Billy Vera

An interview with the legendary Billy Vera....... While there had been a few interracial performances in the Big Band Era, “Storybook Children” broke the interracial barrier in the realm of pop, R&B, and love ballads. However, it was too soon for television; the fear and myopia of the programming executives of the day would not allow the duo to perform on national TV. The song became a hit regionally in many parts of the nation, but it only reached the mid-charts nationwide. “Storybook Children” opened the door for Vera to achieve one of his lifelong dreams to perform at the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem; 40 years later, his photo is still displayed in the lobby. Subsequently such legendary performers as Lou Rawls, Dolly Parton, Robert Plant, and Bonnie Raitt recorded Vera’s songs. He hit the charts himself in the '80s singing his songs, "I Can Take Care of Myself" and "At This Moment." One of those magic moments that make history occurred when Michael J. Fox, the star of the television show Family Ties, brought the show’s producer, Michael Whitehorn, to see Vera perform at At My Place, a small nightclub in Santa Monica. With the help of Family Ties, “At This Moment” became the number-one hit in the nation in 1987. Listen to some of his new music: www.adistinctivestyle.com/i/73080/13