Cheryl - Lead Singer, Harmony creator and Logistics Manager :-)
Did you know she starred as Peter Pan when she was 7 years old?
CHERYL BARCLAY
Cheryl Barclay began performing publicly at the age of 6 as a soloist in the Youth Choir of St. John’s Baptist Church, was baptized and became a Christian at age 7. She has been singing professionally since age 13, performing in weddings, banquets, concerts, community and church-related events. She began private vocal training during her freshman year in high school and continued formal classical training for 4 years. Cheryl also began private piano study at age 7 and continued formal classical study for 10 years. She attended the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division where, in addition to private piano, she also studied music theory and ear training. During her senior year in high school, she appeared in her own formal piano concert at St. John’s as part of her college fund-raising efforts.
Cheryl actively participated in choirs, ensembles and chorales throughout her elementary and junior high years at Kent Place School as well as her high school years at Mt. St. Mary Academy, where she was Chorale president her senior year. Throughout her college career at Eastern University in St. David’s, PA, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Communications, she continued performing in weddings, as well as various community and campus-related events. She also accompanied different ministers, including world renowned author and evangelist Anthony Campolo Jr., as the featured soloist at churches in the area, and appeared in three of her own formal “mini-concerts” on campus. Cheryl also traveled for two years with a small, professional ensemble, The Turning Point, which ministered to local churches. In the summer following her sophomore year, she accompanied The Turning Point on a ten week tour of the east coast, visiting over 80 churches, including St. John’s Baptist Church. She was also a member of both the College and Touring choirs during her entire college career at Eastern.
Cheryl continues to perform professionally at weddings, funerals and other church as well as non-church-related events, gigs and club gigs. Cheryl has been an active member of the Unity Fellowship Church movement for the past 10 years and presently serves as President of the Voices of Victory gospel choir at Unity Fellowship Church of New Brunswick, NJ. As a member of several other choirs, including IllumiNation Gospel Chorale based in Manhattan, as well as the Good News Gospel Choir based in Plainfield NJ, she has performed on Broadway at Town Hall, Carnegie Hall and various other large and small venues throughout the tri-state area. Cheryl recently released her first CD entitled, “We Are Here…To Praise the Lord”, a collection of contemporary jazz, house and funk-infused gospel songs, which is available on itunes, as well as cdbaby.com.
Tidbit: Cheryl sings background vocals for the soul music group who bought you the legendary tune, "Body and Soul" Soul Generation is the name of the group and Cliff Perkins is the lead singer!
Slide Show featured at the New Brunswick Concert
Cheryl and JaVonne - Each and Every Day
Pictures
JaVonne - Song Writer, Producer, Engineer, Label Owner, and Singer :- )
I was born in the Boogie Down and now reside in the burbs of NJ. I will give more details later, but an interesting tidbit is that Cheryl and I were born exactly 16 days apart!
JaVonne was born and raised in the Bronx, NY when the sounds of the streets encompassed the soulful melodies of Motown, Al Green, and Aretha Franklin, as well as the painful renditions of tunes by Billie Holiday and Janis Joplin. Her bedtime lullaby was “Chain of Fools” and she woke up to the sounds of Gladys Knight and the Pips’, “Heard It Through The Grapevine.” It was all about soul music and R&B. JaVonne’s father was a doo wop crooner who encouraged his daughter to write her own songs. JaVonne also has a cousin, a former recording artist, who encouraged her to study the musical style of Patti Labelle. Long story short, music permeated every facet of JaVonne’s young life. She and her friends often formed singing groups, dance groups, and performance clubs, and JaVonne was always front and center stage.
When hip hop began (prior to the first rap/hip hop record) JaVonne could always be found hanging with her big brother’s friends and using their DJ equipment to learn the craft. At age 13, JaVonne was rapping in the parks with the likes of Kool Herc, Mix Master Bruce, Afrika Bambata, and Scott La Rock, to name a few - music, music, music! During this time, JaVonne’s grandmother sent her for a few months of private singing lessons. She was also provided with a guitar, which she learned to strum pretty well. Later, at Adlai E. Stevenson High School, she had one term of piano lessons and instantly fell in love with the keys. JaVonne also kept busy writing songs, poems, and rap lyrics for various artists.
In 1983, while working at Tower Records, JaVonne came across an album entitled, “The Two Sides of Sam Cook.” The gospel songs as song by Mr. Cook deeply touched JaVonne’s soul and gave her a new found interest in gospel music as well as the compassion of Jesus Christ. The album also laid out the story of how Mr. Cook was shunned by his would-be Christian audience because he was primarily known as a secular singer. That album and the story behind it had a profound effect on JaVonne. It wasn’t until the late 1990’s that JaVonne heard, “Stomp” by Kirk Franklin. Again, she was moved by the apparent rebuking offered by some traditional Christian audiences. It was at this time that JaVonne started paying closer attention to gospel music and, through the music, came to know Christ.
By the year 2004, JaVonne was writing full compositions of gospel music. Utilizing the philosophy laid down by the Unity Fellowship Church Movement, that “God Is Love, and Love Is For Everybody,” JaVonne began writing gospel songs and inspirational music intended to relay the message that no matter one’s race, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, nor life experience…we are all created in God’s image and God already loves everyone just as we are. JaVonne’s gospel compositions have been sung in Gospel concerts in a few states on the East Coast. Most recently, JaVonne wrote and produced a CD entitled, “We are Here…To Praise The Lord.” a collection of contemporary jazz, house and funk-infused gospel songs, which is available on itunes, as well as cdbaby.com. JaVonne wrote every song on the CD except for one. She also sings lead and background vocals.
JaVonne also continues to write love songs (R&B) and produced an original House Music CD as well. JaVonne believes deeply that this gift she has been blessed with is a special ministry through which God communicates to every community and one which enables her, and others, to express ALL of who they are, just as Mr. Cook did.
Cheryl and JaVonne - As a Musical Group
Cheryl and JaVonne
Cheryl Barclay has been singing gospel and choral music since she was a child. She was classically trained and has sung professionally since the age of 13 years old. Cheryl met song writer/producer JaVonne Armstrong in 2004 and the two released their first gospel cd, “We Are Here…To Praise The Lord,” in March, 2008. The clear crisp vocals of Cheryl fused with the urban jazz/funk soul of JaVonne’s music has earned the pair quite a bit of local notoriety as well as the opportunity to perform at the legendary Cotton Club in NYC. Their music ministry is in its infancy, but has already touched hundreds of people. Their debut project is well worth purchasing. There is a little something on there for everyone, from jazz, to funk, to house, to a heart wrenching rendition of Oscar Williams “Safety” that is sure to touch one and all.