Darryl Pearson
Darryl "Day" Pearson is an American record producer, songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for writing and producing "It's All About Me", a Mya/Sisqó single that peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Part Time Lover" (a Top 10 R&B Hit for group H-Town from the 1994 Above the Rim soundtrack), as well as "Trippin' ", a collaboration between Total and Missy Elliott that climbed to #7 on the Hot 100 in 1998.[1][2][3][4][5] As a result, Pearson secured a placement on Billboard's "Hot R&B Producers" 1998 Year-End Chart.[6] Pearson has also produced or written songs for Usher, Beyoncé, and Sam Smith, among others.[7]
Darryl Pearson | |
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| Also known as | DX, DAY, DP SOUNDZ |
| Born | Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Labels | |
Career edit
Music beginnings, da bassment and Melky & Day edit
Motivated to enter the music industry in the early 1990s, Pearson began producing demos for friends sending music to record labels in hopes of securing deals. This practice developed into a writing and production partnership with R&B group Jodeci.[8] He relocated to both Teaneck, New Jersey and Rochester, New York to work with DeVante Swing's Swing Mob collective, which evolved into R&B/Hip-hop production team and Elektra Records label imprint Da Bassment Cru with the addition of producer Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley. Over the next 5 years, Pearson would be credited with creating music for various affiliated artists including Missy Elliott (as well as her group Sista), Mary J. Blige, K-Ci & JoJo, Dru Hill, Ginuwine (via an unreleased 1995 debut album for Da Bassment/Elektra), and Timbaland & Magoo, among others.[9][10][11][12] In 1997, Pearson joined forces with singer and songwriter Blandinna Melky Jean from group Melky Sedeck to create R&B duo Melky & Day, and released single "I Got A Love Jones For You" for Columbia Records/Sony on the 1997 Love Jones soundtrack alongside duo Refugee Camp All-Stars. The single was a remake of the hit Brighter Side of Darkness single "Love Jones".[13][14] In 1998, Pearson contributed to Mosley's debut single as an artist, "Here We Come" alongside Elliott, Playa, and Magoo for his solo debut album Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment, which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the UK and Dutch charts. As discussed in a 1998 Timbaland interview for MTV, "Darryl [and I] were messing around in the studio and he was humming the Spider-Man tune, 'Doomp do doomp, doomp do doomp,' so he was doing that, and I was like, 'Do that again,'... [h]e did it, and I sampled his vocals doing that and I put a beat on top of it, and we just rapped to it."[15]
Pearson was also a major player on Mya's eponymous 1998 debut album for University/Interscope Records, producing and/or writing 7 of the 13 tracks that appeared. These included Top 40 single "Movin On" and Top 10 single "It's All About Me".[16][17] Pearson similarly contributed 4 songs to emerging R&B singer Terry Dexter's eponymous 1999 debut album.[18]
MCA record deal and solo ventures edit
In 1996, Pearson began working closely with ByStorm Entertainment CEO Mark Pitts on the creation and sound formulation of R&B Band Born In August, discussed in-depth in a July 1996 Billboard article.[19] Pearson would produce, arrange vocals, and play all instruments on their debut single "April" released in August 1996, before their completed debut album Timeless Journey was shelved indefinitely by parent label Universal Records.[20]
As reported by Billboard in a February 13, 1999 article, Pearson was scheduled to release his debut solo album (titled Savior's Day) on MCA Records in the summer of 1999, immediately after a May 8 release of lead single "You Should Be With Me" featuring Mya, but the project and single were shelved for undisclosed reasons.[1] Another album track, "I'll Give U All I Got" appeared on several MCA Records promotional CD Samplers sent to radio stations at the time, but remains officially unreleased. His sole release as a solo act remains a rendition of "Silent Night" from 1999's MCA Records Compilation My Christmas Album.[21] MCA executives planned to release Pearson's appearance as a single to various Adult Contemporary radio formats in promotion of the project.[22]
2000-Present: Later career edit
In 2006, Pearson reunited again with Swing Mob / Bassment producer Mosley and entered his Mosley Music Group camp, contributing to Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds (credited for guitar accompaniments to "SexyBack" and album cut "Sexy Ladies"), Madonna's Hard Candy (guitar credits on "Dance 2Night"), Chris Cornell's 2009 album Scream (various instruments), co-writing "Grown Woman" alongside Mosley for Beyoncé's Pepsi campaign in 2013, and co-writing "Pray" from Sam Smith's 2017 album The Thrill of It All.[23][24][25][26] In 2016, Pearson, alongside greiBO Entertainment co-producer Davis Grei, produced a video using images from Jermaine UniqueEye, Christopher Ervin and others to capture the 2015 Baltimore protests, winning a bronze Telly Award in the "music video" and "social responsibility" categories.[27]
Songwriting, instrumental, and production credits edit
Credits are courtesy of Tidal and Discogs.
Guest appearances edit
| Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "I've Got A Love Jones For You" | 1997 | Melky Sedeck, Refugee Camp All-Stars | Love Jones (Soundtrack) |
| "Here We Come"[37] | 1998 | Timbaland & Magoo, Missy Elliott | Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment |
| "Lady" | 1999 | Melky Sedeck | Sister & Brother |
Full Guitar Projects edit
| Album | Artist | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diary of a Mad Band | Jodeci | 1993 | Uptown / MCA Records |
| Usher | Usher | 1994 | LaFace / Arista Records |
| 4 All the Sistas Around da World | Sista | 1994 | Swing Mob / Elektra Records |
Unreleased Productions edit
° Ginuwine - Untitled Shelved 1995/1996 Debut Album (Da Bassment / Elecktra)
- "Lady"
- "Yeah Come On"
- "Rock"
- "Feel It"
- "Come On Baby"
- "Soaking Wet"
- "Straight Like That"
- "One Reason Why"
- "Come Inside"
- "I'm Going To Fall In Love"
° Renee Anderson - Untitled Shelved 1997 Debut Album (Da Bassment / EMI Publishing)
- "Maybe"
- "Makin Love"
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Work | Award | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards | Award-Winning Songs (Part Time Lover / I'm Still In Love With You) | Won | [38] |
| 1999 | ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards | Award-Winning Songs (Movin' On) | Won | [39] |
References edit
- ^ a b "Day Trippin'". Billboard. February 13, 1999.
- ^ "Upbeat debut album marks promising start for 18-year-old". The Lantern. October 3, 1998. from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Rob Sheffield on the 98 Best Songs of 1998: Pop's Weirdest Year". Rolling Stone. June 4, 2018. from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Single Reviews: Mya & Sisqó - "It's All About Me"". SPIN. August 1998.
- ^ "Hot 100 Singles Sales". Billboard. May 28, 1994. from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ "Hot R&B Producers". Billboard. December 26, 1998 – January 2, 1999.
- ^ "Darryl Pearson Talks Da Bassment, DeVante Swing, Producing for Jodeci, Mya, Dru Hill & More". YouKnowIGotSoul.com. July 2, 2020. from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "Darryl Pearson Interview". Bring Back Soul Music. July 3, 2020. from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Da Bassment: Susan Weems (Of Sugah) Pt. 1, New Jack Swing 4 Ever (NJS4E) 5.0". July 2020. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ Powers, Ann (September 19, 1999). "MUSIC; the New Conscience of Pop Music". The New York Times. from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ "The show, the afterparty, da bassment". 585 Magazine. December 26, 2018. from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Full Clip: K-Ci & JoJo Run Down Jodeci's Catalogue, MJB and More". Vibe. December 17, 2010. from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Singles Reviews & Previews: Refugee Camp AllStars Presents Melky And Day - "I Got A Love Jones For You"". Billboard. April 12, 1997. from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "Refugee Camp All Stars Presents Melky and Day - I Got a Love Jones for You". Discogs. November 8, 1997. from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ . MTV. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023.
- ^ "WBSS Media-Mya". from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
- ^ "Mya Talks Love of Music History in Industry As Thriving Independent Artist". You Know I Got Soul. from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ "Move Over, Mya". Billboard. June 12, 1999. from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "ByStorm's Born In August Journeys Toward Romance". Billboard. July 13, 1996.
- ^ "Singles Review: Born In August - "April"". Billboard. August 31, 1996.
- ^ "Archived copy". from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "'Christmas Album' Straddles Formats". Billboard. October 16, 1999.
- ^ "Secrets of the Mix Engineers: Jimmy Douglass". Sound On Sound. from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "The Number Ones: Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack"". Stereogum. February 15, 2023. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ "Backstage Pass / Royalty Network 20th Anniversary: How a Song Makes Money Forever". Billboard. from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "Who's Nominated, Who's Not". Hits Daily Double. from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "Greibo Entertainment Wins Telly Award". from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ "20 Years Later: Mya's Self-Titled Debut Album, Ranked". Yahoo Entertainment. April 21, 2018. from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "Singles Review: Mýa - "Movin' On"". Billboard. August 22, 1998.
- ^ "The 50 Best R&B Songs with Rap Features". Complex Networks. from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
- ^ "20 Years Later: Mya's Self-Titled Debut Album, Ranked - Vibe Magazine". April 20, 2018. from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "Singles Review: Mya - "It's All About Me"". Billboard. April 18, 1998.
- ^ "Throwback Thursday: Mya feat. Sisqo - 'It's All About Me'". ThisIsR&B. June 19, 2014. from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Singles Review: Total Featuring Missy Elliott - "Trippin'"". Billboard. October 10, 1998.
- ^ "Andre Harrell Goes To Work for Puffy; Shai Takes Indie Route To Realize Its "Destiny"". Billboard. November 14, 1998.
- ^ "Universal Music Publishing Digital Library". from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ Fonseca, Anthony J.; Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn (September 9, 2021). Listen to Hip Hop! Exploring a Musical Genre. Abc-Clio. ISBN 9781440874888.
- ^ "ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Celebration: Congratulations To Our Winners". Billboard. July 1995.
- ^ "You Captured The Rhythm Of Soul". Billboard. June 5, 1999. Retrieved December 27, 2022.