Darnell White, biological father to Central Elements founder Alexx Thompson, was born in Los Angeles, California into an extremely musical family. Darnell's mother played piano for her church for over 40 years. His nephew, Chuckii Booker, has played and performed with everyone from Janet Jackson, Will Smith, Usher, En Vogue, Barry White, Bette Midler, and is currently on tour with Lionel Richie as his keyboard player and musical director. Darnell says of their tight influence on each other: "Chuckii is an amazing talent and an all around good kid. I used to take care of him as a kid while his mother worked, so we were always playing music around the house."
During the 80's and 90's, Darnell wrote and composed for Barry White. Two of Darnell's songs, "Strange" and "My Fantasies", were on Barry's album, The Love Unlimited Orchestra Presents Mr. Webster Lewis. He also wrote "Tell Me Who Do You Love?" on Barry's album, Beware.
Chuckii, now a record producer, eventually convinced Darnell to record with him. "What my nephew wanted to do was redo a song I wrote for Barry called "My Fantasies". Chuckii also recruited Ben Mauro, who is in Lionel Richie's band, to play guitar on the track.
The result was in the vein of nu-jazz; smooth and organic, with a heavy simpatico groove. Odd rhythmic accents and a zen-like cadence blanket their sound. Interesting melodic arrangements extend the jazz palette to include uncommon textures like flute and strings. This songwriting duo is a pleasant and refined example of blending decades of tradition with a unique and modern sound.
To Contact Darnell White
Phone: (253) 222-0694 Email: punch1@tmo.blackberry.net
Purchase Mr. Marvin here:
Mr. Marvin - Darnell White
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