Takin’ A Walk – Buzz Knight and Narada Michael Walden: Embracing Change Through Music and Artistic Reinvention

Podcast: Takin’ A Walk – Music History with Buzz Knight
Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Narada Michael Walden

Episode Overview

Kicking off 2026 with a “Fresh Starts” theme, host Buzz Knight sits down for an immersive, soul-stirring conversation with legendary musician, producer, and songwriter Narada Michael Walden. They explore how Walden has continually reinvented himself as an artist—from jazz fusion virtuoso to pop hitmaker—and how music’s transformative, healing power shapes lives and legacies. Through captivating stories about working with icons like Aretha Franklin and reflections on his own creative journey, Walden reveals unique insights on artistic growth, spirituality, music’s magic, and the honest work behind every “overnight” success.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Power and Healing Nature of Music

• Music as Universal Language and Spiritual Force
  • Walden deeply believes in the connective, healing qualities of music, emphasizing its role as a bridge between individuals, cultures, and even the divine.
  • Quote: “Music is a key to unlock the whole universe. In fact, music is right next to God because, dig it, if God talks to us in silence, what comes right after silence? Music.” – Narada Michael Walden [05:33]
  • Music triggers powerful memories and emotions, transcending boundaries: “You don’t speak the language, you know, but the music is a higher language.” [06:20]

Spirituality, Upbringing, and Foundations of Discipline

• Walden attributes his discipline to his parents’ work ethic and the musical encouragement they provided.
• Family support was key—his parents actively enabled his early musical pursuits despite noise and logistical challenges, instilling deep dedication to craft.
  • Quote: “My dad wanted to be a drummer…if I could play along with that record, then my dad would actually get me a new drum set to go on TV and look really professional because I impressed my dad.” [11:55]
• Early influences: nursery rhymes, jazz records, live albums that “knocked him out” and set a lifelong standard for live performance energy. [08:00–10:30]

Mentors, Heroes, and the Mount Rushmore of Drummers

• Walden resists narrowing down his drumming heroes—“All of them”—honoring the spectrum of influential drummers:
  • “Mitch Mitchell brought that flavor for Hendrix, Billy Cobham brought that kick and fire behind Mahavishnu…” [13:55]
• He learned something essential from each, likening them to different fruits that contribute their unique taste (“peaches, bananas, oranges...”).

Mental Health in the Music Industry

• Walden and Knight discuss drummer Jim Gordon’s tragic story and the music industry’s historical neglect of mental health.
• Personal insights from Walden, who worked in mental health care as a youngster, highlight the system’s failures:
  • Quote: “Mental illness is a very serious thing...there was a budget to actually take people in. Of course, Reagan came along and dismantled some of that stuff. People end up on the streets.” [17:41]

Life-Changing Collaboration: Aretha Franklin

• Walden shares unforgettable stories about meeting and recording with Aretha Franklin, illustrating both her genius and their collaborative rapport.
  • First meeting, guided by Clive Davis, led to the germ of “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” out of a phone call:
    • Quote (Aretha’s storytelling): “He thinks he’s got me, but the fish jumps off the hook. What are you talking about? But that’s how she was.” [22:26]
  • Recording process: Aretha’s unique studio rituals, her power and humor—a mix of total professionalism and candid relaxation:
    • “She’d go out to the microphone...sing down the octave four times, like a man range. Then she’ll say, OK, I’m ready to cut. And now she sounds up in her range like Aretha. The whole take is like a hit record.” [23:48]
  • Their creative push-pull, learning to “flow with her” and trust the magic:
    • “I end up using what I thought was too R&B—it’s just so good, so pure. You can’t ignore it.” [27:35]
  • Memorable moments: Aretha’s fierce live energy, paying the band in cash from her bra, and the irreplaceable, affectionate bond they shared.
    • Quote: “She just gave everything, everything, man. It was like Ali and Frazier—just pow, pow, pow, pow.” [34:45]
    • “Before she passed away, she called me on the phone: ‘I just want to tell you, I love sitting on the couch laughing with you.’” [31:00]

Process and Reinvention: Albums “Euphoria” & “Still Yours for the Summer”

• Walden describes the joy and challenge of creating “Euphoria” (with Italian collaborators, infusing a European flavor) and “Still Yours for the Summer” (produced at home, inspired by dance and celebration).
  • Stories behind “Hot Fun in the Summertime” (Sly Stone tribute), “Bougie Cherry Bomb,” and the remix of “I Should Have Loved You.”
  • Europe’s enthusiastic reception of his music, and his deliberate effort to create tracks with global appeal.
• On reinvention and luck in the music industry:
  • Quote: “To make it in this industry is the hardest thing in the world. There’s no book on it, no magic. It’s just happenstance…God made a way.” [41:24]

New Projects: “Motown Salutes”

• Walden is writing and producing a major Motown tribute for Otis Williams (The Temptations), scripting a four-minute song weaving the label’s monumental history.
  • “It’s so much of a story—who you put in, who you have to leave out because you only got four minutes… The work that came out of Motown is staggering.” [43:26]
• Honors Motown’s unsung heroes—session musicians, producers, and mentors who shaped generations of music.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Music’s Divine Role:
  • “Music is right next to God because...if God talks to us in silence, what comes right after silence? Music.” – Narada Michael Walden [05:33]
• On Influences:
  • “You don’t leave nobody out...Everybody brought their own flavor, and you needed it.” [13:55]
• On Aretha:
  • “‘I’m not here to fight with you. I’m here to serve the music and love you and be kind to you.’ And then it was like, cool. Because I could see in her eyes, the genius, the all-knowing—you know, can hear everything, can sing everything, can play everything.” [24:00]
  • “No one can understand what it’s like to be in the control room with speakers hearing Aretha Franklin’s voice coming out.” [28:55]
  • “The last seven shows of her life, she said, ‘Would you come play with me?’ I said, ‘I’d be honored.’” [31:07]
• On Industry Lessons:
  • "To make it in this industry is the hardest thing in the world. There's no book on it." [41:24]
• Aretha’s Ritual:
  • “After every show, the classic thing is true. She’ll go into her bra, pull out the cash, pay you in cash, then you had to sign a little piece of paper. And you got paid in cash.” [34:45]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Narada on the healing power of music: [05:33]
• Early musical memories and parental support: [07:59–13:34]
• Rushmore of drumming influences: [13:55]
• Discussion of mental health in music/Jim Gordon story: [16:56]
• How “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” came about: [22:26]
• Studio and live magic with Aretha Franklin: [23:48–35:47]
• Creating “Euphoria”/European collaborations: [38:35]
• Still Yours for the Summer—origins and inspiration: [39:54]
• Reflections on making it in the music industry: [41:24]
• Whitney Houston seen as a child at a session: [42:47]
• Motown tribute details: [43:23–45:16]

Episode Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is joyous, warm, and profoundly grateful—full of laughter, heartfelt reminiscence, and respectful storytelling. Walden’s humility and spiritual outlook permeate every anecdote, and Buzz Knight’s curiosity draws out deep wisdom on both music and life. Listeners are left with inspiration about embracing change, trusting one’s creative instincts, honoring your roots, and the transcendent power of music to unite and heal.

Ultimate takeaway:
To truly reinvent oneself—musically or personally—requires openness, hard work, gratitude, and a willingness to both serve and be surprised by the muse.

For anyone with a passion for music history, creative growth, or the inside stories of legendary artistry, this episode is an essential listen.