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Las Vegas, Nevada

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Grady Harrell

He has been performing since he was a preteen. His mother was a singer herself as part of the group, The Friends of Distinction. In the 1970s, while he was still a senior high student, he and his sister, Raquel (a.k.a. Roq-E), founded their soul/funk/disco collective, Papa's Results (or Poppa's Results), which lasted for six years. He worked with other acts, such as Lakeside and The Whispers. After befriending Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniels, he auditioned for their group, Shalamar, but Howard Hewitt ended up being the lead singer instead. Harrell made his solo debut with his 1984 album, Mwana, produced by former J.B.s sax player, Fred Wesley, and released through Constellation Records, distributed by MCA Records. It wasn't a chart success. However, his debut single, "Belinda", was, reaching #69 on the Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart where it remained for seven weeks. His other single from that album, "Somewhere (Love Will Lead the Way)", didn't make any chart. It was Rev. James Cleveland's son, Andre`, who assisted Harrell in getting another deal with another label, RCA Records. The second album, Come Play with Me! followed in 1989. It came into Billboard's R&B Albums chart at #34. The album's lead single, "Sticks and Stones", went as high as #4 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart for 20 weeks and was his biggest hit to date. The other single, "Fun", entered Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart at #31 and kept that position for eleven weeks. His third and last album, Romance Me, was also released by RCA in 1990. It was another album that never charted. The premier single from that, "Don't Turn You Back on Me", showed its presence on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart at #40 for ten weeks. The other single from that and the final single overall, "Patience", climbed to #52 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart where it stayed for eight weeks. Afterwards, he took time off from music to perform in stage plays, portraying Jackie Wilson in one play. In 1991, in another play, "Another Saturday Night", he portrayed Sam Cooke. He also played Jackie Wilson in the biopic mini-series, The Jacksons: An American Dream. Throughout the '90s, he continued starring in various stage productions, joined the Dazz Band on tour, and appeared in several Sprite, and Coca-Cola ads. In 2001, he toured Europe for the first time and accompanied his sister, Roq-E, in the show, "R.E.S.P.E.C.T.". In 2004, he joined Patti LaBelle on a world tour. He toured with his backup band, Groove City. His sons, Anthony and Grady III, formed their first group, The Nade Clique (a.k.a. Nade) before founding another called Brutha with three, other Harrell brothers in the late 2000's. In 2015, Grady Harrell Jr. appeared and performed live in Solid Gold Soul. In 2018, he performed with The Tonettes in another show called Motown Soul. He has remained busy as a performer. He had a feature on the track, "Music 2 My Ears', from the late gangsta rapper, Slim Capone's last album, The Mayor of Hawthorne.

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Carrie Brown (Host)

 

Born and raised in Camden, NJ, Carrie Brown grew up in a musical family with a mother who would teach the precocious youngster to sing songs from Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, Tina Turner and other classic soul and gospel singers at a very young age, and Carrie began singing in church and elementary school. By the time Carrie was in the fifth grade, she could read music and play various instruments. Brown's older sister Cindy inspired Carrie as she watched her older sister become a background singer in her cousin Patti LaBelle's band and was also recruited to join the Legendary Supremes. Carrie vowed to follow in her sister's footsteps and had the privilege of learning from the huge music community she grew up around including Barbara Mason, Gamble & Huff, Barbara Ingram, The Ingram Brothers band, Evelyn Champagne King, and many others. While still in her teenage years, Carrie started getting studio gigs in Camden and Philadelphia singing background vocals for various artists and began performing locally with various bands singing lead vocals, duets and background vocals, all the while becoming intimately involved in the music community on many levels. She co-hosted a popular local TV show and received various awards for her singing and music business skills. In 2019, Carrie received the Dr. Martin Luther King Inspiration of Honor at the BMA's in Las Vegas, and previously was awarded by the representatives of the Black Caucus, recognition for the outstanding work being done in keeping live entertainment alive and for Carrie's community service. Brown created the Anti-Bullying Awards Show and received congressional recognition for her tireless work. Today Carrie sings and performs on various platforms all over the world and also hosts the popular "Say It Loud" radio talk show. Carrie has touched the hearts of the music community with her dedication to keeping the music alive and for her extraordinary vocal prowess. She recently teamed up with the legendary Philly soul producer and mentor Butch Ingram, with whom she collaborated with on the powerful new groove-laden single "Crucial," that is sure to gain her a wider audience and national recognition.

 

Carrie Brown
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