Lincoln Ross

Washington DC

Lincoln Ross started in music as a 15 year old Washington DC 9th grader seeking to play in the high school band The band director picked the trombone for him because he needed trombone players and thus the journey began. Nine years later he says he happened to be in the right place at the right time and found himself playing 3rd trombone with the Count Basie Orchestra. The following year Ross says he got lucky again and recorded an album on a national label ("Vibes of Truth"-The Three Pieces / Fantasy 9476). This all came about through his association with jazz legend Donald Byrd who was Ross’ jazz band instructor at Howard University where he earned a bachelor's degree in music in 1973. The Blackbyrd's recording of his original instrumental "Gut Level" reached #9 on Billboard’s US Dance chart in 1974. Five years later a last minute substitute trombone player was needed for a recording session. That session date turned out to be the smash hit recording "Bustin' Loose" by Washington DC’s Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. In 2001 Universal Records released a 1972 live recording of Marvin Gaye performing his masterpiece album "What's Going On" at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Ross was in the local DC horn section that augmented the Motown rhythm section (Funk Brothers). Over the years Ross continued to work in many pick up horns sections backing renown jazz and R&B artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis Jr., Nancy Wilson, Gladys Knight, the O’Jays, Joe Williams, Johnny Taylor, Millie Jackson and many others. As a keyboardist, Ross worked with Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes in the 70's (when Teddy Pendergrass was still in the band) and later with Wilson Pickett in the mid-80's. Unlike the early days Ross says he now finds as much work as a keyboardist / lounge piano player than as a trombonist. As mentioned above Ross has pursued songwriting from early on and has been fortunate in having a few of his tunes recorded and published. Aside from The Three Pieces’ “Vibes Of Truth”, Bill Pinkney and the Original Drifters recorded his song "The Same Candlelight", which was released on the Repete and World Wide Gospel labels. Harry Coombs, famed Philadelphia International promotor, executive produced Ross’ “Sha-na-na”, “Take Some Time” and a cover of “Macarena” for his Tempre label in 1996. From time to time Ross also works as a producer. In 1999 he produced a blues project (“Sexy Senior Citizen”} for Eddie & Denise and the Good Time Band which received some radio airplay despite any label association. Other DC local artists have enlisted his producing talents including jazz vocalist Changamiré (“Only Human” and “Love” albums), Irving ‘Scacy’ Haywood (“I Just Pretend”) and Richard Knight (“In The Meantime”) aka Richard Dunbar formerly of the Knight Brothers (“Temptation’s “Bout To Get Me” / 1965 Billboad #12 R&B, #70 pop charts). Aside from an occasional high profile sideman gig or recording session Ross states that his mainstay has mostly come from a host of families and social groups in the Washington DC area. Engagements at weddings, birthday parties, retirement parties, anniversaries, graduations and and any number of social gatherings have enabled him to be a fulltime musician for most of his career. Along with continually writing and producing new original material Ross has kept busy remixing, re-recording and tweaking older songs from his eclectic catalog of about 70 plus tunes (all at least demo’d). Ross says he intends to ‘keep on truckin’ and that he considers himself blessed and extremely fortunate in that he has been able to pursue the path of an artist. “With a supportive family, faithful friends and an increasing number of loyal fans since the dawn of the internet age” he asks … “who could ask for anything more?” www.soundcloud.com/lincolnross

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