THE PROPHET

Bio:

THE PROPHET was born in Chicago but moved to Louisiana during his early childhood. His mother sang in church, and eventually he would sing in church and play piano in church as well. He attended Baton Rouge Magnet High School (a prestigious academics and performing arts institution) where he participated in Chorus, and played saxophone in Symphonic Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band, and Jazz Improvisation Clinic. He graduated with honors in Performing Art, and was offered scholarships from several universities in the region (inclusive of the Michael Jackson Scholarship through the UNCF). He chose to attend Xavier University of Louisiana located in New Orleans, LA to major in Music Education, and he also spent a year at the University of New Orleans to study Vocal Jazz Performance. Although he gleaned much understanding from the musical academia offered by these institutes of higher learning, THE PROPHET would promptly inform you that he learned just as much (if not more) about music from the city of New Orleans itself. THE PROPHET’s outlook regarding vocal music was forever changed when a colleague of his mother’s sent him a copy of Take 6’s debut album (Doo Be Doo Wop Bop!). The lush jazz-influenced harmonies of the male vocal sextet sparked his curiosity and led him to research other masters of the genre. He discovered an array of vocal jazz artists and groups such as Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Al Jarreau, Michael Buble’, The Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, Singers Unlimited, The Four Freshman, Bobby McFerrin, and many others . During his quest for knowledge regarding this newfound vocal style, he befriended Dr. Luther G. Williams, a Jazz historian and enthusiast (also known as “The Panther” because of Williams' ability to play stride piano skillfully reminiscent of the late great Oscar Peterson). THE PROPHET refers to Dr Williams as his musical mentor, and he owes much of his understanding of vocal jazz harmony to “Panther”. Unlike many musical “purists” that believe the blending of musical art forms is considered inappropriate, THE PROPHET opted to tastefully integrate vocal jazz harmony into various forms of popular musical styles of the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and today. He’s created a unique sound that maintains relevance in today’s music industry, yet he never loses his artistic individuality. THE PROPHET resided in New Orleans for nearly two decades. Like many other displaced musicians from that region, in 2005 THE PROPHET fled the flood waters of hurricane Katrina and re-settled in the metropolitan Atlanta area. It has taken several years for him to rebuild his life and achieve a sense of normalcy since the disaster. The single entitled “This Christmas Is For You” is his debut arrangement and a personal proclamation to the universe that it’s his time now. He performed all the music and vocals for the project, and promises many more impressive arrangements to follow. THE PROPHET is a musical innovator and historian, blurring the lines between neo-modern and classic late-twentieth century American musical genres. He blends various styles of R&B, Soul, Pop, Vocal Jazz, Rock, Hip-Hop, Smooth Jazz, etc., creating an eclectic sound that transcends generations and raises today’s already heightened standards for musicality in the world’s marketplace. This Christmas Is For You: THE PROPHET - keyboard programming, lyrics, vocal arrangement, background vocals, lead vocal, monologue; Recorded by Tujuan White at COLAB Studios, Atlanta, GA; Mixed by 'City Boi Riq' at Riq Music Ent., Atlanta, GA; Mastered by Justin Weis at Trakworx, San Francisco, CA. Cover Art by Ladii at Riq Music Ent., Atlanta GA. Written and produced by THE PROPHET for CRUSADER ONE PUBLISHING/BMI, copyright 2008, all rights reserved. .."This Christmas Is For You.." is available at Rhapsody.com!!! BUY NOW!

Member Since:

October 30, 2008

Members:

There are no other members. But we do ask that if you like the music samples on this page that you PLEASE do two (2) things for us. 1. Go to an available download site and purchase a copy of the single, and 2. Tell everyone you know to check out the page and do the same. Help keep the great music coming and support independent music artists! Header Banner Made with MyBannerMaker.com! Click here to make your own!..

Influences:

James Harris III (a/k/a Jimmy Jam) & Terry Lewis, Take 6, Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, Singers Unlimited, Seal, En Vogue, Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Vanessa Williams, SWV, Chicago, Toto, Loose Ends, Babyface, Foster & McElroy, Quincy Jones, Al B. Sure!, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Loose Ends, Run DMC, LL Cool J, UTFO, MC Rob Base, Debarge, Guy, Blackstreet, New Edition, Starpoint, Full Force, Force MD's, The Five Heartbeats, Starpoint, Luther Vandross, Parliament Funkadelic, Graham Central Station, Cameo, Earth Wind & Fire, Michael Sembello, Billy Joel, Phil Collins, Duran Duran, George Michael, WHAM, Pat Benetar, Cyndi Lauper, Falco, Miami Sound Machine, The Jets, Huey Lewis & The News, Hall & Oates, Sir Elton John, Paul McCartney, The Beatles, The Monkees, The Archies, The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, James Brown, The Temptations, Donnie Hathaway, Pyllis Hyman, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, The Nylons, David Sanborn, Kenny G, Grover Washington, Foreigner, Bonnie Tyler, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Madness, Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers, The Chipmunks, School House Rock, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Journey, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Linkin Park, Hoobastank, Evanessence, Eminem, Ludacris, Outkast, Maroon 5, Train, Mighty Clouds of Joy, The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Soul Stirrers, Andre' Crouch, The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, The Jackson Southernaires, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, GLAD, The Imperials, David Baroni, Mississippi Mass Choir, John P. Kee, Commissioned, Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin, The Winans, Bebe and Cece Winans, Tonex, Deitrich Haddon, Isreal Houghton, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Michael Robinson (R.I.P.), Lisa McClendon, Denise Williams, Tramaine Hawkins, The Clark Sisters, The Anointed Pace Sisters, Walter Hawkins (the first Love Alive is his favorite), James Cleveland, Rance Allen, Mahalia Jackson, Lena Horne, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, The Andrews Sisters, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Thad Jones, Danny Kaye, Nina Simone, The Hanna-Barbera Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, George & Ira Gershwin, Rogers & Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Weber, J. S. Bach...IS ANYONE GETTING THE GENERAL IDEA HERE?

Sounds Like:

That depends on your personal musical background. People close to THE PROPHET say it's hard to classify him. THE PROPHET has the ability to imitate other artists. His instrumental music is obviously influenced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis amongst others. His vocal arrangements are obviously influenced by artists such as Take 6, Singers Unlimited, Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, Boyz II Men, and other twentieth-century musicians/composers. The interesting thing about THE PROPHET is that he has something to offer to fans of all musical interests, as his mission is to make GOOD MUSIC, period. He does not wish to be classified as a Pop musician, or an R&B musician, or a Jazz musician, etc... THE PROPHET is simply a MUSICIAN which allows him freedom from genre labels. Listen to THE PROPHET's music and you decide who he sounds like.