Thanks to my career in the record industry I’ve enjoyed a exciting and fun-filled life. It started in the San Francisco Bay area as a member of the then popular & successful doo-wop group, The Crescendos. A memorable moment was when Otis Redding performed at Basin Street West, I put him in a houseboat instead of a hotel. “Dock of the Bay” was the result!
I learned the business by working for record distributors and was one of the first African American females (on the west coast) to do promotions in 1965. From handling the Jackson 5’s first in-store at Tower Records SF to owning and operating The Music Plant in Oakland, I did it all. Next stop was relocating to Washington, DC to work with a true ‘living legend’, Al Bell to launch his ICA label.
In 1979 I stepped outside of the music industry and served as Executive Assistant to Honorable A.B. Tolbert, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee for the House of Representatives in Liberia, West Africa where I facilitated foreign investors seeking to do business in Liberia.
When I returned to the States, I moved to NY and held positions at MCA, Polygram and Columbia Records that lead to the launch of Cynthia Badie Associates, a Special Events and Meeting & Conference Planning Company. For the Coca Cola Company we coordinated a cross section of events for New Edition, Kool & the Gang and Linda Ronstadt to name a few. I handled the Awards Dinner for the LLF at the IMPACT Conference for 10 years and in 1992, created the Salute to Excellence Awards honoring radio legends Cathy Hughes, Charles Warfield, Stephen Hill & Doc Wynter. I’m extra proud that I completed the NY Marathon in 1998!
At 76, life doesn’t get much better. I found a new livelihood driving for Uber, am happily married to Otis Beard, living in St Louis and sharing my collective knowledge volunteering for the Make A Wish Foundation.
My favorite song is “Dock Of The Bay”, but I love “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.
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