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Cheryl Pepsii Riley

Celebrates Ten Years of

Touring Success with Tyler Perry

New York - Madea may have a job – as evidenced by the success of the latest play, “Madea Gets A Job” in Tyler Perry’s popular stage play franchise – but Cheryl Pepsii Riley has a career. That’s because Riley’s role as Carla Montgomery in the latest Madea escapade marks almost ten years that the soulful songstress has performed as a mainstay in Tyler Perry’s many endeavors. And with vocals that simmer and soar throughout the theatre, the audiences couldn’t be happier about it.

Riley, who first burst on the music scene in the late ’80′s with her torching classic “Thanks for My Child,” has been able to steadily build her fan base via several ventures, including an independent CD release “Let Me Be Me.” But her inclusion in over ten Tyler Perry productions, including stage plays, DVD releases, film cameos and soundtrack credits, has served to solidify her as one of soul and gospel music’s legendary voices.

Cheryl Pepsii Riley and Tyler Perry

The native New Yorker from Brooklyn holds down a solid base on her home front as well. She is also celebrating five successful years at New York’s legendary Village Underground with her own homegrown vehicle, the “Back in the Day, Black Velvet Painting, Blue Lights in da Basement, Musicians and Singers Jam” night. More simply known as “Black Velvet Mondays,” the showcase attracts singers, songwriters and musicians from around the world who drop in to grace the stage. The showcase streams live at http://www.TheVillageUnderground.com and bridges the gap between the old school and new school as artists and musicians come to perform, network and inspire.

Dedicated to regularly making her way to the club between her busy touring schedule,  Riley produces and hosts the event every Monday.   In addition to hosting and producing however, she is known for dropping pearls of wisdom in the midst of her Monday night events for aspiring artists.

“I originally started ‘Black Velvet Mondays’ because of the things I had to learn on my own, things no one told or showed me. I just wanted to share information as well as provide a positive and safe atmosphere for the up and coming musicians and singers who are striving to hone their crafts. My vision was to help other artists along the way. I always say God gave me this gift, not just for the entertainment of it all, but to continue to live my purpose here on earth,” reveals Riley, who hopes to write a book featuring her advice gems.

In  “Madea Gets A Job” Riley’s character is the chief administrator of a senior citizen home. Single and experiencing man troubles, Madea’s motherly advice guides her to her true love. Her show stopping performances of “All I Want is Love” and “Dr. Feelgood” are highlights of the production.

Cheryl Pepsii Riley in “Madea Gets A Job” Tyler Perry in background

“I can’t begin to express the gratitude I have for Tyler Perry. I have not only seen our audiences grow and grow, but I have watched him literally build an empire, right before our eyes.  He absolutely inspires and motivates all of us around him to do the same for ourselves! As a performer, there is no greater joy than interacting with the audience. Having consistently worked with Tyler Perry  for almost a decade now  has been a tremendous experience. Top that with my showcase event on Monday’s, as well as my own Cheryl Pepsii Riley shows and projects, and all I can say is that I am humbled and thankful for the many blessings,” cites Riley.

Check the tour schedule for “Madea Gets A Job” at  http://tylerperry.com/stage-plays/madea-gets-job/ and sing along with Cheryl Pepsii Riley at http://www.CherylPepsiiRiley.com.

We’re told Summer was in Florida at the time of her death. She was 63 years old.

Sources close to Summer tell us … the singer was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps. We spoke to someone who was with Summer a couple of weeks ago … who says she didn’t seem too bad.

In fact, we’re told she was focused on trying to finish up an album she had been working on.

Summer was a 5-time Grammy winner who shot to superstardom in the ’70s with iconic hits like “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls.”

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Click here to listen to Chuck’s interview with ForeverDC.com

Listen to Chuck’s Interview with Jason Easley of ForeverDC.com HERE.

By The Washington Post’s Chris Richards

Chuck Brown, the gravelly voiced bandleader who capitalized on funk’s percussive pulse to create go-go, the genre of music that has soundtracked life in black Washington for more than three decades, died May 16 at the Johns Hopkins University hospital in Baltimore. He was 75.

The death was confirmed by his manager Tom Goldfogle. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that Mr. Brown had been hospitalized for pneumonia.

Known as the “Godfather of Go-Go,” the performer, singer, guitarist and songwriter developed his commanding brand of funk in the mid-1970s to compete with the dominance of disco.

Like a DJ blending records, Mr. Brown used nonstop percussion to stitch songs together and keep the crowd on the dance floor, resulting in marathon performances that went deep into the night. Mr. Brown said the style got its name because “the music just goes and goes.”

In addition to being go-go’s principal architect, Mr. Brown remained the genre’s most charismatic figure. On stage, his spirited call-and-response routines became a hallmark of the music, reinforcing a sense of community that allowed the scene to thrive. As go-go became a point of pride for black Washingtonians, Mr. Brown became one of the city’s most recognizable figures.

“No single type of music has been more identified with Washington than go-go, and no one has loomed so large within it as Chuck Brown,” former Washington Post pop music critic Richard Harrington wrote in 2001.

Mr. Brown’s creation, however, failed to have the same impact outside of the Beltway. The birth of go-go doubled as the high watermark of Mr. Brown’s national career. With his group the Soul Searchers, his signature hit “Bustin’ Loose” not only minted the go-go sound, it spent four weeks atop the R&B singles chart in 1978.

“Bustin’ Loose” was “the one record I had so much confidence in,” Mr. Brown told The Post in 2001. “I messed with it for two years, wrote a hundred lines of lyrics and only ended up using two lines. . . . It was the only time in my career that I felt like it’s going to be a hit.”

It was Mr. Brown’s biggest single, but throughout the 1980s “We Need Some Money,” “Go-Go Swing” and “Run Joe” became local anthems, reinforced by radio support and the grueling performance schedule that put Mr. Brown on area stages six nights a week.

While rap music exploded across the country, go-go dominated young black Washington, with groups including Trouble Funk, Rare Essence and Experience Unlimited following in Mr. Brown’s footsteps.

Mr. Brown performed less frequently in his final years but still took the stage regularly. He would often comment on his golden years in rhyme.

“I’m not retired because I’m not tired. I’m still getting hired and I’m still inspired,” he said in 2006. “As long as I can walk up on that stage, I want to make people happy. I want to make people dance.”

Charles Louis Brown was born in Gaston, N.C., on Aug. 22, 1936. He never knew his father, Albert Louis Moody, a Marine. He took the surname of his mother, Lyla Louise Brown, a housekeeper who raised her several children in poverty.

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Listen to Chuck’s Interview with Jason Easley of ForeverDC.com HERE

View photo slide show

Jay — arguably the most powerful person in hip hop — discussed the issue with CNN … saying President Obama’s decision to come out in support of gay marriage was “the right thing to do.”

“I’ve always thought it as something that was still holding the country back. What people do in their own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you love.”

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Leroy — real name Taimak (right) — tells TMZ, he met Maia during a recent training session in New York … and they immediately hit it off.

According to Taimak — an accomplished martial artist in his own right — Maia approached him in the gym, claiming he was a big “Last Dragon” fan (who isn’t?) and the two kept in touch.

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Read more at newsone.com

Executive producer and Queen Bee, Shaunie O’Neal, said on the reunion show that the cast takes full responsibility for their actions and will do better going forward. She likened the show to a “mirror” and admitted that some of the women don’t always like what they see reflected:

“I feel that all these ladies take responsibility for what their actions are…and after seeing ourselves this season, it definitely was a lot more bad than good. I’ve really tried to preach the whole ‘Let’s get some balance’ and now I think my voice is resonating.

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