I've always loved music...always known that's what my life would be about...been in bands...taught myself to read and write music...did some touring...studied jazz singing and got pretty good at it.
My first solo project, "First Light" came out in 1983. I got great reviews for the lyrics I wrote to famous jazz solos by Chet Baker and Wes Montgomery. The national airplay and buzz about the record prompted my move from Ohio to Los Angeles, where I decided I could best further my career and better my craft.
I began studying songwriting with K.A. Parker, and soon realized that, even more than singing, I adored creating new songs...all kinds of songs. I would write with anyone, in any style, and seek every opportunity to get my songs heard and recorded.
It wasn't long before I was writing with and for artists like Deniece Willaims, George Benson, Gregg Karukas, Arnold McCuller and Pauline Wilson. The first time I heard my single "As Good As It Gets" by Niece on the radiio, I knew I was in it for life.
In the nineties, I was asked to be one of the staff writers on a daring new tv show. It was a Steven Bochco gritty police drama where several times in any given episode, the characters would unceremoniously break into song! Cop Rock lasted only one season, but what great fun it was. One of my songs was sung by an (at that time) unknown singer named Sheryl Crow, and another song became a big production number about the plight of the homeless, called "Nowhere To Go, Nothin' To Do". It was nominated fort an Emmy, but was beat out that year by some guy named Randy Newman, who was also writing songs for Cop Rock.
Three times, I entered a song in the Billboard Song Contest...hey we all need validation. Three times my song won the Pop division of that contest. The most recent was 2007. My song "Fearless" was sung by an 11 year old (now 13) sensation named Daechelle. The song also won an international competition staged by Geffen Records and was included in the film "Bratz"
As for my own singing, I released a World Beat project called "Circle Of Souls" in 1996 and my solo record "Blend' in 2006. You can check out that music right here on this site and even purchase them if you're so inclined at either CD Baby or I Tunes.
My latest full length CD, "Mosaic" contains 4 new songs as well as my take on some under-appreciated tunes by James Taylor, Carole King, Jon Lucien and Bill Withers. It's a jazzy-pop concoction that is scheduled for release in May 2013.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
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