Ebony Alleyne
Encyclopedia
Ebony Alleyne is an English
R&B
and soul
singer.
in 1983, Ebony Alleyne was signed to Sony Music at the age of only 19 years. At first wanting to be a singer-songwriter, she found that the label didn't think this was the right approach for her. She was passed on to producers Ian Levine
and Clive Scott
who both felt they should aim for a Dionne Warrick-Burt Bacharach
approach - the three-some penned the song "Walk Away and Never Look Back" which pleased Sony so much that they were granted a £150,000 budget to produce an album with a full orchestra (sixty strings, thirty brass). Alleyne sneak-previewed the song at a Togetherness soul weekend in 2002 and caused a great deal of excitement - three 7" vinyl singles were pressed in a limited edition on the old soul label Okeh Records
... but the much awaited album didn't happen. In 2003, just as the album was ready to go into press, the chairman at Sony had a serious fall-out with Ebony's manager and she was dumped, much to everyone's disappointment, and for a while it looked as if one and a half years' work had gone to waste. One track "All the Love in the World" cropped up on Levine's Northern Soul 2004.
In early 2007, however, Expansion Records
bought the rights to the album, and Levine and Scott took Alleyne to the studio to record one new track "You Caught Me Off Guard" and add it to the track listing. The album Never Look Back was finally released in June 2007 and launched at a release party at the Jazz Café
in Camden Town
. The album was released in Japan late September with five bonus tracks, including a remix of "You Caught Me Off Guard". Alleyne recorded three new tracks - "Mister Magic Man", a duet with Noel McKoy
"Special Delivery", and "Have a Little Faith in Me" for Levine's album Northern Soul 2007
and another track - Whistle for a Ride - for Disco 2008.
artists Voices With Soul for Northern Soul 2007 and became a hit on Youtube
with more than 40,000 views and subsequently released a download single on iTunes
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
R&B
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...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer.
Biography
Born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1983, Ebony Alleyne was signed to Sony Music at the age of only 19 years. At first wanting to be a singer-songwriter, she found that the label didn't think this was the right approach for her. She was passed on to producers Ian Levine
Ian Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
and Clive Scott
Clive Scott
Clive Scott was a former keyboard player of the British 1970s pop / rock group, Jigsaw, as well as the composer of most of the group's recordings, together with the singer, Des Dyer...
who both felt they should aim for a Dionne Warrick-Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
approach - the three-some penned the song "Walk Away and Never Look Back" which pleased Sony so much that they were granted a £150,000 budget to produce an album with a full orchestra (sixty strings, thirty brass). Alleyne sneak-previewed the song at a Togetherness soul weekend in 2002 and caused a great deal of excitement - three 7" vinyl singles were pressed in a limited edition on the old soul label Okeh Records
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
... but the much awaited album didn't happen. In 2003, just as the album was ready to go into press, the chairman at Sony had a serious fall-out with Ebony's manager and she was dumped, much to everyone's disappointment, and for a while it looked as if one and a half years' work had gone to waste. One track "All the Love in the World" cropped up on Levine's Northern Soul 2004.
In early 2007, however, Expansion Records
Expansion Records
Expansion Records is a British record label founded by Northern soul DJ Richard Searling and Soul Bowl owner John Anderson. In 1989 DJ, Author & Journalist Ralph Tee joined the label, which both he and Searling run to this day.-Label history:...
bought the rights to the album, and Levine and Scott took Alleyne to the studio to record one new track "You Caught Me Off Guard" and add it to the track listing. The album Never Look Back was finally released in June 2007 and launched at a release party at the Jazz Café
Jazz Café
The Jazz Café is a music venue in Parkway in Camden Town, London, England. It opened in 1990, in the former premises of Barclays Bank, and has been run by Mean Fiddler Music Group since 1992, now a subsidiary of the MAMA Group.-History:...
in Camden Town
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
. The album was released in Japan late September with five bonus tracks, including a remix of "You Caught Me Off Guard". Alleyne recorded three new tracks - "Mister Magic Man", a duet with Noel McKoy
Noel McKoy
Noel McKoy is a U.K. based soul music singer. His music is a collection of soul, gospel, funk and northern soul intertwined. He also currently owns the Dutch Pot, a nightclub located in London. He has cited his influences as The Beatles, Dennis Brown, Chaka Khan, Martin Luther King and Nelson...
"Special Delivery", and "Have a Little Faith in Me" for Levine's album Northern Soul 2007
Northern Soul 2007
Northern Soul 2007 is a compilation, released September 2007, consisting of 24 new tracks as a tribute to the 1960s–1970s Northern Soul era, produced by Ian Levine and Clive Scott...
and another track - Whistle for a Ride - for Disco 2008.
Additional information
One of Alleyne's unreleased songs, "Like a Lady" (scheduled for inclusion on the 2003 album) was re-recorded with The X FactorThe X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
artists Voices With Soul for Northern Soul 2007 and became a hit on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
with more than 40,000 views and subsequently released a download single on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
Singles
- "Walk Away and Never Look Back" / "Count the Days" (Okeh RecordsOkeh RecordsOkeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
, 2002) - "My Man" / "Touching the Sky" (Okeh, 2002)
- "Second Look" / "In Love With a Stranger" (Okeh, 2002)
Further reading
External links
- http://www.soulexpress.net/ebonyalleyne.htm
- http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/ebony_alleyne
- http://www.myspace.com/ebonyalleyne