Nuttin' But Stringz

Last updated
Nuttin' But Stringz
Nuttin' But Stringz plays at the White House.jpg
President George W. Bush and guests watch violinists Tourie and Damien Escobar, as they perform Friday, June 22, 2007 in the East Room of the White House, in celebration of Black Music Month.
Background information
Origin New York, U.S.
Genres
Years active2004–2012 [1]
Labels Sony Music

Nuttin' But Stringz, also known as N.B.S., consisted of the duo Tourie and Damien Escobar who both play violin. [2] The musicians from Jamaica, Queens played a blend of classical music, hip-hop, jazz, and R&B. [3] [2]

Contents

Biography

Nuttin But Stringz began studying violin at ages 8 and 7, respectively, and eventually studied at the Juilliard School. [2] [4]

In 2005, the duo entered and won a talent competition at the Apollo Theatre in New York. Their victory on Showtime at the Apollo led to media attention and appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show , The Today Show with Katie Couric, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Around the same time the duo showcased their talents at Carnegie Hall and performed for President George W. Bush at The White House.

On January 8, 2006, Nuttin But Stringz performed their Hit song Thunder at the debut of the redesigned Cadillac CTS at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Nuttin' But Stringz performed after a classical string quartet. General Motors executives used the two performances as an analogy, to demonstrate that what used to be good enough (the quartet) needs to be reinvigorated (N.B.S). A video for "Thunder" is also featured on the website for Jack's Big Music Show on Noggin (Now Called Nick Jr.) The exposure continued when they were featured in the first of five commercials featuring local artists on New York's local news channel, NY1.

NBS gained national attention when their unique brand of music secured the Duo a part in the 2006 dance movie Step Up , and shortly after CBS featured "Thunder" during the 2007 NCAA Tournament. "Thunder" was also featured in the 1st episode of the television series The Black Donnellys, and was used in various television commercials.

In spring 2009, NBS announced via the group's website that a new album was in the works and was followed later in that year by a hugely successful tour. [5]

Their music has sold platinum. [6]

They debuted their song "Winner" on "The Debrief with David Ushery" on New York Nonstop [7] on July 23, 2010.

Collaborations

Nuttin' But Stringz collaborated with various artists including: Al Jarreau,Hadi abbas, Akon, Aretha Franklin, Brian McKnight, Chaka Khan, Charlie Daniels, Charlie Wilson, Drake, Gladys Knight, Gucci Mane, Isley Brothers, Jay Sean, John Legend, Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Mary J Blige, Mario, Maroon 5, Miley Cyrus, Patti LaBelle, Pretty Ricky, Rascal Flatts, Stevie Wonder, The Manhattans, The Temptations, Trey Songz (on MTV Unplugged ) and Yolanda Adams

Print

Nuttin' But Stringz have been featured in Ebony , Jet , USA Today , Vibe , The Daily News , New York Post , New York Times , "AMPS Magazine" and the LA Times .

Corporate performances

Nuttin' But Stringz scored and appeared in a McDonald's commercial for the Launch of their fruit smoothies. They performed their song "Winner" for The Boeing Company at the introduction ceremony of their new airplane, the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. [8] In 2011 they performed at an event for Johnnie Walker in Uruguay. [9]

America's Got Talent

Overview

Nuttin But Stringz big break came when they auditioned for the third season of NBC's America's Got Talent in New York City and received a unanimous yes from all three judges thus advancing to Las Vegas. They were subsequently named to the Top 40, advancing to Hollywood. [10] They made it through subsequent rounds and were one of the five acts to make it to the finals. The duo ultimately placed third behind the winner Neal E. Boyd and runner-up Eli Mattson. [11]

Nuttin But Stringz music was featured during a montage at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Performances/Results

WeekThemeSong choiceOriginal artistResult
AuditionN/A"Thunder"Nuttin' But StringzAdvanced
Vegas VerdictsInstrumentals"N/A"N/AAdvanced
Top 40
Group 1
N/A"Broken Sorrow"Nuttin' But StringzAdvanced
Top 20
Group 1
Heroes"Thunder Remix"Nuttin' But StringzAdvanced
Top 10N/A"Winner"Nuttin' But StringzAdvanced
Top 5N/A"Thunder"Nuttin' But Stringz3rd Place

Discography

Studio albums

YearAlbum details
2006 Struggle from the Subway to the Charts [2]

Singles

YearSingleAlbum
2006"Dance with My Father"from the Subway to the Charts
"Thunder"
2011"Winner"

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurythmics</span> British new wave duo

Eurythmics were a British new wave duo formed in 1980, consisting of Scottish vocalist Annie Lennox and English musician and producer Dave Stewart. They were both previously in the Tourists, a band that broke up in 1980. They released their first studio album, In the Garden, in 1981 to little success, but achieved global acclaim with their second album, Sweet Dreams (1983). The title track became a worldwide hit, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Canada and the US Billboard Hot 100. Eurythmics went on to release a string of hit singles and albums, including "Love Is a Stranger", "There Must Be an Angel " and "Here Comes the Rain Again", before splitting in 1990.

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

Lemar Obika, known mononymously as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the first series of British talent show Fame Academy, he was later signed to Sony BMG, where he has gone on to release five studio albums, three of which are certified platinum or double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Statler Brothers</span> American country music, gospel, and vocal group

The Statler Brothers were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group from Staunton, Virginia. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers for Johnny Cash.

112 is an American R&B group from Atlanta, Georgia. Discovered by record production duo Tim & Bob, the group signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records, an imprint of Arista Records to release their eponymous debut studio album (1996). The following year, they guest performed alongside labelmate Faith Evans on Puff Daddy's 1997 single "I'll Be Missing You," which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and became the first hip hop song to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. The group then released their second and third albums Room 112 (1998) and Part III (2001); the latter peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. The group's fourth album, Hot & Wet (2003) served as their final release with Bad Boy until signing with Def Soul to release their fifth album Pleasure & Pain (2005), which saw continued commercial success. The albums spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 singles including their debut, "Only You" as well as "Cupid," "Anywhere", "Love Me", "It's Over Now," and the Grammy Award-nominated "Peaches & Cream."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Meets Evil</span> American hip hop duo

Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop super duo composed of Detroit-based rappers Royce da 5′9″ ("bad") and Eminem ("evil"). Formed in 1997, the duo's name comes from the namesake song from Eminem's The Slim Shady LP (1999), which featured Royce da 5'9". They debuted the same year with the release of the double single, "Nuttin' to Do" and "Scary Movies", the latter of which for the soundtrack to the 2000 horror comedy parody film Scary Movie. A decade later, the duo reunited to release an extended play (EP) to critical and commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Bird</span> American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (born 1973)

Andrew Wegman Bird is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing music, indie rock, and folk music. He is primarily known for his unique style of violin playing, accompanied by loop and effect pedals, whistling, and voice. In the 1990s, he sang and played violin in several jazz ensembles, including Squirrel Nut Zippers and Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six. He went on to start his own swing ensemble, Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, which released three albums between 1998 and 2001. Weather Systems (2003) was his first solo album after Bowl of Fire disbandment, and it marked a departure from jazz music into indie music. Bird's 2019 album My Finest Work Yet was nominated for "Best Folk Album" at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

<i>Jacks Big Music Show</i> American musical television series

Jack's Big Music Show is an American musical children's television series produced for the Noggin channel. It was created and executive produced by David Rudman, Todd Hannert, and Adam Rudman through their company Spiffy Pictures. The premiere episode was simulcast on both Noggin and its sister channel, Nickelodeon, on September 12, 2005. The show ran for two seasons and 26 episodes in total, which finished airing on October 13, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Merriweather</span> Australian R&B recording artist

Daniel Paul Merriweather is an Australian R&B recording artist. Merriweather's debut solo album, Love & War, was released in June 2009. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number two. It was preceded by two singles, "Change" and "Red", which both made the top 10 on the related singles chart. Merriweather has won two ARIA Music Awards, Best Urban Release in 2005 for "She's Got Me" and Best Male Artist in 2009 for Love & War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Leith</span> Irish-Australian singer–songwriter (born 1976)

Damien Leo Leith is an Irish-Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest Australian Idol in 2006. Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of which peaked in the top two of the ARIA Charts, including two number ones. He has been awarded seven platinum and one gold certification for albums and singles by ARIA, which equates to sales of just over half a million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Briggs (musician)</span> Musical artist

Karen Briggs, also known as the "Lady in Red", is an American violinist. Born in Manhattan to a family of musicians, Briggs took up the violin at age 12 and committed to playing professionally at age 15. Briggs joined the Virginia Symphony Orchestra while still in college, but grew discontented with performing classical music and left the orchestra after four years. Since then, she has performed predominantly in the jazz and contemporary instrumental genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Fuze</span>

DJ Fuze, is an American Hip-Hop DJ and record producer, who is most known for his work in the 1990s with the multi-platinum, P-Funk-inspired rap group Digital Underground.

<i>Americas Got Talent</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of American talent show competition series America's Got Talent was broadcast on NBC from June 17 to October 1, 2008. After the conclusion of the second season, changes to the program included the creation of additional audition episodes in the broadcast schedule, the involvement of quarter-finals in the competition, and doubling the number of participants that advanced from the boot camp stage. Between August 7–26, the show had a planned break to avoid clashing with the network's live coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Escala is an electronic string quartet from London, England who rose to fame when they performed on and reached the final of the second series of Britain's Got Talent on ITV1 in May 2008.

Carolina Liar is a Swedish-American pop rock band. Lead vocalist Chad Wolf is originally from Moncks Corner, South Carolina; other members originate from Stockholm, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andor Toth</span> American violinist and conductor

Andor John Toth was an American classical violinist, conductor and educator with a musical career spanning over six decades. Toth played his violin on the World War II battlefields of Aachen, Germany; performed with the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini in 1943 at age 18; and formed several chamber music ensembles, including the Oberlin String Quartet, the New Hungarian Quartet, and the Stanford String Quartet. For 15 years he was the violinist in the Alma Trio. Toth conducted orchestras in Cleveland, Denver and Houston. In 1969, he was the founding concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under Neville Marriner. Toth taught at five important colleges and universities, and recorded for Vox, Decca Records and Eclectra Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neal E. Boyd</span> American opera singer (1975–2018)

Neal Evans Boyd was an American singer who developed an interest in opera after listening to the performances of the Three Tenors. Despite being raised in conditions of poverty within the U.S. state of Missouri, he achieved a degree in music and eventually entered the third season of America's Got Talent, winning that year's competition. In addition to music, he also became involved in politics and conducted performances at many state-wide events across Missouri.

Damien Escobar, 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. His "crossover violin" musical style consists of a mix of classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and hip hop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qusai (musician)</span> Musical artist

Qusai Kheder is a Saudi rapper, singer/songwriter, record producer, television personality, voice actor and DJ. He is the first professional Saudi hip hop artist.

<i>Palladio</i> (Jenkins) 1995 composition by Karl Jenkins

Palladio is a composition for string orchestra by Karl Jenkins, completed in 1995, with the title referring to the Venetian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). The work in three movements is in the form of a concerto grosso.

<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. "Damien Escobar Bio - Damien Escobar Career". MTV Artists. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Nuttin' But Stringz: Hip-Hop Violin". NPR. December 1, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  3. Chattanooga Times Free Press Taking Sides: Who will win America’s Got Talent? Archived 2008-10-29 at the Wayback Machine , September 23, 2008
  4. ""Bio" at nuttinbutstrings.com". Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  5. "Hit Maker". Myspace.
  6. "Platinum Selling Urban Rock Violin Duo Nuttin' but Stringz Ties a Bow Around American Heart Association's Power to End Stroke Benefit Concert | Cision Wire". Archived from the original on 2010-07-17. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
  7. "Nuttin' But Stringz". NBC New York.
  8. Stephen Brashear. "Brothers Touri and Damien Escobar of Nuttin But Strings perform..." Getty Images.
  9. "Johnnie Walker presentó a Nuttin' But Stringz". ESPECTADOR.COM.
  10. Today.com It's ‘Stringz’ vs. four singers on ‘Talent’ finale, September 29, 2008
  11. "America's Got Talent Picks a Winner". eonline.com. October 1, 2008.