When you are born with the voice of an angel like my spiritual ‘Mother Of The Future’ Jean Carne, you only use it wisely to charm the birds out of the trees and make a grown man cry. I have so much love for this woman who for me is the first lady of Philadelphia International Records. She started off her singing career with her to be husband Doug Carn in the late 1960’s and early 70’s, making three albums on the conscious Black Jazz label. She shared an apartment block in Chicago with Earth Wind & Fire hence Jean recording on their first two albums on Warner Brothers in the early 1970’s before their CBS  deal. Jean had a stint working with Norman Connors collaborating with bassist Micheal Henderson on ‘Valentine Love’ and laying down those ghost like vocals on ‘Mother of The Future’. Jean was practically headhunted by Kenny Gamble who heard her sing ‘Infant Eyes’ whilst recording previously with Doug Carn. When he set up PIR Jean Carn was on his hit-list. Jean recorded 4 amazing albums with Gamble & Huff working closely also with McFadden & Whitehead and Victor Caststrophen. She then had a one album deal with Motown a dream move with the album ‘Trust Me’, produced by her friend Norman Connors. Jean was also an integral part of  The New York Jazz Explosion with Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith and Tom Browne. Jean has worked with many artists including the late George Duke and Grover Washington Jnr, and her voice has never wavered. Jean has always been a consummate performing artist who engages with her audience and capture them with her humour. I’m blessed that Jean told the whole of Blackpool Luxury Soul Weekender in Jan 2008 that my questions for our interview were some of the most intelligent she’d been asked in over 30 years. She remarked that they really made her remember what she had done and had previously forgotton. Jean is a big supporter of The Soul Survivors Magazine and has on two occasions stopped her shows and plugged the magazine shamelessly  in front of audiences from 500-1000 people ..Nice one Jean. We have become as friendly as super a soul survivor she is and the music enthusiast that I am can be and I’m happy to have been instrumental in hooking Jean up with Southport 50 with 48hours notice to perform in the Funkbase, when two major acts cancelled 24 hours before the event started. Needless to say Jean tore the roof off considering she was a last minute cancellation stand in. For some of those reasons and then some is why Jean is being honour at our Soul Survivors Awards 17th Feb 2017, for her 40 plus years of ‘Sweet & Wonderful’ love!!