odcast EP Description *
In this episode Durell is joined by indie creative Keith Rollins pka Reverend Doctor. Durell and Keith begin the episode talking about how he got started playing music. Keith shares that he started playing in a band and while he enjoyed playing with others he knew that he ultimately wanted to do a solo project because he knew he had something to say. He shares that he knew that he as himself being Keith Rollins wouldn’t be the best representation of him so he knew he had to figure out the way to represent what his persona would be. Keith shares that there is freedom in having a persona. He liked the idea of declaring authority and the ability to encourage people.

Keith shares that he played college basketball and didn’t think he would become a professional musician until he was a decade into playing. Durell and Keith talk about college athletes and the fact that most of them don’t have any money and that if they weren’t provided meals and housing they couldn’t afford to even live even above the poverty line. Durell and Keith share that the schools generate so much money from the likeness and image of athletes without them seeing any money and that couldn’t work in any other industry space. Keith shares that even though he has his own quarrams about social media, he’s thankful that the social platforms give people a voice to advocate for awareness and change. Keith shares he’s learned that it’s just part of the job if you want to be a professional creative in today’s marketplace.


Keith shares that his earliest memories of music were from his mom singing and she wrote songs about his sisters and himself. He shares that his mom catered the melodies to what would put each of them to sleep. He remembers that his mom had such a beautiful voice. Keith and Durell both share that they feel a strong character trait they both possess is the ability to connect to people. Keith shares that he’s had the opportunity to be the musical director for a non-profit which allows him to have the network that connects him to artists that he wouldn’t usually have access to. Durell talks about the skill to know how to properly network effectively that allows for an individual's network to truly expand. Keith and Durell talk about having confidence and letting those you connect with know why they should want to work with you, and knowing what you bring to the table is extremely important within the realm of networking.

Keith shares that he loves that Reverend Doctor is a brand that evokes a sound from the 60’s and 70’s civil rights movement. He shares that Motown and soul music was something that he’d always been listening to and what is at his core. He considers himself to be a songwriter at heart. Keith shares that Leon Bridges and Prince are his contemporaries when it comes to his pop and soul appeal, especially with his guitar. Keith shares that even though he wants to share positivity in his act as Reverend Doctor, his lyrics are really about creating a path to hope and effective change and that’s through the children of the next generation.


Durell and Keith talk about racism and how that has impacted the smaller communities in America. Durell shares a story about a post he saw on social media where a white kid was adopted by his best friend from an all black family. Keith shares how that is going to impact the way the boy grows up especially when he’s approached by his white peers and the type of hateful language they will probably use when trying to talk about their experiences with people of color. Keith talks about his experience living in St. Paul, Minnesota and how very much the black experience differs from the white experience. He says that a black person in that city is for the most part living below the poverty line whereas a white person often lives way above the poverty line. Keith shares that where he lived in Minneapolis is about five to ten minutes from where George Floyd was killed. Keith shares that what was being shown on the news media wasn’t really what was truly going on.


Durell and Keith end the episode talking about some of the awards that he has won. Keith won the Mid Atlantic Song contest for his song entitled “Dance Warrior” and he also won an award for his song entitled “Better Together”. He shares that he applied to several different songwriting contests because he wanted some feedback from industry professionals. He didn’t think any of his songs would actually be placed and wasn’t pleasantly surprised once they did. Keith feels that when it comes to the larger songwriting contests, the entries unfortunately don’t mirror people who have lived through those cultural experiences. Keith shares that he is a frequent blogger as well.

For more info on Keith Rollins pka Reverend Doctor please visit his website:

https://www.reverenddoctormusic.com/