Damien Escobar

Last updated
Damien Escobar
Also known asDame Esco
Born1986 (age 37–38)
Jamaica, Queens, New York City
Genres
Instrument(s)Violin
Years active2003–present
LabelsLCM Entertainment
Website www.dameesco.com

Damien Escobar (born 1986), also known as Dame Esco, is an American violinist. He was previously in the duo Nuttin' But Stringz with his brother Tourie, but has been a solo artist since 2012. [1] [2] His "crossover violin" musical style consists of a mix of classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and hip hop. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Escobar was born in 1986 in the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood in New York City. He lived with his single mother and older brother Tourie. [3] He began playing the violin at the age of eight. [4] [5] At the age of ten, Escobar became the youngest student accepted into the Juilliard School of Music. [1] [4] He graduated from Juilliard at 13. [5] He also studied at the Bloomingdale School of Music. [3]

Career

As kids, Damien and Tourie worked as street musicians, playing at Grand Central Station and on the New York City subways. [1] [3] [4] In 2003, they began playing professionally under the name Nuttin' But Stringz. [2] In 2005, Nuttin' But Stringz won a talent contest at the Apollo Theater. In 2006, Escobar appeared in the film Step Up . Nuttin' But Stringz took third place in the 2008 season of America's Got Talent . [4] They performed at the First inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009 [2] and won two Emmys. [6] In 2012, Nuttin' But Stringz separated. Escobar returned to school and got his real estate license. [1] [2] [4] [7]

After a short career as a real estate broker, Escobar returned to music as a solo act. His first solo performance was on the French TV show Taratata . He also played at the Indy Car 2012 Championship Awards Banquet, Russell Simmon's Hip Hop Inaugural Ball and the 2013 Food & Wine event in New York City. [1] [8] In 2013, Escobar went on the I Am Me tour in order to promote his comeback. He released his first solo album "Sensual Melodies" in 2014. [1] [4] [6] [9]

In 2014, he authored an autobiographical children's book titled "The Sound of Strings." The same year he performed at Oprah's "The Life You Want" weekend tour. [7] [10] Escobar released his first pop single "Freedom" in September 2015, [5] [6] which premiered at #15 on the iTunes chart. [10]

He released his second solo album, Boundless, in 2017, which was nominated for the 49th NAACP Image Awards in 2018 for the Outstanding Jazz Album category. [11] The album includes eleven songs. Then, after a year's break, he released another solo album, Songs from a Breakthrough, [12] followed by 25 Days of Christmas in 2020. [13]

Escobar started the "Life Out Loud" tour in 2022, which he performed across the United States. [14] [15] The theme of the tour was to encourage the audience to live a real life without regrets. As of 2022, he is working on his upcoming album, which he will release in 2023.

Discography

YearAlbumSongs
2013Sensual MelodiesCupid, Emotional Interlude, Adorn, Diced Pineapples, Unthinkable, Water Runs Dry
2017BoundlessLove Notes, Fuse, Awaken, Get up and Dance, Phoenix, A Winter Night in Boston, Night Drive, Reflections, Mood Swings, Overture’15, Lights, Intermezzo
2020Songs from a BreakthroughAm I Wrong, Purple Rain, Rain
202025 Days of ChristmasThis Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
–OthersFreedom, Best Mistake, Bermuda Triangle, All of Me, Thunder, Down, Broken Sorrow

Philanthropy

In 2007, Escobar founded the Violins Against Violence foundation. [2] [6] Escobar also works with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, UNICEF and Kennedy’s Cause, a charity that benefits children with lymphatic malformation. [2] [3] [8] [16] He is also on the Board of Directors for the Jamaica YMCA. In 2013, he hosted an event that raised over $50,000 for the Jamaica YMCA. [1] In 2014, Escobar performed a rendition of We Shall Overcome in honor of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin and his friend Sean Bell. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clyde Stubblefield</span> American drummer

Clyde Austin Stubblefield was an American drummer best known for his work with James Brown, with whom he recorded and toured for six years (1965-70). His syncopated drum patterns on Brown's recordings are considered funk standards. Samples of his drum performances were heavily used in hip hop music beginning in the 1980s, although Stubblefield frequently received no credit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Luc Ponty</span> French jazz violinist and composer

Jean-Luc Ponty is a French jazz and jazz fusion violinist and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MC Eiht</span> American rapper (born 1971)

Aaron Bernard Tyler, better known by his stage name MC Eiht, is an American rapper. Many of his songs are based on his life in Compton. His stage name was partly inspired by the numeral in KRS-One's name. He chose Eiht for its links to "hood culture", including Olde English 800 and .38 caliber firearms. He is the de facto leader of West Coast hip hop group Compton's Most Wanted, which also included fellow Compton-based rappers Boom Bam, The Unknown DJ, Tha Chill, DJ Mike T, DJ Slip and Ant Capone. He is also known for his role as A-Wax in the 1993 film Menace II Society, as well as playing the character Ryder in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilary Hahn</span> American violinist (born 1979)

Hilary Hahn is an American violinist. A three-time Grammy Award winner, she has performed throughout the world as a soloist with leading orchestras and conductors, and as a recitalist. She is an avid supporter of contemporary classical music, and several composers have written works for her, including concerti by Edgar Meyer and Jennifer Higdon, partitas by Antón García Abril, two serenades for violin and orchestra by Einojuhani Rautavaara, and a violin and piano sonata by Lera Auerbach.

Michael Rabin was an American violinist. He has been described as "one of the most talented and tragic violin virtuosi of his generation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavy D</span> Jamaican-American musician and actor (1967–2011)

Dwight Arrington Myers, known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American rapper, record producer, and actor. Myers was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group that included dancers/hype men G-Whiz and "Trouble" T. Roy, as well as DJ and producer Eddie F. The group maintained a sizeable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. The five albums the group released included production mainly by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, DJ Premier, Myers's cousin Pete Rock, and "in-house" beatmaker Eddie F. Myers also released four solo albums and discovered Soul for Real and Monifah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miri Ben-Ari</span> Israeli female violinist

Miri Ben-Ari is an Israeli–American violinist, singer, record producer, and humanitarian. She is known as "the hip-hop violinist".

<i>The Way It Is</i> (Keyshia Cole album) 2005 studio album by Keyshia Cole

The Way It Is is the debut studio album by American singer Keyshia Cole, released on June 21, 2005, through A&M Records and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Jadakiss, Chink Santana, Metro City and Eve. Cole co-wrote every song on the album, and also worked with a number of producers and writers, including Ron Fair, Sean Garrett, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, Polow da Don, John Legend, Alicia Keys and Kanye West. The Way It Is is an R&B album, with some tracks having hip hop and hip hop soul sensibilities. Lyrically, the album speaks of romantic relationships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuttin' But Stringz</span> American hip hop group

Nuttin' But Stringz, also known as N.B.S., consisted of the duo Tourie and Damien Escobar who both play violin. The musicians from Jamaica, Queens played a blend of classical music, hip-hop, jazz, and R&B.

<i>Gipsy.cz</i> Czech Romani hip hop group

Gipsy.cz is a Czech Romani hip hop group. They performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2007 and represented their country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, with the song "Aven Romale". The band plays a combination of hip hop and traditional Romani music, sung primarily in the Romani language, with some lyrics in Czech and English. As of 2013, they have released four studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona Brice</span> Musical artist

Fiona Brice is an English composer, orchestral arranger and violinist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Wells</span> Musical artist

Emily Wells is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and producer whose genres encompass alternative, experimental, hip-hop and classical. In addition to playing instruments such as violin and analog synthesizers, she uses loops, sample pads, and acoustic drums to achieve a layered effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mindless Behavior</span> American boy band

Mindless Behavior was an American boy band who were best known for the singles "My Girl" and "Mrs. Right", produced by Walter Millsap. The band was put together in Los Angeles in 2008, by Keisha Gamble, Vincent Herbert and Walter Millsap. The band trained in dance and singing for two years before releasing a recording in Japan Music. The members were all in their early teens when the band was created.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Vietti</span> American violinist

Josh Vietti is an American violinist and composer from Los Angeles. In December 2012, he was named one of Los Angeles' Best Breakout Music Acts of 2012 by CBS Los Angeles for his unique talent and contributions to music education. Although generally billed as a hip-hop violinist, Vietti also incorporates country, gospel, pop, jazz and classical music styles into his repertoire. Josh is currently featured on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown commercial titled "The Journey". The commercial airs each Sunday throughout the NFL season. In the segment Vietti performs his own violin arrangement of the hip-hop classic In Da Club by rapper 50 Cent.

Andrew Joslyn is an American composer, orchestrator, film scorer, and violinist in various genres.

The Soldier String Quartet was a string quartet, founded in 1984 by composer and violinist Dave Soldier, that specialized in performing a fusion of classical and popular music. The quartet proved a training ground for many subsequent experimental classical groups and performers, including violinists Regina Carter and Todd Reynolds, and performed at venues ranging from the classic punk rock club CBGBs to Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meechy Darko</span> American rapper from New York

Demetri O'Neal Simms, better known by his stage name Meechy Darko, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is best known as a member of the hip hop trio Flatbush Zombies, with whom he began his rapping career with his longtime friends, Erick Arc Elliott and Zombie Juice in 2010. In 2022, he released his debut solo album Gothic Luxury.

Christopher Richard Jones better known by his stage name Jonezen, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and guitarist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he now resides in Los Angeles, CA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GZA</span> American rapper (born 1966)

Gary Grice, better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American rapper. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in the group to receive a record deal and being the oldest member. He has appeared on his fellow Wu-Tang members' solo projects, and has maintained a successful solo career starting with his sophomore album Liquid Swords (1995).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandre Varela Da Veiga</span> French-American record producer, sound designer, artist and DJ

Alexandre Varela Da Veiga, also known as Diesel, is an award-nominated French record producer, songwriter, and artist. Born and raised in Toulouse, France, Varela began a rap career while in high school and is best known for his recordings with the group KDD, the first album of which came out when he was 15 years old. During the following years, KDD left its mark on French hip hop history after releasing a second album, “Resurrection”, considered by many rap fans a classic.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Matute, Marjoriet T. (18 July 2013). "Meet Damien Escobar, the Hip Hop Violinist". huffingtonpost.com. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "About Damien Escobar". MTV.com. Viacom International Inc. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Chideya, Farai (1 December 2006). "Nuttin' But Stringz: Hip-Hop Violin". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McCracken, Erin (26 February 2013). "Damien Escobar, hip-hop violinist, to perform at Think Loud event in York". flipsidepa.com. York Newspaper Company/York Daily Record. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Grymes, Andrea. "Interview With, Performance By Violinist Damien Escobar". newyork.cbslocal.com. CBS Local Media. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Nemiroff, Brianne (16 August 2013). "Damien Escobar: Bringing the Violin into Pop Music". vivaglammagazine.com. Viva Glam Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Daytime Damien Escobar Performs". WFLA.com. Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Damien Escobar Kicks Off Summer with Charity Concert in Jamaica, Queens". broadwayworld.com. Wisdom Digital Media. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Damien Escobar. I Am Me". stephenchukumba.com. Stephen Chukumba. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Violinist Damien Escobar's Debut Solo Single 'Freedom' Debuts at #15 On iTunes Charts". broadwayworld.com. Wisdom Digital Media. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "NAACP Image Awards: Full List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. 2018-01-14. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  12. ↑ "Songs from a Breakthrough". April 24, 2020 – via open.spotify.com.
  13. ↑ "25 Days of Christmas". November 20, 2020 – via open.spotify.com.
  14. ↑ "DAMIEN ESCOBAR "Life Out Loud" Tour | The Birchmere". www.birchmere.com.
  15. ↑ "Damien Escobar "Life Out Loud" Tour 2022 at Birchmere on THU Nov 10, 2022, 7:30 PM". Live Nation.
  16. ↑ Sobieraj Westfall, Sandra (24 December 2013). "Damien Escobar Honors 16-Year-Old PEOPLE Hero". People.com. Time Inc. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  17. ↑ Golding, Shenequa A. (26 November 2014). "Violinist Damien Escobar Pays Tribute To Mike Brown With 'We Shall Overcome'". vibe.com. Spin Media. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.