AI Summary
5 min readFeelabeelia: One-Hit Wonder? Snap Classic
In 1984, Nick Murphy was a drummer in a funk band called Feelabeelia that had just signed a record deal with Warner Brothers and Quincy Jones. The band was recording at a studio deep in the English countryside when the phone rang. A man on the line said he was Stevie Wonder's manager. Stevie was on tour nearby and needed to borrow their studio for a few hours to finish a song for a movie soundtrack. Nick thought it was a prank. But it wasn't.
The Night Stevie Wonder Showed Up
The band said yes, expecting a brief celebrity encounter. What followed was an all-night vigil. Stevie's tour bus arrived around 10 PM with about 50 people on board. Stevie himself appeared in a grey tracksuit, looking fit and larger than life. The band gave him space to work, hanging out in the kitchen with Wonderlove, Stevie's backing singers, drinking beer and listening to tracks. At one point Stevie came into the kitchen, asked who had the cake, and then announced he already knew where the bathroom was because he could "smell where it is."
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What you'll learn
- 1 Timestamped Outline
- 2 (00:07) **Show Introduction & Host Banter** - Glynn Washington sets up the episode with a chili recipe story and introduces the theme of hidden secrets that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
- 3 (04:11) **Setting the Scene: 1984 Music Industry** - Host establishes the context of 1984 as the most prolific year in modern music history, with massive hits, emerging technology, and overnight success stories.
- 4 (07:35) **The Stevie Wonder Phone Call** - Nick receives a call from Stevie Wonder's manager asking to borrow their studio because it has the same equipment Stevie uses at home.
- 5 (09:26) **The Long Wait for Stevie** - Nick describes the agonizing anticipation as they wait hours for Stevie Wonder to arrive at the countryside studio.
- 6 (11:17) **Stevie's Arrival** - Stevie Wonder arrives in a coach with about 50 people, and Nick gets his first glimpse of the legend.
- 7 (12:54) **Party in the Kitchen** - While Stevie works in the studio, the band hangs out with Wonderlove (Stevie's backing singers) in the kitchen, drinking and listening to tracks.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Hold onto your mullets! British drummer Nick Murphy and his band are overjoyed after signing a record deal with THE Quincy Jones in 1984. That is, until a chance encounter with one of the biggest stars in the world changes everything. And the story of a talented luchador who has an uphill battle to get the crowd and the press on his side.
STORIES
Feelabeelia: One-Hit Wonder?
Hold onto your mullets! British drummer Nick Murphy and his band are overjoyed after signing a record deal with THE Quincy Jones in 1984. That is, until a chance encounter with one of the biggest stars in the world changes everything.
Major thanks to Nick Murphy for sharing your story with Snap. Nick still lives in Leicester today and he’s continuing to make his dreams come true as one of the oldest students at De Montfort University, where he studies music technology.
Produced by Regina Bediako, original score by Clay Xavier, artwork by Teo Ducot.
Cassandro El Exotico
Cassandro is an up-and-coming luchador, a professional Mexican wrestler. He wants to get to the big arenas. He’s got the talent, no doubt. But because he’s also one of the only openly gay fighters, he’s got an uphill battle to get the crowd and the press on his side.
This story contains graphic imagery regarding suicide. Please take care while listening.
Thank you for sharing your story, Cassandro!
Produced by Eliza Smith, sound design by Leon Morimoto.
Season 17 – Episode 38
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