"My only competition was myself. And I just kept saying, You just need one spot. You just need one scholarship. So, when it was my turn, I danced for Jesus, honey. I danced like I had never danced before."  Vanessa Bell Calloway   

Leaving her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio and following her dream, Vanessa Bell Calloway arrived in New York City in the late 70s with grit and determination to pursue a career in the arts. With $50 to her name, Vanessa spent a day of zigzagging the streets by foot starting at Times Square 42rd Street all the way to 95th Street, applying for jobs to support herself. Late that night, she landed her first job at The Cellar, my father's popular Upper West Side restaurant. The connections she made there opened opportunities that helped launch Vanessa's career. 

Fast forward more than a few decades and Vanessa Bell Calloway, as she is known since marrying prominent anesthesiologist Anthony Calloway 34 years ago, has enjoyed a career that spans the stage, both big and small.

She has earned eight NAACP Image award nominations and won the NAACP Theater Award for Best Actress for her critically-acclaimed role as Zora Neale Hurston in Letters from Zora. She was an original cast member in the Broadway hit, Dream Girls and her resume encompasses a screen career that begins with the daytime soap opera, All My Children, to roles in Coming to America, What's Love Got To Do With It, and Crimson Tide. along with several TV credits. Most recently, Vanessa stars in the BET mini-series, The Black Hamptons, as the shrewd matriarch, Carolyn Britton. Trust me, you do not want to mess with Vanessa's character! 

As busy as Vanessa is with work, she and her husband, Tony, find time to travel and recently spent time yachting in Italy at the invitation of Earvin "Magic" Johnson and his gracious wife, Cookie. We hear about that inspirational experience as will as their trip to Martha's Vineyard last summer and their strong team approach to marriage. As South LA residents and long-time commercial property owners in Leimert Park, Vanessa discusses the changes in the neighborhood over the past several years. 

Join me, your host Brad Johnson, at the corner table for a glimpse into the world of my lovely, long-time friend and her journey!

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Theme Music: Bryce Vine

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