This season of the VMP Anthology podcast is devoted to The Story of Willie Nelson. This season is also devoted to YOU, as we took your mailbag questions to answer your burning Willie Nelson questions, and we took your Outlaw Hotline calls, hearing what Willie has meant to you in your life.  On this episode, we answer questions about why Willie Nelson's music has endured, and hear from you about being mistaken for Willie Nelson, and ponder whether anyone has actually been rolled up and smoked when they died.  VMP Anthology: The Story of Willie Nelson is still available and now shipping. You can purchase one of the remaining copies here.   Presented by Vinyl Me, Please.  Hosted by Andrew Winistorfer Executive Produced by Amileah Sutliff and Andrew Winistorfer  Produced by Jim Hanke of the Vinyl Emergency Podcast and Julia McGuire

In the first episode of our podcast on The Story of Philadelphia International Records, we’ll introduce you to our host, John Morrison, who will kick things off with a trip through the early days of Philadelphia International Records. We’ll also explore 1972’s Back Stabbers by The O’Jays and 1972’s 360 Degrees of Billy Paul by Billy Paul, featuring exclusive interviews with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke professor of African American Studies at Duke University.  This season of the VMP Anthology Podcast is hosted by John Morrison. It’s written by John Myers and Alex Lewis, with help from John Morrison. It was produced by Alex Lewis and John Myers of Rowhome Productions, and executive produced by Amileah Sutliff. A special thanks to the people at Sony Music and Philadelphia International Records.

Our second iteration of VMP's Anthology podcast on Philadelphia International Records starts off at the former site of Sigma Sound Studios, the long-gone historic recording studio where most of the artists on Philadelphia International recorded. This episode will cover the story of PIR house band MFSB’s 1973 record, Love is the Message, and vocal trio The Three Degrees’ 1973 self-titled release, and we’ll hear from Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, The Three Degrees’s Valerie Holiday and PIR vocal trio The Jones Girls member, Shirley Jones. This season of the VMP Anthology Podcast is hosted by John Morrison. It’s written by John Myers and Alex Lewis, with help from John Morrison. It was produced by Alex Lewis and John Myers of Rowhome Productions, and executive produced by Amileah Sutliff. A special thanks to the people at Sony Music and Philadelphia International Records.

Next up, our journey through Philadelphia International Records finds us right at the label’s height of ubiquity during the mid-1970s. This episode will cover the story of Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes’ 1975 record, Wake Up Everybody, and Dexter Wansel’s widely sampled 1976 record, Life on Mars, featuring interviews from Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, PIR vocal trio The Jones Girls member, Shirley Jones, and Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke professor of African American Studies at Duke University.  This season of the VMP Anthology Podcast is hosted by John Morrison. It’s written by John Myers and Alex Lewis, with help from John Morrison. It was produced by Alex Lewis and John Myers of Rowhome Productions, and executive produced by Amileah Sutliff. A special thanks to the people at Sony Music and Philadelphia International Records.

On the fourth and final episode of The Story of Philadelphia International Records, we’ll explore the fascinating passion projects that defined the late 1970s for PIR. This episode will cover the story of 1977’s Let’s Clean Up the Ghetto by The Philadelphia International All-Stars — a supergroup featuring Billy Paul, Archie Bell, Teddy Pendergrass, The Three Degrees and more — and Leon Huff’s own 1980 solo album, Here to Create Music. We’ll hear from Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, PIR vocal trio The Jones Girls member, Shirley Jones, and Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke professor of African American Studies at Duke University.  This season of the VMP Anthology Podcast is hosted by John Morrison. It’s written by John Myers and Alex Lewis, with help from John Morrison. It was produced by Alex Lewis and John Myers of Rowhome Productions, and executive produced by Amileah Sutliff. A special thanks to the people at Sony Music and Philadelphia International Records.

Description:  In the first episode of our podcast on The Story of Quincy Jones, the 12th edition of VMP Anthology’s box set, we’ll introduce you to our experts, Alyssa Lein Smith, Sonari Glinton and Justin Richmond, and we’ll set the scene for our journey through Q’s storied and impossibly varied career. Working chronologically through the Anthology box, this episode will cover the story of 1957’s This is How I Feel About Jazz and 1966’s Sinatra At The Sands and use the titles as a jumping off point to discuss Jones’ foundational early career.    Credits:  Alyssa Lein Smith: Co-host, Co-producer Sonari Glinton: Co-host Justin Richmond: Contributing Expert Paroma Chakravarty: Editor, Audio Engineer  Amileah Sutliff: Executive Producer Brought to you by Vinyl Me, Please in conjunction with Quincy Jones Productions 

Our second iteration of our podcast on The Story of Quincy Jones delves into a fruitful, transitional and creative period in Jones’ career, in which both his sound and the landscape of Black music at large were transforming and evolving deeply. This episode will cover the story of 1969’s Walking in Space and 1974’s heavily sampled Body Heat, both serving as an entryway into exploring Quincy’s A&M Years and the journey and shifts that led to his first near-platinum album.    Credits:  Alyssa Lein Smith: Co-host, Co-producer Sonari Glinton: Co-host Justin Richmond: Contributing Expert Paroma Chakravarty: Editor, Audio Engineer  Amileah Sutliff: Executive Producer Brought to you by Vinyl Me, Please in conjunction with Quincy Jones Productions

Description:  Next up, our journey through Quincy’s catalog gets cinematic as our team of experts tells the story of his most iconic film soundtrack and the statue that inspired an album. This episode will cover the story of the score to 1978’s The Wiz and 1981’s The Dude, discussing Quincy’s first time meeting Michael Jackson, his lasting impact on entertainment, his substantial prominence, success and output during this period and much more.    Credits:  Alyssa Lein Smith: Co-host, Co-producer Sonari Glinton: Co-host Justin Richmond: Contributing Expert Paroma Chakravarty: Editor, Audio Engineer  Amileah Sutliff: Executive Producer Brought to you by Vinyl Me, Please in conjunction with Quincy Jones Productions

Description:  On the fourth and final episode of our podcast on The Story of Quincy Jones, the crew breaks down how Quincy generated a boundary-pushing conversation between old and the new, and how he famously convinced Miles Davis to revisit his old music. It covers the story of 1989’s star-studded, style-fusing Back on the Block and 1993’s beloved Miles and Quincy Live At Montreux.    Credits:  Alyssa Lein Smith: Co-host, Co-producer Sonari Glinton: Co-host Justin Richmond: Contributing Expert Paroma Chakravarty: Editor, Audio Engineer  Amileah Sutliff: Executive Producer Brought to you by Vinyl Me, Please in conjunction with Quincy Jones Productions 

This extra special bonus episode features an in-depth interview with Grammy-nominated artist, longtime visual collaborator of Quincy Jones and the designer of the VMP Anthology: The Story of Quincy Jones box, Mathieu Bitton. Press play to learn more about the visual artifacts featured in the Listening Notes booklet and the inspiration behind the visual elements of the box design.  Credits:  Alyssa Lein Smith: Co-host, Co-producer Sonari Glinton: Co-host Justin Richmond: Contributing Expert Paroma Chakravarty: Editor, Audio Engineer  Amileah Sutliff: Executive Producer Brought to you by Vinyl Me, Please in conjunction with Quincy Jones Productions