User:Matrineasial

Matrineasial is the pseudonym for a hit songwriter/hit record producer/recording artist from Annapolis, Maryland. He is mostly associated with the groups E.U.(Experience Unlimited)of Spike Lee "School Daze" and the #1 hit "Da Butt" fame, Starpoint (Elecktra Records)of "Object of My Desire" fame, and MARZ "Make it Right" (EMI/Liberty Records. His first charted hit was the song "Never Say I Do...if you don't mean it" which peaked at #7 on R&R and #16 on Billboard. His second charted hit, co-penned by Harold "Chucky" Lloyd, was "Taste of Your Love" which peaked at #2 on R&R and #4 on Billboard. His group MARZ, (Gerard Mackell, Gregory Mackell, Dwayne Herndon, Keith Rowel, Perry Hudson, Gloria Lloyd, Bill Pettaway) which was managed by Lionel Job, whom also managed the first group he was an original member of called Starpoint, never realized commercial success back then. However, the group (MARZ- Make it Right) has gained a huge cult following throughout the years and is now popular all around the globe. He signed his first music publishing deal with the late Otis Redding's son's group for the song "Love is Over" when "The Reddings" were signed as artists to Russell Timmons' BID/Columbia Records label which operated out of Washington, D.C. at the time.

This is what he recalls about that deal:

He says he was in the offices of BID/Columbia Records and he was playing songs for the president of the label and he kept insisting that he should hear a country song he had written. The president adamantly said that he did not need to hear any country songs but Matrineasial persisted. Eventually, Russell Timmons suggested that they go to the studio, which was connected to his lavish office on K St. in Washington, D.C.at the time, and he'd listen to the song as Matrineasial played and sang it for him on the Steinway Grand Piano in the studio. He says that by the time he got to the line "close your eyes and realize that love is only a dream and we'll get over the love we once had that changed happy to sad"...he suddenly asked him to play that particular part again with much excitement too... and then this is what came next. Mr. Timmons called a popular Broadway star at the time named Melba Moore... and as he played the song he heard Ms. Moore screaming with joy in the background on the speaker phone only to be told that she could not record the song because he was allowing "The Reddings" to record it for their album called "Class." That's how he placed his first hit song.

Other unique facts:

He discovered the R&B crooner Kenny Lattimore at an open audition held at Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, Maryland. Kenny Lattimore recorded his song "Funny Feeling" while he was a member of the group Maniquin when they were signed to Epic Records.

He penned the hit song "Bring it Back" for Latin singing stars "Sweet Sensation" (Atlantic/Atco Records) which is a song he assigned twenty- five percent (25%) of the music publishing rights to his childhood friend and guitarist of his group MARZ Bill Pettaway (of #1 Girl You Know It's True fame) due to a promise he made him back then. His promise to Bill was that if any song he was allowed to record in Bill's basement ever got placed he'd share the results and proceeds with him. Prior to assigning the 25% share to Bill he says he actually played the song for him and asked him if he knew what it was and Bill answered "no." Nevertheless, he still gave Bill the 25% even though he never would have known the difference.

Here's how he came up with the name Starpoint:

One of the closest friends of the group back then was named Patrick Hoyt from Guyana. Patrick was at Matrineasial's house with his new car in which he was installing a cassette player but he needed a screwdriver. He asked for a "starpoint screwdriver" Not understanding what Patrick had asked him for, he was told it was Phillips screwdriver that he required. He instantly knew that would eventually become the name of the group. The group, at that time named Licyndiana, was in the midst of a name change as per the request of Lionel Job for the group to have a more catchy name. His theory was that since there were (4) Phillips brothers in the band, and they had huge egos at the time, the name would be an instant winner once they associated the "starpoint screwdriver" with the family name Phillips. The rest was history! One of the only photo opportunities he ever got to share with the group back then he recalled took place at the San Diego Sports Complex during the group's most successful tour the "Restless Tour." He says after hearing a lie being by the late Renee Diggs...about who and how the name Starpoint came into being, while he was standing there witnessing an interview for Right On Magazine, he was so perturbed that he insisted on being in the "Right On Magazine" group photo that day. In fact he went as far as the threaten to cause a scene if he was not allowed to take the photo. His thought was that since the world saw all (7) of them each night on stage, and ever since he was 11 years old, they were also going to see (7) of them in the magazine photo.

Other facts-

When he was recently asked what he feels were the most significant deals he ever was involved in he said by far it was his role in the #1 hit song "Girl You Know It's True" which was associated with the infamous duo "Milli Vanilli." Had it not been for him changing a foolish "work for hire" contract between Bill Pettaway and Steve Franco,the executive producer of the original album(NUMARX)which contained the original version of the former "song of the year" and #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Girl You Know It's True," the musical paths of former Def Jam head Kevin Liles, Bill Pettaway, and Ky Adeyemo would have drastically taken a different route. Matrineasial wrote the title track for the album called "It's Our Time" which contained the original version of the smash hit song "Girl You Know It's True." The album was recorded by "Numarx" from Baltimore, Maryland. He also shared stories about the 6-time Grammy Award superstar diva Toni Braxton used to sing his songs in his basement in Annapolis, Maryland... putting claims on songs like his original music composition "Share My Love" and many others. He says that the Grammy Award winner's financial woes were no surprise to him because she never took an interest in learning about the business aspects of music although when they dated he says he tried to teach her but apparently it fell upon deaf ears.