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In 1967, Joe Blunt and others, fresh out of D.C.’s McKinley Tech High School joined forces in a vocal group called the Chancellors. That same year, the group signed with Capacity Records and recorded their first single, “Sad Avenue,” which was distributed nationally by Scepter/Wand Records in New York, home to Dionne Warwick, The Isley Brothers, and many more hit-makers of the day. The record was produced and arranged by the late Freddie Perrin (the group’s keyboardist at the time) who went on to become the prolific Grammy Award-winning producer of such artists as The Jackson Five, The Miracles, Gloria Gaynor, Peaches & Herb, and others. Unfortunately, the Chancellors did not meet with that kind of success. Sad Avenue was followed by a second single, Girls Do Wonderful Things For Boys, but as fate would have it, neither was a huge commercial success, and the group eventually broke up.
Undeterred, Joe Blunt continued to follow his dreams of making it big in music, forming another group call The Instant Groove, which eventually evolved into “The” True Reflection, pairing the duo with Blunt’s old Junior Choir chum Joe Coleman and their mutual friend Bobby Cox.
It was only then that each of their musical careers took off to the upper limits of stardom:
Joe Coleman worked steadily as a much sought-after studio vocalist, songwriter, playwright, and theatrical director before joining the legendary Platters for a two-decade stint as the group’s lead singer. Joe also had a successful international solo career, releasing several singles in Belgium, Holland, Italy, and Canada on Ariola, Panarecord, and Bump Records, respectively. Joe headlined at Las Vegas Sahara Hotel and Casino with The Platters for several years before finally coming back to the East Coast, where he now splits his time between homes in New York City and Washington, DC.
Joe Blunt joined the legendary Drifters, performing and recording with the group with his trademark smooth vocal stylings for over a decade in venues all over the world. During that time, the group experienced a huge resurgence of popularity in the United Kingdom, and Blunt rode that wave, performing dozens of shows alongside Drifters legends Ben E. King and Johnny Moore. Joe recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sony Records for his work on “The Very Best of The Drifters.” Blunt was the only one of the three to maintain his Washington, DC home base when not touring.
Having made his national debut as one of the ‘Temptations’ and earning the reputation as ‘The Voice’, Theo Peoples was a choice pick in1998 by a second legendary group, “The Four Tops” (after original member Lawrence Paytons’ death). Shortly after joining the group, Peoples was personally handed the successor’s torch by Levi Stubbs (Four Tops original lead vocalist.. in the year 2000) after his retirement due to illness. After twelve years of touring with the Four Tops, Peoples managed to leave a stamp on their legacy and paid brilliant homage to Levi Stubbs.. recreating memories of classic ‘Four Tops’ songs with his own indelible vocal style. He has shared the stage and the studio, holding his own, with legends such as…. Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, and Bill Medley (of the Righteous Brothers),.. just to name a few!
Collectively, the Voices of Classic Soul’s groups have sold over 100 million records with dozens of number one hits everyone in the audience can sing along to. Voices of Classic Soul’s concert attendees are now treated to incredible showmanship, classic dance moves, and some of the biggest hits of all time, including My Girl, The Way You Do The Things You Do, Get Ready, The Great Pretender, Only You, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Under The Boardwalk, On Broadway, Save The Last Dance For Me, and many, many more. Together, Voices of Classic Soul bring their rich blend of classic hits and a true friendship spanning over fifty years to the stage for delighted audiences lucky enough to catch a performance by the trio of seasoned vocal performers. “It’s a real blessing to be able to bring these great songs to audiences after all these years, and do it with my very best lifelong friends… a real blessing,” says, Joe Blunt. A real blessing, indeed.
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