专辑简介

Dee Dee McNeil was born in Detroit, Michigan and started out in the music business as a songwriter with Motown Record Company. She is a singer, songwriter, published poet and journalist, producer, playwright and educator whose music has been recorded by Diana Ross & the Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, David Ruffin, Edwin Star, The Four Tops, nancy Wilson, Rita Marley, Side Effect, L L Cool J, Styles, Edwin Star, Peggy Duquesnel, Robert McCarther and more. She was Director of Artists Development at California College of Music in Pasadena, CA and teaches vocals at MPA - Music Performance Academy in Alhambra, CA. In 2001 she won the BET (Black Entertainment Television Network) "Jazz Discovery Competition" and appeared in concert on BET's internationally syndicated television program. She has performed her jazz and poetry in over 23 countries worldwide. Her music articles & jazz CD reviews have appeared in Cadence Magazine, as a 5 year blog at www.lajazz.com, in All About Jazz hardcopy Newspaper and Internet magazine. She once had a jazz music column in Detroit's Chonicle Newspaper. In 2009 her book "haiku In My Neighborhood" was published featuring the photography of Roland Charles and the poems of Ms. McNeil. Her poetry has appeared in a number of anthologies. She remains active and working as a spoken word artist, songwriter and singer worldwide, being currently based in Southern California. In 1983 she introduced 'Rap' music to Auckland, New Zealand, becoming the first American singer-songwriter (concerned about the image of women) to compose the theme song for their Miss Universe Contest that was broadcast on New Zealand's national television network. She was one of the original members of the Watts Prophets Rap group and composed the title song of their CD, also played piano and sang on their album, as well as reciting poetry. That now historic album was titled "Rappin' Black In A White World", that she co-wrote with Marthea Hicks. Her music on "Where Can our Leaders Be?" has been called high energy, lyrical, Pop/Jazz with rhythmic swing, African overtones and Coltraneish intensity. Her lyrics bring a spiritual element encouraging universal brotherhood and confronting social problems.