Artist: Mint Condition: mp3 download Genre(s): R&B: Soul Mint Condition's discography: Live from the 9:30 Club Year: 2006 Tracks: 15 Life's Aquarium Year: 1999 Tracks: 12 The Collection: 1991-1998 Year: 1998 Tracks: 15 Definition of a Band Year: 1996 Tracks: 18 Formed in the early '80s in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Mint Condition began as lead singer Stokley Williams, guitar player Homer O'Dell, keyboardist Larry Waddell, keyboardist/saxophonist Jeff Allen, keyboardist/guitarist Keri Lewis, and guitarist/bassist Rick Kinchen. The six talented musicians aggregate a potpourri of influences and experiences to shape their have sound. Williams began performing classic West African instruments at the age of four-spot, spell O'Dell grew up hearing to his don play blues bass and singing with him in a household mathematical group. Waddell played in a recording liberal arts band at schoolhouse and down pat keyboards by listening to jazz greats Oscar Peterson and Herbie Hancock. Exposed to his father's extensive jazz collection, Allen played keyboards and sax in local bands throughout his high school days, as Lewis was mastering keyboards, percussion, and guitar spell attending school. Kinchen's low and strongest influence was his mob, all of whom played instruments and bucked up his interest in medicine. He developed his skills as a bass player by listening to records by Stanley Clarke and Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson. Kinchen played in versatile bands in his native Chicago and performed at several productions at Kennedy-King College in front moving to the Twin Cities. The banding was featured at the 1986 Minnesota Black Musician Awards program and built a strong core next for themselves in a five-state area (North Star State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Dakota, and Nebraska) as a result of their glaring, highly energetic resilient shows. Mint Condition came to the attention of Minneapolis soul producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as a result of a showcase performance in 1989. The banding had unshakable success showtime with the hits "(Breakage My Heart) Pretty Brown Eyes" and "Perpetually in Your Eyes" from their debut Meant to Be Mint, and with "Nonentity Does It Betta" and "(U Send Me) Swinging" from their instant album From the Mint Factory; they continued with the pt success of the single "What Kind of Man Would I Be" from their gold album Definition of a Band. Going into the 21st century, Mint Condition was the only high visibility R&B/pop banding with a major-label recording delineate by their fantabulous Life's Aquarium, issued in November 1999. |