the United States, Bermuda, The Bahamas, The Virgin Islands, England, Scotland, and Wales. In 1985, Warren composed an upbeat choral piece entitled "I Ain't Got Long To Be Here" in the style of a negro spiritual. Blackmon allowed Warren to teach the piece to The Aeolians, and it became part of their standard repertoire. Whenever they performed it, Blackmon introduced Warren, who would then conduct the piece. "I Ain't Got Long To Be Here" is believed to be the first student composition ever to have been performed by The Aeolians. Blackmon was a pivotal figure in Warren's musical development. With Blackmon's tutelage, Warren studied music theory, piano performance, and techniques of choral conducting. By coincidence, as a teenager, Warren lived in his parents' home which was located directly across the street from the Blackmon home and her daughter Brenda, now Brenda Wood. As of 2010, Wood is an NBC news anchor at WXIA-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. A Special Blend Many members of The Aeolians also sang in other vocal groups and choirs at Oakwood University. However, because of The Aeolians' rigorous rehearsal and touring schedule, conductor Alma Blackmon had instituted a rule that no members of the ensemble could participate in extracurricular groups larger than a quartet. This was intended to limit the number of students who might collectively miss any given Aeolian performance. As such, Warren's nine-voice vocal group, The Symbolic Sounds, was disallowed. In 1981, Warren disbanded The Symbolic Sounds and formed the vocal group A Special Blend, consisting of two women and two men, accompanied by Warren on piano or sometimes along with a full rhythm section. He created innovative vocal arrangements for A Special Blend, whose repertoire consisted of new arrangements of familiar songs, as well as original compositions by Warren. The group's core members consisted of Joya Foster, Lori Bryan, Mark Kibble, and Claude V. McKnight, III. Like Alliance, A Special Blend became well-known and popular for its unique style which combined vocal jazz with contemporary Christian lyrics. A Special Blend performed concerts throughout the United States, primarily on weekends during the school year. Warren, Kibble, and McKnight were members of both A Special Blend and Alliance. The groups' take on vocal jazz complimented each other and they frequently concertized in tandem. At certain points during A Special Blend's six-year span, vocalists Andraetta Huff, Sheryl Bihm, and Michelle Mayne each briefly served as members or