Dr. Benjamin Wright

R&B Money

The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts

Music, Music History, Music Commentary

4.9 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2026

⏱️ 83 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Legendary composer and arranger Dr. Benjamin Wright joins Tank & J. Valentine for a masterclass in orchestration, arrangement, and musical storytelling. From shaping iconic R&B records to scoring timeless moments, Benjamin breaks down how strings, horns, and live instrumentation elevate a song from great to unforgettable. We get into working with powerhouse vocalists, writing for emotion, and the discipline behind arranging music that still resonates decades later.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.5	Guaranteed Human.
0:05.9	R&B money.
0:09.6	We are.
0:11.8	Jake.
0:13.5	Jake Valatatat.
0:15.2	We are the authorities on all things R&B.
0:20.9	How do you, sir? May I?B. I do you show.
0:22.1	May I?
0:22.7	Yeah.
0:23.2	Yes, of course.
0:24.8	I knew all about you.
0:30.5	All when he was playing trumpet with Jimmy Lossford, long before Count Basie and all of that shit.
0:37.9	Mm-hmm.
0:38.9	I get turned down when Clive Davis opened the studio in North Hollywood.
0:48.7	Lock and came over from Capitol.
0:54.6	We buddies,
0:56.4	for me, say, man, I need some songs.
0:58.2	Okay, I brought her four songs.
1:02.0	And I thought these were smokers.
1:07.0	Okay, I listened to my shit.
1:10.1	Then you can't know from my shit then he bent over and he says
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.