Southern Soul/R&B Recording Artist...Here's My Bio...
Miami, FL, A Melting Pot Of Culture, is known for its Swingin' Nightlife, lavish Beaches, Exotic Women, Lushous Landscape, Sports Teams, and among other things, Music. Some Of The World's Biggest Stars Hail From Miami: Gloria Estefan, KC & The Sunshine Band, Betty Wright, Latimore, Gwen & George McCrae, Faze, Trinere, Pretty Tony, Stevie B, 2 Live Crew, David Hudson, 69 Boyz, Trick Daddy, and the list goes on...A Name To Add To The List Is Southern Soul and R&B artist Reggie Sears, "The King Of Love".
While Miami is not nearly as well known for Soul, R&B and Blues artists like Detroit, Memphis, Chicago, Louisiana and Mississippi, Sears is one of the few Southern Soul, R&B and/or/Soul artists to come out of Miami in quite some time. The South Florida native grew up in a Ft. Lauderdale ghetto with loving parents & 2 brothers. He Knew From A Very Young Age That He Wanted To Be An Entertainer. "Since I Was About 4 or 5 I knew I wanted to be a singer. I grew up in a house with music always being played. There was all types of music from all across the board. Everything from Gospel-Yolanda Adams, The Soul Stirrers, Cleophus Robinson Jr., Alvin Slaughter, Mississippi Mass Choir, Jackson Southernaires, Kirk Franklin, Shirley Caeser, ect & Secular music- Al Green, B.B King, Parliament, Johnnie Taylor, Isaac Hayes, James Brown, Teddy Penedergrass, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Silk, Keith Sweat, Gerald Levert, Bobby Brown, Faze, Cameo, Vanessa Williams, Johnny Guitar Watson, Prince, Sheila E, Babyface, Candy Staton, Bobby Womack, Jeffrey Osborne + LTD, Aretha Franklin, Zapp, Brick, Con-Funk-Shun, Tyrone Davis, Bobby Blue Bland, and too much to name. Also Grunge, Alternative, Rock, Techno, 80s Pop, a whole lot of Disco, Rap- Too Short, 2 Live Crew, Ice Cube, NWA, Public Enemy, Dr. Dre, Bone Thugs 'n' Harmony, Snoop Dogg, Silk The Shocker, and the list goes on. And I remember watching MTV & VH1, and the 90's version of Soul Train, among other shows, and I'd see the bands or the artists on the stage Singing & Playing & entertaining the audience and I knew even then that I wanted to be up on that stage singing & making records", Sears says.
Reggie asked his parents to buy him a guitar & he got an Epiphone Les Paul for his 11th birthday. His appetite for learning & playing guitar kept him out of the harsh ghetto streets. "I Remember When All My Friends Used to Always Ask Me Why I Wouldn't Go Roam The Neighborhood With Them, I Told Them 'Cause I Was Playin' Music. Thats What I Wanted To Do. I Practiced 5 or 6 hours a day & all day on the weekends." When Reggie was in his early teens, he started sitting in with established acts & paying his dues at Blues Jams all during the summer. And In 8th Grade, Reggie decided he wanted to be home-schooled so that he could play music 7 nights a week. "When I went to school monday through friday, 8 AM to 3 PM, I'd get home, do homework, have about 3 hours of jammin' in the room, eat dinner, watch a little t.v. & then wait till my parents go to sleep, then unplug the guitar from the amp & quietly play guitar and by the time I went to sleep It'd be 2 or 2:30 in the morning & then in 3 hours I wouldn't want to wake up for school.(Laughs). That Also Limited The Amount of time I spent at the Blues Jams. Plus, I Was Sick Of The 8 to 3 Public School Thang. I Wanted To Play My Music Every Night without having to worry about getting up in the morning. So, When I Began Homeschooling, I'd Get To Jam At Night & When I wake up I'd Hit The Books, Do The Work & Take The Tests. And I'd Be Able To Play Music Every Day & Every Night! It Was A Good Thang!" Reggie regularly attended Jam Sessions 4-6 nights a week & sometimes 2 or 3 jam sessions a night. In November 2003, a teenaged Sears appeared onstage with The King Of Rock'n'Soul, Solomon Burke, where his searing hot guitar impressed the 5,000+ in attendance, as well as Mr. Burke, who announced to the crowd that Reggie was the "Future Of The Blues" and called Sears his "godson."
Reggie started gigging as a guitarist with local acts and in January 2004 he formed his first band & he played his very first paying gig a few months later & by the time of this writing(August 2009) he has released 4 acclaimed C.Ds, Been On T.V., Magazines & Radio, shared the stage/or/shared the bill with such luminaries as Solomon Burke, Keith Sweat, The Temptations, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Bobby Rush, Steve Harvey, Kool & The Gang, Latimore, Omarion, Mavis Staples, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Charlie Musselwhite, Denise LaSalle, Tank, Jimmy Bo Horne, Ike And Val Woods, Michael Burks, Rahiem DeVaughan, Ruben Studdard, Inner Circle, Average White Band, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Fred Bolton, Chris Beard, Sherman Hunter, Pat Benetar, Moody Scott, Kenny Neal, Otis Clay, Luther Lackey, T.K. Soul, Steve Perry, 2 Live Crew, John Lee Hooker Jr, Buddy Guy, George Clinton, Tony Orlando, Bobby Jones, Gregg Allman, Cheap Trick, The Love Doctor, Big Time Sarah, Bob Margolin, Chico Banks, Lil Ed Williams & The Blues Imperials, Liz Mandville Greeson, Bobby Womack, Nathaniel Kimble, Guitar Shorty, Howard Hewitt, Kelly Rowland, Mims, Roach Thompson, Delbert McClinton, Shemekia Copeland, among others, all the while honing his stage skills from countless nights of performing in juke joints, festivals & house parties as a solo artist and a side-man with established artists & soon was the Musical Director, Band Leader, Lead Guitarist & Band Director as well as opening act for T.K./HSM/Bar Star Recording Artist David Hudson, and Lead Guitarist for Betty Padgett & Bobby Stringer as well as playing Lead Guitar for James Brown's backing band "The J.B.s/ The Soul Generals" as well as being the Musical Director, Lead & Bass Guitarist, Band Leader, Band Director & Opening Act for The Godfather Of Soul Band. In February 2005 he opened the 1st Annual Miami Dade College Blues Festival, where he opened for Soul legends David Hudson, Ike And Val Woods, Bobby Stringer & Latimore. In June 2005, he recorded his debut album "Transitions", a Chicago style Blues album which was released in August 2005 to acclaim from critics and fans alike. Reggie: "Transitions was a Traditional Blues disc. It was really like, a Blues Guitar Slinger Kind Of A Disc, Except It Was A Bit More Funky & Jazzy, instead of heavy Rock-kind of stuff that alot of the younger artists were playing. There Were Alot Of Funk-Blues & Slow Blues, with a couple of Jazzy tunes, a few Soul-Blues kind of songs & even a what I call 'Disco-Blues' cut on that disc. I hadn't really found my sound yet. I had already developed my own guitar sound & my own licks & stuff like that, but I was still trying to find my voice & my musical style. I am still really proud of that record, and I think it was pretty good, considering that we went & cut it live in a few hours. I liked the traditional Blues that I was doing but, I soon found that I'd really rather do Soul music, which is what I grew up listening to."
He toured heavily to promote the disc and in early 2006, Sears decided that he was going to be a Southern Soul artist but, not before he dropped his 2nd c.d. in October 2006, a traditional Down-Home Blues disc "One Step Closer To The Blues", which is rare & long out of print. It Was On This Album That Reggie started playing all the instruments himself. His 2006 national tour included gigs at The House Of Blues in Orlando, FL, Rockford, IL where he co-headlined the "On The Waterfront" Festival with a crowd of 3500+, a dozen other Midwest shows, and a guest appearance at The Kingston Mines Club in Chicago, IL & and culminating in an appearance at Cultural Fest in Las Vegas, NV, where he appeared in front of a crowd of 25,000. Following his national tour Reggie began to tour as opening act/guitarist with The David Hudson Revue(of Honey Honey fame) & The Godfather Of Soul Band(featuring original members of James Brown's Band) in addition to doing his own shows. In December 2006, he dropped "Southern Soul, Florida Style", which was his first Southern Soul disc. It is now out of print, and is now sought after as a "collector's item." 2007 saw him playing with a variety of acts which include David Hudson, Betty Padgett, Bobby Stringer, The Soul Generals and others, as well as appearing as one of the headliners of the 2007 Fiesta Tropical Mardi Gras Festival, opening for acts like Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, J.J. Callier, Marcia Ball, and more. July 2007 saw the release of "Get Up On It", which showed him moving into more R&B pastures. With 4 C.D.s out & still no major success Reggie continued to tour full-time with The Godfather Of Soul Band & David Hudson throughout 2007 but, in his spare time, he began writing and recording new material for his next C.D. as well as writing & producing newcomer Jerome Towers' debut singles which included the big hit "You Gotta Be A Freak." Reggie's breakthrough came in October 2007, when his singles "Dip My Dipper" and "Sweet Thang", followed with "She Made A Freak Out Of Me" in late November 2007, started getting a bit of airplay, especially overseas. Through March 2008 Reggie continued his gruesome touring schedule with The Godfather Of Soul Band, and with little time for his own solo career, there was a difficult decision to be made, and Reggie had to make that unfortunate departure from "The Godfather Of Soul Band" to pursue his solo career full-time. In May 2008 he dropped the singles "My Outside Woman" & "U Caught Me With My Drawers Off", to much fanfare & radio play, especially overseas. Between May 2008 & the time of this writing, Reggie continued to do shows, Session Work, Writing, Producing, Mixing & Engineering & Arranging For Other Artists & in his spare time finished up his current disc, his 5th LP titled "Sweet Thang".
This Disc is where it all comes together: The Performances, The Voice, The Songs, The Musicianship, The Production & The Arranging. On This Album, Like His Past Albums(excluding his debut "Transtions"), Reggie plays and sings virtually every note, lick & instrument, with the occasional help of Jerome Towers & "Angel" on Backup Vocals. Reggie's knack for writing catchy Uptempo songs, Pleading Ballads, Sexy Slow Jams & gritty, gutbucket Blues is especially evident on this c.d., with 10 of the 16 songs written(or co-written with Angela Sears) by Reggie Sears. The Uptempo Songs Keep The Booty Wigglin', The Head Boppin', The Foot-Tappin', Or Whatever It Is That You Do; His Blues numbers show off his Soulful, Gritty Vocals & Guitar Prowess. But, Its The Ballads that really steals the show. In South Florida, Reggie's way of serenading the ladies in his live show & on his regionally-spinned C.D.s earned him the title "The King Of Love" and this C.D. is the perfect indication of why. While Reggie may be a young man, he is one of the few under-30 performers who is a Truly Dynamic Vocalist, who bridges the gap of Ol' Skool Soul Singers of the 60s & 70s, With The Urban Sounds of 80s and 90s R&B. Reggie's vocals wring with emotion & his rich voice will have you feeling every word he is singing. The ballads range from that Ol' Skool Bluesy Southern Soul tunes about Life, Love, Lost & of course, Cheating, while the Sexy R&B/Soul Slow Jams will put you in the mood with Romantic Lyrics, love-makin' Grooves, and of course that Sexy Voice. Reggie is a serious Young Soul Artist who doesn't rely on Auto-Tune, Hot-Dance Moves or Flashy Theatrics; Instead, He Lets His Talent Take Centerstage Here. With A Voice somewhere between the Raw, Gritty Ol' Skool Performers like Tyrone Davis, or Otis Redding, and the smooth sounds of Gerald Levert or Babyface, Reggie's Vocals have been compared with the likes of Tyrone Davis, Gerald Levert, Little Milton, Johnnie Taylor, Wilson Pickett, Latimore, Otis Redding, Marvin Sease, K-Ci & JoJo, R. Kelly, Bobby Womack & Bobby "Blue" Bland, while his Guitar Skills have often been compared to the likes of B.B. King, Prince, Lonnie Brooks, Otis Rush, T-Bone Walker, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Little Milton, Albert King & Robert Cray, while his songwriting & producing skills have been compared to the likes of Babyface, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Holland/Dozier/Holland, Gamble & Huff, Smokey Robinson, Gibb/Gibb/Gibb, Issac Hayes/David Porter, R. Kelly, George Jackson & Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis, and others. All Songs Were Arranged & Engineered By Reggie & he is the album's Executive Producer & produced all the songs here(with the help of Angela Sears on 3 tracks). With The Release Of The Long-Awaited new Disc, the Critically Acclaimed "Sweet Thang", Reggie Sears, The King Of Love, With His Soulful Voice, Guitar Skills, Hard-To-Beat Live Show, Not To Mention His Skills As A Producer, Multi-Instrumentalist, Writer, Arranger & Engineer, He is Poised To Take The Southern Soul World By Storm & Become One Of The Top Artists In The Rising Genre
-Written by Quinten Smith of Blues, Rhythm & Soul Online
www.bluesrhythmandsoul.blogspot.com
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www.myspace.com/reggiesears
www.reggiesears.com
For Bookings, or just to speak with Reggie Please Call: 206-350-4881, 305-851-2840 or Email reggiesears@yahoo.com or on Myspace.com/reggiesears
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