Interview with Spider Jones Continued - "A Man and His Music"

Spider Jones
Motivational Speaker/Radio & Television Personality

Part of THE INSIDE SCOOP not only allows us to do just that, get THE INSIDE SCOOP, by gaining valuable insight into the organizers, volunteers and leaders of Ontario’s wonderful festivals and events, I would like to think that if we can understand how a positive person processes the ongoing challenges of today, and if we can get THE INSIDE SCOOP with people, we might gain some insight as to how and why they are so successful in their Causes (an event, fundraising efforts, awareness in the communities, obtain volunteers, etc.). I recently had this opportunity while speaking with non other than Mr. Spider Jones, A Man and His Music!
I discovered that Spider is not only an accomplished motivational speaker, fundraiser, and a “man on a mission with this charity Believe to Achieve http://www.believetoachieve.ca/ , but he is also an accomplished musician! Spider Jones has his own band “The Fabulous Web”, who performs the great sounds of Motown, Soul, R&B, and Rock. Spider tells me that Believe to Achieve and helping the high risk youth of today is his mission but his passion is music! Spider’s connection to music and his mission to help “high risk youth” of today, compliment each other. I asked Spider what he thought about the music of today. He states that “it is a sensitive topic”, but he shared with me that he does appreciate the music of Alicia Keys and Usher. Sadly, he states “that the superstars of today seem to be composed of a lot of hype and commercialism. There seems to be a lot of effort put into convincing the public that the music of today is acceptable”. He states “it seems to be the me generation”. “The words used in the music of today seem to denigrate women, glorify violence, bling bling, etc. and actually there doesn’t seem to be many positive messages." “It’s (the words) being justified as creative art” when Spider tells me “that it is foul language which is pathetic, insulting and offensive”! “Today it is easy to get caught up with peer pressure and be associated with the wrong crowds”. “It’s like quicksand … it will suck you in like a powerful vacuum”.

Again, it goes directly back to Spider’s quest to intervene and help the “high risk youth” of today to help them formulate positive goals and pursue their dreams. (See Part II interview with Spider Jones in THE INSIDE SCOOP). My final parting words with Spider were (of course) POSITIVE! He states “as long as I’m breathing I’m going to keep believing and as long as I’m living I’m going to keep giving”!

Interview with Spider Jones Continued - "A Man With A Mission"

Spider Jones

Motivational Speaker/Radio & Television Personality

THE INSIDE SCOOP allows us to not only do just that, get THE INSIDE SCOOP but, it sometimes allows us to gain further insight into the what, why, and how’s of these interesting people and what makes then successful. I recently had this opportunity, while speaking with none other than Mr. Spider Jones, a man with a mission!
I asked Spider just where he got such a nick-name. He chuckled and said, “Well, my momma didn’t give it to me”. Spider participated in the 1960’s during a Pro-Am Card fight (boxing match) and won the covenanted Golden Glove. It was at Sully’s Gym, where Sully Sullivan gave Spider his nick-name, stating that "Spider fought like he had 6 pairs of hands, just like a spider"! He also won the Golden Glove Champion 3 times and in 1996 was inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame. If you read Mr. Jones biography (http://www.spiderjones.com/) you will see his amazing list of achievements and accomplishments. THE INSIDE SCOOP found out that Spider’s greatest accomplishment (as he shared with me) was “going back to school at age 30 with only a grade 5 educations, and graduation from Seneca College”. At this time, he told me “I won the most prestigious award called the Pre-Mayor Award for his contributions to the community”! With this being said, Spider tells me that he feels “education is a great liberator; therefore, we need mentors to help our youth of today”! He believes that the popular figures in our communities need to stand up and take a stand! Although the efforts of mentoring are appreciated, the truth is that money and financial contributions are just as an important part of the equation. Mr. Jones main charity focus is the organization called Believe to Achieve (http://www.believetoachieve.ca/ ) . Spider says it is critical to reach out to the youth of today, particularly children in school grade 5-8. He says “it is important to help these young children purse their dreams. to help feed their creative spirit”! I wondered how Spider and his organization helped these children and he tells me that Believe to Achieve offers workshops to provide different tools and techniques as aids to assist with their ambitions.

What about Spider himself? As a motivational speaker, I wondered how he keeps himself focused, anchored and positive. He simply says “he associated himself with positive people”. Spider says that "in order to be positive and think positively, you need constant repetition, push out the negatives with positives and eventually being positive will be instinctive”. Spider says “its part of my nature to be positive and continue to learn.” “You can be negative or you can take the good things and be happy and feel blessed with what you have”! Again, you may be wondering what any of this has to do with THE INSIDE SCOOP. I would like to think that if we can understand how a positive person processes the ongoing challenges of today, and if we can get THE INSIDE SCOOP with people, we might gain some insight as to how and why they are so successful in their Causes (an event, fundraising efforts, awareness in the communities, obtain volunteers, etc.).
(To be continued)

Interview with Spider Jones (Part Three)

Spider Jones
Masterof Ceremonies/Motivational Speaker/Radio & TV Personality
Love Train Revue Show

Being “THE INSIDE SCOOP”, I get to do just that, find out “the scoop”! Part of The Love Train Revue Show completes the circle of love by supporting 3 local charities spreading the love into our community: Safehaven http://www.safehaven.to/ ; Believe to Achieve http://www.believetoachieve.ca/ ; and N.O.A.H. Canada – Nurturing Orphans of Aids for Humanity (Canada) http://www.noahorphans.ca/ . Spider himself is most dedicated to the charity Believe to Achieve. As a motivational speaker, Spider completely believes in “Positive Thinking”. He believes in helping others, especially the youth, develop their self esteem, self worth. The tools he has to offer only work with what spider says is “PRACTISE” He helps kids how to think positively, push out the negative with positives and eventually being positive will become instinctive. Spider believes in helping people realize the need to pursue their dreams and feed their creative spirit. You need to set goals and make achievements. Spider will soon be part of opening a drop-in centre in the Jane/Finch area in Toronto. He has the tools to help youth deal with peer pressures through workshops offered. Spider himself broke free from what he said life can be like … “like quicksand, it can suck you in like a powerful vacuum”. Your goal is to set goals, reach for them! Spider is all about associating yourself with positive people. He seems to be convinced (and I agree), that education is a great liberator! We desperately need mentors to help the youth of today realize their dreams. It’s not just about money, (although reality says so), it is also about time, effort and dedication to society.

I will be writing more about my "Interview with Spider Jones" in the weeks to come.

Interview with Spider Jones (Part Two)

Spider Jones
Master of Ceremonies/Motivational Speaker/Radio & TV Personality
Love Train Revue Show

Spider met George St. Kitts at CFRB Radio and has been a fan of George’s for years. As well. Spider tells me that George is most likely one of the greatest performers around and is an amazing producer as well. They hooked up and wondered about hosting a tribute to Black History Month through music. He tells me that they thought that this production would be a great way to show the “pride in what we gave to pop music”. It’s about recognizing the contributions over the years and to help raise awareness regarding artistic contributions made by members of the Black Diaspora. Spider himself is an accomplished singer (although as a professional world renowned motivational speaker, Spider tells me most people are not aware of his vocal talents). Spider has his own 10 piece band called Spider Jones and the Fabulous Web. Spider tells me that “music is his passion”! He states “music is like opium to him, he gets high on music”. He comes by singing naturally and attributes his focus and part of his success to his strong family unit. Specifically, Spider gives praise to his “closest friend”, his wife, partner of 37 years. He says “she keeps me anchored, she is a great advisor and very logical”. You might be wondering why I asked Spider all of these personal questions. He has led an incredible life and journey. He is a most interesting individual and I wanted to share with you some of his story to help you become aware of the wonders of such accomplishments.
(To be continued)

Interview with Spider Jones (Part One)

Spider Jones
Master of Ceremonies/Motivational Speaker/Radio & TV Personality
Love Train Revue Show

“York Region’s George St. Kitts stars in The Love Train Revue Show celebrating Black History Month in York Region Friday, February 11, 2011 at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Show sold out last year celebrating Black History Month with an incredible performance of music and song!”

Being on the “INSIDE” … I just had the most amazing opportunity to speak with Spider Jones, the Master of Ceremonies for this wonderful night!

I asked Spider why people should attend this evening and what made it different than any other performance?

Spider Jones says that this show is “like climbing aboard a time capsule”. Mr Jones says that it’s like “going back to the first rate performances back in the day”! Spider tells me that George St. Kitts is a multitalented producer, dedicated and focused and Sher St. Kitts is “on fire”. Spider shares all this with me and we can expect an amazing night because of these extremely talented people! With all of Spiders own accomplishments, he told me that he is a “Supper Charged MC who is very flamboyant and you won’t be disappointed”, but, Spider says that he is “just the MC” and “George is the show” and “the band is down”!!! They have 4 great female and 5 great male “backup singers” that “All Can Sing!” Spider states … “I haven’t been to anything this good since being at Fox Theatre in Detroit where the Greats performed” (Smoky Robinson, the Temptations, B.B.King, and many more). To quote Spider … “this will be a once in a lifetime event”!
(To be Continued)

Interview with George St.Kitts (Part Three)

George St. Kitts

Performer/Producer

Love Train Revue Show

George is known as “the consummate performer”… a multitalented performer, producer and professional! This versatile vocalist/producer delights audiences nationwide. Born in Guyana, South America, George St. Kitts has been singing since he was three. Possessing a rare talent for singing in several languages, George easily connects with his guests. St. Kitts music’s diversity brings the stage alive! George’s vocal performances have led him to a dazzling lifetime entertainment career as singer, show and festival producer throughout the Toronto, Canada, the States and the U.K. Founder of St. Kitts Music Inc., writer-producer George was twice nominated for a Canadian Juno award in the Best R&B/Soul category in 1993 for 'All I Need' from his “SLAM” album and for his 1996 title "Never Stop" album. In 2008, George released his first live big band jazz album entitled “A Lot of Livin’ To Do”, proving his talent and showmanship are nothing less than world-class. This album receives worldwide play.

George is a professional entertainer, giving stellar performances for the long-running Broadway musical “The Lion King”. George sang in “The Lion King” production in Toronto for 3 ½ years in the ensemble, as well as the understudy for the character “Banzai”. George chuckled when he told me about this role as the character Banzai. He also played Sammy Davis Jr. in “The Rat Pack”. George also founded the Motown Boys, The Love Train Revue Show celebrating Black History Month, the Sounds of Motown and the Aurora jazz+ Festival, all under the umbrella of St. Kitts Music. The Aurora jazz+ Festival, which we visited and wrote about last year, has a larger scope than The Love Train Revue Show. As I mentioned before, George supports his community, local charities and artists and, George tells me that for the Aurora jazz+ Festival (http://www.aurorajazzfest.com/), they have indeed taken on another charity called CCAA (Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness). George appreciates their efforts and what this organization offers, including counselling for men. He seems to be very aware of humanity and puts his efforts to contributing to his own community.

St. Kitts produces entertainment for large-scale events like the ROM opening, private parties, black tie charity/fundraisers, festivals/concerts, casino shows and corporate gigs that wow guests year in and year out. His sensational Sounds of Motown Show energizes any event, inviting guests to participate and simply enjoy dancing and singing to the music!
George states, “We honour our multicultural diversity offering songs in Hebrew; Italian & many South African folk songs.” You can contact George St. Kitts at http://www.stkittsmusic.ca/. George puts great effort into the production of his shows and told me that he actually gets to somewhat enjoy the evenings himself, after all the work is done, he just “lets the music speak for itself”! George is a busy man but assures me that he “sometimes” takes time to “relax” with his partner in life, Sher St. Kitts. I can hardly wait to interview Sher St. Kitts for “THE INSIDE SCOOP"!. I’m starting to wonder just how she is … (as quoted by Spider Jones) “on fire, a woman with a passion on a mission"…stay tuned for future additions of THE INSIDE SCOOP!

Interview with George St.Kitts (Part Two)

George St. Kitts

Performer/Producer

Love Train Revue Show

The Love Train Revue Show completes the circle of love by supporting 3 local charities spreading the love into our community: Safehaven http://www.safehaven.to/ ; Believe to Achieve http://www.believetoachieve.ca/ ; and N.O.A.H. Canada – Nurturing Orphans of Aids for Humanity (Canada) http://www.noahorphans.ca/ . I asked George how he went about choosing these particular charities. He was kind enough to share with us what was dear to his heart. It is the Safehaven charity. He himself has a child that was born premature and has Cerebral Palsy. George knows first hand about the responsibilities, care and nurturing required for support for these children and their families. "Safehaven offers such support right here in our community", he says. As stated on the Safehaven website … “During Safehaven's 18 years of operation, we have become a leader in providing residential and respite care for children and youth with multiple disabilities and complex medical needs. This leadership continues to be demonstrated through the quality of our care, innovative programs and advocacy initiatives. Through these endeavours, we strive to ensure that every child in Toronto and Central East Region gets the care and opportunities they need.” You can see how important supporting this charity is! Spider Jones is a dear friend of George’s and one of Spider’s passions and missions is reflected in the charity organization “Believe to Achieve”. Another dear friend’s N.O.A.H. charity is another worthwhile cause that George supports. George tells me that he incorporates these fundraising efforts in part of every production he does. Although, it just fits in, it doesn’t seem to be the focus for the audience. He wants people to enjoy the music, song and dance! There will be different booths set up in the lobby at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts where for example Safehaven have sold teddy bears. All the "bear" monies go straight to the charity. Arrive early to meet representatives of 3 charities, Artist Robert Small founder of The Legacy Festival, Kathy Grant of The Legacy Voices Project, representatives of Ontario Black History Society, Camille Logan of The Alliance of Educators of Black Students - York Region and Carl Finkle, President of King Township Historical Society, YRP Diversity Officers and more... Many surprise artists will also be "on board" the 2011 Love Train!
(To be continued)

Interview with George St.Kitts (Part One)

George St. Kitts

Performer/Producer

Love Train Revue Show

York Region’s George St. Kitts stars in The Love Train Revue Show celebrating Black History Month in York Region on Friday, February 11, 2011 at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. The show, which sold out last year, celebrates Black History Month with an incredible performance of music and song! As time is of the essence, I’ll get right into “THE INSIDE SCOOP” and share with you some of the reasons you “DON’T WANT TO MISS THE TRAIN”!

This Love Train Revue Show has been produced and choreographed by none other than Mr. George St. Kitts. After speaking with Spider Jones (the MC for the evening), I understood that all the “back-up” singers could “sing”! Upon speaking with George, he was quick to correct me saying that there really weren’t any “back-up singers”! According to George they are all "lead singers" in their own right and that the production of the music is such that they take turns shinning in the spotlight! George’s job, as the producer, is to put the pieces of all the amazing talent together. The biggest surprise George says is that this show is mainly “Local talent”. “These amazing performers are from right here in our own backyard”. I asked George if, with all the artistic combination of folks, do “egos” ever get in the way and how would/does he manage such “egos”. George chuckled, saying … “This is the Love Train, if you’re not on the train, you’re not on the train; it’s not the 'ego' train”. George says that everyone performing is there for a reason and they know their roles and responsibilities. This evening of The Love Train Revue Show not only is a celebration of Black History Month, through music, but a chance for George and others to reflect and appreciate all the great people that paved the way throughout the years in this culture. George takes time to reflect and learn different things about the culture. George wants all the cultures in our community and beyond to enjoy, learn and share the experiences of the music from the Black Culture. It’s not just for Black or African Canadians. “Any chance to enjoy music and learn at the same time”, according to George, “is a good thing”! St. Kitts says “we’re all different, but all the same, and we all have to come together and get along in life”. Mr. St. Kitts promises to deliver a fun filled evening of music and hopes that we all get up and dance. The “music speaks for itself”!
(To be continued)

Interview with David Brunelle (Part Two)

David Brunelle

Project Director

Southern Georgian Bay War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee

Without hesitation Dave replied “Sergeant James Keating” otherwise known as “One Gun Keating”. James Keating was a sergeant in the Royal Artillery. He was skilful in the handling of a British field gun forcing the Americans to surrender Fort Shelby on the upper Mississippi in July, 1814. He later became Fort Adjutant at the military base in Penetanguishene. He was a prominent figure in the community and, as a promoter of public education, he has the James Keating Public Elementary School in Penetanguishene named after him. I wondered at this point if Dave Brunelle had a nickname. As a matter of fact he does, “1812”. Anyone who knows Dave in his local community knows him just as “1812”. Dave’s football jersey number is “1812”. When signing raffle tickets at his local curling league, instead of signing his name, he just signs “1812”. Perhaps being known as “1812” is less confusing for folks in the community as there is another Dave Brunelle in town. Our Dave told me that he is known at History Dave and the other Dave Brunelle is known as Basketball Dave (as he is coach for the local team). History Dave gets cheques in the mail frequently for basketball tournaments among other mail and phone calls for Basketball Dave. One time there was a full page article in the newspaper about a basketball summer camp in town with History Dave’s photo. History Dave is tall and athletic but not the correct Dave. To this day the two Dave’s have not met. The story is funny, but what is truly apparent is how serious Dave Brunelle, “1812”, “History Dave” takes his “hobby”. I hope you get to meet up with him in the field some day! He is a very, very interesting “Character”!