In this episode of “Hub City Now with Tyrone Tony Reed Jr.”, the host interviews Solomon “Shazam” Conner, lead singer and founding member of multi-platinum, R & B Hall of Fame super group H-Town! The band recorded the hit song “Knockin’ Da Boots”, its biggest hit which was #1 on the R & B charts and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Conner speaks about the group’s meteoric rise in the 1990s, what it was like to go from high school and suddenly be superstars along with his twin brother, the late Kevon “Dino” Conner, and their friend Darryl “G.I.” Jackson, traveling the world, performing and recording hit songs.

Conner also spoke about musical influences, why he wanted to be in music, what it was like to perform with legendary singers and have hit songs on soundtracks for Jason’s Lyric, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate and Above the Rim.

Conner also elaborates on his solo career, his current hit songs “Pac Man” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=g10Or_jmBvo) and “Strokey Doke” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-HIqTkz2UQ), when we can expect his solo album and why H-Town is still going strong all over the world.

Aired: 10/29/2023

In this episode of Hub City Now with Tyrone Tony Reed Jr., the host speaks with Liliana Tschanett, Public Affairs Specialist, Field Operations Center – East, Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience (ODR&R), U.S. Small Business Administration and Van Wylie, Small Business Development Centers Director for TN Western Region.

Wylie spoke about how he got involved with the SBDC, what it does in the community and who it helps.

Tschanett and Wylie spoke about the upcoming events ( a webinar and a business recovery fair, that SBA and SBDC will present together. The two events will highlight the financial assistance available from the SBA and other federal, state and local agencies, plus free classes and assistance offered through the TSBDC.

The webinar, Tuesday, June 27, at 11 a.m. CDT/12 noon EDT, will offer information on SBA’s working capital loans, technical and counseling services by the TSBDC. Business owners can sign up for the webinar in English or Spanish at the TSBDC website: www.tsbdc.org. The business recovery fair, on Wednesday, June 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT, will be held at the Jimmy Naifeh Center at Dyersburg State Community College, 3149 Highway 51 South in Covington, TN. Local, state, and federal agencies will be on-site to answer questions and provide one-on-one assistance.

Small businesses and private non-profit organizations in the following counties are encouraged to attend: Bedford, Cannon, Chester, Clay, Coffee, Crockett, Davidson, Decatur, DeKalb, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Hickman, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Macon, Madison, Marshall, Maury, McNairy, Perry, Rutherford, Shelby, Smith, Sumner, Tipton, Trousdale, Warren, Wayne, Williamson and Wilson in Tennessee; Lauderdale, in Alabama; Crittenden and Mississippi in Arkansas; Allen and Monroe in Kentucky; and Alcorn, Benton, Tippah and Tishomingo in Mississippi.

Applicants may apply online via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/ under SBA declaration # 17867.

Disaster loan information and forms may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (if you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services), or by sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan application forms can be downloaded from the SBA’s website at sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The deadline to return an SBA application for financial losses (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) is Jan. 8, 2024.