Kashif (musician)
Kashif | |
|---|---|
| File:Kashif image.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Jones |
| Also known as | Kashif Saleem |
| Born | 1959 (age 64–65) |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York |
| Genres | Electronic, R&B, Soul, Post-Disco, Electro Funk |
| Occupation(s) | multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and record producer |
| Instrument(s) | vocals, keyboards, Bass synthesizer |
| Years active | 1982 - Present |
| Labels | Arista Records |
Kashif Saleem (born Michael Jones in 1959) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and record producer. Kashif discovered his artistic gifts at age seven when he first taught himself to play a $3 song flute and later the piano in the basement of his church. As he moved from family to family, music became a comforting refuge and the only common thread in the young boy's unstable life. At age 15, Kashif's musical skills took him through the door to a brighter future. He joined BT Express and performed on stages around the world. He studied Islam and changed his name from Michael Jones to Kashif, which means discoverer and inventor. He crafted his own distinctive sound and later signed with Arista Records enjoying success as a solo artist.
Career
Kashif became well-known from playing keyboards in the renowned funk band B.T. Express. He played synthesizer bass using the miniMoog while touring with the group. After leaving the band in the early 1980s, Kashif recorded demos with the band Stepping Stone, which led to his eventual solo signing with Arista Records.
Introduced to Arista by Gerry Griffith, its A&R director in 1983, his self-titled debut Kashif (1983) spawned the hits "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)," "Stone Love," "Help Yourself to My Love," and "Say Something Love." With this release, Kashif was well received as an innovator in music, as R&B artists were only beginning to experiment with synthesizers and other electronic instruments. He is said to have been Arista Records' attempt to respond to Warner Bros. Records' Prince.
His other albums include Send Me Your Love and Condition of the Heart. On the album Love Changes, Exposé provided background vocals. 1989's Kashif, with the cover of the Four Tops' hit "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got," "Baby Don't Break Your Baby's Heart," and "Are You the Woman."
As an in-demand writer/producer, Kashif can be heard on releases by Kenny G, George Benson, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Johnny Kemp, Melba Moore, Dionne Warwick, Giorge Pettus, Stacy Lattisaw, Exposé, The Wootens, Freda Payne, Whitney Houston, and others. His Grammy nominations are for the instrumentals "The Mood," "Call Me Tonight," "Edgartown Groove" featuring Al Jarreau, and "The Movie Song."
In 1994, Kashif received an invitation from the U.C.L.A. Extension program and created a course called Contemporary Record Production with Kashif. In August 1995, Kashif authored a book entitled Everything You'd Better Know About the Record Industry, as CEO of his Los Angeles-based Brooklyn Boy Books, Entertainment, and Information. In 1998, Kashif signed with U.K. label Expansion Records and his album Who Loves You was released that same year.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions[1] | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||||
| 1983 | Kashif | 54 | 10 | Arista | ||
| 1984 | Send Me Your Love | 51 | 3 | |||
| 1985 | Condition Of The Heart | 144 | 32 | |||
| 1987 | Love Changes | 118 | 17 | |||
| 1989 | Kashif | — | 29 | |||
| 1998 | Who Loves You? | — | — | Expansion | ||
| 2004 | Music From My Mind | — | — | Brooklyn Boy | ||
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | ||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||||
| 1992 | The Best of Kashif | — | — | Arista/BMG | ||
| 1998 | The Definitive Collection | — | — | Arista | ||
| 2002 | The Best of Kashif | — | — | BMG | ||
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions[1][2] | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Dance |
US A/C |
UK | |||
| 1983 | "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)" | 103 | 5 | 28 | — | 79 | Kashif (1983 album) |
| "Stone Love" | — | 22 | — | — | — | ||
| "Help Yourself to My Love" | — | 28 | — | — | — | ||
| "Say Something Love" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984 | "Baby Don't Break Your Baby's Heart" | 108 | 6 | 40 | — | — | Send Me Your Love |
| "Are You the Woman" | — | 25 | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "Ooh Love" | — | 75 | — | — | — | |
| "Love on the Rise" (with Kenny G) | — | 24 | — | — | 87 | Gravity | |
| "Condition of the Heart" | — | 34 | — | — | — | Condition of the Heart | |
| 1986 | "Dancing in the Dark (Heart to Heart)" | — | 36 | — | — | — | |
| "Love the One I'm With (A Lot of Love)" (with Melba Moore) | — | 5 | — | — | — | A Lot of Love | |
| 1987 | "Reservations for Two" (with Dionne Warwick) | 62 | 20 | — | 7 | — | Love Changes |
| "Love Changes" (with Meli'sa Morgan) | — | 2 | — | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "Love Me All Over" | — | 14 | — | — | — | |
| "Loving You Only" | — | 66 | — | — | — | ||
| "I'm in Love" (with Melba Moore) | — | 13 | — | — | — | I'm in Love | |
| 1989 | "Personality" | — | 6 | — | — | — | Kashif (1989 album) |
| 1990 | "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" | — | 33 | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | |||||||
References
- ^ a b "Kashif US chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ^ "Kashif UK singles chart history". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
