About Me
You know, people talk about Overnight Successes, but no one really knows HOW LONG THE NIGHT REALLY WAS...Yes, Ive paid a few dues and Ive had the opportunity, privilege and pleasure to have worked with some of the greatest and gifted musicians in the world. Recently, I had an awesome, incredible once in a lifetime experience. I got five minutes of fame to sing with the world renown Funk Brothers. After that experience, I made the decision that I need to go for it and do something for myself. Something that I love Music!!.Originally, from Denver, CO, music has played a significant part of my life. At a very young age, I only had a radio where songs that were played, told stories that had just consumed me and at times I found myself imitating mostly every song I heard.I have always liked to sing a variety of music styles. My first singing experience started with the youth choir at my church in Denver in which Mr. Philip Bailey of Earth Wind & Fire, was also a member. At that time, Denver was just a hot-bed for musical talent and we sure had some singers in that choir. Im sure Philip would attest to what Im saying.Before moving to California, I attended a High School in Kansas City, MO that also had a lot of incredible talent. The school talent shows were events not to be missed. One of the groups I remember that would always bring the house down was a group by the name of the Sinceres. They changed the name of their group to Bloodstone and went on to be one of the greatest groups of all.When I moved to California, I continued to find activities that involved singing and became a member of a small choir (under the direction of Johnny Land of whom Ms Martha Wash was the lead vocalist. She was and still is an incredibly awesome artist to this day. I was with that choir (Polytech) a short time before they disbanded. Then I happened to visit a new church that had just started up in Oakland. After I heard the 15 voice choir I knew I just had to join. Shortly after I joined the choir, we recorded an album that contained the songs Changed and Goin Up Yonder. Yes, it was the first Walter Hawkins Love Alive project. While I was a member there, Walters brother Edwin Hawkins, was the Minster of Music for the Love Center Church. It was also during this time that Edwin recorded his second Grammy award winning album Wonderful of which it was a blessing for me to be a part of his Edwin Hawkins Singers.Later, I was with a band for a couple of years named Elements Precise. Again, another group of incredible musicians. One of the most memorable performances we had was being the opening act at Berkeley's Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA for their annual Jazz Festival. That night the headline of the program was the Fabulous Ella Fitzgerald.
After Elements Precise disbanded, and because of the fact, that all I wanted to do was sing, I went on yet to join another choir by the name of The New Generation Singers that had just started. The founder and director was the incomparable Rev. Daryl Coley. . . While with Daryl, I met Melvin Seals of Jerry Garcia fame. Melvin had and continues to operate his own recording studio and records many artists, locally and nationally.I took a little time off from singing and just continued to collect music that I had been collecting since middle school. Then I got the itch again.Next, I joined a 13 voice ensemble named The New Traveling Voices (NTV) under the direction of Jacqueline Hairston a relative of the legendary Jester Hairston. Everyone was a lead singer in the ensemble. One of the members (Maxine Jones) later went on and joined the group En Vogue and another member (Nikita Germaine) went on to be a studio vocalist for Narada Michael Walden and also wrote Take Me Higher which Diana Ross recorded as well as a recording artist in here own right with the Motown label. With this group, I we toured the country of Italy twice as amabassadors of the United States for an annual holiday. Also while with this group, we sang with Jeffrey Osborne and shared billings with Cab Calloway, O.C. Smith, The Nicholas Brothers, and The Mills Brothers and Tuck & Patty to name a few.A couple of months after I joined NTV, Melvin Seals contacted me and referred me to a gospel group Bennie Henderson & Family. I sang with them at the same time I was with NTV. We traveled nationally and internationally as well as doing a lot of vocal background recordings for international and local artists including the late Rev. James Moore.Up until my performance with the Funk Brothers, simply because I just love being around music, I had never considered being an ARTIST. After that night, I knew this is what I must do and I just happen to run into Due Lyric. We had met while we were in the group Bennie Henderson & Family. He is another very gifted and talented musician, who I am very thankful and happy to be working with again and he is producing my project.I am a member of Allen Temple, BC where the Dr. J. Alfred Smith is Pastor. At Allen Temple Im a member of the music department under the direction of Dr. Alvin McClean and Minister of Music, Betty Gadling, A few months after The Funk Brothers experience, the Male Chorus of my church of which I am member, had a concert out of which a came a live CD recording. The title of the CD is called Wonderful, and I had the privilege to sing the lead vocal. How ironic can it be for me to sing the title of a song that happened to have the same title of the album of which I had sung on with The Edwin Hawkins Singers which earned a Grammy?Needless to say, after all this time, every singing experience has always and continues to be a new and fresh experience for me. I hope that my project will exemplify the same and that you will enjoy it.Look for my cd REACHIN' produced by DUE LYRIC due out in 2006Peace and Blessings,Curtis
