1strecords

Music:

Member Since: 10/5/2006
Band Members:

BIOGRAPHY
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1st Records Inc./Management was founded in 2003 by owners Patrick Frett (President) and Sheldon O'Connor (Vice President). With over a dozen years experience in the entertainment industry, the owners of 1st Records pride themselves in conducting business with their artists and employees in an honest and fair manner. With an honorable work ethic and principled business practices they have built a reliable, hard-working team destined to make a significant impact on the music industry. Along with Patrick and Sheldon, the other core members of the1 st Records team include Dave Gordon, Richard Elliott and Tina-Marie Jones.

Our goal at 1st Records is to produce and promote all genres of music from R&B, Hip-Hop, Pop & Rock as well as provide quality artist management. 1 st Records first success story comes with the development and management of R&B sensation “Casely”. Casely’s journey with 1 st Records began with a successful appearance on Amateur Night at the Apollo in New York City. Although Casely didn’t win, the performance was a springboard for many more appearances and accomplishments. After the Apollo, Casely proceeded to enter and win Seventeen Magazines’ “Way to Rock” National Talent Search. This big win landed him a Macy’s/Seventeen Magazine sponsored performance and a feature article in Seventeen Magazine’s national publication.

Casely’s next major endeavor was the completion of his debut album “I’ll Be...”, co-produced by Casely and 1 st Records. The 1 st single “Way She’s Movin’” was warmly received by South Florida radio and club scene, which prompted a whirlwind of publicity including a performance at the 2004 MTV Awards Kick-Off concert, a feature story on Channel 7’s (WSVN) Deco Drive and numerous other concert appearances and newspaper interviews. 1 st Records made the decision to “ride the wave” of publicity by investing in and producing a music video for “Way She’s Movin’”. While the video was televised locally, without major label backing it was a struggle to break into the national video market and the video was primarily viewed only in the South Florida market.

With all of Casely’s success in South Florida, 1 st Records continued to meet resistance when trying to break out of the local market and introduce Casely to a national audience. It was a sobering reminder that independent labels are at a disadvantage without the backing of a major label, yet they persisted. Casely continued to create new music and performed live at every opportunity. The label executives and staff continued to network with radio PDs and DJs and also managed to secure meetings with several major labels to discuss the possibility of a deal for Casely.

Just when things started to seem a bit bleek, in came Miami hit makers “The Diaz Brothers”. Hugo and Luis Diaz (collectively know as “The Diaz Brothers”) have produced hits for Pitbull, Daddy Yankee , Lil Jon and The Eastside Boyz, Lloyd Banks , DJ Khaled , Trick Daddy , Trina , Brisco and the 2 Fast 2 Furious Soundtrack. On the heels of a hugely successful Pitbull album, they recently signed Casely to a production deal that shows equal promise. Casely’s first single with the Diaz Brothers is called “Emotional” and is receiving regular airplay on Power 96 in Miami.

In addition to managing Casely’s career, 1 st Records is currently developing and managing several other musical acts. It’s been a long and sometimes frustrating battle for indie label 1 st Records, but all of their hard work and dedication is finally paying off.

:1ex"

CEO
Patrick Frett
PRESIDENT
Sheldon Oconor
HOME TEAM
Dave Gordon
Richard Elliott
Tina Marie Jones

CONTACT INFORMATION
E-MAIL: [email protected]
PHONE NUMBER:(954)-854-6401

In today’s music industry it’s a rare discovery to find a recording artist who truly epitomizes the word “Music”, but in R&B singer Casely that’s exactly what you’ll find. Casely, born and raised in South Florida to Trinidadian and Panamanian parents, is a shining new star that’s changing the music industry standard of what an artist and musician should be.

Casely’s road to music and performing began at age 7 where he attended Parkway Middle School of the Arts to receive classical vocal training and also developed his musical skills with piano and guitar lessons. Casely education continued at the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. where he attended on music scholarship. After 3 years of vocal training, hands-on music production and studying the business side of music, Casely decided it was time to leave school and spread his wings.

Casely's musical influences include Michael Jackson, Usher, Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway. He credits his style to studying these music icons (among others) to create his own unique and personal sound. Casely is a true artist, singer, dancer & musician who takes pride in playing instruments such as piano and guitar, writing his own material and perfecting his high-energy stage show. A recent quote from a studio session with Ruben Studdard says it all: “That boy can SING!” Some career highlights include:
• CNN “Sunday Morning” interview discussing Casely’s song “Unsung Heroes” written as a dedication to Hurricane Katrina victims.
• Channel 7 (WSVN) “Deco Drive” interview for the “Almost Famous” segment
• Grand Prize Winner of Seventeen Magazine's "Way To Rock" National Talent Search
• 2004 MTV Awards Kick-Off Concert
• Showtime at the Apollo
• Featured performer on Lorenzo “Ice-T” Thomas (WEDR-99 Jamz ) Jamaica Jump-Off (2005 & 2006) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica
• Performer at Justin Timberlake's N'Sync Celebrity Charity Challenge
• Opening act for Ruben Studdard
• Featured performer on 99 Jamz yearly “Mango Festival”, performing with Pitbull, Pretty Ricky and Trick Daddy.
• Numerous nightclub performances in Orlando (House of Blues), New York City (Supper Club, Mumbai, Nell's, BK's) and Miami (Code, Revolution, Chili Pepper's, Deco Drive)
Casely's debut album “I’ll Be…” was warmly received by South Florida radio stations and highly praised by his fans. Casely is currently in the studio writing and recording with producer Develop (Lil’ Wayne’s “Fireman”). He’s also writing and recording for renowned record producer Jim Jonsin (hits include Pretty Rickey’s “Grind With Me” and Jamie Foxx’s “Unpredictable”) and working on his 2nd album. He is also planning a Spring ’07 tour of Japan and Europe

Influences:
Record Label: DIAZ BROTHERS/EPIC/1ST RECORDS
Type of Label: Major