About Me
Booking Contact:
Owl Eye Records
Email: owleye [at] publicist.com
A native Texan, my home base is the
San Francisco Bay area. l am an international entertainer eager to perform
wherever the music takes me. My greatest love is jazz vocal cradled by
rich instrumental interludes. I'm looking forward to sharing my styling of
cherished music and my original pieces with the world.
In addition to live jazz and cabaret performance my career has evolved to
professional recording. I am a singer/songwriter registered with ASCAP. I am
a voting member of The Recording Academy, San Francisco Chapter (formerly
known as The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences). I volunteer on the
Special Events committee on such chapter and academy event
efforts as annual Academy Honors, local and regional music showcase,
performance, production and education including recording support. I'm a
2005 - 07 (vocalist) and 2007-09 (songwriter) nominee to sit on
the Board of Governors.
As far back as I can remember, I've been in love with jazz ensemble and big
band orchestral music. As a teen, I recall a particular flea market binge
with my mother where I acquired my first collectable 78-RPM record. It was a
Columbia Records label of the Les Brown Orchestra featuring Doris Day on
vocal singing "Sentimental Journey". You may see this as corny,
but it brought me to the genre I later learned was a form of jazz. Jazz? I
had not known about it before. I played that record on my 33 1/3
turntable over and over burning out more needles than my allowance could
afford. I treasure that gem of an RPM to date.
I relocated from Dallas, Texas to the east coast's Atlanta, Georgia. I began
my music career in jazz after witnessing one of few final performances of
the late great Sarah Vaughan. I had an opportunity to see her perform at
Piedmont Park while living in Atlanta. This was a pivotal moment that
ignited my quest to deliver electrifying and truly personal jazz vocal
performances.
I was fortunate to live in Midtown, the heart of Atlanta and significant
area of the arts district giving promising chance encounters to its many
believers. Musicians and creative artists of every appreciation dwelt near
me. It was useful to live within walking distance and a quick taxi ride
toward Atlanta's hottest jazz clubs. I struck up relationships with some very
talented musicians, arrangers and composers. As with
many a start-up act, I often auditioned my share of band members. I
frequented open-mic clubs and sang my way around town. Those were the days!
The recession of the late 80's kicked in and I had to get a real job with a
steady paycheck and benefits. It gave me time to improved upon my musical
and business skills.
Back to the Drawing Board
Something had to change and it had to be me. While being a corporate puppet,
I took some years off from singing to study dance and acting, as well as
some great female vocalists and performers of the 30's, 40's, 50's and early
60's. Some of these pioneers are Mildred Bailey, Billie Holiday, Dinah
Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Nina
Simone and the European sensation, Edith Piaf. I consumed the works of Count
Basie, Charlie Parker, Cab Callaway, Benny Goodman, Antonio Carlos Jobim,
and the French equivalent to Frank Sinatra, Gilbert Bécaud ... the list goes
on. It was and remains a necessary education.
People often assume that if you grew up singing in the southern church, it
automatically qualifies you to deliver a passionate and heart warming song.
Though I began my life in the 60's with community exposure to the gospel
music of the Rev. James Cleveland's charismatic and Mahalia Jackson's
reverent styles, church life took a drastic turn. In my teen years, I was
ejected by parental right from a charismatic church environment to one
without musical instruments. I had to learn to sing acapella .. without
support of piano or organ. That's fine if you truly enjoy delivering
barbershop quartet like singing. I just needed a more refined personal
expression, but I did what children do - what they are told to do.
Musical Roots Run Deep
My father raised his eldest three children, including myself, in the
entertainment business. Father and mother had aspired to become professional
singers, but life had specific plans for each. Mother performed at many
venues and later elected to sing solely for the church. Father, became an AM
disc jockey, when AM was king. Father was the first black cross-over radio
personality in the Texas market and a spin-doctor for the popular soul acts
of the 60's and early 70's. Insiders called him the man with the golden
voice because he had millions of loyal listeners. He was the voice of the
southern black community introducing some major black musical talent whose
lyrics spoke to the heart of the black community. His talent extended beyond
Texas to Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and
for a time during the late 60's and early 70's, California's Los Angeles and
San Francisco metropolitan markets.
Dad became a network television personality hosting and showcasing top acts
on his show entitled "Operation Soul", which aired on area affiliate TV
stations. My siblings and I had opportunities to meet some phenomenal people
in the music industry. People like Joe Simon, Bobby Blue Bland, Wilson
Pickett, B.B. King, Johnnie Taylor, Ike and Tina Turner and some memorable
wonders like Little Gary Ferguson, who all made it a point to focus on
community. His greatest inspiration was soul brother number one, the
"Godfather of Soul", "Mr. James Brown". For lack of rehearsal space
(translated: not welcomed here) during the height of the civil rights
movement, some of these artists often jammed in our garage prior to
scheduled performances. I had learned first-hand the skills of entertainment
from the pros. Father never actively encouraged me because he knew singing
and entertaining is in my blood.
An On-going Education
I enjoy working collaboration with big band instrumentation and full orchestra. My stewardship in music appreciation is inclusive of classical, country, world beat, alternative rock ... and yes, hip hop. It remains from day to day a necessary education.
