The limitless world of Dr. Angela Celeste May

Dr. Angela Celeste May has traveled all over the world, but she is first and foremost a native Detroiter.

May grew up in Detroit's Boston-Edison neighborhood, in a spacious Georgian-style home her maternal great-grandmother claimed in 1952. From the beginning, she was surrounded by powerful women. Her mother, Mary Ella Walton, is a classical and gospel pianist, teacher and composer; her great-aunt was a talented seamstress who produced her own fashion shows; and her grandmother, Willie May Walton, served as a lay minister and leader in her community.

"I love that I was raised with strong women doing their thing," said May, whose own list of accomplishments include recording, publishing, teaching and now broadcasting. "It was God first, and you just go and do. No limits. I'd never heard of such a thing as being female meant you can't."

Her father, who passed away in January, also had a powerful influence on his children. He created both art and music, and taught himself and his children to ride a unicycle. All of the May children are musically talented. Angela's sister, Michelle, is a bandleader, musician and teacher, and her brother, Leon, is a drummer and composer. But music is only a part of the picture.

"It was God first, always, respect for creativity, and of course, education, education, education," May said. And she got her fair share, holding a Bachelor's degree in both voice performance and psychology from Marygrove College, a Master's degree in clinical and humanistic psychology from The Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a doctorate of philosophy in psychology from the Institute.

With her Ph.D. completed by her 30th birthday, May focused on a career in psychology, having already opened her first company, A.M. May & Associates, Inc., with her sister. She worked as a forensic examiner and expert witness for the Criminal Division of the Third Circuit Court of Wayne County and on the faculty at the University of Phoenix. 

So how did she end up in the middle of a burgeoning musical career?

Living a childhood dream
"As long as I can remember, I wanted to sing. I was going to sing and that was it," she said, even though as a child, she could not sing. Still, music was a integral part of her life from the beginning. All three May children took music lessons, which gave them a strong foundation upon which to build their later successes.

That early training and years of performance experience is an integral part of my development as a musician, writer and producer," May said.

Her voice finally came of age when she was in junior high, and May began singing professionally when she was 16. Because she also had an interest in medicine, she decided to take a second major in psychology.

"I always did both. In the time you're given, you can explore all the things you love," she said. "My main focus was on psychology. I established a career, and when God said it was time, the music would come to the fore. That's where I am."

Through Celeste Productions, she has released her own album, "No Limits," a collection of original songs with inspirational lyrics and styles that range from urban rap to jazz, and a haunting version of the traditional, "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," arranged by May and her mother. In the coming year, Celeste Productions will release May's second album, as well as albums for her mother and her husband, Richard D. Scott. May also performs through the Detroit area. She'll appear with her band 3-Play at the historic Furniture Factory on Saturday, July 31, and Saturday, August 28. (Ticket information at reverbnation.com)

While looking for ways to promote her musical performances, May connected with WHPR TV 33, where she now does a music and talk show featuring Detroit artists and entrepreneurs with Detroit-based businesses. Her focus: Bringing the best of Detroit to light. She's finding this a fairly easy task; within a few days of creating the show, she had a list of more than 30 potential guests, all in "the 313".

"I really do mean it when I say I love my Detroit," May said. "My husband and I are committed to staying in Detroit. I love the idea of showing off entrepreneurship in our city, and I want to use music as a platform to promote Detroit."

The show airs Mondays, 8 p.m., on 88.1 FM, TV 33 and streams live at at www.fm881whpr.com

For more information about Dr. Angela Celeste May's music, visit www.cdbaby.com/angelacelestemay, www.reverbnation.com/angelacelestemay or www.myspace.com/angelacmay Her book, "Freedom," (her doctoral thesis) is available at www.xlibris.com/freedomfromlimitations