There are performers, then there are artists, then there are talents that are both. When you can write, perform, record, inspire and excel for decades that for me is the measure of an icon. Nona Hendrxy is an icon. I was fortunate enough to see Ms. Hendryx live last Friday night at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. She was as compelling, beautiful and entertaining as ever. So checkout the bio, videos and images of a loving spirit and wonderful Urban Pop Icon: Nona Hendryx.

Bio from Wikipedia.com

Early career

Born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1944, Hendryx's family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the mid-1950s where Hendryx first got in contact with fellow New Jersey native Sarah Dash and Philadelphia-based singers Patricia "Patsy" Holte and Sandra Tucker. After the short-lived tenure as member of rival group the Del-Capris, Hendryx and Dash formed a singing group with Holte and Tucker that year calling themselves The Ordettes. In 1961, Tucker was replaced by 18-year-old Cindy Birdsong, who was born in Philadelphia and had lived in New Jersey before moving back to Philadelphia where she was trying to be a nurse. In 1962, the Ordettes changed their name to the Bluebelles after signing their first deal with Newtown Records while Holte changed her stage name to Patti LaBelle.

After the release of their debut hit, 1962's "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman", their name altered again to Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Hendryx's husky alto differed from Dash's sharp soprano, LaBelle's mezzo-soprano and Birdsong's second soprano. During this tenure, the group became known for their emotional live performances and their doo-wop renditions of classic standards such as "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Danny Boy". The group often found themselves competing against girl groups such as The Chantels and The Supremes, with whom had a deep rivalry thanks to group member Diana Ross often snooping in on where the Bluebelles bought their dresses, according to LaBelle years later. In 1967, in the middle of a tour, Hendryx, LaBelle and Dash were shocked to discover that Birdsong, who had secretly been acting as a stand-in for Supremes member Florence Ballard, had officially joined the group after Ballard was ousted from the group by Motown CEO Berry Gordy.

Labelle

For the next three years, the group struggled to compete against the changing musical landscape for which their girl group sound had fallen out of favor with popular audiences. In 1971, they moved to England, where they had a cult fan base, and on the advice of Vicki Wickham, changed their name to Labelle and ditched the dresses and bouffant wigs for jeans and Afros. Releasing transitional albums including 1971's Labelle and 1972's Moon Shadow, the group recorded material unheard of for an black, all-female group included matters of sexual and political affair. The transition was hard for lead singer LaBelle, who was a fan of the group's early-era ballads, but she eventually gave in. Member Dash remained neutral throughout the tenure of the group.

After the release of Moon Shadow, Hendryx began the chief songwriter for most of the group's records while LaBelle and Dash occasionally wrote their own material. After successfully opening for The Who during the group's American tour in 1973, the group released Pressure Cookin', where they once again adopted a new look as "glam rock, space-age divas". As a songwriter Hendrix subsequently wrote powerful ballads ("You Turn Me On" and "Nightbird" from Nightbirds, "Going Down Makes Me Shiver" from Labelle's final album, Chameleon), and a wealth of more uptempo numbers ("Space Children," "Messin' With My Mind," "Gypsy Moths," and "Who's Watching the Watcher"). Her themes were unconventional, diverse, and often experimental. Her composition "A Man In A Trenchcoat (Voodoo)" from Chameleon also marked Hendryx's first time singing lead vocal on an album. In 1974, the group hit gold with the release of Nightbirds following the release of the smash hit, "Lady Marmalade". Following the band's 1976 breakup, Labelle, Dash, and Hendryx all embarked on solo careers; Wickham stayed on with Hendryx to manage her solo career.

Solo career

In 1977, Hendryx released her first solo album – a self-titled collection. A blend of soul and hard rock, it contained notable standout tracks such as "Winning" – later recorded by Santana – and the haunting ballad "Leaving Here Today". It quickly disappeared from the shelves, and Hendryx was dropped from Epic. Subsequently, she recorded four singles for Arista (London), which also escaped chart success. She did find success doing session work during this period, most notably providing background vocals for Talking Heads and touring with them, appearing first at the major Heatwave festival in August 1980. She contributed to the song "Checkmate" on Dusty Springfield's, It Begins Again album (the first of Springfield's comeback attempts) in 1978.

In the early 80's, Hendryx fronted her own progressive art-rock group, Zero Cool, which included guitarist Naux (China Shop, Richard Hell), Bassist Michael Allison (Darshan Ambient), guitarist Kevin Fullen and drummer Jimmy Allington. Simultaneously, she sang with experimental funk group Material, achieving a giant club hit with "Busting Out." She had two other major club hits soon after: a dance remake of The Supremes' "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart," and – in a lead vocal guest spot for the Cage – "Do What You Wanna Do." Material also produced her second eponymous album, Nona, in 1983. The hip, contemporary dance sound of this album proved to be more charts-compatible, with the disco music times, and the single "Keep It Confidential" becoming a modest R&B hit, and a remix of "B-boys" finding major success on the dance charts. "Transformation" became a Hendryx staple, and was later covered by Fierce Ruling Diva. Another particularly noteworthy track on the album is the ballad "Design For Living," which featured guests Laurie Anderson, Gina Shock of The Go-Go's, Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson, Tina Weymouth of Tom Tom Club and Talking Heads, Nancy Wilson of Heart, and former bandmate Patti LaBelle.

In the mid-1980s, Hendryx was recruited by RCA to record songs for various soundtracks, including: the theme for Moving Violations; "I Sweat (Going Through the Motions)," a commercial hit for Hendryx from the Jamie Lee Curtis film Perfect; and "Transparent" from the Eddie Murphy vehicle, Coming To America. Her album The Art Of Defense was released in 1984.

In 1985, Hendryx wrote and recorded "Rock This House" with Keith Richards, from her album The Heat. The song was nominated for a Grammy award. The same year, the MTV broadcast of the video "I Need Love" stirred some controversy for featuring drag queens, and it was quickly removed from MTV's playlist as a result.

Her biggest commercial success came with 1987's single "Why Should I Cry?", a top 5 R'n'B hit (also reaching #58 on the Billboard 100). The accompanying album, Female Trouble, boasted an impressive list of contributors, including Peter Gabriel and Prince ("Baby A Go Go"). Around this time, she became a member of the Black Rock Coalition, founded by Vernon Reid of Living Colour.

Hendryx took a detour from commercial music with Skin Diver, a new age record produced with long-time Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann. The album was generally greeted with positive feedback from critics, but was commercially unsuccessful. The title track did attract some attention, as did "Women Who Fly", which was later covered by Jefferson Starship.

In addition to the duet-album with Billy Vera (You Have to Cry Sometime) and a couple of compilation-only tracks, Hendryx has recorded more than five albums worth of music, but has been unable to release any of it due to lack of interest from major and independent record labels. Her Epic, RCA and EMI albums have long been out of print and have yet to attract the attention of specialist reissue labels, but a Best Of album titled Transformation was released in 1999 by Razor & Tie.

Hendryx has also dabbled in acting. She wrote and performed the theme for Landlord Blues (1987), while also having a small part in the film as attorney Sally Viscuso. She played herself in the late-90's Pam Grier series Linc's, and at the end of the show accompanied herself on the piano for "Lift Every Voice." Most recently, she appeared in the third season of The L Word, which closed with Grier, Hendryx, and the trio BETTY singing a cover of the Hendryx track "Transformation."

She remains in high demand for musical collaborations, both for her vocals and her songwriting. One of her early collaborations was with Jerry Harrison's (Talking Heads) The Red and The Black album 1981. In 1992, she recorded a duet with Billy Crawford, "Urgently In Love," which was considered by many to be a strong single that was not promoted properly. In 1998, she recorded the huge rap hit "It's a Party" with Bounty Killer. She has also written songs for Dusty Springfield and Ultra Nate, and produced albums for Lisa Lisa and The Bush Tetras. Other artists with whom she has recorded with over the years include: David Johansen, Yoko Ono, Cameo, Talking Heads (3 albums), 80's band Our Daughter's Wedding, Garland Jeffreys, Dan Hartman, Afrika Bambaata (performing a duet of "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" with Boy George), Canadian band Rough Trade, Curtis Hairston, and Graham Parker on the hit single, "Soul Christmas."

In the beginning of the current decade, Hendryx was asked to appear on two of Paul Haslinger's albums; two tracks for which she sang lead vocals – "Higher Purpose" and "Beginning to End" -were featured on the soundtrack for the Showtime series Sleeper Cell.

Later career and Labelle reunions

Currently, Hendryx is still touring and has written plays, including Blue. Recently, Sandra St. Victor (The Family Stand) recruited daughters of famous African American soul/blues icons – including Lalah Hathaway, Simone, Indira Khan, and Leah McCrae – together with "spiritual daughters" Joyce Kennedy, Caron Wheeler, and Nona, to form the group Daughters Of Soul, which has enjoyed much success, especially on the European tour circuit.

She also formed her own record label with Bobby Banks, Rhythm Bank, in 2005, and has released a gospel CD by protege Najiyah.

Since the breakup of Labelle, Patti, Sarah, and Nona have reunited on occasion. These reunions include Patti LaBelle's "Live In New York" video, the dance hit "Turn It Out" from the soundtrack To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), and two television specials. In January 2006, Labelle again reunited to record "Dear Rosa," a tribute to civil rights leader Rosa Parks. Labelle also performed the theme song for the soundtrack for the film Preaching to the Choir, with Nona being the composer of the film's soundtrack. In late 2008, Labelle released their comeback album, Back to Now, and went on a successful concert tour that carried through the spring of 2009.

Speaking in April 2009 to noted UK soul/R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul, Hendryx discussed the background to Labelle reuniting for Back To Now: "Well, there were lots of ongoing times when we'd discussed doing it. And a lot of it was really down to the fact that the fans were DEMANDING that we did it! But, rather than just going back and doing what we'd done in the past, we did want to be able to make an album of new music before coming back out together. And it was really once we'd recorded the song 'Dear Rosa', together that Patti finally became convinced that yes, we should make a new record and then go out and tour behind it. So I'd say basically our reunion was down to two things - pressure from the fans; plus Patti hearing a sound again that she loved and hadn't heard for many years."

Hendryx has also authored a children's book, called The Brownies.

On May 27, 2010, Hendryx performed selections from a sci-fi musical she is co-writing with Charles Randolph-Wright, Skindiver. The surprise show was at Busboys and Poets in Washington DC and sponsored by Arena Stage. Marcus Kyd was invited on stage for one song, while Ms. Hendryx sang the rest of the program solo.

Activism

In 2001 she discussed her bisexuality in an interview with The Advocate magazine and has become a gay-rights activist over the years. In summer 2008, she joined Cyndi Lauper on her True Colors tour, raising awareness of discrimination and the LGBT community.

This is my fave Nona joint the Prince penned, superfunky Baby Go Go...

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net

Posted by rickyday at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every so often the music industry gives birth to a production/writing team that can only be described as unparalleled. Meet the newest offspring, SHALIEK RIVERS and CASHUS C.R.E.A.M., a dynamic duo that go by the name, THE HITTERZz.

Rivers (24) was born in the Bronx, NY, moved to Charleston, SC at the age of 12, and returned to NY after graduating HS. With artists like Babyface and Stevie Wonder as his inspiration, music was firmly rooted in his soul. He signed with Universal Records as a solo artist at 18 and was blessed with the opportunity to work with superstar producers including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Brian Michael Cox and Alicia Keys just to name a few. He honed his skills from working with them one on one. The studio was his classroom and he learned well. Though the record was never released, Shaliek had come to realize the power of great lyrics and decided to pursue his passion…Songwriting!

C.R.E.A.M. (24) was born in Hartford, CT and raised on the lyrics of LL Cool J and Run DMC. He was offered a full time position working for a Fortune 500 company in his last year of college. So impressed by his potential, the company offered to pay his tuition. Even though he had landed the dream corporate job he quickly realized his heart was not in it.

A meeting with a NY producer, “PKing The Specialist”, provided C.R.E.A.M. with his first production deal and the spark was now lit. He soon abandoned his corporate gig and set his sights squarely on the big apple.

Shortly after he arrived in NYC he was offered a major label deal. However, on his way to the final meeting he received word that the deal had fallen through. It was then that he too realized that he could put his pen to great use crafting songs for other artists.

A chance encounter brought the two growing talents together. Shaliek, with his smooth r & b skills, and C.R.E.A.M. with his melodic hip hop sensibility. It was a match made in heaven. Their chemistry has proven quite productive and is finally receiving the attention of A&R representatives and label heads alike.

“Music is not just a hustle for us, it’s a passion- a way of life. We’ve sacrificed everything for it, and once the heart is set on what the mind wants, losing is simply not an option.” THE HITTERZz

Check out the new joint they wrote for our favorite Pussycat Doll. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a smash. What do you think?

Posted by rickyday at 12:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You'd never know it listening to radio or watching videos now, but there was a time when men ruled the airwaves as vocalists. Not crouch grabbing rappers with guns and video hoes, but male singers. Michael Jackson, Prince, Jeffrey Osborne, James Ingram, Peabo Bryson, Luther Vandross, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, George Michael, and Terence Trent D'Arby ruled the airwaves.

Terence is simply one of my favorite male singers of all time. he wasn't a great video artist, but his songs and the vocals he recorded stand up to any vocal recorded by any man EVER! His downfall happened way to fast, but the music is here forever. Terence had a Kanye mouth long before Kanye appeared on the scene and back in the 80's the media wasn't having it. After a few braggadocio remarks like his debut was bigger than the Beatles and something to the effect of his being the best ever the media started to turn on Terence with a vengeance and pretty darn quickly too. On top of that he was the type of artist who wanted to grow and not repeat himself and that made it difficult for audiences to keep up and strained relations with his label.

No matter what the media had to say about him or the difficulties with the record company, Terence's music is still here and so is he. He lives and records in Milan, Italy and tours with his band. Hopefully, he'll drop through and see us again in the states. until then, enjoy this walk down memory lane and go find more of his music for yourself. Terence is a true artist and very definitely an URBAN POP icon

Bio

Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard on March 15, 1962), better known by his former stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer-songwriter. He also plays many instruments on and produces his own albums.

D'Arby was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, in 1962. He grew up with his stepfather, Reverend James Benjamin Darby, a minister of the Pentecostal church; and Frances Darby, a gospel singer,[1] teacher and counselor. D'Arby was known to childhood friends as Terry Darby. His family moved from New York to New Jersey to Chicago and then settled in DeLand, Florida, north of Orlando. A graduate of DeLand High School, he sang with the Modernaires, a show choir of high school.[citation needed]

D'Arby trained as a boxer in Orlando and won the Golden Gloves lightweight championship. He received an offer to attend boxing school in the United States Army, but his father insisted he go to college instead. Maitreya enrolled at the University of Central Florida but quit a year later, enlisting in the U.S. Army. He was posted at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and then served in the 3rd Armored Division, near Frankfurt, Germany. He was formally discharged by the army in April 1983 after going absent without leave. While in Germany, he also worked with the band The Touch, releasing an album of material called Love On Time (1984). It was later re-issued in 1989 as Early Works after his worldwide success as a solo artist. In 1986 he left Germany for London, where he briefly played with the band, The Bojangels, after which he signed a solo recording deal.

D'Arby's debut solo album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, released in 1987, is his best-known and, in commercial terms, most successful work. The album, which produced hits like "If You Let Me Stay", "Wishing Well", "Dance Little Sister", and "Sign Your Name", sold over a million copies in the first three days of its release, and its sales currently total over 12 million. The album also earned him a Grammy Award in March 1988 in the category Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. In that same year, he earned a Soul Train Award nomination for Best New Artist.

His follow-up was the album Neither Fish Nor Flesh: A Soundtrack of Love, Faith, Hope & Destruction (1989). It sold over 2 million copies.

Also in 1989 he released the single "The Birth Of Maudie/An Chuileann" under the pseudonym The Incredible E.G. O’Reilly.

It took four more years and a move to Los Angeles until his next project, Symphony or Damn: Exploring the Tension Inside the Sweetness (1993) was released. The record explored some of the themes of Neither Fish Nor Flesh, and contains the singles "Delicate" and "She Kissed Me". It gathered favorable reviews and was played widely on radio. It peaked at #4 on the UK Album Charts.

In 1995, D'Arby released Vibrator, which largely followed Symphony or Damn in its musical direction. It was well received, and also followed by a very successful world tour.

During the 1990s, the relations between him and his record label Columbia Records became strained, eventually leading to his departure in 1996. He moved to Java Records for one year, during which he recorded Terence Trent D'Arby's Solar Return, which was not released. In 2000, he bought back the rights to his unreleased album and left the record company as well as his management team, Lippman Entertainment.

In 1999, D'Arby collaborated with INXS to replace his friend, late vocalist Michael Hutchence, so the band could play at the opening of facilities for the Sydney Olympics.

D'Arby adopted the name Sananda Maitreya, following a series of dreams and he legally changed his name to Sananda Maitreya on October 4, 2001. He proclaimed in an interview that "Terence Trent D'Arby was dead...he watched his suffering as he died a noble death", in what was perceived as an attempt to reinvent himself artistically and free himself from what he believed to be the oppressive nature of the record business.

In 2001, Maitreya moved back to Europe and Germany, resettling in Munich and starting his own independent record label, Treehouse Pub. The year also marked his first album release in six years, as the unreleased Terence Trent D'Arby's Solar Return was revamped into Wildcard. The album, which received a warm critical welcome, was at first available for free through his website, and later gained a commercial release through a one-album distribution deal with Universal Music and then an with an independent release with the artist's own record label.

In 2002, the now 40-year-old Maitreya moved to Milan, Italy, and began working on his next project, Angels & Vampires - Volume I. The songs were initially released through Weedshare by chapters, allowing the fans to get a glimpse of the work as it evolved. On July 29, 2005, the fully mastered album was finally released through his website utilizing the mp3 format.

In July 2005, Maitreya started working on Angels & Vampires - Volume II. He released each chapter online as he finished recording the songs. On April 29, 2006, he released the finished mastered album in his online shop. That was followed by the release of the 2CD limited edition of 'Angels & Vampires' at the end of 2007. In 2009, the album Nigor Mortis: A Critical Mass was released on his official website both as a CD and as Mp3. In 2010 he started the recording of his next project called The Sphinx, its first chapter, made of 3 instrumental classical songs, is available on the ecommerce of the artist official website.

Maitreya currently[update] lives in Milan, Italy where he continues to create music. Since the early stages of his music career he has always written, composed, arranged and produced all his tracks. In his later albums such as Angels & Vampires and Nigor Mortis he also played all instruments. He is also currently touring with his band 'The Nudge Nudge' around Europe to present his new music called 'Post Millennium Rock'.

courtesy wikipedia

Posted by rickyday at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I recently met George Worrell. George is a D.C. based fashion stylist, event planner and tastemaker. He is now hard at work on a new local television show that focuses on style.

George M. Worrell of GMW Enterprises LLC "has been putting his stylish imprint on DC for the past 15 years" wrote DC Modern Luxury in their latest "People You Should Know" issue.

GMW Enterprises has collaborated on mid-Atlantic promotional events with the Coca Cola Company and The Ronald H. Brown Foundation, which featured former President William Clinton. Worrell and GMW Enterprises have been a major part of some of the most historic events to happen in DC's recent history including planning the groundbreaking ceremony for the Washington National's Ballpark with over 1500 VIP guests in attendance as well as coordinating the Inaugural events for Washington, DC's Mayor Adrian Fenty, which included the Inaugural Ball with 20,000 guests in attendance, the Prayer Breakfast and Swearing-in ceremony.

Mr. Worrell has produced shows for some of the most sought-after designers, including the b. michael trunk show for Saks Jandel. Not to mention having the distinct privilege of dressing the wives of the city’s biggest influencers and DC appointees. Bringing the fashions of a growing list of Manhattan designers like Tracy Reese, Rachel Roy and Carolina Herrera to "the highest stratosphere of local government", Worrell has become a true style icon.

Worrell was named DC's chicest suitor by DC Modern Luxury in their most recent "People You Should Know" issue. George' pilot for his show "Whatever Happened To Style" which has caught the interest of network producers.

Keep an eye open for this DC based mover and shaker. Check him out on television in our nation's capitol.

http://www.oct.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/channel16/WFC_7.asx

Posted by rickyday at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Stop being "that way" we can all be. Ignore the hair and get into the voice and the song!!!!!!!!!

Tevin was in Hairspray on Broadway as well and did a great job!

Posted by rickyday at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Life is full of twists and turns. First of all it's a gift to be cherished. Of course often it's also very cold and matter of fact as well. You live, then you die. You get breaks, you get things taken away. It's never personal, just a fact of life.

A long time ago there was an 11 year old kid with a five octave range who was referred to as the male Whitney Houston (a fairly accurate description). He was adorable and talented and the world fell in love with him. He had several hits and a very nice career until some tabloid crap took him out and the world fell out of love. Growing up and discovering who you are is not easy for any of us, but it has to be horrible when you have a world full of people who think they're perfect judging your every move. Is he gay, is he straight? Is he getting along with his Mother, is he not? That hair is terrible, I'll never buy another CD again. Pathetic to be sure, but that's how the world can be. Can you imagine the world judging your high school and college years? Most of us would end up in an insane assylum if we had to live that way. Tevin lived it and though it took him through alot he seems to have survived. he recently spent time on Broadway doing Hairspray and there's rumors of a new CD soon. No matter what the future holds for him, there will always be his accomplishments.

Tevin Campbell has one of the most beautiful male voices ever! It is powerful when it needs to be, and subtle when the emotion calls for it. It still covers a tremendous range and conveys passion effortlessly. In a world where many lesser male voices have gone on to become superstars, I find myself longing for a time when Tevin Campbell, James Ingram, Jeffrey Osbourne, Will Downing, Johnnie Gill, Babyface and others sang a song with technically perfect delivery and a heavy dose of human emotion and passion. The most we tend to get now is a hot beat, computer enhanced vocal and a six pack. I'm sayin, can we have it all? Can We Talk?

Usher did his thing, Justin has his place, Donell Jones was def chill and Ne-Yo is a very talented cat, but Tevin Campbell will always be the best voice to me in this category of singers.

_________________

Bio

Born in Waxahachie, Texas, Campbell was introduced to the R&B world by Quincy Jones in August 1989 and is widely known for his five octave vocal strength and is often referred to as the male Whitney Houston. Campbell's debut single was "Tomorrow (A Better You Better Me)" which reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip hop Singles chart in June 1990. It was the lead single from Quincy Jones' critically acclaimed ensemble LP Back on the Block which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1991. After working with Jones and writers and producers including Siedah Garrett, Campbell worked with producers Narada Michael Walden, Al B. Sure, Babyface, and others to record additional music.

Campbell's first solo hit was "Round and Round", which charted at #3 on R&B charts in November 1991 and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1991 was produced by Prince and was featured in Prince's film Graffiti Bridge. Campbell followed the success of his first two singles by releasing his debut album, T.E.V.I.N., in November 1991 which featured the R&B hit singles and Campbell's only #1 Adult Contemporary hit: "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do" followed by:, "Alone With You", and "Goodbye". His second album, I'm Ready released October 1993, yielded the #1 R&B hit and #9 pop single "Can We Talk" in December 1993, "I'm Ready", "Always in My Heart" which charted at #3 on the R&B chart. He also scored a Top 30 hit with "Don't Say Goodbye Girl" on the R&B charts. In September 1994, Campbell also scored an R&B hit with the single "U Will Know" as part of the R&B supergroup Black Men United, a group that also included singer Usher.

The year 1996 saw the release of his third album, Back to the World (#11 R&B). The title track was a success (hitting the R&B Top 20), but additional singles failed to make an impact on the chart. His early 1999 self-titled album was found Campbell venturing into the neo-soul venue. The project was rushed, and as a result charted below the R&B Top 30, with only one single charting, a Top 30 song called "Another Way".

In May 2008, Rambo House Media released a bootleg internet mixtape of various unreleased Tevin Campbell material, titled 2008, Never Before Heard through iTunes and Amazon. After six months of availability, Campbell decided to no longer allow the unpublished material to be downloaded online[citation needed], and the music can no longer be heard or purchased on these sites. Tevin Campbell however is finally planning to release a new album in early 2009 according to former producer Narada Michael Walden.

From Wikipedia

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Nathan Hale Williams is a renaissance man if there ever was one. This brotha is an actor, attorney, television producer, club promoter, blogger, former model and a whole lot more! I've known him since he was a young man in college and he has most certainly made his momma proud.

He recently made his directorial debut with INSIDE: Black Culture, a documentary series. I recently had a chance to catch up with Nathan and chat about his accomplishments and what he has planned for the future.

Ricky Day: How are you?
Nathan Williams: I'm doing well. Rejuvenated after a much needed vacation. So far, 2009 has been a year full of progress and change. And, as you know, progress and change can wear you out a bit. I'm grateful that I was able to take some time to reflect and recharge.

RD: What have you been up to lately?
NW: I've been working my toosh off continuing to build my company, iN-Hale Entertainment. It's a multi-platform entertainment company that does everything from TV/Film production to event production. It's my focus and consumes most of my time. Well, that and Facebook (I admit my addiction).

RD: What is your most recent project?
NW: I just finished a documentary series, INSIDE: Black Culture. The series was a three-hour documentary on three prominent African-American institutions: The Studio Museum in Harlem; Evidence, A Dance Company; and, the Abyssinian Baptist Church. INSIDE marked my directorial debut so it was especially exciting for me. Naturally, I executive produced the series with my fabulous producing partner, Crystal McCrary Anthony, who created the series.

RD: You do so many things, what do you consider your core businesses?
NW: My core business is TV/Film Production. We have two returning shows that we're in production for right now. We're shooting the fifth season of our show, Real Life Divas and the second season of our show, Leading Men. I haven't done a film since 2007 ("Dirty Laundry"), but I still consider it a core part of my business. The nature of the film business is that it takes an extraordinary amount of time to get one film done. So, although I work on our next film project ("Homecourt Advantage") on a daily basis it takes a while to bring it to market.

RD: What does your business card say?
NW: Nathan Hale Williams, Esq.
Founder & President
iN-Hale Entertainment (Arts, Entertainment & Culture)
And, my contact info.

RD: How important is focusing on one task at a time in your world?
NW: LOL. Not at all. In this business, it's impossible to focus on one thing at a time. It is almost mandatory that you multi-task. You're constantly pitching concepts and projects while developing or producing other ones. It's really the only way you keep the paychecks coming. My only caveat is that if you're writing it's ideal that you are able to focus on your writing. Unfortunately, we haven't been in a position yet where we can go off to France for a month or two and just write. We're working hard to make that happen though. It'll be nice just to write for a change and not write, promote a party, produce two shows, etc. It can be bananas at times.

RD: With all your interests and businesses how do you ever focus on any one thing?
NW: Not really. When I'm with my family and friends, I try to focus on them. Other than that, not professionally. I just can't.

RD: How did you get into producing?
NW: Believe it or not, I went to law school to be a producer. I really enjoyed law school and thrived. However, the practice of law was a different story. Although I was good at it, I didn't enjoy it in the least. I moved to New York to work for a firm and two years into it (after practicing in DC for a year after law school) I started having panic attacks on my way to work. Two days after my 27th birthday, two of the partners of the firm called me in their office and told me that I'd be better suited at a larger firm (I was working at a prestigious boutique firm at the time), which is what they call a gentleman's termination. Well, I started looking for another firm and then realized it was a great opportunity for me to pursue my dreams. So, I didn't go to another firm...I started my own.

One of my clients was an agent and encouraged me to model and act again (my background from my younger days). I started booking work both as an actor and model, which surprised me because I was old considering. I auditioned for this movie, The Ski Trip and was cast as one of the leads, Byron. While in rehearsals, I realized the production team did not have their corporate infrastructure set up and I asked them to make me an Associate Producer and I would set it up for them. Slowly, but surely I took on more responsibility and moved up to be the Producer. From there, I did my first television show, My Model Looks Better Than Your Model, which I also co-created with Sean Johnson. And, as they say, the rest is history.

RD: Were you always driven to be involved in film and television?
NW: I've been in entertainment in some capacity since I was very young. I was a child actor/model until my mother made me stop. She saw the affect not booking gigs was having on my psyche and so she told me that if I wanted to do it when I got older she would support me. My major when I went to college was Biomedical Engineering with an intention of becoming a Neurosurgeon. Needless to say, that didn't last very long and I ended up graduating in Communications with a concentration in theatre performance. Towards the end of college, I intended to be a professional concert and Broadway dancer. Then, I lived in LA for a summer and struggled my butt off and decided that my passion for performance wasn't great enough for me to eat pork and beans for the rest of my life. So, I decided I'd go into the business/production end.

RD: What types of stories do you want to tell?
NW: I want to tell stories that lift people up. We all have insecurities and feelings of inadequacy from time to time. It stems from identity, circumstances, environment, etc. I want to produce projects that remind people that we're all uniquely gifted to contribute to this world and we all have a place, thus great worth. Dirty Laundry did that and The Ski Trip in a way, but those two films will be different from what we produce in the future in that we want to add a dose of fabulosity (thanks Kimora) to all of our projects. I think there is something very interesting about examining people who seemingly have it all to reveal that they share the same goals, insecurities, challenges that we all do. It humanizes them and it builds up people who look up to these people because of their success, wealth, etc. I think our next two film projects accomplish this very well. Homecourt Advantage is based on Crystal's first novel and the screenplay is written by Crystal. Ladies Who Lunch is an original screenplay that I wrote. We also have a television film, Passing that has the same sensibility, but set in 1920s Harlem.

RD: I know you have a long standing relationship with Crystal McCrary-Anthony, how did you meet?
NW: Crystal and I met when I threw a book party for her second novel, Gotham Diaries. I instantly fell in love with her. It's not just that she's drop dead gorgeous. It's not just that she's smart as hell. It's not just that she's funny. It's not just that she's loyal. It's not just that she is down to earth. It's not just any of that...it's ALL of that and then some. She is truly a God send to my life. I love her more than words. The best business partner I could hope for and have ever had.

RD: What does she bring to the table that you lack? What do you bring to the table that she lacks?`
NW: Crystal brings a sensitivity and reserve to our partnership. I've learned a lot more grace and graciousness from her. I've learned how to be more tactful in execution. She is the master brand manager/builder and so she's helped me build and focus my own brand. She is incredibly thoughtful about all that she does. She takes her time to get all of the information/facts so that her decisions are fully informed. She is even tempered in the most harrowing situations. I've maturity tremendously as a result of our partnership.

I think she would say that I've brought an aggressive energy to our projects. I'm extremely driven and focused on the ultimate goal. I've also taught her how to fight a little more. I'm also very direct with what I require and want, especially in business. I also hope she'd say I've brought a great deal of creative energy to our enterprise.

Honestly, we are the dynamic duo. We compliment each other so well. If we're on your team then, you should know it WILL get done. Whatever it is!

RD: How do you two decide what projects to pursue next?
NW: We assess whether it fits in our current goals and whether we think it's a quality project or can become one. We make the decision jointly. If one of us in not feeling it, we don't do it. Thankfully, we agree on project choice most of the time and most of the projects we're doing are CMA/NHW creations.

RD: You recently made your directorial debut, what prompted you to direct?
NW: I never thought about it before the last year or two. I was working on writing a screenplay and Crystal suggested that I direct the movie. Well, we ultimately didn't produce the film, but it put the bug in my ear. I don't want to direct for ego based reasons. But, I do feel that I have specific point of view and vision that I think will be something people will appreciate. It's a part of me that I discovered and now, I'm just nurturing it. I hope to direct a short film later this year.

RD: Do you feel like it was an inevitable transition for you?
Nope. I never really had interest in directing before now.

RD: How has being educated as an attorney affected your entertainment career?
NW: Immensely. First, it's saved us tons of money in legal bills. I tend to handle the straight-forward deals. More importantly, it has given a sense of business and the legality of it that has been beyond helpful. Understanding the business side and how it works is 50% of being a successful producer. You MUST educate yourself in order to succeed. And, everyone doesn't have to go to law school...you can educate through experience, but it is imperative that you educate yourself.

RD: What have you been listening to lately musically?
NW: I start every day with my Gospel playlist (I'm listening to it now). It gets me centered. I'm an old soul. I still listen to Whitney Houston, Anita Baker and Brandy. I'm not up on the newer music except what they play at my parties. Of course, I love me some Beyonce. I also enjoy Ledisi a lot. But, I'm primarily an ole skool type, which scares me that the 90s are considered "ole skool."

RD: When you're not watching your own projects what are some of your favorite tv shows and films?
NW: The Color Purple is the reason I wanted to make movies. My other favorite movies are: The Usual Suspects, Dangerous Liaisons, The Grifters, The First Wives Club and Crash. The Cosby Show is the reason why I wanted to make TV. My other favorite old TV shows are: Sex and The City, Ally McBeal, the Golden Girls, A Different World and Cheers. My current TV shows are: anything with food (Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen), Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters (the best acting on TV...period), Entourage, Real Housewives (all cities), The Bad Girls Club, Project Runway and American Idol. I LOVE TV! LOL

RD: What's next for you?
NW: Keeping it moving! We have several new shows that are close to deals. Hopefully, we'll have a big announcement soon. Homecourt Advantage is the next feature and Passing is our first film project for television. And as I said, we're in production for the new seasons of Real Life Divas and Leading Men. But, that's just details. What's next for me? The sky is the limit...I've been tremendously blessed and I am so grateful for the opportunities that I've had so I just want to keep going on the path I've been on and make great work that touches people's lives.)

______________________________________________________________

Bio
Founder/President of iN-Hale Entertainment, Nathan Hale Williams is an award-winning film and television producer, entertainment attorney, actor and former model. A commentator on the arts, entertainment and culture, Nathan is the Arts & Entertainment editor of The Daily Voice, Black America’s premier daily online news source. He also writes on his website www.NathanHaleWilliams.com.

Nathan is the executive producer and producer of the film, Dirty Laundry, which was released in theaters nationwide in December 2007. In 2008, Dirty Laundry was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and a GLAAD Award. In 2006, Dirty Laundry took the top two honors, Best Picture and Best Actor (Loretta Devine), at the American Black Film Festival. In 2004, Nathan produced and starred in the award-wining film, The Ski Trip. In 2009, Nathan makes his directorial debut with the three-hour documentary, INSIDE: Black Culture. INSIDE will air in February 2009 and features profiles of The Studio Museum in Harlem, Abyssinian Baptist Church and Evidence, A Dance Company.

For television, Nathan is the creator and executive producer of My Model Looks Better Than Your Model, hosted by America’s Next Top Model winner Eva Marcille Pigford. As well, he is the executive producer of Leading Men and Real Life Divas, which is the only show in history dedicated to profiling prominent African-American women, including Patti Labelle, Mo’Nique, Vivica A. Fox, Chaka Kahn, Veronica Webb and Deborah Martin Chase. Both shows air on BET & BET-J.

Nathan has appeared on Showtime’s American Candidate, The Guiding Light, My Two Cents and The Bev Smith Show. He has been featured in Black Enterprise, Crain’s, Ebony, Jet, the Chicago Tribune, The Advocate, the New York Blade, Clik Magazine, PULSE, Bleu, UneQ, the Chicago Defender and several online publications. In November 2007, Nathan graced the cover of NEXT Magazine, which is the most widely circulated LGBT weekly magazine in the country. In addition, Nathan and his projects have been featured in Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, the New York Times, the LA Times, Essence Magazine, LA Weekly and HX Magazine.

Currently, Nathan and his producing partner, Crystal McCrary Anthony, are working on several projects, including the reality competition show Five, 6, Seven, 8, which was created by Nathan and in development with Ogilvy Entertainment. They are also in pre-production for the film version of McCrary Anthony’s best selling novel, Homecourt Advantage.

Born and raised in Chicago, Nathan began appearing in theatre, commercials and television shows at the age of 8. A classically trained dancer, Nathan continued to perform and study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After college, he attended the George Washington University Law School where he was the president of the Student Bar Association, a Dean’s Fellow and the recipient of the GW Law Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Leadership. Nathan resides in New York City and is a proud member of the board of directors of Harlem United Community AIDS Center.

www.NathanHaleWilliams.com

For my info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net

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Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known by his stage name Common (and previously known as Common Sense), is an American rapper and actor.

Common debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar? and maintained a significant underground following into the late 90s, after which he gained notable mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians. His first major label album, Like Water for Chocolate, received widespread critical acclaim and moderate commercial success. Its popularity was matched by 2005's Be, which was nominated in the 2006 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. Common was awarded his second Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, for "Southside" (featuring Kanye West) (from Finding Forever), his first Grammy was awarded in 2003 for Best R&B Song for "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" with Erykah Badu.[2][3] His best-of album Thisisme Then was released on November 27, 2007. Common has also initiated a burgeoning acting career, starring significant roles in such films as Smokin' Aces, Street Kings, American Gangster, Wanted, and the upcoming Terminator Salvation.

Posted by rickyday at 01:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Day 3 of Janet Jackson week. These are four of my favorite Janet videos. What are some of yours?

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This is day two of Janet Jackson week on UrbanPopLife. Check out the first part of the wikipedia bio on Janet and four great videos.

Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American recording artist and actress. Born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Encino, Los Angeles, California, she is the youngest child of the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her family beginning at the age of seven, and later started her career as an actress with the variety television series The Jacksons in 1976. She went on to star in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including Good Times and Diff'rent Strokes.

At age sixteen in 1982, Jackson signed a recording contract with A&M, releasing her self-titled debut album the same year. She faced criticism for her limited vocal range, and for being yet another member of the Jackson family to become a recording artist. Beginning with her third studio album Control (1986), Jackson began a long-term collaboration with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Her music with Jam and Lewis incorporated contemporary R&B with elements of rap music, sample loop, triple swing and industrial beats, which led to crossover appeal in popular music. In addition to receiving recognition for the innovation in her albums, music videos and choreography, Jackson was acknowledged as a role model for her socially conscious lyrics.

In 1991, she signed the first of two record-breaking, multi-million dollar recording contracts with Virgin Records, which established her as one of the highest paid artists in the recording industry. Her debut album under the Virgin label, janet. (1993), saw Jackson develop a public image as a sex symbol as she began to explore sexuality in her music. That same year she appeared in her first starring film role in Poetic Justice; since then she has continued to act in feature films. By the end of the decade Jackson was named the second most successful recording artist of the 1990s. All for You (2001), became her fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one the Billboard 200 album charts. In 2007, she changed labels, signing with the Island Def Jam Music Group and released her tenth studio album Discipline the following year.

Jackson is ranked by Billboard magazine as one of the top ten best-selling music artists in the history of contemporary music, having sold over 100 million albums worldwide. The Recording Industry Association of America lists her as the eleventh best-selling female artist in the United States with 26 million certified albums. Jackson's longevity in the recording industry has rivaled that of several entertainers and her musical style and choreography have influenced a number of contemporary pop and R&B artists.

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Today I was on the train listening to my ipod as usual. On this particular day I decided that I was in the mood for a little old school Janet (Miss Jackson if you're Nasty). The trains sucked as usual so I had plenty of time to listen to plenty of songs. As I listened to hit after memorable hit a conversation that I have had many times with friends came to mind again. The conversation centers around a very basic question. The question is why do we spend sooooooooo much time and energy focusing on feeling bad, holding grudges and generally remembering bad emotions, but so very little time of being thankful for the good times and aware of pleasant feelings?

No where is this more clear to me than in our appreciation or lack thereof when it comes to great music and the artists who created it.

Janet Jackson is quite simply an icon. She is a living legend and hit machine. I can't take an accurate count of how many top ten hits she's had because they are so plentiful. I can't count how many pleasant memories I have of her dazzling myself and the world with her dance moves and innovative videos, but there are tons of such moments and memories. However, for some reason we tend to focus on the negative (the Superbowl fiasco) and the (admittedly) mediocre songs on some of her recent releases. There is another conversation that my friends and I have privately, but I am going to make public...I wonder if African-Americans fully appreciate the history and sacrifices that have been made by stars from bygone eras?

it is not at all rare to see 20 year old white kids at Rolling Stones or U2 concerts with and without their parents. Some how some respect for history and passion for culture gets passed down. This may not be the case across the board, but it is certainly prominent. On the other hand I have a difficult time finding 20 year old kids of color or hip hop heads who'd even know who Earth, Wind and Fire or Prince are (except for a skit on the Chappelle Show). Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and a handful of others are familiar because they get carted out at every awards show like set pieces, but rappers and their fans rarely have any idea who any of the other iconic artists are who they have sampled to death.

Part of the reason I started this blog is to share visual art with all of you. Another huge motivation is to shine a light on all the talented artists who did so much so that today's artists would have the abiltity to do their own thing today. Until Michael Jackson there were basically no black artists on MTV. Black artists literally invented Rock and Roll. Disco music and it's descendants house and electronica are other creations of African-American artists. of course the greatest example of an artform we created and abandoned completely is Jazz.

This week I plan to spotlight Janet Jackson. She's an incredible artist who has brought each of us great moments, memories and music over the years and I for one am grateful for her contribution to Urban Pop culture and African-American history. I acknowledge that there have been moments recently where even I have to question her commitment to greatness and willingness to continue to innovate, but now and then instead of judging or jumping on to a bandwagon..maybe..just maybe..you should listen to the music for yourself. I am not a fan of the Feedback video and I really think that Rock Wit U was a terrible choice for a second single. However, when you get past those mistakes the CD was actually quite decent. Luv is perhaps her best song in years and there are a handful of other cuts that were well crafted soulful pop pleasures.

We all like what we like and there's nothing wrong with that, but it sure would be nice if every now and then you took a second and thought about the hard work that artists put into making art to make us happy.

Posted by rickyday at 04:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Grammy Awards

* 1990: Best Long Form Music Video: Rhythm Nation 1814
* 1993: Best R&B Song: That's the Way Love Goes
* 1996: Best Short Form Music Video: Scream, duet with Michael Jackson
* 1998: Best Short Form Music Video: Got 'Til It's Gone
* 2002: Best Dance Recording: All for You
* 2002: Recording Academy's Governors Award

American Music Awards

* 1987: Favorite Soul/R&B Single: Nasty
* 1987: Favorite Soul/R&B Female Video Artist
* 1988: Favorite Pop/Rock Video: When I Think Of You
* 1988: Favorite Soul/R&B Video: When I Think Of You
* 1990: Favorite Soul/R&B Single: Miss You Much
* 1990: Favorite Dance Single: Miss You Much
* 1991: Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
* 1991: Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist
* 1991: Favorite Dance Artist
* 1999: Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
* 2001: American Music Award Of Merit
* 2002: Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist

NOTE: Janet's No.1 album "Control" received a record 9 nominations in 1987, and 3 more in 1988 still til this date has not been broken.

[edit] MTV Video Music Awards

* 1987: Best Choreography in a Video: Nasty
* 1988: Best Choreography in a Video: The Pleasure Principle
* 1990: Best Choreography in a Video: Rhythm Nation
* 1990: Video Vanguard
* 1991: Best Female Video: Love Will Never Do (Without You)
* 1994: Best Female Video: If
* 1995: Best Dance Video: Scream
* 1995: Best Choreography: Scream
* 1995: Best Art Direction: Scream
* 2001: mtvICON Award

Janet was the first artist to win the mtvICON Award, she passed the award down to Aerosmith the following year.

MTV Movie Awards

* 1994: Best Female Performance: Poetic Justice
* 1994: Most Desirable Female: Poetic Justice

MTV Japan Video Music Awards

* 2004: Special Inspiration Award

Billboard Music Awards

* 1986: Top Black Artist (combined LPs & singles)
* 1986: Top Black Singles Artist
* 1986: Top Dance Club Play Artist
* 1986: Top Dance Sales Artist
* 1986: Top Pop Singles Artist
* 1986: Top Pop Singles Artist - Female
* 1990: Top Selling Album Of The Year: Rhythm Nation
* 1990: Top Selling R&B Album Of The Year: Rhythm Nation
* 1990: Top Selling R&B Album's Artist Of The Year
* 1990: Top Selling R&B Artist Of The Year
* 1990: Top R&B Singles Artist
* 1990: Top Hot 100 Singles Artist Of The Year
* 1990: Top Hot 100 Singles Artist Of The Year - Female
* 1990: Top Dance Club Play Artist
* 1990: Top Hot Dance 12" Singles Sales Artist
* 1990: Top R&B Female Artist Of The Year
* 1993: Top Pop Albums Artist Female
* 1993: Top Billboard 200 Albums Artist - Female
* 1993: Top R&B Aritst - Female
* 1993: Top R&B Album - Female
* 1993: Top R&B Single - Airplay: That's The Way Love Goes
* 1994: Top R&B Singles Artist - Female
* 1995: Pop/Rock Video Clip Of The Year: Scream
* 1995: Artist of Achievement Award
* 1998: Top R&B Female Artist Of The Year
* 2001: Artistic Achievement Award

Note- Janet Jackson holds the record for the most Billboard Awards of any artist male or female (33). [1]

Billboard Music Video's Awards 1990

* 1990: Best Female Artist, Black/Rap
* 1990: Best Female Artist, Dance
* 1990: Director's Award (Black/Rap): Rhythm Nation"
* 1990: Director's Award (Dance): Alright:
* 1990: Billboard/Tanqueray Sterling Music Video Award for Artistic Achievement: Rhythm Nation

Soul Train Music Awards

* 1987: Best Female Album: Control
* 1987: Best Music Video: What Have You Done For Me Lately
* 1988: Best Music Video: Control
* 1990: Best Female Album: Rhythm Nation
* 1990: Best Female Single: Miss You Much
* 1990: Best Music Video: Rhythm Nation
* 1991: Best Music Video: Alright
* 1992: Sammy Davis, Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award
* 1994: Best Music Video: If
* 1997: Lena Horne Outstanding Career Achievements Award
* 2000: Best Music Video: What's It Gonna Be?
* 2004: Quincy Jones Award for Outstanding Career Achievements: Lifetime Achievement Award

Janet has more Soul Train Awards than any other artist, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston follow.

NAACP Image Awards

* 1990: Greater Hartford - Musical and Civil Rights Efforts Award
* 1992: 24th Annual NAACP Awards - "Chairman's Award"
* 2008: 39th Annual NAACP Awards - "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" for Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?.

Posted by rickyday at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There have been some incredible musicians in my brief lifetime. I grew up listening to the clock radio in my grandmothers house. One of my favorite things to do was to listen to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 broadcast every weekend. I knew every artist, every song and even the little anecdotes in the form of letters from listeners. I discovered many of the artists who would become my favorites by listening to the show artists like Stevie Wonder, The Carpenters, Al Green, Gladys Knight and The Pips and more! I was also introduced to entire genres of music from pop and rock to country and of course disco.

Disco was hypnotic and original. It was over the top, but grounded in sound musicianship and talented often virtuoso playing and production. It was also rooted in R&B and gospel and was essentially "black music." One of the biggest stars the genre created was a gender bending vocalist from LA name Sylvester. As a child I thought he was woman and didn't fully realize the nature of his existence until I was an adult. None of that matter to me because his music was soulful, joyful and struck me as an honest declaration of the joy of being alive. Many artists and entertainers have followed in Sylvster's gender bending foot steps, but no one has ever touched his grace under fire and heavenly vocals. Backed by Two Tons of Fun Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes, Sylvester created music that will last forever. Suspend your judgment and issues (if you have any...) and simply enjoy his God given gift.

Sadly disco was buried in the musical graveyard after what many feel was the racially motivated "disco sucks" backlash against the music kicked in. I was to young to remember the mood or judge the intent of the backlash, but I do know that the memories will last forever and the spirit of disco is alive and well in pop music today. Check out this bio and the attached videos.

Sylvester James was born in Los Angeles, California into a middle-class family, and was raised by his mother and stepfather, Letha and Robert Hurd. Many of the facts of his early life are uncertain, and birth dates from 1944 to 1948 have surfaced. One thing is certain though, Sylvester was a child gospel star.

Encouraged to sing by his grandmother, the 1920s and 1930s jazz singer Julia Morgan, James' talent first surfaced at the Palm Lane Church of God in Christ in South Los Angeles, and soon he was making the rounds and stirring up audiences at churches around Southern California and beyond, sometimes billed as the "child wonder of gospel."

Sylvester's home life disintegrated when he was a teenager. He clashed with his mother and stepfather, finally running away from home at age 16. For several years he lived on and around the streets of Los Angeles, but managed to finish high school and enroll at Lamert Beauty College. James moved to San Francisco in 1967 and by his own account, his life began at that time.

“ My life started when I moved to San Francisco. ”

—Sylvester

In San Francisco, Sylvester performed in a musical production called Women of the Blues, then joined a short-lived group of transvestite performance artists called The Cockettes in the early 1970s,[3] his repertoire of Bessie Smith songs in tow. After leaving The Cockettes, Sylvester performed in San Francisco a number of different times as a solo act. One of his most famed shows, entitled Jungle Sin which reprised Sylvester’s greatest Cockette solo songs, took place at the San Francisco supper club Bimbo's and was produced by the rock impresario David Ferguson in 1972. That same year, Sylvester performed at The Temple in San Francisco with the then-unknown Pointer Sisters which was also produced by Ferguson. Sylvester can be seen in the Cockettes' outrageous short film Tricia's Wedding, lampooning the wedding of President Nixon's daughter Tricia, and in an eponymous 2002 documentary about the group (which at one time included Divine).

In 1972, Sylvester supplied two cuts to Lights Out San Francisco, an album compiled by the KSAN radio station and released on the Blue Thumb label. In 1973, Sylvester & his Hot Band released two rock-oriented albums on Blue Thumb (their self-titled debut was also known as "Scratch My Flower," due to a gardenia-shaped scratch-and-sniff sticker adhered to the cover). In 1974, Sylvester met Horus Jack Tolsen (Keyboards) together with Sylvester's drummer Amadeo Barrios (drums) and Brother Adrian Barrios (Bass) formed a trio which backed up Sylvester at a nightclub in San Francisco called Cabaret - After Dark. Shortly after Horus was fired, Amadeo brought in new players, Archie White (Keyboards), Angel Reyes (Guitar), Background vocalist Bianca Thorton, Gerry Kirby and another vocalist named Debbie. This took Sylvester into a new musical direction. The band unofficially called themselves The Four A's and had finally thrown in the towel after several attempts to get signed by a major label. In 1975 The Brother's Barrios gave it one last shot before joining The Lenny Willians Band.

Sylvester signed a solo deal to Fantasy Records in 1977, working with the production talents of legendary Motown producer Harvey Fuqua, who produced his album Stars in 1979. Sylvester later alleged that Fuqua cheated him out of millions of dollars. Sylvester soon met his frequent collaborator Patrick Cowley. Cowley's synthesizer and Sylvester's voice proved to be a magical combination, and pushed Sylvester's sound in an increasingly dance-oriented direction; his second solo album, Step II (1978), unleashed two disco classics: "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," and "Dance (Disco Heat)". These two songs charted together on the American dance chart and spent six weeks at #1 on this chart in August and September of 1978. By this time both his live shows and recordings also recognizably featured the back-up vocals of Two Tons O' Fun: future Weather Girls Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes. 1979 brought three Billboard awards and an appearance in the movie, The Rose, starring Bette Midler.

Moving to Megatone Records in 1982, Sylvester quickly landed a Hi-NRG classic with "Do You Wanna Funk", which was featured in the 1983 film Trading Places. He was close friends with other Megatone artists Linda Imperial and Jeanie Tracy. Sylvester was also very close to Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash for whom he recorded background vocals for her dance hit "Lucky Tonight".

Later pressure from the label to "butch up" his image would result in him attending meetings in full-on drag. A drag photo shoot, which he staged and presented to label heads as a gag (calling it his "new album cover") would later grace the cover of Immortal after Sylvester died; it was the label's way of paying tribute to his spirit. In 1985, one of his dreams came true as he was summoned to sing back-up for Aretha Franklin on her Who's Zoomin' Who? comeback album. His sole Warner Bros. Records album was Mutual Attraction in 1986; a single from the album, "Someone Like You", became Sylvester's second #1 hit on the US dance chart and featured original cover art by Keith Haring.

Sylvester died of complications from AIDS in San Francisco on December 16, 1988. He was 40 years old. His good friend Jeanie Tracy took care of Sylvester during his last days.

On September 20, 2004 Sylvester's anthem record, You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. A year later, on September 19, 2005, Sylvester himself was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his achievement as an artist.
(wikipedia)

Posted by rickyday at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There are those people who walk into your life and after they've entered your world life is never the same again. B. Michael L. is one of those people. "B" (das what I call him) is a very talented singer/songwriter/vocal arranger. I've known him for several years and he has become a friend. He is also one of those rare people who support your efforts and believe in you even when you don't believe in yourself.

Long before I became a visual artist I was a singer/songwriter/producer. I did my thing and made my money, but this is NOT about me. This is about sharing with you the power of positive energy. After years of writing and being behind the scenes I decided I was interested in performing my own material. Early on I didn't have a lot of faith in my own talent as a performer until B. stepped in as a collaborator, friend, backing vocalist and partner in crime. He encouraged me to do what I felt was correct and get out and share it with the world. I eventually did just that and have never been the same person since.

I've since decided music would take a back seat to visual art (because it is my passion and gift), but the lessons learned in music have made me fearlessly creative and taught me to never again doubt my ability to do anything I want to do.

I wanted to publicly thank B for the support and now share with you a post about his art.

Thanks B, for being an inspiration and a friend.

Bio

B Michael L is a trained vocalist who graduated from Howard University's School of Fine Arts. During his time there, B Michael L popularized a fusion sound of blending jazz, hip hop and pop music from various time periods. Vocally influenced by funk and R&B masters of the 70s, B Michael L became a premier vocalist for the Jazz Vocal Workshop under the guidance of the late Webster Lewis, Grady Tate and Kehembe Eichelberger, three world-reknowned jazz virtuosos.

Now out on his own, B Michael L has blessed many successful independent acts with his lyric writing, vocals and harmonies. A fine solo performer, B Michael L has stepped from under his mentors to perform his own material in live.

A driven promoter, B Michael L has organized and promoted showcases for other artists as well as for himself. Here in New York, in DC, in Miami and other locations, B Michael L has performed and promoted for many events and venues, some locally televised and others private and upscale. He is the founder of B Michael L Promotions, a marketing and promotion group which will breathe new life into the musical underground landscape by presenting sophisticated, original and cutting edge live acts. He is also heavily involved in the grooming of other artists, linking them with needed resources to help assist their own careers. Due to his hard work determination and the support of a faithful following, B Michael L's success continues to grow.

Like most Leo's B. Michael L. is creative, driven and has varied interests. He has modeled for Graffiti On Wear - an online clothing company owned by local designer Tyre Washington, written and co-produced tracks for indie artists from New York to Washington DC, performed live, produced showcases and of course written and co-produced his own material. Who knows where his creativity will take him, but I am sure it be a melodic and soulful place.

B Michael L partial discography :

Underdawg Champion (music collection, CD, digi-downloads)
-DJ
-Girl Like U
-What U Need (feat. Ricky Day)
-No Matter
-My Home
-Out of the Blue (soul version)

executive produced by B Michael L

Lullabye Mood 2 (current upcoming releases)
-Strange Place For Rain
-Wide Open Eyes
-Catch Me
-All Over You
+ more

executive produced by Cedric Munch

session recordings
-Outta the Blue (dance version; produced by Montal Fish)
-Find Somebody To Love (produced by Colleen Max Fisher)
-Don't You Understand (produced by Dwayne Bastiany)
-live at Downtime with Ricky Day (produced by Ricky Day)
-Morena's Blues
-Sugar
-The Need to Smile
-Song For My Father (produced by HUJE - Howard University Jazz Ensemble, CD now on sale)

Check B out on myspace and listen to What You Need one of the joints I produced for him a few years ago.

http://www.myspace.com/bmichaell

Posted by rickyday at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Poitier's own account, he was raised in Miami, Florida but spent his childhood in Cat Island, Bahamas and later moved back to the United States in 1943 at age 15. By other accounts, he was born at sea en route to Miami, Florida, where his Bahamian parents, Evelyn (née Outten) and Reginald James Poitier, traveled to sell tomatoes and other produce from their farm on tiny Cat Island.Poitier still has family throughout the Bahamas islands. His younger brother, Carl Poitier died in December 1989. Poitier was born prematurely and was not originally expected to survive the boat ride; his birth was recorded in Miami (though he may not have been born there), as the vessel was already closer to Florida. He spent his early years on remote Cat Island, which had a population of 4,000 and no electricity.

At the age of 10, Poitier traveled to Nassau with his family. His family attended the Anglican and then the Catholic church, and Poitier was also involved with local voodoo traditions. As he got older, he displayed an increasing inclination toward juvenile delinquency. At the age of 15, his parents shipped him off to Miami to live with his older brother. At age 17, Poitier moved to New York City and held a string of menial jobs. During this time, he was arrested for vagrancy after being thrown out of his housing complex for not paying rent, and decided to join the United States Army. He worked as a dishwasher until a successful audition landed him a spot with the American Negro Theater.

Poitier tried his hand at the American Negro Theater, where he was handily rejected by audiences. Determined to refine his acting skills and rid himself of his noticeable Bahamian accent, he spent the next six months dedicating himself to achieving theatrical success. On his second attempt at the theater, he was noticed and given a leading role in the Broadway production Lysistrata, for which he got excellent reviews. By the end of 1949, he had to choose between leading roles on stage and an offer to work for Darryl F. Zanuck in the film No Way Out (1950). His performance in No Way Out as a doctor treating a white bigot was noticed and led to more roles, each considerably more interesting and prominent than most black actors of the time were getting, though still less so than those white actors routinely obtained.

Poitier's breakout role was as a member of an incorrigible high school class in the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle. At age twenty-seven, like most of the actors in the film, he was not a teenager. Poitier was the first male black actor to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award (for The Defiant Ones, 1958), and also the first to win the Academy Award for Best Actor (for Lilies of the Field in 1963). (James Baskett was the first to receive an Oscar, an Honorary Academy Award for his performance as Uncle Remus in the Walt Disney production of Song of the South in 1948, while Hattie McDaniel predated them both, winning as Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1939's Gone with the Wind).

He acted in the first production of A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway in 1959, and later starred in the film version released in 1961. He also gave memorable performances in The Bedford Incident (1965), A Patch of Blue (1965) co-starring Elizabeth Hartman and Shelley Winters; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967); and To Sir, with Love (1967). Poitier played Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania detective in the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night and its two sequels: They Call Me Mister Tibbs (1970) and The Organization (1971).

Poitier has directed several films, the most successful being the Richard Pryor-Gene Wilder comedy Stir Crazy, which for years was the highest grossing film directed by a person of African descent. His feature film directorial debut was the western Buck and the Preacher in which Poitier also starred in alongside Harry Belafonte. Poitier replaced original director Joseph Sargent. The trio of Poitier, Cosby, and Belafonte reunited again (with Poitier again directing) in Uptown Saturday Night. Poitier also directed Cosby in Let's Do It Again, A Piece of the Action, and Ghost Dad. Poitier also directed the first popular dance battle movie Fast Forward in 1985.

Poitier was first married to Juanita Hardy from April 29, 1950 until 1965. He has been married to Joanna Shimkus, a Canadian-born former actress of Lithuanian descent, since January 23, 1976. He has four children by his first marriage and two children by his second marriage, all girls. His daughters are Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, Anika, Sydney, and Tamiia.

Actress Diahann Carroll has claimed in a memoir that Poitier had promised to marry her and subsequently broke his promise.

He has written three autobiographical books, This Life (1980), The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (2000) and Life Beyond Measure - letters to my Great-Granddaughter (2008). The second one became an Oprah's Book Club selection.

In April 1997, Poitier was appointed as ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan, a position he currently holds. He is also the ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO. During the period of 1998 to 2003, he served as a Member of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company.

In 2001, Poitier received an Honorary Academy Award for his overall contribution to American cinema.
(Courtesy wikepedia.com)

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net

Posted by rickyday at 03:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just thought about her and decided she deserved some respect and shine.

Enjoy

Bio

Early years

Carroll was born Carol Diahann Johnson in The Bronx, New York, to John Johnson and Mabel Faulk. Her family moved to the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City when she was an infant. She attended Music & Art High School, along with schoolmate Billy Dee Williams.

Career

Carroll's first film assignment was a supporting role in Carmen Jones in 1954, playing a friend of the sultry Carmen, played by Dorothy Dandridge. She then starred in the Broadway musical House of Flowers. In 1959, she played Clara in the film version of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess along with Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr., and Pearl Bailey. All singing voices were dubbed in the film, with the exception of Pearl Bailey, with opera singer Loulie Jean Norman standing in for Carroll. In 1962 she won the Tony Award for best actress (a first for a black woman) for the role of Barbara Woodruff in the Samuel A. Taylor and Richard Rodgers musical No Strings. In 1974 she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for Claudine.

Carroll is best known for her title role in the 1968 show Julia in 1968, which made her the first African American actress to star in her own television series where she did not play a domestic worker. She was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1969, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress In A Television Series” in 1968. Her first Emmy nomination had come in 1963 for Naked City. Some her other earlier work included appearances on shows hosted by Jack Paar, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, Judy Garland and Ed Sullivan, and on The Hollywood Palace variety show.

In the 1980s, Carroll was signed on to join the nighttime soap opera Dynasty and its spin-off The Colbys, as the jet setter, Dominique Deveraux, half-sister of Blake Carrington, played by actor John Forsythe. She received her third Emmy nommination in 1989 for her recurring role as Marion Gilbert in A Different World. In 2006 she appeared in the television medical drama Grey's Anatomy as Jane Burke, the demanding mother of Dr. Preston Burke.

Carroll starred in the Canadian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of the classic film Sunset Boulevard. She played the crazed silent movie star Norma Desmond, with the role of Joe Gillis played by Rex Smith.

Carroll has been cast in the pilot for USA Networks's series White Collar.

Personal life

Carroll has had four marriages, the first of which produced a daughter, Suzanne Kay Bamford (born 1960), who became a freelance media journalist.

In 1973, Carroll surprised the press by marrying Las Vegas boutique owner Fred Glusman. She and British television host and producer David Frost had been dating at the time, and were actually engaged. Several weeks later, she filed for divorce, charging Glusman with physical abuse. In 1975, she married Robert DeLeon, a managing editor of Jet magazine. She was widowed two years later when DeLeon was killed in a car crash. Carroll's fourth and last marriage was to singer Vic Damone in 1987. The union, which Carroll admitted was turbulent, saw a legal separation in 1991, a reconciliation, and finally divorce in 1996.

Carroll is a breast cancer activist and survivor, who invited a camera crew into her treatment room for a national broadcast special to draw attention to the disease.

She was called "possibly the most perfect woman" and the "all-time best-dressed woman" by fashion critic Richard Blackwell.

Television

* The Man in the Moon (1960)
* The Garry Moore Show (1960)-Recurring for several weeks
* The Eleventh Hour - (1963) as Stella Young in episode "And God Created Vanity"
* Julia (1968-1971)
* The Diahann Carroll Special (1971)
* The Black Journal (co-host 1974-1975)
* Death Scream (1975)
* The Diahann Carroll Show (1976) (summer replacement series)
* The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
* Roots: The Next Generations (1979)
* I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979)
* Sister, Sister (1982)
* Dynasty (cast member from 1984-1987)
* From the Dead of Night (1989)
* A Different World (1989-1993)
* Murder in Black and White (1990)
* Sunday in Paris (1991)
* Lonesome Dove: The Series (1994-1995)
* A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle (1994)
* The Sweetest Gift (1998)
* Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999)
* Jackie's Back (1999)
* The Courage to Love (2000)
* Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000) (miniseries)
* Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story (2000)
* The Court (2002) (canceled after 6 episodes)
* Grey's Anatomy (2006-2007)

Filmography

* Carmen Jones (1954)
* Porgy and Bess (1959)
* Goodbye Again (1961)
* Paris Blues (1961)
* Hurry Sundown (1967)
* The Split (1968)
* Claudine (1974)
* The Five Heartbeats (1991)
* Color Adjustment (1992 (documentary)
* Eve's Bayou (1997)
* Over The River...Life of Lydia Maria Child, Abolitionist for Freedom (2008) (documentary) (narrator)

Discography

* Diahann Carroll Sings Harold Arlen Songs (1957)
* Best Beat Forward (1958)
* The Persian Room Presents Diahann Carroll (1959)
* Porgy and Bess (1959) (with the Andre Previn Trio)
* Diahann Carroll and the Andre Previn Trio (1960)
* Fun Life (1961)
* The Fabulous Diahann Carroll (1963)
* A You're Adorable: Love Songs for Children (1967)
* Nobody Sees Me Cry (1967)
* Diahann Carroll (1974)
* A Tribute to Ethel Waters (1978)
* The Time of My Life (1997)

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Check Miss Carroll out online at http://www.diahanncarroll.net/

Posted by rickyday at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There have been a few interesting new artists in the past couple of years who have caught my eye (and ears). These new artists include Rinna, Duffy, M.I.A., Adele, Katy Perry, Lupe Fiasco, and The Veronicas. Santigold is one of the brightest among these new stars. Her music is creative, passionate and defies category. It reminds me of what I liked most about 80's music...INDIVIDUALITY and fearless creativity. She is an American of African descent who isn't afraid to embrace all the forms of black music including rock and roll (YES ROCK IS BLACK MUSIC, we will continue that history lesson at a later date).

Read the bio below from Wikipedia, check the videos and if you are so moved pick up her debut release. I love it and think you will dig it too. It's good to know that artists like Chuck Berry, Prince, Bob Marley, Tina Turner, Dionne Farris, Res, Living Color and Lenny Kravitz didn't toil and break barriers down for nothing. A new generation of artists continue to walk through those doors of musical diversity.

__________________________________________

Santi White (born September 25, 1976), better known by her former stage name Santogold (now Santigold), is an American songwriter, producer, and singer. Her eponymous debut album Santogold was released in 2008.

Santi White attended Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and then went to college at Wesleyan University, where she double-majored in Music and African-American studies. The artist got her pseudonym in the 1980s from a friend's nickname for her. She worked for Epic Records as an A&R representative, but left the position to write and executive produce How I Do, the debut album from the singer Res.

Santigold was the singer of the Philadelphia-based punk rock band Stiffed, whose 2003 album, Sex Sells, and 2005 album, Burned Again, were produced by Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer. While in this group, she was offered a solo contract by Martin Heath of Lizard King Records. Her initial singles "Creator" and "L.E.S. Artistes" received attention from Internet media in 2007.

In February 2009, Santogold changed her stage name to Santigold as a result of infomercial jeweler Santo Gold threatening legal action.

Working with fellow Stiffed member John Hill as co-producer, she recorded her debut album, Santogold, which was originally slated for release on Downtown Records in January 2008,[12] but was pushed back to April 2008. The album (including its B-sides and remixes) features appearances or production work from Chuck Treece, Cliffored "Moonie" Pusey of Steel Pulse, Diplo, Freq Nasty, Naeem Juwan of Spank Rock, Radioclit, Sinden, Switch, Trouble Andrew, and XXXchange.[18] Rolling Stone, Spin, and BBC all named Santogold an artist to watch in 2008. The album's first singles, "Creator" and "L.E.S. Artistes", were both well received. "L.E.S. Artistes" placed at number two on Rolling Stone's Singles of the Year, behind Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)",[20] while the album Santogold was sixth on their albums of the year list. "Creator", along with "Lights Out", has appeared in commercials for Bud Light Lime in the United States, and VO5 hair products in the United Kingdom. Similarly, "You'll Find A Way" was featured in the EA Sports video game, FIFA 08, with "L.E.S. Artistes" featured in some versions of its sister game NHL 08 as well as in commercials for the Ford Flex. Her song "Say Aha" was featured in a Zune-Arts video.

Santi has toured with M.I.A., Björk, and Architecture in Helsinki. In June 2008, Coldplay announced that Santogold would be their opening act for most of the stops on the North American leg of their Viva la Vida Tour. Santogold embarked on her first headlining tour in September and October 2008. The Goldrush Tour featured dates across North America. After the tour's completion, Santogold supported Jay-Z and Kanye West on a number of their shows. Additionally, Santogold supported The Streets at BBC's Electric Proms, and she performed at certain dates of Beastie Boys' Get Out and Vote '08 tour.

For my info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net

Lights Out

L.E.S. Artistes

For my info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net

Posted by rickyday at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm so glad everyone here in the States FINALLY caught up last year. I've tryna tell my friends about this great artist for a VERY long time now. A Grammy award, new baby (any second now) and 2 hit CD's later she has truly arrived. Wildly inventive AND creative (she's a visual artist too), she's the type of artist that makes me wanna make music again.

Check out her Wiki bio

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam (Tamil: மாதங்கி 'மாயா' அருள்பிரகாசம்) (born 17 July 1977), better known by her stage name M.I.A., is a British songwriter, record producer, vocalist and artist.

An accomplished visual artist by 2002, she came to prominence in early 2004 through file-sharing of her singles "Galang" and "Sunshowers" on the Internet. She released her Mercury Prize-nominated debut album Arular in 2005. Her second album, Kala, was released in 2007 and gained her mainstream chart success and a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year in the US with her single "Paper Planes" (2008). She has also worked on the soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which she has received an Academy Award nomination.

Her compositions have been noted to encompass various genres, often with political lyricism and artwork. M.I.A. has described her music style as being "other."[3] In addition to her work as a graphic designer, providing artwork and photography for releases and as a director of music videos, she has also experimented with documentary film and in 2008 released a collection of her fashion designs. M.I.A. is the founder of the record label N.E.E.T.

Posted by rickyday at 09:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yo I know I'm prolly a lil late on this. I am sure a bunch of you are gonna say "yeah dat kid was on the joint with Ludacris awhile back and was on Def Jam." You're gonna prolly tell me how he aint with Def Jam anymore and you heard all about him already and you're already a fan. Ok, ok...so I may be late, but at least I got here.

Ladies and gentlemen...get into Steph Jones. I found about him when one of my facebook friends ( I don't like to drop names) posted one of Steph's videos to his page. I love the song, did a Google search (damn I love Google) and I checked out dudes MySpace page. I like his music alot!

You know I'm kind of a POP kid sometimes musically and this cat has the perfect balance of soulful singing, pop oriented melodies and nice arrangements. I have a request in for some new music and an interview, but until then those of you like me who hadn't heard of him prior to today enjoy STEPH JONES.

Get Me Started

You Are My Sunshine

http://www.myspace.com/stephjones2

Posted by rickyday at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesteday I posted flashback videos from Shalamar and Jermaine Stewart. It would just be wrong for me not to complete what I started by sharing a profile of one of the biggest female artists in the MTV era; Jody Watley Peep this bio from Wikipedia and enjoy the videos. Jody Watley was an incredible artist with great songs and fashion forward image and tons of cross-over appeal.

Jody Watley (born January 30, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and label owner.

Watley has sold over twenty million albums and singles worldwide. Along with Janet Jackson and Madonna, she ranks as one of MTV Video Music Awards most nominated female artists ever, with ten nominations. In 1988, she won the Grammy Award for "Best New Artist". In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard Magazine, and was also prominently featured in an historic issue of Vogue Italia highlighting black beauty that same year.

Shalamar (1977 - 1984)

Jody Watley got her start as a dancer on the hit TV show Soul Train at the age of fourteen. From 1977 to 1984, she was a singer in the R&B group Shalamar with Howard Hewett and Jeffrey Daniel. The group achieved a platinum-selling album, Friends, and the #1 R&B singles "A Night To Remember", "This Is For The Lover In You" and "The Second Time Around" in the U.S.; the group also scored numerous Top-10 hits on the UK charts. After several conflicts within the group, Watley left, disillusioned. Post-Shalamar, Jody took part in Bob Geldof's historic Band Aid alongside such stars as Sting, Bono from U2 and George Michael. Their charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" helped raise millions of dollars for famine relief in Ethiopia. She also met Duran Duran's bassist John Taylor during this event and dated him briefly.She is also said to be related to Michele Watley also known as "Midori" a porn actress and singer who also appeared in mainstream films.

Early solo career (1984 - 1989)

In late 1986, Watley released her first single off her debut album called "Looking For A New Love", which became a hit with an instant catch phrase ("Hasta La Vista…Baby"). Watley's solo debut album, Jody Watley, was released in March 1987 on MCA Records. "Looking for A New Love" stayed at #2 on the Billboard's Hot 100 Single chart for four weeks, and sold over 750,000 copies in the U.S. The album peaked at #10 on The Billboard 200 chart and spawned four more hits, "Don't You Want Me" (#6), "Still A Thrill" (#56), "Some Kind Of Lover" (#10) and "Most Of All" (#60). It sold over two million copies in the U.S. and nearly five million copies worldwide.

At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards, Watley was named Best New Artist, and was also nominated for Grammy Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. That same year (1988), she was also nominated for four MTV Video Music Awards and three Soul Train Awards, including Album of the Year and Single of the Year.

Jody Watley ranks as the #144 most successful R&B artist of all time according to Billboard magazine.[

In the spring of 1989, Watley released her second album, Larger Than Life. Her second album solidified her as a pop icon in the music industry. The album sold over four million copies worldwide, and hit the Top 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in America. The first single release, "Real Love," was a massive hit that set a trend with its new style of bass heavy-thumping beat dance. In America, it hit #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, the Single Sales chart, and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, while hitting #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; the single also went gold there for attaining sales of over 500,000 copies. The album contained two more Top 10 Pop, Dance and R&B hits: "Friends" (featuring Eric B. & Rakim). It is noted as the first singer/rapper collaboration that became commonplace by the late 1990s. The ballad "Everything" peaked at #11 on the Adult Contemporary chart, #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The albums final single, "Precious Love" became a moderate hit peaked at #51 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and #87 on the Billboard Hot 100.

During the summer of 1989, Watley's "Real Love" video, directed by David Fincher, was nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards including Breakthrough Video, Best Art Direction, Best Dance Video, and Best Female Video at the 1989 award show. That record was held until Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson's video "Scream" received eleven VMA nominations in 1995. The next year, she was also nominated for two Soul Train Awards, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist, and a Narm Award for Best Selling R&B Female Album. While riding high on her Larger Than Life World Tour, a remix album, You Wanna Dance with Me?, was released in October 1989 and hit Gold status in America.

Lookin For A New Love

Still A Thrill

Don't You Want Me

Posted by rickyday at 12:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Duran Duran was one of the biggest bands in the modern rock era and definitely one the biggest acts of the 80's. Their synthpop was a major part of the soundtrack to my generations teen and college years. they had great songs, strong musicianship, huge live shows and of course they were the first rock band to ride the new medium of music videos to the top of the charts. The following excerpt below is from Wikipedia. At the bottom of this post are a collection of some of my favorite videos by the Fab Five.

The MTV cable channel and the band were launched at about the same time, and each had a hand in propelling the other to greater heights. MTV needed showcase videos with charismatic performers. Les Garland, senior executive vice president at MTV, said "I remember our director of talent and artist relations came running in and said, “You have got to see this video that’s come in.” Duran Duran were getting zero radio airplay at the time, and MTV wanted to try to break new music. “Hungry Like the Wolf” was the greatest video I’d ever seen".The band's video work was influential in several ways. First, Duran Duran filmed in exotic locales like Sri Lanka and Antigua, creating memorable images that were radically different from the then-common low budget "band-playing-on-a-stage" videos. Second, rather than simply playing their instruments, the band participated in mini-storylines (often taking inspiration from contemporary movies: "Hungry Like The Wolf" riffs on Raiders of the Lost Ark, "The Wild Boys" on The Road Warrior, etc.). Videos were obviously headed in this direction already, but Duran Duran led the trend with a style, featuring quick editing, arresting graphic design, and surreal-to-nonsensical image inserts, that drew attention from commentators and spawned a wealth of imitators.

Duran Duran were among the first bands to have their videos shot with a professional movie camera on 35 mm film, rather than on videotape with cheaper video cameras, making them look superior to many of the quickly and inexpensively shot videos which had been MTV staples until then. MTV provided Duran Duran with access to American radio markets that were unfriendly to British music, New Wave music, or "anything with synthesisers". Because MTV was not available everywhere in the United States at first, it was easy to see a pattern: where MTV went, listener demand for Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Def Leppard and other European bands with interesting videos went through the roof.

The band's sun-drenched videos for "Rio", "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Save A Prayer", and the surreal "Is There Something I Should Know?" were filmed by future movie director Russell Mulcahy, who made eleven videos for the band. Duran Duran have always sought out innovative directors and techniques, even in their later years when MTV gave them little airplay. In addition to Mulcahy, they have had videos filmed by influential photographers Dean Chamberlain and Ellen von Unwerth, Chinese director Chen Kaige, documentary filmmaker Julien Temple, and the Polish Brothers, among others. According to Nick Rhodes, "Video is to us like stereo was to Pink Floyd".

In 1984, the band introduced video technology into their live stadium shows by being among the first acts to provide video screens above the stage. They have recorded concerts using IMAX and 360 degree panoramic "immersive video" cameras, with 10.2 channel audio. In 2000, they experimented with augmented reality technology, which allowed three-dimensional computer-generated images to appear on stage with the band.[50] They appeared on several century-end video countdowns: The MTV "100 Greatest Videos Ever Made" featured "Hungry Like The Wolf" at #11 and "Girls On Film" at #68, and the "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos" listed "Hungry" at #31 and "Rio" at #60. MTV named "Hungry" the fifteenth of their most-played videos of all time.

The band has released several video compilations, starting with the self-titled "video album" Duran Duran, for which they won a Grammy award, up to the 2004 two-disc DVD release Greatest, which included alternative versions of several popular videos as Easter eggs. In addition to Greatest, the documentary Sing Blue Silver, and the concert film Arena (both from 1984) were released on DVD in 2004. Live From London, a concert video from one of their sold-out 2004 reunion shows at Wembley Arena, was released in the fall of 2005.

Other video collections, concert films, and documentaries remain available only on videotape, and Duran Duran have not yet released a collection which includes all their videos. The band has said that a huge amount of unreleased concert and documentary footage has been filmed over the years, which they hope can be edited and released in some form in the near future. The video for "Falling Down" was released in October 2007.

Rio

Say A Prayer

Hungry Like The Wolf

Wild Boys

For my info on me visit my official website
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Posted by rickyday at 04:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Boy George and Culture Club are touchstones for 80's music and culture and the LGBT community worldwide. I'll be the first to admit I was confused as hell the first time he came across my television screen. Is this a man? Is this a girl? What da f*&K? LOL...

After awhile it simply didn't matter because I LOVED THE MUSIC! I don't feel da need to live in the past, but a little part of me misses the 80's.

Posted by rickyday at 12:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Although I'm in South Beach doing the art thing, I'm also feelin real 80's this week. Keep ya eyes open for a series of 80's artists and 80's inspired videos. Here's the first hot entry and a full profile on Blondie.

This term I came up with "Urban Pop" is clearly not a black thing. It's more of a way to describe the kind of pop culture contributions born or nurtured in an urban landscape, particularly New York the Greatest City on Earth. The profile today definitely qualifies as an Urban Pop Icon, the band called Blondie. Deborah Harry and crew made amazing contributions to American music. As their Wikipedia bio and the attached videos will show, they were creative, funky and cutting edge. Check out one of my favorite artists Jean Michel Basquiat in the video for Rapture.

Enjoy.

Blondie is an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and has so far sold over 60 million records. The band was a pioneer in the early American new wave and punk rock scenes. Its first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in the United Kingdom and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles and was noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop and reggae, while retaining a basic style as a new wave band.

Parallel Lines, Blondie's third album, was produced by Mike Chapman. Its first two singles were "Picture This" and "Hanging on the Telephone". "Heart of Glass" was their first U.S. hit. It was a reworking of a rock song that the group had performed since its formation, but updated with strong elements of disco music. Clem Burke later said the revamped version was inspired partly by Kraftwerk and partly by the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive", whose drum beat Burke tried to emulate. He and Stein gave Jimmy Destri much of the credit for the final result, noting that Destri's appreciation of technology had led him to introduce synthesizers and to rework the keyboard sections.

Although some members of the British music press condemned Blondie for "selling out", the song became a popular worldwide success. Selling more than one million copies and garnering major airplay, the single reached number one in many countries including the U.S., where, for the most part, Blondie had previously been considered an "underground" band. The song was accompanied by a music video that showcased Deborah Harry's hard-edged and playfully sexual persona, and she began to attain a celebrity status that set her apart from the other band members, who were largely ignored by the media.

Blondie's next single in the U.S. was a more aggressive rock song, "One Way or Another", and became their second hit single in the United States. Meanwhile in the UK, an alternate single choice, "Sunday Girl", became another number one smash.

Their fourth album, Eat to the Beat, was well received by critics as a suitable follow-up to Parallel Lines, but in the U.S. it failed to achieve the same level of success.[3] In the UK, the single "Atomic" reached number one, "Dreaming" number two, and "Union City Blue" was another top 20 hit, while in the U.S. their singles did not chart as strongly.

Deborah Harry worked with the Italian songwriter and producer Giorgio Moroder, who had been responsible for Donna Summer's biggest hits, and they composed the song "Call Me" for the soundtrack of the film American Gigolo. The song spent six weeks at number one in the U.S. and became a hit throughout the world. Their album Autoamerican was released later that year and contained two more worldwide hits, the reggae-styled "The Tide Is High" and the rap-flavored "Rapture", which was the first song containing elements of hip-hop and rap vocals to reach number one in the U.S. and helped introduce the then-underground rap genre to a larger audience. "Rapture" would be the band's only single to achieve a higher chart position on the U.S. charts than in the UK, where it peaked at number five. By the end 1980, Blondie was one of the hottest bands in the country and were international sensations.

Lead singer Deborah Harry achieved a level of celebrity that eclipsed other band members, leading to tension within the group. Following a poorly received album and with core member Chris Stein diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease, the group disbanded in 1982. As members pursued other projects, Blondie's reputation grew over the following decade and the group reformed in 1997, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom with "Maria" in 1999. The group toured and performed throughout the world over the following years, and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the RockWalk of Fame in 2006.

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As you know I was a presenter at the First Annual Velocity Magazine Awards in Washington DC last weekend. The award I presented was for best Female R&B artist and the winner was a talented, gracious and emotional Mother of two named Tia Dae.

As part of a series of posts I plan to do in the run up to a feature post on the show check out this profile of Tia Dae. I have dropped some promo images of Tia, a link to her site where you can hear some music and of course her bio. Those who know me well may be a bit surprised that I am profiling an artist with such a smooth sound as I am not currently a big fan of Neo-Soul and the smoother types of R&B and jazz.However, it was easy to profile Ms Tia, because she is talented, her songs are well written and well sung and she has a sound I wanted to share with lovers of this great genre of music. Enjoy this independent artist doing her thing. I'd love to hear a duet between her and B. Michael L. who I will be profiling next week.

Bio

Tia Dae was born and raised in the Northeast section of Washington,
DC. Since the age of 5, Tia has been singing anywhere she could find an
audience.

From her humble beginnings in her grandmother’s living room, and
eventually to local music festivals and talent shows, Tia Dae has always
had the passion to perform. Like most children growing up in the inner
city during the late 80’s and early 90’s, Tia’s life was filled with the harsh
realities of her environment.

Poverty, drugs, violence and abuse would be a daily theme in the life of
Ms. Dae, and she would use music as a vehicle to help her try and escape
the bleak existence in which she lived.

By the mid to late 90's, Tia began building a local buzz around the DC
Metro area which afforded her the opportunity to perform at many of
the District’s most established venues of the time such as Unifest,
Georgia Avenue Day, and the Black Family Reunion to name a few.
Blessed with a soulful and jazzy voice, Tia credits Anita Baker, Mary J.
Blige, Billie Holiday, and Erykah Badu as the major influences on her
life and vocal style. Tia feels a connection to these ladies through life &
song, and sees their personal struggles, challenges, and triumphs as a
great lesson in faith and perseverance.

In 2006, Tia Dae was a finalist in Lil’ Wayne’s Cash Money Records
Talent Search which was sponsored by WKYS 93.9FM. In May 2007, Tia
Dae signed with independent record label Bright Vision Entertainment,
and released her first CD single "I’m Tryin" b/w "Natural High"
accompanied by a video for the lead single. In 2008, Tia released her
debut CD entitled "Its A Nu Dae", a mix of Neo Soul, Nu-Jazz, and
R&B. She has also performed as an actress in local plays and
independent films in the DC area, most notably, Let Go & Let God, In
One Day, and Jazz in The Diamond District.

Tia has been nominated for 3 awards at the 2008 Velocity Awards hosted
by Velocity Magazine & April Watts, and won for Best R&B female. She recently won first place at the
Bank of America/Artscape 2008 Billie Holiday Vocal Competition in
Baltimore, MD. Tia Dae has performed at many notable and established
venues such as Blues Alley, Bohemian Caverns, Six Flags (Jackson, NJ),
Black Family Reunion, Nationals Park Stadium, The Gaylord National
Harbor, and many other venues throughout the United States. Tia Dae’s
music has been played on WHUR 96.3FM, XM Satellite Radio’s Suite 62,
WPFW 89.3FM, Voices of America Radio, Last FM, Radio IO, Solar
Radio, Yahoo Music, Sirius Satellite Radio, and AOL Radio. Her music
is available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, Rhapsody, Verizon Wireless,
and Kemp Mill Records.

It's a Nu sound, a Nu soul & feel...It's A Nu Dae! Say hello to your, Nu
Soul, Jazz/RB artist with a twist of funk...Ms Tia Dae!

http://www.tiadae.com/

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If you have a career that spans over 30 years, influence countless musicians, visual artists and fashionistas AND marry one of the most beautiful women in the world while managing to age gracefully and still make good music then I'd say you can inspire me. My Urban Pop profile today is really more of a statement about one of the musical artists and human beings who inspires me to be creative without bounds, fearless to express myself and determined to stay this way until the day I die. His name is David Bowie.

David Bowie (IPA: [ˈboʊiː]; born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English musician, actor, producer, and arranger. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. He has been cited as an influence by many musicians. Bowie is also known for his distinctive baritone voice.

Although he released an album and numerous singles earlier, David Bowie first caught the eye and ear of the public in the autumn of 1969, when his space-age mini-melodrama "Space Oddity" reached the top five of the UK singles chart. After a three-year period of experimentation he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era as the flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, spearheaded by the hit single "Starman" and the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The relatively short-lived Ziggy persona epitomised a career often marked by musical innovation, reinvention and striking visual presentation.

In 1975, Bowie achieved his first major American crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the hit album Young Americans, which the singer identified as "plastic soul". The sound constituted a radical shift in style that initially alienated many of his UK devotees. He then confounded the expectations of both his record label and his American audiences by recording the minimalist album Low – the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno over the next two years. Arguably his most experimental works to date, the so-called "Berlin Trilogy" albums all reached the UK Top Five.

After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes" and its parent album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). He paired with Queen for the 1981 UK chart-topper "Under Pressure", but consolidated his commercial – and, until then, most profitable – sound in 1983 with the album Let's Dance, which yielded the hit singles "Let's Dance", "China Girl", and "Modern Love".

In the BBC's 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, Bowie ranked 29. Throughout his career he has sold an estimated 136 million albums, and ranks among the ten best-selling acts in UK pop history. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 39th on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

LET'S DANCE

ASHES TO ASHES

FASHION

BLUE JEAN

Posted by rickyday at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"I'm not a woman, I'm not a man, I am something that you'll never understand"
Prince - I Would Die 4 U

I believe in the power of choice and I certainly believe in the concept of personal responsibility. However, I essentially came of age in the late 70's and early 80's and though I feel like I am a fairly well balanced man you'll have to forgive me if I'm a lil "different." When I was figuring out what sexuality was, what it meant to be a man, deciding what I wanted to do with my life and what my place was in the world, Ronald Reagan was President, Wall Street was running amok and Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince ruled the airwaves. I'm sure the times had an impact on who I became.

These 3 entertainment icons affected my life in very direct ways. Madonna had the least direct impact on me because she was a woman and a white woman at that so what could I possibly have in common with her being a young black teenager? Of course oddly enough years later I realize that she and I are the most alike...more on that at a later date.

Michael Jackson is simply the biggest African-American musical icon in history not to mention the biggest music artist of all time. I was forced to dance to Jackson 5 songs as a boy, grew up loving every song he and his brothers ever recorded and even worked as his stand in on the Thriller video. As a result his impact on me was huge. However, the artist with the biggest impact by far was Prince.

Prince walked to the beat of his own special drummer and deep inside so did I. As I came of age I struggled to reconcile my awakening sexual urges as a young man with my upbringing and belief in God. When my heart was broken or some girl I liked ignored me a Prince song was there to express what I felt. As I grew into a man it was Prince and my admiration of him that lead me to learn to play several instruments, form a band and make music. Lastly, it was my respect for Prince, Michael and Madonna that cemented my understanding of the power of believing in ones self, the value of hard work and the fulfillment of my promise as a creative soul.

If you took a snap shot of my life in prince songs it'd be a real colorful photo. The 25 songs that stand out for me and probably paint a fairly decent image of who I am and have been are:

It
God
Head
Pop Life
Uptown
Anastasia
Dirty Mind
Controversy
We Can Fuck
4ever In My Life
When Doves Cry
When 2 R in Love
The Question of U
The Beautiful Ones
Strange Relationship
Condition of The Heart
If I Were Your Girlfriend
Under The Cherry Moon
Another Lonely Christmas
Anotherloverholeinyohead
Sometimes It Snows in April
How Come U Don't Call Me?
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
All The Critics Love U in New York

Below I have included a bio on Prince from Wikipedia and some images I found online. I can't include any videos because his stubborn a$$ had all content removed from the internet. (He can't help it, he's older now and hasn't yet yielded to the reality of the world wide web 2.0 - he will in time).

The Trinity of Michael, Madonna and Prince may have screwed my generation up in the head a bit, but if we were really paying attention they also taught us alot about love, life and God.

peace and be funky.

Rick

Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American musician. He performs simply as Prince, but has also been known by various other names, among them an unpronounceable symbol, leading fans and critics to dub him The Artist Formerly Known As Prince or simply The Artist.

Prince is a prolific artist, having released several hundred songs both under his own name and with other artists. He has won six Grammy Awards and an Academy Award, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2004, he was named as the top male pop artist of the past 25 years by ARC Rock on the Net,[1] and Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Prince #28 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

From his early material, rooted in R&B, soul and funk, Prince has expanded his musical palette throughout his career, absorbing many other genres including pop, rock, jazz, new wave, psychedelia and hip hop. Some of his primary influences include Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, James Brown and Carlos Santana. The distinctive characteristics of his early-to-mid 1980s work, such as sparse and industrial-sounding drum machine arrangements and the use of synthesizer riffs to serve the role traditionally occupied by horn riffs in earlier R&B, funk and soul music, were called the "Minneapolis sound" and have proved very influential.

Posted by rickyday at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I like people who chart their own course down, around and through this marathon called life. I dig people who are fearlessly true to self. Who dare to be different. Not that kind of different that is forced or faked in an effort to stand out, but people who by just choosing to play the cards they have been dealt find a way to excel in their own special way.

This profile in courage, creativity and passion is about one of those people: Grace Jones. The following profile comes from information I found in Wikipedia (man I love that website...yeah I'm that nerd who used to read the dictionary and encyclopedias for fun as a kid...lol).

I hope you enjoy the profile and are inspired to go read up further on Grace Jones or find some information on someone who inspires you.

Jones was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, the daughter of Marjorie and Robert W. Jones, who was a politician and Apostolic clergyman. Her parents took Grace and her brother Christian, to relocate to Syracuse, New York in 1965. Before becoming a successful model in New York City and Paris, Jones studied theatre at Syracuse University.

Musical career

1981 album Nightclubbing, portrait by Jean-Paul Goude. Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance club hits and a large gay following. The three disco albums she recorded — Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), and Muse (1979) — generated considerable success in that market. These albums consisted of pop melodies, such as "All on a Summer's Night" and "Do or Die", set to a disco beat, as well as standards such as "What I Did for Love", "Autumn Leaves", and "Send in the Clowns".

During this period, she also became a muse to Andy Warhol, who photographed her extensively. Jones also accompanied him to famed New York City nightclub Studio 54 on many occasions.
Towards the end of the 1970s, Jones adapted the emerging New Wave music to create a different style for herself. Still with Island, and now working with producers Alex Sadkin and Chris Blackwell, she released the acclaimed albums Warm Leatherette (1980) and Nightclubbing (1981). These included re-imaginings of songs by Sting, Iggy Pop, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Flash and the Pan, The Normal, Ástor Piazzolla and Tom Petty.

Parallel to her musical shift was an equally dramatic visual makeover, created in partnership with stylist Jean-Paul Goude, with whom she had a son. Jones adopted a severe, androgynous look, with square-cut hair and angular, padded clothes. The iconic cover photographs of Nightclubbing and, subsequently, Slave to the Rhythm (1985) exemplified this new identity. To this day, Jones is known for her unique look at least as much as she is for her music. Her collaboration with Sadkin and Blackwell continued with the dub reggae-influenced album Living My Life.

In the mid-1980s, she worked with Trevor Horn for the conceptual musical collage Slave to the Rhythm and with producer Nile Rodgers for Inside Story (1986) - her first album after leaving the Island Records label. The well-received Slave to the Rhythm consisted of several re-workings of the title track (the single of which hit #12 in the UK), while Inside Story produced her last Billboard Hot 100 hit to date, "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)", one of several songs she co-wrote with Bruce Woolley.[6] Bulletproof Heart (1989) spawned the #1 U.S. Hot Dance Club Play hit "Love on Top of Love" / "Killer Kiss", produced by C+C Music Factory's David Cole and Robert Clivilles.

Although she has yet to become a truly mainstream recording artist in the United States (with the exception of her featured work on the Arcadia hit single "Election Day"), much of her musical output is still popular on the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts, and many of her songs are regarded as classics to this day. Jones was able to find mainstream success in the United Kingdom, scoring a number of Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart. To date, she has released 45 singles (commercial and/or promotional), including several non-album tracks.

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