Kyle Vincent - Musical Career

Musical Career

Kyle Vincent began his music career at the age of 8, playing alto saxophone in Berkeley school jazz bands. At age 11 he appeared on stage with Donald Byrd, taking turns improvising with the legendary trumpeter. He took jazz sax lessons with famed Bebop saxophonist Hal Stein. Vincent studied voice with master vocal coach and opera singer Claudine Spindt for several years, and took bass lessons from legendary guitarist Joe Satriani. After moving to Los Angeles, Vincent studied with renowned vocal coach Seth Riggs, his lessons being sandwiched between Barbra Streisand's and Phillip Bailey's.

One of Vincent's first jobs upon moving to L.A. was working for two years as personal assistant and driver for legendary rock n' roll producer Kim Fowley. Vincent also performed on several of Fowley's recording projects.

Vincent was the lead singer in the seminal teen power pop band, Candy, which recorded one album, "Whatever Happened To Fun..." on the Mercury/Polygram label, and included future Guns n Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. The album was produced by Jimmy Ienner (Raspberries, Bay City Rollers, Eric Carmen), and featured Wally Bryson of the Raspberries as "musical director". The video for the title track was in rotation on MTV. The band toured extensively and is cited by many groups as an influence. Candy still has a strong following in Japan, and when Vincent performs there he does Candy songs with a Japanese backing band called, "Candyrocks!". He also enjoys popularity as a solo artist in Japan.

While recording demos as a solo artist in an L.A. studio, Vincent began co-writing a song entitled "Nature Girl", with eden ahbez, writer of the classic "Nature Boy," popularized by Nat King Cole. Vincent had met Ahbez in an L.A. stereo store where Vincent had been working, and Ahbez told Vincent that he reminded him of his deceased son, about whom he had written "Nature Boy". Ahbez died before the two could finish the song. Vincent's session work included backing vocals for The Ventures (The Ventures Play Southern All Stars), Kill For Thrills, The Runaways (reformed version), The Rubinoos, and many more. He also did some projects with famed video director Nigel Dick, his neighbor at the time in Hollywood.

Signed to MCA as a solo artist, he recorded the album, Trust, and toured as the opening act for Barry Manilow on his "Greatest Hits and Then Some" tour. The Trust album was produced by Vincent, Clif Magness (Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson), and Steve Levine (Culture Club, Beach Boys), and featured co-writes with Magness and Steve Kipner, writer of "Physical" and Genie In A Bottle. Gerry Beckley from the group America played keyboards, guitar, and sang vocals on the album. Beckley would also appear on Vincent's next 2 solo efforts.

For his next album, Vincent signed with Disney's Hollywood Records which released the album, Kyle Vincent, and which spawned the U.S. Billboard/Radio & Records Adult Top 20 single, "Wake Me Up (When The World's Worth Waking Up For)", co-written by vocalist/guitarist Parthenon Huxley. ('Wake Me Up' was featured in the Garry Marshall directed motion picture, The Other Sister, starring Juliette Lewis, Diane Keaton, and Tom Skerritt.) Robert Lamm from the band Chicago sang background vocals on 2 songs. In 1999, Vincent released Wow & Flutter on SongTree Records, (repackaged version with 2 bonus tracks released on SongTree/Varèse Sarabande in 2001). Legendary photographer Henry Diltz shot the album cover. "Sweet 16" (2000), Solitary Road (2003), Don't You Know (2005), Gathering Dust (2006), released on SongTree Records. In 2006 Vincent was signed to Universal which released Invisible Man, a compilation CD on their UMe Digital label. In 2007 the DVD Live & Unlive Too was released. In 2009, Vincent released the CD, "Where You Are", giving the first copy off the presses to Barry Manilow backstage at Manilow's concert in Manchester, NH.

His songs have appeared on various television shows including MTV's :The Hills, Road Rules, The Real World, Daria, ABC's All My Children, and "Save the Planet: A CBS/Hard Rock Cafe Special".

Kyle Vincent's song "Sierra" was adopted by the Sierra Club and John Denver's Windstar Foundation. It was included on the Dear Earth double CD released Earth Day, 2007. Other artists on the CD include Gladys Knight, The Kingston Trio, Olivia Newton-John, John Denver, Melanie, and readings from the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu.

Also in 2007, Vincent was chosen to be the lead singer of the reformed Bay City Rollers, featuring x-Roller Ian Mitchell. The band toured the U.S. and had a month-long engagement at the Riviera in Las Vegas. Vincent left the group in November, 2008. In addition to his solo career, Vincent sings lead for Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods.

Vincent is one of a select few recording artists in history to have been signed to and recorded with six major record companies at different times (Curb/MCA, Mercury/Polygram, MCA, Hollywood, Varese Sarabande/Universal, UMe Digital).

In 2010, Vincent teamed with his longtime songwriting partner, Parthenon Huxley, and released a single, "Dirty Girl", as the duo Huxley & Vincent. The song quickly went into the Top 10 on Amazon's Glam Rock charts.

Vincent is one of the pioneers of the "Living Room Show" concept, in which artists perform concerts in people's homes. He currently plays countless living room shows each year, all over the world. Of his house concerts, Vincent has said, "They're kind of like musical Tupperware parties".