Calvin Richardson: Making Real Music
- You've been in the game forever so I thought we could look back on your career. I understand you started in gospel?
Yea, I started singing in the church when I was a kid. I been singing in gospel since I was like 5.
- Do you see the influence of gospel in your own work?
Of course, what you listen to, that's the gospel. That's my background. That soulful sound came from church. All the soul singers that everybody would know from way back in the day, Al Green, Betty Wright, Aretha Franklin. They all came from the church. And so did I.
- You met the Hailey Brothers, K-Ci & JoJo while doing gospel?
They had a gospel group back in the day, Lil Cedric and the Hailey Singers. K-Ci was the lead singer. We went to high school together. They moved out from Baltimore, and we started singing in school together. I became a part of that gospel group and just traveled, doing that until they went on to do Jodeci.
- Did you ever feel scoffed that they went to Jodeci without you?
Not at all. At that particular time, they decided to make their move. They called me about it man, but nobody from our area had really made it in that area. So they left without me man. They went on and did their thing. I made a decision and I live with it. I was able to get my own career going. I didn't sell a million records like they did, but at the same time, I've got my own fans out there. I sustain my own life, my own sound, my own identity.
- You did work with K-Ci on your 1999 album Country Boy. Have you ever considered working together again since then?
Yea, actually, K-Ci and I did a remix to "Sang No More" that's out right now. K-Ci and JoJo and myself, we formed a group and we been recording. The name of the group is P.O.C.. We represent the Carolinas. P.O.C. stands for Product of Carolina. We haven't gotten that far because I been traveling and they been traveling. But when we come together, we get some stuff done. But we probably got about seven or eight tracks done already.
It's a work in progress. Everybody's doing what they doing. We're focusing on getting our lives together. Give it time and we'll regroup and come back with the P.O.C.
- They went on to form Jodeci, and I read that around the same time, you formed a group called Undacova. Is that right?
Yea, I did form a group called Undacova but it wasn't at the same time. It was probably a year later after their first album came out. I realized their success and we'd always been in a group together so I put a group together myself and came up to New York. Not long after, we landed a deal.
We probably stayed for a week, auditioned for a couple of groups. Back in the day, all the executives would come into the lobby and you would have to perform in the lobby by the receptionist. We had about three different labels trying to give us record deals and we landed with Tommy Boy.
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| Calvin Richardson has worked closely with K-Ci & JoJo and has even begun work on a group album with them. |