I don’t care where you are, right about now there’s a “Quiet
Storm” mix on your local radio station. I know the DMV is saying, “Yeah, we
created the Quiet Storm,” and that is true. However, if you were within earshot
of WBLS in New York, you had Vaughn Harper guiding you through the night. His
velvety smooth voice, those songs I was too young to be listening to and too wrong to be putting on my GTD
mixtapes, were the perfect elixir to lonely nights, long car rides and of
course, the get busy hours. I’m pretty sure you think the person holding down “Quiet
Storm” segment in your area is doing their thing; that may be, but Vaughn Harper
is a legend. I clearly remember the nights of hearing Luther, followed by
Marvin, followed by Freddie, followed by Anita, finished up by “Let’s Wait
Awhile”…messing up my action.
Don’t they all start with “Smokey Robinson’s song “Quiet Storm”?
See, the “Quiet Storm” is more than radio programming; it’s
a staple in Black music, which makes it part of Black culture, so to be at the
top of that game creates a special place for you. Vaughn Harper is that type of
dude, Google him and check his credentials, YouTube him and feel the magic. I’ve
been living on the outside of radio frequencies from New York for over five
years now and I don’t get that same feeling listening to the “Quiet Storm” here
in Philly, in fact, I’m not even sure if that’s what it’s called.
My point being, it’s just not as attractive as what I grew
up listening to. Often on rides back from NYC, I just want to hear of taste of
the past, but Vaughn Harper has been replaced with Keith Sweat and I’m not a
fan. It was something about tuning my dial to 107.5 and letting the music do
the work for me, all the while feeding my appetite for great music. Come on
now, don’t act like you can hear “Adore” or “Starship” and not feel some type
of way? 
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