Clarence McNair | |
|---|---|
 McNair in 2020 | |
| Born | 30 November 1977 |
| Occupation | Writer, musician |
Clarence McNair (born 30 November 1977) is an American writer and former Motown recording artist known by the stage name KD of the male R&B group "Prophet Jones". McNair quit his R&B career after losing his record label deal with Universal Motown Records in 2000s and later became a successful writer and entrepreneur. [1]
McNair was born and raised in East Baltimore MD. He attended Patterson High school. McNair started his R&B career with Prophet Jones before leaving to record his first album. [2] He lost a record label deal for his second album in 2002 and suffered anxiety and panic attacks for several years. After evolving from this, McNair wrote his first book Give It One More Try to share his experience and help depressed people. [3] [4] This was followed with other books including The Black Father Perspective: What we want America to know and Blessings In Uncertain Times: God Is Always Present which is a number one selling book in prayer book category on Amazon.[ citation needed ]
Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s.
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.
Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records.
Mary Esther Wells was an American singer, who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s.
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972.
Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre of the 1970s. In addition to forming their own label, Philadelphia International Records, Gamble and Huff have written and produced 175 gold and platinum records, earning them an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category in March 2008.
Shaffer Chimere Smith, known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American R&B singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Grammy Awards. He gained recognition for his songwriting abilities following the success of his first major credit, Mario's 2004 single "Let Me Love You". Its release prompted a meeting between Ne-Yo and Def Jam's then-president Jay-Z, resulting in a contract in which he released four successful studio albums and numerous hit songs for the label.
Diana & Marvin is a duets album by American soul musicians Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, released October 26, 1973 on Motown. Recording sessions for the album took place between 1971 and 1973 at Motown Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. Gaye and Ross were widely recognized at the time as two of the top pop music performers.
Sylvia Rhone is an American record company executive. Since 2019, she is the chair and CEO of Epic Records, a label owned by Sony Music Entertainment.
Leon Ware was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Maxwell, Minnie Riperton and Marvin Gaye, co-producing the latter's album I Want You.
Marvin Gaye Live! is the second live album issued by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released on June 19, 1974, by Tamla Records.
Right On is the nineteenth studio album by The Supremes, released in 1970 for the Motown label. It was the group's first album not to feature former lead singer Diana Ross. Her replacement, Jean Terrell, began recording Right On with Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong in mid-1969, while Wilson and Birdsong were still touring with Ross.
John William Bristol was an American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a native of Morganton, North Carolina, about which he wrote an eponymous song. His composition "Love Me for a Reason" saw global success when covered by the Osmonds including a number one on the UK charts in 1974. His most famous solo recording was "Hang On in There Baby" recorded in 1974, which reached the top ten in the United States and number 3 in the United Kingdom. Both singles were in the UK top 5 simultaneously.
"For Once in My Life" is a song written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown Records' Stein & Van Stock publishing company, and first recorded in 1965.
Tim & Bob, also known as Funktwons, were an American songwriting and production duo from Peoria, Illinois. The duo has been credited on the Billboard Hot 100 top ten-singles "Thong Song" by Sisqó, "Slow Down" by Bobby V and "They Don't Know" by Jon B., as well as the top 40-singles "So Into You" by Tamia and "Come See Me" by 112. They discovered the latter act in Atlanta during the late 1990s, and have since worked extensively with acts such as Bobby V, Boyz II Men, Donell Jones and Monica to produce one or more of their albums, respectively. They disbanded in 2014 to separately pursue solo work.
"Patches" (sometimes known as "Patches (I'm Depending On You)") is a country soul song written by General Johnson and Ron Dunbar and best known as the 1970 hit version by Clarence Carter. It won the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song.
"I'll Try Something New" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and originally released in 1962 by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. Their version was a Billboard Top 40 hit, peaking at #39, and just missed the Top 10 of its R&B chart, peaking at #11. The song was released later as a joint single by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations, also becoming a charting version on the Billboard 100 pop singles chart, peaking for two weeks in April 1969 at number 25.
Andrew Alexander "Mike" Terry was an American saxophonist, songwriter, arranger, producer and musical director. His baritone sax solos feature on the breakthrough hits of Martha and the Vandellas, and The Supremes. As a member of the Funk Brothers he performed on thousands of Motown recordings from 1960 to 1967, including at least seven US #1 hits. As was Motown's policy at the time, none of the studio musicians were credited by name. Terry was the musical arranger of the 1966 hit "Cool Jerk" by The Capitols, and later became a record producer, with partners including George Clinton, Sidney Barnes, and Jack Ashford.
Never Broke Again, also known as Never Broke Again, LLC, often abbreviated as NBA, is a record label based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded by American rapper Kentrell "YoungBoy Never Broke Again" Gaulden, Rodrick "OG3Three" Jeanpierre, and Kyle "Montana" Claiborne in 2015. It was launched as an imprint of Atlantic Records, a division of Warner Music Group until 2022, after which it has operated as an imprint of Motown, a division of Universal Music Group. Never Broke Again has signed and released albums for artists such as Quando Rondo and NoCap, and several upcoming Southern hip hop artists.