When asked what inspired Thulani to produce the track, Sweet Blessings Remix her response was moving. “When I first heard the tune from Jerome Brailey I got chills up and down my spine because it was a diamond in the rough. I immediately got his permission to do something with it for I knew from hearing it that it was Garry’s last plea to God before he left this earth. Having his roots in Gospel, spirituality and his strong belief in God, I could feel the tone in his voice, the desperation and pain because by that time he was very sick, passing away 3 years later.
I immediately started working on it. I called up my bandmate and master guitarist Larry Marsden and when he heard it, he instantly fell in love with it and said that if this was for Garry he was definitely in for it would be an honor! I then called up Rob Mitchell from Mitchell studios here in the Bronx, NY and instantly we started working.
Let me tell you, it was a lot of work because Garry had originally recorded this on an ADat and his original voice was not very audible. I had to completely arrange the track into a real tune (verse chorus, verse chorus, adlib out)…it was just him vibing and rifting throughout the entire track. I chopped it up and ran it through a few programs, boosting up the volume levels and duplicated his vocals “Lead me in the path of righteous” because that was a very strong hook. In addition I put his widow Linda’s OOoo’s and duplicated them in the verses because with the two of them singing together it was a wrap! Then I sang on top of him in layers and made a duet out of it. Later we infused the United Funk Order stank funk, my signature sounds and riffs. Often I would come back home 1 a.m. and sometimes 4 a.m. in the morning because it just had to be right. My manager would tell me that although they saw the vision of the Unforgettable theme with Natalie Cole and her father I still needed to slow down because I became obsessed with it. A few months and 9 Versions later it was complete, I just had to make it right for my funk hero and for his family. It was never about me it was a drive something pulling me to finish this to the best of my ability. It was about Garry, my fellow bandmate and friend Linda, and the Shider family. To finally get them the money and recognition that they truly deserve. This was a pure labor of love on my part and the song speaks for itself!”
“{Sweet Blessings Remix” is a prophetic track that would evolve into a song that would become larger than all of its components including its original writers Jerome Bigfoot Brailey, Walter Smith, the late legendary Garry “Diaperman” Shider, also known as “Starchild” and his widow Linda Shider. This heartfelt track would become one of Garry’s last recordings with his wife. The song delivers a Spiritual message that takes you through the Gospel upbringing of Mr.Shider to the timeless energy of P-Funk. Along with Thulani Jeffries of NY based funk group UFO, this musical master production with eternal echoes of melodic raspiness, will reach down into your soul. Garry Shider’s vocals are so hauntingly prolific that you almost feel that he’s crying out lyrically to the Almighty before he transcended. This is a song that will notably go down in
history as one of the greatest tributes to a legendary performer and songwriter who provided the world through his music with just that a remix of true “Sweet Blessings”.
“Sweet Blessings Remix” is available on iTunes under their EP titled Fried Ice cream which features 2 other funky tracks. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fried-ice-cream-single/id733891342, http://www.rdio.com/#artist/United_Funk_Order/album/Fried_Ice_Cream/, and Reverbnation. http://www.reverbnation.com/c./poni/238980510
By LA Virgil,MBA – lavirgil2010@gmail.com
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