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[0:14] Robert Bannon: Well, welcome to the round table, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. You're listening to us on Broadway World or over here on the Broadway Podcast Network, and I'm very excited about our next guest. Our next guest, everybody, is no stranger to where I am right now. I'm sitting in Detroit, Michigan, right here on Seven Mile, and the work that you have done has been on radios and television stations and on movies across this entire globe, literally. And I'm so excited to be able to talk to you and welcome you to the show to talk about your good friend and also to talk about all the amazing work you've done, Isaac Leon Kennedy. Leon, you're here.

[0:50] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Well, Robert, thank you so much for having me and congratulations on all the great work that you've been doing and your legion of fans. And my heart goes out to you.

[1:03] Robert Bannon: Well, that means a lot to me because you are somebody who has been a trailblazer on the radio, and your voice and the work you did at a young age really ushered in a new generation of music and has done a lot to emphasize music and art in general for decades now.

[1:20] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Well, you know, it's very interesting because you're there in Detroit. And as a young, still teenage disc jockey, I was Leon the Lover in Detroit on WJLB radio back in the days when you could still be a big time on the air personality. So, you know, it was not just time and temperature. Those were wonderful days. But Robert, to be a kid disc jockey and Motown was still there, and all the artists were still there, and to meet the Barry Gordys and the Supremes and Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, and I could go on and on and on. And I was privileged to be around, let's say, a songwriter, uh, Stevie or Smokey or uh Holland Dozier Holland, and they start to write a song, they get an idea, and then I was able to see that idea turn into the finished product in a session in at the studio.

And then by me being friends, I was given an exclusive to play the song on the radio. Other disc jockeys got angry, but I was given that exclusive. So it's just a wonderful time to grow up, and many of these friendships I have still had for now 60 years. I was at Barry Gordy's 95th birthday back in December. And of course, with Smokey, I go all the way back with him from the time I was 15 years old. It is amazing the career, and one of the things that I recognize and I don't take for granted in my life, and I can see in your life, sometimes being the interviewer, as I am lucky enough to get to do, and as you have done in your career, especially in the early days, you do make friends and you do meet people through interviews, and sometimes some of them stay close to you, and it's a lesson and a part of your legacy that they feel comfortable enough and friendly enough with the work that you've done to stay friends throughout your whole entire life with some of the most incredible artists of all time. I have been so just very blessed and privileged to have these friendships.

[3:33] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Uh I am going to the memorial for Sly from Sly and the Family Stone that will be held uh Tuesday, July 1st. Uh so just to have known him all the way back from when he appeared at, you know, imagine him who played at Woodstock. And by the way, I ended up at Woodstock, but that's a different story for a different time. But I first met him where he was playing at a 225 theater at Leo's Casino. Can you imagine Sly and the Family Stone in a little venue like that? And then now to go to his memorial all these years later. It it's just quite an arc that life gives you. When you look at your career, we're gonna talk about the incredible Smokey Robinson in a minute. When we when you look at your career and you transitioned, you are one of the first uh modern multi-hyphenate artists where you transitioned from radio to television, which was OUTTA SIGHT, which was a syndicated TV show, into films, and then your films.

I mean, you were the first artist to go to Cannes Film Festival of Color. You were the first person to travel the world with some of these films. Uh at that time, black exploitation films like Penitentiary were the were the thing that were going on, and it was a fringe thing to society. You know, these were not the mainstream Denzel Washington movies. You broke through the barrier of making films accessible to people who didn't see themselves in that way. How do you look back at the business and what your impact was on it now?

[5:11] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Well, Barry Gordy said to me once, you know, Leon, you are a pioneer. And unfortunately, pioneers usually don't make it to the promised land. They get ambushed. So you go through a lot of trial, tribulation, you end up kicking down a lot of doors and making it easier for other people. And I will come back and do a whole other show with you. But right now, I want to, because we have limited time, I want to get into Smokey because as I said, I've known him since I was 15 years old. And we are so very, very close. He was best man at my wedding. I was there for the birth of all of his children. They call me Uncle Leon. I could go on and on and on with the arc of our history. So knowing him as well as I know him, Robert, and knowing the nature and character of this man, I just cannot sit by and see these atrocities that have been leveled against this wonderful human being.

[6:22] Leon Isaac Kennedy: I know that you have put out a statement and a video that's on YouTube, and you have talked about specifics and the man that you know, and when what was your reaction the first time you heard it? And did you get to speak to Smokey? And did you get to offer him some words of advice and encouragement?

[6:40] Leon Isaac Kennedy: I immediately got to speak to him. I it was just a regular morning, and then I'm looking at my phone, and I got a text from my former wife, uh Jane Kennedy Overton, saying, Hey, are have you seen these accusations that are coming out on Smokey? Well, I hadn't. So I look at my phone and see Smokey Robinson accused of. So I immediately called him and said, I'm coming over. And so when Maureen and I got there, um, he was in the room, and the press conference was just getting ready to get started. So I sat with him, Robert, during this entire press conference that were full of what I will call all of these inappropriate, despicable allegations. And I was just incensed. And I was watching my friend and the expressions that went on his face as he heard these different allegations by people that he trusted and loved.

These Jane Does, they have names. I know their names. I know them well. So I don't know them as Jane Does. But he and Francis made these women part of a family. And so when you trust people, and in my opinion, overly trusted them, gave them too much leeway, gave them too much access to you and your private life and your private conversations and so on and so forth. Why? Because they were considered family. And to have someone backstab you, ambush you, take advantage of you like this, which can ruin your life, ruin your legacy, um it's just despicable to me.

[8:41] Leon Isaac Kennedy: I see that you had said that they treated these people that are making these accusations with, you know, in ways like you say, family, concerts, money, gifts, vacations. They really were on the inner in their inner sanctum of his life with him and his wife and his family. What do you think is the reason behind these accusations?

[9:05] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Robert, I think there are many reasons. Uh, one reason is a spirit of greed gets on people. They're around an affluent lifestyle, and then they can think, well, why not me? What why should I just be a maid or so-called servant or whatever way they want to look at themselves, when I can have some of this, and I can live like this. And unfortunately, Robert, we are living in a situation now where what I will call extortionist shakedowns have become a way of life, a way of life. Uh, this is going on every week, every week there are shakedowns that go against, and watch this. It's not just women coming against men. That's what we hear about the most is women coming against rich men. But soon you will be seeing men coming against other rich men, you will be seeing women coming against uh I'm sorry, you'll you'll be seeing um others coming against women. In other words, you'll see men coming against rich women because it has become a way of doing business now.

[10:30] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Now, let me break this down for you and your listeners. When someone comes with these atrocities, and you go to your lawyer, and you say, I've been accused of this, this, and this. I am completely innocent. This is just a posturous, preposterous. The lawyer will then do a calculation and state, okay, well, to defend this, it's going to cost X amount of dollars for me, which can get into the millions. It's going to take two or three years for this to finally go to court. And when you're found not guilty, by then all the damage will have been done. You will have lost X amount of deals, you will have lost X amount of money, your your career will have come to a standstill. All the momentum that you have will have stopped, and with the public image, you'll never be looked at the same.

So therefore, maybe it's a better situation to just go ahead and pay these people off. Now, this happens every single week in the society that we are now living in. So I know that you have spoken about in your press release and in your video that you stand with women, obviously, who have been abused, and you talk about people who are rightfully accused.

[11:59] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Absolutely. And that they have now tainted the water for people who really need help and really need support, because now automatically all of these fake claims and these claims that are not backed up or truthful really affect victims of real situations that are going on because people don't believe them.

[12:17] Leon Isaac Kennedy: It absolutely does, Robert. You're so on target with your statement there. Not only do I stand with women, I have also said that I personally believe that women are one of God's greatest creations. Just the way they're just wonderful, wonderful. Let me just leave it at that. So certainly I stand with women, but I also stand with anyone that has been abused or taken advantage of. I'm in ministry, I've been in ministry now for over 20 years. I have done, I can't tell you how many counseling sessions, and also what I would call deliverance or clearances with people that have trauma on them, the residue of what they've been through, the mental bashing of what they've been through. So I'm very well aware of the hurt and the underlying things that would take years, years to get rid of, especially if you don't have the proper spiritual help.

So, yes, women that have gone through something, men that have gone through something, any human being that has gone through something, I'm right there for them and want them to get healed and so on and so forth. But as you stated, these that are just coming in for a big payday, it is hurting those that have really been victims. Absolutely. And that is what I think is so powerful about what your message has been. Have you been able to speak to Smokey since then? And how is his spirits? How has he been doing?

[14:16] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Well, Smokey and I talk all the time. As recently as a couple days ago, we were talking about the basketball playoffs. So we talk all the time. As far as his spirits, Robert, he and Francis have been completely devastated by this, devastated in many ways. One is what I stated, these were family. How could they? How could they do this? How could they say this? So that's devastation number one. But devastation, and I could just go through the layers, but you're there in Detroit. While I was in Detroit, I was in Detroit two weeks ago, and I took Marine because she had never been to the Motown Museum, and I took her to the tour of the Motown Museum. And there you saw the young Smokey that was part of the architect of building Motown, one of the greatest music companies in the history of the world.

And you see this young Smokey, and you see him doing all these positive things, being a genius songwriter and being VP of Motown and so on and so forth. And this legacy is going to be forever tainted because someone is looking for a payday. It's an atrocity.

[15:40] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Well, what I was moved by your story is when I watched your video and I read the notes about it is that you now being a minister in ministry and being a man of God and having your reputation. You were not asked, you are not paid by Smokey Robinson. You're not out here as his publicist. You are a friend who puts your career and your reputation on the line because that's how much you love and know the truth and spirit of your friend.

[16:05] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Absolutely. You know, and let me break down what you just said. When you've been around someone as long as I have been around Smokey, you know their character, you know their heart, you know their inner core. You know their spirituality. Smokey is a spirit, God-fearing man. Smokey has spoken at many, many churches throughout the country, many, many rehab centers and prisons and so on and so forth around the country. He is a giving person, but even more than that, he's a person that loves people. I can't tell you how many times I have seen him go out of his way. I think more fans should write in with their personal encounters with Smokey Robinson to say, when I met him, he was like this. When I met him, he treated me this way.

I had him on a major syndicated radio show about a year ago, George Norrie, coast to coast. And Smokey went into the studio at 12 o'clock at night to do this show. And one of the things that George was so impressed about, he said to me, "Hey, Leon, at the end of the interview," and the interview was like two and a half hours, he said, "at the end of the interview, when I was taking a picture with Smokey and saying goodbye, Smokey Robinson hugged me and said, 'George, it was great to meet you.'" That is the way that this man is. He exudes love, he exudes humility. He's been a star, and I put it in the proper perspective. It's not enough to say he was a star since he was 18 because people can't really understand that perspective.

But if I say he's been a star, and his songs have been on radio from President Eisenhower all the way through to President Trump, there are very few artists that can say that with that long arc of a history of being a star. And he has always conducted himself as a righteous gentleman. You do not read about scandals and Smokey being out of control in public or in fights with people or any abusiveness or anger management or any of those negative things. You don't see that in his history. He's been under the scrutiny of a public spotlight since he was 18, and you don't see these blemishes. So why not from 75 to 85 years old would this type of behavior be occurring?

[18:57] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Well, I know that when I worked at the John Harms Center for the Arts in England, New Jersey, Mr. Robinson was there for two shows. I got to see his sound check. I got to be backstage. I got to see the incredible musicality, and he is a class act and a gentleman through and through in the two days that I just saw him through the hallway. I don't know him at all, but I can tell you that he never batted an eyelash at anybody or had a diva moment or an unkind word to say. So when I see these kinds of things, I think it's so important that we get to hear everyone's... you're innocent until you're proven guilty in the United States. And you should be.

[19:37] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Yes. But nowadays, in my opinion, the Me Too movement has swung too far. Men are not innocent until proven guilty. Now they are guilty upon accusation. And the way that things are treated shows that. I'll give you an example. Smokey had a new CD coming out, "What the World Needs Now is Love." The minute these accusations came out, the record company stopped promoting the record. So that's not acting like a person's innocent. He had other major projects to do, a movie of his life story, and what a great movie it is because it's really the story of Motown and how he was one of the true pioneers and instruments of that great empire, and the ups and downs that two black men had in trying to build this empire.

It's a great, great story. I've seen the script. Also, there was talk about something that you're familiar with, Broadway. There was talk about Smokey having his own Broadway play with his music. Well, all those things are now on hold because the investors are like, "Well, wait a minute, we need to see how this pans out." So, yes, you're actually treated as guilty because your stream of income and other opportunities have stopped all upon an accusation.

[21:12] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Well, I know your message to everyone out here is you can support him by listening to his music. His album is out, and you can listen to his album. And also we can send a lot of love and well wishes to him and his family because this doesn't just affect the man, it affects his wife and his children and all of his close friends and family, how much it affects you, Leon, and your family as well as knowing him as being family with him. What can we do as the general public to help support the case for Mr. Robinson and the future?

[21:44] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Well, thank you for asking. One is I would encourage people to still buy the CD just to show a form of support to others that are watching. And when I say others that are watching, you know, Robert, it's not the public per se that does the main pushbacks.

[22:41] Absolutely.

[22:42] Robert Bannon: Well, we're so excited and grateful for you spending time. I hope that, God forbid, any of us have to go through something like this. You have a friend like you, Leon, because you are a true gentleman and a true friend to be here for your friend. And I know that you do it because in your heart you know he would do it for you. And that's what true friendship is.

[23:01] Leon Isaac Kennedy: That's what true friendship is really all about, and that's what hearts are really about. And once again, like I said at the beginning of this, my heart goes out to you, Robert, for bringing me on so that I could share these thoughts.

[23:21] Robert Bannon: Well, you can come on anytime you want because you're an icon, a legend, and a trailblazer. You can go to LeonIsaacKennedy.com if you want to see his website or follow him on Instagram. And the video where he goes through it all is also on YouTube as well, where you can hear him defend his friend Smokey Robinson. I hope you come back and we talk more about your career. I hope when all's done with Mr. Robinson, you can bring him back here. I'm right down the street from the Motown Museum.

[23:44] Leon Isaac Kennedy: That would be wonderful.

[23:45] Robert Bannon: We look forward to that. Leon, when you're in the city of Detroit with you and your family, a coney dog on me.

[23:51] Leon Isaac Kennedy: Well, thank you so much.

[23:56] Leon Isaac Kennedy: I look forward to that too.

[23:57] Robert Bannon: Done. Thank you so much for being here. True honor. Blessings to you.