Michael Jeffries (singer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Jeffries is a rhythm and blues
singer from Memphis, Tennessee
, best known for his stint as a lead vocalist for the R&B/Soul band Tower of Power
from 1978 to the Mid-1980s.
starting with 1978's We Came to Play!
and he would stay with the band through the Mid-1980s, making his stint with TOP the second longest stint as lead vocalist, only behind current lead vocalist Larry Braggs.
Jeffries would go solo with the single "Razzle Dazzle" from the soundtrack to the movie Wildcats
. He would also record with Jeff Lorber
and fellow R&B singer Karyn White
before releasing his first self-titled solo album for Warner Bros. Records
; ironically enough, the same label his old band Tower of Power once called home. The album was produced by Janet Jackson
's producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
. He still lives in California and has released a new album with his kids as "Michael Jeffries, Daughter, Son" called Family Affair in 2010. Also in 2011, a compilation of his recordings with The Two Things In One was released called Together Forever: The Music City Sessions.
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer from Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, best known for his stint as a lead vocalist for the R&B/Soul band Tower of Power
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
from 1978 to the Mid-1980s.
History
Jeffries got his start as a part of the California band, The Two Things In One, and scored a regional hit with the 1973 single "Together Forever". It would lead to his stint with Tower of PowerTower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
starting with 1978's We Came to Play!
We Came to Play!
We Came to Play! is an album by Tower of Power released in 1978. It marked the debut of singer Michael Jeffries, who would stay with TOP through the mid-1980s. Also Steve Cropper , produced this album...
and he would stay with the band through the Mid-1980s, making his stint with TOP the second longest stint as lead vocalist, only behind current lead vocalist Larry Braggs.
Jeffries would go solo with the single "Razzle Dazzle" from the soundtrack to the movie Wildcats
Wildcats (film)
Wildcats is a 1986 film starring Goldie Hawn and costarring Jan Hooks and Swoosie Kurtz. It is the film debut of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. They also appeared together in White Men Can't Jump and Money Train...
. He would also record with Jeff Lorber
Jeff Lorber
Jeff Lorber is an American Grammy Award-nominated keyboardist, composer, and record producer.After leading his own group, The Jeff Lorber Fusion, he went on to pioneer the smooth jazz genre....
and fellow R&B singer Karyn White
Karyn White
Karyn White was a new jack swing singer who became popular during the late 1980s.-Biography:White was born in Los Angeles,to the parentage of Vivian and Clarence White. She is the youngest of five children...
before releasing his first self-titled solo album for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
; ironically enough, the same label his old band Tower of Power once called home. The album was produced by Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
. He still lives in California and has released a new album with his kids as "Michael Jeffries, Daughter, Son" called Family Affair in 2010. Also in 2011, a compilation of his recordings with The Two Things In One was released called Together Forever: The Music City Sessions.
With The Two Things In One
- "Silly Song"/"Snag Nasty" (Music City Records) (1971)
- "Together Forever"/"Stop Telling Me" (Music City Records) (1973)
- "Overdose"/"Close The Door" (Music City Records) (1974)
- Together Forever: The Music City Sessions (Omnivore Recordings) (2011)
with Tower of Power
- We Came to Play!We Came to Play!We Came to Play! is an album by Tower of Power released in 1978. It marked the debut of singer Michael Jeffries, who would stay with TOP through the mid-1980s. Also Steve Cropper , produced this album...
(Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) (1978) - Back on the StreetsBack on the Streets (Tower of Power album)Back on the Streets is an album by Tower of Power released in 1979. This was their last album with Columbia Records. The title derives from the song "Back on the Streets Again" from their debut album East Bay Grease. David Garibaldi returns to the drummer's spot a third time, only to leave after...
(Columbia Records) (1979) - DirectDirect (Tower of Power album)Direct is a 1981 live in-studio album by Tower of Power. It was their only album for the direct-to-disc record label Sheffield Lab. It also marked the return of original guitarist Willie James Fulton, not heard from since 1972's Bump City, and the last album to feature saxophonist Lenny Pickett. ...
(Sheffield Lab) (1981) - Dinosaur Tracks (Rhino Handmade) (2000)
Solo Albums
- "Razzle Dazzle" (single) (Warner Bros. Records) (1986)
- Michael Jeffries (Warner Bros. Records) (1989)
- Family Affair (MJM Artists Records) (2010)