Sean Combs
Not all of us have a full comprehension of Sean Combs’ talents, but this man — who has changd his name more often than Black people have chosen what they wish to be called — has had an extraordinarily high success rate.

It seems that everything the producer, rapper, record company owner, songwriter, actor, clothing line mogul, etc. touches turns to gold. He deserves the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that he will be honored with on May 2.

Recently, Combs was asked for a response to those who criticize the situation that makes it possible for artists to take a shortcut to stardom via reality TV shows such as “Making the Band” (which Combs is heavily involved with from a business standpoint) and, of course, “American Idol.”
“I think it’s a new time and a new age,” said Combs diplomatically. “And I think that what maybe 20 years ago wouldn’t be cool is okay now.”

Two groups closely affiliated with Combs, Danity Kane and Day26, just had No. 1 albums on the national charts as a direct result of their success on “Making the Band.”

THESE DAYS, perhaps especially in the entertainment business, it is a good idea to not, as the old saying goes, “put all of your eggs in one basket.” Combs knows all about the value of that kind of diversity. If things are not going so hot in one area, the artist has several other areas to focus on.

Vanessa Williams, spotlighted in the current issue of Ebony magazine, is another hugely successful artist committed to using a multi-dimensional approach to her career. Blessed with an abundance of talent and a willingness to work very hard — and her looks don’t hurt either! — Williams has found massive, enduring success as a singer, recording artist, and actress on television, in films and on the Broadway stage.

Willliams is the ultimate comeback story. She went from being the first Miss America to be forced to relinquish the title due to a (so-called) “scandal” to becoming the most successful and famous former Miss America of all time. She indeed has, to borrow the title from her first hit record, “the right stuff.”

SPEAKING of divas (in this case, superdiva), it is our hope that by the time you read this, Nancy Wilson will have made a full recovery. You probably heard that she was hospitalized with a collapsed lung.

In addition to being an outstanding songstress, Wilson is a nice person. And her performance of “Someone to Watch Over Me” on the Ella Fitzgerald special that aired fairly recently on PBS (Channel 56 in Detroit) was nothing less than magnificent.

Jill Scott is one of those singer/songwriters who stand apart from all other artists. Under no circumstances does she follow the crowd. On her latest album, “The Real Thing: Words and Sounds, Vol. 3,” there is, believe it or not, a song titled “Celibacy Blues.” (Had the word “celibacy” ever been used in a song?) At one point Scott says, “It’s been hard to sleep at night.”
Simon Cowell, the often caustic judge on “American Idol,” is very excited about Leona Lewis, the Black singer from England. He feels that she has “superstar” written all over her. Lewis won on the British talent competition TV show called “The X Factor,” which is very much like “American Idol.”

THERE IS obviously still a lot of mileage left in the career of the legendary Aretha Franklin, who became an icon a long time ago. She recently did two concerts at New York City’s famous Radio City Music Hall. They were sellouts, meaning 11,918 people saw the shows, which combined pulled in an impressive $896,290.

Desiree Cooper, who writes a column in the Detroit Free Press, hit the nail on the head when she wrote a while back, “Writers are often people with troubled souls, observant eyes, and quirky personalities.” (Actually, all creative people are “different.” Often fun, too, if they feel comfortable.)

Hearing that Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z had married came as no surprise. Initially, they seemed to be an unlikely couple with regard to anything long-lasting. But as time passed, it became obvious that they are connected in all the right ways and are in it for the long haul. The exact same things can be said about Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri.

On a light note, I just heard a country song by Travis Tritt called “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’.”

BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW…that Ray Charles, in his completely honest autobiography, “Brother Ray,” said he “got next to many Raelets,” not just Margie Hendrix.

MEMORIES: “Cruisin’” (Smokey Robinson), “When Will I See You Again?” (the Three Degrees), “Hollywood” (Rufus featuring Chaka Khan), “Music, Music, Music” (the Sensations), “Turning Point” (Tyrone Davis), “Somebody Else’s Guy” (Jocelyn Brown), “I’ll Give All My Love to You” (Keith Sweat), “That’s How Heartaches Are Made” (Baby Washington), “I Just Wanna Stop” (Gino Vannelli), “Summer Madness” (Kool & the Gang).

BLESSINGS to Pam Williams, Ernest Maddox, Randi Payton, Barbara Maddox, William Guest, Andre Smith, Damon Williams, Pamela Woodside and Mario Marrow.

WORDS OF THE WEEK, from Al Gore: “It is difficult to get a person to understand something when their salary and entire way of life depends on their not understanding it.”

Let the music play!

(Steve Holsey may be reached at Svh517@aol.com and P.O. Box 02843, Detroit, MI 48202.)