BlackPlanet Interview: LEGENDNYC

Make It Happen profiles a BlackPlanet.com member who is making strides in his or her career. Members are invited to share their experiences and advice about what it takes to advance in the professional world.

This week LegendNYC gives advice on making it in the music industry.

Q: How did you get into music?

A: I had music when I was growing up. On my mother`s side of the family they had a piano. I think what used to happen back in the old days, going way back, before T.V. and radio and all that, folks used to gather around the piano and sing. I think my mother grew up with that in that sort of family structure. And she gave that to her kids.

Q: What was your first entry into working as a musician?

A: Playing in high school bands. I played at a lot of neighborhood bands, a lot of rock and roll, a lot of cover bands, whatever was popular at the time. And, as time went on, I went on and met people outside of my neighborhood throughout the city and I met up with a group of guys, particularly a drummer and a bass player who were in kind of like a jazz band at the time. The three of us started auditioning singers and other musicians at that point and we got together kind of an R&B soul band that was pretty popular for a while and we recorded a few demos and we recorded quite a bit around the city for about a year or two. But, then again, money became an issue. We didn`t really have any management. We were kind of on our own and it was just one of those things where we didn`t get the break I guess we were looking for.

Q: What would you say was the main reason you never got that break you were looking for?

A: I guess like having a baseball team or basketball team, if you have that coach, the manager, somebody who has the experience who can really make the decision that everybody is going to agree to, it makes a big difference. We were trying to be democratic and give everybody an equal say. But, what happened a lot of times, things did not get done or you would have a lot of bitterness some times because things weren`t going the way a certain person felt things needed to go. I think if we`d had somebody who had some experience in the business, who would have mentored us or given us a helping hand, that might have made the difference. Because again, we had a sound, we had the energy, we had the ambition. I think it was just a matter of having the leadership.

Q: So, if you had it to do over again, what steps do you think you would do differently?

A: I know one of the things that we did after plugging away at it for about a year is we met with an attorney in the music business. I think a lot of times it`s just good to get professional advice. In other words, somebody who is in the business who will either work with you or provide you their services. Because, again, one of the big disadvantages that young groups have coming up is that they are ignorant of the business and there is a lot of business to it. And, as far as contracts, agreements, what you`re entitled to and really who pays the bills, I think if we had kind of gotten a handle on that or if we had somebody who had that understanding, it would have helped us a great deal.

People who are creative, they`re worried about the music, that`s their main focus. A lot of times they don`t worry about the business ends of things. But, that`s really where the money is. I mean, for the most part, the most successful people in the music industry are the people who are behind the scenes, the producers, the guys who are pulling the shows together rather than the people who are up on stage. That`s always been true. I think that`s something that most performers come to realize kind of a little late in life. They feel like, once I have a record deal, that`s it. But, meanwhile, you have a lot of really, high profile groups, TLC, Toni Braxton who had to file for bankruptcy because of agreements that they made. The money was not going to them, it was going to somebody else. And, again, these were very successful acts. For smaller groups, it`s even more important.

Q: What other advice you would give?

A: Be realistic about what your talents are and again what the likelihood of success is. Family and friends are often very supportive but get advice beyond friends and family. It can be very disheartening or very discouraging to really get the opinion of someone in the industry because they will not pull any punches. They will let you know, "Well, you don`t have the range, you don`t have the power, the note that you`re hitting are flat," or something like that. I mean, it`s great to be passionate about the things you do, but make sure you are basing this in reality too. Make sure you`re getting input from beyond your circle of friends.

Q: What would you say is the number one mistake that you see people making? Would it be something along those lines?

A: A lot of it sometimes just depends upon how you look, how you present yourself. Again, it`s more than just your voice or your instrument. People now these days will go by the costume that you`re wearing and the steps that you know. In fact, that was one thing that we were very aware of when we stepped out on stage at the Apollo, is that as soon as you`re walking out on stage, people are forming it then, before you even open your mouth, people are already judging you and were making a decision as to whether they were going to boo or they`re going to cheer. And, again, that`s probably one of the toughest crowds in the world

Q: I`m sure you get a lot of questions, people asking you about what advice you can give them in terms of getting on the Apollo show, what do you tell them?

A: Make sure that you approach it like a business. Make sure you have a business card made up with your contact information. Make sure you have an eight by ten glossy so that people will remember what you look like. And, also have some of your demos, some of the songs you recorded, either your own material or other people`s material available on cassette or CD preferably. People will only remember you with what you leave behind. In other words, you can spend an hour talking with somebody but the next day, if they don`t have something to remember you by, you`ll just be a dim memory.

Interview by: Anaye Milligan