*Sits behind Desk in Pastor's Study*
*Adjusts camera*
*Opens text*

Good afternoon, Saints/aints. It's Maundy Thursday for those of us who observe Easter (the night of the last supper). In the #MusicSermon ministry, however, we have a brighter topic at hand than betrayal, AMEN.

Last week, we revisted the text of Kenneth (and Antonio) - and it proved to be timely when the announcement came for a Babyface and Teddy Riley battle. I'm almost glad that didn't happen, however, because there's only one real writing/production match... https://twitter.com/i/moments/1244873642682593280

So today, as we're still expanding on early #MusicSermons, we're going to again follow Kenneth Brian Edmunds and Antonio Marquis Reid (LA got the Blackest name of all time) with the only appropriate bookends: James Samuel Harris II and Terry Steven Lewis.

Now, Jimmy & Terry's catalogue is ENTIRELY too long to try to cover everything, so I'm going to do what I did last time and walk through Flytetyme A-Z, with some additions.

As always, though, let's start at the beginning...

As we all know, Jimmy and Terry are both from Minneapolis, where apparently if you were born in the '50s or '60s you were assigned to a band at birth.

As a teen, Jimmy was in a group called Mind and Matter (front/center), Terry was in a band called Flyte Tyme.

Terry convinces Jimmy to come over to Flyte Tyme, which is fronted by Alexander O'Neal.
Eventually they change their name to The Time and become Prince's tour band. Alex over-negotiates his way OUT of the band, and is replaced by Morris Day (which was definitely for the best)

Side note: It took me WAYYYYYY longer than it should have to realize Jerome and Terry are brothers.

Anyway...

So Clarance Avant hires Jimmy & Terry to write produce some songs for one of the acts on his Tabu label. Prince does NOT LIKE his people doing outside work. J&T get stuck in Atlanta in a freak March snowstorm (dusting; it didn't take much to close Atl down). Miss a Prince date.

When they call the Purple on to tell him. He fires them. From THEIR band. Because that's the kind of sh*t Prince did. Because Prince.
But it was actually fortuitous because they got fired for making a hit. They brought Alexander O'Neal & Cherelle to Tabu, and the story begins...

When Jimmy & Terry's names are called, most folks minds go directly to one place, appropriately.

But they did SOOO much more with SOOO many more, which is why we're not gonna do any chronology or segmenting, just run them down in my own alphabetical style. And we'll get to her.

A: Alexander Muthafckin' O'Neal.
I love this man. I do. He is every bad R&B singer stereotype, but I think that actually makes me love him more.

Alex didn't move to Minneapolis until I think his late teens (maybe early 20s) to pursue his singing career. His ass is from Natchez Mississippi, which makes everything about him make that much more sense.
HE has said Prince kicked him out of The Time because he was dark skin.

The drugs, though. THE DRUGS. Alexander O'Neal is Eddie Kane (not KING, Kane) Jr.
If you see him today, he definitely is giving you cracky uncle, but he will STILL SING. Almost SANG. Like he's clearly under the influence here, and slurred a cpl times, but notes and tone were on.

B: Boyz II Men & Bended Knee
Like I said (and have said often), Jimmy & Terry are Face & LA's most direct sonic contemporaries, to the extent that you can easily confuse who did what songs in some cases.

C: Cherrelle. The Tammi to Alexander's Marvin. The singing versions of your hood auntie and uncle.
Also, another very light LA & Face connection; Pebbles' cousin.

Long time #MusicSermon congregants know I love me some Cherrelle. And this cheatin' ass song.

I keep saying I'll give Alex and Cherrelle their own thread at some point, and I need to get around to that. Jimmy and Terry actually had Cherrelle on sh*t that was just a couple of years too far ahead. She could have killed if she was doing this in 87 instead of 84.

Cherrelle's original "Didn't Mean to Turn You On" in 84 peaked in the 80s on the charts. Robert Palmer's version two years later hit No 2.

So many of y'all tweeted me when Cherrelle & Alex came out to do Saturday Love for the Jimmy and Terry tribute at the Soul Train awards, and that's how I know you know me and love me. Because this has been my jam since the age of 9. (That Cherrelle album got burn in my house).

D: Diamonds
Jazz artist Herb Alpert is the “A” in A&M Records, aka Janet Jackson’s label home starting with Control. They ain’t really wanna sign her. Jimmy& Terry did Herb’s next album kinda as a return favor. And gave him some joints.

E: Encore - This was indeed Cheryl Lynn’s encore. Jimmy & Terry gave her her first no. 1 since “To Be Real,” and, coming off the heels of “If This World Were Mine” w/ Luther, helped give her career a jump.

F: Force MD’s x “Tender Love”

What I love about Jimmy & Terry is that even though their Minneapolis sound - the early Janet sound -is SO defined and recognizable, they can do *anything.* And they are MASTERS of slow jams and love songs.

G: Gill, Johnny.
A case where not only have Flytyme and LA & Face produced the same act in the same era, but on the same album.
Y’all should hear me on this “I’m onnnly here to pleaaase...” run when this songs comes on my workout playlist.

Jimmy & Terry also did a large part of Johnny’s second solo album, which I didn’t loooove, but I loved this song.

We’re gonna go in two directions with H.
First, Houston (Thelma)

Thelma is best known as the “Don’t Leave Me This Way” disco diva, and Jimmy & Terry were modernizing her sound. “Used to Hold Me” is one of those songs you don’t think you know, then find yourself singing along to.

And H for Heather Hedley.
Like I said, these men know their way around a ballad.
Side note: Deborah Cox could also have KILLED this song and now that the idea is in my head, I wanna hear it.

I: I’m Only Human (ok the title’s just Human but I gotta make this A-Z work). Synthpop band Human League is maybe an odd pairing, but they were on A&M. They felt a way bc J&T didn’t use the group’s actual female vocalists, subbing in their own folks on the track. But #1, so...

And we arrive at J...

There is no way in THE world I’m going through every Jimmy & Terry + Janet song. Not even every Jimmy & Terry + Janet HIT. But we’ll touch on each album.

Let me get some gatorade or something.

In the meantime you know where we have to start:

Wait, I gotta run the beginning of the Control video back bc it was such a touch of genius and (at the time) and uncharacteristic tongue-in-cheek move for Janet to cast Ja’net Dubois as her mom
Also, this paternal shade!

We all know the story; Janet moves to MN for the album. Jimmy & Terry encourage her to bring own her experiences to the work; something new for her.
WHYDFML is allegedly inspired by then recent ex husband, James Debarge.
Lemme tell you about 10 year old Naima & this Paula choreo

Jimmy & Terry coaxed a self-defined Janet Jackson out into the world. She’s said the experience was a culture shock at first; knew she’d been sheltered, but was even having to adjust to things like Jimmy & Terry cursing around her.
But she got more comfortable.

I could easily post every single from Control (there were 7), but we have a lot of ground to cover so I'ma do two more.
When I Think of You because I love the break and bridge, and because the continuous shot video was a glimpse of the production magic Janet had in store.

And “Funny How Time Flies,” because 1. I LOVE a Jimmy & Terry snap-track, and 2. This was an early hint of janet. album Janet.

And of course they also produced the Rhythm Nation album.
Here’s where I mention that, like LA & Face, Jimmy & Terry are also considered foundation-builders for the New Jack Swing. They used TR808s, they sampled, etc. Rhythm Nation is on alot of New Jack Swing playlists

... as is Alright. We realized Janet (with Jimmy & Terry’s help) was going to evolve every album cycle while still being the Janet she introduced us to on Control. In the ‘80s, artists often cranked out an album a year, so the 4 years between these two felt like D’Angelo time.

If you ask me to name my favorite Janet joints, the top of the list is all ballads, because of Jimmy & Terry and snaps.
This song has gone on every love lorn, breakup, in my feelings, etc playlist for the last 30 years.

Either Jimmy or Terry (I can't remember which) said at one point, "That's the Way Love Goes" was their favorite song they did for Janet (that may have changed since). I think this album is where you really appreciate J&T's versatility as producers.

Jimmy & Terry can't be called anybody's under-appreciated, but I DO think they aren't given enough credit for their range. Once you get out of the '80s & early '90s, it's not as easy to pin down a Jimmy and Terry track as it is a Face track. But the signatures are still there.

First of all, I ran this album and these videos in the damn GROUND.
Second of all, I had no business loving this song the way I did at...17, I think? But as a grown ass person, it's still sexy as hell.
Also, SNAP TRACK.

Lawd, we stil just in J.
Ok, Velvet Rope. I'ma skip Got Til It's Gone bc while J Dilla has a credited remix and J&T said the original was inspired by Dilla, some people think Dilla did it. So let's skip to ...ANOTHER SNAP TRACK lol (I need to do a playlist of just these joints).

And I'ma include Rope Burn because I saw the Velvet Rope tour and a. this segment was amazing to watch live and b. I always wondered just HOW many safety measures they put in place for the people they brought up onstage.

Gonna skip ahead to "All for You" with the sample of one of my favorite Luther (well, Change feat Luther) songs.
Again, Jimmy & Terry don't have to sample. They play. But they're not afraid of a sample.

And then finally skipping ahead to Janet reuniting with Jimmy & Terry for the Unbreakable album.

But J is also for Jackson siblings.

A Michael-was-petty story re: Scream. Mike laid vocals for the track in his hotel in NY. Janet decided to do hers in Minneapolis instead of with him. Jimmy & Terry sent Mike her vox, he's like where she'd record these? They tell him. He says "I'm gonna come there and redo mine"

Ok! *Wipes brow*

K: Karyn White aka the one time Mrs. Terry Lewis.

This is another case of "could you tell which writing/production duo this is in a blind taste test?"

L: LOVE! Like I said, these guys know their way around a ballad. There is no shortage of songs about or related to love up in this catalogue.

To start, we'll go back to Herb Alpert with Making Love in the Rain. Lisa Keith (SOS band) on lead vox, Janet on backing vox

L is also for Mr. Lover Man (SHABBA!) keeping it Slow and Sexy with Johnny.

L is also for the Right Kinda Lover. Auntie Patti was on a mission, chile.
Please get into Patricia Louise's moment.

Y'all gotta see the beginning of this video though. It's hilarious. Also, she chose Keith Washington, who I didn't understand was as fine as he was as a teenager.

But Patti also said that when we talk about Love, we're talking about her, period. So...

M: Mary J Blige. Drama free Mary J Blige. Also, there's genius in flipping maybe the most recognized soap opera theme ever for a song about letting go of drama.

I take that back, Jimmy & Terry were in the mix for some drama Mary. I think her self-titled album is INCREDIBLY slept on, and this is my favorite joint on that album. I felt her on this. FELT HER.
Not great quality but I was happy to find her performing it live.

I really went backwards with these Mary tracks chronologically, but all good. They also had to singles on the Share My World album. Love is We Need and Everything. I loved the whole vibe of this video for her.

M is also a Mariah moment, although I admit their stuff with her isn't my favorite. But it's not about me.
The AMA's really played Joe with his mic volume here and they had the backing track way too loud. He deserved better.

Y’all already know what N is:

The New Edition story is literally on BET right now, so I don’t have to recount how Jimmy & Terry brought the guys from Boys to Men and gave us one of the most solid R&B albums ever.

Since I mentioned Boys to Men, let’s let Bobby show out for a second.
I love this song.

Ok, I gave y’all time to warm up.

... I also had to add this part real quick so I could do the prep.

(No, I’m not forgetting the song y’all think I’m forgetting. Hold tight).

O: Optimistic. A song for a time such as this.

Can we talk about how disrespectful it is to just have Anne come up out the back and crush EVERYBODY’S voices, though?

P: Perspective, Jimmy & Terry’s label under which they signed fellow Minneapolis groups Sounds of Blackness, Mint Condition (with Jellybean Johnson from The Time handling their production at first) Lo-Key (same), and the lone NY’ers, Solo

VOICES. Jesus.

Q: The quiet storm... can you stand it? Can you stannnnnnnd the raiiinnn

I’ma just run multiple versions of this. Also somehow I timed this perfectly with them recoding it on TV lol.

And last one.

R: Rizz, aka Ralph Tresvant
And you can absolutely hear some kinship between Sensitivity and Optimistic

I really love this song and it’s actually a terrible song lol

S: The SOS band. We touched on them in the beginning, but their On the Rise album was Jimmy & Terry’s true beginning. I’m thankful to Prince for firing them.

I grew up with so much Jimmy & Terry in my house without even knowing the through line. My dad went through all of 85-86 with Cherrelle, Alex, Janet and SOS in rotation.

SOS band is a good ol’ two step groove, always.

T: Together again. When New Edition (temporarily) got past the bullshit to reunite and record the Home Again album, they knew who to call.

U: S-H-E-R
U Remind Me
A moment. An era. A statement.

Jimmy Terry did a few joints on 8701 (including “Can U Help Me”) and blessed Confessions with a few tracks...

... like this one.

V: Valor. A ‘90s supergroup of R&B singers proclaiming they’ll be the best men they can be in the spirit of brotherly love.

I still wanna know what video Case’s stylist thought he was going to.

W: Let’s Wait a While. I said I wasn’t gonna post all the control singles, but look how cute little Janet is!

X: Chanté tried to son all her friends for their dysfunctional relationships, then her and Kadeem Hardison divorced the next year. I would have taken the song out of my setlist, chile.

Y: Yolanda Adams. Jimmy & Terry haved called her the gospel Whitney.
They were responsible for her crossover moment into mainstream R&B, and have worked with her off and on since.

And that’s where we’re ending because even I’m not creative enough to figure out a Z.

Whew; that took longer than I expected... but that’s also just a testament to their catalogue.

I’ll have playlist up tomorrow, but for now if all hearts and minds are FULL



Now, unto music which is able to lift you when falling
Be joy, nostalgia, and peace
Now, henceforth and forever more.

And all the people said....

And as the ushers come forward, if you feel moved to give, you can do so at http://cash.me/$musicsermon  or paypal: [email protected]. I appreciate you . Even if you don’t give, I thank you for rocking with me.

Sorry for the delay, but BAM: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the playlist.

For Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/ncochrane7/playlist/7u7aOUeeglRWlE7tgon6Ds?si=jQW6J7afSGOw1PvUzNykDw

For Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/jimmy-jam-and-terry-lewis/pl.u-EdAVR1WCaXzVAx