LMT Connection is a

Niagara Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

-based

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

trio. The band has been together since 1989, and have recorded four studio albums. Blending R&B, funk, and jazz, they described their sound as "Universal Soul", which is also the title of their third studio CD, released in the fall of 2003. They've played over 4000 shows, toured

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

six times over the past two years and most recently, they were invited to open for

B. B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

History

LMT Connection was formed in 1984 when Mark Rogers, while attending a show at a club in

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

approached Leroy Emmanuel, the guitar player of the featured band that night, and telling him they needed to play together. A year later, Emmanuel returned to Niagara Falls and reunited with Rogers. For four years, Leroy Emmanuel and Mark Rogers toured

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

with a 10-piece

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

band which was advertised with "Tight

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

funk mixed with a fresh, hard hittin' drumming energy.". When the tour came to its end in 1989 the two found added a third member

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

native bassist John Irvine, forming LMT Connection.

Band members

* Leroy Emmanuel – lead vocals and guitars * Mark Rogers – drums * John Irvine – bassist The band often shares members with

Newworldson Newworldson is a Canadian Christian pop/soul band based in St. Catharines, Ontario. Their musical style is very eclectic, but is principally soul music. The band is signed to Inpop Records and has toured extensively with the Newsboys. The band h ...

, a similar group.

Discography

Their first album, released in 1992, is "Sometime Later", an all-original album of classic, sophisticated R&B. Then in 1999 they followed with "Outta Control", a dynamic CD capturing the energy of their live show. Their third CD "Universal Soul" is an all-original CD combining the elements of classic Soul songwriting with an incredible live-off-the-floor studio performance. ;Studio albums

''Color Me Funky'' (2006)

"Features LMT as opening act for and introduced by the one and only B.B. King at Niagara Falls’ Avalon Ballrooom. LMT's CMF cover art is also very funky, and features original artwork by Emmanuel's talented and highly artistic daughter, Khea. This live CD/DVD recording captures LMT's super high-energy live performances at their recorded best!".

''Universal Soul'' (2003)

Dave Rave, of Teenage Head, said of Universal Soul: "When you listen to this album or when you see LMT Connection play live you will hear true innovation. Clashing styles – jazz against funk, soul against true Rock 'n' Roll, history mixed with mystery. You'll remember the first time you heard Chuck Berry, Wes Montgomery, Soul Train and the funkiest of the funky.".

''Outta Control'' (1999)

Gary of TO Nite said: "unlike in their live show, it doesn't take even a song, let alone a set, to move you right into the worshipsphere; it just kicks in at total high energy from the first track and notches up from there!"

''Sometime Later'' (1992)

Martin Murray of "Pulse Magazine said "their music is also so totally different than anything anyone else is doing in this area, that these guys are pretty much in a class all by themselves. And yes they even managed to include Leroy's spoons solo! A great album from a band who are definitely destined for bigger things."Murray, Martin (1992). "Pulse Magazine". Retrieved on 2008-10-17

References

External links

*LMT Connection Official Website {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups from Buffalo, New York American funk musical groups