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DANIEL PORTER
VOCALIST
VOCAL ARRANGER
SONG WRITER
CO-PRODUCER
PRODUCTION EXPERT
I was exposed to music as early as I can remember. You know how you remember waking up in the middle of the night or sometimes in the morning, listening to the music your parents used to play on the old record player, you know the one where you put the little plastic center piece in to keep the little forty five, or EP from moving around? We had the kind of record player that opened into two speakers with the record player in the middle. Those were the good old days. My mom used to love her some Marvin Gaye, “Let’s get it on” and What’s going on”. I grew up with music in the house, and all seven of us loved music. We grew up blessed and highly favored with all of our needs met. Some folk on the block used to gossip saying a whole lot of nothing, but music kept on playing and "The Masterful Savior kept and sustained us", some of those same people wish they were doing better; my how times change!!
I can recall coming into the house watching my dad, Don Porter and his group the legendary Spaniels rehearse for a show scheduled to appear at the High Chaparral or the Arie Crown Theatre. We used to have fun watching the group rehearse in the front room of our house. Some times Dee Clark used to come over, you know the writer who made “Raindrops” and Hey Little Girl in the High School Sweater”. We learned so much from these Doo Wop Legends.
As children our dad used to teach us how to sing. My mom was the lead singer & me, my brother Dartantion, and my sister Delora used to sing in the family group called the "Porter Commitment”. Together we used to blend our voices and to make sweet tight harmonies. We used to sing oldies but goodies; you know the stuff we grew up listening to. Prior to this group me, Dar, Delora, Chis (our play but real brother if you know what I mean), Andre, & Brian Brooks used to have a band. We played “Earth Wind & Fire tunes like “Fantasy” and “September”. At that time I was in grammar school, but our band used to smoke! Chris was the lead singer of the group, he was multi-talented and a brilliant songwriter. Chris is resting with the Lord right now, may his soul rest in peace. We used to sing on the block, with other guys who wanted to either learn how to sing or already had the voice and some knowledge but wanted to increase their vocal ability. You know the street corner symphony stuff, the singing under the street light with sweet harmonies and smooth melodies kind of stuff, those were the good old days, back in the seventies when it was okay to hang out, sport your afro and run the streets without worrying about getting shot.
Growing up I had many musical influences, like James “ Pookie” Hudson the lead singer of my dad’s group the Spaniels. Don Porter also gave me pointers on singing & arranging background harmonies. Other famous recording artists like Sam Cook, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, David Ruffin, Nat King Cole, Al Green, and plenty others. That was growing up in the seventies what a time to remember growing up.
In the eighties we had moved to a new wave of music the synthesized sound. House music was also popular, groups like Ten City, Marshall Jefferson, Reggie Hall, were on the local Chicago scene. This is where my younger brother David Josias Porter got his start. David used to play percussion when we sang together in the family group. Little did we know while he was playing the percussions, he was also soaking up the music like a sponge. We started a different group called “PORCHE” which stood for Positive Oriented Rhythmic Concept of Harmonious Entertainers. David began to come into his own as a Vocalist, Songwriter, Producer, and Arranger. Together we sang performed and enjoyed our music as a group. Our biggest gig was opening up for “CHAKA KHAN” at the Riviera theatre on north Broadway in Chicago in 1989. We had a good time and also met a manager who wanted to invest in some studio time for the group. Even though we never made it to the major label PORCHE, made up of Dan Porter, Gary Baker & David Josias accomplished several goals as recording artists.
In the early 90’s PORCHE produced their own show at the park west entitled “Getting Mighty in the Nineties”. By this time David Josias had proven himself to be a multi-talented producer, songwriter, vocalist, musician and percussionist. The show at the Park West in Lincoln Park in Chicago was a proven success and received rave reviews.
Delora also continued singing and producing music, today she writes and produces songs and music along with our younger brother Paul Porter who is also an award winning Poet nationally recognized by the SOCIETY OF POETS, for his recent piece entitled "Correction my Protection".
During this time I experienced yet another semgment in the Music business that proved to be beneficial to my career. I started working for a production company called Premiere Entertainment. Derrick “DOC” Brown and Louis Mercardo along with the beautiful Marsha Bobo worked in the office and I helped this company put together a Thanksgiving Rap Tour entitled “ Holiday Rap Fest 90” featuring the headliner "ICE CUBE", "TOO SHORT", "D’ NICE", "PRT"( Poor Righteous Teachers), and "KID ROCK", that’s right the KID ROCK you see on television with the talented Pamela Anderson. Before ICE CUBE started doing movies he had a production company called “Street Knowledge Productions. The company was very successful and having worked production during his concerts I observed him incorporate movie type themes into his rap concerts. I worked in several positions within the company. I worked as Stage Manager, Production Assistant, Sound Tech, Light Tech, Hospitality, and even Security, you see this was a small knit company and I took advantage of the opportunity to work & learn all of these positions. The Concert Toured ten cities within the mid west, some cities sold out while others, barely broke even. We also produced smaller concerts starring "JOHHNY GILL", "ICE T" AND "KOOL MOE DEE". I acquired so much knowledge and experience during this tour and I add this experience to my resume.
Still in the early nineties I moved on to yet another Acapella vocal group called 11th Avenue. Now this group was just like home. This group sang the material I was raised on. When I joined 11th avenue in 1990 I was back with a guy that I grew up with as a kid, even though he was much older than me. Billy Sheldon was his name and singing Acapella was his game, Billy used to come by the house & sing bass with the spaniels. Billy used to bring his son Teddy Sheldon. Billy raised Teddy on music just as my dad raised us on the Oldies music. Teddy learned how to play the guitar and this was all we needed to perform around the Chicago land area and the surrounding suburbs as 11th avenue. We were known for our complex harmonies and smooth blends. Billy Sheldon taught all the vocal parts while Teddy taught vocal parts, sang bass, lead, and second tenor while playing the guitar. Teddy could play the guitar like nobody I had ever heard before. Being raised on the oldies but goodies Teddy also listened to the classics, which gave him a well rounded music background. I enjoyed singing with this group, I had to enjoy singing with this group because we traveled long distances, sang all night sometimes 4-5 hours and were paid very little.
In 1994 I hooked up with Byron Woods and Mae Koen and together we united as Vocal Poynt. After a little while Diane Madison was re-united with the group and I began signing with another Vocal Group that could sing tight acepella harmonies. I have been blessed to meet people and groups that can perform, sing, write, and produce. Vocal Poynt has been performing around the Chicago land area, singing Motown, top forty, and Jazz. Now Jazz is our forte. We love to sing tight knit harmonies that sometimes break the rules, but are never boring. Currently we are working on our full length CD and our X-Mas CD. I am blessed to be a part of such a dynamic group, with real talented, humble God fearing people who love to sing & perform, MUSIC IS OUR DESTINY.
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Dan with the "Vagabonds" singing at the Oldie's show in Newark NEW Jersey.
Left to Right:
Charles Colquitt, Hiawatha Barns, Billy Sheldon, Dan Porter, Don Porter (seated).
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"Doin what I do"
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Rev. Jesse Jackson
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