For the pre-MTV generation, fans of The Temptations, The Platters, and The Drifters are familiar with the names Glenn Leonard, Joe Coleman, and Joe Blunt. Now collectively known as LCB, these respective ex-frontmen of the aforementioned bands reverberate in the annals of the suave early rock and roll era with their distinctive sounds that introduced a new genre with roots that trace to R&B. J. Michael Willard’s My Time to Shine is a humble autobiography that pays homage to the legacy of these three legends. Written with as much finesse as its subjects, it gives us an up close and personal look at the highs and lows not only of the LCB as a collective but also on their individual struggles and how they emerged triumphant against the pervasive system in the music industry that puts more emphasis on commercialism than music.

Mr. Willard, in retrospect, is earnest and objective. He wastes no time in getting into the dynamics of failure and success that is revealing but reserved. It is a ripe testimony to the power not only of music but of the human spirit. The LCB as soul brothers withstood the test of time and though they may not be aware of it, their brand of music broke through the status quo that confined men and women of their color. A heap of photographs of former bandmates, friends, and acquaintances amplifies the reader’s trip to the past. To listen to LCB and to read their life story are flirtations with nostalgia.

Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, everyone knew of The Temptations, The Drifters and The Platters. Their lyrics are still remembered to this day. But who are the lead singers and what makes their journey from a Baptist background in Washington DC to sell-out tours around the world so intriguing? Take an inside look into the lives of Glenn Leonard, Joe Coleman and Joe Blunt, former members of The Temptations, The Drifters and The Platters respectively. How did these men, with such different personalities, cope with the trials and tribulations of becoming famous, only to lose notoriety then join together to form LCB decades later? This memoir is an in-depth, honest look at the ups and downs of the brutal music industry and how their determination and ambition saw them through the lows of their careers and personal lives. How do they remain as popular today and what makes them still have a passion and love for music?

My Time to Shine by Glenn Leonard, Joe Coleman, Joe Blunt, and J. Michael Willard is such an interesting read, not only for fans of these three outstanding musicians but also as an inspiration for anyone who wants to achieve any goal. We sometimes forget the struggle many successful people had before they achieved stardom and the grit and determination these men showed were incredible. I loved the references to the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War and how these two events had a profound effect on their songwriting. I loved the photographs at the end and the song lyrics throughout. The story of their childhoods and the people who made an impact on their lives was relayed beautifully and it is astonishing to believe how close they all came to not becoming singers at all, especially Leonard, whose father pushed him into a baseball career. The history behind some of their famous lyrics was really insightful as were the references to ethnic discrimination, which the three men seemed determined not to hold them back from their dreams. This would make a perfect gift for any lover of nostalgia as this will take you back to a time when song lyrics were like poetry.