Legendary Interviews
Avant
As fads come and go, it’s nice to know that some things never go out of style. Case in point: power-packed R&B as delivered by soulful singer/songwriter Avant.The masterful crooner is back on point with his seventh album, Face the Music (Feb. 5, 2013). Inspired by the R&B legends—Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Luther Vandross and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds—who have been guiding lights in Avant’s career, the project marks the singer’s first release on the Capitol/EMI-distributed independent label Mo-B. But the set does more than just pay homage to R&B masters. Thanks to Avant’s inventiveness, Face the Music cooks up a tantalizing blend of contemporary and traditional sounds.
Speech - Of Arrested Development
In 1987, Speech joined with fellow DJ Headliner to form the group Arrested Development. After over three years together, the group released their inaugural album, 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of..., which produced several hits and sold very well.[citation needed] Speech performed lead vocals, and produced the group's tracks. The group's follow-up album, Zingalamaduni, fared poorly by comparison, but was critically acclaimed. Speech would later go on to pursue his solo career. Speech also started Vagabond Productions since 1994 - Vagabond started as a vehicle for Grammy winners Arrested Development and their business dealings and became a promoter of neo soul, hip-hop, and rock concerts in Atlanta. The company then switched to representing artist in U.S. & Japan. Since then, Vagabond has become an all around production house that presents music to various labels and on-line outlets across the globe.
Claude McKnight - Of Take 6
In 1980, Claude McKnight (older brother of R&B musician Brian McKnight) formed an a cappella quartet, The Gentlemen's Estates Quartet, atOakwood College (now Oakwood University ), a Seventh-day Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was a freshman. He auditioned fellow students for the hobby group. The Gentlemen were rehearsing in a campus bathroom (later said to be in Moran Hall), getting ready for a performance, when Mark Kibble heard them singing. He joined the harmonizing, adding a fifth part, and ended up singing with them onstage that very night.[2] Mark later invited Mervyn Warren to join the group. The group performed under the moniker Alliance.The group was signed to Warner Brothers in 1987, and quickly changed its name to Take 6 after a name search revealed Alliance was in use. Their eponymous debut album, released in 1988, won them two Grammy Awards and resulted in top ten appearances on both the Billboard Contemporary Jazz and Contemporary Christian Charts. Their swinging, harmony-rich sound attracted much attention; the group went on to record or appear with a number of luminaries, including Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, and Stevie Wonder, to name a few. They recorded for the soundtracks of Dick Tracy, Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Boyz n the Hood, and the theme song to the TV series Martin. They earned performances on Saturday Night Live, the Oscars, and the Grammys, and have had the honor of performing for four U.S sitting Presidents, including the Democratic National Convention.
