Welcome, and thank you for tuning in to Black
Women Amplified, the podcast. Your host Monica
Wisdom Tyson brings you downloadable conversations
that matter to women around the globe. We discuss
all things black girl magic, amplify our voices
and transform our challenges into triumphs. Monica
calls on her league of extraordinary women to
push our boundaries, share their expertise and
stories of personal transformation. Welcome your
host of Black Women Amplified, Monica Wisdom
Tyson. Hello everyone, this is your girl Monica
Wisdom and I am so excited to be with you today.
Today we have a very incredible guest and I can't
wait to introduce you to her or for you to hear
her remarkable story. I hope that you got a chance
to listen to our history making Black women,
Jasmine and Ivy, who own the amazing crystal
mine called because I rock. They are the first
black women in America to own a crystal mine.
So you got to hear a historic conversation real
time and probably for the first time. And not
only are they the first black women to own a
crystal mine, but it was owned by Tiffany and
company. I mean, whoa. And when you hear their
story and how they acquired the mine, Yes, I
said acquired. And here are two women who were
big in the industry. Jasmine is a former basketball
player and philanthropist. And Ivy is a celebrity
florist who has worked with Will Smith, Miley
Cyrus, Kim Kardashian, all the people as their
personal florist. And they came together during
the great, I call it the great pause in... An
adventure ensued and you really want to go back
and hear that story. Not only is it amazing,
but is the power of faith and receiving something
that we as Black women must learn. Not we have
our faith, but the power of receiving and saying
yes to the opportunities that come in front of
us. So make sure you check them out. And don't
forget to share, rate, review the podcast on
your favorite podcast, wherever you're listening
to me now. Follow us on Spotify, follow us on
Apple Podcasts, all the places where we are.
Because as you know, you are my warriors out
in the field letting the world know about Black
Women Amplified. And I appreciate all of your
support. All of it, all of it, all of it. OK,
let me slow it down and let me breathe. Because
today we're talking with a legendary woman. Yes,
we are. And I'm telling you, she was in. incredible
to talk to, a joy. And I find myself when I'm
in these conversations that I vacillate between
being the host and the interviewer with being
in awe of what people are telling me. So I'm
trying not to like geek out like, oh my God,
that's amazing. Because you know, I celebrate
everybody. I'm like the celebrator of all the
people. But in talking to her, I was like, wow.
And then I was like, wow. Like the world should
know who you are. And that's how I feel about
everybody that's on the podcast. The world should
know who you are. And so anyway, let me get into
this conversation. Since her debut on EMI Records
in 1992, Wendy Moulton has been the voice that
transcends genres, continents, and generations.
She has graced stages across the world, opening
with performers who are legendary in their own
right, including Julio Iglesias. Michael Bolton,
Michael McDonald, Kirk Whalum, Tim McGrath, Faith
Hill, Vince Gill, and her dear friend Martina
McBride. In 2020, when the world went on pause
and the stages shut down, Wendy stepped up and
auditioned for The Voice, completing its 21st
season as runner -up with Blake Shelton as her
team captain. With all of her successes, Wendy
remains grounded in her faith and her gifts,
understanding that the rain may come, but in
order to shine, don't give up on yourself or
your dreams. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
the incomparable Wendy Moulton. Hello, Ms. Wendy.
Thank you for coming on the Black Women Amplified
podcast. I am so excited that you're here and
to have this conversation with you. You are a
master at what you do and you have been in this
game for a long time. So I'm curious to hear
your stories about your life, your music and
your career. So how are you today? I'm doing
very well. And thank you so much for having me
and, you know, give me this platform to share
my story. Maybe it will encourage somebody. Listen,
I was doing research on you. The first question
I have to ask that has nothing to do with anything
is was Donnie Simpson your first professional
interview? Yes, he was. Oh, my goodness. And
he was the king of all of that. Yes, he was the
king of all of that. And he was my first real
interview, you know, on that kind of magnitude,
you know, that was nationwide, international.
Yeah. First one. Did it look like it? Did it
look like it? You did well, but I could tell.
But here's the piece. My thing was she out the
gate is sitting on Donnie Simpson's couch. Who
does that? That's amazing. And I was so green
that I didn't even know to be scared, because
I had been doing it my whole life. So in that
interview, I was, of course, happy to be in his
presence. And I knew he was a gentleman. And
so I was just like, try to stay calm. Try to
stay calm. You were very calm. You were very
composed and very sophisticated. Thank you. And
because that's what I was like, is this her first
one? Because, you know, you know the game much
better than I do. You have to do the local stuff.
You got to go to the farm. You have to do all
the things. I'm like, oh, the gate. She's so
happy about that moment. I really was listening
to your music. Now you have your own distinct
sound in the 90s. You were always compared to
Whitney Houston. How did this feel to be in her
lane and have to navigate through that whole
process? Well, I want to say, you know, it was
a plus because she was on such a high level that
if they thought about me when they thought about
Whitney or vice versa. Okay. Well, then that
means I'm on the highest of levels available
at that time. And I did do the work, you know,
there's singers, there's eras for singers. And
so Whitney Houston, that was my era. We listened
to the same music growing up. That's why we had
the same type of influences and same tonality
because she listened to the same people I listened
to. Dionne Warwick, Barbra Streisand, you know,
Aretha Franklin. So we, of course, we both had
that gift. And, you know, it didn't bother me
at all. And people like to have some something
they can reference you to when you're new. They
don't know. how to define you. And I thought
it was great. I'm like, okay, well, at that point,
I'm at the highest of levels. So you want to
put me with this? Great. Thank you. I did the
work. Yes, you did. Sitting on Donnie Simpson's
couch. I love that your music is all, you do
all genres. But I want to ask you, little Wendy,
the little girl growing up in Tennessee, What
other dreams did she have, or was music always
your dream? No, I was terrified to be in front
of people. But my dad was a pastor, a minister.
And, you know, I had five other siblings, and
we had to be in church four days a week, so there
was no downtime. And I was terrified, so I had
to start leading songs at eight years old. And
I didn't want to, but, you know, it was just
easier just to go ahead and do it. But as I got
older, I never thought that I would be a professional
singer because everybody in my family sang and
all my friends were singers. I'm from Memphis.
So it was singers everywhere. And I just knew
they all sounded better than I did. So I just
never saw Wendy the adult ever becoming a professional.
I didn't see that as little Wendy and I was fanatic
with television and so I just thought I was going
to be corporate attorney because I like to negotiate.
So I thought I was going to go into law and that
didn't happen. But I'm sure you put in some fierce
negotiations for your contracts. I know how to
negotiate and I know how to defend myself. and
at least ask the hard questions, you know? And
so, yeah, that's where that debate comes in.
So with you being in so many genres of music
from Latin to jazz to R &B, funk, soul, blues,
was that a conscious decision not to stay in
one lane? No, it just, you know, it was just
that way. I grew up in an era where you had like
eight or nine television channels. So if you're
gonna watch TV, You're going to watch Lawrence
Welk. You're also going to watch Heat Hall and
you're going to watch Soul Tag Train. You're
going to watch Carol Burnett and the Flip Wilson
Show and Midnight Special. And that's all you
got. So you're going to watch those TV shows.
And so all those shows where I was influenced
by all those shows. When I would watch Lawrence
Welk, I was like, what is this show? And people
don't know. Check it out. It's a guy and people
are dancing and he's playing the accordion. And
it was so interesting that these people were
dancing and then these harmonies that these singers
were singing. I'm like, what kind of harmony?
What is that? I was eight, seven years old. Polka
music, honey. Polka? Yeah. Polka? And I didn't
know what it was, but those harmonies caught
my attention. The tonality of the singers, because
I already had the gospel in my life and Aretha
was mine. It still is my number one. So I had
that. And they were so far from Aretha that I
was like. what is that? But I love that tone
and I got that in my ears. And then all those
other instrumentations, they got into me too.
And then I love television and movies. And so
my love for music came from television, not from
listening to music. I'm child number five out
of six. Child number four, she was truly the
music lover and she brought everything home.
She brought the gospel, the rock, the jazz, you
know, everything. She brought everything home
and I heard a lot of stuff because my sister
Mona was a music lover and Mona was so much of
a music lover. She was the type of fan that used
to write into the magazines. That takes time.
Yes, it does. She was the type of fan that would
write. That's commitment. That is commitment.
You got to sit down, you got to write a letter,
you got to put a stamp on the envelope, then
you got to get it to the post office. So she
was a teenager and that's just who she was until
this day. Mona has got to be 62 and Mona still
makes, she still knows who all the artists are.
As far as new artists, old artists, she listens
to music all day and all night and she makes
her own little mix tapes. And that's who she
is. And so Mona brought a lot of stuff home.
And so I would get it all around. So me, you
know, deciding to like different genres, it really
wasn't a choice. It was just there because I
was influenced by it all. Now deciding to sing
at least four different genres didn't happen
till later on in my career in my 40s because
the record business wants you to choose a lane.
They don't want diversity. They just want you
to choose a lane, stay in that lane, try to build
on it. Well, that was always a little problematic
for me. And even when it came down to my records,
because I just loved so many different things.
But now in my 50s, I'm like comfortable with,
I've realized I'm a Linda Ronstadt. She's singing
four different genres. That's who I am. And I
call it the Wendy Moden genre. So I'll take you
for it. the traditional country, to Paul Simon,
to Stevie Wonder. And I like to take people on
a musical journey. And my original music has
those influences too. So as a little girl, I
didn't know that's what I was going to do, but
it's in me and I feel like I perfected the genres
that I do love and I make them believable because
I stay close to the core of what they are whenever
I switch up on genres. And, you know, that just
comes from watching TV as a young girl. So you
love the old black and white movies, the Doris
Day movies, and those types of movies? I love
some, but it's just not all. Well, the music,
I should say, the dramatics of it all. The dramatics
of it all, it was just the movies that were out
there. We don't have what we have then. If you're
gonna watch TV, it's probably a movie that was
from the 40s or 50s. Maybe the 60s. I was glad
when the 60s and 70s, when they started making
movies in the 70s. Isaac Hayes doing the soundtrack
and Quincy Jones. Then you start hearing other
things. Mainstream. But those other influences
from the early TV. It was the music that got
me. It was my first ear training, just like singing
at church was my first ear training. And all
those types of sounds, I kept them in a memory
bank, obviously. And I get a chance to play around
with all that now. But I also had my foundation.
Like Aretha Franklin will always be my number
one. And growing up in Memphis, they didn't care
what color you was. But if you couldn't sing
Aretha Franklin songs, that was just it. You
can't sing. If you can't sing, Aretha, then you
are not a great singer. So, you know, that was
the marker growing up. That's what I tell the
kids because I grew up in St. Louis. I'm in St.
Louis. And so we listen to everything. I was
singing Dolly Parton. This is much as I was singing
hip or reciting hip hop. there wasn't a distinction
of this is this type of music or this is, we
had everything. It was the best. It was the best
because it opened you up to many things. And
then you choose what you want to keep and what
you want to get rid of. And you were exposed
to different cultures. I mean, he all was like,
what is that? But I loved it. It was funny to
me. And that was the goal because what it did,
what I explained to people, Now that, you know,
I've infiltrated country music in my mid 50s
as a middle -aged black woman, I infiltrated
country music. That's the name of your book.
That's the name of your book. I infiltrated country
music. Middle -aged black woman. And that'll
be, you know, that's something to think about.
It's expressed to them that during that time
when Hee Haw and Soul Train and all those things
were born, it was a safe place to witness other
cultures in the safety of your home. So you could
see, oh my gosh, that, you know, the black guy
down the corner. Oh, there are other black people
in the world and they do this. Oh, country world.
They open up the hill. We have a sense of humor.
Oh really? We're all yeah. And we have really
great music too. So we learned from each other
in the safety of our homes. Cause that was the
only way to do it. Cause we were all segregated.
Very much segregated, very much segregated. So
in your career, what came first, your opportunity
with Michael Bolton or your record deal? My record
deal came first in the 92, really in 1993, in
the early days of 1993. And my first single was
released in 1993. And I got the Michael Bolton
tour in 1994 when I was just opening act, when
he was touring, playing in arenas. And I have
to tell you the story. It was between Regina
Bell and myself to open up for Michael Bolton.
And Michael, I know we hadn't talked to each
other in years, but I know you chose me because
nobody knew me. Oh. But that's OK. I was an up
and coming artist. And Regina Bell was a star
already. Yes. She was already had hits. And but
it was good for me. And I still got standing
ovations every night. Oh, snap, snap, snap. You
gotta claim it. No, it happened. It was a fact.
So you get your record deal, and then you're
on the stage with Michael Bolton going arenas,
and you're a charmed life. I also had a great
manager, Dick Williams, who found me. He used
to be head of marketing and promotion at Warner
Brothers on the West Coast for many, many years.
And then when he was retired, we got ready to
retire, he wanted to manage artists. So he came
to Memphis. to talk to this band about managing
them and get them a record deal at Warner Brothers
and he happened to stop in this studio in Memphis
and I was singing a local commercial. I hadn't
done hardly anything. I was in college and I
was singing this commercial and he was like hey
who's that girl and what does she sound like
with a band and the guy was like I don't know
I just hired for commercials and uh but the guy
had a band his name was Nico Laris and he had
a band called Coming in Berlin and so He was
like, I'm in town for a couple of days. Do you
mind sitting in with this band? And I said, no.
At that time, Saving All My Love For You was
out and Aretha's Who's Who and Greatest Love
Of All. So I sang those three songs. And he was
like, I think I can get your record deal. I'm
like, yeah, whatever. Because I'm like, that's
so far from where I think I'm going. And sure
enough, a couple of months later, he came back
to Memphis, coming in out of the rain, which
was my single. And he had two other songs from
this songwriter, Curtis Boone out of Detroit.
And he's like, let's cut these three songs and
I think I can get you a record deal. I said,
no problem. I'm not signing anything. But we
can try this because I knew I want to sign in
no contracts. I heard about the music business
and we'll see if you can give me a record deal.
If you give me a record deal, I'll sign the contract.
That's where the lawyer want to be came in. I
said, he's like, no problem, no problem. I believe
in what I can do. I said, no problem. And sure
enough, he came like three months later, we did
the songs and literally two or three months later,
he had a bidding war going on between Warner
Brothers, Electra and EMI Records. And he ended
up going to EMI Records and. you know that started
all of course I had to sign a contract at that
point but he taught me the music business and
so I learned the business from him he never did
anything behind my back or you know where I had
to wonder what was going to happen with my life
no he put everything out in the open which I
really appreciate and he's retired now but you
know I still talk to him about different things.
So you have seen the many evolution or devolution,
I'd say, of the record industry. Because nobody's
getting a deal anymore. People are having to
sell off their catalogs just to make any money
anymore. How are you navigating, how did you,
and I have a whole lot of questions in between
this, but since we're here, how are you navigating
from where you are now to what you knew then?
Then I had help, which was Dick Williams and
he wanted to protect me. And so we made decisions
together. The industry was still what it was.
And because I was a part of it in the mid nineties,
the late nineties, it had ended as far as artists
development, as far as record companies really
investing in artists. And then I think rap or
hip hop. was becoming king. And so our style
of singing, that part of the music industry was
dying in the 90, 98, 99. So I've been able to,
when my record deal was over, I had to decide
if I was going to stay in the game or not because
the music business had changed and the big ballad
singer was not as important. and they had the
biggest queens, which was Whitney, Celine, and
Mariah. So, you know, like I said, I was always
number four, but number four don't get nothing.
But, you know, self -therapy helps too. But,
you know, I realized Julio Iglesias found me
in that time and that transition of pop R &B
ending. and figuring out what I was going to
be. And then the labels weren't as interested
anymore in the late 90s because the music had
changed. And they had the top three biggest selling
vocalists ever. And they were happy and content.
So I was like, what am I going to do? And then
Julio Iglesias found me and asked me to be his
duet partner. And I said, I'll stay for a year
because he's a living legend. I can learn something.
I figured I'd stay for a year. And I ended up
staying 15 years because I didn't know how to
get back to the front. I didn't know how to become
a solo artist anymore. And I made crazy money.
And I was learning how to be a better singer
and artist because I'm like one of the greatest
in the world. And I felt like I was getting paid
to learn. So he shared his homes and planes and
that whole unrealistic lifestyle. I did all that,
you know, all that beautiful. OK, so now I want
another juice. Yeah. Where'd you go? Who'd you
meet? What'd you do? I mean, well, we met. I
mean, we performed for a lot of presidents and
prime ministers of countries. And so history,
all of them. I mean, even like Putin, I was at
the Kremlin like three times, you know, Syria,
Serbia, Kazakhstan, Gazan, London, you know,
Africa, right after apartheid, you know, so and
just I've been I'm one of the few people, maybe
three to five percent, that has seen the whole
world multiple times. And I got paid to do it.
And I went to all of the museums, every country
I would go to, I would go to the museums and,
you know, read up on the culture, try the food
and the wine and the people. And I love history.
And so with Julio, I had to sing in four languages,
but I had to just learn them phonetically. Of
course I had English, but I don't speak Spanish,
Portuguese, or French, but he recorded in four
to five languages. That's why he was one of the
top -selling artists in music history, right
there with Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Everybody
else in their early days had pockets of success,
this country or that country, but Julio and Elvis
and the Beatles were everywhere when there wasn't
when it used to take six months for new music
to circulate. So here I am with one of the greatest
singers in music history, getting paid to learn
how to be a great artist. And he taught me how
to be a great singer and performer. And he knew
my strengths better than I did. And I didn't
think I would stay 15 years, but I didn't know
what I wanted to do or how I was going to get
back out there. So I figured I'll just continue
to learn, continue to see the world and grow.
And I did that until it ended and then country
music world opened up and I started touring with
country music artists like Faith Hill, Tim McGraw,
their big arena tours as their background singer.
And, you know, I did a lot of sessions and I
look at it like this. All the people that I tour
with, I was anonymous enough to pull it off because
had I been too big of an artist, it just wouldn't
work. But I was anonymous enough. They knew where
I came from. But if I said yes to the gig, I'm
there as your background singer. I understand
what it's like to be out front. You're going
to get a lot more sympathy and empathy from me.
And I get it. It's hard being out front. But
I said, if I'm going to be a background singer,
I got to be a background singer to the stars
till I can figure out how to be back out front.
And only my work ethic and, you know, when I
would negotiate for fees and everything, I would
talk to the artist. I don't want a middle person.
I know that's right. I'm not talking to you people.
I don't mind it, but I need to have a true understanding
of who you think you're hiring. And I'm going
to give 100 % and I'm not out here behind you
dreaming of other things. If I say yes to the
gig, I'm here for your dream. That's it. And
my good friend, Martina McBride. when i was touring
with her i didn't tell her my past i never talk
about my past because you're hired as a background
singer so she said but it was something different
about you i don't know what it was and she started
doing research and she was like here i go Whitney
Houston i said well you know what i need your
money to pay for my dreams right now deal deal
because if i didn't need to do that i wouldn't
be doing it but you know so i said yes to a lot
of gigs and i said no to a lot of gigs and you
know And that just kept me going until COVID
shut everything down. And when COVID shut everything
down, I said, this is my way back, because everybody
was afraid about how they were going to make
it. The stars were afraid, how are we going to
make this work? Entertainment was a luxury. It's
not a necessity. And so I said, well, here's
my way back. Here's my way back. And everybody
got to start over a little bit. And I said, I
need TV. What can I do as a middle -aged black
woman to get out there again? Because I don't
care how great you sound. The industry wants
10 -year -olds who are amazing. And that's what
made me decide to go on The Voice. Now, did you
ever consider going overseas? Because I know
the Poynter Sisters had a residency in Singapore.
And I know singers that have had great careers
outside of this country because this country
is so specific in what they want. Was that ever
a consideration for you? Oh, yeah, but I was
already kind of touring and I had big Asian markets
and some European markets that were big for me.
And then it ended because my era of music ended.
OK. So that ended. However, I want to entertain
those things again because I know that I have
a classic voice and. not many there of course
there's millions of classic singers but as far
as the stars are concerned they're either no
longer with us or not doing it anymore so i'm
like the girl that you know your budget can't
afford mariah carey at a million two or three
million for the night i'm the other girl i can
take 800 i'm the other girl okay so that's where
i see myself right now on a realistic level so
when you were on tour with these amazing people,
Michael Bolton. I can't get my words together.
Michael McDonald. Yes. I got a Kirk Whelan story
for you. But how were you able to, because you're
a very confident and strong person, I can tell.
Even though you didn't fathom being the entertainer
that you are, how were you able to put all that
aside to stand by somebody every night and support
their dreams. Like what is it in you? Is it something
you had to learn or you already knew that once
you made a decision, I'm just moving forward
with it? Well, first of all, I need to make a
living. Yeah. And after that, I still didn't
know who I was as an artist. So here I have these
opportunities to learn. from other artists and
you can learn because you close you with them
every day you're breaking bread you're traveling
and what did i recognize was that they were suffering
with the same things i was how did the show go
tonight was i good do i have enough to do it
you know all the i was scared you know all the
regular stuff once i saw that they have the same
concerns i was like oh okay they're just humans
which i knew but you don't know till you see
it and you see that they also have self -doubt
and they want to work on their craft and they
want to be great and I've been fortunate to work
with really great artists who really work hard
and they appreciate the people that they are
surrounded by. So witnessing that and experiencing
that If I knew who I was back then, I probably
wouldn't have done it. But I still was trying
to work out who I am as an artist. What did I
want to sing? What is it that I want to say to
the people? Well, you know what? I'll go and
work with this artist till I can figure this
out. And why not have the classroom be the king
of so -and -so and such -and -such? Why am I
going to learn it if I ain't in it? Right. You
know, and so you got to be in it because what
it did was it helped me define what I really
want out of my career and what I don't. Stuff
like, you know, do I need to have billions of
followers? Maybe not. Do I need to own a private
plane and all the expense that goes with that?
What I decided was not really. Now they got a
whole lot of private companies out there if you
just got to have a private plane, but you don't
need the three to four or five million dollar
maintenance every year for a plane. So that's
just stuff that I just feel like, OK, I don't
really need that. It's cool to have. Because
I was living with it for 15 years, and somebody
else was covering it. And I was like, this is
cool, but I don't need that. So it helped me
define what I really want and what I don't need.
So what is it you really want right now? I want
my own. i want my career i want to be known as
one of the greatest singers in the world because
i did the work i want to always be encouraging
and always grow musically and my purpose is that
when i sing that it's uh like my ministry it's
not christian but the goal is to reach the spirit
and reach the soul and make them feel something
they haven't felt before and i and we get that
from our favorite singers and artists that we
listen to We listen to them because they make
us feel something. And whether it's joy or to
make you feel like you can keep going on, I've
always wanted to be able to be one of those type
artists. Now I am. And I know. And what Julio
taught me was he knew I was a balladeer. So I
like the same balance, no matter what genre.
And the goal is to make the room go silent. The
room goes quiet. And I've reached them. And the
other thing is I want to speak to spirit. But
the other thing is, I want them to be thinking
of their own thoughts. I'm just amused. I'm just,
yeah, I got a gift. What to do? I got a gift.
But if I can make you, if I can put a smile on
your face, if I could, I just did a concert in
Franklin theater in Franklin, Tennessee. And
this big time producer, Paul Worley, he was a
big record company guy and he was in the audience
and he said, you know, you just made me cry.
My wife was crying. That's what I want to do.
I want to go right into that spirit where I create
joy. I create a moment where it makes you just
tear up and that's my job. And what I learned
from Julio the most is I don't sing any song
that don't move me. Growing up as a young artist,
I got tons of records of songs I didn't connect
to because I didn't know that. I just sang them
pretty, they're pretty, but I had no connection
to the song. So now I don't do that because it
is like a ministry for me. I do want to reach
the spirit. When I decide to go on The Voice,
That's what I said. I said, I don't know how
long this game going to go. I don't even know
what this game is, but I'm going to leave my
ego at the house and I want to go in there and
I want to reach people through that television
and have them feel something that they can't
even articulate. But it's something and I have
so many people reach out to say, you know, you
made me cry or this and I don't want to make
them cry. I just want to know that I've touched
them. I got it. It worked. well you unlock something
yes you unlock something because i think in this
era that we're in that is really strange people
are very tense and very guarded i don't want
to be fake it needs to be real yeah and you unlock
something when you sing yes and that's And I
know how to do it consistently. And it was because
of, you know, the gift that I had, I had great
parents too. And working with all these great
artists, I saw everything I needed to see. I
saw everything to help me define who I want to
be, or who I am. You know, I've been to the top,
you know. God showed you what it looked like.
And now he's saying, go get it. Yeah, go get
what you want. Because I got a prime example.
I have this photo of my first time I ever been
to a cabin, a law, I'm not a law cabin, but a
cabin. My nephew graduated from college, and
he was like, I want the whole family to go to
have a cabin retreat. I'm like, I don't do no
cabins. But OK, I went in Gatlinsburg, and we
had this big cabin. We had about 14 family members,
and it was like four floors. When i saw it was
so beautiful i saw the sky the top of the mountain
the highest part of the trees and i saw below
me and i said that's what my career is because
you know the top of the mountain is lonely it
can be cold at the bottom is a lot of dirt down
there and there's insects you got to fight with
but to have that whole view of everything that's
what my career is. I can see the sky, the mountain,
the tip top of the mountain in the middle there.
I can see the top of the trees, the middle of
the trees, the bottom all the way down to the
ground. So that's my outlook on my life, my career.
I rather have that view and there's more. There's
more beauty, more appreciation and more community
or community. Now, before we get into the voice,
because I do want to hear about that story, you
grew up in. Tennessee, the South in the midst
of the civil rights movement. What memories do
you have of that and how did that impact you
growing up? I don't have any memories because
I was born in 1964. Okay. Segregation, integration
was ending. I think the civil rights bill was
signed in 65. So when I was born. There was three
bills between 65 and 68. Okay. So all I've known
is integration. That's all I've known. So Being
in Memphis, another plus I had was my uncle,
my mother's brother, was one of the pastors at
Ben Hooks Church. So I ended up going to kindergarten
at Ben Hooks Church. And Ben Hooks created, you
know, the NAACP. He created at Ben Hooks. And
so my uncle was a pastor at his church. And I
went to kindergarten there. I was a day. Tried
these different little tests with all kinds of
cool. They used to be this show called rumper
room. Yes girl. Yes From the Memphis what? Because
they had LA New York Chicago and I think Memphis
and I was in rumper room They put us with all
these different type children all the different
races to see how we were interact And every,
you know, I didn't find out until I got older
that Miss Betty, that was just a character. It
was Miss Betty in Chicago, Miss Betty in New
York City. So I was a part of that. You know,
I also was a part of during that time, they decided
if your birthday was late, your birthday was
November, that they held you back a year because
they feel like you would be more mature when
we go to school. You'd be more independent. That
was true. I was more independent. I was and always
been. So I've been the test of a lot of situations
and changes that they were trying to create during
those times. But integration is all I've known.
I know there's racism out here, don't get me
wrong, but I didn't have to live through segregation,
my siblings did. And, you know, they don't tell
too many stories, but our parents were realists.
And so we didn't act like it didn't happen. You
know, that was reality every day. Yeah, I was
the same as you. I was the one of the first black
kids to go into the integration, going to the
white school. So I don't know what it's like
to be separated like that. And I've heard the
stories of my uncles and my aunts and, you know,
my older cousins, but my first school. with white
kids. You know, I didn't get bused. My elementary
schools were black in the black neighborhood.
Okay. Okay. And I didn't get until I got bused
to junior high school that I could become integrated.
I mean, you know, what we would, cause, but I
mean, I would have to say that our education
systems, when it was all black was strong. I
mean, we got educated, you know, we got nurtured.
You all were taught by scholars. Yeah. Exactly.
And so my elementary school was a black school.
And I remember we grew up across the street from
this huge park. It was called Glenview Park.
And it was so beautiful and well -maintained.
I used to think we owned the park, because I
was playing there every day. My dad owned the
park. Technically, we pay taxes. But just growing
up with a huge park, a big house, and a big backyard
with a big acorn tree, I guess, yeah, pecan tree,
all that helped. with development. And my parents
had to be strong because they did integrate into
a white neighborhood. And that park was prime
real estate. And but, you know, because Benjamin
Hooks was in Memphis and the CP was created there,
then, you know, they were just like, OK, we're
going to get rid of these lines. And so it took
my my parents to be to be courageous to go do
that. To do that and they did and you know that
they used to live in the projects with four little
kids Okay, they lived in the projects with four
little kids and they still made it happen But
even in the projects people used to take care
of each other. Yes, it was community. It wasn't
like it is now. It wasn't crime about we got
each other we got to watch each other's back
so them take them decide okay we're gonna go
get this house because we can and they open up
things where we can and we you know i grew up
in let me say one two three five bedroom house
with upstairs and two bathrooms that's how i
grew up across the street from the park that's
all i know big stuff that's a little princess
in this house no no not even oh there was no
princess in our house my mom was like not having
it i know it's like when you think when you look
at the vision of what the perception of what
people think we grew up like and the reality
of how we grew up is vastly different. You know,
we had accountability we had to deal with and
our house was also the house because my dad was
such a unique man and my mom too. He, you know,
wasn't afraid to show affections to men and comfort
people because he was a pastor. So he prayed
for people, you know, it'd be guys in the neighborhood.
I didn't find out for years. We're like, when
you got like $20 and he just give it to him.
We didn't have money we weren't rich but he felt
like you know what they needed more than that
dude he didn't talk to nobody about it he just
did it. Our house was the house that people would
just come to get love to come just to exhale
for a minute to come when you know they don't
get along with their parents or you know you
just feel like our house was that house that
you hang out with your kids hung out at grown
people hung out I mean we were just that house
where people could exhale. It was hard. It was
still hard during the 60s and 70s. You all created
the space for them to breathe. That's beautiful.
And now you create the same thing with your music.
So tell us about your decision to go onto The
Voice. You had this amazing career and now you're
on a huge platform again called The Voice. Tell
us about that journey. COVID shut everything
down and changed everybody's life. And what you
thought you had, you didn't have no more. And
we didn't know what was going to happen when
everything started coming back to life. But I
knew it. I saw it as an opportunity. I said,
OK, this is a great opportunity to revamp my
solo career. And then I said, I asked myself,
how are you going to do it? And I said, I need
TV. And I asked myself, what? kind of television
can you stomach at your age because we're in
a society where you share and you tell everything
and I'm from the era that you don't share anything
and whatever you do don't boast and talk about
yourself. So I was like what can you stomach
and do your ultimate best? I said okay I can
do the voice because at least they take singers
seriously and the goal was to stay get there
and stay as long as I could. and with the hopes
of getting a lot of visibility so I could get
booked as a solo artist. That was how I was going
to start my solo career. That's that lawyer thinking
again. Don't do it, man. I didn't tell anyone.
I didn't tell my family. I didn't tell my guy,
David Santos, who I've been with for 27 years.
I didn't tell him I was making a video. Now wait
a minute. No, no. I couldn't because he was going
to be worried. Like when he did find out, he
said those same words. What are you doing? These
people can't teach you anything. You know more
than all those people. And I knew, but... I knew
it was the only thing I had. So I said, I'm going
to send a video in. I ain't going to tell nobody.
And if they reject me, no one would know. And
I can still live with myself. Or reject me because
I had too much experience. but if they take me
then I know that this is the path I need to be
on. So and I did it just catacall like everybody
else. I sent the video in from my home and you
know I didn't tell nobody and then like a month
later they reached out. He's like hey we want
you to come out to LA. We'll let you know something
in a couple of months. I said okay but we want
you to come. I'm like great. I still hadn't told
anybody. Finally I told David and he was like
honey you don't need to do that. What are they
gonna teach you? I'm like honey I got nothing
because I'm gonna tell you something. When they
wrote me back and they said, we want you to come
to L .A. Give us a few months. I said, OK. I
had a dream. My sister said it was a vision.
And in this dream, I was in a pitch black desert.
Nothing on either side of me and nothing behind
me. Pitch black in a desert. But in front of
me was this huge white building had white neon
lights and it had the voice little Mike and two
fingers thing. And the voice that I heard said,
If you have the courage to keep walking this
way and walk through those doors, everything
gonna be all right. My sister said that was a
vision. I said, okay. So I said, it's all I got.
There was nothing to distract me on either side.
And there was nothing behind me, pitch black.
So it was a no -brainer. But it said, if you
have the courage to keep walking that way. And
mind you, I was begging for a tour to pull up,
anything in this video. Stop me. I'm doing this
because I don't know if this is the right move
to make because it's reality TV. I don't know
if I'm made for reality TV. That's what I kept
thinking. So literally three days before it's
time for me to get on the flight, I still hadn't
told my family. David knows, haven't told my
family and I'm in the fetal position and I'm
crying myself to sleep. I'm so terrified wondering
if I had made the right choice. Are they going
to destroy the 35 years I built? Is this going
to harm me in any kind of way? And I was so terrified
that my sister in Memphis, Debbie, she called
the next day and she said, what is going on?
I felt you all night, but I figured you were
all right because David was at home and he would
have called me if there was an emergency. I said,
I'm going to the boys and I'm leaving in three
days. And she was like. You have to let us know
about that kind of stuff and you're going to
do fine. And she prayed for me, but she felt
that fear all the way in Memphis. That's a three
hour drive. You know, you were in St. Louis.
That's a three hour drive. And I told myself
I wanted to remind. I wanted to remember the
fear I had. I want to remember how scared I was
when I took that leap. I remember it. And so
I share it with everybody. I share that story
because that happened. And then I went on and.
three days later I was landing in LA and I said
I'm gonna leave my ego at home and I'm just gonna
concentrate on the challenge of the week because
I'm a nice person anyway I ain't worried about
that but I also didn't want to get on myself
and you know just this is a new reality and you
just learn from it like you have everything else
and the goal was to encourage others there and
encourage myself and and just be an encouragement
really. And I'm sure you brought a level of professionalism
that they had not seen. Oh, totally. And I'm
not the only one. You're right. Go ahead. But
I mean, the level, yeah, I mean, it's not like
CeeLo was next to, you know. You know what I'm
saying? You were with people who have probably
had great careers, but the level of career you
had, the integrity that you have as an artist
is something not necessarily the people there,
but the world has not seen. And the kids have
definitely not seen it unless they're still watching
Michael Jackson videos. Exactly. But what I knew
was I wasn't the only artist had been there.
There had been other artists there. So I knew
that, but I knew that a lot of them hadn't had
all the stuff that I had. I know I had more than
most people and I'm going to be, you know, professional
anyway. So I was professional with the crew and
the producers and they all saw me as one of them
because that's what I did for profession for
35 years. So I know how to treat the crew. I
know how to treat everybody. I don't treat everybody
anyway, but I went there to learn and I went
there to be open and to do my ultimate best and
I felt like it worked out. And, you know, you
know, we'll go where you want to go from that
point, because, you know, you know about the
fall. Yes, I have a question. Did you know Blake
before you got to The Voice? No, everyone thought
I did. I mean, Vince Gill and Martina McBride,
you don't get much deeper than that. He doesn't
live. He lived in L .A. and Oklahoma. Oh, OK.
So there was no other we had. same friends or
associates, we'd never met, we'd never worked
together. And he didn't know anything about me.
And all throughout the show, he kept saying,
my phone is burning up because of you was blowing
up. My friends know you. I'm like, hey, I've
been doing this a long time. You should have
said, welcome to my world. You want to come meet
my friends? He was loving that part of it. No,
we didn't know each other. Now is this the experience
that inspired your song Don't Give Up? No, David
and I, David Santos and I have been together
26 years now. We wrote it in 2009 and I think
we were trying to encourage each other because
he's a touring musician too. He played bass for
Billy Joel, Crosby, Stills and Nash, John Fogerty,
Melissa Etheridge, Toto. The Neville Brothers.
And so he had been in the game a long time, too.
And we were working on trying to write some soul
music together, because he's really a blues dude
at heart. He made his money playing rock and
roll. And we wrote Don't Give Up together. He
did all the music and everything and some of
the lyrics. I came up with a few lyrics here
and there. The second verse in particular is
my verse because I was living it. So we wrote
that song, but it wasn't really to be heard yet.
So I did the voice and then I was getting ready
to work on some new music and we decided to cut
that song. And hey, it made sense. So all the
people who knew me from the 90s, my career in
the 90s, they wondered where I was. They recognized
I hadn't given up. And then with the voice people,
they saw me fall and break my elbow on the show
in front of millions of people. And the next
day I was on the set with two broken arms. So
they saw me ride that out. And so then when I
went back to The Voice this past May for Blake's
send -off show, they could see that I was all
right. And I released a song during that week
so I could have something to talk about. And
it's a personal testimony that I'm living. It's
a beautiful song. I love it. It was very touching.
And I have to say this. The cover, fly. Hair,
makeup, clothes. 50 what? 50 who? Listen, you're
having your renaissance. Yes. Now, what does
the star signify on your eye? Just something
my makeup artist wanted to do. I said, okay.
You gotta find a story. Please find a story.
Well, because she said that's how she sees me.
That's how she sees me. So she wanted that to
just be there without saying it out loud. Well,
honey, you look amazing. You sound amazing. How
does it feel now that you've been on all the
big stages to be invited back to the iconic Birdland
in New York City? First of all, the first time
I was invited in May of 2022 was just a miracle.
But there was a friend of mine who was a great
musician. I can't think of his name right now.
He's going to kill me. And he, it was a fluke.
He plays there often. And I got to sing you his
name because it's driving me crazy. And he plays
there often and he saw everything that I had
been doing. He was like, I can't make this show.
Would you like to play Birdland? I said, oh,
my goodness. Yes. And he was like, well, will
you be on tour or you be in New York? I'm like,
oh, I will get myself to New York. Don't worry
about that. To play Birdland. That was March.
Yeah, that was May 2022. And it was the first
time. And then they loved what I had to offer.
And they gave me three dates. that November,
same year. So I performed there November 18,
19, 20 of 2022. And now they were like, hey,
it's time to come back to Birdland. I said, thank
you so much. And I'm on my way. So this August
21st, I'll be so thrilled to play there. And
I've been independent. I've been my own manager,
my own agent, my own label. And when you have
places like that that reach out and you don't
have those other things in place, It's really
a blessing. Well, it's a testament to who you
are as a person, your integrity, your character.
People remember, what did Maya Angelou say? People
might not remember you, but they remember how
you made them feel. I know I had it wrong. Nobody
tweet me. But you know what I mean? You make
few, probably I can imagine just from our interaction.
you make people feel seen, and people will always
remember that. And that's what I bring to my
shows, because although I love having new music,
I'm the queen of covers. And I say, what do I
have that's my strength? And that's my personality
and what I make everybody feel seen. and being
a part of it. That's my gift. The last time I
was there, not the first time I was there, somebody
wrote a review of the show and they started off
with, not only is she a great singer, but she's
a great comedian. I want to have everyone be
engaged and then I'll sing something pretty.
All right. And then we'll talk some more stuff
and then I'll sing something else. What's crazy
is when I'm talking, I am comedic, but when I'm
singing, I'm very serious. Very serious place
because I consider myself a storyteller and I
just want to tell the story where you have your
own thoughts and you go away into your own space
in your mind. That's beautiful and it's beautiful
that that's your intention because you make it
about the audience and I'm sure they feel it.
So what is next for you? Well, I'm going to be
in Detroit in the next week playing at the Detroit
Jazz Festival, which I'm looking forward to,
because I'm going to wear them out with all of
Aretha and Stevie Wonder. Are you playing at
the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater? No, this is
a jazz festival outside, the Detroit Jazz Festival.
That's August 5th. And I'm going to play in New
York. It's August the 21st. And then I got this
big, huge jazz festival I'm playing at in December,
and everybody's there. David Sanborn, Kirk Whale,
Jeffrey Osborne. That's like in December. And
it's working on new music and just trying to
stay busy, you know? And that takes a lot of
spokes to make my will. So I sing country music.
Every Monday night I'm in this. a Grammy -winning
Texas swing band. It's 10 of us. And I'm there
with three fiddle players. And we've seen traditional
country music. I'll send you a photo. And I'm
not a fake country singer. I pay tribute to the
country songs. And I go as close to country as
I can without faking it. Okay. So and it makes
the audience believable for the audience because
they come there to sing to hear country music.
So I go from country music to soul on any day
or jazz. And that's that thing we've been talking
about how I like being a little bit of a comedian
and a chameleon. And I like to cross different
genres because I can. Okay. Get your hand off
of your hip lady. Well, you know, I used to apologize
for it. Self -help and self -therapy helps. And
I've worked through all this stuff in the last
30 years of who is Wendy Moe? What does she do?
You know, it takes us a while to get to know
ourselves. And then once we, if we're fortunate
to find out before it's too late, then it's a
beautiful thing. So now that I know who I am,
I don't have to apologize. And I can just say
it out loud. Now, just before we go, I just wanted
to ask you, you've said self -help a couple of
times, and if you don't mind mentioning a couple
of techniques or books that you read that can
help other people who are going through that
process of trying to discover who they are. I
don't have any books. All I know is that first
voice. The second voice we compromise is the
first one. The first one might not tell you what
you want to hear, but I don't argue with that
first voice anymore. I don't try to compromise,
boys, too. And, you know, what I also realized
was we got to live this life for ourselves. Literally,
we've read stuff. People told us you got to love
yourself first. It's so hard to do. It's so hard
to do, but you got to do it. Because if you love
yourself first and you know who you are and you've
set up boundaries for yourself and for others,
you will. have a more fulfilled life. I stay
with the truth every day. I prefer to tell the
truth. I don't want to lie or embellish. If there's
something I want to do, I'm just going to say,
you know what? I'm not going to do that. I'm
sorry. I'm not the one for it. And it helped
me. Telling the truth helps so much. Whether
it comes down to the person you're in a relationship
with, your job, your family members, whatever
it is, they know I want to tell the truth. And
you might not like it, and I might not even want
to hear it. But if that's the truth, that's what
I'm going to go with. And ever since I've been
just sticking up with the truth and saying what
I mean and meaning what I say, my life has been
more fulfilled, is less stress, and I sleep at
night. Amen. Amen to the sleep at night. And
it's hard. Don't get me wrong. I ain't making
it seem like, because you wonder, am I making
this? Is this going to hurt this? Or if I don't
do right here, is that going to affect that?
But you know, you got to come down to you. Because
you cannot help nobody else if you're not whole.
Your children, your family, your job, your neighbors,
you can't help nobody if you're not whole. So
you got to be whole and they need to know that
what you say is what you mean and that you hear
that first verb, that first voice. The first
voice is the answer. I told somebody the other
day, well, I got a couple of friends, because
we have to keep each other going when you're
self -employed. You have highs and lows. On the
lows, I don't do anything. I stay in bed, I watch
TV. I don't even try to dream on when it's feeling
low. And I like I don't get low, but I do get
low and I get self -doubt. I just stand still,
piece by piece still. Because when it comes back
up, that's when I start dreaming, planning, and
that's just natural. So I got to the same. you
know, for different friends who, you know, determine
if they should take a gig or not, or if they
should have somebody in their life or not. I
tell them, if you got to ask, that's your answer,
which means that's no. If you got to be like,
do I really want to do this gig? That is your
answer. That means no. Because the stuff that
we know, that we know that we know, we say yes
immediately. So if you got a question and you
got to ask, that is your answer. And that's a
lot of time, a lot of pressure, a lot of self
-negotiation. All of that stuff that you go,
it take you two week, three weeks to get to,
I always felt that way. I shouldn't have even
done it. Well, you knew then. If you got to ask
yourself, then that is your answer. That means
move on to something else and say no to that.
She is preaching y 'all and I am sucking all
of this in. It's true story. I'm living it every
day, every day. Yes, because you said the things
that you said yes to in your life when you connect
the dots were the things that you were supposed
to say yes to. Yeah. And do you have lived this
huge life because of just saying yes to that
first voice? First of all, or listening to the
first voice says no, or if that first voice makes
you. If you got a question what the voice said
because you want to hear something else if you
gotta ask If that's what you want to do, that's
your answer. That means no find something else
That means if you because the stuff that you're
sure about You just go and do it. You don't ask.
You know, that's what it is Whether something
you want to eat whether something you want to
go if it's a movie you want to watch You know,
i'm watching that that's what i'm i don't know
what i'm doing But i'm watching it and i'm gonna
videotape because that's something you are sure
about you know That's what you got to do when
you live your life. And if you got to ask it,
then that's your answer. That means no. Well,
Ms. Wendy, you just wrote your next song. OK,
good. What is it? What's the title? If you got
to ask, it's a no. OK. You're welcome. Thank
you. I love that. I'll be thinking about you
tomorrow. Thinking about you. I have to tell
you, this has been, I told you from the, this
was going to be a hot fire conversation. I love
every second of it, but I know you're recording
and you're doing your thing and I want to honor
your time, but I have one last question and I
think we have the answer to this. What is your
black girl magic superpower? Being comfortable
in my own skin. I know that's right. All the
time. I know that's right. That's mine. That's
it. because if we can do that, we already got
the darts coming at us everywhere all the time.
The bullets ain't never stopping, the darts,
the all that. So it's like, you know, my superhero,
I thank God I had a great mom. She was the quietest
one in our family, but she was the strongest
one. And hey, as long as I put on my armor, I
can go on and my arm is me knowing me. Amen.
How can people reach you and hear more of your
music and follow your career? Please add me to
your list, what they call them now, these Spotify's
and these playlists. Please add me there, Wendy
Moulton, W -E -N -D -Y -M -O -T -E -N. I'm on
Instagram, on all the social platforms. But I
got to ask for you to add me on your playlist
because that's the new thing now. And let us
know you've heard us and what you thought about
this interview. I want to know. Yes, ma 'am.
Well, like I said, this has been delightful,
insightful. I feel like I just finished church.
I'm going to pull out the tambourine and do the
Holy Ghost dance. And I just want you to know
that you are welcome any time to say whatever
you need to say. Thank you so much for having
me. And I know that, you know, for women like
you, like me, yes, people need to hear us, but
not don't necessarily know it. Because the ones
who want to hear us are the ones who need to
hear us. Are going to hear us. Amen. Maybe one,
it may be many. We don't know. Well, thank you
again. I really appreciate you being here and
thank you for sharing all of your stories and
God bless you on every step that you make from
here into eternity. And thank you for coming
on the Black Women Amplified podcast. Thank you
for having your podcast and thank you for inviting
me and God bless you too. Take care, bye bye.
Thank you for listening to Black Women Amplified.
We hope you enjoyed the show. Be sure to subscribe
and log on to blackwomenamplified .com for more
information. Keep shining.