Gregory Frank Raposo (born May 3, 1985) known professionally as Greg Raposo, is an American
rock'n'roll singer and actor. Raposo initially came to fame in the early 2000s as a member of the
boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
Dream Street
Dream Street were an American pop music, pop boy band that was formed in 1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. The band disbanded in 2002 following a legal dispute between parents of the band members and the band's managers.
History
The ...
, but has subsequently branched out into a solo career as a rock singer. His self-titled debut solo album ''Greg Raposo'' was released in 2003 and charted at #40 on the Independent Albums Chart in its opening week. His follow up 2012 release ''Loss Love Life'' was released independently.
Life and career
1985–1992: Early life
Gregory Frank Raposo was born in New York May 3, 1985 to Maryann and Octavio Raposo.
When Greg was two years old, he began to develop a fascination with the guitar. When he was six years old, Mrs. Raposo decided that she was tired of having to buy more toy guitars because he kept breaking them, so she bought him his first real guitar and arranged for him to take guitar lessons with a private teacher. He was soon after entered into a talent contest. He won, singing an Elvis Presley song. His aunt entered him on
Star Search
''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./ Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...
where he took second place and was referred to a talent agent.
1993–1998: Career beginnings, "The Elvis Kid", and broadway
Raposo was cast in sixteen regional and national commercials for everything from
Kit Kat
Kit Kat (stylised as KitKat in various countries) is a chocolate-covered wafer bar confection created by Rowntree's of York, United Kingdom, and is now produced globally by Nestlé (which acquired Rowntree's in 1988), except in the United Stat ...
bars to
Crest
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
toothpaste. Then at nine, he requested to be allowed to sing and play guitar on-air during a local live recording of a radio show on
WPLJ
WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmitte ...
.
Deejay
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
Scott Shannon
Michael Scott Shannon (born July 25, 1947) is an American radio disc jockey who hosted the morning show for WCBS-FM in New York City from 2014 to 2022 as well as ''Scott Shannon Presents America's Greatest Hits'' which is syndicated nationally wi ...
agreed and Greg went on the air. Shannon thought that Greg was very talented and from that day on was crowned as "The Elvis Kid". Greg appeared on WPLJ for three years.
[http://www.unofficialdreamstreetfans.net 2004 Cache] "The Elvis Kid" performed everywhere, including with
The Jordanaires
The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vocal ...
and
DJ Fontana
Dominic Joseph Fontana (March 15, 1931 – June 13, 2018) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. In 1955, he was hired to play drums for Presley, which marked the beginning of a 15-year relationshi ...
who were Elvis' real backup band. Greg was the only child invited to perform at
Graceland
Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, which was once owned by rock and roll icon Elvis Presley. His daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited Graceland after his death in 1977. Graceland is located at 3764 Elv ...
for the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death (1997) by
Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Ann Presley ( Wagner, changed by adoption to Beaulieu; born May 24, 1945) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the former wife of American singer Elvis Presley, as well as co-founder and former chairwoman of Elvis Presley ...
.
In 1996, Raposo auditioned for 'Broadway on Broadway', an extravaganza of Broadway performers. Greg got the honor of being the opener for the show and sang an original composition in front of fifty-thousand people. After opening for 'Broadway on Broadway', he was cast in an off-Broadway singing group called "
The Broadway Kids
The Broadway Kids was a concert group based in New York from 1994 to 2004. The group consisted of a rotating company of children, aged 8 to 16, who have performed in at least one Broadway, Off-Broadway or major national touring production. They ...
", with whom he recorded two albums. During his time in The Broadway Kids Greg met
Chris Trousdale
Christopher Ryan Pask (June 11, 1985 – June 2, 2020) known professionally as Chris Trousdale, was an American singer, dancer and actor. He was a member of The Broadway Kids and the boy band Dream Street, working with Jesse McCartney, Frankie J. ...
. In 1998, both boys successfully auditioned for a group called "Boy Wonder". "Boy Wonder" was disbanded for lack of interest from sponsors. Raposo and Trousdale were later reunited for Dream Street.
Raposo was also involved with several charity and anti-substance abuse groups. This included: The Kids for Kids Project, Audrey Hepburn/Children's Fund, Young Plaza Ambassadors Club, Jerry's Kids, and
Variety, the Children's Charity
Variety, the Children's Charity is a charitable organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1927.
History
On October 10, 1927, a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On ...
. Raposo claims that Kids for Kids was the most fulfilling thing he has ever participated in.
1999–2002: Rise to fame and Dream Street
Originally named 'Boy Wonder' (a name borrowed from the nickname of
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
character Robin from the
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
comics and films), Dream Street was put together by music producers Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. Raposo along with Trousdale were already a shoo-in for the Dream Street auditions since they were the original member of 'Boy Wonder'. After casting two-hundred boys,
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney (born April 9, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama ''All My Children'' as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo mus ...
,
Frankie J. Galasso
Frankie J. Galasso is an American musician and actor. He is best known as a member of the boy band Dream Street.
Early life
Galasso was born in New York City to Lisa (''née'' Cicero) and Francesco Galasso and attended Salesian High School in N ...
, and Matt Ballinger joined the group.
Their eponymous debut album was released on July 10, 2001. It was certified
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
in the US by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
peaking No. 1 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
Independent Albums
The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...
chart and at No. 37 on the
''Billboard'' 200. The songs, "It Happens Every Time" and "I Say Yeah" were frequently played on
Radio Disney
Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California.
The network broadcast music programming ...
. The boys soon made appearances to perform on various talk shows and television events including ''
Maury'' and ''
Ricki Lake
Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film ''Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Be ...
''.
While the rising success of Dream Street was growing, tensions between the music producers and the boys' parents also arise. This led to a lawsuit that would force the members to disband. The final Dream Street release was the soundtrack album to the 2002 film ''
The Biggest Fan
''The Biggest Fan'' is a film featuring the band Dream Street (Chris Trousdale, Jesse McCartney, Matt Ballinger, Frankie J. Galasso and Greg Raposo). The main characters are Chris Trousdale (playing himself) and his "Biggest Fan" Debbie Worde ...
'', which starred Trousdale. Raposo has appeared as himself in the film as well.
2002–2004: Solo career, ''Greg Raposo'', and Radio Disney
He performed his first solo concert on October 13, 2002, at The Downtown in
Farmingdale, New York
Farmingdale is an incorporated Political subdivisions of New York#Village, village on Long Island within the Oyster Bay (town), New York, Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York. The population was ...
. Tickets sold out in less than two hours and a second concert was issued for the same venue, which also sold out. He subsequently performed at several radio station multi-artist shows, solo acts, and as an opening act for several bands.
On May 3, 2003, Raposo's first solo single, "Take Me Back Home", premiered on
Radio Disney
Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California.
The network broadcast music programming ...
as a part of their "Music Mailbag" segment. It received positive ratings, and won a spot on the station's playlist with 92% of the popular vote—setting records on Radio Disney. His second single, "Every Summer", premiered on the Radio Disney Music Mailbag on July 12, 2003, with 95% of the popular vote.
Raposo's eponymous debut album was released on September 2, 2003. The album was in the top fifty on the ''Billboard'' Top Sales chart (#40) and was #67 on the ''Billboard'' Top Heat Seekers chart the week of its release. The second single from the album, "Every Summer", debuted on the Radio Disney Top 30 Countdown on September 14, 2003, at spot #22. He debuted on the RadioDisney.com Top 3 with "Every Summer" on November 19, 2003, at the #3 spot.
In November 2003, Greg embarked on his first national tour as a headlining act, co-heading with
Stevie Brock
Stephen Ray "Stevie" Brock (born October 23, 1990) is an American pop singer. A native of Dayton, Ohio, he was signed to WIRE Records in 2002, releasing his Stevie Brock (album), eponymous debut album in 2003.
Since then, Brock has been featur ...
for the Radio Disney Jingle Jam Tour, with former Dream Street band mate
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney (born April 9, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama ''All My Children'' as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo mus ...
opening. The tour hit nineteen cities across the United States and the average audience size was around 2000 people for each venue. Greg's first single, "Take Me Back Home", was officially added to the Radio Disney playlist on November 21, 2003. During 2004, Raposo would appear in a film ''Destination Fame''.
2005–2008: Rock band "Raposo" era
The band Raposo went through three incarnations; from the original line-up, RAPOSO to Stereopath then back to Raposo for a short period of time before rebranding as Dead Celebrities.
2005–2006: Raposo
Through years of various band formations, Raposo finally found what he was looking for in lead guitarist Nick Slobodskoy. Nick was first a classically trained violinist, but that all changed when he was introduced to the music of
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
and purchased his first guitar. Nick formed rock band Floffus and later joined local band Brookside, sharing the stage with such national acts as Thursday,
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. The band was formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes and bassist Jesse Lacey in 1999. The band's members currently are Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar, keybo ...
,
The Starting Line
The Starting Line is an American pop punk band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 1999.
History
Early years (1999–2001)
In 1999, the band that would become The Starting Line was initiated in Churchville, Pennsylvania via an e ...
,
Wheatus
Wheatus are an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. They are known principally for their 2000 single "Teenage Dirtbag", which appeared in the films '' Loser'' and ''Bully'', as well as the HBO miniseries ''Generation Kil ...
and
Superdrag
Superdrag is an American alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. They are best known for their 1996 single, " Sucked Out", off their album ''Regretfully Yours'', for which a video was played on MTV. The original lineup r ...
. Drummer Lou Vecchio started playing drums from an extremely young age. This third-generation drummer cites his father, Louis Vecchio, among his many idols. Endorsed by MRP Drums, Lou is recognized as one of the best drummers on Long Island originally form the famous NY band Unlikely Heroes . His tight rhythms and passionate playing brings a distinctive groove to the RAPOSO sound. Bassist Jakey Lee grew up on classic rock. He was in Brookside for several tours and played with Nick. He had also done some studio sessions with Lou, and their chemistry was already there. Matching Lou's tight rhythms brought Jake into the fold as the final member of RAPOSO.
2007: Stereopath
The second incarnation of Raposo, Stereopath existed until guitarist Nick Slobodskoy left in February 2008. The band recorded an unreleased 6-song EP entitled "Stereopath".
2008: Dead Celebrities
The third incarnation of Raposo began in May 2008. Its members are Greg, Jesse Leo, Brian Corona, Danny Miller, and Drummer Dan Leo. Jesse and Brian formerly led Long Island-based The Unlikely Heroes. Dan Leo was the drummer of bands Diffuser(Hollywood Records)and Action Action(Victory). The third incarnation of RAPOSO were semi-finalists in the
MTV2
MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global.
The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...
Battle of the Bands for a spot on the
RockBand
A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
II Tour and finished the voting process ranked in the top two. They changed their name to Dead Celebrities, recorded an album (which never released), and disbanded. During 2008, Raposo acted as Gary in the film ''
Return to Sleepaway Camp
''Return to Sleepaway Camp'' is a 2008 American slasher film written and directed by Robert Hiltzik. The fourth film in the ''Sleepaway Camp'' film series and first film released direct-to-video, it is a direct sequel to the ''Sleepaway Camp'' (1 ...
''.
2012: ''Loss, Love, Life''
After a three-year hiatus, Raposo returned to a solo career. He released the independent album "Loss, Love, Life", in memoriam of his cousin Theresa Buccatello, on May 3, 2012, funded by a Kickstarter initiative. The music video for his first independent single, "That Day", was produced in New York City and released online on May 15, 2012. Reviews have praised "Loss, Love, Life" for being "genuine" and "not sounding like a slightly older boy band." In the summer of 2012, Raposo featured on the Rock Camp Tour around New York, New Jersey, and Long Island. It was around this time when Raposo and his girlfriend decided to change to an “open” relationship. There is speculation that she had developed feelings for one of Raposo's old band members
2020: Chris Trousdale tribute
On June 2, 2020, Raposo's former Dream Street bandmate
Chris Trousdale
Christopher Ryan Pask (June 11, 1985 – June 2, 2020) known professionally as Chris Trousdale, was an American singer, dancer and actor. He was a member of The Broadway Kids and the boy band Dream Street, working with Jesse McCartney, Frankie J. ...
died at a hospital in
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
, at the age of 34 due to complications from an unknown illness during the
COVID-19 pandemic in California
Ten of the first twenty confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States occurred in California, the first of which was confirmed on January 26, 2020. All of the early confirmed cases were persons who had recently travelled to China, as testing wa ...
.
It was later revealed that COVID-19 was the main complication of Trousdale's death.
On June 11, 2020, on what would be Trousdale's 35th birthday, Raposo and his former Dream Street bandmates
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney (born April 9, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama ''All My Children'' as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo mus ...
,
Frankie Galasso, and Matt Ballinger reunited for a virtual performance of "It Happens Every Time" to pay tribute to Trousdale. This would be the first public appearance of Dream Street together as a group since the disbandment over the lawsuits prior.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raposo, Gregory
1985 births
American child singers
American male child actors
American male pop singers
Buckley Country Day School alumni
Living people
Dream Street members
People from Long Island
Musical groups from Long Island
21st-century American singers
21st-century American male singers
American people of Portuguese descent