Calvin “Joonie” Gary, Jr
Calvin “Joonie” Gary, Jr., better known by his stage name Joonie is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and musician, specializing in Soul, R&B and Popular Music. Like many great Soul and R&B artists, Joonie began his vocal career singing and playing in the church. Although Joonie is a brilliant vocalist, and talented musician, initially, he never aspired to be a singer, his focus was on songwriting. He’d write songs, but couldn’t find anyone to sing them the way he envisioned them being heard, so he was forced to sing his own Demos. This effort landed Joonie a deal with a major record label at a young age.
Unable to compromise the integrity of his musicianship and unwilling to abandon his unique artistic style to become a prepackaged “instant star”, Joonie took an introspective hiatus from the music industry, where at one point; he almost lost his desire to create.
For a while, Joonie stayed behind the scenes, writing, arranging, producing or playing instrumentals for other artists including, Ruben Studdard, Nappy Roots, Angie Stone and Mos Def (unreleased), but his talent would once again surface to the forefront. After touring and performing with Elliot Yamin, the audience reactions to Joonie’s performances night after night were overwhelming and undeniable that people wanted to hear more from him.
Acoustic Love, Joonie’s debut album, set for release April 27, 2010 is real music, expressing his feelings about love and relationships, explored from a very rare point of view in current popular music; one where romance exists, women, are valued and appreciated, a story is told and pure emotions are expressed set to perfect arrangements with infectious rhythms.
As Joonie says, each of his songs is like his child. He likes to take time with each one, nurture it and guide it to maturity until it is ready to be shared. His goal with every song is to create music that actually touches your soul, puts a smile on your face and makes you feel good and your head bob as you listen and sing along.
Q&A With Calvin “Joonie” Gary, Jr
BS: Who were your role models growing up? Which top 5 artists would you be caught listening to?
Joonie:
Honestly, growing up I was one of the few people who didn’t have a solid role model outside of my mother. However, my musical influences were D’angelo, Lauryn Hill and Nat King Cole. Aside from those 3 artists, you’d catch me listening to Jill Scott, John Mayor and even some Drake from time to time.BS: What advice can you give to aspiring songwriters? How can they better master this niche?
Joonie:
Don’t settle for mediocre lyrics for the sake of finishing a song. Also, the way you get better at writing is to just do it. The more you practice it, the more creative and clever you’ll get with your approach to writing.BS: What is the biggest obstacle you’ve faced as an artist? How have you overcome them?
Joonie:
The biggest obstacle I’ve faced was getting heard. I overcame that by being persistent and also linking up with people who believed in my vision and were willing to help push for my cause for the sake of great music. S/O to Hit Club Entertainment!BS: R&B is said to be a dying genre. Do you believe this is so?
Joonie:
I don’t believe R&B’s a dying genre. I’d like to hear more genuine R&B on mainstream radio and TV today but there are lots of great artists out there… you just have to find them. That will change.. I have faith in the passion of the people.BS: What is the most memorable and rewarding experience you’ve experienced within the music industry?
Joonie:
Such a hard question to answer because there are so many, but one that stands out today would be the release of my 1st album “Acoustic Love”. I had no idea I’d get the response I received from the media and more importantly my fan. Out of all the places I’ve been and experiences I’ve had, touching peoples lives with my music has got to be the most rewarding.BS: Why do you believe it is important for artists to “stand their ground” and not be conformed to the pressures of the media?
Joonie:
This is extremely important because if we don’t stand our ground the question about R&B or any genre of music dying becomes real. Some of the best songs are songs that never see the light of day on a radio station. If we start to make music solely for radio in this day and age, we lose the heartbeat of music.BS: What future projects should we look forward to?
Joonie:
Acoustic Love the album part 2 will be released sometime early 2012. Its the re-release of the classic album but I’ve added a few new songs and included a fan favorite song entitled “Sunshine”. Lots of things planned this year so keep up with me on all of my social sites to stay connected.
