About the Artist

Grammy nominated R & B/jazz guitarist/songwriter/producer Doc Powell has been a virtual musical chameleon over the past two decades, shifting from musical genres such as r & b/pop, contemporary jazz and gospel with uncanny ease and proficiency. In the process, he’s managed to craft a brilliant solo career as a resilient owner/entrepreneur of his own jazz label. And, with the release of his adventurous new self-titled set on Heads Up (August 22), Powell not only reveals a magical duality and fusion of his patented electrical guitar with a sensual blend of acoustic guitar, he also attains an artistic milestone, by celebrating the anniversary of his tenth solo project.
Powell has always had a penchant for attracting star power to his solo outings and with Â"Doc Powell,Â" it’s no different. Featured guest appearances include Heads Up label mate, keyboardist Bobby Lyle, seven time Grammy award nominee sax star Kirk Whalum (a veteran of four Powell CD’s) and GRP’s new instrumental sensation Brian Culbertson. The latter two is a welcome addition to the record’s lead single, an intoxicating groove-laden cover of Carole King’s seventies smash, Â"It’s Too LateÂ". Powell has also enlisted jazz notables such as Roy Hargrove, Bob James, Gerald Albright, Patrice Rushen, Randy Brecker, Billy Preston, Dave Koz, Najee, George Duke and Stanley Clarke on his previous solo projects.
Powell launched his auspicious solo career in 1987 with Â"Love Is Where It’s At,Â" (Mercury/Polgram) and grabbed a Grammy nomination (Best R & B Instrumental) for his cover of Marvin Gaye’s seminal hit, Â"What’s Going’ On.Â" On his fourth release, Â"Laid Back,Â" (1996), his biggest commercial success, Powell history with his hit, Â"Sunday Morning,Â" which netted the most NAC spins ever (over 1000) by a track, in it’s first week of release. Â"Laid Back,Â" yielded two Top 10 hits, and was ranked the #2 contemporary jazz record of the year.
And while his early releases were recorded on major labels, he eventually defied conventional wisdom and opted to finance the majority of his recordings, including his past four releases, two previous project’s distributed by Heads Up, Â"Cool Like That,Â" 2004, Â"97th & Columbus,Â" 2003, and a solo gospel project, Â"I Claim The VictoryÂ" released in 1999, which was created as a fund-raising vehicle for his church. His life partner and wife of twenty-five years, Charlene, (who managed the late great Phyllis Hyman at the peak of her career) has teamed with Powell to develop their own homespun production/record company, DPR Music Group, and publishing company, Rock Dockey Music, which has amassed an impressive catalog of over 150 songs. And in their spare time, they’ve also managed to raise a daughter, who has followed in her parent’s footsteps by working for Sony Entertainment for eleven years.
Since breaking into the industry in 1979 recording with Lonnie Liston-Smith, the native New Yorker has built an incredible musical legacy, contributing to over 125 recordings featuring some of contemporary music’s most popular artist’s including among others, R & B/Pop stars, Aretha Franklin, Teddy Pendergrass, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Phyllis Hyman, Cheryl Lynn, and filled the role of resident guitarist for a dozen years (1981-1993) with the late Luther Vandross. Besides Smith, his jazz resume includes the late Grover Washington, Jr., McCoy Tyner, Jonathan Butler, Bob James, Boney James, Kirk Whalum, Stanley Clarke, Everette Harp, Patrice Rushen, and Rodney Franklin. And in the gospel arena, he’s worked with such luminaries as Shirley Caesar, Ce Ce Winans, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Rance Allen, Donnie McClurkin, and toured and recorded with gospel’s premiere star Kirk Franklin for a four year stint, (2002-2006).
In fact, the nucleus of his new release Â"Doc Powell,Â" was created during long bus rides, backstage, and in hotel rooms across the country, while touring on Franklin’s massive Â"HeroÂ" tour from November 2005, through early this year. Â"I’m very happy to be celebrating the release of my tenth solo project, but I didn’t try to change my creative process for this record, it’s always been and is still about the music,Â" revealed Powell. Â"I think what makes this record special is that it reveals two sides of myself as a guitarist,Â" attests Powell. Â"I’ve been playing the Martin guitar for the past five years, and it’s got a voice and tone that is more true to a classical guitar sound, and I really wanted to capture that quality on the record.Â"
Â"I also had a vision of coming up with a great instrumental track like Dennis Coffee’s Â"Scorpio,Â" and I was fortunate to be working with some really talented musicians on Kirk’s tour,Â" he infused, Â" so I started collaborating with the guys and laying down tracks while we were on the road.Â" The stellar band members included keyboardist Shaun Martin (Franklin’s co-producer), keyboardist Jerome Harmon, Matt Cappy on trumpet,, ISBN13: B000GNOSHM ISBN10: B000GNOSHM Material Type: audioCD