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Rodney Greene Biography
Rodney is currently working on his third album scheduled for release in April 2022. Rodney has released a single off the album which features Billboard's Smooth Jazz chart topping Saxophonist Jackiem Joyner who is a musical icon in his own right.
Early BeginningsBorn and raised in Los Angeles California, Rodney’s first introduction to music came at the age of 9 years old while learning to play the violin in elementary school. He says “playing music had always been of interest to me even at a young age as my dad was also a vocalist and recording artist"
“However after a few months of playing violin I started getting bullied a lot walking home from school because I had a violin under my arms. I think it was more about their being jealous that I could do something they couldn’t. So I decided to choose another instrument just to stop being bullied.
One day my dad brought home a set of drums which I started playing as opposed the violin which stopped the harrasment. I learned from that experience to never allow myself to give in to peer pressure. Who knows, I might have gone on to become a great violinist.
As a teenager, I began hanging out with other musicians. I had a friend who was a bass player. I’d go to his band rehearsals and gigs and I began to love the deep percussive driving tone of that instrument. Soon after, I saved my money and bought my first bass guitar and learned how to play well enough play with several “garage” bands.
As time went on, I joined several rock, Latin, and R&B cover bands as a bass player and fill-in keyboardist playing the local Southern California club scene playing mostly covers". "Playing other people’s music was great and all but I wanted to express my own artistic creativity and began writing and recording my own music".
After years of submitting music to several major record labels with no success Rodney decided to start his own independent record label and production company GreeneStreet Records. In 2003 he self-produced and released his debut album titled “Nice n Slow”. This was followed by his sophomore album release in 2011 titled “Meditation of My Heart” which was also self produced with Rodney playing most of the instruments and programming.
Musical InfluencesAs child of the “Old School” music era, "I grew up listening to a variety of R&B artists including EWF {Earth, Wind, and Fire), Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Grover Washington, Ronnie Laws, and others".
"As the years progressed, I really began to gravitate to contemporary gospel and smooth jazz music. This type of music provides with me a sense of love, peace, and always gave me a positive outlook on life".
More contemporary smooth jazz artists influences include Brian Culbertson, Boney James, Najee, the late Wayman Tisdale, Norman Brown, Peter White, and Jackiem Joyner.