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[0:10] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's the round table with me, Robert Bannon. Shout out to all of the boss ladies out there. Yes, Ms. Robbie from Sweetie Pies is here, and we love her. Why do I love her? Yes, she's an entrepreneur. Yeah, she's overcome adversity. Yeah, she's a singer. Yes, but I love food, y'all. Do you like food? What's your favorite food? I talk about my family in Detroit a lot because, well, they're my family. They're my in-laws out there. And in the interview, I shout out my Auntie Maureen, Dia and Deedra, and I leave out poor Samantha. So, Samantha, I'm giving you this shout out before you hear it in this interview. I was so excited to have Miss Robbie on because Mr. Robbie has a new single.

And if you know Miss Robbie from Sweetie Pies, you know that she may have a new show coming out. She may have a new restaurant in St. Louis, she may have a new skincare line. She is a survivor. She never gives up. She fights hard, and she's definitely inspirational. So of course I needed to talk to her. And of course, I needed to help to cook. Like how to make something worth eating. You know, you just gotta check out this chat. It's a good one. Right here on the round table. Let me tell you, I have never been more excited, and the people in my life have never been more excited. You know, my in-laws are in Detroit. And my Aunt Maureen and her three daughters, Jidra and Dia, and they are the biggest fans of Sweetie.

They started their own catering company because of Miss Robbie called Jamaican Soul because of the way she throws down in the kitchen. And they were spanned out. I've never been more involved in my family, have been more excited than to have Miss Robbie here. And when I tell you she has a new song where she's the boss lady with a video, hey, she doesn't. There's no hate, and she's the boss lady. Miss Robbie is here. Welcome to the show.

[2:09] Ms. Robbie: Hello, hello. I am I can hear you and I can see you, and you are gorgeous.

[2:17] Robert Bannon: Oh, thank you, darling. Thank you so much. I am such a fan. The song is out. It has almost a hundred thousand streams on YouTube. It's blowing up the charts. Congratulations.

[2:31] Ms. Robbie: Thank you. Thank you. I'm so happy. I am so happy and excited for blowing up the charts. I hope it keeps getting bigger and bigger. Boss Lady is out right now. And after watching the video, all I thought was, I want to go shopping with you.

[2:46] Ms. Robbie: I want to be dripping in Gucci.

[2:48] Robert Bannon: You, Robert, you'll get in trouble if you shop with me.

[2:55] Ms. Robbie: I heard a rumor that when you go to a city, you say, take me to that fancy mall. You love to go to the store.

[3:04] Robert Bannon: I love shopping. I need money. I need money, but I love to shop. I make it work. I tell you that.

[3:12] Robert Bannon: Well, your career as a singer goes back with some of the most iconic voices, literally in the world. If it's Ike and Tina Turner, if it's Streisand, if it's the Stones, if it's Stevie Wonder, when did you start singing?

[3:28] Ms. Robbie: Well, I sang from 15 years old, but we were a do-wop group in front of the—I grew up in the projects. We were a do-wop group sitting singing under the lamp post, and from there got a job as a group with a member of a group about four or five groups then decided to go with Ike and Tina and that started all the background singing and things like that. I read that you called working with Ike and Tina like going to school, like they made you work. You learned how to perform with them.

[3:34] Ms. Robbie: We called it Turner University. If you went to Turner University, you came out with an education. I don't think any gym workout will ever compete to what you all used to have to do on stage with them.

[3:34] Ms. Robbie: Right, but you know Robert, at that time it was just fun. I mean, we were young and we could do all that stuff, but now it's definitely a workout. But I tell everybody I got one tail feather left and I can still shake it.

[3:34] Robert Bannon: What about people like Stevie Wonder and Streisand and the Stones? Do you ever go to the supermarket and hear music that you're singing background on?

[3:34] Ms. Robbie: A couple of times, yeah, and I'm like, like, so you just have to song I sang on. Yeah, I love it. It's amazing.

[3:34] Robert Bannon: While you're listening to us, make sure you stream Boss Lady wherever music is heard and follow Miss Robbie on Instagram at Miss Robbie Sweetie Pie on IG so you can stay updated because the rumor is there's an album coming out.

[3:34] Ms. Robbie: There's an album. We're working on an album, opening a new restaurant. I'm becoming a developer. I'm trying to develop an area. I got a lot of things. Gonna do my skincare line. So I got a lot of things. All I need to do is live.

[5:30] Robert Bannon: Well, we're not—you're not going anywhere, Miss Robbie. You got a lot of work.

[5:34] Ms. Robbie: I'm claiming 104 at least.

[5:37] Robert Bannon: Let's go.

[5:38] Ms. Robbie: Yes, that's fine. So home in St. Louis, a new restaurant in St. Louis and rebuilding the area of St. Louis. How important is it, the community of St. Louis to give it new housing, new restaurants, new business that you're a part of redeveloping this great city?

[5:56] Ms. Robbie: It's very important. I mean, they're trying to build St. Louis back up. When I was younger, this area that I'm trying to redevelop had nothing but business, and people lived on top of the business. So I'm trying to bring that back a little bit. Build housing, bring other business, Sweetie Pies. We got an event center. So we just trying to re-bring St. Louis back up. At one time, St. Louis was the home of the blues, and we're trying to do that again.

[6:25] Robert Bannon: Well, I'm here for it. And your blues album, when it comes out, we'll be streaming it over here in Jersey. I promise you that much.

[6:32] Ms. Robbie: Thank you, darling.

[6:33] Robert Bannon: Thank you so much, Robert. Miss Robbie, I have to talk to you about this. You went through a medical crisis, which really led you to the kitchen.

[6:33] Ms. Robbie: Yes.

[6:43] Robert Bannon: How did food become a big part of your life? What from singing to the kitchen?

[6:47] Ms. Robbie: Well, you know, my mom was an excellent cook. She had nine kids. I was the oldest, and she kind of taught me. But when we were on the road with Ike and Tina, everything was segregated. So when we would get the opportunity to cook, we had a hot plate with two burners and electric skillet. And if we got called a kitchenette, they had a little kitchen. We would prepare food. So I had the most experience. My mama had more kids than anybody, so I knew how to cook. So we would cook. And so when I got a health problem and decided I have to stop singing, I'm like, well, everybody seems to like my food, so I'm gonna try that. And in fact, I tell in the high school, I took up—we called it commercial cooking back there.

Now it's culinary, but back in the days it was called commercial cooking. And so I did that in high school. So I resorted to that between the two, my mom's recipes and my traveling on the road, tasting all these different foods, kind of put them together and opened up Sweetie Pies. And that's it.

[7:54] Robert Bannon: And look, I stole some pictures off the internet. Come on, Miss Robbie. I want this mac and cheese and this peach cobbler, and I want all of the goodness that you—I can barely boil water, Miss Robbie.

[8:05] Ms. Robbie: Oh, well, I have to teach you. And then plus, Miss Robbie's got a cookbook out. And if you call me up, I'll help you with anything you need to cook.

[8:14] Robert Bannon: Listen, seriously, I'm getting married next year. And my partner is in Detroit, and you know, Detroit, they throw down there in the kitchen too.

[8:25] Ms. Robbie: They do, they do.

[8:26] Robert Bannon: But St. Louis, we gotta come try our cooking at Sweetie Pies.

[8:30] Ms. Robbie: All right, that's a promise. I told the story beforehand about my Auntie Maureen that started—you really did inspire her to start her own business. You must hear from women, especially it's Black History Month, women of color, women who have become their own bosses. You inspire a whole generation of entrepreneurs out there, and that's an honor.

[8:51] Ms. Robbie: People tell me all the time, I haven't had this since my grandmother. And I'll say, but did you get the recipe? And most of them don't, so that's me trying to keep soul food living, keep that brand going on because there's nothing like a home-cooked meal. Now you can cut back on the butter, but I use lots of butter and sugar as sweet advice.

[9:13] Robert Bannon: I'm gonna come to St. Louis. I'm in. So in the meantime, we could get our share of you with the song and with the upcoming albums. What was it like when you stepped back in the recording studio to do this song?

[9:26] Ms. Robbie: Well, you know, it was kind of difficult at first because at one time I had to have surgery on my vocal cords, so I'm still kind of struggling with that, but I'm like, I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it. I don't care how it sounds, I'm just gonna do the best I can. And it turned out pretty good. I'm kind of proud of it.

[9:44] Robert Bannon: I think it sounds beautiful. You're up there singing up in the heavens, you're belting and singing and giving us great vocals and a great message. When this song came to you, the message of the song about positive vibes only, about being in charge of your own life, about taking control of and overcoming adversity. You are preaching, really, for all of us.

[10:07] Ms. Robbie: I'm just telling it like it is. I mean, these are things that I've experienced, and it's this is a woman's song because I'm a boss lady, but I mean, it was all the things I experienced trying to do my business, trying to, you know, a lot of things I did, even as a singer that I didn't want to, but I had to do it, and so look at me now. So that's the message. Look at me now. I can do what I want to do when I want to.

[10:32] Robert Bannon: Yes, that's—listen, you gotta listen to watch the video just for the Bentley and the clothes, and she is singing looks and hair and makeup and all in this video. You did not miss an inch of something fabulous.

[10:32] Ms. Robbie: Thank you, Robert.

[10:51] Robert Bannon: You talk about skincare line. Your skin is stunning and gorgeous. So what is the secret? What do we do?

[10:57] Ms. Robbie: Well, we're gonna put the secret in the skincare line, but I tell everybody chicken grease.

[11:02] Robert Bannon: Love that chicken.

[11:04] Ms. Robbie: You have to fry a lot of chicken to look like this.

[11:09] Robert Bannon: Listen, this skin cracks here over here. So I need all the help.

[11:14] Ms. Robbie: I have to give you some of my chicken grease to help you out.

[11:20] Ms. Robbie: You've only just begun. The next chapter is right around the corner. So I tell everybody all you need is what another day to live, and you can pursue any dream that you want, and you can make it happen. It's your dream, you dreaming it, make it happen.

[11:37] Robert Bannon: Well, from my family to you and to my extended family out there in the Midwest. We love you. We root for you, we cheer for you. We are such fans of what you do.

[11:48] Ms. Robbie: Thank you so much, Robert. We love you too. Thank you, and God bless you.

[11:52] Robert Bannon: God bless you. Thank you, everybody. Back at you. Follow Miss Robbie on Instagram at Miss Robbie Sweetie Pie and stream Boss Lady wherever Boss Lady is heard, wherever you listen to music. Find the video on YouTube and be on the lookout. New restaurant, new skincare line, new album. Maybe a new TV show. I hear Miss Robbie. I don't know. It's in the working. So we're crossing our fingers. So you better stay online, get online and follow. Maybe you stay up to date.

[12:01] Ms. Robbie: And thank you.

[12:20] Robert Bannon: Thank you so much for—thank you for having me. Bye-bye.

[12:25] Robert Bannon: She looks damn good for 84, and she is claiming 104. And I believe that she's gonna make it. She's putting out a blues album at 84 and cooking and a skincare line. And when I tell you you see that music video and she's dripping in Gucci from head to toe, you know, the only other guest who wore Gucci like that was Kelly Price, the R&B superstar Grammy winner. And I am a sucker for a label. I know, I know I should save my money. I know that the clothes are the same at the Marshalls and the Target and the Walmart as they are at the Gucci and the Saks and the Louis store. But you know, something's just so beautiful. Did you see—if you would have seen Miss Robbie? She was wearing this leather sh—come on Miss Robbie, dripping in all of those clothes.

[13:09] Robert Bannon: Oh my goodness. Well, I'm gonna try to perfect my water boiling, and then one day I'll actually try to cook something. No, I'm kidding. I could cook scrambled eggs and turkey bacon. You—I appreciate you all for being here. We have a big giant week here on the round table. I love you all so much for being a part of this show. Make sure to follow me at Robert M. Bannon. Go to RobertBannon.com for more information. Listen to us every day on the round table. So many great interviews are on its way. It's the time and the season to shine. The best is yet to come. See you all again next time. Bye everyone.