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Rockapella is an American
a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
musical group formed in 1986 in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. The group's name is an amalgam of "rock" and "a cappella". Rockapella sings original vocal music and a cappella covers of pop and rock songs; and over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and world music toward a more R&B-style sound. Rockapella initially found their biggest success in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
throughout their career. They are also known for their role as a vocal house band and resident comedy troupe on the
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
children's geography game show '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'', based on the educational computer game of the same name developed and published by
Broderbund Broderbund Software, Inc. (stylized as Brøderbund) was an American maker of video games, educational software, and productivity tools. Broderbund is best known for the 8-bit video game hits ''Choplifter'', ''Lode Runner'', ''Karateka'', and '' ...
. Rockapella has released 19 albums in both Japan and the United States, and three compilation albums in Japan. The text "All sounds provided by the voices and appendages of Rockapella", the central idea of the band, has appeared on all of their CDs since the addition of their vocal percussionist.


Band history


Early years (1986–1990)

The founding members of Rockapella consisted of
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
alumni
Sean Altman Sean Altman (born May 9, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is a founder and former lead singer ( tenor) of the a capella musical group Rockapella and a pioneer of the modern a cappella movement. He was a member of Rockapella from ...
, Elliott Kerman, Steve Keyes, and David Stix. They had each been in an
a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
group at Brown called High Jinks, but not all at the same time. Having been in High Jinks the longest, Altman was the only connection between the other three members; when they found with each other in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
following their graduation, they decided to form Rockapella. The band began performing on New York City street corners in 1986 with a hat at their feet and a song repertoire that consisted of a mix of barbershop arrangements and a cappella renditions of classic
doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...
pieces that evolved to focus less on oldies and barbershop and more on contemporary rock music. Passers-by began to drop business cards into the hat, and these street corner performances led to private party and club performances around NYC. Stix left the group in 1987 to pursue his artistic career and was replaced by Charlie Evett. That same year, a dinner party performance for television personality
Kathie Lee Gifford Kathryn Lee Gifford (née Epstein; born August 16, 1953) is an American television presenter, singer, songwriter, actress and author. From 1985 to 2000, she and Regis Philbin hosted the talk show ''Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee''. Gifford is a ...
led to Rockapella's 1988 appearance on the WABC-TV show The Morning Show,
Regis Philbin Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (; August 25, 1931 – July 25, 2020)Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine was an American television presenter, talk show host, game show host, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest working ma ...
and Gifford's NYC morning talk show before it went national. Their performance of Altman's signature arrangement of the calypso novelty standard " Zombie Jamboree" caught the eye of producer Gerard Brown. He invited Rockapella to perform on the PBS "Great Performances" TV special ''
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
& Company – Do It A Cappella,'' which would put them into the national spotlight. However, Evett left the group to continue a career in software design in 1988 before the special's taping, and
Barry Carl Barry Strauss Carl (born April 20, 1950) is an American voice-over actor and musician best known as the bass of the a cappella vocal band Rockapella while the group was house band on the PBS children's geography game show '' Where in the World ...
was hired to take his place.


''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' (1991–1996)

With a
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
special and numerous morning talk show appearances under their collective belt, Rockapella was noticed by the producers of an up-and-coming children's geography game show ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?''. Shortly before the show's premiere, Keyes had decided to leave Rockapella to launch his legal career, but was still part of the band when they auditioned and were hired to write and perform the show's theme song as well as appearing as the comic relief house band. Keyes was replaced by
Scott Leonard Charles Scott Leonard IV (born October 11, 1965) is an American singer and a member of the cappella group Rockapella, the former house band on the PBS children's geography game show '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' Biography Leonard w ...
, who had just returned from a career as the lead singer in a
Tokyo Disneyland (local nickname ''TDL'') is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be ...
electronic rock band. Between Leonard joining the band and the start of their television break, Rockapella began to pick up fame, starring in a
Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
comedy special ''Chez Whoopi'', a
Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...
commercial, and opened for acts such as
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
, Styx,
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
, and their a cappella idols
The Persuasions The Persuasions are an American a cappella group that began singing together in Brooklyn, New York in the mid-1960s. The Persuasions were formed in Brooklyn in 1962, singing a cappella under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their ...
, who the group had met on the ''Do It A Cappella'' special. They also performed on
Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
's first
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
episode of ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'' in 1992.The Showbiz Wizard: ROCKAPELLA'S SCOTT LEONARD!
Theshowbizwizard.blogspot.com (January 03, 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
Rockapella first appeared on the half-hour game show in 1991 and later continued to appear daily for five seasons, catapulting the band's four members into mid-level television celebrity status and making the Rockapella-performed theme song (which was penned by Altman and his childhood friend,
David Yazbek David Norman Yazbek (born 1961) is an American writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''The Full Monty'' (2000), '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' (2005), ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Bre ...
) as one of the best known television themes in history.
Jeff Thacher Jeffrey Thomas Thacher (born December 23, 1967) is an American musician, best known as a member of the vocal group Rockapella. A professional vocal percussionist (a practice also referred to as " mouth drumming" and related to the hip hop-deri ...
joined Rockapella as the band's permanent vocal percussionist in 1993, although he only appeared on ''Carmen Sandiego'' during its fifth and final season two years later. While Rockapella was seen daily in homes across America, Leonard used his connections to the Japanese music market to acquire a recording contract with ForLife Records. The group released seven albums of original and cover material under this label in Japan during their run on ''Carmen Sandiego'' and for two years after that, being the first to bring contemporary a cappella music to Japan.


Post-''Carmen Sandiego'' years (1997–present)

Following the end of ''Carmen Sandiego'' in 1996, Altman left Rockapella to pursue his solo career the following year, and was replaced by Kevin Wright; it was this line-up that would find itself gaining a boost in popularity in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. An American record label, two Folger's coffee commercials that ran between 1998 and 2001, and another PBS special of their December 9, 2000, concert brought Rockapella to be known as the front-runners of modern-day a cappella. In 2002, Carl hung up his pipes as bassist and was replaced by
George Baldi III George William Baldi III (born August 29, 1970) is an American singer best known as the bass singer of the a cappella singing group Rockapella from 2002 to 2014, and then returned to the group since 2022. Early life Baldi grew up in Philadelph ...
. In 2003, the group started their now annual "A Rockapella Holiday" tour, and in 2004, they released a live album, as well as re-released all of their previous North American albums on the independent label Shakariki Records. That same year, Kerman, the group's baritone and the last remaining founding member of the group, decided to leave Rockapella and was replaced by John K. Brown, a second tenor. This membership change initiated the era of, as the group refers to it, "The New Rockapella", in which the group has added more choreography and energy to their concert performances. Between 2005 and 2009, Rockapella focused on touring both domestically and around the world, continuing their popularity in North America and Japan while also boosting their newfound popularity in Europe and Asia in countries such as Germany, Switzerland,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, and
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. Rockapella began joining the
Boston Pops The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...
on stage in the eastern US in 2006, creating a concert experience that shows both the orchestra's and Rockapella's talents separately and together in a manner never done before: a cappella with instrumentation. In August 2009, Wright announced he would be leaving the group at the end of the year to spend more time with his family; his last performance with the band was on December 22 of that same year, and was replaced by Steven Dorian. In August 2010, the group announced their first ever concert cruise through Galaxsea Travel aboard
Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Cruise Line is an international cruise line with headquarters in Doral, Florida. The company is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Its logo is a funnel shaped like a whale's tail, with a red, white, and blue color scheme. This ...
' '' Glory''. It took place on January 23–30, 2011 and included private concerts and a meet and greet cocktail party with Rockapella. On September 21, 2010, after much build up by the group since January, the band released ''
Bang Bang or bangs may refer to: Products * M1922 Bang rifle, a US semi-automatic rifle designed by Søren Hansen Bang * Bang, a model car brand * Bang (beverage), an energy drink Geography * Bang, Lorestan, a village in Iran * Bangs, Ohio, Uni ...
'', their first full scale studio album since 2002, in digital format via
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
,
Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
, and their website; physical CDs became available on October 21. On December 17
PAID Inc.
the group's brand management and marketing resource, announced a partnership wit
Fairwood Studios
that resulted in Rockapella becoming the first a cappella band to be featured in the
Rock Band Network The ''Rock Band'' Network (abbreviated RBN) was a downloadable content service designed by Harmonix with the help of Microsoft to allow musical artists and record labels to make their music available as playable tracks for the ''Rock Band'' seri ...
. The project to make "Bang", the title track off their newest album, the first track in Rock Band to feature full, four-instrument gameplay based on no live or synthesized instruments began in the summer of 2010, and was released for purchase on January 30, 2011 through the RBN. As shown by a
accompanying video
released through YouTube on Fairwood Studios' channel, the vocal player sings along with Leonard's lead, the guitarist strums to Brown and Dorian's backup vocals, the bass guitar player follows Baldi's bass vocals, and the player on the drums uses Thacher's vocal percussion as their notes.Full length video of "Bang" gameplay on expert autoplay
Youtube.com (January 31, 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
At the beginning of 2011, the band's cover of "
It's A Small World "It's a Small World" is a water-based boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks worldwide, including Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California; Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida; Tokyo D ...
" from their album ''
Comfort & Joy ''Comfort & Joy'' is the fourteenth overall, ninth North American, and fourth holiday album by the a cappella group Rockapella. It was re-released in 2004 on Shakariki Records. Track listing Personnel *Scott Leonard – high tenor *Kevin Wrigh ...
'', was featured in a TV commercial for the animated film ''
Gnomeo and Juliet ''Gnomeo & Juliet'' is a 2011 computer-animated romantic comedy film directed by Kelly Asbury from a screenplay by Rob Sprackling and John Smith. It is loosely based on the play '' Romeo and Juliet'' by William Shakespeare and features the voi ...
''. Along with their usual holiday shows, Rockapella joined the Boston Pops in November and December 2011 for ten shows during their Christmas tour, a first for the band. On November 16, 2011, Rockapella released a new holiday album, ''
A Rockapella Holiday ''A Rockapella Holiday'' is the seventeenth overall, twelfth North American, and fifth holiday album released by the a cappella group Rockapella. The tracks consist of new songs premiered on the album and songs the group has perfected since 2003 d ...
'', announcing the release via Facebook. In the spring of 2012, Rockapella revealed a new covers album was in the works, titled '' Motown & More'', to accompany their live show of the same name. Just prior to release,
YouTube sampler
of the forthcoming album tracks was posted & announced via Facebook, presenting song clips accompanied by album-related graphics. The
album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
was released on March 15, 2013 on iTunes and is currently also available o
Amazon.com

CDBaby
The band released two music videos of original music on YouTube in 2013
"Pretty Much You"
from ''Motown & More'' on May 21, 2013, an
"4U4Now4Life"
from ''Bang'' on September 10, 2013. In a Facebook post on October 14, Brown announced he would be leaving the group at the end of the month to enter the ministry full-time. He was replaced by Calvin Jones, who began performing with the group at their first Christmas show of 2013. After a run as substitute bass during the 2014 holiday tour, Ryan Chappelle, a former member of Boston'
Ball In The House
"BITH") officially replaced George Baldi as bass singer on band photos and other materials in early 2015, with Baldi periodically appearing on tour as a sub. On April 11, 2015, following two months of tour dates in Reno, NV and other western US cities, the group released
music video
an
studio single
of one of the new songs from their stage show:
"mashup" of "Rock Around The Clock" and "Tell Me Something Good"
featuring their new bass, and shot in and around Reno. On July 27, 2015,
Funny or Die Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a reg ...
reunited four of the five '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' members on-camera (and the 5th via music only) to record & perform a comedy
parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
version of the TV theme song, regarding the recen
escape


of Mexican drug lord
El Chapo EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
, entitle
"Where In The World Is El Chapo?"
On October 23, 2015
Mashable.com
reunited Carmen Sandiego era member and theme song co-writer
Sean Altman Sean Altman (born May 9, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is a founder and former lead singer ( tenor) of the a capella musical group Rockapella and a pioneer of the modern a cappella movement. He was a member of Rockapella from ...
with members of the present group for
reunion interview & performance
on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the
Carmen Sandiego ''Carmen Sandiego'' (sometimes referred to as ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'') is a media franchise based on a series of computer games created by the American software company Broderbund. While the original 1985 '' Where in the World ...
franchise, as well as 24th anniversary of the television program. On February 9, 2016, the group released
music video
an
studio single
on the occasion of Valentine's Day: an uptempo cover of " (The) Candy Man". In November 2019, Mitchell Rains left the group and was replaced by Jose Rosario. In 2022, Jose Rosario left the group and was replaced by Manny Houston. Also, Bryant Vance left the group at that time as well, allowing George Baldi III to return.


Life after Rockapella

Most of the former members of Rockapella have remained in the singing business since their departures. Altman, Keyes, Evett, and non-Rockapella-member baritone Kevin Weist now comprise an a cappella group called The GrooveBarbers. They were cast in a nationwide television ad for Astelin nasal spray as The Astelins. They focus more on Altman's originals, barbershop arrangements, and a cappella doo wop than covers of pop songs. Altman has also released three solo albums and two Jewish comedy albums, one of which to go along with his solo comedy ac
Jewmongous
Kerman is working independently on jazz music compilations. Carl recorded a solo album, '' The SoLow Project'', in 2004 and has pursued various musical and voice-over opportunities, as well as enjoying his semi-retirement. Kerman and Carl have joined The GrooveBarbers on stage on more than one occasion, and since 2008 have reunited with Altman and Keyes on five occasions, billing themselves as XRP. This regrouping of the 1988–1991 line up of Rockapella was originally scheduled to occur only twice: once as a practice gig on July 26, 2008, and a second time at the 2008 A Cappellastock in Ogden, Utah on August 23. However, XRP got together for a third show on April 17, 2009 and sang a song written by Carl and Altman on the '' Schoolhouse Rock!: Earth Rock'' soundtrack called "You Oughta Be Savin' Water". Following this, a fourth concert on December 13, 2012 was announced by Carl, and a fifth concert in support of the Harlem, New York City public school Central Park East 2 on February 1, 2014 was announced by Altman.
Sean Altman Sean Altman (born May 9, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is a founder and former lead singer ( tenor) of the a capella musical group Rockapella and a pioneer of the modern a cappella movement. He was a member of Rockapella from ...
has continued to release multiple singles & videos under both his name and that o
Jewmongous
often in collaboration with Rockapella member
Jeff Thacher Jeffrey Thomas Thacher (born December 23, 1967) is an American musician, best known as a member of the vocal group Rockapella. A professional vocal percussionist (a practice also referred to as " mouth drumming" and related to the hip hop-deri ...
as video director.https://www.youtube.com/user/seanaltman/videos Sean Altman & Jewmongous YouTube channel - See video credits Feb 2012 to present


Personnel

; Current members *
Scott Leonard Charles Scott Leonard IV (born October 11, 1965) is an American singer and a member of the cappella group Rockapella, the former house band on the PBS children's geography game show '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' Biography Leonard w ...
- High Tenor (1991–present) *
Jeff Thacher Jeffrey Thomas Thacher (born December 23, 1967) is an American musician, best known as a member of the vocal group Rockapella. A professional vocal percussionist (a practice also referred to as " mouth drumming" and related to the hip hop-deri ...
- Vocal Percussion (1993–present) * Calvin Jones - Tenor (2013–present) *
George Baldi III George William Baldi III (born August 29, 1970) is an American singer best known as the bass singer of the a cappella singing group Rockapella from 2002 to 2014, and then returned to the group since 2022. Early life Baldi grew up in Philadelph ...
- Bass (2002-2014, 2022-present) * Manny Houston - Tenor (2022–present) ; Supporting musicians * John K. Brown – Tenor (2014–present; substitute for Calvin Jones & Mitchell Rains) * Ryan Chappelle - Bass (2016–present) * Steven Dorian - Tenor (2016–present) * Christopher Rossi – Tenor (2013–15); substitute for Steven Dorian, now Mitchell Rains) ; Former members *
Sean Altman Sean Altman (born May 9, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is a founder and former lead singer ( tenor) of the a capella musical group Rockapella and a pioneer of the modern a cappella movement. He was a member of Rockapella from ...
- Tenor (1986-1997; founding member) * Elliott Kerman - Baritone (1986-2004; founding member) * Steve Keyes - High Tenor (1986-1991; founding member) * David Stix - Bass (1986-1987; founding member) * Charlie Evett - Bass (1987-1988) *
Barry Carl Barry Strauss Carl (born April 20, 1950) is an American voice-over actor and musician best known as the bass of the a cappella vocal band Rockapella while the group was house band on the PBS children's geography game show '' Where in the World ...
- Bass (1988-2002) * Kevin Wright - Tenor (1997-2009) * John K. Brown - Tenor (2004-2013) * Bryant Vance - Bass (2016-2022) * Ryan Chappelle - Bass (2014–2016) * Steven Dorian - Tenor (2009–2016) * Mitchell Rains - Tenor (2016-2019) * Jose Rosario - Tenor (2019–2022) ; Former supporting musicians * Kenny X – Vocal percussion (1992; touring) *
David Yazbek David Norman Yazbek (born 1961) is an American writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''The Full Monty'' (2000), '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' (2005), ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Bre ...
– Vocal percussion (1992; session) * Nathan Herron – Tenor (2014–???; substitute for Steven Dorian) * Rolin E. Alexis – Bass (2014–???; substitute for George Baldi III and Ryan Chappelle)


Timeline


Discography


US albums

All albums from ''Don't Tell Me You Do'' through ''Comfort & Joy'' were re-released in the US by Shakariki Records in 2004.


Compilation albums


Miscellaneous albums


Singles and EPs


Other appearances


Solo albums and appearances


Songs used in commercials

*
Gnomeo and Juliet ''Gnomeo & Juliet'' is a 2011 computer-animated romantic comedy film directed by Kelly Asbury from a screenplay by Rob Sprackling and John Smith. It is loosely based on the play '' Romeo and Juliet'' by William Shakespeare and features the voi ...
- feature film trailer *
Folgers Folgers Coffee is a brand of ground, instant, and single-use pod coffee produced and sold in the United States, with additional distribution in Asia, Canada and Mexico. It forms part of the food and beverage division of The J.M. Smucker Comp ...
coffee *
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
''
The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...
'' promos for the earliest version of the program's "Where in the World is
Matt Lauer Matthew Todd Lauer (; born December 30, 1957) is an American former television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the ne ...
?" segment. The song was re-recorded later in different styles by other musicians. *
Mounds A mound is an artificial heap or pile, especially of earth, rocks, or sand. Mound and Mounds may also refer to: Places * Mound, Louisiana, United States * Mound, Minnesota, United States * Mound, Texas, United States * Mound, West Virginia * ...
/
Almond Joy Almond Joy is a candy bar manufactured by Hershey's, consisting of sweetened, shredded coconut topped with whole almonds and covered in milk chocolate. The company also produces Mounds bars, a similar confection without nuts, coated in dark ch ...
*
Doritos Doritos () is an American brand of flavored tortilla chips produced since 1964 by Frito-Lay, a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo. The original Doritos were not flavored. The first flavor was Toasted Corn, released in 1966, followed by Taco in ...
*
Mazola Associated British Foods plc (ABF) is a British multinational food processing and retailing company headquartered in London, England. Its ingredients division is the world's second-largest producer of both sugar and baker's yeast and a major p ...
* Kent Super Lights - Japan-only *
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
- (Became "We Got A Happy Holiday" song from Japan-only album "Bash") *
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
*
Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...
*
Bacardi Bacardi Limited (; ) is one of the largest privately held, family-owned spirits companies in the world. Originally known for its Bacardi brand of white rum, it now has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels. Founded in Cuba in 1862 an ...
*
Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrela ...
*
AFLAC Aflac Inc. (American Family Life Assurance Company) is an American insurance company and is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States. The company was founded in 1955 and is based in Columbus, Georgia. In the U.S., A ...
insurance *
ProScan ProScan is a consumer electronics manufacturer and has a trademark in continuous use since 1990. It is one brand of the French company Technicolor SA (previously named Thomson SA) with products competing with higher-end electronics. The ProScan ...
televisions *
Arby's Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, '' Food & Wine'' called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)". Ar ...
* Ozone Ford - Long Island, NY dealership (now defunct) * Tools To Help You Choose (an infomercial about the TV Ratings System) feat.
Bob Keeshan Robert James Keeshan (June 27, 1927 – January 23, 2004) was an American television producer and actor. He created and played the title role in the children's television program '' Captain Kangaroo'', which ran from 1955 to 1984, the longes ...
(aka Captain Kangaroo) * BuiltBar Health Bars * '' The Big Con'', a 2021 video game


Filmography

*
WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship (broadcas ...
's 40th Anniversary (1988, guest appearance) * ''
Comic Strip Live The Comic Strip Live is the oldest stand-up comedy showcase club in New York City, located at 1568 Second Avenue (between 81st and 82nd Streets). History The Comic Strip was opened in 1976. Richard Tienken and Robert Wachs were two of the club ...
'' (1989, guest appearance) * ''Spike Lee & Co. Do It A Capella'' (1990, guest appearance) * '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' (1991-1995, house band and comedy troupe) * ''Chez Whoopi'' (1991, guest appearance) * ''Zappa's Universe'' (1991, guest appearance) * ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'' (1992, guest appearance) * ''The Biggest Little Ticket'' (1993, guest appearance) * The 1996 Orange Bowl Parade * ''
Joe's Apartment ''Joe's Apartment'' is a 1996 American musical black comedy film written and directed by John Payson (in his feature directorial debut), based on his 1992 short film of the same name, and starring Jerry O'Connell and Megan Ward. The first MTV Films ...
'' (1996, were the voices of The Roach Chorus) * '' Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child'' (1997, were the voices of The Five Little Piggies in the special, "Mother Goose: A Rapping and Rhyming Special") * Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular (1998, guest appearance) * '' Where in the Universe Is Carmen Sandiego?'' (1999) * The 1999
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...
*
So You Think You Can Dance Canada ''So You Think You Can Dance Canada'' is a dance competition and reality show that aired on CTV. Based on the original American TV show ''So You Think You Can Dance'', the Canadian series showcased the best in Canadian dancing talent. Each seaso ...
(2011, guest appearance)


Notes


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Professional a cappella groups Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups from New York City 1986 establishments in New York City American vocal groups