00:00:14.630 - 00:00:26.420

Hello, I am Neel Agarwal and I'm interviewing John Crocker for the Inclusive History and Images Project, a project which seeks to recover the histories of the diverse members of the family.

00:00:27.160 - 00:00:40.120

We are on the LMU campus in the creative space of studios and today is December 20th, 2022. John, do you give me permission to interview you for the Inclusive History and Images project?

00:00:40.130 - 00:00:47.380

And do you allow the recording to be used in accordance with the stated goals of the project? I do. Great.

00:00:48.790 - 00:01:02.110

Thanks for being here today. Let's get started. Could you please introduce yourself by telling us your name? What do you go by now and what was your

00:01:02.110 - 00:01:07.730

name when you were at LMU? All right. Well, my official name now is Dr. John P Crocker Jr.

00:01:07.750 - 00:01:24.640

I possess a Bachelor of Arts degree in operatic voice from LMU, also a master of choral music education from Utah State University and a doctorate of sacred music from seminary out and Apple Valley, California.

00:01:25.960 - 00:01:31.870

So I go by Mr. Crocker. Dr. John. Hey, man. Brother man.

00:01:31.870 - 00:01:41.530

But usually it's just Mr. Crocker. And then my. I was known as JC when I was here, not Jesus Christ, but but John Crocker.

00:01:41.530 - 00:01:54.640

And it was kind of easy to get to you. And then my call letters on Clu or, you know, the Jazz is always unique here at Excel 88 nine. This is JC taking for another hour of jazz throughout

00:01:54.640 - 00:01:58.930

the evening. Call us and, you know, call in if you want to hear anything. So.

00:01:59.110 - 00:02:05.370

So, yeah, that's me. That's great. Thank you. When and where were you born?

00:02:05.670 - 00:02:16.860

I was born on October 25th of 1970. Morningside Hospital. Truth be told, Morningside used to be off of Manchester. And good Lord.

00:02:16.860 - 00:02:28.020

What is it, Denker? Make sure I got it right. I'm off on the street, but it's just a block, I would say east of Manchester and Wester and some

00:02:28.020 - 00:02:36.540

off on the street name. It's now. It's right around the corner from Ralph's market. It's now a senior senior citizens housing complex.

00:02:36.750 - 00:02:44.220

I used to meet my my wife, now my girlfriend at the time. We would sneak away there because it was around the corner from our house.

00:02:44.220 - 00:02:49.020

But yeah, just up the road from here. Not too far, really. That's great. Yeah.

00:02:49.020 - 00:02:54.300

Thank you. Can you tell us a little bit more about your hometown, where you grew up? Okay.

00:02:54.300 - 00:03:05.340

So although I was born at Morningside Hospital, I was born and raised in Compton, California. So I was a son. one of six kids of a guy named Captain John

00:03:05.340 - 00:03:17.970

Crocker. He was a special officer for the state of California. When he wasn't doing guard and patrol work, he would assist LAPD or any municipality with their series of calls.

00:03:18.510 - 00:03:30.030

And he was one of probably maybe 15 guys that got that. They got that call on their life and that that elevation to be a special officer in the late 60s,

00:03:30.030 - 00:03:43.510

early 70s. And he held that until his death back in 2013. So, yeah, that's so Compton, California. Although my pop was a cop, I couldn't go to

00:03:43.510 - 00:03:53.620

any public schools, so. So I spent most of my time in private schools. So Saint Albert the Great, which now is a K through I think, eight situation or K through 12 almost

00:03:53.620 - 00:04:06.610

now in Compton went to Junipero Serra High School in Gardena. I graduated in 1988. 3.86 GPA, number four in my class and you know,

00:04:06.610 - 00:04:21.220

got admitted to about 36 different schools. And Compton Unity School was another little private school we went to off of Santa Fe and Mur, but everything was private because people knew that Captain Crocker was a

00:04:21.220 - 00:04:29.200

cop and they were looking for his kids. So interesting. Thanks for that. And could you tell us a little bit more about

00:04:29.320 - 00:04:38.020

where you've where you currently live or where you've lived over the past several years? All right. So for the last 22 years, I've been a resident

00:04:38.020 - 00:04:45.640

of the Antelope Valley. So we've lived in Lancaster, California. We came back to California. I left.

00:04:46.000 - 00:05:00.370

I left Los Angeles for Utah back in 92. I became a hall director at Utah State University. And at the same time, I was working on my master's degree and getting into theater and, should we say

00:05:00.370 - 00:05:13.060

professional theater and musical theater. I did that during summers, but mainly I was a hall director and we ended up coming back in 96, stayed in the South Bay of LA for a while

00:05:13.060 - 00:05:26.980

and 98 rolled around, befriended one of the loan officers at the Compton Teacher's Credit Union because I taught at Dominguez High for a while, for two years, and she turned me on to a realtor and she showed us

00:05:26.980 - 00:05:42.400

about 30 homes and we closed escrow the day George W was inaugurated president back in oh one. And we've been there since since then. So the Antelope Valley and that that's that's been home.

00:05:42.580 - 00:05:53.890

So that's great. And what's your current occupation. So I'm a vocal music teacher at Highland High School in Palmdale.

00:05:54.400 - 00:06:03.190

I've been with the Antelope Valley Union High School District for the last 22 years. The first seven were at Antelope Valley High, a very unique racial breakdown there.

00:06:03.190 - 00:06:11.740

They had a third of almost every ethnic group known to mankind. We had a 2700 students. We're also fortunate to debut a choir.

00:06:11.740 - 00:06:29.350

They're one of the first in the Antelope Valley to go to Carnegie Hall under my my leadership. And from there we been at night high school, which is an East Palmdale, was kind of a involuntary transfer

00:06:29.350 - 00:06:38.470

because numbers were dropping at AVI because they opened a new high school, stayed there for years and for the last 13 have been at Highland. And I've had nationally ranked programs.

00:06:38.470 - 00:06:49.630

And a matter of fact, I've got a choir going to make their world debut at Highland on May 29th. We'll be singing with John Rutter there, and I have the open podium now to go back and be a

00:06:49.630 - 00:07:00.820

regular conductor there as well now, too. So what grades do you teach? Oh, I teach the knuckleheads brother grades nine through 12. But it's a calling.

00:07:00.820 - 00:07:11.230

And I mean that whole heartedly because my greater goal prior to getting in any of this was to take that master's degree and put it in my back pocket and go on to New York.

00:07:11.230 - 00:07:23.470

And I had befriended an LMU grad named Timothy Blevins, who's since left the New York area, and he's back here in LA. But I bumped into a professor at Utah State and

00:07:23.470 - 00:07:29.830

he asked me, Had you ever thought about teaching high school? And of course I told him in no uncertain terms, Are you crazy?

00:07:30.070 - 00:07:38.350

And he said, You have a gift, man, and you need to realize that. And but time will tell. And Dr. Derek at time is told.

00:07:38.350 - 00:07:45.860

So here we are. Thanks for that. Yeah, thanks for. That really great background information about yourself.

00:07:47.570 - 00:07:58.970

How would you identify yourself? African American male, ordained minister. I was ordained as a Baptist preacher when I was 28, some almost 20 some odd years ago.

00:07:59.510 - 00:08:14.210

Not 58 now, but I'm 52. So I had a sexual male, I believe in the the union of man, man and woman because man was the woman made and a father, father of five had

00:08:14.210 - 00:08:27.140

all Crocker's survived birth would be a father of ten. But two boys, three girls, two were out of the house. And Lance boy is what 12 just started junior high,

00:08:27.140 - 00:08:37.310

15 year old girl at home. She's a sophomore in high school. And our last girl, which is the oldest of the last three faith, she's a meritorious valedictorian, the East Side

00:08:37.310 - 00:08:48.290

High school and looking to possibly come here to do. Art therapy, but she has been admitted, fully admitted to Biola University. What about an $84,000 scholarship in tow?

00:08:48.300 - 00:08:54.520

So, yeah. Did you pass music. Along to any of your children? Yeah, actually, I did.

00:08:54.540 - 00:09:02.160

Our oldest son, John the third. I actually is a music composer. He majored in music composition at Corban University up in Salem, Oregon.

00:09:02.490 - 00:09:16.350

But similar to his dad, he's an actor, so he's with Seattle Talent now he sings. My oldest daughter, Tamyra, she's finishing culinary school. She just passed her last exam in Vegas.

00:09:16.740 - 00:09:26.100

She's also she's an alto. She sang in my high school choir. Faith is a cello player. Sometimes you say a fake cello player.

00:09:26.730 - 00:09:36.630

Mariah is a violinist as well as Isaiah, but they all sing in the last three. They'll make their debut with Highland High on May 29th in Carnegie Hall, so they'll be singing.

00:09:36.630 - 00:09:43.950

So congrats. Thank you. It's great. So I'm wondering, how did you learn about the IIP

00:09:43.950 - 00:09:55.800

project? You know, I was an ambassador, I guess, for the last 2 or 3 years with alumni relations for for African American students and African American alumni.

00:09:55.800 - 00:10:06.420

And I got an email stating that this project was. You know. Was was materializing. And I came to that class reunion here in the

00:10:06.420 - 00:10:18.710

fall and. I made it known because another alumni that works with me up in the Antelope Valley, I'm so bad with names after driving.

00:10:18.710 - 00:10:25.970

But she's a colleague of mine with the black student unions there and they have Union High School District. She pulled me over. Talk to Crocker.

00:10:25.980 - 00:10:36.890

You got to do the interview now. And the dean of Communication and Fine Arts had been chatting with me to off and on because we did some things with the black student unions there in the

00:10:36.890 - 00:10:47.000

AVI Union High School District, and he was invited to that. And then Charles Mason here in Admissions, we've been, I guess, friends and colleagues since my time here.

00:10:47.000 - 00:10:58.520

So so it was an opportunity to just to give back something, you know, not to incriminate anybody, but just to tell a story from from this guy's perspective. This was the first school I was admitted to out

00:10:58.520 - 00:11:07.670

of about 38 schools. And I could have gone to Berkeley. It could have gone to Stanford. UCLA is the only place that didn't admit me, which

00:11:07.670 - 00:11:20.720

was kind of weird, but but there's no other experience, like in my experience, and I mean that whole heartedly. Not because we're on camera or anything, but I tell students and people that everywhere I went exchange this, I

00:11:20.720 - 00:11:29.610

wouldn't trade this experience for anything because it made me who I am now. Thank you. Yeah, I definitely want to now get into a little

00:11:29.610 - 00:11:38.130

bit more about your time here at LMU. What year were you here? 1988. Fall of 88 through the spring.

00:11:38.550 - 00:11:46.560

Might as well say August of 92. And I'll share that story. How it became August toward the end here. But but yeah.

00:11:46.560 - 00:11:52.620

88 to 92 and yeah. Interesting. For years, man. Yeah.

00:11:52.620 - 00:12:00.840

Yeah. And what was your major? Mine was coming in here was communication and fine arts, and I'd minored in music the whole time.

00:12:00.840 - 00:12:12.060

So I got to my senior year and, you know, I struggled academically until I got to really senior year, but I knew music was something I really wanted to do.

00:12:12.300 - 00:12:23.850

And the Mark and Virginia say a particularly Doctor Salem, Virginia said, If you want to be in the opera workshop, you need to join the class. And I honestly, I had been on academic probation and

00:12:23.850 - 00:12:34.830

I sat down with my my counselor and he said, hey, you know, looks like you're going to actually graduate if you just declare music as your major hack. You've been taking all these classes.

00:12:34.830 - 00:12:41.940

Why not? So it turned out I needed 30 units to finish. And in my music classes I was not on academic probation.

00:12:42.030 - 00:12:50.430

Oh, so bless the Lord. So which which classes did you really take to when you were here? Which music classes?

00:12:50.580 - 00:12:55.830

Wow. The opera scenes. Workshop chorus. Vocal pedagogy.

00:12:55.830 - 00:13:06.030

As dry as it was. Choral conducting for certain and private voice. I took I a lady named Cathy McGrath. She was.

00:13:06.030 - 00:13:12.990

I don't know if she's still around. She used to play for services here and The Sacred Heart. She was a piano teacher here at the time and

00:13:13.380 - 00:13:18.180

she heard me singing because I could never get my left hand together. She said, Are you a singer? I said, Yeah.

00:13:18.180 - 00:13:28.680

So she introduced me to the department chair and I guess the rest is history. And and I'm glad she did. I'm glad I couldn't play it left handed.

00:13:28.680 - 00:13:40.230

So, yeah. Lemieux's mission is committed to the encouragement of learning the education of the whole person and to the service of faith and the promotion of justice.

00:13:41.280 - 00:13:54.210

How important were these principles to you before coming to LMU and did you sense the importance of these principles during your time at LMU? I guess they were in the infant stages of becoming

00:13:54.210 - 00:14:07.950

important before either getting here because I went to an all male high school and being an ASB president, an athlete, certain things, you know came naturally. But getting here and getting to the mix of things,

00:14:07.950 - 00:14:20.850

saying, you know, how this group may not get this, but another group does, or just seeing what the social outlay politically was not only on this campus but in LA in general.

00:14:20.850 - 00:14:31.390

I met some very key figures here. Fernando Guerra was my political science teacher and he encouraged me and I bumped into him when I bought my daughter here for a campus visit.

00:14:31.410 - 00:14:38.820

We were just down next door to El Terrace because there's a new restaurant there. And he said, Man, I never thought I'd see you again.

00:14:38.820 - 00:14:51.780

But he encouraged me to always apply to top schools. So with that in mind, it sparked a lot, even with my time with you. And I know we'll talk about that a little later.

00:14:51.780 - 00:15:01.570

And the Office of Black Student Services and Minority Student Services in general. So. And Barbara Avery, I will just mention her now because

00:15:01.930 - 00:15:12.760

she was married to James Avery, Uncle Phil from from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. And that's a relationship I still cherish to this day because I got the chance to sit down with him

00:15:12.940 - 00:15:20.950

when I came back as a as a religious consultant to campus ministry. And, you know, I guess later we can chat about it.

00:15:20.950 - 00:15:33.640

But to sit and chat with someone of that status. And then I was in a potential Broadway production at that time that he was financially backing, and he asked my honest opinion of it and he wouldn't let me

00:15:33.640 - 00:15:37.930

out of the kitchen up in Big Bear. Until I told him what. I thought. So.

00:15:37.930 - 00:15:46.620

But yeah. Thank you for that. Can you tell us a little bit more about what LMU was like when you were here in terms of

00:15:46.620 - 00:16:00.330

academics social life? I know you spoke a little bit about your relationship with the faculty, but also your sense of representation in terms of racial diversity, gender diversity, etcetera.

00:16:00.960 - 00:16:12.870

So 1988 was an interesting time to get out of high school and to come into this environment. I remember enrolling. I actually just had buried my was coming from a

00:16:12.870 - 00:16:22.800

funeral for freshman orientation. I was allowed to move in a few days early. One of my last aunts had passed away and she lives up in Oxnard and Ventura area.

00:16:23.070 - 00:16:39.120

So I got here toward the evening there of that. But this was a unique place because although we may have been 3% of the population, there was a very strong, strong sense of of community with with the black

00:16:39.120 - 00:16:51.420

student population here. MALONE That that student services building with minority student services. A lot of people it's what shy away but I found a place of refuge.

00:16:53.270 - 00:17:01.340

And that's not to knock any other ethnic group on this campus. People came together. We had toe sanctions, which were basically community nights to

00:17:01.340 - 00:17:15.710

get together once, once a semester. So I learned, hey, don't sing an opera song at these saying a love song, you know? And also just a time of fellowship.

00:17:15.710 - 00:17:26.660

I know that's a big thing in the church, but to be able to just chat with somebody, maybe find out, hey, man, you know, when you get to your upper division stuff, take this set of classes or, you

00:17:26.660 - 00:17:39.530

know, take this teach or avoid that one. So networking more than anything, but a sense of family and again, I guess a sense of also growing up and finding out people at the same fears and concerns

00:17:39.530 - 00:17:49.250

that you had going into that. And some people didn't want to admit that. But yeah, you know, and then we had what Beau Campbell and Hank Gathers were here, and although Hank and

00:17:49.250 - 00:17:58.400

I weren't the best of friends, but I spent probably the last elevator ride of his life with me because his girlfriend stayed next door to the room I was in.

00:17:58.400 - 00:18:06.050

And, oh, boy. Next door to Hannah was my hall. He was dating a Filipino girl. Very beautiful girl.

00:18:06.050 - 00:18:14.640

And she wasn't at the game where he died. And I kind of bought the news back and she said she she had heard, but. But to know.

00:18:15.390 - 00:18:24.000

He respected me for he's like, Crocker, man, your musician brother I respect. I heard you sing at the game, bruh, So I missed that man.

00:18:24.000 - 00:18:31.850

But you know, for every time and time and reason, there's a season, man. So. What was it like when he passed around?

00:18:31.880 - 00:18:39.470

Wow. So it was this was a. I don't want to call it a crazy place, but it was a state of shock.

00:18:40.190 - 00:18:49.280

At that time, I had worked. I got hooked up with food services, Marriott Food Services at the time. I know it's changed hands by now because my brother

00:18:49.280 - 00:18:57.440

worked for Marriott way back when, but I was actually selling. I was one of the guys selling drinks that night and.

00:18:59.480 - 00:19:08.450

I had just gone. There to Gersten to get the next set of drinks to take out, and a little guy named Nick came out, said, Hey, man, Hank's Hank's.

00:19:08.450 - 00:19:12.860

Collapsed. He's on the floor. And I'm like And it was like you could hear a pin.

00:19:12.860 - 00:19:17.720

I mean, quieter than the studio. I said, What the. Heck's going on? And I ran to the door and I could see

00:19:17.840 - 00:19:22.580

these pumps, these Reebok shoes, just staring me in the face. I'm like, Man. That guy is dead.

00:19:22.580 - 00:19:32.600

He can't be dead. And they carted him off, man. What was I probably. More I don't want to call it an irony, but

00:19:32.600 - 00:19:41.900

a shock to me. Was the turnaround time they got him ready for. For funeral and, you know, and learn things as you get older as a minister.

00:19:42.020 - 00:19:53.030

But I thought even at that moment they had just bought a coffin in just to symbolize that he was gone and he was in there, man. And we got a chance to view I got a

00:19:53.030 - 00:20:03.480

chance to actually sing at a ceremony. And, you know, I'll never forget that. But man, to know how fragile we are and how short life is.

00:20:03.480 - 00:20:12.690

And death is just the next door over, man. That's that put a lot of things in perspective for many of us here. You know, whether the university was at fault, that another

00:20:12.690 - 00:20:25.170

life man and I don't even say the university was at fault because Hank knew of his situation. And, you know, it is what it is. I would just love to love to have seen him

00:20:25.170 - 00:20:36.360

play in the NBA, I think, like many of us. But, you know, when we get to heaven, we'll have that conversation. But it was so it was a jaw dropping bang.

00:20:36.360 - 00:20:39.750

Wow. What do you mean? You know? So yeah.

00:20:39.750 - 00:20:42.780

Yes, presidents can. Still be felt. Here on campus. Oh, yeah.

00:20:42.780 - 00:20:50.760

Oh, yeah. What was it like being a black student while at LSU? It had its moments.

00:20:51.060 - 00:21:01.170

Some positive, some negative. I want to be two. Gorier, gruesome. I worked for housing for many of my summers here.

00:21:01.290 - 00:21:14.770

My supervisor was a guy named Mr. Jeff Carr, and I know he's he's moved on since then, but. Population wise. 3% of the population.

00:21:15.280 - 00:21:27.180

Some girls, particularly white females, wanted to know what it would be like to be with a brother. And sometimes brothers want to know the same. But, you know, we made our way through.

00:21:27.190 - 00:21:39.010

I wasn't a promiscuous type guy. Dated a few girls that were Hispanic, that were white, that were African American. And at the same token, I still had my high

00:21:39.010 - 00:21:47.830

school sweetheart, which I ended up marrying, not out of, you know, just cause. But it was it was not only the right thing to do, we were in love.

00:21:47.830 - 00:21:56.560

And but, you know, dating was was a good thing here. I remember I had a crush on a girl from one of the sister school.

00:21:56.560 - 00:22:07.000

She ended up coming here and she ended up meeting up with one of the basketball players and while she ended up having twins. So that's another story for another time.

00:22:07.000 - 00:22:12.870

But but yeah, it was fun. No, I won't. I won't knock it. Yeah, there were some difficult moments in life, you know,

00:22:12.880 - 00:22:21.400

people would say X, Y or Z, and, you know, you confront some things, but it wasn't like this was a. You know, a mash bowl.

00:22:21.400 - 00:22:24.730

Of our mashed. Potato bowl of. Hate or anything. No, no.

00:22:25.420 - 00:22:37.120

I think everybody was trying to one gauge what is political correctness and then how do you just address people for being people? You know, And I think if that if that's anything

00:22:37.120 - 00:22:49.150

I took away from Loyola was just be you you know your gift and then the word of God speaks that your gift will make room for you so. And, you know, I sometimes miss being here.

00:22:50.170 - 00:22:56.100

I always said I'd go back to high school for a day. After teaching high school. It's like, no, thank you.

00:22:56.230 - 00:23:05.410

So. Yeah. What organizations were you a part of at LMU? Okay, so.

00:23:05.680 - 00:23:14.620

Office of Black Student Services and the Black Student Union Club or KLM. You as well. KLM, you first and then KCL you because I got

00:23:14.620 - 00:23:31.030

trained to be a desk jockey, not majorly with a music society, but we were part of the opera scenes workshop and I ended up kind of being thrown in the chorus by my by my vocal teacher, Dr. Halbert.

00:23:31.030 - 00:23:43.810

Blair And he since passed, but he ended up getting the the interim professorship here for the choral music program after Dr. Paul Solomon if it took off for the Ella Master Chorale.

00:23:43.810 - 00:23:59.650

So I got a chance to meet him, too. So that intramural sports. I was also one of the fill in announcers when Ian for women's and men's basketball when the head guy

00:23:59.650 - 00:24:11.530

couldn't do it, I would get a call. So so those music societies, those broadcasting societies and and you know the ethnic. The ethnic mix and I love the.

00:24:11.530 - 00:24:18.070

Asian student population, but. We're all on that same floor together. A friend of mine told me, Don't even think about it, brother.

00:24:18.070 - 00:24:26.200

These girls aren't interested in you. And he actually his name is Todd Gray. He ended up actually marrying a girl from from here. And they moved to Hawaii.

00:24:26.200 - 00:24:31.780

Man. He since buried his wife and he's about to remarry now, so. But yeah.

00:24:33.380 - 00:24:40.220

I'm curious to know a little bit more about your development as an artist. Okay. What was your practice routine like when you were here

00:24:40.220 - 00:24:54.140

and then also in your graduate studies and beyond? So Gertrude Rivers Robinson was here, Mrs. Gertrude Rivers Robinson. She was the ethnomusicologist on staff here. And she would pull me to the side from time

00:24:54.140 - 00:25:03.260

to time and ask, hey, how how. Are things going with voice class? So I said, Well, I had Dr. Roach, which was Mrs. Cheryl Roach at the time, and she's gone on

00:25:03.260 - 00:25:14.240

to get her PhD. And then I ended up with Dr. Blair because our music department chair really wanted me with a man and the thing I took from her because back then, so

00:25:14.240 - 00:25:22.850

the answer this question directly an hour a day, one of those practice rooms, you have to add you in the time and sometimes people get. Mad, you know, not.

00:25:22.850 - 00:25:32.540

Signed up. Yeah, well, kick me out, whatever. But I was big on taking taking a tape recorder in at the time.

00:25:32.630 - 00:25:42.620

And she told me then she said, you have to love your instrument. I'm like, What do you mean by that? You need to record yourself, boy, and listen to that

00:25:42.620 - 00:25:52.040

and and know how to refine that. And for those three and a half, four years, I. Have to chat with her. I would do that.

00:25:52.040 - 00:25:58.880

So somehow or another, the music department was getting rid of equipment. I got a realistic deck that I could just take with me.

00:25:59.060 - 00:26:10.790

It's like a small cube of sort and I take my headphones and man, and I would record those sessions. I would take the the tape from the one hour vocal lesson, and I made sure my repertoire was there.

00:26:10.790 - 00:26:24.710

And then I just drilled and drilled and probably not the most discipline when it comes to it now because I do it so often with kids now. But when I'm asked to sing professionally, oh, it's there

00:26:24.710 - 00:26:32.150

because the that all that exercise that was a workout. And as much as I don't get an hour in of. Individual voice now.

00:26:32.150 - 00:26:39.710

Because I teach it but when a gig is coming up oh yeah I'm spending time with it so one hour that one hour of discipline, I even tell my voice.

00:26:39.710 - 00:26:49.760

Students at Antelope Valley College, you got at least get 45 minutes to an hour in every day because it's building a muscle and it'll take it. Now, I'm not the.

00:26:50.030 - 00:26:59.660

I guess the avant garde opera guy, but I know. What what a cover to put on my voice when it comes to opera. What to take off for gospel music.

00:26:59.840 - 00:27:13.050

You know what to do for pop and what did you just as a soul singer. So yeah. And what was it like growing up as a musician?

00:27:13.650 - 00:27:24.240

So my. Dad, John Crocker SR was the original bass singer and a group called The Harmonizing four on a Meridian, Mississippi. I never met his dad, David.

00:27:24.600 - 00:27:37.340

He was also a solo singer. But the Harmonizing four would open for the five blind boys of Alabama. James Cleveland, who was a resident here of Los Angeles.

00:27:37.350 - 00:27:47.580

He had the Gospel Music Workshop of America, mother Clara Ward and the Ward Singers on these. I mean, these are some strictly shown off. Gospel.

00:27:47.580 - 00:27:57.690

Singing folks. So music was always in my home. My mom was a was an alto singer. Her dad trained her Mr. Hezekiah Jackson.

00:27:57.690 - 00:28:10.320

So it kind of dropped. And I was in a youth group with the O, what do they call it, the the Masonic Order. And we I sang my first song, I think I

00:28:10.320 - 00:28:15.000

was. Six and. A little church off of Florence and Gramercy Place called Grace Temple.

00:28:15.000 - 00:28:28.590

It was Andre Crouch's through it All but gospel music and music in general was everywhere in my life, whether it was. In church or whether it was with people like my

00:28:28.590 - 00:28:38.670

neighbors. One was a play cousin of mine. Back then, you could get the Columbia house music. You get ten tapes for a dime, you know, as

00:28:38.670 - 00:28:45.300

long as you signed up. Well, I was told to. Return some earth, wind and fire stuff back, and I kept it.

00:28:45.450 - 00:28:53.010

And that's where I kind of fell further in love with falsetto. Singing and. And earth.

00:28:53.010 - 00:29:02.160

Wind and fire in general, man. Finding out fantasy. From that whole all in all album. My favorite song of of them all because you know,

00:29:02.500 - 00:29:12.000

at the end it says with the wind as you fly away, give a smile from your lips and say I'm free and I'm on my way. And and I think that that says something about.

00:29:12.000 - 00:29:19.560

Who we are as people. Find that thing, that fantasy in life and live it. You don't have to be promiscuous, but. Live that.

00:29:19.560 - 00:29:23.400

Dream that's in your heart. So. Wow. It's powerful.

00:29:23.400 - 00:29:34.410

Yeah. Was your family very encouraging of your path towards music or when you made that that sort of decision in college?

00:29:34.420 - 00:29:45.420

Yeah. My mom wanted me to take over. So you got to understand, I come from a line of preachers, so my dad's my mom's father was the

00:29:45.430 - 00:29:53.230

chairman of the deacon board of a church down and a big Baptist church down and killed our taxes. So she was. One of ten kids.

00:29:53.590 - 00:29:58.480

I have. Five. I'm one of six. Three boys, three girls.

00:29:58.900 - 00:30:08.950

My brother who's passed away, Dr. Ricardo Crocker, ended up pastoring, beginning pastoring at the age of 18, left by all. The university.

00:30:08.950 - 00:30:14.200

And then. Finishing up at theology. School. But I was his minister of music at the age

00:30:14.200 - 00:30:26.860

of 14 or so, finding out. How to really work with. People and what those scenes are like, but greater with any time he got up to speak because he was

00:30:26.860 - 00:30:31.930

not a singer. There's some things. In life people found out and my brother was not a singer.

00:30:31.930 - 00:30:42.670

But he would say, I'm going to have my youngest brother come up and grace you with a solo before I bring the word of God. My dad took his accepted his call in the ministry.

00:30:42.670 - 00:30:56.770

Later in life, he stepped away from gospel music for a number of reasons, one of which his lead singer. I've been very unfaithful to him by cheating on his wife.

00:30:56.770 - 00:31:06.460

So he stepped away from that. And this was my dad's first relationship. When he met my mom. They actually met up the road here off the Vermont

00:31:06.460 - 00:31:16.990

Strip. He was a detective for Pinkerton at the time, but. Their favorite song at the time was Aretha Franklin's. What You Want, Baby?

00:31:16.990 - 00:31:21.070

I got it. So. So to that extent. So, yeah, it's.

00:31:21.070 - 00:31:24.700

Always been. Around. It's always been around if I'm answering you correctly.