Frightened by Fourplay

I’ve had the pleasure of having dinner several times with Fourplay’s keyboardist Bob James. One funny time, at Croce’s, Fourplay had a new release out [in 1994]. We were talking about the guest artists featured on it and then, out of the blue, Bob says, “Why the fuck aren’t you playing the single?” I almost fell out of my chair laughing. It was just so unexpected and so perfectly timed in the conversation….

I know Nathan and his brothers Marcel and James well. A great memory I have is when I was doing overnights. It was 2:00 a.m. And anyone could walk up to the second floor and look in the booth of those studios at KIFM if they wanted. And two guys decided to [do so] one night. I saw the frame of these two black guys. I got scared and hid behind a part of the wall. I thought they were going to kill me or rape me or something.

I looked around the wall and they were laughing. It was Nathan and his brother. I let them in, and they hung out for three hours. We talked. They picked out music I was able to slip in. I wasn’t the music director in those days, so I couldn’t just do anything I wanted.

DJ: Kelly Cole

Station: Smooth Jazz 98.1 FM

Shift: Monday–Friday, 2–7 p.m.