Anthony Jeffrey (born February 17, 1949), also known as Tonetta, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and visual artist who, in the early 1980s, began living as a recluse and recording original music on cassettes after separating from his wife. In 2008, he started his first

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channel, which led to his

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debut. His YouTube account, as well as many subsequent accounts established under other usernames, have been banned repeatedly for violating the site's content rules.

Life and career

Anthony Jeffrey was born on February 17, 1949 in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada.

Style and recognition

According to Jeffrey, "Tonetta" refers more specifically to his female

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

. He said that many of his songs are inspired by real life people or incidents and cited

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

as his primary influence. Of his music tastes, he said: "I like

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. I followed

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artists. ... After ennondied, I didn't know who to follow anymore. It was around then I started writing anyway so it kinda worked out." Critics have variously described Tonetta as "the savior of

lo-fi music Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

", "a pure artist", and a combination of "repulsion and intrigue". In the description of music writer Johnny Dee, "For every YouTube comment that finds Tonetta hilarious or repellent there are dozens from people who have discovered that, beyond the shock value, is a genuine outsider pop artist." Tonetta is best known for his song "Pressure Zone". As of 2017, the music video was viewed over 2 million times on YouTube. Jeffrey was interviewed on Season 5, Episode 14 of the American television series ''

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''. South California rock band the Growlers covered Tonetta's song, "Drugs, Drugs, Drugs", during various live performances, notably their 2012

Coachella Coachella may refer to: * Coachella, California * Coachella Canal, in California * Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California * "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind "Coachella – Woodstock In My Mind" is a song by Ame ...

setlist. Prior to reaching commercial success of their own, the Growlers had performed on stage with Tonetta, on February 18, 2011, at the Show Cave in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Personal life

As of 2011, Jeffrey lived in

as a part-time upholsterer. He was previously married to a woman, until 1983, and has two sons. He has not talked to his wife or seen his children since 1983, when his sons were eight and 10 years old respectively. One of his sons reconnected with him by email shortly after Jeffrey began posting music to YouTube in 2008, but stopped writing once Tonetta began "puttin’ on the dresses and stuff."

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

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'' (2010) * ''777 Vol II'' (2010) * ''777 Vol III'' (2011) * ''Red Wine'' (2013)

Singles

* "Get It Going" b/w "Mmm Mama!" (2010)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tonetta 1949 births Living people Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian experimental musicians Lo-fi musicians Musicians from Toronto Outsider musicians