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Editorial
Reviews Biography
Joe Thomas |
Joe Thomas -- I am currently living in the Atlanta area where
I run DiverseCity Records and Urgent Message Music, Inc. from
the Downtown Atlanta, office that I opened in the summer of
1998. I am also currently chairing the entertainment committee
for the Out and Equal/ Progress summit to be held in Atlanta
in October 1999 as well as being a member of the convention
committee for the AFIM convention being held here in May 1999.
I have been performing music since I was about 10 and have played
brass, woodwind and keyboard instruments. I learned to read
music in the public school instrumental instruction program
and also received a lesson scholarship to the Newark Community
Center of the Arts. I have played with school organized bands
as well as with friends in groups since elementary school. I
have worked with many styles of music from Electronica to Choral
R & B, and Contemporary Vocal styles. My productions have included
DiverseCity Records releases by Jeff Sova, Ciphyre, and The
Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus.
My father had a sound system rental and live engineering business
and I worked with him for many years providing sound equipment
and sound engineering services for musical shows put on by various
promoters in our area. Our primary promoter was a man named
Teddy Powell who brought live music shows to area theaters like
the RKO Proctor in Downtown Newark as well as other locations
along the Northeast corridor. As a youth I worked on many shows
with groups like the Moments, 5 Stairsteps, Unifics, Blue Magic,
Kool and the Gang, etc. This exposure to the entertainment industry
has probably influenced my aspirations to become a successful
entertainer and to develop new talent. I seriously started writing
original songs and formed Urgent Message Music, my production
and publishing company, in 1992. I operated Urgent Message Music
from my home and developed industry relationships with various
studios and professional organizations such as The National
Academy of Popular Music(NAPM), National Academy of Recording
Arts and Sciences(NARAS), BMI and the National Association of
Record Distributors(NARID). When I relocated to Atlanta in 1995
I continued to develop new projects and to volunteer with the
Atlanta Songwriters Association and NARAS chapter working on
newsletters for both organizations and eventually becoming the
president of the Atlanta Songwriters association.
My musical influences are very diverse as I have a love and
appretion for all types of music. I do however have several
producer/writers whom I feel have had a significant influence
on my writing and producing style. These artists include, Ashford
and Simpson, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, Jimmy Jam and
Terry Lewis, Aimee Mann, Narada Michael Walden, Herbie Hancock
and George Duke. Before South Central Los Angeles and Miami,
there were Newark and other major cities where in the summer
of 1967 major rioting erupted. I was about 5 and still remember
being huddled on the floor of our apartment with my mother and
siblings. We were trying to avoid being hit by a stray bullet
as rioting, looting and general chaos reined for a week in July.
Twenty-five years later and still a lot of the same problems,
pressure and despair for some while others don't see any of
the issues.
I was born and raised in Newark, NJ where my parents still live.
I have a B.S. in electrical Engineering from the North Carolina
A&T State University. After graduating from college I worked
and lived in the Philadelphia area as a research and development
engineer for the department of the Navy. I then relocated to
the Syracuse, NY area where I was a Senior Systems/Test Engineer
for Martin Marietta Ocean Radar and Sensor Systems, until I
was layed off in February 1995, a casualty of the declining
defense industry. I also owned and operated several small business
(Hidden Visions, Great Northern Mall and J.L.Thomas Consulting
Services). I have been involved in various community activities
and the company public school system partnership program, Project
L.I.G.H.T. (learning in good hands together). After relocating
to metro Atlanta , I continued to work as an engineering contractor
for companies such as Bell South, Lockheed Martin, Lanier Worldwide
and others developing new musical productions until the demands
of DiverseCity required my full attention. As an Engineering
student I had to cut back on the music involvement years ago
and had decided that this time when the fork in the road appeared,
I would follow my other love, music.
Band Members:
Joe Thomas - Lead and Backing vocals, keyboards
Lisa Bennett - Backing Vocals on "Respect Yourself"
Christina Labatos - Backing Vocals on "Stop Playing With
My Heart"
Steve Feldman - Backing vocals on "What Happened?"
Tom Witkowski - Backing vocals on "What Happened"
Kareem - Rap on "I'll Be There ..." and "Stop... Heart"
Pete Warner and Tom Witkowski - Additional Keyboards
Scott McPhearson - Guitar on "Paradise"
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