Brett Jolly’s Thought for Today (I went to perform at my old church yesterday)

Change is “inevitable…” For years I played (music ministered) at a church in Philadelphia. I was actually there for “8” years and I performed on Sunday mornings. I loved the atmosphere and the people were so nice to me. One year we had a change of music directors, and my whole experience changed. He wanted the music loud and he wanted me to play louder than everyone else. As a professional musician, I knew that if I played louder than everyone else I would not be able to “hear” the other musicians over the loudness of what I was playing. This caused a “major conflict” between me and him. I suggested that my bass parts could have been pumped through the monitors and that way he could blast it as loud as “he wanted” throughout the house while I keep it at a comfortable volume. Unfortunately this conflict could not be resolved and it got to the point where I actually “hated” entering the church on Sundays. I am a professional musician and I know how to play right. Finally we parted ways and I left the church and the people I loved. Within “a week” a “new church” called me and asked me to join their ministry and now I have been there for close to 6 years. Yesterday our choir was asked to perform at my old church so I went there. I had “mixed” emotions about this. The old musical director was no longer there. I managed to see “people I had not seen in years.” I missed them, but I also realized that a “lot” of the people I knew were no longer there. Some left the church and others died. I decided that I was going to “wear it out” on the bass guitar so that I could show the people what they missed. Yes, I “did…” A part of me wondered if I would ever consider going back to them, and then I realized that “I would NOT!” I am comfortable where I am and God made it that way. I have a new church family and when we play we are “under control.” I learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes we all tend to think the grass is greener on the other side, but that is not always the case. Change is inevitable, and God knows what is best for you. Hopefully you realize what is best for you as well. We all will experience change, but can we all heed the message that often comes with it? I can… and I did… Thank you for checking out my Thought for Today and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.

Patti Labelle and Smokey Robinson at the podium with Brett Jolly to the far right on red bass guitar

Brett Jolly’s thought for Today (Blacks benefitted from slavery?)

Ron DeSantis seems to have his own “very unique version of history.” He is trying to re-write it by saying that slaves somehow “benefitted from slavery and learned unique skills.” How would DeSantis know? Of course, his great grandmother must have been a slave and left messages through his ancestry about how happy she was (yes, I am being sarcastic). DeSantis has absolutely “no clue” as to how it was to be an enslaved Black person during that time. His effort to “white wash” Black history in Florida is “unacceptable.” He managed to banish immigrant workers who left the state and now Florida has a “worker shortage.” He abolished books about historical figures like Rosa Parks and more. He is “slowly KILLING Florida with his antics.” He is even against Disney World (Florida’s biggest money maker) and now this man has “the nerve to run for President of the United States?” The good news is that his poll numbers are so low now that he had to cut his staff. He has literally transformed himself into a “political laughing stock.” The bad news is that he is still running. Even some of his own Republican allies are against the things he is doing and saying. Anyone who thinks that Blacks “benefitted from slavery” has to be “a mentally deranged idiot.” That is about the best “compliment” that I can give this man. I apologize to anyone reading this who supports him but everyone has to admit hie is really killing his chances with his poor decisions. When the Presidential election is over (and he loses BIG) hopefully he has enough testicular fortitude to blame that “man in the mirror.” As far as I am concerned, he is the LAST person I would consider as an expert on Black History. At this point I can’t even consider him to be a “serious” political candidate. What candidate would “knowingly” do things like this to sabotage his own career? His ratings were once higher than Trump’s. Remember? He gradually did things to collapse his chances and now here he is. “Good luck” to him. He might need it. Thank you for checking out my Thought for Today and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.

Glen Jones in concert with Brett Jolly on red bass guitar (Norman Connors on drums)

Brett Jolly’s Thought for Today ( My experience with Billy Paul)

For those of you who don’t remember, Billy Paul sang one of the biggest musical hits in “history.” He had a big hit with a remake of Elton John’s classic “Your song” and he also had his biggest hit song with “Me and Mrs. Jones.” Billy (whose real name was Paul Williams (for his career he reversed his name) had a “lot” of really nice tunes. The interesting thing about him was that his career was much bigger overseas than it was here in the United States. Overseas he would play “big” venues and here he would not be as prominent. I toured with him on a couple of occasions, and one thing I could say about him was that he was a real jokester. On a 10 hour flight to Brazil he would crack jokes “all the way there.” No one could sleep (smile). His wife, Blanche (Don’t ever call her Mrs. Jones) managed his career and they were great for each other. Billy had been through a lot. At one point he had an issue with drug abuse but he eventually managed to conquer those demons. He died at the age of 80 but his music makes him “immortal.” After touring with Teddy Pendergrass for years, it was a pleasure to join Billy Paul’s camp. If you get the chance, I hope you Google his music. Here is Billy Paul’s “very last” rendition of his hit song “Me and Mrs. Jones” with me playing red bass guitar onstage with him. He passed not long after this. Thank you for checking out my Thought for Today and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.

Brett Jolly’s Thought for Today (What… is wrong with us?)

There is “sooooooo much” going on in he world right now, and what seems to stand out most is the absolute “absence of common sense involving all of it.” Russia is in a war with Ukraine. Inflation is better than what it was, but still high. The government wants us all to eventually gravitate to “electric cars” at some point, but the prices of them are still way too high. High interest rates make purchasing just about anything tough. On top of all this, we have political leaders accused of crimes and their party members lying (and ignoring the truth) to protect them. What… is wrong with us? Why can’t people “see” what is rally happening? Certain social media networks are getting sued for promoting falsities on the air. Former (and current) presidents and family members are enduring indictments based on lap tops and stolen documents. Impeachments seem to be the only solution for some people. What… is wrong with us? Thousands riot at the Capital because their leader (allegedly) incited them to do so and these people are being sentenced to jail. Election fraud is being debated for 2020 (but NOT for 2016). Government informants who are “unlawful” are being sought for their testimonies. What… is wrong with us? If this keeps up soon the proper question will be “What… is RIGHT with us?” We are supposed to be rational thinking people. If we go around “actually believing” in Jewish space lasers then what does that say about us? The new AI (artificial intelligence) is coming out and threatening to replace many people. Robots will soon be replacing people as well. What about cloning? Does anyone think that this is no longer around? What about “aliens?” The world is still evolving whether we are ready for it or not. No matter what is going on around us we need to keep some form of “common sense.” What… is wrong with us? Thank you for checking out my Thought for Today and as aways I wish you the very best that life has to offer.

Talented singer Ledisi and Brett Jolly just before doing a show

Brett Jolly’s thought for Today (Dare to take the risk)

Sometimes in order to go 4 steps forward you might need to take at least 1 step backward. For instance, If you want to win the million dollar lottery you may have to “risk” losing (at least) a dollar to buy a ticket. Of course, some people are “content to stay just where they are.” They could take the risk on investing something but they sometimes find “fear in losing on that investment.” Without that risk their chances of improving are not very strong. My father once told me that “great” Americans are only “ordinary Americans who took the chance to try great things” (and succeeded). We never know how good we can be until we reach out for our fullest potential. We never know if we can be successful in business until we start our own company. We never know if we can increase our popularity until we invest in more and better advertising. The risks we often take define our successes. The problem is that we could also be worse off whenever we lose. Many of us end up “fighting with ourselves” to get the courage to pull the trigger on what we might believe in. Of course, if you “do nothing” then you may “never know how far you can ascend.” Increase your success by creating more “passive money” for yourself and expand on your skills to create better opportunities. Your quality of life depends heavily on what you invest in it. Believe in yourself enough to take the risks you need to take. Thank you for checking out my Thought for Today and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.

Brett Jolly and Jeffrey Osborne

Brett Jolly’s Thought for Today (If you sing, are you a musician?)

A lady asked me this question the other day and I decided to give my own opinion on it. By definition “vocals are considered musical instruments” (Yes, I looked it up). So this lady decided to debate me even further on this. She asked “If anyone can sing “Mary had a little lamb” or “Happy birthday” does that make them a musician or a singer?” I told her “No” and gave this prime example. If I gave my bass guitar out to strangers and asked them to pluck a note that would “not” make them musicians. Granted, they may have played a note but that does not mean that they have the “expertise.” The same principle applies to singers. Many people can simply “sing” but that doesn’t make them all singers. I also referenced talented people like Al Jarreau and Bobby McFerrin. These two could “mimic” the sound of different musical instruments with simply their voices (and they both did it “well”). In my opinion, you also need to be able to “hear” really well, whether you are a musician or singer. I know of several performers who can sing greatly but they sometimes have difficulty hearing how the music goes (and yes, this applies to some “professional” singers as well). Some people told this lady that you can’t be a musician without first being trained. I debunked that theory because I have had “no training at all” for my bass guitar (and I cannot read music either). If I was able to “self teach” myself then obviously I did so “without” any training. The world of music is a beautiful thing. Like artistry it involves a “creative soul.” I thought this would be a good topic for my Thought for Today. Thank you for checking it out and I sincerely wish you the very best that life has to offer.

Blues singer Bonnie Raitt in concert with Brett Jolly (to the right with red bass guitar)

Brett Jolly’s Thought for Today (The prison system… Does it work?)

The other day I met with a guy who spent “16 years in prison” and was often transferred to different maximum facilities in different cities. For the current moment I will simply refer to this guy as “M.” We had an extensive talk about what life is “really” like for most inmates. “M” did extra years behind bars because of his reluctance to snitch on anyone, but he said that was the “only way he could survive.” During his time of incarceration he was somehow able to keep his cell phone and a knife (which he said he needed). He told me an interesting story. He said that while there are many bad men behind bars some of the “nicest” people he ever met were also in prison. He claimed that no one cares to check up on those locked away and death is a very “real” issue. “M” also claimed that some of the most talented and gifted men were behind bars. Some of these people could sculpt a small statue out of a bar of soap. Some were excellent musicians and singers and many were “extremely smart.” I asked him how an intellectual man could end up behind bars and he said “The only difference between you and these other guys could just be ONE mistake that took them over the edge.” In other words, “any of us could be jailed for a mistake” even if we lived a good life. He said that “MANY” people are jailed simply because they can’t afford good legal counsel. If you are accused of a crime and can’t afford a good attorney then you are “bound” to go to jail. “M” said that there are “MANY innocent men behind bars whether we want to believe that or not. I asked him if there is any chance for a prisoner to turn his life around after his release from prison and he said “Not without a support system.” Once you have a prison record employers “don’t want to hire you.” That record follows you everywhere. Being free from jail doesn’t mean that you can survive in society. Depending on how long someone was incarcerated they might have to learn how to use a cell phone or a computer. They are unprepared because they have been kept from society for so long. “Even if people wanted to turn their lives around their chances are not good unless they have a great support system in place.” “M” had been shot 16 times but he survived it all. He is older now and just wants to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble. He feels he could give advice to the young kids who are going through the same tribulations growing up. He said “Unless the system changes there will be many more victims of this system.” Do you have a family member or friend who is incarcerated?” If so, now might be s good time to check up on him or her. Thank you for checking out my Thought for Today and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.

Public Enemy lead rapper Chuck D performing in concert with Brett Jolly (slight left” behind him

Brett Jolly’s Thought for Today (“This…” is what I do…)

I love to do specialized music videos for people. Ever since I started this years ago people told me I should go into business. For those of you who didn’t know, please check me out. Thank you for checking out my Thought for Today and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.

Brett Jolly’s Thought for Today (Rabbits versus Roaches)

I would like to call something to your attention today. Please examine this scenario with me. If most people discovered a cute rabbit/bunny around their house they would (most likely) welcome it. Most might even want to feed them just to keep them around. However, if most of us saw a roach near our house this might elicit a “completely different” reaction from us. Many roaches are often killed “on sight” whenever they are discovered because we feel they are disgusting creatures. “Neither” the roach nor the rabbit can help the way they were born but we still judge them based on “what they mean to us.” Both of them “value their lives and want to live”. They are either “protected or rejected” by us based on the value “we give” to them. Now lets imagine this on another level. Some “humans” are treated “the same way” as rabbits and roaches. Depending on who or what you are you might give “preferential treatment” to certain humans while harboring “disdain” for others. Some base their values on poverty, some might base it on personal hygiene and some might base it on race. There may be other factors that come into play as well. In many of these instances there is not much of a difference from the “rabbit and the roach mentality.” Many of us are judged based on the values others often give us. The reason I am mentioning this is because if we are to accept all people then we need to “recognize” our own assessment flaws. Rabbits and roaches are NOT people (but they value their lives just as much as you and I do). We can have a totally different set of values if we all take the time to “learn” more about different cultures and races. By now I’m sure you have discovered that this story is not so much about rabbits and roaches but more about “us.” If we can have love and respect for “all” life then “maybe” we can have love and respect for all “human” life as well. Please take time to “think” about what I am saying. Thank you so much for checking out my Thought for Today and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.

Oran “Juice” Jones (Hit song: “I saw you (and him) walking in the rain” with Brett Jolly