An Oscar-Nominated Songwriter Shows Off His Turntable and Guitar

Musician Raphael Saadiq, nominated for co-writing ‘Mighty River’ for the film ‘Mudbound,’ on his cherry Mustang, dime store guitars, and the best way to play hoops without getting injured

Chris Kornelis

March 1, 2018 12:18 p.m. ET

When I first got a record deal, I didn’t know what kind of microphone to sing on. My engineer Gerry Brown just kept tossing mics to me. That’s how I discovered the Telefunken ELA M 251, which I really like. It looks like an old mic that could have been used during war times. It keeps the edge off my voice and warms it up at the same time.

Right now I like to drive around in my 1966 Mustang convertible (similar model shown). I’m from Oakland, a place where everybody drives Mustangs, Cruisers, Malibus, real muscle cars. I bought...