What's love got to do with it? Everything, according to James Whitney,
Soul singer extraordinaire and was one of the childhood lead singers of
the Whitney Family musical group. It was love songs that captured James' feelings so much that he had to express those feelings
by singing and writing love songs himself.
At age
4, James was only four, when his mother was hanging clothes in the backyard and he started singing harmony to his
Mother's lead. His Mother was amazed not only that he could sing, but
that he had the "musical ears" to hear and sing harmony to
any song that he heard.
"I
used to press my ear against the families radio, listening to the music with no distraction from the outside world...the
Bass rumbling through my body...my soul...until one of my parents
would pull me away..."Boy, you gonna go deaf if you don't move
back! but I knew better. I was learning from all those songs". As he grew older, James was possessed by the desire to express himself through
song...first by singing and then by writing his own original materials.
A friend
and contemporary of Stevie Wonder, (whom he met through his sister,
Mary Lee Whitney who sang background on many of Stevie's biggest
hits) James remembers singing together while riding in his convertible.
Another
contemporary was Marvin Gaye, with whom James shared creating
a music sound track for the movie Chrome and Hot Leather.
James' early musical influences were Bobby Blue Bland, Frankie Lymon,
Little Willie John and a non-descript Sanctified Church that he
would hear on Sundays through the fence of one of his early homes. By
age 12 James joined his brother's singing group, the Parakeets who
sang at College dances, nightclubs and Concerts. By age 14 the group had worked
at nearly all the Nightclubs in the Oregon area.
Next James at age 14
formed the singing group The Monoreys who followed the
Club circuit in Portland and Seattle. Then James helped to form the Harleguins with his sister Mary, Tony Lytle, Henry Moore and Bill Diz. Dreaming of California they headed to LA and then eventually the name to the Seven Souls, where other prominent musicians like Bob Welch,Bobby Hunt, joined the group. James also wrote several songs
with and/or for some of the top names in the business. For Michael
Jackson he wrote "Goodness Knows", "Disco Kids"
and "Sweet Music". He also wrote "As
long As There's You" for the group Main Ingredient, featuring
Cuba Gooding Sr. James arranged background vocals for some of the songs by
Quiet Riot and opened for Santana, Tower of Power, and Canned
Heat to name a few. He worked all the nightclub circuits in Los Angeles. Before now I would have to say "unfortunately
for us, some of these great songs were never released". But today, we will get
to hear most of them as they are included on Jame's New Album Lets Fall In Love
"Today's
music scene represents 25 to 30 years without music being included in
the Public Education system nation wide. Without the understanding of
music or how to play it being taught to the kids, they have come up
with what we hear today...but even they agree, its not music you
want to woo a girl with...or dance close with someone too...with
someone you love. For that you need "Old School" and that's
what I specialize in. "Old School" was about love...and
caring, family, heartache, and like Mohammed Ali, getting back
up after being knocked down....about keeping on keeping on...not
letting the hard knocks of life keep you down or make you bitter. It
was about hope for a better tomorrow, being spoken out in the lyrics
of songs....being felt in the strings section even as we danced to
the beats of the Bass and Drums....
In 1989, James found himself in London, England. Hitting the ground running,
James played nearly all the Pubs and bars in and around London then was asked to perform at Ceasars as its host, the largest club in London, seating 3,000 people. There, he was joined by the leading British and American Acts..
!
"I
lived my life for music....music and my kids. I'm know in Europe...Now
I'm ready to let the whole world hear me....on my first album....Lets Fall In Love"
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_______James
Whitney Music_______
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
James Whitney "Let's Fall in Love" CD Album Remix - 12 Songs download it at CDBABY.com 8/1/08
Contact:
email: Jameswmusic@aol.com
Soul-R&B
singer James Whitney returns to the music scene with his newest album.
Los Angeles,
California, May 15th 2007. James Whitney, Soul and R&B singer,
formerly of the Whitney Family and the 7 Souls and lead singer
of his own review in Europe, has returned to the American music scene
with an offering that features twelve of his own best R&B songs.
Whitney (a
contemporary of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Al Green, and
inspired in youth by Blues singer Bobby Blue Bland) has put his
masterful writing skills to use in penning a host of highly danceable,
infectious love songs to answer the demand for a musical experience
that puts Love back in the music.
Russ Regan,
Past President of Motown and MCA Records and discoverer of Elton
John, Berry White, The Beach Boys, Olivia Newton John and many other
top acts,has said "I LOVE this album!"
"James's
mixture of romance and dance, fills the void." DJ Joe Williams,
recently of Radio Station KRLA.
"Its
"old school"...but it's cool...I hear the fan base
for it." Pudd, Executive at Interscope Records.
"I want to sincerely thank my musicians for their creative imput and performances . James Whitney,
Producer.
Album
available Now!
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