Benji B
UK BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ playing an eclectic mix of soulful electronic jazz beats and breaks.
UK BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ playing an eclectic mix of soulful electronic jazz beats and breaks.
The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel music group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. Although the Blind Boys of Alabama have been singing gospel music for more than five decades, it's only recently that the group has had the benefit of a major record company behind them. Led by founding member Clarence Fountain, the rest of the group currently consists of Eric McKinney, George Scott, Caleb Butler, Johnny Field, Jimmy Carter, Joey Williams, Donald Dillion and Aubrey Blount.
The Stepkids are three singer/songwriters. “A lot of what excites us about this band is this band itself,” says bassist and keyboardist Dan Edinberg. “It’s not either of us; it’s about creating an entity where the entity itself is what’s important.” As a result, every song on the Stepkids self-titled debut album is written with equal input from each member. “All three of us write and all three of us sing,” says Jeff Gitelman, who resigned from touring as Alicia Keys' guitarist to concentrate full-time on recording the Stepkids self-titled debut album.
Deep Street Soul are funk DJ & drummer Sol Loco, bass player & soul aficionado Papa ‘J’ Hunter, Cropper lovin’ Matt ‘Guitars’ Green and queen of the keys, the very groovy Ms. Monique. Formed in early 06’ with then man of the 6 string Trev D, deepstreetsoul were all about recapturing some old skool southern flavors they’d all DJ’ed over the previous decade. Inspired by the breakout of nu funk throughout Europe & the States (not forgetting Osaka Monaurail and Melbourne’s own - The Bamboos) they hit the clubs.
Ruthie Foster is an American singer/songwriter of blues and folk music. She is from Gause, Texas and from a family of gospel singers. She studied music at McLennan Community College and then worked in the US Navy, where she started performing. Her debut was released in 1997 and she has performed in North America, Europe and Australia. She has often been compared to Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin.
John Stephens (born December 28, 1978 in Springfield, Ohio), better known as John Legend, is a Grammy award winning R&B singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and actor signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label. Prior to the release of his debut album Get Lifted in 2004, Legend's career gained momentum through a series of successful collaborations with multiple established artists such as Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill. He released his second album, Once Again in 2006, and his latest release, 2008's Evolver showcased a more experimental and upbeat side of Legend.
Jamie Woon is a 25 year old singer-songwriter from Clapton, North-East London, whose sound lies between the usually distinct genres of alternative rock and soul music. His sound envelopes influences and elements as diverse as those of Jeff Buckley, Jamie Liddell, Sade, Sanatana and Meshell Ndegeocello. The recently enrolled rhythm section of a musically liberated and telepathically connected bass player and drummer both named Dan, are to Jamie Woon what Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchel were to Jimi Hendrix.
A respected session and sideman, British blues pianist and composer Jon Cleary has worked with rock, blues, and soul artists like Bonnie Raitt, D'Angelo, Maria Muldaur, Taj Mahal, and Eric Clapton. Originally a guitarist, Cleary began playing at age five, and started his first band at 15. Raised on blues, jazz, and soul records, his love of new orleans blues and jazz in particular took him across the ocean after he graduated from art school.
Dru Hill is an American singing group, most popular during the late 1990s, whose repertoire includes R&B and soul music. Founded in Baltimore, Maryland and active from 1992 to 2005, Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B #1 hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise", and "How Deep is Your Love". Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin was the group's founder and leader; his bandmates included main lead singer Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Larry "Jazz" Anthony, and James "Woody" Green.
Kamaljit Singh Jhooti (born March 26, 1981 in Southall, London), better known by his stage name Jay Sean, is a British R&B singer-songwriter and actor signed to Cash Money Records. He released his debut album, Me Against Myself in 2004 and his sophomore release, My Own Way, in 2008. His third studio album, All or Nothing, was released November 2009. The first single from the album, Down, featured Lil' Wayne and hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.