Vocalists
Deacon John Moore has been a noted studio musician in New Orleans for decades. His performance and recordings have not only represented the New Orleans Sound over the years, he has helped define it! Deacon John was very active in the studios of New Orleans in the heyday of R&B and can be heard...
Marty Baxter entertained the troops during World War II as a member of a singing quartet. While with bands, such as Frankie Master’s Orchestra, she not only sang but arranged the four part harmonies. When she met and fell in love with the band’s piano player, Eddie Baxter, her life in music would...
Ella Jenkins earned the title The First Lady of Children's Folk Songs and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to bringing music to children. She began collecting and writing folk songs as a summer camp counselor, which years later tied nicely with her college studies of child...
Ray Parker Jr may best be known for writing the soundtrack to Gostbusters, but his legacy goes back much further. Starting in Detroit as a teenager, Ray got the opportunity to work and tour with Stevie Wonder. Ray eventually went on to do writing and session work in LA, before finally going on to...
Sanjiro Kawamorita was drafted into the Japanese Army during World War II. He served under Shigeru Kawai who hired Kawamorita-San and other soldiers from his unit after the war. He remained with the piano manufacturer, based in Hamamatsu Japan until his retirement for a total of 53 years! Before...
Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams is the songwriter and blues singer who began his recording career in 1954. His soul and R&B-based blues included "There Ain't Enough Love," "She's So Devine" and "I'm in the Danger Zone." His popular singles of the 1950s and 60s on 45rpm changed with the trends of...
Ray Stevens loves to tell the stories about how some of his hit records came about such as "Everything Is Beautiful" and "The Streak." Equally interesting are the stories of how he came up playing in school bands and how his passion for music grew and developed over the years. Ray recorded many...
Rick Walters transcribed popular sheet music when he first joined Hal Leonard. Over the years he grew within the company to manage the classical and vocal publications. The growth within the classical division has been vast considering the G. Schirmer and Boosey and Hawkes deals that Hal Leonard...
Smokey Robinson! The man changed popular music! He brought a common, streetwise approach to his lyrics, which were embraced by millions of people the world over who related to his messages of longing, love and second chances. Smokey conveyed in words and music what many of us felt and wanted to...
Casey Jones began his musical career as a Chicago-area blues drummer in the mid 1950s. He had only been playing a few years when he was encouraged to sing at a gig. He imitated Little Richard and the crowd loved it. Soon he began singing in bands around town and gained a reputation for himself...