Happy 30th Anniversary- Red, Hot & Blue A Monumental First. The First Sensible Shame-Free Pop Culture Response To HIV/AIDS

Via The Red Hot Org on Instagram

Thanks Esquire for a beautiful & impressively deep highlight reel from Red Hot’s 30 years of making music, raising awareness to fight AIDS + promote Harm Reduction!!

Rolling Stone Magazine

Jody Watley – “After You,Who” Video Still. Red Hot & Blue

I’m proud to be a part of such a monumental and important project and moment in history- there were few artists at the time willing to speak on the subject of HIV & AIDS.. even fewer was black artists. My label didn’t want me to do it because they thought my participation would give the impression that I was either gay and or had the virus. Some things are worth fighting to be a part of and for me this was one and creatively I got to do jazz!

World AIDS Day. Red Hot and Blue Looking Back

It’s interesting to look back on this monumental and important project and remember how my label was so against my being a part of it because of the perceived notion that being a part of HIV and AIDS education and awareness was a bad thing and the mentality of what people would think especially in the Black (urban) community, which one of the reasons I really fought to be a part of this no matter what people thought- it was necessary.

#Repost Via Red, Hot Organization

#redhotandblue TV special aired in over 30 countries in #1990. #coleporter songs, which NO ONE was even thinking about covering yet, seemed to speak poignantly to the early days of the #plague #Ivegotyouundermyskin #everytimewesaygoodbye to name a few were poetic reminders of the importance of love, romance, empathy and desire, in an era when people were afraid to even touch one another. We had numerous fights w/the network and sponsors in order to be able to speak directly about #AIDS and #SafeSex. The show featured music videos of nearly every song on the album as well as PSAs and interludes that spoke powerfully to dispell the fear, stigma and hysteria around the epidemic. These amazing #motiongraphics were produced in London, this was when doing any kind of moving graphics was incredibly labor intensive and complicated. The music is #whowantstobeamillionaire by #thompsontwins – for some reason they were the only band to not have a music video in the show, so they were featured here!!

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#worldaidsday2017 #worldaidsday #neverforget #fightaids #endaids #safesex #safesexishotsex #redhot #redhotorganization #1990 #lovewins #AIDSactivism #silenceequalsdeath #actup #lgbtq

Jody Watley. Classic Style Rewind

Jody Watley,  Jet Magazine 1990 during Red, Hot and Blue: A Tribute To Cole Porter to Benefit HIV and AIDS Research.  Wearing a  vintage black beaded cocktail dress, the hair is a nod to actress Dorothy Dandridge.