Music Stars Making A Social Impact: Why & How Guy Keefer of Baba Jenkins Is Helping To Change Our World
All of us have people who have influenced us in our lives. As far as music goes we all share a common bond of liking all many different forms of music. We like to refer to our music as “Gumbo”, meaning everything we want to be in the pot is in there.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Baba Jenkins.
Baba Jenkins is an R&B group based in Los Angeles with soulful music and a love for helping others. The band is composed of Guy Keefer (guitar), Rone (vocals), Ekko (drums), and Kerwin “Skooter” Williams (bass). They support Sharing Love With Others, a non-profit taking care of and feeding 400+ homeless people on Skid Row every Saturday in Downtown LA.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
Thank you for having us! All of the members of the band have been playing music a while now and it’s always been a passion for all of us. It’s not always the case that the magic happens though, and we recognized from day one that something special was happening in the room on February 13, 2021.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career? What was the lesson or takeaway you took out of that story?
We have a funny story about a harmonica player gone wrong but better off keeping that to ourselves I think. Most interesting story was meeting drum legend Steve Ferrone in literally the most unexpected fashion, and a week later he was playing our “Dance On Me” on his “The New Guy Show” radio show on Sirius XM Channel 31 Tom Petty Radio. The lesson is, as Skooter profoundly quoted on our Instagram, “Be patient, the best things happen unexpectedly”.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
Stay creative, have an open mind to all styles of music, have a game plan, and be persistent. And of course, the most important aspect, believe in yourself and don’t give up.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
All of us have people who have influenced us in our lives. As far as music goes we all share a common bond of liking all many different forms of music. We like to refer to our music as “Gumbo”, meaning everything we want to be in the pot is in there.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
A huge motivation for us since we met has always been to use our music and any recognition we achieve from it to help others. One of the first things we did is to support an organization which is dear to our hearts called Sharing Love With Others. It is run by a wonderful woman, Maxine Sealy. She makes food every week in her own house and takes it to Skid Row in Los Angeles where she and her amazing volunteers feed over 400 homeless people every Saturday without missing a beat since 2019. We are super proud to be a part of the Sharing Love family. You can find out more about Sharing Love With Others by visiting our website at BabaJenkins.com and our linktree on Instagram @Babajenkinsofficial.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
Yes, I would love to. Slow Motion was the first song we ever wrote. It’s a true story about a friend of Rone’s brother who through unfortunate circumstances ended up on Skid Row. That person was eventually found and rescued by friends and reunited with his family. So it’s a happy ending but for thousands of others that is not the case. This is what motivated us to take action and help those in need.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
I don’t know yet of any singular person who has been impacted as we have been doing this for one year now, but I’m sure at some point we will hear a story about someone’s life that we changed. As for now, Sharing Love With Others is impacting 400+ people every Saturday which is fantastic.
Are there three things or are there things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Without getting too political, as Maxine Sealy says, no donation is too small. So yes, on an individual level just donate if you can.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”
1. Stay consistent. 2. Have a game plan as to what type of music you want to play and stick with it. 3. Practice on your own every day. 4. Continually try and improve your songwriting technique. 5. Promote yourself.
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I don’t know if you could call this a movement but wouldn’t it be nice if everyone just said hello to each other! To people you may walk by on the street, in the office, in an elevator. Anything to bring some positivity and good cheer in the world has to be a good thing.
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
Well I can’t speak for the whole band, but my parents always quote “do everything in moderation, treat all people with respect and be giving”.
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Baba Jenkins would love to meet Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin and would prefer a late evening dinner please lol. And if he could bring George Clinton from Parliament Funkadelic with him that would even be better ☺
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Music Stars Making A Social Impact: Why & How Guy Keefer of Baba Jenkins Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.