To....

Me !

 * I made it * 

Top  "15 "  events, thus far ....

( the First 40yrs. )

15.

The Murder of  "Blaine Emerson" ( my 1st Drummer )

Blaine played Drums *Posthumously* on "The GodFather"  

( from my debut CD on MOTOWN back in '92 )

He was left in an alley for 3 days,  before anybody found him....

Blaine was THE first "Multi-instrumentalist" that I would come in contact with.

Rest well.

14.  Tommy "TJ" Johnson

THE  "Realest"   Kat ,  I've EVER known....

Also, one of the great  "Survivors"   ( unfortunately )

Consistency  Personified !

Producer / Engineer / Musician....his work is Amazing !

And, one of My "REAL"  Friends for over 21yrs.

Period.

13. F&F  ( Foley & Fish ) : "The Drum Factor"

Lollapalooza '93   :

I'm on tour w/ Arrested Developement.....

And, I had to sub for "Norwood"   ( Fishbone's bassist ) 4x's already....on the Tour.  

So, I  knew the " Fishbone" set as a result

Fish misses his Flight...... I sub for "FISH"

Show goes off without a hitch.

Dubbed  MVP of  Lollapalooza '93.

My Take on it :          

Well ,  I  just played Drums.... to music....I already knew..... on Bass

But, just to watch him play "SERVITUDE" everyday, was INSANE !

= FISH DESTROYED THAT SHIT, DAILY =

**********************   FAST  FORWARD   ***********************

Mary J. Blige / Res 

Live in London @ Wembly Arena.   March-2002

Fish &  I  are both on tour  w/ Res ,  I was playin'  Keys......

And Guitar on 3 or 4 Songs as well...

Fish,  thru doctors orders, can't do the Show.....

So, I  Sub for FISH  @   WEMBLY ARENA

Show goes off without a hitch.

RES & manager :  VERY thankful.

Sting & Annie Lennox :   said they really enjoyed the Show.

So , as U can see.....

Fish & I have done quite a few gigs, together

( Everlast / Khaleel tour as well )

We've been  a "Bass & Drum"  team  quite a few times over the years

12. (Dealing with) "Biters  &  Hate"

More often than not ...I've found that :

When someone gives to you....  

And, You Cannot give back ......

whether  it's :

Money

Love

Drugs

Sex

Art  / Performance.....   etc.

People seem to resent this other person/people ,  More & More

Perhaps , they seem to feel that they could NEVER Re-Pay the gift, that was given

( Thru an..... ALL  DIVINE  SOURCE ,  most  times )

Folks know, DEEP Down....  when :

"THEY AIN'T GOT NOTHIN' TO PUT ON IT"

So, they'll be Mad @ YOU....if U DO  ?

Translation: 

Jealousy & Resentment

(  HATERS... if U will  ) 

Well, some folks don't have ANYTHING to Share....At All.

Like :  Respect, or " Kind " words etc.

AND,  So..... 

HATE :   It becomes a  "National Pastime"

Biters.

Imitation is the sincerest form of :"Somebody Else"

Inspiration....however   , is a  Natural Progression.

( an all too "Human" characteristic )

Unless, You're an ANIMAL about imitating / STEALING shit ?

Bitin'  is  "MADD CORNY" 

And , in a world where...Er'body's  tryin' Desperately to be DIFFERENT ?!?

WHY  BITE ???

MY Dealing with THIS Bullshit will be :

NON-STOP

11.        The Creation of.....  

SMARTALECMUSIC.COM

(   After ONLY 6 months....I had 1,22,540 Hits ??? )

Gone are the Days of :

"What ever happened to Foley?"

Thru this medium, not only am I able to dispell  All of that.

BUT, now..... U can get it straight from the SOURCE.

So.....What's Crackin' ?

Now , maintaining  a GLOBAL presence..... is just.

I was tired of gettin' the run-a-round about having a website.

So, I  Learned what Computer Heads already knew....

And,  the Rest is....CYBER-HISTORY ??

Much Love  to all the People  who send emails daily

with support about how much they're Really diggin' the site... & My Vision

    "I see my Influence is Still Shinning"

----Busta Rhymes

10.    The Murder of  "Rizzy" ( my last Drummer )

I Still don't know what to say, about this.

It's just .....    

*sigh*

I still can't Believe  he's  Dead.

HE was my Favorite Drummer / Musician that I'd had to date....PERIOD

9.    Performing for "Mavis Staples" on PBS .  

              I'm  NOT afraid to sing, anymore

"Mavis" told me... I was Sangin for them people

                           ( And , She was before...  Aretha. )

Music review : A tribute to the Staple Singers at FitzGerald's

By Howard Reich            

February 22 , 2002   Chicago Tribune

Here's hoping that Monday's "Chicago Stories" will include generous footage of this concert, which probably said more about Pops Staples' music than even the best documentary could.

                                February 22 , 2002     Chicago Tribune

8.    Prince  

Miles Davis   introduced us in '87.....

Prince's music had already gotten me thru Jr. high school in  '78 

And , to become one of his Favorite People.....Musically ?

That's INSANE to Me...STILL

(  He told me how much he liked my song  "Cum Round" & my take on J5's "ABC" )

He definitely made me listen to what I was Doin'

Maybe to hear things that maybe, I'd taken for granted ?

Prince....Thank You.

And, when PRINCE called wanting ME to  MIX HIS CONCERTS.....

( for his "Jam of the Year" Shows )

He said ,  I was the Only  *REAL*  Musician.....who knew him.         

( Enuff to trust ME to Mix his Concerts ?!? )

   After all those years....I figured , He knew what MILES knew......

                                                (   I  could  Hear ?  )

                                  I had a Blast.

Prince is  NOW...and, still today....a Great Artist

( Prince, will be 91yrs old ....STILL wearin'  folks out  )

Shit....

Yall gonna have to come up with a...."DARLING NIKKI"  or  a  "HAD U"

before folks can utter a NEGATIVE word about what he's doin'......

or NOT doin'  as of late.   

( not to mention decades of catalog....and counting  )

Bless, his Life.

7.  Joni Mitchell 

1989 ....Los Angeles .....The Strand theater ......MILES DAVIS  ( Live )

During the blues, when I was just about to play my solo.....

I see Joni Mitchell.

I smiled at this woman, so Wide......And, SHE smiled back at ME....like: 

"Damn, He Really knows who I am"

Unfortunately, some people DON'T .....know who Joni is....

in terms of picking her out in a crowd.... ESPECIALLY

After the show.... she gave me the biggest, warmest Hugg

*Sigh*

****** FAST FORWARD *******

1991....Los Angeles .....The Hollywood Bowl  

( MILES' Last Concert )

The Hollywood bowl had/has some policy about NO Backstage access.

So,  I see Joni & rescue her from the first security guy.

(who doesn't know who she is )

Now, I'm literally havin' a Tug-of-war with JONI MITCHELL

And, now... another security guy.....

This  idiot....must have escorted her out, once I'd gotten onstage 

( Again, HE didn't know WHO she was.....either )

The whole time, I'm hoping that she didn't leave, in Frustration.

As it turned out, it would be Miles' last concert.

I think...it was thru Joni's music, that I'd come to know "Prince & Chaka"

Cause...They BOTH know Her, like I do ...Musically, that is.

I love the fact that on Prince's "Controversy" LP,  one of the headlines was just simply :

"JONI"

*Snicker*

6. Dizzy Gillespie

Every time I'd see Dizzy....He'd say : "Aaaay, Dogg"   

Dizzy sat me down & told me about this Music Game , when I first met him. 

And, He seemed to think I had it together, at 23yrs. old ??  )   

Dizzy would always make time for me when I had questions .....

*******************  FAST FORWARD ********************

Grammys  '89  ( backstage )

He'd misplaced his "FAMOUS" Horn.....

"Aaaaaay, Dogg.....Help me find my Horn "

So, now ....  DIZZY  &   I ,   are lookin' frantically looking for his horn.

I felt like :  I'm helpin'  HISTORY.... search for "HISTORY"

Too  Surreal .....then & Now

5.   "Stevie Wonder"

While at MOTOWN.....

I enjoyed one of the "Perks" of being on a Major label.

V.P. Steve McKeever told him about my project & how er'body at the label was Buzzin' about it...

So, he plays a song from my cd "Tell Ms. Thang" for STEVIE & he wanted to meet Me ?!?!?

I was DONE.

We went to "Wonderlove" studios....

and,  I sat with him for hours talkin about music & life

STEVIE actually got excited when I told him how much I loved his song :

"Take up a Course in Happiness"

So, he started playin' a version that he had produced

on "Syreeta Wright"  And, I don't remember being so blown away by another human being,

since befriending.......MILES.....

Stevie was supposed to play on a tune of mine called "Tell Ms. Thang"

( he really liked what I was doin , especially that song )

but,  when his teacher who'd taught him Piano....died

and, then his cousin died two days later....

STEVIE disappeared.

The session that was supposed to happen, eventually became the Boyz 2 Men collab

when they got STEVIE to play on  "Too High" with Norman Brown.

Oh , Well......

*sigh*

4.  George Clinton 

George gave me one of the greatest compliments I'll EVER receive:

                   "Foley....reminds me of Junie"  

                                            -----George Clinton ( '92 )

If yall know who Walter "Junie" Morrison  is ?

Then ....You'll know how I  felt,  when George said that.

WOW.

By allowing me to "Write & Produce"   3 Records with HIM   

( My own & his )

He  too, had My Back .....when No One else did .

George, Thank You.

Damn , it seems...that.... I'm SIX  for 6  ??   

(  MILES , MAVIS , STEVIE , JONI , GEORGE , PRINCE )

* My Life *

3. Miles Davis 

*Aaaaaaah, man*

Musically, I wouldn't be in the Game.....      

Period.   

MILES was the ONLY person, who Truly tried to put me on.

( I'm not even gonna bust MF's out ....cause they KNOW who they ARE )

That's why most of U,  know me thru.... MILES.

I ended up being represented by a  "KING"  anyway.

Here's something that's still kinda funny when I think about it....

Prince had invited Miles to the homecoming show for the "Lovesexy" tour in '88...

Miles called me & said : "Let's Roll"

Miles & I were leaving after the concert to go get somethin to eat...

And....these two young, white teenage girls approached us....

they'd seen alot of people coming up to us ....

MAJOR celebs were showing mad love to MILES every "3 ft." we'd walk.

When they approached us , & one of them said :

"Who are U guys ?"   

"Yall look famous....Who are U ?"

Miles looked at me & immediately answered :  "I'm Foley"

Then I followed his lead & said :  "I'm Miles Davis"

NOW ....The  Deep part was.....

They KNEW the name "MILES DAVIS"

but, were too young to know what HE looked &/or sounded like

So, then Miles gave them an autograph & signed MY NAME     

and, I signed HIS....

They giggled & walked away all flustered.

Miles was soooo "Quick" like dat....

I miss him.

2.    "Chan"    

I can only think of  2 words ......

"SOUL-MATE"

And, these words aren't even strong Enuff .

Once again , I  KNOW LOVE.

            Because of Her.....       

I  KNOW LOVE.

UN-Conditional LOVE.  

      for those of U, who were fortunate enuff to have a REAL Mother.....          

I'm Sure, I don't need to Elaborate

BUT,

    ALL of my Wit .....Game......Awareness.......Great Relationships ...etc.

comes from :  My MOM.

 Now,  that  I know How a REAL Woman conducts herself .

How A  REAL Woman :

    Acts ......Thinks ......Carries Herself.....Cares for Others......etc.

   Ladies, If U think I'm bullshittin' ya ?   

Check ya man's relationship with his Mom....

and, You'll  see what kind of Man You're Dealin' with

HEAR  ME.

  I will ALWAYS "Love & Respect" women..... having actually been raised....

by A REAL WOMAN.

Mommy, I LOVE YOU

with MY LIFE.

  because my Mother spent her LAST  $20  & bought my 1st bass  for me at a Garage Sale ?

I  am  able to Speak with ALL of YOU.   

  There would be NO  SmartalecMUSIC.

EVER.

Aiiiight ?!?!?

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