English 
French As part of the podcast series, “ArtsAbly in Conversation,” Diane Kolin interviewed Reverend Chris Wylie, aka DJ Pastor Rock, a musician, songwriter, vocalist and pastor, living in Buffalo, NY.
This post presents the resources that Chris Wylie mentioned during the conversation.
Chris Wylie
Rev. Chris (DJ Pastor Rock, He/They) is an award-winning musician, songwriter, and vocalist from Buffalo, NY who crafts justice-centered hip-hop and rock with punk rock attitude and accessible pop hooks. Chris’s music reflects his eclectic style and influences ranging from Public Enemy to Kelly Clarkson as well as his life as a justice seeker and queer disabled musician. Beyond his own music, Chris is a regular contributor to New York State Poor People’s Campaign, Kairos Center NYC, and Freedom Church of the Poor where his work is frequently featured both in live spaces and in social media campaigns.
Visit Chris Wylie’s RAMPD profile
Deshaymond
Deshaymond is a singer-songwriter and producer living in Atlanta. In 2015, the Louisiana native lost his sight to Optic Atrophy. He was then working as a software trainer at one of the world’s leading cloud based HRIS companies. After becoming blind, Deshaymond was told by several people close to him he could never achieve his dreams or realize the life he had been working towards. The blind music artist has made it his life’s mission to realize every single one of his life’s dreams. With a career spanning over two decades in the corporate world, Deshaymond possesses the business experience necessary to run his company, Deshaymond Media LLC. Deshaymond has released several singles and released his debut album in 2024.
Listen to Deshaymond’s episode of “ArtsAbly in Conversation”
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group formed by Chuck D and Flavor Flav on Roosevelt, New York, in 1985. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as American racism and the American media. Their debut album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, was released in 1987 to critical acclaim. Public Enemy has gone through many lineup changes over the years, with Chuck D and Flavor Flav remaining the only constant members.
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. One of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the 20th century, he is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. A virtual one-man band, Wonder’s use of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970s reshaped the conventions of contemporary R&B. He also helped drive such genres into the album era, crafting his LPs as cohesive and consistent, in addition to socially conscious statements with complex compositions. Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown’s Tamla label at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 100 million records worldwide.
Songs in the Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder. A double album, it was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records, a division of Motown.
Madonna
Madonna (Madonna Louise Ciccone) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as the “Queen of Pop”, she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting and visual presentation. Madonna’s works, which incorporate social, political, sexual, and religious themes, have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. A cultural icon spanning both the 20th and 21st centuries, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame called her one of the most “well-documented figures of the modern age” in 2008.
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreography became a catalyst in the growth of MTV, enabling her to rise to prominence while breaking gender and racial barriers in the process. Lyrical content that focused on social issues and lived experiences set her reputation as a role model for youth.
Kairos Center in NYC
The Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice is a national organization committed to building a movement to end poverty, led by the poor. Drawing on the power of religions and human rights, we are a center for movement strategy, coordination, and education among the poor across all lines of division. Among other projects, we co-anchor the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
RAMPD
RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) is a professional platform equipping the music and live entertainment industry with disability inclusive tools, programming and strategy. RAMPD also connects the industry to a global directory of peer-vetted music/sound creators and industry professionals with disabilities, neurodivergence and other chronic or mental health conditions, to find source and hire—bringing competitive opportunities, visibility and community to our Professional Members while offering disability inclusion to Industry/Venue partners. RAMPD’s Mission is to amplify Disability Culture, promote equitable inclusion, and advocate for inclusive and accessible spaces in the music and live entertainment industries. Founded in May of 2021 (and established January 2022) by award-winning recording artist and cultural activist Lachi, RAMPD came about after a public talk between the Recording Academy and several disabled artists revealed the serious lack of visibility, access, and representation for music professionals with disabilities.
Gaelynn Lea
Since winning NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2016, Gaelynn Lea has captivated audiences around the world with her haunting original songs and traditional fiddle tunes. Over the years, she has collaborated and performed with many notable artists such as Michael Stipe (REM), The Decemberists, Wilco, LOW, and the industrial rock supergroup Pigface. In 2022, Gaelynn Lea composed and recorded the original score for Macbeth on Broadway, starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga. Thanks to a recent Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship, her theatrically-inspired soundtrack is set to be released in Spring 2025. A tour for this new album, Music from Macbeth, will take place in the UK soon afterwards. Music aside, Gaelynn Lea is a sought-after public speaker about accessibility in the arts. She has been featured on PBS NewsHour, On Being with Krista Tippett, The Moth Radio Hour, The Science of Happiness Podcast, and via two widely-viewed TEDx Talks.
Lachi
Lachi is a singer-songwriter, touring performer, producer, actress, author, disability advocate and cultural activist based in New York City. Lachi’s music is often described as Pop or Dance music. She is legally blind, due to Coloboma. Throughout 2021 and 2022, Lachi established herself as a go-to disability advocate in the music industry, speaking with and performing at places like the White House, the United Nations, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and the BBC, among other notable appearances. Lachi is the founder of RAMPD. Starting in 2022, RAMPD began partnering with the Recording Academy to help make the Grammy Awards more accessible: working to add a visibly ramped dais, Sign language interpreters, live captioning, and Audio description, American Sign Language and ramps on the red carpet. In February 2024, Lachi was named a 2024 Woman of the Year by USA Today.
Tony Scudellari
As Senior Vice President of Television Music at Sony Pictures Television, Tony oversees all music matters for the studio’s television programming. Responsibilities include hiring all music personnel, including composers, musicians, songwriters & music supervisors and, on some projects, serving as music supervisor. Tony is also the lead creative executive for SPT’s soundtrack releases (physical and digital). Tony provides music creative support for all programming, including gameshows, drama, comedy, animation, docs, unscripted, covering dozens of shows on numerous platforms. For his volunteer work, Tony’s focus is on assisting organizations who support marginalized communities in the arts and he is an advocate of open space preservation/environmental justice issues. In 2023, Tony was named to the advisory boards for the Alliance for Women Composers (AWFC), Composers Diversity Collective (CDC), Recording Artists & Musicians with Disabilities (RAMPD) and Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. He is also a member of both the Recording and Television Academies. 2024 also marks the 9th year Tony has served as the co-curator of the music programming for the Vancouver International Film Festival.
Read the article “RAMPD Announces New Powerhouse Advisory Board”
Amp at VIFF
VIFF Amp explores the essential role of music and sound in film, television and new media. From songwriters to composers to music entrepreneurs, Amp supports an annual cohort of emerging music professionals through a competitive and juried application process, with a focus on providing access to artists from traditionally underrepresented communities. This multi-day summit features expertly curated masterclasses, case studies, panel discussions, networking events, breakout sessions and music showcases, all of which are designed to develop professional skills and create connections that can propel a career in film, television and new media.
Geno McManus
Geno McManus is an award winning well traveled performer, singer, songwriting, song styling guitarist, engineering, mixing, home studio rat, helper and big time cheerleader based in Buffalo, New York. He is also a Knight in Sweden and a member of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame.
Visit Geno McManus’ Bandcamp page
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash was an American singer-songwriter. Most of Cash’s music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. He was known for his deep, calm, bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his backing band, the Tennessee Three, that was characterized by its train-like chugging guitar rhythms, a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, and his free prison concerts. Cash wore a trademark all-black stage wardrobe, which earned him the nickname “Man in Black”.
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and mastery of recording techniques, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and significant songwriters of the 20th century. His best-known work is distinguished for its high production values, complex harmonies and orchestrations, layered vocals, and introspective or ingenuous themes. Wilson is also known for his formerly high-ranged singing and lifelong struggles with mental illness.
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the “fifth Beatle” because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatles’ original albums. Martin’s formal musical expertise and interest in novel recording practices facilitated the group’s rudimentary musical education and desire for new musical sounds to record. Most of their orchestral and string arrangements were written by Martin, and he played piano or keyboards on a number of their records. Their collaborations resulted in popular, highly acclaimed records with innovative sounds, such as the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band—the first rock album to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
MC Lars
Andrew Robert Nielsen, known professionally as MC Lars, is an American record producer, rapper, cartoonist, podcaster and educator. He is one of the self-proclaimed originators of “lit-hop”, and is the founder and CEO of the independent record label Horris Records. He has been cited as the creator of the term “iGeneration”, which he was credited with doing in 2003. He has released five studio albums, five EPs, four collaborative releases, and two books.
Sam Baker
Sam Baker is an American folk musician based in Austin, Texas. He writes sparse poetic lyrics that have gained him acclaim from other notable folk artists such as Gurf Morlix and Fred Eaglesmith. Sam Baker’s music has been compared to that of John Prine. Baker’s 2013 album, Say Grace, was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the top 10 country music albums of 2013. In his review of Say Grace, Jim Fusilli wrote “In Mr. Baker’s tales, the personal becomes universal through his keen-eyed writing, supported by well-chosen instrumentation and what might be called spoken-word melodies.”
Mary Gauthier
Her eleventh album, the first record in over 8 years consisting of all her own songs, Dark Enough to See the Stars, follows the profound antidote to trauma, Rifles & Rosary Beads, her 2018 collaborative work with wounded Iraq war veterans. It garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album, as well as a nomination for Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Publication of her first book, the illuminating Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting, in 2021, brought her more praise. Brandi Carlile has said, “Mary’s songwriting speaks to the tender aspects of our humanness. We need her voice in times like these more than we ever have.” The Associated Press called Gauthier “one of the best songwriters of her generation.”
Precious Perez
Precious Perez, also known as “the blind reggaetonera” is a new artist with American and Latin roots. Born in Boston to a Puerto Rican family and currently a resident of Kentucky, Precious is entering her new musical era after graduating with a double major in Music Education and Vocal Performance from Berklee College of Music. Her musical path from an early age has been accompanied by great influences in Latin music, which gave birth to her purpose: “To be the first blind reggaetonera in the Latin music industry, breaking the mold.” Precious actively works to make space for music professionals with disabilities, serving as President of Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD).
Visit Precious Perez’s RAMPD profile
Visit Precious Perez’s website
Namel TapWaterz Norris
Namel “TapWaterz” Norris is a paraplegic hip hop artist and disability rights advocate from the Bronx NY, who also uses music to speak out against social injustices. He has spoken at the White house, performed at the United Nations, worked with Snoop Dogg & Stevie Wonder, and is also a co-founder of 4 Wheel City and founding member of RAMPD.
Visit Namel TapWaterz Norris’ RAMPD profile
James Ian
James Ian is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, poet, and writer. He has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (“SMA”) Type 3, and is a passionate advocate for authentic representation of disabled actors in music, TV, film, and other media. James recently sang at the Closing Ceremony of the Special Olympics. He is the singer and primary songwriter of “SPACES,” which is a first-of-its-kind song that highlights those living with SMA. “SPACES” has won over twenty-five PR industry awards and music awards.