- News & Reviews FeedPhil Perry
Hello Soul Trackers!
I owe all of my fans an apology for not updating my Soul Tracks page since Summer 2007. Time can really fly away, so let me just take some time while I'm off the road to bring you up to speed.
2007 ended with a last minute special invitation from Dave Koz to join his annual cruise, and so Lill and I welcomed November with a week in the Carribbean jamming with such artists as Jonathan Butler, Mark Antoine and his beautiful wife, Chris Standring, Peabo Bryson, Jody Watley and her mother, Greg and Andrea Adams, and many others.
The November 2007 highlight, of course, was SoulTracks awarding me the Readers' Choice award for Male Vocalist of the Year. Not only was it a wonderful honor to receive this recognition after all the years I've been in the music business, but more so it was the opportunity to pay a musical tribute to Russell Tompkins, lead singer of The Stylistics; that made that night in Detroit so special. Both Lill and I were impressed with the quality of the event and the continuing dedication of our friend Chris Rizik to make SoulTracks a powerful cyber force for independent artists - young and old - in the music business. I can't tell you how much fun it was to be in the company of Rahsaan Patterson, Maya Acuzena, the awesome ladies from One Nation Under the Soul Shack (ONUTSS), and to experience the incredible talent of all the nominees who performed that night. Although the weather was cold, the talent was hot!
2007 also gave me the opportunity to sing a tribute to Gladys Knight in Beverly Hills as she received the ELLA! Award from S.O.S. (the Society of Singers). I can't describe to you the feeling I had as I sang 'You're the Best Thing' right there in the presence of this great Diva. Singing 'Stop Look Listen' with Russell sitting in the front row, was also surreal. I was truly honored...just to be asked!
Concert wise, this year started off a bit slow, as the economy began to correct, but I was busy finishing the third album for Shanachie Records - READY FOR LOVE. Chris 'Big Dog' Davis and I wrote most of the project, so it was great being in the writing mode once again. The first week the project was released, we wound up on the Billboard charts at #4, which we can only attribute to our Great God. We are thrilled that the album is still picking up momentum around the country, and that people seem to be enjoying it. Thanks so much for your support!
2008 also brought a variety of musical tours which teamed me up with great artists such as Greg Adams & Tom Scott (East Bay Soul), Chris Standring & Everett Harp (The Soul Express), and a Tribute to Grover Washington at the Berks Festival with Jason Miles, Maysa, & Patti LaBelle.
This past summer, I recorded a Christmas DVD at Howard University for WHUR, with Angie Stone, Tony Rich and JOE. Later in the week, I performed a four night run at Blues Alley in Georgetown with The Big Dog, which was more fun than anyone should ever have. I can't tell you what a powerful creative energy Chris and I access when we're together. I look forward to more musical collaborations with The Big Dog.
The NAACP in my home town of East St. Louis honored me with an Excellence in Entertainment award in October. Along with my illustrious God Brother, Darryl Phinnessee (who has also made quite a name for himself out here in Hollywood), we visited East Side High School and spoke to students who aspire to careers in music. As the Boys from Illinois, we were extremely blessed to be able to bring our positive achievements back to our hometown, and let them know that we haven't forgotten our roots.
Also in October, Chris and SoulTracks invited me back to their annual Readers Choice Event, to present the 2008 Male Vocalist of the Year, which was awarded to Dwele, a young man who Lill predicted would win. Again I was in the incredible position of singing a Tribute song to another great group - The Dramatics - so of course, I sang my version of 'In The Rain'. Again, words cannot express the feeling of having these great singers sitting in the front row as I sang their hit song.
So here we are in November 2008, with concerts lined up through the end of the year. On the 6th I'll be at the Apollo with a lineup of great artists, paying tribute to Radio Host Hal Jackson who has been in this business longer than I've been alive.
There are still cabins for the Fourth Annual Phil Perry Weekend Fan Cruise FUNdraiser, set to leave Miami for the Bahamas, on Friday through Monday, February 13th - 15th 2009. Our special guest this year is the Step Master, Keith Hubbard, who will be on board the Carnival ship, teaching authentic STEPPIN' - a dance that has it's origins on Chicago's South side. Keith is one of our newly elected PhiLill board members, and has raised monies for the foundation through STEP events in our second home, Chicago. Don't wait to reserve your cabin, as this ship will fill up since Valentines Day (Saturday the 14th) we will port in beautiful Nassau. Visit http://www.jazzfesttravel.com/ or contact Debbie, toll free, at 1-877-8TRAVEL. A significant portion of your fare is tax-deductible, so you are donating while you are vacationing.
The PhiLill Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity established by Lillian Tynes Perry in 2003. The foundation website is http://www.philill.org/. Check out what we're doing nationally and globally, and help us to fulfill our mission to make a difference in the lives of children and youth. Come spend a mid-winter vacation break with Lill and myself, our family & friends. We'll be looking for you!
Still...Phil (November 2008)
Web Sites:
Official Web Site
Biography
Perry first came to the attention of Soul Music fans as the lead singer of the Montclairs, whose "Begging's Hard to Do" was a moderate hit in 1972. In 1985 he married soul/jazz singer Lillian "Tang" Tynes, and began a marriage partnership that has lasted ever since. After a brief stint as part of the singing duo Perry and Sanlin, Perry went solo in 1991 with The Heart of a Man, an album most notable for Perry's sheer guts (or some thought audacity) in releasing as a single a remake of Aretha Franklin's "Call Me." It was a real coming out for Perry, as he ripped through the song in bold fashion, even surpassing Aretha's revered original version.
His follow-up album, 1994's Pure Pleasure, was perhaps his best, and included fantastic remakes of "After the Love is Gone" and "If Only You Knew" and a seven minute cover of the Spinners' "Love Don't Love Nobody" that was sheer magic. During the 90s, Perry also received increased coverage on Smooth Jazz radio through his guest work on albums by Lee Ritenour, the Rippingtons and others, and inspired Windham Hill subsidiary Private Music to sign Perry, along with Barry White and Peabo Bryson, in an attempt to become the major label in the confluence of the Urban Adult Contemporary and Smooth Jazz formats.
His Private Music debut, One Heart One Love, was aimed straight at the Smooth Jazz market and hit the top five on the back of its killer title track, despite being perhaps his weakest album. His follow-up album, My Book of Love, received less attention, but was a far stronger album. Book was also the album on which Perry began to take a more active role in songwriting and production, putting his personal imprint beyond the vocal performance. This led to his lead songwriting role on 2001's Magic, an excellent album on Peak Records that showed Perry in complete control over his music.
In 2005, Perry signed with New Jersey-based Shanachie Records and issued two albums of classic soul covers. Each disc was well received by Perry's audience, with the second disc, A Mighty Love, earning for him the 2007 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Award for Male Vocalist of the Year. He parlayed the success of those two albums into a new album of original material, Ready for Love, released in August 2008. Perry recorded the disc with veteran producer Chris "Big Dog" Davis, who helmed the previous two Shanachie Releases. It was an excellent return to form that again revealed Perry's often underrated ability as a songwriter.
If ever an artist's catalog has screamed for a solid compilation - both from his solo albums and from his guest work - it is Phil Perry. However, this seems unlikely given the number of labels and artists that would be involved. And while the material and production on his albums have, at times, been uneven, his marvelous voice has made every disc a keeper, and should keep him in demand as a vocalist for years to come.
by Chris Rizik
