Darryl "Day" Pearson is an American record producer, songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for writing and producing "
It's All About Me
'It's All About Me' is a song by American singer Mýa. It served as her debut single from her self-titled debut studio album and recorded as a duet with R&B singer Sisqó. A psychedelic R&B slow jam, "It's All About Me" was written and composed ...
", a
Mya/
Sisqó
Mark Althavan Andrews (born November 9, 1978), known professionally as Sisqó (stylized as SisQó), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. He is most prominently known for "Thong Song", his membership in Dru Hill, ...
single that peaked at #6 on the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
chart, "Part Time Lover" (a Top 10 R&B Hit for group
H-Town from the 1994 ''
Above the Rim
''Above the Rim'' is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina.
The film stars Duane Martin, Tupac ...
'' soundtrack), as well as
"Trippin' ", a collaboration between
Total and
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
that climbed to #7 on the Hot 100 in 1998.
As a result, Pearson secured a placement on
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
's "Hot R&B Producers" 1998 Year-End Chart. Pearson has also produced or written songs for
Usher,
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
, and
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
, among others.
Career
Music beginnings, da bassment and Melky & Day
Motivated to enter the music industry in the early 1990s, Pearson began producing demos for friends sending music to record labels in hopes of securing deals. This practice developed into a writing and production partnership with R&B group
Jodeci
Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci (singer), K-Ci, and K-Ci and JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their mu ...
. He relocated to both
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...
and
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
to work with
DeVante Swing
Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, rapper and songwriter.
He is the older brother of fellow Jodeci member Dalvin DeGrate.
Career
In his ear ...
's
Swing Mob
Swing Mob (sometimes known as Da Bassment Cru) was an R&B/hip hop collective consisting of artists and record labels first discovered by Jodeci member DeVante Swing. The artists on Swing Mob included: Missy Elliott with the group Sista, Timbala ...
collective, which evolved into R&B/Hip-hop production team and
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
label imprint
Da Bassment Cru with the addition of producer Timothy "
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
" Mosley. Over the next 5 years, Pearson would be credited with creating music for various affiliated artists including
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
(as well as her group Sista),
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
,
K-Ci & JoJo
K-Ci & JoJo is an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey (born September 2, 1969) and Joel "JoJo" Hailey (born June 10, 1971). Natives of Monroe, North Carolina, they are also the lead singers of the chart-topping R&B g ...
,
Dru Hill
Dru Hill is an American R&B group, whose repertoire included soul, hip hop soul and gospel music. The group was founded in Baltimore in 1992 and is still active. Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B number-one hits ...
,
Ginuwine
Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. Signing to Epic R ...
(via an unreleased 1995 debut album for Da Bassment/Elektra), and
Timbaland & Magoo
Timbaland & Magoo were a rap duo consisting of producer/rapper Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and rapper Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff, formed in 1989. Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, the duo first met when they were teenagers. They later paired up as a ...
, among others. In 1997, Pearson joined forces with singer and songwriter Blandinna Melky Jean from group
Melky Sedeck
Melky Sedeck is a Haitian-American R&B hip hop sibling duo. The name of the group is drawn from the names of singer Blandinna Melky Jean and her multi-instrumentalist brother Farel Sedeck Guerschom Jean. The name of the group (and of the sibli ...
to create R&B duo Melky & Day, and released single "I Got A Love Jones For You" for
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
/Sony on the 1997 ''
Love Jones'' soundtrack alongside duo
Refugee Camp All-Stars
Refugee Camp All-Stars was an American hip hop duo active in 1997, consisting of rappers John Forté and Canibus.
Despite releasing no studio albums under their own name, their single, " Avenues", became a Top 40 hit in the United States. Rele ...
. The single was a remake of the hit
Brighter Side of Darkness Brighter Side of Darkness was an American R&B/soul group. They were formed in 1971 at Calumet High School in Chicago, Illinois. Their lead singers were Ralph Eskridge and 12-year-old Darryl Lamont. The other members were Randolph Murph and Larry W ...
single "Love Jones". In 1998, Pearson contributed to Mosley's debut single as an artist, "
Here We Come" alongside Elliott,
Playa, and
Magoo for his solo debut album ''
Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment'', which charted on the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
, as well as the UK and Dutch charts. As discussed in a 1998 Timbaland interview for
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, "Darryl
nd Iwere messing around in the studio and he was humming the ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
'' tune, 'Doomp do doomp, doomp do doomp,' so he was doing that, and I was like, 'Do that again,'...
did it, and I sampled his vocals doing that and I put a beat on top of it, and we just rapped to it."
Pearson was also a major player on
Mya's
eponymous 1998 debut album for University/
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
, producing and/or writing 7 of the 13 tracks that appeared. These included Top 40 single "
Movin On" and Top 10 single "
It's All About Me
'It's All About Me' is a song by American singer Mýa. It served as her debut single from her self-titled debut studio album and recorded as a duet with R&B singer Sisqó. A psychedelic R&B slow jam, "It's All About Me" was written and composed ...
". Pearson similarly contributed 4 songs to emerging R&B singer
Terry Dexter
Terry Dexter is an Americans, American contemporary R&B singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress.
Early life
Dexter was born in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. She has a twin sister, and she describes her ethnicity simply as miscege ...
's
eponymous 1999 debut album.
MCA record deal and solo ventures
In 1996, Pearson began working closely with
ByStorm Entertainment
Mark Pitts is an American record producer, manager, and President of RCA Records and CEO of ByStorm Entertainment. He has managed a number of artists and produced musical tracks for performers including Notorious B.I.G, Faith Evans, Miguel, J. C ...
CEO
Mark Pitts
Mark Pitts is an American record producer, manager, and President of RCA Records and CEO of ByStorm Entertainment. He has managed a number of artists and produced musical tracks for performers including Notorious B.I.G, Faith Evans, Miguel, J. ...
on the creation and sound formulation of R&B Band Born In August, discussed in-depth in a July 1996 ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' article. Pearson would produce, arrange vocals, and play all instruments on their debut single "April" released in August 1996, before their completed debut album ''Timeless Journey'' was shelved indefinitely by parent label
Universal Records
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
.
As reported by ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' in a February 13, 1999 article, Pearson was scheduled to release his debut solo album (titled ''Savior's Day'') on
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
in the summer of 1999, immediately after a May 8 release of lead single "You Should Be With Me" featuring
Mya, but the project and single were shelved for undisclosed reasons.
Another album track, "I'll Give U All I Got" appeared on several MCA Records promotional CD Samplers sent to radio stations at the time, but remains officially unreleased. His sole release as a solo act remains a rendition of "
Silent Night
"Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...
" from 1999's MCA Records Compilation ''My Christmas Album''. MCA executives planned to release Pearson's appearance as a single to various
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
radio formats in promotion of the project.
2000-Present: Later career
In 2006, Pearson reunited again with
Swing Mob
Swing Mob (sometimes known as Da Bassment Cru) was an R&B/hip hop collective consisting of artists and record labels first discovered by Jodeci member DeVante Swing. The artists on Swing Mob included: Missy Elliott with the group Sista, Timbala ...
/ Bassment producer Mosley and entered his
Mosley Music Group
Mosley Music Group (MMG) is a record label founded and formed by producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley. Founded in 2006, the imprint is distributed exclusively by Interscope Records and Def Jam Recordings.
History
The label was created after Timbala ...
camp, contributing to
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
's ''
FutureSex/LoveSounds
''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake, released on September 8, 2006 by Jive Records and Zomba. Following a three-year writing hiatus, Timberlake conceived the album in collabora ...
'' (credited for guitar accompaniments to "
SexyBack
"SexyBack" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his second studio album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006). It was released on July 18, 2006, to US mainstream and rhythmic radio stationsRadio single releases . FMQ ...
" and album cut "Sexy Ladies"),
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
's ''
Hard Candy
A hard candy (American English), or boiled sweet (British English), is a sugar candy prepared from one or more sugar-based syrups that is heated to a temperature of 160 °C (320 °F) to make candy. Among the many hard candy varietie ...
'' (guitar credits on "Dance 2Night"),
Chris Cornell
Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. H ...
's 2009 album ''
Scream
Scream may refer to:
*Screaming, a loud vocalization
Amusement rides
* Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany
* Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England
* Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
'' (various instruments), co-writing "
Grown Woman" alongside Mosley for
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
's
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
campaign in 2013, and co-writing "
Pray
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified an ...
" from
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
's 2017 album ''
The Thrill of It All''. In 2016, Pearson, alongside greiBO Entertainment co-producer Davis Grei, produced a video using images from Jermaine UniqueEye, Christopher Ervin and others to capture the
2015 Baltimore protests
On April 12, 2015, Baltimore Police Department officers arrested Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident of Baltimore, Maryland. Gray's neck and spine were injured while he was in a police vehicle and he went into a coma. On Ap ...
, winning a bronze Telly Award in the "music video" and "social responsibility" categories.
Songwriting, instrumental, and production credits
Credits are courtesy of
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
and
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
.
Guest appearances
Full Guitar Projects
Unreleased Productions
°
Ginuwine
Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. Signing to Epic R ...
- Untitled Shelved 1995/1996 Debut Album (Da Bassment / Elecktra)
*"Lady"
*"Yeah Come On"
*"Rock"
*"Feel It"
*"Come On Baby"
*"Soaking Wet"
*"Straight Like That"
*"One Reason Why"
*"Come Inside"
*"I'm Going To Fall In Love"
° Renee Anderson - Untitled Shelved 1997 Debut Album (Da Bassment / EMI Publishing)
*"Maybe"
*"Makin Love"
Awards and nominations
References
African-American songwriters
African-American record producers
American hip hop record producers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Swing Mob artists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Darryl