Steve Tyrell
His breakthrough performances in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride II helped Tyrell reinvent and re-popularize classic pop standards for a modern-day audience. His hits, The Way You Look Tonight, The Simple Life, Crush On You, and The Sunny Side of The Street, have launched millions of romances and been played at thousands of weddings, including Chelsea Clinton’s!
Steve has had the pleasure of singing for Heads of State, including Presidents Bush and Clinton, Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Santos of Columbia, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In 2014, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales invited Steve and his band for a command performance at Buckingham Palace.
As for American royalty, the Sinatra family has long embraced Steve and his music. Together with Quincy Jones, they handpicked Steve to be the featured performer with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at their season opening concert in which Frank Sinatra was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. Also at the request of the Sinatra family, he reprised that performance at Carnegie Hall. This was one of the rare times the family has reached into the vault of original Sinatra arrangements to share them with another artist.
Although Steve tours mainly with his band, he also enjoys playing with some of the most renowned orchestras in the world, and has had multiple performances with The Boston Pops, The New York Pops, The Nashville Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and The Houston Symphony, among many others.
Tyrell’s work in the studio as a record producer has included collaborations with such diverse and legendary artists as Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt, Aaron Neville, Bonnie Raitt, Blood Sweat and Tears, Mary J Blige, Chris Botti, Dave Koz, Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, Burt Bacharach, Bette Midler, and Stevie Wonder, among many others. He produced Woody Allen’s classic comedy album, Woody Allen – Stand Up Comic, as well as an album with the late Andy Griffith, which won the Grammy in 1995 for Gospel Album of the Year.
Aside from being a GRAMMY Award winner, Tyrell is a Daytime Emmy Award winner and has earned two Prime Time Emmy nominations. He’s also garnered three Ace Nominations, the 2004 American Society of Young Musicians All That Jazz Award, a 2004 The Wellness Community Human Spirit Award, a 2006 Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award, 2008 Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Jazz Vocalist of the Year, and 2013 City of Hopes Goodwill Ambassador Award. His productions have earned over 11 GRAMMY Awards themselves. The music he produced for the children’s special, Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue, which aired on all three major networks simultaneously, was given a special certificate of recognition by the Emmys.
Grammy Award winning producer and vocalist Steve Tyrell is the definition of a renaissance man. In his nearly five decades in the music business, he has achieved success as a singer, songwriter, producer, music supervisor, and most recently, radio host.
His breakthrough performances in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride II helped Tyrell reinvent and re-popularize classic pop standards for a modern-day audience. His hits, The Way You Look Tonight, The Simple Life, Crush On You, and The Sunny Side of The Street, have launched millions of romances and been played at thousands of weddings, including Chelsea Clinton’s!
As an artist, all 9 of his American Standards albums have achieved top 5 status on Billboard’s Jazz charts. His first album, A New Standard, was amongst the best selling jazz albums for more than 5 years. Steve’s latest album, That Lovin’ Feeling, debuted in the top 5. On it, he celebrates what he calls the Great American Songbook 2, featuring seminal rock era classics penned by legendary songwriters, including Carole King, Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber, among others.
He teamed with Judith Hill of 20 Feet From Stardom, as well as Neil Sedaka, Bill Medley, and B.J. Thomas for duets that put a new spin on their signature songs.
In August 2015, Tyrell added radio host to his long line of credits. Every Monday thru Friday, he can be heard on The Steve Tyrell Show, from 5PM to 8PM/PT on KJAZZ 88.1 in Los Angeles and online at jazzandblues.org.
Steve has had the pleasure of singing for Heads of State, including Presidents Bush and Clinton, Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Santos of Columbia, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In 2014, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales invited Steve and his band for a command performance at Buckingham Palace.
As for American royalty, the Sinatra family has long embraced Steve and his music. Together with Quincy Jones, they handpicked Steve to be the featured performer with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at their season opening concert in which Frank Sinatra was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. Also at the request of the Sinatra family, he reprised that performance at Carnegie Hall. This was one of the rare times the family has reached into the vault of original Sinatra arrangements to share them with another artist.
Although Steve tours mainly with his band, he also enjoys playing with some of the most renowned orchestras in the world, and has had multiple performances with The Boston Pops, The New York Pops, The Nashville Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and The Houston Symphony, among many others.
In 2005, after the passing of the legendary Bobby Short, Steve was asked by New York City’s Cafe Carlyle to take over their revered holiday season of November and December, which Mr. Short had not missed for 36 years.
Tyrell’s work in the studio as a record producer has included collaborations with such diverse and legendary artists as Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt, Aaron Neville, Bonnie Raitt, Blood Sweat and Tears, Mary J Blige, Chris Botti, Dave Koz, Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, Burt Bacharach, Bette Midler, and Stevie Wonder, among many others. He produced Woody Allen’s classic comedy album, Woody Allen – Stand Up Comic, as well as an album with the late Andy Griffith, which won the Grammy in 1995 for Gospel Album of the Year.
As a music supervisor and music producer for film and TV, Tyrell has worked with such distinguished directors as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Nancy Meyers, Steven Soderbergh, Charles Shyer, and Hugh Wilson. His song, How Do You Talk To An Angel, written and produced for Aaron Spelling’s Fox television series The Heights, was a No. 1 hit on Billboards Top 100 Pop Charts.
Aside from being a GRAMMY Award winner, Tyrell is a Daytime Emmy Award winner and has earned two Prime Time Emmy nominations. He’s also garnered three Ace Nominations, the 2004 American Society of Young Musicians All That Jazz Award, a 2004 The Wellness Community Human Spirit Award, a 2006 Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award, 2008 Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Jazz Vocalist of the Year, and 2013 City of Hopes Goodwill Ambassador Award. His productions have earned over 11 GRAMMY Awards themselves. The music he produced for the children’s special, Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue, which aired on all three major networks simultaneously, was given a special certificate of recognition by the Emmys.
Though Steve was born and raised in Texas, he has called Los Angeles home for more than 30-years. The production he cherishes most is his ever-expanding family!
Spanish vocalist and song-writer Debora Galan has performed on both coasts of the United States as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Spain, covering a variety of genres including Latin, jazz, R & B and contemporary Christian music. Currently residing in San Diego, she performs frequently on the West Coast as a guest vocalist and with her own ensemble, Silk. The group features some of Southern California’s leading musicians. Before moving to San Diego, she began her professional career in Washington, D.C. in Latin jazz and salsa clubs, performing with top-ranked bands and opening for major artists.
Galan’s first album as a leader, All About Love (2016) features ten original compositions exploring the various aspects of love, from enchantment to heartbreak. Lyrics on two tracks are sung in Spanish. Produced by Emmy-winning Latin/world music producer Allan Phillips, the CD enjoyed frequent spins on West Coast radio and was scheduled for East Coast and European distribution in 2017. Reacting to the new CD, David Barron of KSDS said, “Love it! Will be playing it often,” while Jay Michaels of Magic 92.5 lauded her “beautiful angelic voice.” Ron Hamilton of WRJR calls her music “a marriage of jazz and pop, but so much more.” Galan has also recorded on Vassilis Sotiriou’s album, Live Your Life (2017), Gregg Manning’s Dance with You (2014), Jon Ciccareli’s The Journey (2008), and Steven Ybarra’s Love, Love, Love (2007) and many more.
Born in Brussels and raised in Madrid, Spain, Galan inherited her love of music from her grandfather and mother, both of whom sang flamenco. They often sang at house parties and special family events like weddings and baptisms. They liked to sing Cante Jondo, a flamenco style of singing, which comes from “deep within.” Her mom was especially fond of Concha Piquer (1908-1990), and sang many of her songs. In Madrid, Galan was raised by her grandparents and lived in a household full of relatives. Her mother and Polish stepfather led an active social and political life in Washington, DC, where she moved before entering junior high school. Her mother took her to concerts at the Kennedy Center and concerts of bands such as the Chilean Quilapayún and Inti Illimani (groups exiled from their home countries because of their political songs).
Growing up in Washington, D.C., Galan absorbed a range of popular musical influences, including Barbra Streisand, Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, and Sade. Watching the Barbra Streisand movie, A Star is Born Galan was moved by how music played a powerful role in the character’s life and enabled her to cope with grief and loss. She learned every song on the soundtrack and realized then that singing was her destiny. Later she became familiar with jazz styles listening to Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, and Billie Holiday. She still listens to them as well as contemporary artists like Melody Gardot, Sophie Millman, Robin Mackelle, Amy Winehouse, and Adele. A myriad of influences shaped her eclectic musical repertoire. “I go for a groovy vibe,” says Galan, who mixes traditional and Latin jazz with a smooth new sound and “whatever surprises I decide to add in.” A constant in the formula is her Latin fire, whether hot or smoldering.
As a child she discovered Mexican rancheras and practiced them in front of a mirror. In junior high she began performing in school functions. She began singing professionally at age 19 while attending college in Washington, D.C. and working as a waitress at Cafe de Ipanema. The club was holding a contest/promotion similar to Star Search, but not enough people were participating. Debora’s boss handed her a glass of Courvoisier and told her to take off her apron and get on stage. She complied and soon other hopefuls followed her lead. After that, she was offered the position of lead singer in the house band, Banda de Ipanema. She also performed at Brazilian Sundance, Chelsea’s and Christini’s.
In 1987 Galan settled in San Diego, where she joined the Carlsbad-based variety band OSM and expanded her repertoire to include gospel and contemporary Christian music, working with such artists as guitarist Steven Ybarra and Jon Ciccarelli . In 2008 she struck out on her own, performing as a soloist and with her band Silk. She has since performed with smooth jazz keyboardists Greg Manning and Burt Brion, bassist Darryl Williams, multi-instrumentalists Allan Phillips and Kamau Kenyatta and Greek guitarist Vassillis Sotiriou..
With a style that evokes memories of Barbra Streisand and Sade, enriched with a subtle Latin flavor, Debora Galan’s fresh, clear voice and smooth tones soothe the soul, whether she’s serenading with a quiet love song or belting out a hot salsa number. Equally comfortable performing in a small, intimate lounge or before a packed auditorium or festival, her on-stage presence amazes and enthralls.