Why from 6 a.m. well into the 10-2 spot reserved for Michel Wright today on WPGC hundreds called, stopped by, or stayed put to listen, is because Donnie Simpson has been a great man to so many for so many years.
I'm sure my story isn't all that unique, but know that the dude is singular for me. As I child I loved Michael Jackson, Sugar Ray Leonard, John Riggins and Donnie Simpson. He was the voice 'til I was 10, and the face from then on. The crazy part is that if you heard his sign off, you were late for school or work. But we HAD to hear "Jesus is Love" signifying the close of the show. A man not afraid of ending a secular show with a gospel song was and remains a rare thing. But he is just that-rare. He was my first music teacher. He was the one who made you look for the album cuts on a record beyond the singles. Donnie and Candi Shannon were my day time voices and Melvin Lindsay tucked us in at night. When BET arrived, we not only had black videos to balance all the pop music on MTV, we had a dashing, warm-spirited Black role model to emanate right along with those. While Nina, JJ, Alan, Martha, and Mark filled MTV's days, we had DONNIE. And that was just fine.
At my very first concert, I got to meet him. And as he signed my Prince Lovesexy program, I told him that my brother and I would be on his couch one day. He signed encouraging words for my "promising" music career. (Hey a man CAN dream, right?!!)
When I went off to college, Donnie left the home we knew him from to go off to the enemy. What hurt the CITY, I believe, was the fact that Radio One wouldn't pay the money that would keep him in a Black owned station. We simultaneously celebrated with him that he had the biggest paycheck in radio at the time. He was blazing trails and doing it with a green-eyed smile.
I fight with calling him mine and happily sharing him with such a big world. All the musicians I love, LOVED Donnie-which only validated why I was fans of theirs and how Divinely touched he is.
As he exited with one last "Jesus is Love" spin today, I was emotional, but happy to have a fellow fan do the crying for me. A signficant amount of years behind me, she affirmed for me, "yes, the CITY will mourn the death of the legendary 6:00 to 10:00." We'll see Donnie somewhere soon, I know. But mornings will NEVER be the same here.
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