MARY PEARCE/ VANESSA HAYNES/ IMAANI
Friday nights here at the Club are traditionally our Groove/Soul nights and this evening I have managed to bring together three wonderful singers who are not only 606 Club regulars but also three of the finest Soul/Groove singers in Europe.
Mary Pearce is the “Queen” of studio and backing vocals. You may not know Mary’s name but you will certainly have heard her fantastic voice. Her soulful vocals have been heard with the cream of the Jazz, Soul, R&B and Pop world, including the likes of Lionel Ritchie, Grace Jones, Chaka Khan, Courtney Pine, Mica Paris, Beverley Knight, Culture Club, Marcella Detroit, Donna Summer, Roy Ayres…..the list goes on. A vocalist of power and precision Mary's vocals have been gracing the 606 stage for some years now.
Originally from Trinidad, where she worked to great acclaim, Vanessa Haynes finally made her way to London in the mid 2000's and has been with us ever since. Her powerful, cultured, voice and commanding stage presence are quite stunning and unsurprisingly her talent was quickly recognised by Van Morrison, with whose band she was soon touring. But she is probably best known these days as one of the featured singers with the iconic soul/jazz band “Incognito”, having toured and recorded with them now for almost ten years, establishing an enviable reputation along the way. Vanessa told me recently that the 606 Club was the very first gig she ever did in London and so it seemed fitting to invite this wonderful singer, who still performs here whenever she can, to join our Festival celebrations.
And finally we come to the 606 Club's "Queen of Soul", Imaani, whose CV is long and impressive. She first came to prominence as the UK’s 1998 entrant to the Eurovision Song contest (one of the better choices!) where she was runner up, and went on to produce a highly successful single that charted around the world. She then moved on to work with Dub Conspiracy (with whom she again charted). Her worldwide tours, television, live and recorded output includes work with the likes of Gloria Gaynor, Carleen Anderson, Michael Bolton, Lulu and Beverley Knight. One of the featured singers for many years with the iconic band “Incognito”, with whom she has had a long association, she took a break for several years to perform “motherhood” duties, but is now back performing with them, alongside Vanessa, on a regular basis. A powerful and charismatic vocalist this enormously experienced and highly regarded singer has been a regular at the Club for many years and is very much part of the 606 Club "family". These three brilliant singers, all good friends, will be accompanied by a band that is equally impressive, including Emlyn Francis-guitar, Lex Cameron-keyboard, Michael Bailey-bass and Westley Joseph-drums. Expect plenty of brilliant solo singing as well as some unique group vocals in what promises to be a quite amazing evening of Soul and Groove. imaani.net/
“Pearce…Formidable…” IndieLondon; “Haynes…excellent…powerful voice and unique sound” Soul Brother; “Imaani’s beautiful vocals are the standout element” JjazzproJect