Andre Evons of Brooklyn, New York, began playing any instrument that he could get his hands on, getting bored with the basics, Andre started playing with the radio. At the age of seven, with his mother’s permission, Andre started gigging on his drums with different jazz musicians such as john Patton, grant green and other jazz musicians, around the age of ten and eleven, Andre played drums temporally with Sonny Liston smith and also stand ins with other jazz groups, Jack McDuffie, a jazz organists, ask Andre to sit in for Joe Dukes, a Drummer, while he was out sick. Andre had become a very popular young and talented attraction in New York City.
As time went on, having the experience working with jazz musicians and Blues artist, Andre was approached by Dyke from” Dyke and the Blazers”, to be their drummer in his band, along with working in the studio and on the road. They all went to phoenix Arizona, and they to cut their first album “Funky Broadway” at the original Sound Recording Studio on sunset Boulevard in California. Andre at the age of fourteen was living off of sunset Boulevard not to far from the studio. Were he stayed for a while in between traveling and tours. When the group started having internal problems Andre decided to leave “Dyke and the Blazers “. The “Delphonics” offered Andre to join their band in Philadelphia. The pay being so low, Andre ended back on the west coast and met up with H.B. Barnum who offered Andre a studio gig the studio band called the” Psychs company” AKA” The Tribe” Then H.B. Barnum had the studio band back up “The Lords” From Boston, the band also music tracks for Lou Rawls and O.C. Smith. Andre also played behind various artist such as Betty Wright, Carolyn Franklin(Aretha Franklyn’s sister) and “Sam and Dave” ,always being the young guy in the studio he started being called” young Blood”
Around the age of seventeen Andre ran into Kenny, a new (singer guitarist for “little Anthony and The Imperials “. Kenny had seen Andre play drums with in the past with “The Delphonics” and “Isaac Hayes”.so Kenny offered Andre a drumming position with their group. Andre then Left “The Imperials “to perform in Las Vegas and then travel throughout Europe perfuming and the United States. Gigging for Two years, Andre decided to take some time off
Andre went to Boston some Friends and met up with a producer named Gunther from Intermedia sound (now out of business) Gunther asked Andre to play drums with a group called, “The Green Machine” that he was producing. At that time the group had a pending contract with Atlantic Records, Charles Green leader of the group didn’t agree with Gunther, Charles felt that Andre had to many songs on the album and he didn’t like that, they couldn’t come to an agreement so Andre left the group.
The group not working out , Andre and Gunther decided to become partners in Andre’s songs ,stretching out and wanting to do his own composing, Andre started doing everything himself writing, singing , arranging music producing ,etc. During his composing in Boston MA, Andre gigged with Webster Lewis on a televised show at the New England conservatory of music. Andre also played drums on some of the song on “Webster Lewis “album. Being an artist too Webster Lewis and his group including Andre performed at that Hynes Auditorium.
Andre having toured with many others artist decided to do his own album so he went back into the studio and created his own style. Then Carla Bandini came from Sigma Sounds Recording Studio in New York City. When she heard Andre’s music she wanted to help him, Carla being an engineer at Sigma Sound, let Erick King Listen to Andre’s music. Mr. King liking Andre’s style decided to become Andre’s manager and producer .Erick King (Evelyn Champagne Kings) father Andre began working tracks for a Music projects of Mr. King’s Andre then signed with RCA Records and they placed him on a branch label. After two years Andre moved on with a different executive producer and signed with Capital Records, a couple of albums were “Something about You” and I Want Your Body”. Through A&M Andre recorded a twelve inch record called “soul patrol”. Know in this current day Andre is still writing and producing music and maybe the best has yet to come. |