 Any time I get the chance to do a great interview with a great person, it totally makes my day! She was pure joy to interview, and her personality and spirit shines right through the telephone. Here I am conducting an interview with one of my favorite singers of all time, Ann Nesby.
Good morning Ann, how are you?
Good morning Delroy, I am blessed
You have been one of my favorite people since that first recording with Sounds of Blackness.
Well thank you so much!
You’ve been singing from an early age, who were some of your musical influences?
My first musical influences were my mother and father who both sang, and of course I listened to my sister when she would come home after learning solos at church, but then as I graduated into listening to professional singers, my first love was definately Aretha Franklin….from Aretha Franklin to Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Shirley Caesar. I had a great mix of music in my household being from a musical family.
Your career officially started with the Sounds of Blackness, am I correct?
Actually I started in theatre and with the James Cleveland’s Gospel Music Workshop of America, and from there I went on to do theatre…off Broadway with Donald Lawrence “Sing Hallelujah” at the Village Gate, Then I went back home to take a break, and then went on to do Sounds of Blackness.
The Sounds of Blackness story is kind of interesting, how did that happen?
Well actually I was coming home from being off Broadway and went to visit my sister on Thanksgiving weekend. The Sounds of Blackness is not only a music ensemble but also a theatrical company, so went I went to visit my sister, I already knew the director who is Mr. Gary Hinds. I went to visit him at a rehearsal with my sister, and they were looking for someone to play the part of a mother in a Christmas show that they were doing, “The Night Before Christmas”, which after recording, became a project of Sounds of Blackness that was sold in the stores. So I went in and read for the role of mother because there was no one there to read it. And when I finished reading the group was like “Yeah, she can do it, give her the part”! Then the rest was history. He had me sing an acappella song. He said that he was definitely looking for someone to fill this role, so if I wanted it, it was mine. I did that and ended up staying there until after Valentine’s Day.
Tell me about the new CD “In The Spirit”. From What I heard, this CD us blazing!
I’m telling you, in my heart it’s blazing because it gave me an opportunity to go back to my roots. The first genre of music that I ever sang…gospel music, and I had the opportunity to sing some of the songs from the great artists that I grew up listening to; Albertina Walker – “I Can Go To God In Prayer, Aretha Franklin – “Climbing Higher Mountains” from her “Amazing Grace album, a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away”. They’re all songs that I’ve loved and treasured growing up. I also did “Grandma’s Hands” as a tribute to Grandmothers. I just wanted to bring back that feeling of the years to year with gospel music in a traditional way.
You are now on an independent label, is this so?
Yes, I am…”It’s Time Child Records. We did a one-on and One-off with Shanachie Records with this particular project. But our first release on It’s Time Child Records was the “Put It On Paper” project With Rev. Al Green.
Of all the songs on this current project, which one would you say is closest to your heart? I am sure they all are, but there must be one that really touches you even when you perform it. Which one would you say that is?
 Well, I have to say that I am really biased and there are two, with good reason I’d say one of them would be the song that started my professional career with the James Cleveland Choir, The Donald Lawrence song, “If I Can’t Say A Word”. It’s one of those songs that when the spirit of God is upon you so much, and at times He brought you through some things that you simply cannot find words to say and is overwhelmed and speechless, so you just waive your hands. The other song is “In The Garden”. This is a song they used to sing in the church I grew up in, Mount Zion Baptist Church in Illinois. I was a young girl and I would here some of the older people singing that song. It was sang so eloquently because there were so many talented singers in the church I grew up in. That so happens to be one of the songs that stayed in my heart.
You are now one of the Spokesperson’s for Donna Vince’s Lisa Rene clothing line, that is awesome and how did that happen?
It is more than awesome, it is incredibly overwhelming, because a year ago I was over 200 pounds, and I never dreamed in a million years that I would be modeling clothes for a clothing line!
And girl, if I must say so myself, you are looking mighty fine!
Thank you so much!
Now tell me this, Paris who’s on American Idol, what’s your relationship with her?
Paris is my Grand daughter
You know, just listening to your voice and Paris’, no one would have thought that such great voice would come out of such humble spirits.
I tell you, it’s so incredible that you would say that because the same sentiments came from Barry Manilow to Paris when he came on and did that segment, and I think it shock him when she first began to sing because her speaking voice is so tiny. It runs through my family because my mother, sister and daughter all have the same tiny voices. When we’re at the house together and people call, they don’t know who there’re speaking to because our voices are soft and all our singing voices are really loud!
You cried when she made the finals, didn’t you?
Oh My, and it hasn’t stopped. Every time I saw her performed and make the finals, because I am excited and just so overjoyed and thankful. There are just so many things wrapped up into those tears that the naked eyes can’t see, but knowing that God has given her favor and that she’s a teenager, she has the courage to go on that stage and compete with people who are well into their twenties. There she is a teenager going out there and giving her best!
Some people may say that she’s the grand daughter of Ann Nesby, why does she have to be on American Idol…what is your take on that?
 You know, everyone wants to have their own purpose. She was deciding that she did not want to sing, she wanted to be noted for something that Paris would be noted for, so she had decide to step away from the music business and do her own thing. She wanted to be a pediatrician. American Idol came up, and her Grandfather who’s my husband and Manager, Timothy Lee told her Paris, you wanted to do American Idol. She missed it last year because her birthday came a little too late and that somewhat discouraged her, but when her grandfather reminded her that this year she could do it, she went to the auditions and decided that if she did not get in, she was just going to move on and become a doctor. The rest is history. I hear people say, her grand mother is a singer and she’s won Grammys and so on. The one thing they don’t realize is that I cannot go on that stage and sing for her. This is something that she chose to do and she is enjoying it.
Well finally Ann, I just want to thank you for this interview. I am one of your biggest fans.
You can go to Ann’s website at www.annnesby.com and order a collection of some of the songs throughout my career.
The CD is in stores on April 18th so go out and get yours!! |
