Kyle Vincent Informations

Kyle Vincent is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and entertainer, labeled as the "crown prince of soft pop," by Goldmine. His debut single, "Wake Me Up (When The World's Worth Waking Up For)" peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

Barry Manilow has called Vincent, "One of the best singer-songwriters to come along since the heyday of Tin Pan Alley". Along with being a classically trained vocalist, Vincent plays saxophone, piano and guitar. In 2014 he was nominated for, and won, "Best Male Vocalist" at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

He was born and raised in Berkeley, California, U.S. and is an alumnus of the University of California at Berkeley.

Kyle Vincent began his music career at the age of eight, playing alto saxophone in Berkeley school jazz bands. At age 11 he appeared on stage with Donald Byrd, taking turns improvising with the trumpeter. He took jazz sax lessons with the saxophonist Hal Stein. Vincent studied voice with master vocal coach and opera singer Claudine Spindt for several years, and took bass lessons from guitarist Joe Satriani. After moving to Los Angeles, Vincent studied with renowned vocal coach Seth Riggs, his lessons being sandwiched between Barbra Streisand's and Phillip Bailey's.

Upon moving to L.A., Vincent worked for two years as personal assistant and driver for Kim Fowley. Vincent performed on several of Fowley's recording projects, and was also a session vocalist on several other artists’ albums.

Vincent was the lead singer in the seminal teen power pop band, Candy, which recorded one album, ‘’Whatever Happened To Fun...’’ on the Mercury/Polygram label, and included future Guns n Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. The album was produced by Jimmy Ienner (Raspberries, Bay City Rollers, Eric Carmen), and featured Wally Bryson of the Raspberries as "musical director". The video for the title track was in rotation on MTV. The band toured extensively, including being the opening act on Rick Springfield's and Corey Hart's U.S. tours, and is cited by many groups as an influence. Candy still has a strong following in Japan, and when Vincent performs there he does Candy songs with a Japanese backing band called, "Candyrocks!". He also enjoys popularity as a solo artist in Japan and is signed to Elec Records (Japan).

While recording demos as a solo artist in an L.A. studio, Vincent began co-writing a song entitled "Nature Girl", with eden ahbez, writer of the classic "Nature Boy," popularized by Nat King Cole. Vincent had met Ahbez in an L.A. stereo store where Vincent had been working, and Ahbez told Vincent that he reminded him of his deceased son, about whom he had written "Nature Boy". Ahbez died before the two could finish the song. Vincent's session work included backing vocals for The Ventures (The Ventures Play Southern All Stars), Kill For Thrills, The Runaways (reformed version), The Rubinoos, and many more. He also did some projects with video director Nigel Dick, his neighbor at the time in Hollywood.

Signed to MCA as a solo artist, he recorded the album, Trust, and toured as the opening act for Barry Manilow on his "Greatest Hits and Then Some" tour. Trust album was produced by Vincent, Clif Magness (Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson), and Steve Levine (Culture Club, Beach Boys), and featured co-writes with Magness and Steve Kipner, writer of "Physical" and Genie In A Bottle. Gerry Beckley from the group America played keyboards, guitar, and sang vocals on the album. Beckley would also appear on Vincent's next two solo efforts.

For his next album, Vincent signed with Disney's Hollywood Records which released the album, Kyle Vincent, and which spawned the U.S. Billboard/Radio and Records Adult Top 20 single, "Wake Me Up (When The World's Worth Waking Up For)", co-written by vocalist/guitarist Parthenon Huxley. 'Wake Me Up' was featured in the Garry Marshall directed motion picture, The Other Sister, starring Juliette Lewis, Diane Keaton, and Tom Skerritt, as well as The Howling: Reborn. Robert Lamm from the band Chicago, and Gerry Beckley sang background vocals on two songs on the album. In 1999, Vincent released Wow and Flutter on SongTree Records, (repackaged version with 2 bonus tracks released on SongTree/Varèse Sarabande in 2001). Henry Diltz shot the album cover. "Sweet 16" (2000), Solitary Road (2003), Don't You Know (2005), Gathering Dust (2006), released on SongTree Records. In 2006 Vincent was signed to Universal which released Invisible Man, a compilation CD on their UMe Digital label. In 2007 the DVD Live and Unlive Too was released. In 2009, Vincent released the CD, "Where You Are", giving the first copy off the presses to Barry Manilow backstage at Manilow's concert in Manchester, NH. Vincent has released several specialty CD-singles, EPs, and a vinyl single in Japan and two 70s covers albums in the Philippines, available only on his tour stops there. His most recent album is Miles and An Ocean, released worldwide in late 2017.

His songs have appeared on various television shows including MTV's :The Hills, Road Rules, The Real World, Daria, ABC's All My Children, and Save the Planet: A CBS/Hard Rock Cafe Special.

Vincent's song "Sierra" was adopted by the Sierra Club and John Denver's Windstar Foundation. It was included on the Dear Earth double CD released on Earth Day, 2007.

Also in 2007, Vincent was chosen to be the lead singer of the reformed Bay City Rollers, featuring ex-Roller Ian Mitchell. The band toured the U.S. and had a month-long engagement at the Riviera in Las Vegas. Vincent left the group in November, 2008. He has also done several concerts singing lead for Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods.

In 2010, Vincent teamed with his longtime songwriting partner, Parthenon Huxley, and released a single, "Dirty Girl", as the duo Huxley and Vincent. The song quickly went into the Top 10 on Amazon's Glam Rock charts.

His song, "Forget You Girl" won "Best Pop Song of the Year" at the 2014 Dallas Songwriters Association Awards.

Vincent is credited as being the pioneer of the "Living Room Show" concept, in which artists perform concerts in people's homes. He currently plays countless living room shows each year, all over the world. Of his house concerts, Vincent has said, "They're kind of like musical Tupperware parties.”

Vincent is the grandson of renowned California painter Louise Noack Gray, about whom he wrote the song "One Last Ride On The Merry-Go-Round", featured on his Don't You Know album.

Vincent was a pitcher for the Berkeley High School Yellowjackets baseball team.

In 1995, Vincent was a participant in the California AIDSRide 2, bicycling 540 miles in seven days from San Francisco to Los Angeles, raising money for AIDS care facilities. Also in 1995, Vincent took part in the In Harmony With The Homeless project, in which professional songwriters collaborated with individuals living in shelters on L.A.'s skid row.

A lifelong San Francisco Giants baseball fan, Vincent has performed the National Anthem live at San Francisco's Candlestick Park and ATandT Park (now Oracle), before Giants' games, as well as at several minor league parks around the U.S. Vincent is the only artist to perform prior to the final game at Candlestick Park and prior to the first game at Pacific Bell Park (now Oracle). In commemoration of the Giants leaving Candlestick Park in 1999, Vincent wrote, recorded and released a special song/CD called, "Tell It Goodbye-An Ode To Candlestick Park". Vincent donated proceeds from the sales of the CD to the Giants Community Fund, which helps inner city youth.

Vincent's song, "5000 Heroes" raised over $40,000 for the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, and brought commendations from former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Senator Bob Dole. The song went to number 1 in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska.

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