Saturday, April 24, 2010

Kay.Tunes

Sometimes stars are made, and sometimes stars are born. Rising R&B star Kaneik Tune’s last name is no coincidence; she was born to sing.
“My last name didn’t happen by chance. This is my destiny,” says the soulful performer who is better known by her stage name Kay.Tunes.
Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Kay.Tunes began singing at an early age. The first song she learned to sing was, “This Little Light of Mine” in daycare when she was three. She came home later that day and belted it out for her mother.
At the age of six, Kay.Tunes won her first talent show singing, "This House" by Tracey Spencer. The win further ignited her passion for performing as she continued to compete and win local talent shows throughout Virginia. At 13 years old, she won a chance to compete at the world famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, where she blew the audience away.
As a teenager Kay.Tunes realized that she wanted to pursue a career in music full-time. However, after high school she was encouraged to go to college and get a degree so she would “have something to fall back on.” Kay.Tunes attended Old Dominion College but her heart was not in it, so she left school to pursue a career in music.
While holding up to three different part-time jobs at a time, Kay.Tunes honed her skills as a songwriter by developing songs for other artists as she continued create a buzz for herself a singer and performer in the Virginia music scene.
Upon chance meeting at a friend’s recording studio, Tunes met producer/songwriter Demario "Rio" Bridges who had been hearing about the talented singer for some time. Rio, the founder of SavantSoundz. LLC, a production company based in Virginia, had worked with various artists including. Grammy nominated entertainers such as Raphael Saadiq, Ashanti, P.Diddy, and Christina Aguilera among others. As a producer and music visionary, Rio immediately saw the talent that Tunes possessed and wanted to work with her. Together, the duo looks to collaborate and bring substance back to music.
In addition to collaborating with Rio, for her upcoming project Kay.Tunes has enlisted music heavyweights to produce her album including: producers Lee Major Kid (Jay Z, Young Jeezy, Flo-Rida, Wyclef, Mary J Blidge, Nas); Theo Edmonds (Young Berg, Noreaga); Sound H Productions (Skillz); and Grammy Award winning, multi-platinum selling producer Gerard Thomas (Destiny’s Child, Missy Elliott, Ashanti, Mel B from the Spice Girls).
When speaking on her upcoming project, Kay.Tunes states, “This music movement is so needed and people will be able to relate. Our music is so relatable, it’s refreshing.”
Moreover, Kay.Tunes is refreshing. She is a breath of fresh air to the industry. She is a gifted artist, who loves the craft of making music. Her passion shows through in her music and is the reason why she is destined to make an impact on R&B music.
She was born to make music; her last name is not a coincidence.
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Saturday, April 10, 2010

The 'Dramatics'

The 'Dramatics' are one of 4 or 5 soul music vocal groups I especially enjoyed listening to growing up in the late 1960's and early 1970's....along with the 'Temptations', the 'Delphonics', the 'Stylistics', and 'Earth, Wind and Fire'. Dramatics front man and founder Ron Banks introduced smooth, strongly vocalized ballads and stage performances that helped set the R an B tone for that era. 
The band was formed out of Detroit, Michigan in 1962, and was originally named 'The Dynamics'.  Detroit had more talent than record company's could handle at the time, so the group struggled until finally signing with Wingate Records.(later bought by Motown)
In 1967 Banks changed their name to the 'Dynamics', and soon produced their first minor hit single "All Because of You".  However, it took four more years before another single, "Whatcha See is Whatcha Get" finally broke into "Billboard Hot 100's top 10....peaking at #3 and reaching gold disc status in 1971! 
The following year it was "In The Rain" that reached #1 on the R&B charts, after which, William "Wee Gee" Howard and Willie Ford left the band, and were replaced by singer/producer  L.J. Reynolds and Lenny Mayes. 
Throughout the rest of the '70's the Dramatics recorded a list of top ten singles including the cover "Me and Mrs.Jones"(from 'Billy Paul'), 'Get Up and Get Down', 'You're Fooling Around', 'Be My Girl', and 'Hey You! Get Off My Mountain".
They also appeared on the TV hit show 'Soul Train' several times, and continued with hits 'Toast the Fool", "I'm Going By the Stars in Your Eyes", and two albums called  "Somewhere in Time", and "Positive State of Mind".
After the Dramatics released their final chart hit "Welcome Back Home" in 1980, L.J. Reynolds left the band....and Ron Banks followed in 1983.  Both went on to pursue solo careers. However, the band has re-united several times over the past 20-years, and were even guests on the 'Snoop Doggy Dog' song "Doggy Dog World" in 1993. 
They were also mentioned in a novel called "The Algiers Motel Incident", by John Hersey. 'The Algiers' is where Detroit Police allegedly committed murders which sparked the infamous Detroit riots of 1967....and the Dramatics happened to be staying there at the same time, following a performance!
On a sad note, so many of the band members have had their lives cut short by natural causes, including Elbert Wilkins(heart attack, 1992, age 45), William "Wee Gee" Howard(heart attack, 2000, age 49), Lenny Mayes(cancer, 2004, age 53), James Mack Brown(cancer, 2008, age 58), and founder Ron Banks who died of a heart attack just last month at his Detroit home at the age of 58. Banks left a wife and six children.
Nevertheless, the Dramatics have gone on to entertain millions of fans over the past 40-years, and continue to tour even today....as L.J. Reynolds, Winzell Kelly, Willie Ford, and Michael Brock, will soon release an album titled "Bad Girl".  May the dramatic R&B sound of 'The Dramatics' live on for years to come.
Thanks, and keep listening to Streetwise Radio at www.Streetwisesd.com
Sincerely,  PeteCam4
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