Artist Profile: Antonio McLendon

Antonio is an infectious classic R & B soul singer, accomplished song writer and producer and instrumentalist. Reminiscent of a young Marvin Gaye, David Ruffin, Donnie Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, Antonio's vocals lure the listener into the conclusion that this artist could not possibly have room for musical talents beyond his intricate and intoxicating voice. Oh, but how wrong they are; Antonio's God given gifting extends to the fact that he plays over seven different musical instruments. Drums, electric bass guitar, electric guitar, saxophone, trumpet, piano, organ, as well as acoustic guitar and the up right bass. Antonio is one of those rare breed of artist that music industry executives search for through out their professional careers.

For those who know Antonio's heritage, his musical genius comes as no surprise. Antonio is a 3rd generation musical prodigy. Antonio was born to Antonio, Sr and Debra on December 23, 1982, in Waterbury, CT. Antonio, Sr, whom Antonio cites as the greatest influence of his love and appreciation of the power of great music, is an accomplished vocalist and instrumentalist in his own rite. Antonio, Sr plays both the electric bass and the piano. However, the legacy begins with Antonio's paternal grandparents Goldwire and Ruth McLendon. Both are phenomenal Gospel vocalists, and Ruth McLendon played the organ so well that she and her husband were sought after to play in churches all over the country since the 1950's. The McLendon legacy continues with his father's generation. Antonio, Sr is one of five children born to Goldwire and Ruth, all of whom are incredible vocalist, as well as instrumentalist. Antonio, Sr and his siblings Beverly, Kenneth, Patricia, Laurone and Karen - wife of Kenneth, formed a group that infused gospel music with the infamous Philadelphia Sound. All the while a 2 years old Antonio would absorb all that he saw and heard like a sponge. At 2 years old, Antonio had perfect rhythm and would sit on the floor and play his drums, which were made up of the legs of the kitchen table and chairs. At 4 years old, Antonio played the drums in church for the very first time, by sitting in the lap of the church's drummer so he could reach the cymbals and snare drum, because he was too small to play the kick drum at the same time. By the time Antonio was 6 years old the family had relocated to Georgia, where a young Antonio shocked his parents by sitting down and playing the Wedding March on the piano because he liked the way it sounded. While in Georgia, Antonio's talents extended to the organ under the guidance of his grandmother, Ruth. Antonio's parents separated by the time that Antonio is 8 years old, but his father left the home he gave young Antonio a bass guitar and a video tape of lessons. Every time his father would visit his son, Antonio would impress his father on how much he mastered on his new instrument. By the time Antonio was 10, his mother had relocated the family back to Waterbury, CT where Antonio's development on the piano and organ continued to grow under his maternal grandmother Gloria Vaughn. Antonio's overwhelming attention to music sometimes proved to be problematic in middle and high school. All of the music instructors loved to have him in their classes so much that they would allow him to remain in music classes the entire school day. Antonio was playing instruments as a paid musician in local churches by the time he was 13. Antonio had a rebellious streak and his parents decided that it would be best for him to live with is father in the Bronx, NY. While in NY Antonio re-connected with a host of musically gifted cousins that jump started his competitive nature, which lead him to pick up a few more instruments and further developed his vocal range and depth. Through the turbulent teenage years Antonio alternated between both parents, but music was always a constant in his life.

By 17 years old Antonio linked up with Connecticut natives Troy Oliver and Andre Deyo and his professional music career took off. After writing, Cheddar Brings with Andre Deyo and Troy Oliver, Antonio signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV. Shortly, there after Antonio was the subject of the largest bidding war of 2002 between legendary producers Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records and the Neptunes Pharell Williams' StarTrack Records. Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records won out making Antonio the vanguard male R & B artist on a label of hip-hop stars.

Antonio's promising career came to an abrupt halt when he was incarcerated in 2005 for two and a half years. Antonio refused to allow his time away stop his progression. Within two weeks of his release in the Summer of 2008, a determined and focused Antonio was back at work in the studio to record the hundreds of songs that he penned while in prison. Some of those songs are the undeniable hits "Rather Just Leave," "Mend Your Broken Heart," and "Better Days," his tribute to President Obama.

Now teamed up with WAR of ART Media Group, Antonio plans to take the industry by storm. At a time when urban music seems to be turning away from classic R & B themes and sounds; this multi-talented auditory phenomenon provides fresh combination of elements that is rare, but needed to rejuvenate the staleness found in R & B today. Antonio brings depth, substance and hope to R & B music, while at the same time including some of the classic R&B elements that made R&B a staple of American music.

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