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Life Changes Show, December 15, 2025

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Life Changes Show
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Guests, Grammy Nominated Songwriter, Carol Conners and Grammy Award-Winning Producer, David Longoria, Ep 872

Life Changes Show with Filippo Voltaggio and cohost Mark Laisure, with Executive Producer Dorothy Lee Donahue

When You Tell Yourself, I’m Gonna Fly Now - Ep872

Featuring Interview Guest, Grammy®, Oscar®, Emmy & Golden Globe–Nominated Songwriter, Trailblazing Artist, Pop and Film Music Icon, Carol Connors; and Performance Guest, Grammy® Award–Winning Producer, Trumpet Virtuoso, Recording Artist, and Music Innovator, David Longoria

Interview Guest: CAROL CONNORS; and Performance Guest: DAVID LONGORIA

Headlined Show, Life Changes Show December 15, 2025

Life Changes Show - When You Tell Yourself, I’m Gonna Fly Now - Ep872
Grammy, Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe–Nominated Songwriter, Trailblazing Artist, Pop and Film Music Icon, Carol Connors
Broadcast Date

Life Changes Show with Filippo Voltaggio and cohost Mark Laisure, with Executive Producer Dorothy Lee Donahue

Featuring Interview Guest, Grammy®, Oscar®, Emmy & Golden Globe–Nominated Songwriter, Trailblazing Artist, Pop and Film Music Icon, Carol Connors; and Performance Guest, Grammy® Award–Winning Producer, Trumpet Virtuoso, Recording Artist, and Music Innovator, David Longoria

Interview Guest: CAROL CONNORS; and Performance Guest: DAVID LONGORIA

Grammy Award–Winning Producer, Trumpet Virtuoso, Recording Artist, and Music Innovator, David Longoria

Guest, Carol Connors

Guest Name
Carol Connors
Carol Connors
Guest Occupation
Grammy®, Oscar®, Emmy and Golden Globe–Nominated Songwriter, Trailblazing Artist, Pop and Film Music Icon
Guest Biography

Carol Connors is one of the most influential and boundary-breaking songwriters of the last six decade —an artist whose work shaped pop, rock, and Hollywood film music at a time when few women were allowed into the writing rooms.

Her career began at 16½, when she became the unmistakable voice of The Teddy Bears, singing the Phil Spector–penned global No. 1 hit “To Know Him Is To Love Him.” In the 1960s, she made history again as the co-writer of “Hey Little Cobra,” still the only major hot-rod hit written by a woman reaching the top of the charts in a male-dominated genre.

Connors’ most defining achievement came in 1976 when she co-wrote “Gonna Fly Now,” the electrifying theme to Rocky, alongside Bill Conti and Ayn Robbins. The song earned an Academy Award® nomination, helped turn Rocky into a worldwide phenomenon, and remains one of the most iconic musical themes in cinematic history. She continued shaping the musical identity of the franchise with iconic contributions to Rocky II, III, IV, Rocky Balboa and Creed.

Her wide-ranging work includes the original songs for Walt Disney’s The Rescuers, the international ballad “With You I’m Born Again”, music for Orca, The Killer Whale, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and the beloved Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous theme performed by Dionne Warwick.

In 2025, Connors released her memoir Elvis, Rocky & Me, brought to audio format with producer David Longoria and narrated by Kathy Garver. The audiobook is now a 2026 GRAMMY® nominee.

From pop stages to Hollywood studios, Carol Connors remains a pioneering force—and a woman whose work continues to inspire generations.

About Elvis, “Rocky” and Me

Carol Connors has lived her dream and she shares her remarkable success story in her wild ride memoir Elvis, “Rocky” and Me.

As an entertainer Carol has done it all with her singer/songwriter talents recognized with two Oscar, five Emmy, one Grammy and two Golden Globe nominations, along with a wall in her home proudly decorated with the gold and platinum records she’s received.

Carol is one of the female pioneers of music for film and television. She made her mark in music at age 16 when she recorded the hit song To Know Him Is to Love Him. The enormous success of that song was the start of a career that is still going strong. She has written music for Dionne Warwick and Billy Preston and has seen her songs covered by Mariah Carey and John Legend. Among Carol’s proudest accomplishments is her co-writing the Oscar-nominated theme Gonna Fly Now for the blockbuster film Rocky.

Carol’s personal life is every bit as fascinating as her show business career. While she never chose to marry, she’s dated such famous names as Elvis Presley, Robert Culp and David Janssen. Today, she continues to lead an active and productive lifestyle with her dedicated charity work and taking time to enjoy even the simple pleasures.

Carol’s story is not only an entertaining read, but stands as an inspiration to anyone hoping to reach and even exceed their own dreams.

Guest, David Longoria

Guest Name
David Longoria
David Longoria
Guest Occupation
Grammy® Award–Winning Producer, Trumpet Virtuoso, Instrumentalist, Recording Artist, and Music Innovator,
Guest Biography

DAVID LONGORIA

The Artist
2016 has seen the launch of David Longoria’s newest Dance (EDM) Instrumental single “ANGELS”. This record features David’s trumpet mastery using stylistic ideas from classical music, combined with the current dance sounds. The song started out with an improvised trumpet performance, after which an EDM track and production were added. The result is the unique, catchy and quite advanced dance production. The uplifting song is gathering momentum worldwide as it heats up dance floors and climbs the Billboard charts.

David just released his much anticipated GROUNDBREAKING Instrumental album “The Journey” with some of the very freshest new music ever created. The follow up single release is David’s tribute to the 30th Anniversary of Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie’s “We Are The World”. It’s a historic song called “WE ARE ONE” and features the combined performances of more than 600 recording artists from many genres of music as well as many races and cultures, all singing together in and about unity.

The new album is set in an EDM soundscape, where 12 songs written by David and in collaboration with with Remixer/Producer Robert Eibach feature the unique and groundbreaking contemporary Instrumental work of David’s trumpet and other great world class musicians.

The Backstory
DAVID LONGORIA was born at a very early age. He began singing along with his aunt Betty as she practiced her opera. It raised a few eyebrows as he was only 6 months old. He developed a love for music right away. He started playing the drums and moved to the clarinet. As a 9 year old, his fingers were not big enough to cover the keys. It was at the tender age of 10 he watched trumpet great AL HIRT perform on tv. “That moment I knew I wanted to play the trumpet”, says Longoria. “I immediately threw my clarinet down on the couch and said I HAVE to do that!” Growing up poor was a challenge when David decided to learn to play the trumpet. “I asked my parents how I could get a trumpet and they suggested I earn a little money and buy a used one. I found an old golden trumpet hanging in the window of Ben’s Loan in my little town. Dino, the owner was amused that I wanted to buy it with my $5 as a down payment, but he started a layaway for me and about a year and a half later that little beauty was mine, all mine. Sixty Five Dollars is hard to raise in a hurry when you’re ten and poor”, he remembers. “I loved and appreciated that trumpet so much for all the hard work it was to get.” David had the same trumpet gold plated and still plays it to this day.

The Salvation Army offered music lessons to build their local brass band so David joined the band and learned to play there. They loaned him a horn to play as he proved he was a wiling and able student. “I played every Sunday at the church and it really taught me how to play and to be dedicated. I practiced every day of my childhood in my front yard. There are still a few neighbors I want to apologize to”, he says. He discovered such great players as Dizzy Gillespie, Herb Alpert, Miles Davis, Arturo Sandoval Maurice Andre and Maynard Ferguson. “Each of these players brought something different to the table. I was inspired to learn from all of them”, he recounts. “Playing for Dizzy Gillespie was an eye-opener for me, David says. “One time I played a jazz solo and Dizzy said to me ‘I really dug your solo’ to which I said ‘nah… I can play better than that’. Dizzy was offended and said ‘Don’t EVER insult me like that! When someone says they dug your solo just shut up and say thank you. Otherwise you are telling them they have bad taste’. I never made that mistake again!” He went on to play the trumpet for many other artists including Foreigner, Buddy Rich, James Brown, and Marvin Gaye.

When he was 17 he put together his first original music which was released as a contemporary jazz album titled MONTAGE. He featured amazing talents WALT WAGNER on piano, GRANT REEVES, sax and more musicians that he convinced to join his debut project. Releasing it on his own, he learned to distribute and promote the record even without the backing of established labels. He sold several thousand copies across the US and Canada before moving to Los Angeles to continue his career. It was there that he performed at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Disneyland and many other places. He played his trumpet on hundreds of commercials, TV shows and movie soundtracks as a studio musician. In the evenings David donned a tuxedo and played “casuals”, the term musicians call gigs at weddings, birthday parties, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Quinceaneras, and just about anywhere else you can imagine.

One thing led to another and eventually David found himself performing as a recording artist in Europe and the USA. Enjoying this even more than playing Bar Mitzvahs, David did his best to forget the melody to Hava Nagila and instead wrote many songs and performed them across Europe and more recently the USA. Combining Latin styles, dance styles and Jazz, David found he could create a unique blend that was understandable, memorable and still had a beat you could dance to.

In 2012 David released his instrumental dance pop single Zoon Baloomba which immediately climbed the US Billboard Charts to #21. It made history as the first Instrumental song to become a national hit on this chart since Herb Alpert did it with his hit “RISE” in 1979.

In 2014 David Longoria released his TV Special Baila! to PBS & Public TV Stations across America. The 60 minute HD Special was taped in front of a live audience in Southern California with a complete band, singers, many dancers and guest stars. The show can also be viewed online in it’s entirety at pbsspecials.org .

In 2014 and 2015 the TV Special was broadcast across the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and South America on Commercial TV Stations. David released his album Baila! which featured dance hits Zoon Baloomba, Reflection, So Cool! and Deeper Love (featuring dance diva Cece Peniston) as well as contemporary jazz songs Loving Life (featuring Chris Standring), Sunset (featuring Marc Antoine) and A Castle In Spain (featuring Ottmar Liebert).

In 2025, Longoria earned a GRAMMY® Award, solidifying his status as one of today’s most versatile and inventive producers. Over his career, he has collaborated with a wide range of artists across pop, R&B, EDM, jazz, and world music—earning multiple Billboard chartings and performing on iconic stages worldwide.

At the age of 10 a young, ambitious David Longoria began learning to read music and to play the trumpet from dedicated retired officers teaching at the local Salvation Army in Renton, Washington. Coming from a financially challenged farm family, he thrived with the opportunity that would otherwise have not been affordable. This led to a successful career in music, with this year winning the industry’s top award.

The benevolence of the Salvation Army has not been forgotten and Longoria consistently supports the Army’s efforts to educate and help those in need. Over the years he has directly taught more than 500 kids music through corps and camps in California, Washington, Hawaii and New York.

As a trumpet virtuoso, Longoria’s sound is instantly recognizable: melodic, cinematic, and emotionally expressive. His recordings and live performances have garnered millions of streams and a global fan base. As a producer, he has crafted high-impact musical storytelling for albums, singles, film projects, and now audio books.

Longoria produced the 2026 GRAMMY®-nominated audio book Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story, helping bring the legendary songwriter’s story to life with musicality, emotional depth, and cinematic flair.

A dedicated advocate for music education and unity through the arts, Longoria has taught and inspired thousands of young musicians, championed collaborative creative projects, and continues to break new ground both in the studio and onstage.

Life Changes Show

Life Changes Show with Filippo Voltaggio
Show Host
Filippo Voltaggio

Come and join the conversation about what's going on and what we can do together about it, with it, and for it. We have the choice; we have the power. We can do magic if we just believe!

A show about the changes going on in us, to us, around us, and because of us. Therefore, it's technically a show about "Everything," only with a how to make it better, see it better, be better.

In the show, there is talk about, and with, people who have either been through major changes, are helping others with major changes, or people who are changing the world for the better in a major way.

The show is a one-hour talk show format with a monologue by the host, a 30-minute interview with a guest of note, capped by a "Producer's Wrap" segment, in which Filippo and Co-Host Mark Laisure, and sometimes surprise guests, bring it all home for the listeners in a sometimes humorous and sometimes touching, but always entertaining conversation.

BBS Station 1
Weekly Show
9:00 pm CT
9:55 pm CT
Monday
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