Everyday Creation

This is the first of six excerpts from an extraordinarily candid conversation with philanthropist and author Iris November and two of her daughters: the Rev. Rachel Hollander, also an author, and Anita Hollander, an actress and composer. All three are accomplished and delightful.  This episode focuses primarily on Iris' book "Goodnight, Shoebox," designed to help children get to kno...

Losing a loved one and losing a leg; picking up the pieces of a fractured life; creating beautiful things that serve others. These are only a few of the themes that emerged from this extraordinarily candid (and often funny) conversation with three members of a talented and accomplished family.  In this episode, you'll hear from: - Iris November, a philanthropist and former librarian with two...

Patricia Falvey left a successful and financially rewarding career in accounting to do what she always wanted: write full time. She made this her second act and encourages others who have a dream to do all they can to pursue it.  This episode is an excerpt from my full interview with Falvey titled "Author Patricia Falvey on Being Brave, Resilient, and Focused on Your Dream."  There are a...

This episode is an excerpt from a longer interview with the novelist Patricia Falvey, a former accountant who now writes historical fiction. Here, we talk specifically about her latest book, "The Famine Orphans," which sounds like downer of a story but isn't because the focus is on the characters' resilience and their resistance to being victims of circumstance. We also comment...

Patricia Falvey had a successful 30-year career in accounting, yet what she really wanted was to become a full-time writer. After taking a leap of faith to pursue her dream, she's happier and already has had five books published: "The Yellow House," "The Linen Queen," "The Girls of Ennismore," "The Titanic Sisters," and her latest, "The Famine Orph...

Hello, I'm the host of Everyday Creation. Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing author Patricia Falvey. She and I covered a lot of territory in the full episode, including her successful 30-year career in accounting before she took a leap of faith to become a full-time writer.  In this excerpt, Patricia talks about each one of her five books. All are historical fiction with a c...

Patricia Falvey is the author of five historical novels that focus on Irish history and ordinary characters living through major historical events, blending fact with fiction. Her latest, "The Famine Orphans," follows six characters — "orphan girls" — who take part in a real-life effort by the British government to decrease the number of orphans in Irish workhouses and boost th...

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 major R&B and soul artists, including Etta James and James Brown. She toured with The James Brown Revue for two years. Her original name was Peylia Mars...

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 Line" was inspired by a backstage experience involving hashish. They wrote it in an hour and never thought to include it in a concert until one time the...

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 success on the R&B charts but was primarily a songwriter. She enjoyed singing, she said, but did not consider herself a singer. Her most successful single was &qu...

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 was the trumpet, and it didn't take him long to be good enough to play in jazz bands. From there, he went on to: - Collaborate with Frank Sinatra; - Compose film sc...

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 background in jazz and classical music influenced his bass playing. He also co-wrote several Grateful Dead songs, including "Truckin'," "Un...

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., including multiple number one albums. Along with success, members faced personal struggles; Payne battled alcohol and drug addiction. He co-wrote m...

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 replacing another niece, Dionne Warwick, who left the group for a solo career.  The Sweet Inspirations' hit "(Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover" was their most...

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 delivering a demo tape by helicopter to Cash's home. Cash ended up recording Kristofferson's song "Sunday Morning Coming Down," whi...

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 connection eventually led to the formation of the Eagles. Souther released his own albums to modest success. His biggest hit single was "You're Only L...

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. Tito became a blues performer in 2003 and had his first commercial hit "Get It Baby" in 2016. The song reached number 20 on Billboard's R&a...

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 group went on to have three Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and two Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the late 1960s.  Mendes' first Ameri...

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 Years After." Simon is pictured at the far left. In the chapters, there's also a photo of Simon signing autographs in 2009. To watch Simon and t...

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 Television photo of James Darren and Shelley Fabares on "The Donna Reed Show" in 1959. Darren had equal success with acting and sin...

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 the Gladiolas in 1957. The song reached number four on Billboard's R&B chart. He was only 17 in 1955 when he wrote "Stay" after...

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 of Fame as a musical influencer. Mayall was known as the godfather of British blues. His music was not mainstream popular, though his albums perfor...

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 second Motown hit to top the UK charts. Go here to watch them performing the song on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1966. The public domain ph...

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 million copies; "Single Girl"; and "I Take It Back."  The image of Posey in this episode's chapters and thumbnail is fro...

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, the Knickerbockers, and Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. He produced the top 10 hits "Young Girl," "Lady Willpower&quo...