*Strap yourself in. O’Bryan was the guest of honor on our new For the Record podcast and caught us all off guard with the amount of tea he had to spill.
The aim was to catch up on what the 57-year-old crooner is doing these days and to revisit his early career with Capitol Records, under the tutelage of “Soul Train” host Don Cornelius and his production company. Indeed, O’Bryan gets into all that – but the conversation took some unexpected detours, not to mention a wild left turn at the very end when host Lee Bailey mentioned his 1983 hit “I’m Freaky.”
The singer, unsolicited, decided that now was the time to squash longstanding rumors about his sexuality and close relationship with Cornelius.
O’BRYAN: 80S R&B STAR BREAKS DOWN WHILE DISCUSSING DEATH OF MENTOR DON CORNELIUS (EUR EXCLUSIVE PODCAST!)
O’Bryan’s other Cornelius-related bombshells include the “Soul Train” host’s reason for refusing to sign Whitney Houston and Karyn White to his production company, Cornelius’ disdain for Capitol Records and his accusation that they slighted black artists, and O’Bryan breaking down in tears while recalling the moment he heard his mentor and father figure had committed suicide.
The singer also reveals some shockers about his own life, like continuing to work his office job while his 1982 debut single “The Gigolo” was sitting at No. 5 on the R&B chart, taking a job in the shipping & receiving department of a Whole Foods when things slowed up in the 90s and events that led to his career hiatus of nearly two decades.
And this is just from the first hour!
Listen to the fascinating O’Bryan Burnette episode of our new For the Record podcast in its entirety below:
Fun Fact: Soul Train’s theme song from 1983 to 1987 was O’Bryan’s “Soul Train’s A Comin’.”
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