you're singing

this part we're harmonizing ha um as you

guys that would be that would be L okay

but he's he was the youngest of the

first five so how come he was given that

respons I would have thought it would be

more the old oldest set

so well it was the oldest but when we

became a group L was the one that played

the keyboards and he was the one that

picked out all the parts no it's here

it's with this chord is with that you

know what I'm saying so Bobby and Tommy

and I were never a

group okay okay but when we became a

group dear it was me L Randy James and

Mark so we would usually um sit at the

keyboards and pick the parts out

out

was was he the only one that could play

out

of the keyboards no Bobby played

keyboard James plays keyboards um Chico

plays keyboards but L and Bobby were the

main keyboard players in the family okay

so they took on that but when Bobby was

gone and it was um um L he took on but

as and I'm wondering you know as I said

I'm the oldest key player is going to

take on they're usually the musical

director because they're playing the

keys and they know the parts on the

keyboards okay it's not usually a bass

player that can't play a keyboard or

whatever the keyboards usually is the

music director okay and and I'm

wondering because I said I'm I'm I've

got three younger brothers and I wonder

if I was if we if I was a group would I

still think okay I'm the oldest okay I'm

taking control here so what we singing

okay and and and almost organize in

indirectly you know but then for you

guys it wasn't a problem having the

youngest of you take control it has

nothing to do with the youngest it has

to do with who um is able to do it yeah

but but as I said and as a you know and

being oldest you were and it was if

seems as if you were more encouraging

the fact that your little brother had

this talent and you could see how it was

support helping the group or the family

U which is important to hear because you

you you know I think we've watched the

Jackson and then or or the story of

Joseph and how they can be jealous of

the of the older brothers being jealous

of Joseph because dad's

favorite but in in in in your

environment it felt as if he's got the

talent

we and and as a group we're shining so

let we we we write that and in the

beginning that's how it was I think

getting into the music business is what

changed everything and and put out this

person more than that person or nothing

like that it wasn't like that when we

were younger and growing up as children

um it was like this is a this is one and

I think that um my uncle who was the

pastor over us all was afraid of us

being broke up as a family not so much

as a group um when we went to the

secular world because they made a

difference between who's this and who's

that and who's that and who gets this

money and who gets that that's just the

way of the world yeah so uh when the

group disbanded they didn't just break

up um a group it was the family that was

broken up and there was jealousy that

came then down the line

um but nobody was thinking about that

when we were younger and when we were

first coming in to mtown records no we

were family we loved one another it

wasn't about who wrote this or who wrote

that or nothing it was getting it

together and it brought a magical um

thing that neither one of us um even

though each one of us can sing but not

one of us have been able to accomplish

again that magic was when the barge was

together because DS really was together

yeah I mean when you think about it

because as I said when I when I think

about um

um when I think about

um the the said of Jackson now there

were five of you how did you decide it's

just going to be the five of us and you

know what about the other two you know

making seven of us I mean how how did

that just became actually it wasn't just

the five of us that started children of

hary started as just meel and Randy and

other people from the church um it broke

down it it got down to where it was just

me Ella and Randy Marty was doing his

own thing and um James was doing his own

James was younger actually um James was

like 17 he still in high school um so it

was like Bobby and Tommy went out to

California paved the way and we went out

and when we first got out there we

weren't with mtown we was we were with

um um another group called another

record company called Source records the

guys had signed I didn't sign but the

guys had signed and they were with a

couple of other guys um but we were

still trying to get together as a family

we thought that we were going to come in

with Bobby and Tommy and we were all

going to be dearg you know but it didn't

work out like that the other two members

ceased because mtown just wanted the

family

so we gathered up as a family and um we

all looked alike and that was I guess

part of it and we all could sing um and

it was magical yeah how did Mom react

when you did finally get signed to mot

how was was Mom nervous everybody was

proud and the first one that said what

happened yeah wow I mean because it must

it's a big deal to sign with MO time but

was was your uncle nervous as well or

did he did he forget the nerves and just

be

excited well he um we were on a

promotional

tour and this was after our first album

that came out um we had they invited my

Uncle Bill and it was a surprise down to

Detroit um and they were giving us

something big just you know we had uh I

think we had uh crossover or something

something was happening and they were

celebrating that but my uncle was there

and it was a surprise and he stood up

and he was gave a speech and he actually

cried and he said I know these children

um he knows the child our childhood we

had a very beautiful childhood and to

see where we had came from and he

explains how he didn't agree with us

leaving and going into the secular music

and then he went over to us and he said

these five fingers he said if the thumb

was broken or the baby finger was broken

that

um they wouldn't work the hand wouldn't

work properly so he was afraid that us

as five with a hand if one was broken

one was taken away or whatever that the

hand wouldn't work properly he told us

to stay together that's what he wanted

more than anything was for us to stay

together watch out for one another have

each other's back Stay

Together how did you receive that when

you you know did

did well my uncle was like my dad to

me so um not just my pastor but my dad

and he played a big part in all of our

Lives you know so we took that very

seriously um

and when things started to spirl down

and we broke up I think we still take

that very seriously we hear his voice

he's he's not with us now um but we hear

that voice saying for us to stay

together

yeah I

mean anointing I feel was on the family

pardon I kind of explained that when I

said it was magical together and I think

that um we all believe that and that's

you know what we

believe

um kind of like startles one

another you know we miss one

another miss that ESP when you as I

mentioned when you when you've gone

through a lot together as a family moved

to Grand Rapids and being bonded in

church and singing and harmonizing for

full of fun and

love then in you know know and and I do

wonder when the first five goes go away

to form the barge then you've got two

others and Tommy and Bobby in switch so

it leaves the three youngest

behind um and then the hope is okay well

as a five whe will will hold the fourth

down but as you know most of us are are

learning a lot about the industry and

how it is it can be divided and

conquered but the fun part is when

you're recording your first album the

self-titled album um and you all get a

chance to write what was that process

like when you're recording the bar like

around

8081 well the first time when we went in

we had to show mtown that um we could do

it we could

produce and we could write our own songs

mtown was a record company that was

inhouse in The housee Producers

inhouse uh writers um you nobody came in

and just wrote their own songs you know

they had inside writers to you know and

um inside producers but dear broke that

mode and I think Bobby helped us to

break that mode because he came in

writing his own songs um in

switch uh making his own sound and he

bragged a lot about his brothers and

sisters so when we came they was ready

for us I can remember him taking us up

to to mtown and they were like it's like

we already know you you know this is my

sister this is my brother she bad he bad

he just you

know so we didn't

realize we knew we were

talented but we didn't realize how much

we had we didn't realize that we could

produce that um our songs were great uh

we did have our own sound so Motown gave

us that chance and the first thing we

had to do was go do a demo and show them

the songs that we had so we was like

okay uh when we first we did our

showcase to get signed with them and

once we got signed they sent us in to do

a

demo and once we did that

demo uh they were like

wow let them go let them go for it then

we went from the 16 track Studio to 24

and 48 track studio and we were just at

all okay oh we can get strings to do

this oh we could do the horns to this

sesss and you know we were getting

people on to work on the album that uh

we were fans of you know like uh Harvey

Mason on the drums and Joe S on the

keyboards and you

know that was exciting and to see my

brother I work with them and they were

at OD at how talented he was you know um

he doesn't read music no okay and then I

just see Bobby in there directing

uh like a symphony you know watching all

this I'm like wow you know I'm at all

and then to sit up and to collaborate

with them in writing it was it was a

good feeling it was a good feeling it it

was family um I did a lot of writing

with Bobby uh love your over and over

again I don't know if you know my

catalog um love me over uh this is my

dream um friend in the sky and then um

to work with my brother El and Bobby on

the very first album was really produced

by me L and and Bobby so they shelv that

album because we went with outside

produce I mean outside management but

there's a lot of good stuff on the

debarges that album uh coming straight

from from church singing our horns and

our

strings yeah but it's a good album you

got what's your name on there you got

queen of my heart you got share my world

um which we

later yeah hesitated you're so gentle so

gentle so kind yeah and um yeah and so

you all of us I mean but I guess just

writing it um and and and and performing

it does does anyone teach you or maybe

Bobby since he was already in did they

say look this is how the music industry

Works here's publishing here's your

royalties and stuff so you guys know

what you do so make sure everyone gets

it that came later on too after we

signed and after we gave away and after

we did all that okay then it's like oh

you know Bobby was a little ahead of us

but not that much ahead of us um when we

first got there we like I said we signed

with Source records we had seven years

with another record company I was the

only one that was not signed my brothers

were signed I had to get them out of

that contract we were starving we were

stars not Stars we were stars and um we

had to get out of that contract in order

for mtown to even talk to us we knew

nothing about

lawyers nothing about when you're

supposed to have a lawyer nothing like

that but God was with us um I went up to

uh Source records and I talked to Logan

West Brooke who was the president at the

time myself and I said you got to let

him go you got to let my brothers go I'm

not signing he wanted me to sign I'm not

signing but I don't want to be alone I

want my brothers I want my brothers to

be with me and that guy that man that us

out of that contract and we were able to

talk with mtown mtown put us on salary

which no other record company did and we

were able to uh focus on just being

artists focus on uh being creat creative

um went in the studio with Bobby before

we went in for ourselves and we learned

so much just watching him um with his

songs how he did backgrounds you know we

would go in and we would do our

background Parts um and uh stack them

you know we could stack them and it was

just it was just it was so much fun it

went really fast um before you know we

would be there we would start a session

like at the midday of the day and we

would be out till early in the morning

and time went by fast but it was all fun

you know all fun I I think L mentioned

that um you you guys were trying to

record and mot time wanted to get uh

outside writers and he said Stevie wner

shows up and tells Barry G that you guys

should that that Motown should let these

guys do their thing and don't stifle

their

creativity and and I was like well one I

I was shocked Stevie wanted knew who we

were and two he didn't even know what

the word style was but did you did you

see the mo did you see that they you

mentioned that mang gave you the space

to do your stuff but was it a a hard

thing for them to do initially did they

need encouragement to allow you guys

showcase your talent I don't think that

they even needed encouragement after

they heard um our demo demo you know

um I felt that they they felt we were

great let them let them do their own

thing you know so we went in and did our

own I think Bobby might have had a lot

to do it like I said Bobby being there

first Bobby being able to produce his

own stuff come in with his own records

and that was like a that was like a

record in itself for us because Bobby

was like you know let me produce him but

Bobby didn't really do the producing

because he was out with switch so he let

me in all do it so um Bobby having that

trust in us and saying they could do it

or whatever he was really close to Barry

gy at the time and Barry gy said let him

go

yeah when you moved to I mean it's

amazing because you know the way the

industry is you you'd have two three

years before the next album but within a

year you you're coming out with um all

this love as an album um why was this so

quick between two the albums between the

barge and then all this love just a

year

because they shell the first

album we signed with outside

management and they weren't doing

anything with that album because of that

we didn't know that okay we were like

we're done with our album we were proud

of that album Barry Gordy came in the

very end and um everybody was like the

chairman has not been into anyone's

session since the Jackson fives have

left they were he wasn't even involved

in anything like that we didn't know

that okay and um they was like oh wow Mr

gord's in on this session yeah he came

in and he uh was uh working with us and

and uh mixing and and all that uh but

little do we know we thought Mr Gordy

was gone from the you know company he

wasn't running doing anything with any

the artist anymore but they said that Mr

Gordy was interested in managing us we

didn't know that and we had signed

outside management already so when that

was found out that was like what an

insult okay you're signing with outside

manager and Mr Gordy wanted to be your

management so we were like uh

oh nothing happened you know nothing

happened to we they put the song out we

barely heard it on the radio um we were

hearing Tracy L USA was in Washington DC

and I'm like I'm tired of hear Tracy L

here what's

up what's your name that's our our

single so I called Mr Gord not Mr Gordy

I called Jermaine's office I knew Addie

and Jamaine was the one that got us

Jamaine Jackson was the one that got us

with mtown

so I um I called her and I said Addie we

we made a boo boo we sign with outside

management she says yes I know it's all

over okay um she said there they they

shed your your album like yeah I know so

she begin to you know tell me what all

that meant and you know so I'm like oh

my God we didn't know we didn't know Mr

Gordy wanted to manage us we didn't you

know so I wrote this letter to Mr Gordy

apologizing

saying that we didn't know you know and

that uh we had to get out of that cont

contract with the management that we

were in and I'm telling you

again um this is all in my book too um

God was with us okay um I uh me and El

got together looks at the contract don't

know nothing about you

know um contracts or anything like that

but we found this little CLA in there

that said if they didn't get in touch

with us within so many hours after we

resp responded to them that we could get

out of that contract so we knew that

they weren't going to get in touch with

us because of their you know uh track

record actually uh we were trying to get

in touch with them with different stuff

and they would never ever I said that's

where they're gonna mess up at and they

did and because of that we were able to

get out of that

contract and I was able to get a letter

to Mr Gordy Mr Gordy called us in and

the rest his history so we did an album

right then and that's why those albums

came so close together yeah but that's

that's you you label you know that's

conflict of interest you label being

your manager you know they're supposed

to have a someone looking after you

that's what we told us and that's why we

signed with no no no no conflict of

interest go get out don't don't don't

let them don't let them do it but it was

Mr Gordy Mr

Gordy goodness see that's that's that's

yeah that's that's that's not fair but I

mean what could you do at the time the

um with him as your manager and and Rec

label U what do you think you guys did

differently with um all this love the

album compared to the deut album you

know did you have a because the songs of

that of your sophomore album you know

produces songs that are still hits and

still you know and treasures today but

what did you guys do

differ we didn't sing our horns in

string

purse we got strings to do it we sung it

to the strings and they sung it we sung

it to the horns and they sung it that

was a difference right there otherwise I

think we grew

um We Grew From that um and we grew I

guess in just our relationships as far

as lovers our lovers um we were happy

and uh that's where I guess all this

love came from um is waiting for

you Time Will Reveal you know those

songs were in us we just um brought them

up and

uh um finished them

off yeah and so and and you know CU I'm

looking at the um looking at the um all

this love album um I could see you know

know I like yourself and Randy and L I

like it I like it yes um it's getting

stronger um life begins with you um I'm

in love with you so just being able to

to to write and as a family you're like

yep that sounds great let's just sing no

one is thinking publishing again no

one's thinking all other things it's

just like writing the songs as we do as

a family and putting them out

there so again which no sorry so when

you are writing the songs for the oldest

love I and as I went through some of the

tracks that you wrote um I'm in love

with you um life begins with you it's

getting stronger um you know um even I

like it as a family you you're all

writing and somebody's bringing in a

little little Parts but you're writing

putting your names to it no one is still

thinking about publishing and and and

you're just writing as you would as a

family and enjoying it and and your

manager is it came when the pressure

came

of uh this is my song that's my song you

got to have this song together all that

stuff so the creativity to me was kind

of you

know

starled yeah but but as the second album

so as with Barry gordi as your manager

what was different what did you notice

any differ did he guide you guys

differently did he because it still

seems as if you guys we still were do we

still were in charge of our music we

just had to pass get it past him um but

Barry Gordy did work with L um they have

like a you can find on YouTube where we

were all together and our thing where we

where they they were working with us was

on uh being on Soul Train being on um

American B 25 we weren't dancers okay

and uh so Barry G was like just let them

go just let them go

so so on so train we you know it was

just all over the place um as

we all this love when we did the mtown

25 they gave us

choreography um and Rhythm of the Night

choreography yeah before we we've got a

little whils before we get to those one

but I do remember guys on um Motown T

American band stand with Dick Clark and

stuff um and it just seems as if there

was you know you know with the Jacksons

were doing their moves and everyone does

their moves but the dear just felt as if

you know we just sway to the side you

was

like what was that about was it you guys

didn't want to dance you we weren't

dancers we were singers song writers

producers Now dancers so um and uh

like I said as as it went mtown saw that

and they got us choreographers you think

about M toown of the Temptation The Four

Tops the they were all about that but

they just almost forgot about the fact

that in house that's what they would do

in-house back then they stopped doing

that by the time we got there but when

we got with Mr gardy that was that was

like um uh a privilege that we would Mr

Gordy um because we wouldn't have got

that if Mr Gordy wasn't our manager we

wouldn't have got that so we got we did

we got more attention we got to be on

the Motown

25 um uh we got to uh go to Europe um

yeah it it was a big difference with Mr

Gordy as our as our

manager yeah and then you know because

as I said you just go from one album I

mean every year but there was a little

two-year break before you come out with

um R of the night and I think this is

when Because by the time that came out

I'd moved from England to Nigeria to go

to high school at bordon school and

ribbon of the night was a massive song

um around Nigeria and I think most parts

of Africa it was just because it sounded

very Sim it reminded us of um L riches

all night long that type of Feelgood so

it um it connected with a lot of us in

Africa at the time

um and that's what the that's what the

record company did okay they saw that L

of Richie song was going off let's work

off that so they got Diane Warren and

gave you know listen to this song and uh

give him a song like that now that's

different because you guys are writing a

lot of your tracks but when somebody

else could did did you not feel as if

well we could write off it why why why

why they bring somebody else out so that

will what was the thoughts among you

guys as

writers and producers we didn't produce

that as well yeah trying to take us over

from R&B to

pop how did you guys feel as a family

when they were trying to make that

shift we were just going with a

flow okay so there was no like no no no

no we're

R&B no arguments at all

[Music]

uhuh okay okay and but as I said it was

a you know big big big big hit um was

that the only V am I right there's some

trivia question that says R of that was

the only

video that was

shot other videos

other but why was that then why was that

be the only video of your on your third

album music video cuz that's when

videoos first start coming out videos

weren't out before then oh so they'll

probably get performances when you're on

say American band stand or

exactly okay okay and the group up after

that so it wasn't we we woke up right

when the videos were coming

out oh yes because next to the oh so but

then you have a global hit with rhythm

of the night and and you've got a video

in it and does the opening um I would

have thought this would be like wow

we're finally really mainstream and

we're moving and you've done mot time

25 what do you think as the

oldest cost of it's not not to well

started back before the Rhythm of the

Night that they had started working on

actually uh El doing his own

album you know so um that was being

conflict did contracts that we were

getting ready to sign and this one

making more money than that one and and

um this one getting more attention than

that one that stuff was going on behind

the scenes so by the time we got to um

Rhythm of the Night that album you see

great big picture of Al and four little

pictures of the rest of us guys on there

yeah so that was our politics our things

were happening El was on his way out we

didn't know it we happened to look on TV

one day and El was there singing by s

who's holding down and now

okay

wow I'm just looking at the album cover

there um

wow what did your manager

say hence you have the same one that was

doing

it yeah yeah so it's it's like you know

um the music

industry Whispers in the lead singer's

ear or the one that's doing this or

whatever and then it's is animosity

going on with the group members because

this one is getting more attention than

that one and if you gave this one just

as much attention as that one the was a

family

and actually if the attention was put on

any one of us we all could have went

because we were unlike the Jackson Fire

each one of us could sing and each one

of us could write and each one of us

could produced um but that brought a lot

of animosity among the family members

okay that was going on especially among

the boys among the boys and then I had a

family of eight very goodlook guys okay

in the

family and then we had the women the the

fans the you know all that and it

brought a lot of animosity and that

caused a lot of problems in

what was going on in the group The

Barge everybody was coming like there I

could do my own El I do my own I do my

own you know so that's the group had

broke up El went on his own Chico was

coming in um I was still in the barge

Bobby was coming in to take El's place

and something happened with that all

that went crazy and Motown took me as a

solo artist

yeah I me they had me huh no no I I

guess it's

um yeah it it will as I mentioned any of

one as you said any one of us yeah and I

wonder if the Barry was G Gord was

thinking just how big Michael had become

away from the siblings and it was like

this could be I missed out on on on on a

off thee wall and thriller so L could be

as big so let me let me do the same type

of thing I don't know if that's if he's

just thinking about something like that

and because you wonder why thinking I

know he's thinking business that's

that's you know that I know okay and um

because even when they took me as a solo

artist

um they only took me and I didn't know

this at the time uh till later because

they didn't want any other company to

pick me up um they had made DeBarge big

and it was coming at a time where I

could have been picked up by another

record company and they didn't want that

so they picked me up and just helped me

oh yeah yeah yeah the focus was on L

they were going to make the focus on L

and

um you know

that's what really caused a lot of

confusion like I said it wasn't in just

a group in a family yeah yeah yeah the

siblings I mean do you guys have and I

guess it's you know the rest of us you

know we assume we're all sitting at

dinner at night and having a

conversation with moms but you know you

guys are adults so you know you all have

your own places and your family so

you're not you're not meet you're not

sitting and having dinner together like

you did when you were kid so you don't

have the space to have these

conversations to say what's going on

okay how do we resolve it come on you

know we love each

other I I guess it's it's not like that

when you get older and you're in this

situation yeah life happens you know um

my brother Bobby we lost him who was a

big brother of the family and um never

dealt with him U dealt with that his

death um as a family uh just getting

over all the things of the group

breaking up a family breaking up um and

then trying to still withhold as a

family going to uh else the concerts of

everybody else singing to Bar songs the

songs that we wrote together the songs

that we sung together it was very

hurtful

um to even go and not even be able to

get

backstage okay um hey we're the barge

you know and then the drug problems and

all that you know begin to happen and

not just with DeBarge with L too you

know so it has never come full circle

and it is my

dream um and a desire of my heart that

we come back together at this stage of

life just as a

family

um IED used to dream of us all coming

back together the geek was that the

barge come back together and sing but

I'd be just happy of us just come back

together as a

family um it's very hard

to uh be where we are and where we where

we went in life um the fame and

everything to even talk about it because

fan see us as his loving family the just

love and they're just I just love that

family and they're you know

um and we do love one another that's

that's not it but it's

it's we're very

strin and it breaks my heart you know

really because

um we did it all together we made it all

together and we all know God and only

what you do for Christ will last and

it's like I've been there done that

nothing else out there that uh

really means anything to me can't take

it when you die you know that's all I

hear so to me uh I just want my family

back that means more to me than

anything but um it's a guy I know that

it's it's a God thing you know for that

to happen and

uh but it's my desire it's my heart's

desire yeah but but I did see you guys

as a family singing in a church um I

don't know if somebody recorded all of

you singing in a church with L too J

everyone was there singing I remember be

singing my heart my soul harmonizing as

a f was that a oneoff situ it was the

most most the most powerful um videos i'

ever seen just seeing all of you guys

just singing and and harmonizing with

some of you and and coule

of yeah and and it's sad because the

second generation is so

talented um our children's children and

you know our children and our children's

children and nothing is being done in

the past hasn't the TCH hasn't been

passed um the only one out there that's

working is L and

um you know it's it's sad to me that we

can't come together as a family um and

and it said when I see everybody else

coming together like you know new

addition and and um other groups coming

back together just to go back out on the

road again

and I wish you know it's it's my heart

desire

uh you know because um it it's it's just

very painful that's all that's all I

have to say it's very painful I'm able

to sing and um I know that my Brothers

if they ever you know

um I want to say get the chance again

that they they are able to sing as well

so

um but I've seen you guys sing around

your mom um well L was and um I've seen

uh L and then also Chico I think this is

so you know sometimes we'll see the

Instagram live and uh

even recently yourself and El were

singing um on a on a on a in a video

within the last couple of months or so

um is are these just rare ones when you

just gather around to nothing pre pre

plan it was just like nothing nothing

just happened to be um together at that

time didn't know we were going to be

and the fans are sing sing you know what

I'm

saying

yeah yeah the um how's your mom doing

because I know that she was just

recently she she did seem to go to

hospital for a while is she she's

okay my mom is doing she's okay she's

okay um keep her in your

prayers yeah but then for yourself you

know what um when you when you did come

out um with um um the cap ones in 2008

what was

your thought

around writing an um starting an

autobiography my autobiography was

written actually for me to have last

cries

um I had

uh gotten out of the church put my Bible

under my table my shelf in the living

room and didn't have a relationship with

the Lord the Lord followed me until I

could follow him and I didn't know that

there was a God and um I wanted him to

come and see about me I had been on

drugs was going up and down back and

forth on that because of the things that

have happened in my childhood that I

never dealt with so as F started writing

my book just for me and as I wrote it uh

dropped in my spirit that there are a

lot of people out there that are hurting

just like I'm hurting and that I would

like to be a mirror to those that

um need to hear my

story uh to hurting people the secrets

keep you

sick and

that how I got through you know so

there's it's a three book series the

first one is about my

childhood um which is very good because

a lot of people want to know uh what

happened to the barge and and the uh the

drug problems and and all that um so I

wrote the book like I said for me and

wanted to put it out for others to be a

mirror so they they can know that um

only what you do for Christ will last

how God brought me through all of

that the third book the first book Is is

like I said my childhood the second book

is the fame years and the drug problems

the breaking up of the group uh the

third book is

um the aftermath how God brought me

through all that where I am

today and

um I said it's CL cap on because got to

kept me through awful lot of stuff I

don't look like what I've been through

yeah

and yeah so I picked the side and

stopped straddling the

fence and um for God I will stand God I

will

die

yes you know when this is going through

um going on do you do you think there's

um you know you said left you left

walking with God and you think the void

that was occupied by your faith and and

and and God when you walk walk away from

that there's a big space there and and

and that's where you know um it's hard

to um find

wisdom when you're working in an

industry like the music industry that

that just that

soulless and and without God being an

anchor do you think that's you know for

anyone else that's trying to get in the

industry and and and might to assume

that you know they've got my back I can

I can put God to the side until I get my

success do you think it is something

that you really do need you know this is

when you this is when God is probably

the most important right in the midst of

of being in the Lance

then he's the foundation

he gives

Direction he gives

wisdom all of that you need in this

music industry and especially today

people are selling their

souls to be famous and

um it's not worth it it's not worth it

um I've been in that dark place being on

drugs and some people don't make it out

I'm glad to be

here I've been in a place to where I

might have sold my soul I've been in the

music industry wasn't going on back in

the day like it is my day like it is

now

but only what you do for Christ to last

they're looking for what I got right now

and that's peace of mind you can't buy

it money can't buy

and I don't care how much money you got

when Co came we all we the same and it's

a same with you know it's it's it's not

worth losing your soul

over it's not worth the peace of mind

that you can have when you go to bed at

night you know all money ain't

green and those people look like they're

happy no they're not happy you look at

what's going on today they're fighting

one one another telling on one

another going to bed with one another

sacrificing one another okay and anybody

we all were born with this void inside

of us and that void belongs to Jesus how

do I know that I've tried it all and

when I've tried everything and

everything fa I tried Jesus and that's

what keeps me today I don't want nothing

that he's not in

okay Jesus is

Success Jesus allowed the things to

happen to me in life and I am here

today not for me it's bigger than me to

tell those that want to be in the music

industry you must have a foundation you

must know the Lord even if you decide to

go away or whatever he will follow you

until you can follow him but you might

not be as lucky as me and the only

reason why I'm here like I said is to be

a

mirror to you to let you know that he's

the only one who take you out that dark

place know when we get into drugs and

all that stuff we get into witchcraft

there's more than we don't

see than what we

see and uh happens in over there first

before it happens here and God allows

for different reasons okay but you don't

want to become repb mind is when you

lost your soul you sold your soul and

and and uh you can't get back and a lot

of times you don't even know you did it

you know that's what's happening in our

world

today yeah I think it's

um Fame seems um and and money feels as

if you know that's the being an end or

everyone is chasing that and and what

we're seeing from those of you who have

gone through that that especially within

the entertainment industry is that you

come out and realize you've gained the

world and and it wasn't

worth wasn't it wasn't worth it

um in the midst of all this that's going

on I mean when the when when you get

signed to mtown as and to come up with

your solo album does Barry gardi still

manage you and trying to you know this

is probably 8 you I'm just thinking 8 86

so so um was a good golden time for armi

music is he not seen how do we get

Bonnie to be you know our next big

female

sensation was that on their mind or was

it let's just put anything out there so

no one else gets

her there number

two so they didn't even put efforts in

in any you know they could have they

could they could have gotten better

producers and push the songs on radio I

think they got good producers I think

they you know all that but they just

didn't push it

um you know they didn't put anything

behind me

no and then you know it's like hey like

I said there was a lot of stuff going on

with DeBarge period uh the personal

things that were going on between us and

you know as a group and

individually that caused a l of U things

that were going on in the business you

know uh was it a good business you know

investment um or should we just put all

of our efforts here you know they had

just signed Chico and

uh they had

actually uh El has just started to be on

his own and um so here I am saying okay

I'm going shopping you know and they're

like no we don't want them to take her

and they can okay and they put all the

investment in her because that's all

they got so we'll take her and hold her

and that's what they did and

so yeah was very hurting but it's okay

because got loud yeah and I'm here today

through all that through my childhood

the things that happened to me in my

childhood um through the music industry

through being the oldest and watching my

brothers and um fight amongst one

another for losing my brother that was

right next to me um for the different

marriages that I went through all of

this stuff today I'm here today and I'm

here to tell the world that only what

you do for Christ will

last yeah I mean you ' gone through I

mean I don't think there's anyone who um

I mean we all saw the young song um

we've seen you on on different things

and we've and you know so that it's we

can see and we've heard and we know that

you guys individually and collectively

have I've experienced quite a lot and

and that's how I keep referring back to

your uncle

who you know almost was trying to I

won't say prophesy but he was like man

there something special in you guys as a

family and the enemy is going to try and

take it away and and almost as if no

we'll be fine and and and but no one can

predict how dangerous and how

challenging it can be and you wonder why

all this is happening if there isn't

such an amazing special talent that's

been placed in individ you guys as a

family that is worth fighting for um and

um you know if something isn't as

precious then it it's it's not that the

enemy doesn't put in the effort but it

felt as if they w't overtime for you

guys as as a family how does Mom your

strong mom manage to see her kids I mean

did did you know how does she she could

she talk to you guys and or it's hard to

listen um um in the when in those

challenging

times

I think

that mom handled it the best way she

knew how to handle it um it had to be

painful for her uh actually to watch all

her children be on drugs okay um and

that stems from the things I guess that

happened in our

childhood uh and even dealing with the

industry the breakup of the group The

Breakup of family um all we had was each

other as as children um uh because we

weren't accepted by you know anyone

other than ourselves I mean um my

father's family disowned us we never

knew them and uh my mom's family was

just always this thing going on and

their half breeds you know um so we all

we had was one another and music and so

um like I said when the group broke up

it wasn't just a brou group it was a

family and um Mama watching that

happened must have been very hurtful for

her and um I really think that

uh my

mom um had a dream as well

to be a star and I think that's why she

put in us um you know a gospel singer

you

know and we never really got to lot of

promises Mom we're going to do do this

and we going to do that you know um but

that never came full circle either and

now my mom is

um in a nursing home okay and so that's

kind of sad to me that that that didn't

come full circle so I just wish that um

it would all come full circle and that

we like I said

earlier come back together as a family I

think that would be something my mom

would love to see

what what would you what would you

envision it to be what would you think

would you would it be to just sing at

different shows or were you looking to

just I mean what what would you envision

if in an Ideal World coming back as a

family what would that look

like a go

thing

um

giving our life back to the Lord I don't

think

that any of my brothers have gotten as

[Music]

far as I have with dealing with myself I

think that we all need to deal with

ourselves and then come

together as a whole that makes

sense I know that God loves us all he

loves I'm like he loves me and if he can

do it for me he can do it for each one

of us individually I believe that with

with all my heart you know that's my

hope that's my

hope

but that has to be done

first come to

the realization of self you

know

I mean we don't come here as little

children and say I'm going to be a drug

addict and all that but life happens and

things happen in life

and we get in places that are

dark and

um only get us through that is

God I think that dear needs to do that

yeah individually and

collectively yeah I mean I I said you

know when I'm not doing this I'm I'm a

I'm a therapist

and I'm a therapist yeah uh I work with

Young I want work with under 21s but

then also with families and and it is

true

that you know being able to when when

you know anyone that deals with with you

know with with experienced trauma it

then has um it's like if you if you

don't put oil in your engine and after a

a while the engine just breaks down and

you say why did my engine break down and

it but it something that happened six

months ago when you didn't put enough

oil and it got to this point and

so you know with trauma when something

has happened and it's not dealt with it

has a way of affecting what's going to

going on forward and you can patch it up

but if you haven't really experienced it

and gone through

it okay okay just went

off this meeting is being recorded okay

I was talking about the prodical son

yeah to hisself and went home so I think

every everybody has to come to

themselves to realization to the end of

their road to whatever it is and you

know what God knows God has a way of

getting us there he does you know

so everybody has to come to themselves

and uh realize okay it's time to just go

to the Mountaintop to me with just me

and God you know and

um relationship you know

relationship and that's if you got to

put everybody else aside and sit his

feet yeah because you can't even know

who you

are until you know him you know yeah but

then how hard was it cuz you talked

about writing um the kept ones as a way

of healing

yourself um but how hard was it on the

others to see you being very open about

what was going on with you indirectly

means it was happening to them but would

you think it was like oh okay no you

know did do you think it might have been

hard for them to see and feel as if

they're now going to be judged based on

what is happened to you was that hard

then as an author to decide what to

report to to disclose and what to

keep

yes yes um

and to get the Grace from God to

even uh tell your story you know you

don't want everybody knowing your your

mess and this and that and all that um

yes family members you you know uh will

they feel and all that but I wanted to

be set

free so bad that it didn't matter it was

about me being set free and I went with

God and I asked God to give me the words

how to write it I wasn't going trying to

hurt nobody I was just trying to be set

free I wanted to live and I was running

for my life and I had to have last cries

I had to go and open all that up because

it was like I was a shoe

string all these Sho strings okay tie of

knots I didn't even know where to begin

and it was those things that I thought I

had

right okay was the thing I knew it

wasn't nobody with God CU I thought I

had those things right that was very

enlightning to me I knew the things that

I were doing wrong and I knew the things

that were done wrong but those things

that I thought I had right okay like the

love and the forgiveness I had all that

wrong you know and uh God had to deal

with me um and how I was just living my

life um even in writing my book I was

going through

um the thing of being

pitiful or powerful okay and I'm like

Lord what are you saying and I was

reading the Bible and it was talking

about the

guy that's that uh laid by the

water for 38 years okay yeah in asking

did you want to be made whole and I'm

like why is he asking him do you want to

be made whole been there 38

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years and God began to deal with me did

I want to be made whole my God I want to

be made whole of course I want to be

made whole

okay he showed me you can be

pitiful or you can be powerful are you

writing this book to be

pitiful or

powerful and I had to

think I want be pitiful ibody feel aside

for me

do I live my life that

way you know what I'm

saying

now I want to tell the

story but I want it to be a Redemption

Story look where he brought me from

because life

happens people got stories deeper than

Minds

okay life happens the thing

is God brought me out of all that I made

it all the way up as far as week ago

whatever was going could have went even

higher but God allowed things to happen

and they did happen but I wasn't

free not like I am

today no that don't matter to

me because I have Christ in my life I

have

Direction have leadership you know what

I'm saying

yeah so I want to be

powerful you know I can scoop over to

the

water you know what I'm saying inch at a

time yeah yeah and fall

in yeah I W to be made

whole I want to be made whole and the

only one that knows me better than

anybody is the

manufacturer the one that made

me that before the foundation of the

world

okay the one that that draws me you

know I want him to tell me who I am and

I'mma stand on that because that's my

only hope

man everything else is let me

down and it works for me

yeah but as I said it does it's it's the

the challenge of do I

cover up what I've gone through to

protect my my

family or do I just speak the truth in

order to protect my family in the longer

run and and that then becomes the

Dilemma U of any

author because um anyone doing an

autobiography because of course

Publishers would try and sell it as much

as possible and pick

out elements of extracts that seem to uh

that somebody else might assume it's

really putting them in a bad spot

because I know I think that you know it

felt as if you your tell book was almost

a way of damaging your family and and as

supposed to what she had been saying

bravely is about look I need to be set

free and it's almost like the AA alcohol

nness where they have to go and and say

you know apologize for something that

happened 20 years ago and a away just to

be said free from that so it's like and

I'm not living in the guilt and the

guilt in itself trying to distract

myself of the guilt can lead you to go

and find a distraction which could be in

some cases self harm it could be drugs

could be alcohol um it could be any type

of some things like that um and I guess

knowing the context as to why you wrote

your Elder biography and and why you

needed to be as honest as you can really

makes a massive difference for us to see

it must have been a hard journey and it

it was done out of love as opposed to

vindictiveness or trying to throw

somebody else on the bus like well I I'm

not good perform my concer so I'm going

to try and drag you down with me kind of

thing well I believe those that have

read my

book don't get that at all I wrote it

out of

love um it's not to hurt nobody you know

it's just um the truth has set you free

like I said I took god with me and I

asked God to help me to write my book

where it wouldn't be that I was hurting

anybody else you know I'm telling um my

story for my

eyes and it's not vindictive because I

love everybody I love my dad I love my

mom um I don't even like people to even

talk about them because it's not their

life it's not you know when I hear

different ones say way mom did this and

their mom didn't do this no no no no

that's not why I wrote my

book I wrote my book to see what Satan

did to a family the book was written

before us and um Satan looked in he

peaked in too and he said they're not

going to get to their Destiny she's not

going to get there and that's my job to

make it so I'm saying look what Satan

did okay because I learned that God gave

me the best mother and father that he

wanted me to have yeah okay and my

father molested me okay and we lived in

it for years

so God had to show me honor thy mother

and father you honor the

position and why am I doing it unto God

so these things are what I express in my

book look how he brought me out look

what Satan did okay

I'm not the only one yeah there's other

people that are being hurt every day

yeah okay child abuse all that you know

so it's not on know one person look at

that person look at that person they're

this and that that no my Real Enemy was

Satan is Satan

okay that's what it's

about how do you keep

yourself from um from slipping you know

because if somebody else is somebody's

watching this and they're thinking how

do I keep myself from going back what

are the things that you do to go

forward stay in the word of God I stay

at his feet I have learned to do that

because I've fallen so many times okay

you can call me too much if you want to

but that works for me okay when he said

keep the word ever before your eyes and

ears okay I guard my heart okay I'm led

by the Holy Spirit I am totally

submitted I had to totally submit myself

to that and like I said I straddled

straddled the fence

years and the Bible said he'll spit you

out your mouth if you hot or if you're

cold don't you know lukewarm be hot or

either the cold okay

so I pick the side and I stand on that

side

side yeah that's what keeps

me there's distractions everywhere

believe me we wake up every day to

distractions of this world distractions

of our flesh okay and the enemy yeah

yeah but you can do

it you can do it when you renew your

mind yeah

yeah I mean when I as a therapist when

I'm about to discharge somebody from

from therapy um instead of trying to go

through what we learned and and and try

to remember that I'm very much focused

on how do you keep yourself Focus going

forward because if you're constantly

looking forward there isn't any time to

look backwards and um because yeah if

you're always

thinking um if if you want to aim for

the stars then you land on the Moon it

just means that you have no time to Look

Backwards the things that P pulled you

back um only to see where he brought you

from

yeah yeah yeah to to really techn know

where you come from but you're always

looking forward and you're not trying to

stay there towards the mark towards that

Mark

yeah is there are there plans then now

you've written your to to release reach

more books as an author or what what

what I have the third one to finish yet

um the aftermath what's going on now um

how God brought me through all that the

first book's just telling the story

first two books and um I'm finishing off

the third book and I want to do some

motivational speaking um and also

recording I'm working on also a story I

mean

um

a

movie um from the kept ones of of from

my

eyes Okay and um do you plan to do any

of the singing with your with your

children or or are

you I mean how hard is it to go into the

studio now and trying to record a song

studio now you can have a studio in your

house you

know yeah you can have the studios right

there it's so different today

yeah yeah you know one of the things

when when I do I always ask my guests

you know as towards the end of my um

interviews is that if you um to try and

find out what your favorite alltime

movie is and I always paint the scenario

that if you were on in a elevator and

you and you before they get you out

you've got time so you get to watch your

favorite movie what would you be

watching

wow that's a good one because I'm really

not a really big movie Watcher

um You probably be strange to you but

like uh I like movies like One Flew Over

the Cuckoo's Nest

whatever whatever happened to Baby Jane

okay

type of movies I like okay so it you so

I mean alltime favorite movie what what

would that be one FL the cooker

Nest okay no you know everyone has a

different

variety I'm not real movie Watcher

yeah what's your alltime favorite song

by any any you know it could be

anybody his strength is perfect when my

strength is gone when our strength is

gone by CCE whining

wow yeah okay okay so you know it's it's

it's good that you

have but you you say if you CAU yourself

away from as you said earlier sex with

music or or you go back to the gospel

music

or I like Marvin gays okay now you know

I'm a Marvin Gay fan

live with

angel W did did you get to meet him and

and have oh yeah

wow did were you ever star struck Ste

wonder fan too so yeah but we ever star

struck be I mean being signed to Motown

and there's the you know there is Stevie

and you know Marvin Gay and Smokey and

the Temptation I mean Dino Ross did you

ever get Star Struck with Stevie of

course um and with Marvin Gay

yeah I

was

yeah M25 you would have you everyone in

one building that was great I have a

chapter in my book in the second book

about mtown 25 that was just

phenomenal yeah awesome right goodness

yeah I remember when they introduce you

guys I used to think you guys were Latin

American lots of people did yes because

of Puerto Rican because even your

younger brother Chico I'm think okay he

Se Me L Latino the barge you never never

heard the name before so it's sounded

Spanish and then you guys are very

lightskinned so it wasn't until L was on

Instagram he says yeah I love you Mom

I'm thinking who's maybe I thought it

was maybe a nanny or something like

who's this black woman he's because you

know you your tikos look looked like he

was Latino you know our hair was was

straight never realized that you you

know you you you know

your yeah yeah I mean in in Nigeria we

we we would say you were um we got him

half cast in in Nigeria nowadays people

say mix race but um um you know but

yeah but you know they were you know but

never but then in America most a lot of

um African-Americans are you could get

the you know I don't know if you saw

sparely school day so there's a lot of

light-skinned africanamerican and

dark yeah well for us I was I think I

was a Nigeria when I came out and we

couldn't understand the fact that the

complexion of your Darkness has you know

put you in different stat

yeah oh yeah

definitely wow so we're now beginning

2024 watch are the things that we should

expect to see from Bonnie Dear

2024 some motivational speaking um more

interviews uh my book my third book

coming out of in the three book series

the cap one um doing some um I said

motivational speaking right motiv

speaking doing some recording um doing

some music as well as um a script being

made and I'm shopping my story okay when

you talk about music are you um looking

a feature on people's stuff are you

looking to record your own music and

what what is it that you're more L I'm

record my own and maybe doing some work

with others yeah yeah and in the back in

the background there's still that that

prayer that the family can get together

and um and reform the barge or is it

just to get together to have a family

picnic

what um I don't think we can reform the

barge the barge is the

barge um just come together as a family

yes and it used to be my dream that we

would um be on stage again together

anounce it's like um I just want us to

come back together as a family I think

everything El fall behind yeah when we

whenever we come together um as a family

it's a singing It's a singing event

anyway

yeah yeah you definitely have to

find yeah it it is you know it is going

to take wisdom to find an opportunity

for you guys to be able to perform and

and to sing and

um in a way that that you honors God and

and and edifies every each each of

you because it you know when when you

know when families it's hard because

most of

us you know who are not public figures

may have our issues within our families

um but because we're not public figures

it does no one really knows what's going

on and we can it's easy to to put on a

brave face and and as if nothing has

happened but when you have grown up in a

spotlight for so years and um it is much

more difficult to get away with that and

even the opportunity to reconcile can be

used um as a stunt publicity stunt and

so everyone can be very much worry about

the mo

motives U about the motives and things

but you know you if you if you testify

about when you testify about how your

life has been turned around you realize

nothing can is

impossible um and so that's something we

always look out

for yes well uh B definitely appreciate

the fact that um we would have to go H

go through this where can people get

volumes one and two of the kept ones

your your your topography you can go to

official bunny dear.com or you can go to

Amazon if you want to autograph copy

come to official Bunny bunnyears.com and

I uh send out autograph

copies okay yes I mean and as I said

it's it's um it is something it's

definitely a worth read just to be able

to go in deta I mean you've kind of

summarized a lot of things but to be

able to go into into details and and

hopefully that they hope is is there

hope when people read and hear your

story yes yes it is

um I'm here today because of that you

know and writing my book I used to cry

when I talk about it but I've got gotten

over it I've had my last

cries so um it was very therapeutic for

me um and those that have read my book I

come all the time I always hear how they

um say that it was helpful to

them yeah yeah well definitely

appreciate um the time um this and being

able to be a to

this um what I'll do when this goes out

is to try and get the link to your book

both the website and on Amazon so people

um Can can at least have have access to

be able to buy and download um download

your autography and and I think the

important thing

is hearing

you experience and go through something

that most of us will never know an

experience but being able to come out of

it um is an inspiration the fact that

anything can happen to any of us at any

time and it's not where you've been it's

where you end up and instead of letting

and pity and and everything pull you

down you're able to you're still Rising

above it and so it'll be really um

something to be able to continue to

listen and support and and pray for the

family as well because I guess um on the

outside it seems as if everyone's doing

fine because we see the little videos of

you guys Gathering but not realizing

that's it's not done for the cameras but

it's not always that straightforward and

easy to yeah wow okay well definitely I

like to leave a ripple effect um and to

impact someone's

life

uh you know that's what it's all about

to me it's about Kingdom work

today yeah

yeah it's been it's been a pleasure

listening to you and um yes I appreciate

you know

here I said it's been a pleasure of

being here yeah okay thank you yes and

um yeah definitely yes guys as you're

watching you know we're praying for the

reconciliation and and longterm healing

within within the family and uh it is uh

it is definitely something that um it

will be golden to see and um you know it

would be lovely to see the BGE on stage

one day singing their Timeless albums

and Classics and who knows the uh the

tour that we never got back in 86 885 we

may get that um you know we may get that

um in

time yeah and time we will reveal yes

Time Will Reveal I mean you know you

when how as this as the songwriter for a

dream and you've seen it being used by

tup Park and black street and other

artists what does that feel like you

know a song you wrot I am honored and I

know that is but by the grace of God

that those songs have gone and stayed

around to this day so who knows what God

has in plan

yeah stor for us yes do you do you

always go back to the time when you

wrote it and think man remember I wrote

this and I didn't think much of it but

now look at it everyone singing it and

sampling it and stuff like that yeah do

you go back remember oh yeah especially

you know it was on a football halftime I

think it was in 22 beginning of 22 Super

Bowl uh I was like Wow who would have

ever thought you know since simple many

times yes yeah

that have you I mean do you ever decide

to get and sing it you know a live

version of of it with some of the other

songs of course it's my dream to sing it

with my brother Al to come on stage

maybe sneak one day and and show up at

one of his shows and just say your

sister's right here on the side have

to that's not a

dream

right what what's been your best what's

been your favorite um sample of it

that's been used in the song which which

I know there many which has been your

favorite my favorite sample probably

would be by Fifth

Harmony group called Fifth Harmony okay

yeah I like the way they did it oh okay

um I think one of the most popular ones

was U Black Street

Black Street yes I like this too and

then Tupac I'm I ain't mad at you yeah

yeah those are the two biggest ones okay

are yeah yeah yeah

um don't is it don't leave me don't

leave me yeah yeah yes it didn't yet

they didn't come out as a single but it

was on the airpl say I ain't mad at you

yeah I ain't mad at you so yeah I yeah i

m at you yeah um yeah it it you know and

and that's the that's the um that is the

power of um of a good song The Melody

and the lyrics and stuff so um yes

hopefully we can see you you know you'll

see you

guys perform and and and share it and

bless us with that but um as I said um

don't forget guys if you check out uh

the cap on

part one and two are out on offish bunny

debage um website or search in Amazon

and um yes and as I said you know and

then we can follow you on um on

Instagram and Facebook what's what is

your um um bunny dear on Facebook I have

a music page that's bunny dear and then

at bunny dear on

Instagram okay on Instagram yes so we be

a to follow keep up to date and keep

track and we'll keep praying for your

mom Minister on my Facebook pages okay

okay yeah you know what you got to keep

looking forward so you don't look back

so you don't get held backwards so yeah

no no one's a ain't mad at

you if we s for the track they matter at

you yeah so it's been a journey it's

been great and um know definitely

appreciate this um taking the time this

evening as well

thank you for having

me you're always welcome anyway so guys

as I said check out Bonnie and um we

will definitely be keeping in touch with

her and probably as when volume 3 is

about to come back out we'll be able to

Pro help promote it to understand now

that you finished it what you know what

you expect from reading it so that would

be an awesome an awesome time as well

yes okay thank you okay appreciate it

take care okay you take care too bye bye

hey guys thanks for watching thanks for

being a part of halftime chat please

remember to subscribe to share and

comment but most importantly why don't

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we've got amazing videos amazing perks

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but anyway thanks for watching take care

I never participated in that count

somewhere in

between well loing us on wish I didn't

[Music]

miss like growing

up

imp

down I have

a get this one and that

[Music]

one play it and all these guys they all

work together I mean I was I love I love

all different

[Music]

job