2010 Performers

Charlie Wilson

2010 Grammy double nominee Charlie Wilson takes the stage on Friday to lead off the festivities with music from his latest solo release, "Uncle Charlie" and its Grammy-nominated hit single "There Goes My Baby" as well as other hits from his longtime recording career. Wilson, who led the Gap Band in the 1980s, has risen to solo glory for good reason. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the magic happen onstage at the Macy's Music Festival!

Chaka Khan

From her early years as the lead singer of the pioneering 70’s group Rufus to her status as a legendary musical icon, Chaka Khan can truly claim her status as a modern-day renaissance woman. Chaka Khan’s distinctive vocal style has influenced and impacted a whole generation of hit making contemporary artists and her commitment as a humanitarian and philanthropist has continued to thrive through the work of her own foundation.

Chaka Khan is an eight-time Grammy winner and a number of other awards both in the U.S and abroad. Having a catalog of Classic hits, Chaka Khan is a renowned proponent of ‘old school’ soul music. With her energy, dynamism, and passion through live performances for over three decades, Chaka Khan has brought her special brand of vocal magic to audiences the world over. Chaka Khan’s prowess as a credited creative force behind her impressive catalog of solo albums is one that is held in high regard by her peers.

Anthony Hamilton

Some things, thankfully, never go out of style. Case in point: the bona fide soul of Anthony Hamilton.

That distinctive, six-time Grammy-nominated voice is back on "The Point of It All," Hamilton's third official studio album (So So Def/Zomba Label Group). Like "Comin' From Where I'm From" (2003) and "Ain't Nobody Worryin'" (2005) before it, this new album once again plays up the singer/songwriter's natural talent: rich, soul-steeped vocals breathing sonorous life into emotion-packed lyrics. But this time around, you'll find the former barber cutting up a little more than usual.

"I want fans to hear my growth," says the Charlotte, North Carolina native. "But I also want to open up the ears of those who don't know about Anthony Hamilton. I don't always want to be known as the sad cat. I like to have a good time, too. I've taken fans to church and baptized them; there are those who say I've healed them with my music. Now we're going to boogie in the name of the Lord."

The Whispers

One of R&B music's most beloved and consistently popular vocal groups, The Whispers, began their legendary and timeless career in 1963. Twin brothers Walter and Wallace Scott joined with friends Nicholas Caldwell, Marcus Hutson, and Gordy Harmon to form a local singing group. They perfected their tight harmonies on the street corners in the Watts section of Los Angeles and in nightclubs in the in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area.

They began singing together as "the Eden trio" created by Nicholas Caldwell and Marcus Hutson. Later, they were renamed "The Whispers" by Lou Bedell of Dore Records. The group recorded nine singles for the Dore label between 1964 and 1967. Their fame grew in the Bay Area while performing in a series of what was known as "The Battle of the Bands" where they competed against other local acts for their fans appreciation and affection. In 1969 they released "The Time Will Come" for a small L.A. based label Soul Clock Records, and subsequently recorded their first Top 10 R&B hit, "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong," in 1970 when the group switched to Janus Records. By 1971 Gordy Harmon decided to leave the group and was replaced by Leaveil Degree who had previously sung with "The Friends of Distinction".

The Whispers produced a string of hits over the next two decades and emerged as the leading romantic singers of their generation, racking up one gold album after another and charting numerous R&B hits throughout the seventies and eighties. The Whispers were the first artists featured on the newly formed Soul Train label (co- owned by the TV show's creator and host Don Cornelius and entrepreneur Dick Griffey). They gained national attention with their seventies albums, "One For The Money", "Open Up Your Love", and "Headlights" producing two singles that graced Billboard's Top 20 R&B Charts: "(Let's Go) All the Way" and "(Olivia) Lost and Turned Out".

Zapp

The nucleus of Zapp circled around three of the five Troutman brothers: Lester, Larry and their younger brother Roger. The duo of Lester and Roger started several groups including Little Roger and the Vels. Larry eventually joined his brothers when their name became Roger and the Human Body, which also included youngest brother Terry and Gregory Jackson [Cincinnati Ohio Funk Keyboardist]. Larry was then the road manager and the leader of the group in terms of all major decisions and connections.

The name change to Zapp came courtesy of Terry, whose nickname was that of "Zapp". Discovered by members of P-Funk in 1979, the funk collective's leader George Clinton signed them to his Uncle Jam Records. When that label folded the following year, the group signed with P-Funk's parent label, Warner Bros. Records, and began working on their first record at united sound in Detroit album courtesy of co-production from Bootsy Collins.

Released in the late summer of 1980, Zapp's seminal self-titled debut album became a platinum success peaking at the top twenty of the Billboard Top 200 thanks to the success of their leading single, the Roger composition, "More Bounce to the Ounce", which reached number two on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

Maze, Featuring Frankie Beverly

Described as "maybe the ultimate urban contemporary group" by The All Music Guide, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly combines a sound that's soulfully smooth and funky at the same time. This highly anticipated act is one of the most requested and most popular bands at music festivals around the globe with hits that include "Laid Back Girl," "The Morning After," and "I Can't Get Over You." Fresh off the release of 20-track double CD "Anthology," the band's sound is as fresh as ever after more than two decades of wowing audiences and helping launch the careers of such R&B divas as Toni Braxton, Regina Belle, and Anita Baker. See the legend live in action Saturday July 31 at the Macy's Music Festival.

Keyshia Cole

Often it is said that the only constant in life is change. Four-time Grammy nominated, multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter KEYSHIA COLE knows well about enduring the seasons of change, particularly matters of the heart. With the release of her fourth album CALLING ALL HEARTS (Geffen Records), in the true spirit of full disclosure, Keyshia pours her heart and soul on all 14 tracks of her latest masterpiece. Enlisting powerful collaborations with Nicki Minaj, Faith Evans, Tank and her mother Dr. Yvonne Cole, and partnering with production giants Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Timbaland, Keyshia made this project a labor of love and an true expression of life…Keyshia’s life.

KEYSHIA’s journey is reflected in the depth she brings to each song on CALLING ALL HEARTS. Being transparent is nothing new and has resonated in her music since her 2005 debut. Reflecting on her career, KEYSHIA humbly acknowledges “the realities [in my songs] allow people to come into my life to let them know not only am I speaking from a place they can understand, but also they can see that I’ve been to the bottom and made it to the top...

KEM

It has been said that his music feeds the soul, but KEM’s journey is equally, if not more inspirational. R&B Singer/Songwriter/Producer KEM’s love of music began as a child. Music saw him through the darkest moments in his life, took him to the top of the industry’s record charts, and earned him a record deal with Universal Motown Records.

A self-taught musician, KEM was born in Nashville and raised in Detroit, the birthplace of Motown Records. “I wanted to make music all of my life. I started playing piano when I was five,” he recalls.

Several years after high school his life took a downward turn, and he eventually found himself in and out of drug rehab and shelters. He dove into his music during those times, and he remembers, “They would have to kick me off the piano every night in one shelter.” He hit rock bottom when he awoke one night sleeping outside after breaking shelter rules, and he became determined to clean up his act.

While waiting tables, singing at weddings and any gig in town, he continued to write and record his music. In March of 2002, KEM independently released his first CD, KEMISTRY and sold more than 10,000 CD’s before piquing the interest of Universal Motown.

"I want to be a vehicle to let people know that they can have anything that they want," he says.

El DeBarge

"Making this album, I felt like I was seeing a flower or feeling the sun shine for the first time," says El DeBarge. "I feel like a brand new artist, like I just came out to Hollywood from Grand Rapids, Michigan and I'm looking for a record contract—and I'm just as hungry as I was when I started out."

With *_Second Chance_*, one of R&B's most distinctive and celebrated voices returns to the spotlight after more than a decade and a half away. The album—which features the work of such legendary producer/songwriters as Babyface and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis alongside tracks by new hitmakers including Mike City, the Avila Brothers and Michael Angelo—tells the story of DeBarge's redemption following a period of personal turmoil. His triumphant appearance at the 2010 BET Awards, which instantly lit up the international soul blogosphere, was just the first step in a remarkable story of personal and creative transformation.

Laura Izibor

"The foundation begins with soul", explains 23-year-old singer/songwriter/producer Laura Izibor of her passionate, piano-guided songs. Izibor continues the lineage set out by artist like Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott: artists who combine a reverence for the traditions of early R&B with a thoroughly modern sensibility. After one listen to the powerful, honey-tinged vocals on the Let The Truth BE Told, one thing is for sure. For Laura Izibor, it’s got to be real.

Born to a working class family in Dublin, Ireland, Izibor admits she didn’t grow up in a musical household. She found herself fancying music at about 13. Once the love for musicians like Stevie Wonder, Candi Staton, and Roberta Flack took hold, she was smitten for good. "One door opened to the next – first I discovered Marvin Gaye, and then Otis Redding, and I just fell in love with soul music."