Episode 004 - “Yeah, Right.” Carolyn Griffey Didn't Believe Him - Then He Made Her a Star (Pt 2)
FRIENDS AND LEGENDS WITH SKIP MARTINShow Notes
The conversation continues — Carolyn Griffey on how she ended up in Shalamar, what it means to carry a father's legacy when he never saw you perform, why she fights for Solar Records even now, and the real reason Skip Martin plays music at all.
Host: Skip Martin
Summary: Part 2 picks up in the deep end. Carolyn shares how she came to join Shalamar — one show in England, a terrified perfectionist who knew every lyric, and a father who heard the fee and immediately called a meeting. From there the conversation opens into something bigger: identity, legacy, the beauty standard crisis, Ghana, Black Panthers in the living room, and what it means to spend your life standing on a foundation someone else built. And then Skip tells Carolyn why he plays music. What he said to his grandmother at seven years old is something you won't forget.
Main Topics:
● How Carolyn joined Shalamar — one show in England, the lady parts, and the meeting Dick Griffey called when he heard the fee ● The Miss Black America pageant and a little girl on a cruise ship who didn't know she could enter ● Ghana, the Cube Girls, and the moment Skip's road crew realised they had been brainwashed about beauty ● Dick Griffey coining the term African-American during Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign ● Growing up light-skinned in the San Fernando Valley and fighting to prove your blackness ● Skip's C words for success — courage, collaboration, and adaptability ● The Whispers rehearsing in the garage, a steel drum full of mud pies, and Skip's first professional band ● Why Carolyn didn't take her music seriously until it was almost too late — and what changed ● Teddy Riley's warning: if we don't tell our own stories, they will ● Skip's reason for playing music — what he told his grandmother at seven years old
Intriguing Quotes: "Howard's like, sing the lady parts. I was like — you mean do the female part." "God won't let me sleep until I make sure this legacy and the stories are told correctly." "If we don't preserve our music, if we don't tell our own stories, then they will." — Teddy Riley "I'm going to play music so when I die, people will feel like I'm still in the car with them." — Skip Martin "I've already got my roses. I don't give a shit about that. I just want to keep passing on the passion." "Greatness doesn't lie in the comfort zone. Greatness comes from persevering."
Key Moments:
● [00:23] Carolyn tells the Shalamar story. One show in England. She knew every lyric because she was their biggest fan. She thought she was horrible. Howard and Jeffrey didn't agree. Dick Griffey heard the fee and called a meeting the next day. ● [05:00] A little girl on a cruise ship asks if she could be Miss Black America. Carolyn is still thinking about her face. ● [07:00] Skip takes it to Ghana — the Cube Girls, the road manager who thought it was going to be a rough two weeks, and what happened a fortnight later when everything looked different. ● [12:00] Dick Griffey coined the term African-American during Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign. Most people don't know that. ● [27:00] Skip tells Carolyn why he plays music. He was seven, riding with his grandparents, hearing a Nat King Cole tribute on the radio. What he said to his grandmother in that moment is where everything started.
Notable Resources:
● Shalamar — Facebook and Instagram: search Shalamar Friends ● Miss Black America Pageant — search Miss Black America for current information ● Bill Underwood — search for his story and work
Connect with Carolyn Griffey:
● Instagram: @iamcarolyngrifey ● Facebook: Carolyn Griffey
Connect with Skip Martin:
● Website: https://www.skipmartinmusic.com/ ● Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/skipmartinmusic ● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skipmartinmusic/ ● Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/skipmartinmusic ● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/skipmartinmusic
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