A friend of mine was asking me, “Who taught you how to write?” It was an innocent question directed at me, in part, because I have a published book. But, as I thought about an answer, I thought of a quotation by Malcolm X where he talks about us as human beings being products of every single experience we’ve been through. Growing up in my neighborhood in Asheboro, NC, music was ubiquitous. It floated through the air nearly every place I went. Some of the deepest lyrics in the History of mankind floated right by my ears during my childhood and teenage years. Two of those lines are found in The Spinners’ “Love Don’t Love Nobody,” when they sing, “It takes a fool to learn that love don’t love nobody. It takes a fool to learn that love don’t love no one.” Anyone who has been on this Earth for a little bit, and who has experienced the pain from a relationship, knows what’s being said. As with so many things I’ve been through, in answer to my friend’s question as to who taught me how to write? I’d answer that many of the individual singers and groups that I listened to growing up, such as Barry White, Gladys Knight,  Patti Labelle, Marvin Gaye, Al Green and The Spinners, taught me as much about writing as anyone. The depth of their lyrics eventually found a way to bleed into my writing. They were, and are, great teachers.