b. Emmett North Jnr, Middletown, Ohio, U.S.A.
Emmett North Jnr was born in Middletown, Ohio, right between Cincinnati and Dayton.
His earliest musical influences came from his mother's side of the family.
Emmett's uncles played sax, trumpet and trombone, whilst his mother and Aunts sang and played piano and organ in Church.
He stayed with his aunt and uncle for a year in Lebanon, Ohio, and began writing song poems in the 5th grade.
Emmett even wrote one about his 5th grade teacher, Ms Lukens.
He was introduced to the guitar at age 9 and became serious about music at age 12.
Emmett also got more involved with playing and singing.
His first club gig was at age 13, playing behind a local blues star from Dayton named 'Piney Brown'.
Emmett sang and danced in talent shows before learning the guitar.
His family moved to Dayton where he began to learn a lot from looking, listening and asking questions, learning from blues, gospel and then jazz.
Emmett joined the army and was stationed in Germany.
Here he performed at service clubs and toured the USO circuit entertaining troops.
Emmett found himself relieved from guard duty and KP to play with my band for the battalion company and the officer's parties.
While living in Dayton, he played and recorded gospel with various groups including 'The Wondering Souls', 'The Gospel Travelers' and the 'Zion Trumpeteers'.
The groups performed in many cities including Detroit, Chicago, Louisville, Memphis, Atlanta and other cities.
Emmett played behind the Different Shades of Brown from Springfield, Ohio.
On the club scene, he performed and recorded with a blues singer named 'Piney Brown'.
Emmett had also the privilege of working with female vocalist, Little Dottie People's.
He then worked with 'Frank Cole' and 'The Night Rockers' from Macon, Georgia.
Emmett also had his own band at seventeen, called the 'Ohio Twisters'.
In 1974, he was asked to play guitar with the group Heat wave which he declined.
After moving to L.A. in 1975 to audition for Bobby Womack, Emmett was told by his PR Man that Barry White was also looking for guitarist.
Fortunately, his office was in the same building, so Emmett went to Barry White's office and was sent to his rehearsal studio to meet the band for audition.
Emmett passed the audition and the rest is history.
Joseph 'JoJo' Robertson, Barry's first guitarist introduced him to Barry at 'The Soul Train' TV show in Hollywood in April, 1975.
From 1975 to 1979, Emmett toured America, Central America and Europe.
He also wrote songs for Barry and recorded on 'Music Maestro Please', 'Barry White Sings For Someone You Love', 'The Man' and the 'Rhapsody In White', albums.
Emmett wrote two songs for 'The Main Ingredient' singing group.
At the end of 1979, he commenced working with Wolfman Jack's Band on a blues album and later a TV show called 'The Wolfman Jack Radio show.'
Emmett played with Chuck Berry on the pilot show taped in 1980.
He also recorded and co-wrote some music on New Birth's album 'Platinum City'.
Emmett and the group had been friends since meeting a few years previously.
Relocating to Atlanta in 1980, and after finishing with Wolfman and the 'Blues Brothers' movie Emmett began working and recording with Isaac Hayes.
He stayed with Isaac for six months after recording on five tracks a Linda Clifford album, which was a collaboration between Isaac and Curtis Mayfield, Isaac performing the music, Curtis on lyric chores.
Emmett then went on the road with a singer called David Julian to places like Fargo, ND., Cleveland, Ohio, Syracuse and to Canada, Calgary, Regina, Moosejaw and other parts.
Before leaving for London in 1981, he appeared in Dayton on 'The Gil Whitney' TV Show', where the Fifth Dimension were also headlining.
Emmett moved to London in 1981 and toured all around the U.K., with Clem Curtis and The Foundations.
He also performed and recorded with Jamaican singing group The Chosen Few.
The group performed around London and undertook several interviews.
Emmett recorded for D.J. and producer Tony Williams of Radio London.
He recorded on the song called 'It's Over' which went to no. 3 on British Radio which put him on Top of the Pop's TV Music Show with The Funkmasters featuring Juliet Roberts.
Emmett worked with several producers including Peter Richards and Steve Harvey.
He relocated to L.A. in 1985 and Barry White called Emmett back for another four years of touring in 1986.
Emmett performed in Monte Carlo at The Sporting Club.
The band also performed at The Radio City Music Hall once a year in New York City.
During the early years with Barry, the group performed on various TV shows such as 'The Dinah Shore Show' and 'The Merv Griffin Show', and later The Pat Sajac Show' at CBS-TV, Hollywood.
Emmett recorded original music for Tony Sepe of Domain Records along with Bill Sepe and Michael Nunes, along with a video.
They were also a part of the Barry White organization and are Emmett's friends.
Emmett later returned to London and met his best friend and drummer Graham Cuttill.
The pair and some more of friends would perform in clubs and pubs around East London.
Emmett put together his own album entitled 'In the Zone' and the music on the single 'The Groove' with the groups help and assistance.
The 'In the Zone' CD was released in London in June 1995 and is still being played and sold in Britain, Holland and Belgium.
When the album debuted, the group performed at London's famous 'Jazz Cafe', performing the whole album with a packed house, from main floor to the balcony.
In 1998, Emmett recorded and toured England, Finland, Holland and Belgium with 'The Atlantic Soul Machine' headed by Pete Lamont performing sixties soul.
The album was entitled 'Black, White and Blue' from which Emmett co-wrote the title tune.
The late Freddy Couseart from Ostende (who looked after Marvin Gaye in his last couple of years) in Belgium introduced Emmett to this band and booked them in Palermo, Sicily in July 1998.
an ep 'wrap me in your love'
...you can e-mail emmett right here...
...or you can check his web page right here...
Here is an article by Pär Dahlerus, who helped Emmett on his travels to Europe. Thanks Pär...
'In March 2004, when I was surfing the internet and checking out the Soulwalking Guest book something posted there by Emmett North Jr caught my attention. I think he might have mentioned that he used to be a guitarist for Barry White and also had worked with Isaac Hayes (two of my favorite artists! and my girlfriend Marie is probably one of the biggest Barry White fans in the world!) There was a link to Emmetts home page and I surfed there, where I found pictures of Emmett and Barry White and also of Emmett together with Isaac Hayes. I sent an e-mail to Emmett asking which of his CD’s he would recommend for me to start with. He answered very quickly and soon I had ordered ALL of his CD’s. From that day we have been communicating regularly by E-mail and also by several long phone conversations between Uppsala, Sweden and Los Angeles. We have become real good friends. I have also tried to do my best to support the musical talent of Emmett North Jr. by spreading the word about him in Sweden!
Finally Emmett decided to come to Sweden to visit me and my family and friends. We had a GREAT time the four days Emmett was here!
We also managed to get a small gig for Emmett at the Katalin Club in Uppsala as well as an article in the Newspaper! Next time it will be a real tour! I am just a regular guy that loves good music, so this has really been a big thing for me and also to get to know such a nice person as Emmett! Also, through the Soulwalking site I have also become friend with Robin Russell former drummer of New Birth. I also reconnected Emmett and Robin, that knew each other from the good ol' days! Emmett and I have also gotten another music lover friend in Holland through the Soulwalking site, Arlen Driesen!
After leaving Sweden Emmett went to Holland where he also met Arlen and went to the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague. Arlen also set up a gig in Amsterdam for Emmett! Isn't this a true soul-sunshine story! (Sun is called Sol in Swedish, so that makes it even better!) If not, for the tremendous and excellent web site of Toby Walker this would probably never have happened! Thanks a million Toby!!
Pär Dahlerus, Uppsala, Sweden July 20, 2005...and some photo's of Emmett's visit...'
top: My son Carl, me and Emmett. right: Emmett North Jnr. below: Emmett, myself (sitting) and Finnish musicfriend Tuomo standing. right: My girlfriend Marie sitting and Maries daughter Erika standing
Albums:
In The Zone (North Star Music Co.)
Have You Got The Time? (North Star Music Co.)
In The Zone (North Star Music Co. 1995)
Black White and Blue (North Star Music Co. 1998)
Heart Of Stone (North Star Music Co. 2003)
Groove (Emmett North Jnr. 2003)
Wrap Me In Your Love (North Star Music Co. 2005)
I'll Never Let You Go (North Star Music Co. 2005)
Foxy Lady (The Orchard 2011)
