Coming this Fall 2024!

Reign of the Jingle Queen – From Jingles to Singles richly tells the story of the life of a woman whose groundbreaking career as a music producer was interwoven with many of the most beloved performing artists and public figures of our time. Imagine creating some of the most memorable music of the Golden Age of Advertising. Imagine being Black. And being a woman.

This is a book about friends and colleagues, lovers, and family. And though many have passed away, it is not a eulogy, neither an epitaph to these great voices, nor is it a tell-all celebrity-hunting expedition. Rather it is the true story of the one person – the only person who had the capacity, determination, qualifications, and resilience to become the first Jingle Queen, and how she did it.

-Darryl Tookes

Excerpts from the book

BIRTH OF THE WOO

There was a raspy-ness in Luther’s voice because of his cold, I wanted to utilize that by having him create a sizzling vocal sound that started low in his register and slowly rise up to the top of his range, when he sang that word hot. It’s called “word-painting”.

I must admit, the first time he did it I said to no one in particular, “Luther, what the hell was that?” Everyone in the control room burst out laughing, and Luther thought it was because we

loved it. NOT!!

THERE’S NOTHING FINER THAN AUNT JEMIMA

WELL…we all sat there with our mouths open, wondering who this Black woman was who had taken over David Lasley’s body and was singing the Aunt Jemima jingle like it had never been sung! When he finished, no one moved. Then all the Black folks busted out laughing. We were hysterical! Tears were streaming down our faces. David, sensitive creative artist that he is, looking very hurt, whispered…” Was it THAT bad?”

JANET JACKSON, DEBARGE AND MOUNTAIN DEW

I rarely did final mixes in L.A. unless I was working with Donnie Hahn or Bruce Swedien. After the session Janet Jackson begged me to take her and Chico Debarge to lunch so they could spend some time together. I sat across from them for almost an hour, watching them make googly eyes at each other. I thought to myself , with a touch of jealousy at their innocence, “If you two only knew what a real relationship is like”, desperately wishing they were 21 and we were sitting in a bar, where at least I could numb the experience with alcohol.

LUTHER MEET ROBERTA

In my mind I kept hearing Luther Vandross and Roberta Flack in a duet and knew the result would be wonderful. I remember Luther and I in the studio waiting for her to arrive. He was a nervous wreck. “Deb, should I call her Miss Flack or Roberta?” I said, “Let me put it this way, Luther. You’re being paid scale; she’s getting 5 figures”. He laughed and said, “Miss Flack it is!”

LAKESIDE

Most of the guys understood, except the guitar player. He wasn’t having it. The guitar part he wanted to play was not working for me. At one point I told him if he didn’t play the part the way I wanted it, I would take his name off the contract and overdub the guitar part in New York. No work, no $$. He said, go ahead, I don’t care. And then he added, “This music is sh*t anyway”. Silence. This brutha (spelling intentional) then stood up and threw his guitar across the studio. I froze. The engineer froze. The band froze.

CHARLIE WILSON

And yes, Charlie Wilson was “all that”, and more! He kept me in stitches. He complained the commercial was too short. He yelled into the mic, “That’s it, Deb? There’s no more music? What the…?”

I replied into the talkback mic, “Charlie, there’s a lady in the room”. “Where?” he quickly answered and burst out laughing. He didn’t care we had just met. He was Charlie Wilson, being Charlie Wilson.