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Steve "Silk" Hurley
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Truly
a man of all musical seasons, Chicago-based producer
/ remixer / songwriter / DJ, and now
four-time Grammy Nominee Steve "Silk" Hurley
has more than proven in his 15-year plus career
that he is a musical force to be reckoned with.
His Grammy Nomination in January of this year
for his remix of Brandy’s "What About
Us" is just another testament to his longevity
as a producer, and yet another confirmation that “The
Remix King” is here to stay. Having spanned
the sometimes limiting borders of contemporary Black
music, moving freely from his Club/House music roots
to his R&B/Funk roots, his musical scope as a
producer has thus far remained unrivaled.
Spending
his childhood as a devout radio listener & worshipping
musical giants from The Jackson 5 to Parliament,
he developed not only a love of music, but also
a keen sense of melody. Initially developing a
strong reputation early on in his career as one
of Chicago's hottest DJ's, "Silk" was
known for his signature mixing skills and diverse
mixing style. It was through exercising this creative
expression that he eventually released his first
single entitled "Music Is The Key", which
soared to the #9 position on the Billboard Dance
Chart, establishing him as one of the pioneers
of "House Music" and validating him as
a producer. He quickly intensified his credentials
as a producer and artist when his group, J.M. Silk,
premiered on the RCA Records label and astonished
the industry with a string of #1 dance hits, including "Jack
Your Body", which was #1 on the U.K. National
Chart for 2 weeks, a feat which at that time, was
accomplished only by the Beetles.
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Since
then, Hurley’s productions and remixes
have catapulted him to the forefront as one of
the hottest talents today. In fact, his ability
to musically embellish a song and take it to new
dimensions has earned him the well-deserved title
as one of the nation's top remixers. This is evident
in some of his most prized works, including: Michael
Jackson's “Jam” and “Remember
The Time”, Prince's “Gett Off”,
Janet Jackson’s “Runaway”, Mary
J. Blige’s “Let No Man Put Asunder”,
Crystal Waters' "Makin' Happy", Mint
Condition's “You Send Me Swingin'",
Sounds Of Blackness' ”I Believe”, Madonna's “Take
A Bow”, and Boyz II Men's “I’ll
Make Love You”, to name just a few. Steve’s
recent remixes include Jennifer Lopez’s “Ain’t
It Funny”, Bob Marley’s “Soul
Shakedown Party”, Yolanda Adams’ “Open
My Heart”, & Melanie B.’s (Scary
Spice ‘formerly of The Spice Girls’) “Tell
Me”, and more recently, the Grammy-Nominated
remix of Brandy's "What About Us", Kelly
Rowland’s “Can’t Nobody” and
Ann Nesby's "Let Your Will Be Done."
"
Silk's" passion for music does not end, however,
with remixes. His freestyle creativity expands
to that of a notably outstanding songwriter/producer,
penning most of his chart-topping hits. Hurley
has had a pivotal hand in the success of many artists
with his writing & production on such projects
as Ce Ce Peniston's "We Got a Love Thang" (Top
20 Pop , Top 10 U.K.National Chart) “Keep
On Walkin” & "I'm Not Over You"(Gold & Top
10 R&B), Kym Sims'“Too Blind To See It” (Gold,
Top 10 U.K. National Chart), Ann Nesby's "Can
I Get A Witness" (Top 10 U.K. National Chart) & "Hold
On", Chantay Savage’s "Betch'all
Never Find" (Top 10 R&B), Tene Williams' "Give
Him A Love He Can Feel” (Top 10 R&B),
and Tanya Blount's "I’m Gonna Make you
Mine” (Top 40 R&B Chart). His highly
acclaimed production of Chantay Savage’s "I
Will Survive" (Gold,#2 Billboard R&B Chart)
was one of the biggest records of 1996. Steve recently
finished production & writing for Ann Nesby’s
second album. His production of “Lovin Is
Really My Game”, her first single, recently
reached the #1 position on Billboard’s
Dance Chart. Also on the horizon is his co-writing
and
production effort on Rahsaan Patterson's forthcoming
Album.
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Silk
added another dimension to his creative repertoire
by producing 2 songs
for the movie and soundtrack, “To Wong Foo”,
on which he was afforded the honor of working with
one of his idols, Chaka Khan. The song, “Free
Yourself”, which became the feature track
from the movie, was the result of this truly awe-inspiring
collaboration. Recently, Steve co-wrote & produced
a song for Donnell Jones entitled “I’ll
Go” for the “Love & Basketball” movie
soundtrack.
Today, Steve "Silk" Hurley proudly sits
at the helm of his own Production & Remix Team,
SilkMix.Com, and Record Label, Silk Entertainment.
The label has attained international success with
several of it’s releases. The debut release
entitled "The Word is Love" by Voices of
Life featuring Sharon Pass, was an international
hit, (#15 Italian National Chart, #25 U.K. National
Chart) selling over 2 million copies. Upcoming releases
include The Voices of Life Compilation (featuring
Ann Nesby, MeLi'sa Morgan, Chance, CeCe Peniston,
Gordon Chambers, Sharon Pass, Bob Marley, and gospel
sensation Vernessa Mitchell, among others) and several
of Silk's DJ Mix CD's.
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Staying
loyal to his passion as a DJ, "Silk " occasionally
takes time out of his hectic production schedule to showcase
his talents on the turntables. In 1998, Silk appeared at
BET's Soundstage, on BET's "Planet Groove" TV
Show as a guest DJ, and at several other venues worldwide.
His "OLD SKOOL / NEW SKOOL REMIX" can still be
heard every Tuesday and Thursday on the Nationally Syndicated "Tom
Joyner Morning Show", which is broadcast on 128 stations
in the US. Joyner & "Silk" have also released
Volume 1 & 2 of "The Old Skool Mix CD" on
Rhino Records. Volume 1 has sold over 125,000 copies in
the US to date, and Volume 2 has enjoyed much success as
well.
Steve "Silk" Hurley has managed to parlay his
love of music into a career as a producer and remixer,
and in the process, has garnered more than a few impressive
accolades. He received ASCAP Writer's Awards for “Keep
on Walkin’”, Too Blind To See It" and “I’m
Not Over You”. Further, Billboard Magazine recognized
him as one of the top producers for 1994, which was an
honor he shared with L.A. & Babyface, R. Kelly, Teddy
Riley and Jam & Lewis. "Silk" has also received
the British Charity Awards-U.K. “Remixer of The Year” Award
and the Winter Music Conference “Remixer of The Year” Award
among others. Without a doubt, however, the most prestigious
honor ever bestowed upon him has been his 4 Grammy Nominations
in the last 5 years. (Remixer Of The Year Category in1999 & 2000
/ Best Remixed Recording in 2002 & 2003). Hurley notes, "To
be honored by my peers with four Nominations is the pinnacle
of the dream".
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