Michael Jeffries is a

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

singer from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, best known for his stint as a lead vocalist for the R&B/Soul band

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the b ...

from 1978 to the Mid-1980s. Michael Jeffries

History

Jeffries got his start as a part of the California band, The Two Things In One and scored a regional hit with the 1973 single "Together Forever". It would lead to his stint with

starting with 1978's ''

We Came to Play! ''We Came to Play!'' is an album by Tower of Power released in 1978. It marked the debut of singer Michael Jeffries, who would stay with T.O.P. through the mid-1980s. Steve Cropper (of Booker T. & the M.G.'s fame) produced this album. This a ...

'' and he would stay with the band through the Mid-1980s, making his stint with TOP the second longest stint as lead vocalist, behind Larry Braggs. Jeffries would go solo with the single "Razzle Dazzle" from the soundtrack to the movie ''

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

''. He would also record with

Jeff Lorber Jeffrey H. Lorber (born November 4, 1952) is an American keyboardist, composer, and record producer. After six previous nominations, Lorber won his first Grammy Award on January 28, 2018 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for '' Prototype' ...

and fellow R&B singer

Karyn White Karyn Layvonne White (born October 14, 1965) is an American singer who was popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She is known for several hit singles including "Superwoman" (1988), " Secret Rendezvous" (1989), " The Way You Love Me" (19 ...

before releasing his first self-titled solo album for

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

; ironically enough, the same label his old band Tower of Power once called home. The album was produced by

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

's producers and former members of The Time

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

. He still lives in California and has released a new album with his kids as "Michael Jeffries, Daughter, Son" called ''Family Affair'' in 2010. Also in 2011, a compilation of his recordings with The Two Things In One was released called ''Together Forever: The Music City Sessions''. On March 26, 2019, Jeffries released his next solo album ''Fonky Sexy Late Nights in the Lab'' and released a music video for "When We Love" off the album on his

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel.

Discography

With The Two Things In One

*"Silly Song"/"Snag Nasty" (Music City Records) (1971) *"Together Forever"/"Stop Telling Me" (Music City Records) (1973) *"Overdose"/"Close The Door" (Music City Records) (1974) *''Together Forever: The Music City Sessions'' (

Omnivore Recordings Omnivore Recordings is an independent record label founded in 2010. It specializes in historical releases, reissues and previously unissued vintage recordings, as well as select releases of new music, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Omnivore Re ...

) (2011)

With Skye

*"Ain't No Need" (single) (Anada Records/

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

) (1976)

with Tower of Power

*''

'' (

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 ...

) (1978) *'' Back on the Streets'' (Columbia Records) (1979) *''

Direct Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

'' (Sheffield Lab) (1981) *''Dinosaur Tracks'' (

Rhino Handmade Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was originall ...

) (2000)

with Jeff Lorber

*''Private Passion'' (

) (1986)

Solo albums

*"Razzle Dazzle" (single) (Warner Bros. Records) (1986) *''Michael Jeffries'' (Warner Bros. Records) (1989) *"And I Love Her (

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

cover)" (single-released in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) (Bellaphon Records) (1992) *''Family Affair'' (MJM Artists Records) (2010) *''Fonky Sexy Late Nights In The Lab'' (MJM Artists Records) (March 26, 2019)

References

External links

Michael Jeffries official website

Michael Jeffries official YouTube channel

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffries, Michael American rhythm and blues singers Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Tower of Power members