Everyday Creation
This show has to do with different kinds of creation: human, divine, and a third kind that connects the two. Our human creativity is easy to talk about because clearly we're prolific creators. We make music, we write, we cook; we establish businesses, we design gardens, we invent things. The list goes on and on. Another kind of creation is divine. We feel its presence when, for example, we contemplate birth, death, our life purpose, or have a quiet realization that there's something bigger than us. The third kind is perhaps a little more difficult to grasp and yet, with a little practice, it's easy to put into action. This is the personal power each of us has to direct our thoughts, words and actions every day toward what we want in our life and world, rather than what we don't want.
This sounds heavier than it is. For me, this show is an acknowledgment that while we're all here to learn and grow and do our best, there's still plenty of opportunity to relax, laugh, love, and enjoy this playground we call life. So my hope is that you'll get some enjoyment and illumination out of these episodes. Here you'll find interviews with delightfully creative individuals; short stories about some who have passed away; and essays about personal power.
I'm Kate Jones, host and creator of Everyday Creation. Thank you for following my show.
Episodes
116 episodes
Small in Stature, Sugar Pie DeSanto Stood Tall with Talent, Athleticism and Songwriting Ability
Sugar Pie DeSanto was just under 5 feet tall, yet she had a powerful voice and a daring stage presence. She'd do back flips, splits, and stunts that included jumping off pianos.Signing with Chess Records led to DeSanto collaborating with...
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Season 2
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Episode 115
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2:19
Brewer & Shipley Didn't Take "One Toke Over the Line" Seriously, Then It Became a Hit
Mike Brewer began his music career writing songs and playing in coffee houses, eventually meeting Tom Shipley in Cleveland. They recorded their first album in 1968 and played mostly in Midwest college towns.Their song "One Toke Over the ...
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Season 2
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Episode 114
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2:34
Prince's Sister Tyka Nelson Performed Her Own Work and Didn't Ask Her Famous Sibling for Any Help
Tyka Nelson, Prince's younger sister, began writing songs at age 10. She and her brother wrote together when they were young, but later on, Nelson chose to establish her own identity. She released four solo albums with moderate succ...
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Season 2
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Episode 113
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2:20
The Many Achievements of Q, aka the Legendary Quincy Jones
At age 11, Quincy Jones found his purpose when he felt compelled to touch the piano at a local recreation center. It was a small gesture that set him on his way to a hugely successful music career. The first instrument he learned wa...
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Season 2
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Episode 112
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2:35
Phil Lesh Learned the Bass as a Member of the Grateful Dead and Mastered It In No Time
Phil Lesh originally played the trumpet and the violin. He learned to play the bass when he joined the Grateful Dead (then the Warlocks) in 1964. Jerry Garcia taught him how to play the instrument during one long lesson.Lesh's musical b...
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Season 2
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Episode 111
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2:21
Personal Struggles Led to an Untimely End for One Direction's Liam Payne
Liam Payne was a member of the English boy band One Direction, which was formed on Britain's "The X Factor" and became one of the world's hottest musical acts by 2011.The band achieved several historic chart milestones in the U.S., inclu...
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Season 2
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Episode 110
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2:28
Cissy Houston Won 2 Grammy Awards Based on Her Own Sweet Inspiration
Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney Houston, was a much in-demand backup singer who also won two Traditional Soul Gospel Grammy Awards.Cissy became a member of the Sweet Inspirations in 1963, joining her niece Dee Dee Warwick while replacin...
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Season 2
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Episode 109
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2:33
Despite All Expectations, Kris Kristofferson Achieved Success His Way
In college, Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes scholar and a Golden Gloves boxer who also happened to play guitar and write music. After Oxford, he moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting and eventually managed to gain Johnny Cash's attention by ...
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Season 2
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Episode 108
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2:37
As a Songwriter, J.D. Souther Soared Like an Eagle and Could Have Been One
Multi-instrumentalist J.D. Souther achieved his greatest musical success by writing songs for the Eagles and other 1970s rock stars. It was Souther who suggested that Linda Ronstadt hire Glenn Frey and Don Henley for her back-up band. That conn...
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Season 2
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Episode 107
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2:21
With "Get It Baby," Tito Jackson was the Last of the Jackson 5 to Have a Solo Hit
The Jackson 5 started as a trio and became a quintet with the addition of Michael and Marlon. Older brother Tito was one of the group's original members. After his brothers pursued solo careers, he worked as a session musician and producer....
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Season 2
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Episode 106
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2:26
Sérgio Mendes Forged a Successful Career with Talent, Perseverance and a Little Help from Herb Alpert
Sérgio Mendes had a 60-year career, marked by perseverance and a decision to stay in the U.S. after a lukewarm tour. His success in the U.S. began after being signed by trumpeter Herb Alpert and forming Brasil '66 with two female singers. The g...
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Season 2
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Episode 105
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2:31
Scott Simon's Piano Playing Added an "Extra Dose of Espresso" to Sha Na Na's Performances
Scott Simon joined Sha Na Na in 1970 after responding to an ad for a keyboard player; he stayed with the group until they stopped touring in 2022.The image in this episode's thumbnail is the cover of the album "Sha Na Na: Woodstock 20 Ye...
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Season 2
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Episode 104
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2:19
James Darren Wooed Fans with Acting, Singing and "Moondoggie" Good Looks
Actor and singer James Darren's breakthrough role was as Moondoggie in the 1959 film "Gidget," where he also sang the title song. The film was a hit, and he became a heartthrob.The image in this episode's chapters and thumbnail is an ABC...
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Season 2
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Episode 103
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2:27
Maurice Williams' Song Stayed Around Long Enough to Become a Hit Multiple Times
The music career of Maurice Williams spanned more than six decades, with groups that evolved from the Junior Harmonizers to the Royal Charms, the Gladiolas and, finally, the Zodiacs.Williams recorded his first hit, "Little Darlin'," with...
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Season 2
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Episode 102
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2:23
He was the Leader of the Bluesbreakers and the Godfather of British Blues
John Mayall's influence extended to such notable musicians of the 1960s and '70s as Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Mick Taylor. In October 2024, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall o...
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Season 2
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Episode 101
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2:16
Duke Fakir and the Rest of the Four Tops were the #1 Male Motown Act in England and #2 in the U.S.
Duke Fakir and his friends, Levi Stubbs, Obie Benson and Lawrence Payton, formed the Four Tops in Detroit. They became one of the biggest acts of the 1960s."Reach Out I'll Be There" was their second #1 hit on the Billboard chart and the...
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Season 2
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Episode 100
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2:18
More Than a Backup Singer, Sandy Posey Had Her Own Top 20 Hits and also Sang Country and Gospel
Sandy Posey began her career as a session singer in Memphis, working with artists such as Percy Sledge and Elvis Presley. She had three top 20 hits in the 1960s: "Born a Woman," which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 1...
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Season 2
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Episode 99
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2:10
Jerry Fuller Wrote "Travelin' Man" and Discovered Talent (Glen Campbell, others) in Unlikely Places
As a singer, Jerry Fuller had hits early in his career with "Betty, My Angel" and "Tennessee Waltz," but he made it big as a songwriter and producer. He wrote over 400 songs in eight years and discovered several talents, including Glen Campbell...
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Season 2
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Episode 98
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2:14
There was Nothing Button-Down about Bob Newhart Except for the Titles of His Wildly Popular LPs
In 1961, Bob Newhart won a Grammy for Album of the Year for his first album, "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart," which topped the Billboard album chart for 14 weeks. His second album, "The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back," was rushed out and r...
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Season 2
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Episode 97
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2:16
Civil Rights Activist and Singer-Songwriter Bernice Johnson Reagon Understood the Power of Music
Bernice Johnson Reagon was multifaceted: a singer, songwriter, civil rights activist, historian, college professor, and documentarian.Born in Georgia during the dawning of the modern Civil Rights Movement, she recognized the power of mu...
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Season 2
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Episode 96
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2:34
Dave Loggins, Second Cousin to Kenny, Mastered the Art of Songwriting
Singer-songwriter Dave Loggins, a second cousin to Kenny Loggins, gained initial success when Three Dog Night recorded his song "Pieces of April." It reached 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.Dave Loggins went on to write 14 number one...
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Season 2
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Episode 95
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2:30
This Texas Icon was Part Serious, Part Satire and "Kinky" Through and Through
Kinky Friedman, who formed the band Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, was known for outrageous song titles such as "Get Your Biscuits In The Oven and Your Buns In Bed" and "Ride 'em Jew Boy." He was a good writer not only of son...
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Season 2
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Episode 94
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2:29
Hall of Fame Songwriter Mark James Got Hooked on Creating Hits for Other Performers
After serving in the Vietnam War, Mark James moved to Memphis and soon his songwriting career took off. In just two years — 1968 and '69 — he wrote "Eyes of a New York Woman," "Hooked on a Feeling" and "It's Only Love" for B.J. Thomas.
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Season 2
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Episode 93
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2:21
The Sherman Brothers Wrote an Oscar-Winning Score for Disney but Weren't Always a Harmonious Pair
Richard Sherman and his brother Robert wrote two hit songs — "Tall Paul" and "You're Sixteen, You're Beautiful (And You're Mine)" — before Walt Disney hired them to write exclusively for him. In 1965, they won an Oscar for Best Ori...
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Season 2
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Episode 92
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2:37
Doug Ingle and Iron Butterfly Had an Accidental Hit with "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
Vocalist and keyboardist Doug Ingle is known for writing Iron Butterfly's iconic rock song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," originally over 17 minutes long. The song, which had only 30 words, turned out to be a happy accident for the band. It reached 30 o...
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Season 2
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Episode 91
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2:21
