Leo Sayer was born on May 21, 1948 in Shoreham, Sussex, England. He is an internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter and live entertainer whose successful performing career has spanned four decades.
Nicole Willis began her professional career in London in 1984, singing and writing with the Washington Week In Review alongside members of The Brand New Heavies. She then returned to New York the following year to work with Blue Period and the Hello Strangers, meeting up with Supa DJ Dmitry Brill. Soon after, she sang alongside Lady Miss Kier Kirby and Dmitry in the earliest line-up of Deee-Lite.
Jesse Boykins III has a timeless sound. He shares a point of view that crosses all genres, generations and cultures. Every note and each word in all his recorded works, to his live performance is skillfully crafted evoking emotions that can move any listener across the world to examine and acknowledge those feelings within themselves. Jesse who was born in Chicago on February 20, 1985 spent most of his childhood in Jamaica and Miami before spreading roots as a teenager in New York City.
The group was created by producer Frank Farian in 1975 and was composed of four West Indian artists working in London, Germany and the Netherlands: singers Marcia Barrett and Liz Mitchell, model Maizie Williams and DJ Bobby Farrell. Boney M is noted for the mix of white and black music—the producer Farian is white and the singers are black; significantly many songs are black (freedom) songs, for example “No More Chain Gang” in the album Oceans Of Fantasy.
Latin Quarter are a British band noted for their protest songs, the most successful of which was Radio Africa which was first released in 1984, re-released several times and reached number 19 in the charts in 1986. Formed in 1984 by Steve Skaith, Mike Jones and Richard Wright (not of Pink Floyd!), the most popular lineup consisted of Skaith, Jones, Wright with Yona Dunsford, Greg Harewood, Carol Douet and Martin Lascalles. Latin Quarter finally disbanded around 1998, but reunited in 2011 for a new album and tour in early 2012.
Lina is a neo-soul recording artist who was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the Dallas area. Lina can sing in seven different languages. Lina released her debut album Stranger On Earth in 2001 on Atlantic Records. It received a strong critical response for its blend of R&B with swing and vocal jazz. The title track was a cover version of a Dinah Washington track. The track Playa No More became a minor hit while the album reached #89 on the Billboard R&B and hip-hop album chart. Nevertheless, she was dropped from Atlantic.
Kimbra, born and bred in Hamilton, New Zealand has been writing a fusion of jazz and soul for over 5 years, known for her erratic but graceful voice inspired by the likes of Björk and Jeff Buckley. Kimbra's first success was in 2004, receiving Second place in the Smokefree Rockquest along with Best Vocals and Womens Musicianship. Before her debut album, Kimbra released 2 singles: 'Simply On My Lips' and 'Deep For You'. Kimbra's debut album, Vows was released in 2011. Three singles have been released from this album - 'Cameo Lover', 'Settle Down', 'Good Intent'
Gift Of Gab (Tim Parker) and Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) met at John F. Kennedy High School in 1987 in Sacramento, California and formed the group in the early 1990s. They released their first recording, "Swan Lake", on solesides records. The Solesides Crew consisted of the duo, as well as other friends of theirs they had met at University of California - Davis, including DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef The Truth Speaker. The single was an underground hit, but label trouble prevented the duo from immediately capitalizing on their fame.
Taylor McFerrin is redefining the one-man show. Combining his skills as a producer and performer, Taylor is making music heads around the world take notice as he seamlessly builds songs from scratch with his ambitious solo project. Fender Rhodes, synthesizers, samples, vocals and beatboxing are meshed together in his Brooklyn bedroom studio as Taylor builds from his roots in ‘60s soul to his vision of future hip-hop.