*Click on the above links to see other music industry awards that Stoneman has recieved.
First of all, please take note that I am not on the website looking for love. Ok? I am very much in love with a beautiful woman that I plan to spend the rest of my life with. I don't cheat, play games or anything like that! I am here looking to make friends and share my music with my people. Also, please young sistas, don't shame yourself by posting a picture of you with your booty all thong-ed out on my board. I don't need to see your bare booty to recognize that you are sexy or beautiful. Real beauty emanates from within. Show some respect for yourself and your people. Don't pimp your body to every internet jerk who wants to peek at some young stuff. Okay, with that said, let me tell you about me.
Me? Well, I guess you can say I put the original in O.G.. Started out on the streets of South Central L.A. where I earned the street name "Stoneman" way back in the early 70's. My pedigree? 6 deuce boys on the West side. Way before there were "Bloods" there was a group of thugs called "Brims". I was an enforcer in that crew. Got forced (pun intended) to go to the Viet Nam war where I found myself surrounded by the host of heaven and became a child of God. Returned home 4 years later and began my aspirations in music. Taught myself how to play the trumpet, Sax, Bass, Guitar, keyboards and how to sing. Over the years I have played in over 30 different bands in a variety of genre's including Jazz, Reggae, Funk, Rock, Metal, Gospel, Soul, Ska, Hip-Hop and of course R&B.
I started Tower Of Stone Publishing/ASCAP in 1992 and "One Man Band Productions" in 1994. All in all I have written and produced over 400 songs in 12 musical genres. Now? Well now I am producing some young folks and heading up my own label "Hands Up Records". I have had 17 songs signed to publishing deals and have released 5 solo CD's. My latest was released in May of 2008 entitled "Stoneman Avenue". My next solo CD "Therapy, This Time It's Personal" will be released in the summer of 2010. I also plan to release 2 CD's by my artists in 2012.
I graduated with Recording Engineering credentials in June of 2006 and I Have my own recording studio where I write and perform all the music and vocals on my recordings. I am self contained because I play several instruments and sing 4 octaves.
Other things of note are the fact that I have a pastoral certificate from San Jose Bible College and worked as a prison chaplain for many years here in Cali. I brought the word of God to inmates in 36 prisons, Juvenile Halls and Youth Authority camps each year. Because of my past street affiliations I was very effective in reaching the hard cases amongst the bangers on all sides. They respected me because of my past street credentials.
Today? I live in a small town called Clayton about 40 miles away from the bigidy, bigidy 'O (Oakland). I am Clayton's Black guy. Hehehehe, yeah, I'm a burb man now. I have lived over half a century and though I started out rough, I eventually found my way to the light. Music ability is one of the gifts I was given. I never had a lesson and can't read a lick of music. Yet, I always had an uncanny knack for learning to play several instruments.
My goals? To continue to be a catalyst for change in the hood and in this nation. I love to write and perform music that has meaning. I also enjoy mentoring young brotha's and sistas. Though I have won many awards and gained lots of critical acclaim, my main goal in life is to change the negative human conditions that many of my people face and to inspire others to seek "The Real".
There were many times that my brother and I tried to escape from our guardian. But I still remember the first time quite vividly. I remember that I was about 6 and my brother was 10. One thing that we both knew was that I was very allergic to milk. I was so allergic that every time I drank milk it made me sick and I got terrible rashes on my body. I had never been to the doctor about it but there was no doubting my allergy to milk. That allergy... (continue reading)
There was always one thing that turned me off about the churches in the hood when I was growing up. The area I lived in was so impoverished that people fought and killed each other daily over small change. It bothered me to see all the poor folks walking to church in their Sunday best while all the pastors and preachers were driving by in big shiny new Cadillac's. They were like ministerial pimps in my eyes. They pimped the neighborhood every Sunday and... (continue reading)
When I was 3 1/2 years old my father and mother separated and my father took me and my brother from Las Vegas to California. We lived a short while in a town called Modesto and then later he took my brother and I to Los Angeles, dropped us off at a relatives house and said he would be back to get us in a couple of weeks after he had found a job. Unfortunately, he never returned and the relative who became our legal guardian was either insane or demon possessed. I say this because I can't think... (continue reading)
