- Hello everybody, I'm Satori Shakoor.

Welcome to "Detroit Performs: Live from Marygrove," where Detroit's talented artists take the stage and share insights into their performances.

This episode is curated by Detroit great, Michelle May, who among the many other things she does, organizes the Boston Edison and Indian Village neighborhood concerts.

We'll hear all about it from Michelle and the top-notch artists she's brought with her.

All ahead on "Detroit Performs Live: From Marygrove."

- [Promoter] Funding for "Detroit Performs" is provided by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Gregory Haynes and Richard Sonenklar, The Kresge Foundation, the A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Foundation, the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you, thank you.

(upbeat music) - Hello everyone and welcome to "Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove."

It's my absolute pleasure to be sitting here with Michelle May who curated today's episode.

Hi Michelle.

- Hi, I'm so happy to be here.

- Yes, you are a force in the city.

- Oh, well thank you very much, I try.

(chuckles) - Yeah well, you brought great musicians today and they're very eclectic.

- Yes.

- Different styles of music.

- Yes.

- So is this part of your enjoyment, different styles of music?

Or they were just so outstanding?

- Absolutely, so I was very intentional about who I picked, and part of it was because my own musical playlist is very eclectic.

I listened to literally some of everything and I really wanted this to represent who I am as a musician and also my own interests in music.

So first we have Ron English.

So Ron English is a master jazz musician, jazz guitarist.

He's a veteran of the industry.

He's very knowledgeable about jazz history.

And he's also a wonderful teacher too.

And so he's just really, really amazing.

And he really is very much steeped in making sure that people know about the music, especially younger people too.

So I'm very, very happy to have him on.

Julianne Ankley, contemporary country music, her music is just so warm and soulful.

And the messages in her music are so uplifting.

She's a master storyteller with her lyrics.

And you know country music is about the storytelling.

And so she really resonates with me as a woman and making sure that when she speaks and when you see her perform that you're having all the emotions.

And so she's really awesome, award-winning, very much glad to have her here.

- The musicians that you curated today, are they part of the Boston Edison series or do you book other places?

- Absolutely, so they have been, and they will be.

In addition to the two neighborhoods that I, you know, curate concerts for, I'm also the music curator for the congregation which is a wonderful former church that was renovated and is now a coffee house and community space and is absolutely awesome.

I've had Ron English, he has been at the congregation a couple of times, and then Julianne Ankley, I had her on the Boston Edison twice.

And so again, you know, Detroit is so rich in our artistry and musicianship and you know, I have a wide pool to choose from.

And it's not just within Detroit, it's Detroit and surrounding areas.

So I've never had a lack for musicians for those.

- Thank you so much for curating this episode.

So now we're gonna head to the stage and see our first phenomenal performance.

("I Know It Was The Blood") ("Meadowlark") - We are back from that extraordinary performance by Ron English, hi Ron.

- Hi Satori.

- So what were the two songs that you played?

One was an original, I know - Right, the the first one we did was the old spiritual, "I Know It Was the Blood."

It has a great deal of personal significance to me and it's just something I've always liked from when I...

I think I first heard it at St. Paul, AME Zion on Dexter with my wife's family's church.

And the second one was a piece of mine, a jazz waltz titled "Meadowlark."

I always find something new to play in it and even though I wrote it several decades ago I mean several decades ago and I still find new things to improvise on in it.

- And how did you get started in music?

- My father was a guitar teacher and he wisely did not really teach me himself.

He had a studio, and he employed a couple of other teachers and he sent me to someone else for the first two years.

And then I got in a little group playing square dance music and old swing tunes and every kind of music with two guitars and bass and a steel guitar.

And I'm of a generation that remembers the excitement of bebop jazz.

- Okay.

- And I remember, I think I was in about the 10th grade when Charlie Parker Bird died.

And, you know I didn't have any real sense of what that meant but just knew that, boy, these records were cool.

And, you know, later on I got a more appreciation for popular music as I got involved with Motown.

You know, also hearing blues on the clear channel station from Nashville, WLAC.

- Thank you so much Mr. English.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

- All right, and we're gonna head right back to the stage to see another extraordinary performance.

(soft guitar music) ♪ On the shore is a beacon ♪ ♪ Of crumbling bricks ♪ ♪ Faded white ♪ ♪ Stormy nights ♪ ♪ When the fog rolls in ♪ ♪ You can see ♪ ♪ Its eery light ♪ ♪ And if I were alive right now I'd be so tired of climbing ♪ ♪ These stairs to my eternal mission called ♪ ♪ And if it wasn't for the night ♪ ♪ I took your secrets to my grave ♪ ♪ Wouldn't be here at all ♪ ♪ Well I guess you were bigger ♪ ♪ Than the strength I had to live ♪ ♪ Twisted lies all dressed up in kindness ♪ ♪ What you told my next of kin ♪ ♪ And if I were alive right now I'd be so tired of climbing ♪ ♪ These stairs to my eternal mission called ♪ ♪ And if it wasn't for the night ♪ ♪ I took your secrets to my grave ♪ ♪ I wouldn't be here at all ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Every wave of Lake Eron ♪ ♪ Finds its way ♪ ♪ To the shore ♪ ♪ And every night I climb this tower ♪ ♪ To shine the light forever more ♪ ♪ You'll hear my cry forever more ♪ ♪ And if I were alive right now I'd be so tired of climbing ♪ ♪ These stairs to my eternal mission called ♪ ♪ And if it wasn't for the night, I took your secrets ♪ ♪ To my grave ♪ ♪ Wouldn't be here at all ♪ (upbeat guitar music) ♪ Is it a pink sunrise ♪ ♪ Or a red sunset ♪ ♪ Just the thought of blue eyed boys ♪ ♪ That you haven't met yet ♪ ♪ Is it a summer's kiss ♪ ♪ Tell me what you wish ♪ ♪ Is it holdin onto a dream long after your friends say quit ♪ ♪ Find what makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you groove ♪ ♪ What makes you put on your favorite shoes ♪ ♪ Walk with attitude find what makes you dance yeah ♪ ♪ Is it a girls night out ♪ ♪ Or a girls night in ♪ ♪ What's it gonna take to make you stay up late ♪ ♪ To let the fun begin ♪ ♪ Find what makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you groove ♪ ♪ What makes you put on your favorite shoes ♪ ♪ Walk with attitude ♪ ♪ Find what makes you dance what makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you dance ♪ ♪ Just close your eyes ♪ ♪ Grab a glass of wine ♪ ♪ Turn the music up ♪ ♪ It'll all be fine if you find what makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you groove ♪ ♪ What makes you put on your favorite shoes ♪ ♪ Walk with attitude ♪ ♪ Find what makes you dance what makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you groove ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ What makes you put on your favorite shoes ♪ ♪ Walk with attitude ♪ ♪ Find what makes you dance what makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you dance yeah ♪ ♪ Find what makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you groove ♪ ♪ What makes you put on your favorite shoes ♪ ♪ Walk with attitude ♪ ♪ Find what makes you dance what makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you dance ♪ ♪ Find what makes you dance what makes you dance ♪ ♪ What makes you dance yeah ♪ ♪ Find what makes you dance ♪ - We are back from the stage with Julianne Ankley.

How are you, Julianne?

- I'm well, thank you.

It's great to be here.

- So how did you get started in music?

- Oh gosh, it's kind of a a funny story.

I didn't start right away.

I would sing everywhere I went as a child everywhere.

In fact, I had three brothers that would tell me to be quiet because I was making too much noise all the time.

But I didn't pursue a music career until a little later in life.

So probably in my 30s.

- And can you just describe the kind of music that you make?

- Well, it's always been difficult to put into a category.

It's somewhere in between Americana, singer songwriter, country, pop, rock, all of those things.

- Okay.

And and do you write your own music?

- I do, I do.

I put a couple different covers on my albums over the years but probably 99% of the songs on my albums I either written as a solo write or co-written.

- So what songs are we hearing from you today?

- So today I just released a music video for the first song that I performed over in the theater and that's called, "The Ghost of the "Fort Gratiot Lighthouse," which is a lighthouse in Port Huron, Michigan.

It's the oldest lighthouse in Michigan.

Was built in 1836 and still standing, still functional today.

And there's always been lots and lots of rumors about ghosts in the lighthouse.

And I was at a songwriting retreat in like 2011 and I was asked to write a song about the ghost of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.

And I released it on my last album.

And the album went on to win the Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Country album.

There's a brand new song that I just played here for the first time.

The song is called, "What Makes You Dance."

And I wrote it and recorded it in Nashville, Tennessee.

I wrote it with a fellow by the name of Craig Eck.

We'd been friends for a few years and decided to see what we could do in the writing world.

And it's a really fun, upbeat, happy song that just talks about finding that thing that makes you happy it makes you dance.

- Thank you so much, Julianne.

It was pleasure speaking with you and listening to your beautiful music.

- Thank you.

- And thank you for joining us at "Detroit Performs Live: From Marygrove."

And we'll see you next time.

- [Promoter] Funding for "Detroit Performs," is provided by the Fred A.

And Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Gregory Haynes and Richard Sonenklar, The Kresge Foundation, the A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Foundation, the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat jazz music) (soft piano music)