Tony Rich

Tony Rich
Birth name	Antonio Jeffries
Also known as	The Tony Rich Project
Born	November 19, 1971 (1971-11-19) (age 40)
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Contemporary R&B
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, record producer
Instruments	Guitar, mandolin, keyboard
Years active	1995–present
Labels	LaFace, Hidden Beach
Website	WhereIsTonyRich.com

Tony Rich (born Antonio Jeffries; November 19, 1971, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.) is a contemporary R&B singer-songwriter.

Biography

Early career

Rich first attracted attention through the production team of Tim & Bob. The duo convinced Perri "Pebbles" Reid (then the wife of L.A. Reid, co-founder of LaFace Records) to listen to Rich over the phone.^{[citation needed]} Rich eventually became a staff writer at LaFace Records, where he wrote songs for recording artists including Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, TLC, and Toni Braxton. Later, Rich mixed elements of jazz, rock and soul music into his own tracks.

The Tony Rich Project

In January 1996 Rich released the hit single, "Nobody Knows", which made it to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[1] Under the moniker "The Tony Rich Project", he released his debut album Words in early 1996. Both the album and single went platinum and in 1997, Rich won a Grammy Award for the Best R&B Album. The song was covered by country music artist Kevin Sharp in 1997, also as his debut single. The song "Like a Woman" was also nominated for a Grammy Award.

The album was followed up in 1998 by Birdseye, which, while critically praised, failed to generate much commercial success. Rich seemingly disappeared from the music world for several years after this album's release. That same year, he also commissioned a few remixes for the Spice Girls hit single "Viva Forever".

In 2003, Rich returned with the album The Resurrected. Carrying a very different style, the album featured Rich rocking out on the guitar, as well as singing smooth ballads.

By 2006, Rich released a fourth album, Pictures. The album contains snapshots of a relationship, and is a return in style to his earlier works.

In 2008, he released his fifth album, Exist, through Hidden Beach Recordings. Originally it was set for release on September 16, however it was pushed back to September 23, 2008. The album features the download-only single, "Part the Waves".

Film

Rich portrayed the legendary Edward Duke Ellington in the 1997 crime drama Hoodlum.^[2]

Discography

Singles

• 1996: "Nobody Knows" #2 U.S.
• 1996: "Like a Woman"
• 1996: "Leavin'"
• 1998: "Silly Man"
• 2008: "Part the Waves"

Albums

• 1996: Words #31 U.S., #18 U.S. R&B
• 1998: Birdseye #66 R&B
• 2003: The Resurrected
• 2005: Nobody Knows: The Best of the Tony Rich Project
• 2006: Pictures
• 2008: Exist

Collaboration albums

• 2006: A New Understanding of Peace (with Sheila Evans)

References

1. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, p. 844. Random House, Inc.
2. ^ Willis, John, ed. (1999). Screen World 1998 Film Annual, p. 97. Hal Leonard Corporation.

External links

• Official site
• Tony Rich on Myspace
• Tony Rich on Myspace
• Allmusic

Persondata
Name	Rich, Tony
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Date of birth	November 19, 1971
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