Mervyn Warren - A Special Blend

A Special Blend

Many members of The Aeolians also sang in other vocal groups and choirs at Oakwood University. However, because of The Aeolians' rigorous rehearsal and touring schedule, conductor Alma Blackmon had instituted a rule that no members of the ensemble could participate in extracurricular groups larger than a quartet. This was intended to limit the number of students who might collectively miss any given Aeolian performance. As such, Warren's 9-voice vocal group, The Symbolic Sounds, was disallowed.

In response, in 1981 Warren disbanded The Symbolic Sounds and formed the vocal group A Special Blend, consisting of two women and two men, accompanied by Warren on piano or sometimes by a full rhythm section. Warren created innovative vocal arrangements for A Special Blend, whose repertoire consisted of new arrangements of familiar songs, as well as original compositions by Warren. A Special Blend's core members were Joya Foster, Lori Bryan, Mark Kibble, and Claude V. McKnight, III. Like Alliance, A Special Blend became well-known and popular for its unique style, combining vocal jazz with contemporary Christian lyrics. A Special Blend performed many concerts throughout the United States, primarily on weekends, during the school year. Warren, Kibble, and McKnight were members of both A Special Blend and Alliance. The groups' respective takes on on vocal jazz complimented each other, and in fact they frequently concertized in tandem.

At different points during A Special Blend's 6-year continuance, vocalists Andraetta Huff, Sheryl Bihm, and Michelle Mayne each briefly served as members or alternate members.

In reality, neither A Special Blend nor Alliance complied with Blackmon's "Rule of Four." However, she granted an exception for A Special Blend, since they were technically a quartet which Warren accompanied at the piano. Alliance, on the other hand, was in clear violation, but Warren, along with Mark Kibble and Claude V. McKnight, III, continued to perform with Alliance stealthily. Although Kibble and McKnight also sang with The Aeolians, they each did so for only one year or less. Warren remained a member of The Aeolians throughout his 4-year matriculation.

In 1982, A Special Blend won the 1st-place trophy at the Alabama State Fair's talent competition.

In 1983, A Special Blend recorded a collection of several songs at Sound Cell Studio, to serve as a demo to help the group acquire a recording contract. Like Alliance, A Special Blend caught the attention of Henry Mosley, who became the group's manager.

In 1984 A Special Blend recorded an album, entitled Nowhere But Up, which Warren produced. The album was recorded at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee for release on Moseley's Legacy Records. To attend sessions, Warren and the group and band members made the 100-mile trip many times—often departing for Nashville after the day's classes, recording for a few hours, then returning to Huntsville after midnight, in time for the next morning's classes. Despite Oakwood University's rich tradition of vocal groups, which had spanned decades, "Nowhere But Up" was the first student album to feature a full rhythm section plus orchestration, including a string ensemble, a big band, a pop horn section, synthesizers, and exotic percussion, all of which Warren arranged, though at the time he had never received any formal training in orchestral writing. Upon its release, Nowhere But Up caused quite a stir within Oakwood University's rather conservative community. While a small number of the most conservative faculty members expressed discontent with the album's decidedly jazzy style, the project was highly celebrated by students, other faculty, and enthusiasts, both within the Oakwood community and around the United States. Only a few thousand copies of Nowhere But Up were pressed, and today it is considered a collector's item. As of 2010, there are discussions of a possible rerelease of the album on the iTunes Store in 2011, the 30th anniversary of the group's formation.

A Special Blend often joined Warren at Sound Cell Studio to sing on jingles or commercials or to provide background vocals for other artists' recordings. These recordings ran the gamut from country and pop to "easy listening" and contemporary Christian music. The group also performed background vocals on stage for recording artist Bob Bailey, during his live concert at Oakwood.

In 1985, during a trip to California, A Special Blend performed at gospel-music legend Walter Hawkins' Love Center in Oakland, California. Aside from Hawkins and his brother, the equally celebrated Edwin Hawkins, the concert was attended by gospel-music legend Danniebelle Hall, who had been very influential upon Warren. In fact, A Special Blend's repertoire included a unique arrangement of a Danniebelle Hall New Orleans jazz-styled piece, entitled "Theme On The Thirty-Seventh," which A Special Blend performed, to Hall's delight. After the group's performance, Walter Hawkins took the stage and playfully expressed he hadn't noticed A Special Blend performing any Walter Hawkins songs. From the audience, Hall replied—tongue firmly in cheek—"Well, if you'd write something decent, they would."

In 1986, Warren traveled to Toronto, Ontario to see The Manhattan Transfer in concert. Afterward, he waited at the backstage door, and upon the group's exit, he presented them with copies of Nowhere But Up. Over the years, A Special Blend had in fact been compared to The Manhattan Transfer. Some months later, while completing his master's degree at the University of Alabama, Warren received a surprise phone call from Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer, asking if Warren had heard from the Recording Academy. Warren was floored by the very question. Siegel explained that members of The Manhattan Transfer had submitted Nowhere But Up for a Grammy nomination. Because the album was a small, independent release, it had not reached enough members of the Recording Academy to earn a Grammy nomination. However, Warren and A Special Blend would remain forever grateful for The Transfer's magnanimous gesture. Years later, Warren would write several arrangements for The Manhattan Transfer.