Cliff Branch who was raised in Brooklyn, has been a continuous force in the Music Industry.Branch was is always in the spot lights or underground launching some new artist for the purpose of preserving what today's music.Starting at age 5 ,Branch played drums and keyboards at home learning from father and later took formal classical lessons while experiencing the old style Pentecostal church mixed with some Motown grooves.There were bands on every block in the hood such as Crown Height Affair,BT Express,Brass Construction,Cameo and Corruption who he joined before high school.These band played around the hood in all the local block parties and venues like the Apollo and Bostonroad Ballroom.
He later attended Music and Arts High School where he began to meet all of today's musical icons like Marcus Miller, Omar Hakeem Albert McDowell etc.He Later joined with most of them to create various bands and experiment with funk, jazz and gospel.Those were the days of jamming without any egos and getting a free meal for the day. We played hard and practiced harder cause we loved it.
Branch went on to the Aaron Copeland School of Music (Queens College) where he met Loris Holland(later with Zoe Ministries),Roger Bynum( later with Ready fo Reality on Eddie Oloughlin's Next Plateau Records) while moonlighting was the hottest GRP Recording Artist like Angela Bofill, Tom Browne,Buddy Wiliams, Donald Blackmon who play with the Palmer Bros,Grate Bros of Queens, Dave Valetine, Bobby Broom ,Poogie Bell uptown and later Bernard Wright and Flyte Bros who were the original jamaica funk rappers.All of these artist sparked Branch's desire to write that gospel funk and sing it in songs. Songs he wrote like Magic, Bygones co-written by his best high school buddy to present day brother Terry Burrus, and Brighter Tommorrow for Tom Browne.While in the jamaica crew via NY Branch also produced a small hit on a london-based record label (Virgin/Ten) on Naima Williams who he met through Onaje.He recalls a coversation in the studio with Dave Grusin about songwriting is the way to go and Marcus Miller told he about vision, which never left him. So like most musicians at that time you look for a mentor to sponsor you creative genius and he found Richard Tee, Billy Preston, Kenny Kirkland, Onaje Allan Gumbs and his Cliff’s favorite Joel Diamond all to create this creative sound of gospel funk jazz.Also Branch in turn mentored alot of younger artists such as Morgan Heritage and LMS,who later proved to stand alone as reggae icons.In the neighborhood the success of Crown Heights Affair ,Roland Alphonso,Glen Adams influenced him along with Wayne Braitwaite,Leslie Ming,Charlie Bulter and many others.
All at the same time Branch seeked to learn the business of music as well as production.
He became A&R at Benson Music Group Nashville under the direction of Wes Farrell and Ken Pennel producing artist like Angelo and Veronica with Fred Hammond ,Heziakiah Walker,Rev Run,Zoe Ministries etc. There was a spring of new hit makers coming up which sparked interest in Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop, Reggae and Gospel. The reward creating a musical expression rather than the recognition for exploiting a musical expression was always more fun. Branch says. People always have to search to really learn the real truth and there is much more to see and tell in this world.ALL THOSE MUSICIANS,PRODUCER,SINGERS,ENGINEERS,WRITERS,ARTISTS,ACTORS,
DANCERS,DJS,RAPPERS,COMEDIANS THAT FINDS THEIR POSITIVE MINISTRY
DONT STOP DREAMING BABY ITS POSSIBLE WITH GOD.
Myspace Editor
Pimp MySpace
