Keys - Daniel Weatherspoon (Musical Director);
Bass - Rita Tucker;
Guitar - Pat Bergeson;
Drums - DD Holt;
Background Vocals - "OOO WEE";
"OOO WEE" is: Kim Mont, Shandra Bennett, & Nickie Conley
Influences
JESUS!! The Late Rev. Kenneth T. Whalum; Mrs. Helen Rogers; The Present Rev. Kenneth T. Whalum, Jr.; Kirk Whalum; Winston Merriweather (a singer and childhood hero of Kevin's back at his church in Memphis); Squire Marshall (Kevin's Uncle); George Duke; Jon Hendricks; Ella Fitzgerald; Bobby McFerrin; Sarah Vaughan; Satchmo; Frank Sinatra; Lynyrd Skynyrd; Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum; Donny Hathaway; Jaco Pastorius; Marcus Miller; Luther Vandross; Nat King Cole; Take 6; Quincy Jones; Chaka Khan; EWF; Sly & The Family Stone; Weather Report; Frankie Beverly & Maze; Stevie Wonder; James Taylor; Michael Franks; Bill Withers; Al Jarreau; The Hawkins Family; The Winans; Fred Hammond; Al Green; Sting; Rakim; Tribe Called Quest; De La Soul; The Jackson 5; Joni Mitchell; Aretha Franklin; Elton John; The Manhattan Transfer; Prince; The Brecker Brothers; Louis Prima; Spyro Gyra; Mr. Rogers!; Public Enemy; The Police; Genesis; John Cleese & Monty Python; Kelsey Grammer; Denzel Washington; Cicely Tyson; Sidney Poitier; Richard Pryor; Bill Cosby; Steely Dan; The Isley Brothers; The O'Jays; The Temptations; The Spinners; Graham Central Station; Edgar Winter; Big Joe Turner; Michael McDonald; Parliament; Bootsy Collins; BB King; Queen; The Ohio Players; Johnnie Taylor; Bobby "Blue" Bland; The Brothers Johnson; Marvin Gaye; George Benson; Bobby Caldwell; David Sanborn; King Solomon; The Apostle Paul; Joseph; James Moody; James Ingram; Cameo; Chicago; Phil Collins; Jonathan Butler; Donald Fagen; Patti Austin; Roberta Flack; The Emotions!; Billy Preston; Jimi Hendrix; Eric Clapton; Charles Mingus; The GAP Band; Ray Charles; Gino Vannelli; Nancy Wilson; Daryl Coley; James Brown; Charlie Wilson; Dave Grusin; Dave Brubeck; DJ Rogers; The Crusaders; Gladys Knight & The Pips; Natalie Cole; Bob James; Joe Sample; LTD; Cheech & Chong; Dave Chappelle; Tiger Woods; Michael Jordan; Arthur Ashe; Lenny Kravitz; The Mills Brothers; Tania Maria; DeBarge; Kenny Loggins; Cannonball Adderley; Phoebe Snow...and many others!
Sounds Like
Think Vandross meets Jarreau...with Bill Withers as the engine.
Having performed and recorded with some of music’s most talented people, in 2002 Kevin Whalum set out to stake his own claim as an artist with his debut release, “Timetable”. Self-written and produced, it received critical acclaim from several entities, not the least of which was “My Favorite CD of 2003” by Chris Rizik, owner of Soultracks.com. His sophomore release, “One Life To Love” goes even deeper inside the man whose music was already substantive. At once soulful, funky, clever, and jazzy, “One Life…” lets one feel the grooves that have been missing from mainstream radio far too long. “WonderMaze”, a tribute to the groove-laden songs of two of his musical heroes, Stevie Wonder and Frankie Beverly, takes us on a brief trip back to the summer music festivals of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Take a moment to remember the best concert/picnic you ever attended…got it? Ok, that feeling you have now is what “WonderMaze” inspires.
Blending styles as varied as Frankie Beverly and James Taylor, Kevin doesn’t miss his self-imposed mark of staying true to his Memphis roots. “I grew up listening to EVERYTHING!” he exclaims. “The thing that makes me who I am, though, is the music I listened to growing up in Memphis. Everyone from Graham Central Station to Al Jarreau came through Memphis on a regular basis. Aretha Franklin and the White brothers (Maurice, Verdine, & Freddie) of Earth, Wind, and Fire were born there. Bill Withers’ and Al Green’s music was ever-present. We had it all…and it all taught me how to FEEL music. Anyone who doesn’t respond to the foot pats and the guitar line at the beginning of Al Green’s ‘Love & Happiness’ just ain’t alive. THAT’s Memphis right there.” Now living in Nashville, Kevin tips his hand to how varied his musical taste is in a light-hearted nod to growing up and hanging out with friends in his hometown called, “Dig You”. “I wrote that song in literally minutes. It just flowed out. I’ve been in that same situation growing up hanging with my boys. It’s a surprise to many people that I would go in that direction artistically because I’m known more for jazz and scatting, but I guess it’s working. Everyone who hears it cracks up laughing.”
Another song that seems to be raising the sexy quotient of “One Life To Love” is “Why?” Co-written and produced by jazz/funk legend George Duke, this track oozes sexiness. The song is a duet with sultry L.A. songstress, Lynne Fiddmont. “Lynne is like a sister to me, and we’ve worked together since the early 90’s. I wrote this song with her voice in my head as the female lead. And trust me, hers is the only voice for this level of sexiness. She threw down.” Adult, while not vulgar, “Why?” is the story of two former lovers that went their separate ways 10-15 years ago…and then one day out of the blue they ran into each other, and…boom!...old feelings…new trouble. “I’ve watched people listen to this song and they squirm a little bit. It’s one of those songs like George’s classic, ‘No Rhyme, No Reason’, that make people think.”
Rex Rideout also appears as a co-writer and producer on “One Life…” “Rex and I had worked together before on a duet I sang with Maysa for a Luther Vandross tribute CD called, “Forever, For Always, For Luther – Vol. 2”, but we’d never written together. It turned out to be a match made in Heaven. Rex knocked this stuff out of the park!” One of the four songs Rex produced entitled, “I’m In Love”, is so melodically challenging that Rex himself was trepidatious as they wrote it. “I couldn’t hear a clear and valid melody inside the chords and bassline he was giving me!” Rex laughs. “By the time we finished the tune it was my favorite. It flips a switch and goes from ominous to light and airy…and then back again. It’s insane.”
Kevin lost his father, the late Rev. K.T. Whalum, in October of 2007 from complications due to stroke. It was a slow, painful walk home for his dad. In some ways it was even more painful for Kevin and his family to have to watch helplessly as one stroke after another chipped away at the giant they once knew. He grew to hate strokes and the effect they can have on not only the victim, but the family, as well. So, when he finished recording this CD entitled, he knew what he wanted to do…dedicate it to his father. “Softly & Tenderly” is the last song on the CD, and it is appropriately gut-wrenching for those who knew his dad and who knew the relationship the two shared. Kevin admits, “I cried my way through the whole song as I recorded it. When I finished, I just kept all the cracked notes and rawness to be heard by all. No fixes, man. Just pure heart. I really don’t care if that song ever makes it to radio. I needed to sing it for him.”
Pure heart. That’s the same element that each guest artist added to this amazing CD. Just check out the top-shelf guest list on “One Life To Love”:
Keys; George Duke, Rex Rideout, Kenneth Crouch, John Stoddart
Bass; Alex Al, former Chaka Khan bassist Melvin Davis, Kyle Whalum
Guitar; Paul Jackson, Jr., Babyface guitarist Michael Ripoll, Darrell Crooks, Freddie Clark
Drums; Oscar Seaton, Maze drummer Mike White, Marcus Finnie
Saxophones; Kirk Whalum
Percussion; Lenny Castro
Trumpet; Michael “Patches” Stewart
B-3 Organ; Ralph Lofton
Lead & Backing Vocals; Lynne Fiddmont
Background Vocals; Mark Kibble of Take 6, Kenya Hathaway, Fred White, Kim Mont, Nickie Conley, Nirva Ready
Can you believe that?
Kevin has more than raised the bar for musicians who will follow him. Given some of the things that make it onto our radios these days, it’s not a moment too soon. As he puts it, Love Hard, Love Well, Love NOW, because we only have “One Life To Love.”
-Arthur S.
Thanks for your automated friendship connection. I figured since we are fbook friends, I would add you here also. Btw, my special friend sends his love back with Holiday wishes to you also as he continues to sing your song to me. Take care!(smile)
Thanks for the add. My New CD" When Ugly People Made Good Music" is now available on Itunes or the link below. Please support good music. Sign up for my mailing list so I can keep you up to date on the music,touring, and other info. Peace Jeremy <img src="http://www.reverbnation.com/widget
AND RESPECT !
