HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Gary "Lil G" Jenkins is an American musician. He is the lead singer of the R&B group
Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
. Born and raised in
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
, he is the youngest of seven children.


Musical career

Gary began singing in church at the age of seven, which earned him a role as a featured soloist on BET's ''The Bobby Jones Gospel Show'' for many years. By the age of nine, Gary had mastered the guitar after only a few lessons and had self-taught an assortment of keyboards, drums and guitars. While attending
Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...
(TSU) in Nashville, Gary majored in music, with an emphasis in piano and voice. As a member of the prestigious TSU Jazz Collegians, he was selected to accompany Dizzy Gillespie on piano during Gillespie's visit to the school. He also appeared in several
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...
productions and performed with the Aristocrat of Bands, TSU's
marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ...
program. In 1992, Gary answered an audition call and earned the role as lead singer for
Keith Sweat Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and an early figure in the new jack swing musical movement. He is known for his collection of hits including " I Want Her", " Make It Last Forever", " I'll Give ...
's newly formed R&B group Silk. Their career began with the success of "Freak Me" and "Lose Control" from Silk's 1992 debut album ''Lose Control''. Their career spanned the globe for nearly ten years, with more than five million records sold. In September 1994, Jenkins appeared in the R&B group,
Black Men United Black Men United (B.M.U.) was a collaboration of many African-American male R&B, neo soul and soul music artists. Their only song "U Will Know", written by a young D'Angelo, was released in 1994. It was featured in the film '' Jason's Lyric'', an ...
and with his group Silk and mentor Keith Sweat on the single, "U Will Know" from the soundtrack to the movie, ''
Jason's Lyric ''Jason's Lyric'' is a 1994 American erotic romantic psychological drama film, written by Bobby Smith Jr., directed by Doug McHenry, who co-produced the film with George Jackson and Marilla Lane Ross, and starring Allen Payne, Jada Pinkett, Bo ...
''. The success of their second album, ''Silk'', led to the follow-up, ''Tonight''. Remaining consistent, they released their fourth album, ''Love Session'' in 2001. The group gained national recognition with his appearances on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ' ...
'', '' Live with Regis and Kathi Lee'', MTV, BET, ''
Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series ...
'', ''
Jenny Jones Jenny Jones may refer to: People *Jenny Jones (presenter) (born 1946), United States television personality and host of ''The Jenny Jones Show'' * Jenny Jones, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (born 1949), British Green Party politician, member of the ...
'', ''
Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film '' Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for ...
'', ''
Moesha ''Moesha'' () is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class fami ...
'', ''
Showtime At The Apollo ''Showtime at the Apollo'' (formerly ''It's Showtime at the Apollo'' and ''Apollo Live'') is an American variety show that first aired in syndication from September 12, 1987 to May 24, 2008. In 2018, the series returned on Fox with Steve Harvey ...
'' and ''Motown Live'' among others. Achieving international acclaim, Gary has toured throughout the world in such countries as Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, France, the Netherlands and Germany. With unresolved dissension among the group members mounting after the folding of their record label,
Elektra Electra was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. Electra or Elektra may also refer to: Greek mythology *Electra (Pleiad), one of the Pleiades * Electra, one of the Danaids, daughter of Danaus and Polyxo * Electra (Oc ...
, Gary resigned from the group in 2002. Over the following 18 months, Gary wrote, recorded and produced (with live instruments) his first independent solo project, ''The Other Side''. Gary also studied theater in school, co-starring in '' Hello, Dolly!'' and '' Harvey''. He made his professional debut in 1997 in the production of ''Sneaky''. He has since appeared in numerous nationally touring stage plays including ''Fake Friends'', ''Perilous Times'', ''Secret Lovers'',
Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmak ...
's ''
Madea's Family Reunion ''Madea's Family Reunion'' is a 2006 American comedy-drama film and an adaptation of the stage production of the same name written by Tyler Perry. The film is a sequel to '' Diary of a Mad Black Woman''. It was written, directed by, and starri ...
'', ''What Men Don't Tell'', ''Whatever She Wants'' and Love Unbreakable b
Lavarious A. Slaughter
Gary is a member of the R&B supergroup,
Blayse Blayse was a short lived American R&B supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups ...
, along with Marc Nelson and Tony Grant formerly of
Az Yet Az Yet is an American R&B group from Philadelphia, best known for their songs " Last Night" and the cover " Hard to Say I'm Sorry" originally performed by Chicago. Formation Formed in 1989 initially as a duo with Shawn Rivera and Dion Allen, t ...
and Terrell Phillips formerly of
Blackstreet Blackstreet (often stylized as BLACKstreet) is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by record producers Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, and Teddy "Street" Riley. The group has released four albums with Interscope Records until 2003. They achieved ...
. The group has yet to release a single. After appearing with Silk during Keith Sweat's "Sweat Hotel" tour in 2006 and subsequent release of the concert footage on the DVD "Sweat Hotel", Jenkins reunited with Silk and began touring and recording in late 2007. In June 2017, he appeared as the featured guest vocal artist of urban adult instrumentalist, Journell Henry (p/k/a. J. Henry), soon to be released single, "Cupid's Arrow".


Solo discography


Albums

*''
The Other Side The Other Side, Other Side, or Otherside may refer to: Film, television and radio Films * ''The Other Side'' (1931 film), a German film directed by Heinz Paul * ''The Other Side'' a 1999 film by director Peter Flinth * ''The Other Side'' (2000 f ...
'' (Anaphora Records, 2007)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Gary Tennessee State University alumni American contemporary R&B singers Blayse members Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee 21st-century African-American male singers 20th-century African-American male singers