American a cappella musical group
Rockapella
is an American
a cappella
musical group formed in 1986 in
New York City
. The group's name is a
portmanteau
of "rock" and "a cappella". Rockapella sings original vocal music and a cappella versions of other songs. Over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and
world music
style toward a sound more influenced by
R&B
. Rockapella found their early and enduring success in
Japan
. They are most successful for their role as a house band and comedy troupe on the
PBS
children's geography game show
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
.
In addition to three compilation albums in Japan, Rockapella has released 19 albums in the US and Japan. Since the band's vocal percussionist was hired, the line "All sounds provided by the voices and appendages of Rockapella" has been printed on each of their CDs.
Band history
[
edit
]
Early years (1986?1990)
[
edit
]
The founding members of Rockapella consisted of
Brown University
alumni
Sean Altman
, Elliott Kerman, Steve Keyes, and David Stix. They had each been in an
a cappella
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 each other in
New York City
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
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
led to Rockapella's 1988 appearance on the WABC-TV show
The Morning Show
,
Regis Philbin
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
& Company ? Do It A Cappella,
[1]
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
was hired to take his place.
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
(1991?1996)
[
edit
]
With a
PBS
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
, who had just returned from a career as the lead singer in a
Tokyo Disneyland
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
HBO
comedy special
Chez Whoopi
, a
Taco Bell
commercial, and opened for acts such as
Chuck Berry
,
Styx
,
Billy Joel
, and their a cappella idols
The Persuasions
, who the group had met on the
Do It A Cappella
special. They also performed on
Jay Leno
's first
New Year's Eve
episode of
The Tonight Show
in 1992.
[2]
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
) as one of the best known television themes in history.
Jeff Thacher
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.
[2]
Post-
Carmen Sandiego
years (1997?present)
[
edit
]
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. They did two
Folger's
coffee commercials between 1998 and 2001 and a PBS special of their
December 9, 2000, concert
. In 2002, Carl was replaced by
George Baldi III
. 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, left and was replaced by John K. Brown, a second tenor. Rockapella began joining the
Boston Pops
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.
[3]
In August 2009, Wright announced he would be leaving the group at the end of the year to spend more time with his family;
[4]
his last performance with the band was on December 22 of that same year,
[5]
and was replaced by
Steven Dorian
.
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,
[6]
[7]
and was released for purchase on January 30, 2011 through the RBN.
[8]
At the beginning of 2011, the band's cover of "
It's A Small World
" from their album
Comfort & Joy
, was featured in a TV commercial for the animated film
Gnomeo and Juliet
.
[9]
On November 16, 2011, Rockapella released a new holiday album,
A Rockapella Holiday
.
[
citation needed
]
In 2022, Jose Rosario left the group and was replaced by Manny Houston. Bryant Vance left the group at that time as well, allowing George Baldi III to return. By mid-2023, Baldi left the group once again and was replaced by Armand Hutton.
Personnel
[
edit
]
- Current members
- Scott Leonard
- High Tenor
(1991?present)
- Jeff Thacher
- Vocal Percussion
(1993?present)
- Calvin Jones - Tenor
(2013?present)
- Armand Hutton - Bass
(2023?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)
- George Baldi III
- Bass
(2002-2014, 2022-2023; substitute for Armand Hutton)
|
- Former members
- Sean Altman
- 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
- 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)
- George Baldi III
- Bass
(2002-2014, 2022-2023)
- Former supporting musicians
- Kenny X ? Vocal percussion
(1992; touring)
- David Yazbek
? 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
[
edit
]
Discography
[
edit
]
US albums
[
edit
]
Country
|
Release Date
|
Title
|
Line-up
|
Label
|
Japan
|
May 21, 1992
|
To N.Y.
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
|
ForLife Records
|
May 21, 1992
|
From N.Y.
|
December 16, 1992
|
Bash!
|
April 21, 1994
|
Vocobeat
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
|
November 18, 1994
|
Out Cold
|
USA
|
1995
|
Primer
|
Independent
|
|
- 1996 (US)
- November 21, 1996 (Japan)
|
Lucky Seven
|
- Independent (US)
- ForLife Records (Japan)
|
USA
|
1997
|
Rockapella
|
Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright
|
Independent
|
February 16, 1999
|
Don't Tell Me You Do
|
J-Bird Records
|
March 28, 2000
|
2
|
|
- October 24, 2000 (US)
- November 30, 2001 (Japan)
|
Christmas
|
- J-Bird Records (US)
- Rentrak Records (Japan)
|
- May 6, 2001 (US)
- November 30, 2001 (Japan)
|
In Concert
|
USA
|
August 13, 2002
|
Smilin'
|
Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright, Baldi
|
Amerigo Records
|
November 12, 2002
|
Comfort & Joy
|
Kerman, Leonard, Thacher, Wright, Baldi
|
June 2004
|
Live in Japan
|
Shakariki Records
|
November 16, 2011
|
A Rockapella Holiday
|
Leonard, Thacher, Dorian, Baldi, Brown
|
September 21, 2010
|
Bang
|
March 15, 2013
|
Motown & More
|
September 2017
|
Jams, Vol. 1
|
Leonard, Thacher, Rains, Jones, Vance
|
December 2018
|
Jams, Vol. 2
|
December 2019
|
Christmas Live
|
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
[
edit
]
Country
|
Release Date
|
Album
|
Line-up
|
Label
|
Japan
|
November 17, 1995
|
Best Fest
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
|
ForLife Records
|
September 2002
|
Best A Cappella
|
September 25, 2002
|
More Than Ever
|
Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright
|
Rentrak Records
|
Miscellaneous albums
[
edit
]
Singles and EPs
[
edit
]
Release Date
[10]
|
Title
|
Line-up
|
Label
|
1993
|
"
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
"
[11]
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
|
Zoom Express
|
April 11, 2015
|
"
Rock Around the Clock
/Tell Me Something Good"
|
Leonard, Thacher, Dorian, Jones, Chappelle
|
Shakariki Records
|
February 9, 2016
|
"Candy Man"
|
Shakariki Records
|
July 23, 2016
|
"Sir GotALot"
|
Shakariki Records
|
November 4, 2016
|
"Better 2gether"
|
Leonard, Thacher, Rains, Jones, Vance
|
Shakariki Records
|
June 1, 2017
|
"Workin My Way to You"
|
Shakariki Records
|
November 22, 2017
|
"How 'Bout Now?"
|
Shakariki Records
|
- November 2019 (vinyl)
[12]
- July 23, 2020 (digital)
|
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
EP
|
- Enjoy the Toons Records (vinyl)
- Shakariki Records (digital)
|
September 24, 2021
|
"Gimme Money (Con and On and On)" (From the game, The Big Con)
|
Leonard, Thacher, Jones, Vance, Rosario
|
Skybound Games
|
Other appearances
[
edit
]
Year
|
Artist
|
Album
|
Song(s)
|
Line-up
|
1990
|
|
Spike Lee & Company: Do It a Cappella
|
|
Altman, Keyes, Kerman, Carl
|
1991
|
|
Zappa's Universe
|
- "Elvis Has Left the Building"
- "Heavenly Bank Account"
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
|
1992
|
|
Modern A Cappella
|
|
Altman, Keyes, Kerman, Carl
|
1992
|
|
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
|
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
|
1993
|
The Muppets
|
Muppet Beach Party
|
"
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow
"
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
|
1993
|
|
Put on Your Green Shoes
|
"Light of the Sun" (with
Richie Havens
)
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
|
1993
|
|
Carmen Sandiego: Out of This World
|
"Big Wet Rag"
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
|
1994
|
|
Biggest Little Ticket
|
- "Everything to Me"
- "I Like You Very Much"
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
|
1994
|
|
95.5 WPLJ
Presents Scott & Todd's Scam-America Comedy Album Vol. II
|
"Where in the World Is Joseph P. Nolan"
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
|
1994
|
|
1994 World University Games
|
”Pass on the Torch (I Know New York)"
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
|
1995
|
|
Ben & Jerry's
One World One Heart for Kids
|
"The Light of the Sun" (with Richie Havens)
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
|
1995
|
Anri
|
Opus 21
|
”Moon in the Rain" (background vocals)
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
|
1996
|
|
Voices Only: A Cappella Originals
|
"Bed of Nails"
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
|
1997
|
Anri
|
Twin Soul
|
”Wiper on a Sunny Day" (background vocals)
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
|
1999
|
Sam Harris
|
Revival
|
"A Change in My Life" (background vocals)
|
Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright
|
2000
|
|
A Cappella Christmas Party
|
"Hold Out for Christmas"
|
Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
|
2000
|
|
Mark and Brian
: Little Drummer Boys
|
"
Silver Bells
" (live)
|
Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright
|
2002
|
|
20 Christmas Stars, Vol. IV
|
"
Merry Christmas Darling
"
|
Kerman, Leonard, Thacher, Wright, Baldi
|
2007
|
|
Hokie Nation
: An A Cappella Tribute
|
"I'll Hear Your Voice"
|
Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright
|
2016
|
|
Sing 13: Superstition
|
"Sir GotALot"
|
Leonard, Thacher, Jones, Vance, Rains
|
Solo albums and appearances
[
edit
]
Release Date
|
Artist
|
Album
|
Song(s)
|
1996
|
Scott Leonard
|
My Favorites: The Bee Gees
|
|
1997
|
Sean Altman
|
SeanDEMOnium
|
|
February 1999
|
fi-Ling Fader (Scott Leonard)
|
Bluespeel
|
|
2002
|
Nice Kitty
|
|
March 2002
|
Sean Altman
|
Alt.mania
|
|
July 2004
|
Barry Carl
|
The SoLow Project
|
|
2005
|
Sean Altman
|
Losing Streak
|
|
2005
|
The Groovebarbers (Altman, Evett, Keyes)
|
Glory
|
|
2006
|
Jewmongous (Sean Altman)
|
Unorthodox
|
|
May 2007
|
Scott Leonard
|
1man1mike
|
|
2008
|
Jewmongous (Sean Altman)
|
Taller Than Jesus
|
|
January 2009
|
John K. Brown
|
Essence of Worship
|
|
January 2009
|
God Has a Hold on Me
|
|
2010
|
The Groovebarbers (Altman, Evett, Keyes)
|
Guts
|
|
March 2009
|
Altman, Carl, Kerman
|
Schoolhouse Rock!
Earth
|
"You Oughta Be Savin' Water"
|
Altman, Carl
|
"Save the Ocean"
|
March 2010
|
Scott Leonard
|
Tokyo Robots - 1M1M2
|
|
June 2010
|
John K. Brown
|
bOOmbOOm
|
|
June 2011
|
Unplugged
|
|
November 2012
|
A "Just Play It" Christmas
|
|
2014
|
The Groovebarbers (Altman, Evett, Keyes)
|
Warning: Barbershop!
|
|
2016
|
Zombie Jamboree
|
|
2019
|
Sean Altman
|
Salt
|
|
Songs used in commercials
[
edit
]
Filmography
[
edit
]
- WPIX
's 40th Anniversary (1988, guest appearance)
- Comic Strip Live
(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
(1992, guest appearance)
- The Biggest Little Ticket
(1993, guest appearance)
- The
1996 Orange Bowl Parade
- Joe's Apartment
(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
- So You Think You Can Dance Canada
(2011, guest appearance)
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Spike & Co.: Do It A Cappella Review | TV Reviews and News
. EW.com (October 05, 1990). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
- ^
a
b
The Showbiz Wizard: ROCKAPELLA'S SCOTT LEONARD!
. Theshowbizwizard.blogspot.com (January 03, 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
- ^
News ? Spring '06 | News
Archived
2011-10-02 at the
Wayback Machine
. Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
- ^
Kevin Wright Says a Loving Goodbye to Rockapella | News
Archived
2009-08-30 at the
Wayback Machine
. Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
- ^
Kevin Wright's Final Shows with Rockapella | News
Archived
2011-10-02 at the
Wayback Machine
. Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
- ^
Rockapella to Do It on the RBN
[usurped]
. Rockbandaide.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
- ^
Did you hear that...
. Facebook. (December 22, 2010). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
- ^
Full Song ? "Bang" ? Xbox.com
. Marketplace.xbox.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
- ^
Featured in Gnomeo and Juliet Commercial | News
Archived
2011-03-23 at the
Wayback Machine
. Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
- ^
Rockapella
on
iTunes
- ^
"
Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?
" at
Discogs
- ^
Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?
at
Discogs
(list of releases)
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Rockapella
.
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Studio albums
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Live albums
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Holiday albums
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Compilation albums
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Related topics
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International
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National
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Artists
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