Raymond Dickerson is a retired US Army officer. In his last assignment, he served as project officer and course manager/developer of the Signal Officer Captains Career Course Reserve Component as part of 442nd Signal Battalion Officer of the Education Division at Fort Gordon, GA. Colonel Dickerson has always been a top notch administrator who has a lot of passion and love for his family, friends and the community. He is the first African American to own a well-known and established record label; as well as a recording and production company in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

In an effort to motivate and inform others, as well as, support and give back to the community, Colonel Dickerson was inspired to write and produce Epiphany. Songs on this album feature vocalists: Andrea Rhodes, Pam Lyles, Hilda Lamas, Evelyn Ballard and Pam Bowman as well as engineering assistance from Fred Nations, Mike Snabble, Pershing Wells, Steve Wilson and Steve Cheeks.

Epiphany is laced with smooth jazz, inspirational ballads, soulful solos and driving rhythms. The songs are based on life events and experiences that produced a greater sense of enlightenment to Ray.

In this interviewe spotlight, I chat with Raymond about his Epiphany project, building his own label, motivations, challenges and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

Was born and raised in Thibodaux, Louisiana a city 55 miles Southwest of New Orleans.  Keeping that in mind the best metaphor to describe my style is Musical Gumbo, a combination of all genres seasoned to taste.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

It could be said I was born to this, sharing a birthday with James Brown (May 3) and given the birth name of Ray Charles, it was an odds on favorite music would play some role in my life. What keeps me motivated is the need to reach out and touch hearts and minds with my music. Music was instrumental in my recovery process from depression related to PTSD and in coping with the daily grind.

How does your background as the son of a sharecropper from Louisana and your experiences in the military influence your music?

“I Stand at the Forefront of my Parent’s Sacrifices”, the values and moral fortitude that I have come from everything my father demonstrated to me every day of his life. My CD, Epiphany, is a manifestation of my life experiences that are informative, inspiration and insightful. The name Command and Control is a direct result of my military experience. It is a mechanism used to manage organizations at all levels in the military that can easily be applied in everyday life.

Can you briefly tell us about your record label? Have you had to overcome any unexpected challenges during the process of starting and building it into a sustainable business?

My record label is Command and Control and it is part of Command and Control Entertainment LLC. After hearing horror stories about artists getting the short end of the deal or losing control of their creative process or products, I wanted to have full Command of the process to Control my product. Putting together a trustworthy team of Subject Matter Experts (SME), who are committed with conviction and compassion to your vision is and was a challenge. There are a lot of “snake oil” salespeople out there whose only purpose is to get in your pockets.  

How is Dixie different than previous releases? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

“Dixie” is not just the remnant of a bygone era nor has it been confined by constraints of regional boundaries, but instead, “Dixie” has expanded and redefined itself to reflect a certain set of cultural assumptions, mind-sets and traditions revered and embedded in regions not limited only to the South or North America, but around the globe. “Dixie” tends to manifest itself in racial, social, criminal, economic and religious persecutions which are often propagandized for political and economic gains. “Dixie” is metaphor for discrimination in all its forms

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

The biggest challenge is “Branding”, finding a way to set yourself apart from the pack. Also, finding people who share your vision and not those who hinder creativity.  Simply put (WWW). If you have a good product technology gives the World Wide Web as marketplace via YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, etc. 

What was the last song you listened to?

Skin I’m In, by Cameo

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

Each medium has it special place but for dissemination of product I would go with MP3s

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

Spotify as of now because of its name recognition and comparative advantage in the marketplace

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

My website is raymonddickerson.com or you can search Raymond Dickerson’s Command and Control on any search engine.

Anything else before we sign off

I am LTC (Ret) Raymond C. Dickerson the leader of the Motivational Music Movement writing and producing songs that are Informative, Inspirational and Insightful.   Like, Follow and Share my Social Media with Family, Friends and Acquaintances