A DAY IN "THE LIFE OF RILEY"

Hi folks - especially my DALLAS PEEPS! Ant and I truly enjoyed our time in DALLAS at Riverfront Jazz Festival! I told you how excited I was to attend: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2017/8/17/one-booking-at-a-time.html. Well, we really did have a BLAST!Jonathan Butler, Melanie Fiona, Jon Secada, and Rachelle Farrell join Rahsaan Patterson, Original SUPREME Mary Wilson, Band of Gold's Freda Payne, and Oleta Adams as some of the star performers who SLAYED! BRILLIANT TALENT back-to-back-to-back made for a WONDERFUL HOLIDAY WEEKEND! And so good to see dear friends and local hosts: Kevin....  Nanette Lee, NABJ brother friends Terry Allen and CBS Dallas' Steve Pickett, my beloved Ed Roebuck, the uber-talented and inspirational Darren Henson, and more. The TBAAL and VISITDALLAS teams have been too hospitable in this awesome city - starting with Pecan Lodge welcome meal of BBQ and more.... for Ant, my NABJ besties Greg Dunmore (in town for Pulsebeat) and Jill Tracey (covering for Hot 105.1 Miami). Plus, we got the benefit of connecting to a number of wonderful, new Dallas friends. The weekend's kickoff concert was given by none other than Dallas' own homegirl from outer space, THE Erykah Badu who did just about everything except for maybe Bag Lady. She plucked "Believe in Yourself" from The Wiz - and her TBAAL past with Godfather Curtis King - as a tribute to our Houston, TX family as they find their way back to life. BRILLIANT SHOW! BADU BROUGHT IT! Others on the stellar line-up include: Will Downing, Najee, Yarbrough and Peoples featuring Benita Arterberry, Martha Wash, Pieces of A Dream, Ruben Studdard, Alex Bugonon, Kim Waters, Phil Perry, Eloise Laws, and MANY, MANY MORE! I MUST BE IN THE HOUSE NEXT YEAR!www.tbaalriverfrontjazzfestival.org. #LifeofRiley