Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to entertainer Bobby Brooks, whose story about his celebrity parent is like none other. Of all the episodes we have done over the past four years, Bobby’s is totally unique and left us incredulous. You see, Bobby had no idea his father was the late, great singer Jackie Wilson until he was well on his way to his own recording career. And it was because of his voice, his on stage moves and his mannerisms that friends of his father’s made the connection because Bobby, essentially, WAS Jackie on stage but had no clue himself.

Bobby tells us about his roots in South Carolina, the physical and financial difficulties he experienced as a child as well as his love of music from a very young age. We discuss his time in the Navy which led him to Hawaii where he performed with a very young, pre celebrity Bruno Mars in the family band, later being discovered by Paul Revere (of Paul Revere & the Raiders fame) and his connections to The Four Tops, The Temptations, Billy Davis and other music greats. So who and how and where did Bobby find out he was the son of Mr. Soul, Mr. Excitement Jackie Wilson? Welp, it’s too good to share here. So take a listen to this upcoming episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast where all will be revealed. You won’t believe it. Everyone has a story. Bobby’s is remarkable.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to novelist Matthew Specktor, whose new book, The Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood, is out now and getting rave reviews. Matthew spoke to us about growing up behind the scenes in Hollywood as the son of an icon of the film industry, Fred Specktor, a super-agent of A-list Hollywood talent who is still going strong at 92 years old. With a roster of clients that included everyone from Robert DeNiro, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Danny Devito and many, many more, Matthew was brought up in and around the film business and had a firsthand look.

Part memoir, part biography, part cultural history & part fiction, The Golden Hour has been priases in outlets such as NPR, the New York Times, the Kirkus Review, the LA Times and many more for it’s unique look into Hollywood and the battle between art vs. commerce and much more. As this is his third book based on his take on Hollywood, Matthew is getting name-checked alongside iconic LA based, Hollywood centric authors such as Joan Didion and William Goldman and getting praise from authors like Jonathan Lethem and Griffin Dunne. High praise indeed. We get into that as well as how Matthew formed the book and the basis of his exploration into his family and the city formed him, shortly.

Matthew’s behind-the-scenes stories of how Hollywood was created in the second half of the twentieth century at Tinseltown institutions like MCA, William Morris and CAA beginning in the 1950s and where we are today, 70 years later a a large part of this episode. But we also hear personal stories about pranks the pre-rat pack played on him and his best friend Renee Estevez (daughter of Martin Sheen) in high school, what LA restaurants his family ate on special occasions, the cars and vanity plates of super agents in the City of Angelss and the movie theaters and books that shaped his youth on the Westside of Los Angeles.

This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and if you’ve never had David Lynch tell you, you were more an artist than a deal maker at 13, take a listen because Matthew Specktor has. Everyone has a story.

Today on another brand new episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking with Rodd Bland, son of blues legend Bobby “Blue” Bland. As this is part two of our interview, we delve deeper with Rodd, who spoke to us on this episode of some of the more silly and fun things about his dad you may not know about the man. Such as? Well, what kind of car did Bobby “Blue” Bland drive? And what color was it? What burger joint was his dad’s favorite spot in Los Angeles? We hear that too. And not only do we find out what place that was but we hear of a totally bizarre and wonderful coincidence on their very last visit together, on tour. But sorry – you will have to sign up to hear our Patreon episode to find out what soap opera was Bobby’s favorite.

We also hear about Rodd’s time behind the drum kit as a band leader and also as a guest with some amazing musicians on a recent gig at the Antone’s 50th Anniversary at Austin at Austin City Limits. We hear how Rodd started playing the drums and how it used to piss off his dad so much, he had to buy him his first drum kit. We also hear about Rodd’s & his dad’s relationship with B.B. King – on the road, at home and just hanging out. In fact, Rodd does one really terrific spot-on impression of the man known as Blues Boy that you have to hear to believe.

Moreover, we discuss racism in the south, how Rodd is working on selling official Blue merch on the internet and his father’s advice to him in life and on stage that seemed to be Blue’s mantra for living a good life. It’s all here and it’s next up on the latest episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.