Master Wel

http://www.nathanielturner.com/weldonirvine.htm Born in 1943 and bred in Virginia, after graduating from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), where he majored in literature and minored in music, he moved to New York City in 1965, forming his own seventeen-piece big band, including his lead singer from HU Myra Brown, aka Nalo, and was soon commissioned to work on Lorraine Hansberry's TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK, for which production he wrote the title tune. Throughout the '60's and '70s, he continued recording and performing in clubs and festivals, and premiered his first blockbuster musical at the Billie Holiday Theatre, in Brooklyn, YOUNG, GIFTED AND BROKE. It ran for eight months, won four prestigious AUDELCO Awards, and signaled the beginning of a decade-long relationship with that theatre, in which he produced well over twenty subsequent musical dramas. As he transitioned himself into becoming an elder of Hip Hop culture, many of the more politically conscious artists in that arena, including Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Q-Tip, sought him out as teacher and mentor. As well, he was highly respected among political activist organizations and cultural institutions working in the African American community, including the December 12th Movement, Sistas' Place, Patrice Lumumba Coalition, the Afrikan Poetry Theatre, where he began the process of founding a church for artists, and among radio personalities Minister Conrad Muhammad, Clayton Riley, James Mtume, and Elombe Brath, among others. Known in Jazz and poetry circles simply as Weldon and within the world of Hip Hop as Master Wel, Mr. Irvine's skills as a musician and lyricist throughout his career were well demonstrated in just about every genre of African American music. With well over 500 compositions to his credit, much of which has been recorded on albums, audio tapes or CDs, he was the producer, arranger and conductor for an inestimable number of concerts, festival presentations, and staged musicals that focused on each of those genres: Gospel music, Rhythm and Blues, Be Bop, Hard Bop, Fusion, Funk, Free Jazz and Hip Hop. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.