Rockapella

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 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 throughout their career [unclear]. They are also known for their role as a vocal house band and resident comedy troupe on the PBS 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.

Rockapella
Rockapella (L-R) Scott Leonard, Steven Dorian, Calvin Jones, George Baldi III, and Jeff Thacher performing in Clearwater, Florida on December 20, 2013.
Rockapella (L-R) Scott Leonard, Steven Dorian, Calvin Jones, George Baldi III, and Jeff Thacher performing in Clearwater, Florida on December 20, 2013.
Background information
OriginNew York City, U.S.
GenresA cappella
Years active1986–present
LabelsShakariki Records / PAID, Inc., Amerigo Records, J-Bird Records, Rentrak Records, ForLife Records
MembersScott Leonard
Jeff Thacher
Calvin Jones
Manny Houston
Armand Huttton
Past membersSean Altman
Elliott Kerman
Steve Keyes
David Stix (deceased)
Charlie Evett
Barry Carl
Kevin Wright
John K. Brown
George Baldi III
Steven Dorian
Ryan Chappelle
Mitchell Rains
Jose Rosario
Bryant Vance
Websitewww.rockapella.com

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

Early years (1986–1990)

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 with 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)

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)

Rockapella performing in 2003. (L-R) Kevin Wright, Elliott Kerman, George Baldi III, Scott Leonard, Jeff Thacher.

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. 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.[3] 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, and South Korea. 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.[4] In August 2009, Wright announced he would be leaving the group at the end of the year to spend more time with his family;[5] his last performance with the band was on December 22 of that same year,[6] and was replaced by Steven Dorian.

In August 2010, the group announced their first ever concert cruise through Galaxsea Travel aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' 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, their first full scale studio album since 2002, in digital format via iTunes, Amazon.com, and their website; physical CDs became available on October 21.[7] On December 17, PAID Inc., the group's brand management and marketing resource, announced a partnership with Fairwood Studios that resulted in Rockapella becoming the first a cappella band to be featured in the Rock Band Network.[8] 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,[9][10] and was released for purchase on January 30, 2011 through the RBN.[11] As shown by an 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.[12][note 1] 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.[13] 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.[14][15] On November 16, 2011, Rockapella released a new holiday album, A Rockapella Holiday, announcing the release via Facebook.[16] 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.[17][18][19] Just prior to release, a YouTube sampler of the forthcoming album tracks was posted & announced via Facebook,[20] presenting song clips accompanied by album-related graphics. The album was released on March 15, 2013 on iTunes[21] and is currently also available on Amazon.com & CDBaby.[22][23] The band released two music videos of original music on YouTube in 2013: "Pretty Much You" from Motown & More on May 21, 2013, and "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.[24] He was replaced by Calvin Jones, who began performing with the group at their first Christmas show of 2013.[25] After a run as substitute bass during the 2014 holiday tour, Ryan Chappelle, a former member of Boston's 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.[26] On April 11, 2015, following two months of tour dates in Reno, NV and other western US cities, the group released a music video and studio single of one of the new songs from their stage show: a "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 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 version of the TV theme song, regarding the recent escape & pursuit of Mexican drug lord El Chapo, entitled "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 with members of the present group for a reunion interview & performance on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Carmen Sandiego franchise, as well as 24th anniversary of the television program. On February 9, 2016, the group released a music video and 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.[27]

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.

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 act 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,[28] and a second time at the 2008 A Cappellastock in Ogden, Utah on August 23.[29] However, XRP got together for a third show on April 17, 2009[30] 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,[31] 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.[32] Sean Altman has continued to release multiple singles & videos[33] under both his name and that of Jewmongous, often in collaboration with Rockapella member Jeff Thacher as video director.[34]

Personnel

Timeline

Discography

US albums

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
  •  USA
  •  Japan
  • 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
  •  USA
  •  Japan
  • 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

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

Release Date Album Line-up
2005 Live at Duo Music Exchange Kerman, Baldi, Leonard, Thacher, Wright

Singles and EPs

Release Date[35] Title Line-up Label
1993 "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?"[36] 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)[37]
  • 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

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

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

Filmography

Notes

  1. Full length video of "Bang" gameplay on expert autoplay. Youtube.com (January 31, 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.

References

  1. Spike & Co.: Do It A Cappella Review | TV Reviews and News. EW.com (October 05, 1990). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  2. The Showbiz Wizard: ROCKAPELLA'S SCOTT LEONARD!. Theshowbizwizard.blogspot.com (January 03, 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  3. Interview With Rockapella's Jeff Thacher | A Cappella Music – The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Casa.org (August 14, 2010). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  4. News – Spring '06 | News Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine. Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  5. Kevin Wright Says a Loving Goodbye to Rockapella | News Archived 2009-08-30 at the Wayback Machine. Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  6. Kevin Wright's Final Shows with Rockapella | News Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine. Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  7. New Album "Bang" – Download TODAY! | News Archived 2010-09-25 at the Wayback Machine. Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  8. Rockapella Makes Unprecedented, All-Vocal Contribution to Rock Band Network Archived 2010-12-22 at the Wayback Machine. Fairwoodstudios.com (December 17, 2010). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  9. Rockapella to Do It on the RBN[Usurped!]. Rockbandaide.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  10. Did you hear that.... Facebook. (December 22, 2010). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  11. Full Song – "Bang" – Xbox.com. Marketplace.xbox.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  12. Rockapella (Performers) (December 17, 2010). Rockapella Comes to Rock Band! (Video game). New York: Fairwood Studios. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  13. Featured in Gnomeo and Juliet Commercial | News Archived 2011-03-23 at the Wayback Machine. Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  14. Rockapella's Scott Leonard | Spot on Long Island. Spotonli.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  15. Jeff Thacher (June 8, 2011). Jeff Thacher Checks In. Boston. Archived from the original on 2014-06-27. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  16. Rockapella proudly announces the new album!. Facebook. (November 16, 2011). Retrieved on November 16, 2011.
  17. Yes, it's true.... Facebook. (May 31, 2012). Retrieved on May 31, 2012.
  18. Rockapella's latest show.... Facebook. (March 19, 2012). Retrieved on May 31, 2012.
  19. September 14, 2012 Boston, MA Upcoming Show | Tour schedule and concert tickets. Rockapella. Retrieved on May 31, 2012.
  20. FAN PREVIEW: EXCLUSIVE SAMPLER of the new album.... Facebook. (March 11, 2013). Retrieved on March 11, 2013.
  21. Here's the iTunes.... Facebook. (March 15, 2013). Retrieved on March 15, 2013.
  22. https://www.amazon.com/Motown-More/dp/B00BV8RLSY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1366031454&sr=8-5&keywords=motown+%26+more Amazon.com Retrieved on April 15, 2013.
  23. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rockapella CDBaby.com Rockapella page. Retrieved on April 15, 2013.
  24. Good Evening FB, I wanted to let you all know... Facebook. (October 14, 2013). Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  25. A Farewell...and A New Addition Rockapella.com. Retrieved on January 26, 2014.
  26. See page's reply to Stefan
  27. "Rockapella on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-04-30.
  28. XRP – Sean Altman, Steve Keyes, Elliott Kerman & And Barry Carl Tickets. Smarttix.com (July 26, 2008). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  29. A Cappellastock Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. A-cappella.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  30. XRP – Original Members of Rockapella | TCAN – The Center for Arts in Natick | The Center for Arts in Natick | MUSIC. ArtsBoston.org (April 17, 2009). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  31. XRP rides again!!.... Facebook. (October 1, 2012). Retrieved on October 24, 2012.
  32. Harlem Public School Benefit!. (January 23, 2014). Retrieved on January 26, 2014.
  33. https://www.youtube.com/user/seanaltman/videos - Sean Altman & Jewmongous YouTube channel. Retrieved Feb 29, 2016
  34. https://www.youtube.com/user/seanaltman/videos Sean Altman & Jewmongous YouTube channel - See video credits Feb 2012 to present
  35. Rockapella on iTunes
  36. "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?" at Discogs
  37. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? at Discogs (list of releases)
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