J.D. Steele is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and choir director best known for his work with Prince, as the J.D. Steele Singers in "The Gospel at Colonus", in musical theatre, and as a member of the vocal group The Steeles. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Steele was born in Gary, Indiana, the son of Sallie Steele Birdsong. He attended Purdue University. [5] Steele moved to Minneapolis in 1976. [1]
In 1977, Steele met Prince Rogers Nelson in Minneapolis where he watched Prince in basement rehearsals and early shows. Prince brought Steele with his siblings into the studio to accompany Mavis Staples on the track "Melody Cool" on his Graffiti Bridge album, released in 1990. As The Steeles, they recorded background vocals on "Still Would Stand All Time" and "Thieves In The Temple" and appeared in the film of the same name. [1] [6] [7]
In 1993, The Steeles opened for Prince on tour. Prince wrote the song "Well Done" for The Steeles debut album Heaven Help Us All released in 1993 by Elektra Records. J.D. worked with Prince on the recording sessions at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. [1]
In 1994, Super Hero by New Power Generation featuring The Steeles was recorded at Paisley Park Studios from May to June for the Blankman soundtrack album and released on August 9, 1994. [8] [9]
Steele was the choir director of the original production of The Gospel at Colonus in 1983, the Broadway production in 1988, and continuing on touring productions with Bob Telson, where they visit local choirs in the African-American community inviting them to join the show. [10] [11] [12] [13]
In 2022, Steele composed the music and directed a community choir for Iphigenia. [14] [15]
In 1993, as a vocal group with his siblings, The Steeles released their debut album Heaven Help Us All on Elektra Records. He produced and co-wrote 12 of the songs. In 2003 they followed with We Worship You, Two Queens, One Castle, It's Christmas, and Better Love in 1997. With The Steeles, J.D. recorded background vocals for artists including Prince, Donald Fagen, George Clinton, Mavis Staples, Kim Carnes, Fine Young Cannibals, and The Sounds of Blackness. [5] [16]
Steele worked with Christian McBride as the choral director and arranger for The Movement Revisited. [17] In 2021, Steele directed the short documentary Listen! Please! on racism. [18] [3] [19]
Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Erdington area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds, Basil Gabbidon, and Ronald McQueen (bass); along with Basil's brother Colin briefly on drums and Mykaell Riley. Steel Pulse were the first non-Jamaican act to win the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.
Paisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain. The label shares its name with Prince's recording complex Paisley Park Studios and the song "Paisley Park" on his 1985 Around the World in a Day album. Paisley Park was opened to the public as a museum and memorial to Prince following his death. October 28, 2016, is officially known as Paisley Park Day in the city of Chanhassen to recognize the opening of the museum.
Iphigenia in Aulis or Iphigenia at Aulis is the last of the extant works by the playwright Euripides. Written between 408, after Orestes, and 406 BC, the year of Euripides' death, the play was first produced the following year in a trilogy with The Bacchae and Alcmaeon in Corinth by his son or nephew, Euripides the Younger, and won first place at the City Dionysia in Athens.
The Revolution is an American band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979 by Prince, serving as his live band and later as his studio band. The band's sound incorporated rock, pop, R&B, funk, new wave and psychedelic elements. Along with Prince's other projects, the Revolution helped create the Minneapolis sound. By the time of their 1986 breakup, the Revolution had backed Prince on two studio albums, two soundtracks and two videos.
Sounds of Blackness is a vocal and instrumental ensemble from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota who perform music from several genres music including gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz. The group scored several hits on the Billboard R&B and Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in the 1990s. Cynthia Johnson of Lipps Inc. and Ann Nesby are the group's most prominent alumni.
Graffiti Bridge is a 1990 American rock musical drama film written, directed by, and starring Prince in his third and final major theatrical film role. It is a standalone sequel to his 1984 film Purple Rain. Like its predecessor, it was accompanied by a soundtrack album of the same name.
"New Power Generation", or "N.P.G.", is a song by American musician Prince from the 1990 album and film Graffiti Bridge. It is an anthem for his backing band, The New Power Generation, who were officially co-credited on his album covers for a time, and continued to back him up until 2013, albeit with a changing lineup. The song saw minimal chart attention, and was not as successful as its predecessor, "Thieves in the Temple".
Memorial Beach is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released on 14 June 1993 by Warner Bros. Records.
Jevetta Steele is an American R&B and gospel music singer.
Cynthia Johnson is an American singer, songwriter and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the band Lipps Inc. with the worldwide smash hit "Funkytown".
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers, of which she is the last surviving member. During her time in the group, she recorded the hit singles "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again". In 1969, Staples released her self-titled debut solo album.
The Gospel at Colonus is an African-American musical version of Sophocles's tragedy, Oedipus at Colonus. The show was created in 1983 by the experimental-theatre director Lee Breuer, one of the founders of the seminal American avant-garde theatre company Mabou Mines, and composer Bob Telson. The musical was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The show had a brief run on Broadway in 1988.
Twin Cities hip hop, also referred to as Minneapolis hip hop, is sub-genre of rap music that originates from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
Have a Little Faith is the sixth solo studio album by the American soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples, which was released by Alligator Records.
Koerner, Ray & Glover was a loose-knit group of three blues musicians from Minneapolis, Minnesota: "Spider" John Koerner on guitar and vocals, Dave "Snaker" Ray on guitar and vocals, and Tony "Little Sun" Glover on harmonica. They were notable figures of the revival of folk music and blues in the 1960s.
Doris Mae Akers was an American gospel music composer, arranger and singer who is considered to be "one of the most underrated gospel composers of the 20th century [who] wrote more than 500 songs". Known for her work with the Sky Pilot Choir, she was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
The 4onthefloor is an American rock and roll band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 2009. The group is known for each member playing a bass drum and for writing all their songs in 4/4 time, evoking their namesake. Their music has been featured in such television shows as ABC’s Nashville and A&E’s Duck Dynasty, including a feature as the main theme on the Season 1 DVD. The group has produced five original albums and has been featured on a number of compilation albums, including American Buffalo. The 4onthefloor’s debut record, 4×4, has been called “one of the best rock and roll records of 2011,” by Indie Media Magazine. Their live show is known for keeping “packed crowd[s] intensely involved for an entire show”, with “call-and-response choruses” and “meaty guitar riffs.” Their sound has been reviewed as “heavy-stomping blues-rock.”
The Institutional Radio Choir was a gospel choir that recorded between 1962-2003. The choir began in 1954 at the Institutional COGIC in Brooklyn, NY, under Bishop Carl E Williams Sr. After recording an album entitled: "Well Done," the choir backed up Shirley Caesar on her two albums, I'll Go and My Testimony. Caesar allotted the choir's director two songs on the album, one of which was entitled (When Trouble Comes) Stretch Out. The song went on to become a gospel standard, especially in Pentecostal circles. The choir went on to record over 20 albums, most of which charted in the Top 10 on the Gospel Billboard charts.
If All I Was Was Black is the thirteenth studio album by American R&B, soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples. It was released on November 17, 2017, by ANTI- Records. The album was written and produced by Jeff Tweedy.
Sylvia St. James is an American gospel and soul singer, recording artist, and entertainment host. She is best known for her time as the Mistress of Ceremonies of the House of Blues Sunday Gospel Brunch, and her appearances in her signature long, white embroidered dress with a wide, feathered hat.