| Getting to Know Byron |
| Q |
| How old were you when you started singing for pleasure/professionally? |
| A |
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16 when I got my first real gig!
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| Q |
| How is Byron Motley the performer different than Byron Motley the person? |
| A |
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Byron the performer is a bit more daring and outrageous than the person.
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| Q |
| Who are some of your favorite performers? Who are some of your favorite performers to work with? |
| A |
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Favorite Performers: Dionne Warwick, Dianne Reeves, Luis Miguel
Favorite Performers to Work With: Manilow and Patti Lupone
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| Q |
| Your upcoming television special on the Negro Leagues sounds interesting.
How involved are you with the project and did you play baseball as a youth or do you play now? Who were your personal heroes on the field growing up? |
| A |
| I am producing a documentary on the negro baseball leagues...my father umpired in the leagues for several years, so I grew up hearing many of his outrageous and entertaining stories about the leagues. I played baseball for many years, and still enjoy playing softball from time to time now.
Personal baseball heroes growing up were: Amos Otis, Orlando Cepeda, Mickey Mantle.
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| Q |
| In 1997 you led a children's choir for the "One Voice" segment at the MCI Center in Washington, DC. I understand at the time, you had recorded a CD with them.
Do you still work with youth groups? Did you have a gospel singing upbringing and are you still involved in a church choir yourself? |
| A |
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I did not record a CD with this group. They were a church choir from the DC area that had already recorded their own CD...wonderful singers.
I didn't have an extensive gospel music upbringing although my mother does play piano, so there was always all types of music in the house. She would play all styles...gospel, pop, broadway, classical so I had a very well rounded musical upbringing.
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| Q |
| What do you feel would be your greatest musical accomplishment? |
| A |
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Playing Carnegie Hall.....solo!
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| Q |
| Where do you hope to be in five years, career-wise? |
| A |
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Still making music and passionate about my endeavors.
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Touring with Barry
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| Q |
| How did you get selected to become part of the band for Greatest Hits tour? |
| A |
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I had to audition to land the gig. One initial audition then 2 callbacks..first for Debra Byrd then for Barry himself.
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| Q |
| During the '96/98 Tour of the World, you were listed as Choir Director. What did that entail? |
| A |
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I basically trained the choir and directed them for the final songs on of the show ("I Write The Songs" and "It's a Miracle"). It was an easy gig because I just copied what I had seen Debra Byrd do previously. I used to spy on her watching her work with the choirs, because I like her style of training. She's a great teacher.
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| Q |
| Generally these tours can run over a couple of years. How do you manage your life with this amount of time committed to being on the road? |
| A |
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You just manage the best way you can. You look forward to coming home and sleeping!!
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| Q |
| Can you give us an idea of what a typical day might be like when you are touring? |
| A |
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Life out on the road is not as hectic as it sounds. Everything is very well organized. As long as you're where you're supposed to be at the time you're supposed to be there, the rest is just living the good life. Who could complain about living in 5 star hotels for months on end?
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| Q |
| Can you recall any favorite or funny moments when you were on stage? |
| A |
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It was so hectic getting the gig and learning the show in a week's time, I didn't have much time to do anything but that. So about a week after being on the road it finally dawned on me one day as I look over at Barry and realized "holy shit I'm on stage with Barry Manilow"!!!
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| Q |
| From a singer's point of view, which Manilow song is the most enjoyable to sing? and from your personal point of view, which Manilow song is your favorite? |
| A |
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Most enjoyable to sing Solo -
Could It Be Magic
Most enjoyable to sing Background -
Trying To Get The Feeling
Favorite Overall - Trying To Get The Feeling
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| Q |
| If you could give us one personal insight into Barry Manilow-The Musician, what would it be? |
| A |
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Underated and 0verlooked. Incredible musical talent.
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