Prince Charles Alexander
Encyclopedia
Born Charles Alexander on April 2, 1958 in Boston
, Massachusetts, Prince Charles Alexander is a Grammy Award
winning American producer
, audio engineer, recording artist and educator.
"Prince Charles and the City Beat Band" recorded three albums on Virgin Records
from the early to mid 80's, and achieved their biggest successes on the European charts. Charles fronted the group as the lead singer and multi instrumentalist. The futuristic wind synthesizer called the "Lyricon" was the instrument that made his brand of next generation p-funk unique, and the group's sound incorporated many of the devices that would propel rap music to the forefront of the American music scene.
With the emergence of rap as the dominant reflection of street culture, Prince Charles disbanded his funk group and began focusing on audio engineering. After the switch, "Prince Charles Alexander" became a multi-platinum recording engineer, mixing engineer and producer for a large client base including Mary J. Blige
, the Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Usher
, Boyz II Men
, Brandy
, Babyface, Sting, Aretha Franklin
and many more. Sean “Puffy” Combs utilized the technical expertise of Prince Charles, Tony Maserati
and Paul Logus as his first string mixing engineers, a move that helped to launch and sustain the Bad Boy record label for many years. Charles’ accolades include more than 40 Platinum and Gold certifications from the RIAA, 3 Grammy wins and 7 Grammy nominations from NARAS and a Victoire de la Musique (the French equivalent of a Grammy).
Prince Charles is currently an active producer/engineer as well as an Associate Professor in the Music Production & Engineering Department at Berklee College of Music
in Boston, Massachusetts. He also holds an Adjunct Instructor position at NYU’s Clive Davis Dept. of Recorded Music, teaching Music Production. Professor Alexander also teaches Audio Technology at the Institute of Audio Research in NYC and is a frequent lecturer at the City College of New York in Manhattan. He is a member of the Producers and Engineers Wing of the Grammy Committee Board of Governors, the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and the Musician's Union Local 802 in NYC as well as managing up and coming talent through his production company Ark Angel Music, Inc. Plans to release new music as an artist are in the works as well as book and film projects.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts, Prince Charles Alexander is a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning American producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, audio engineer, recording artist and educator.
"Prince Charles and the City Beat Band" recorded three albums on Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
from the early to mid 80's, and achieved their biggest successes on the European charts. Charles fronted the group as the lead singer and multi instrumentalist. The futuristic wind synthesizer called the "Lyricon" was the instrument that made his brand of next generation p-funk unique, and the group's sound incorporated many of the devices that would propel rap music to the forefront of the American music scene.
With the emergence of rap as the dominant reflection of street culture, Prince Charles disbanded his funk group and began focusing on audio engineering. After the switch, "Prince Charles Alexander" became a multi-platinum recording engineer, mixing engineer and producer for a large client base including Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, the Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
, Brandy
Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
, Babyface, Sting, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and many more. Sean “Puffy” Combs utilized the technical expertise of Prince Charles, Tony Maserati
Tony Maserati
Tony Maserati is an American record producer and studio audio engineer who has worked with many mainstream artists including Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Jason Mraz, James Brown, Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child, R...
and Paul Logus as his first string mixing engineers, a move that helped to launch and sustain the Bad Boy record label for many years. Charles’ accolades include more than 40 Platinum and Gold certifications from the RIAA, 3 Grammy wins and 7 Grammy nominations from NARAS and a Victoire de la Musique (the French equivalent of a Grammy).
Prince Charles is currently an active producer/engineer as well as an Associate Professor in the Music Production & Engineering Department at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston, Massachusetts. He also holds an Adjunct Instructor position at NYU’s Clive Davis Dept. of Recorded Music, teaching Music Production. Professor Alexander also teaches Audio Technology at the Institute of Audio Research in NYC and is a frequent lecturer at the City College of New York in Manhattan. He is a member of the Producers and Engineers Wing of the Grammy Committee Board of Governors, the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and the Musician's Union Local 802 in NYC as well as managing up and coming talent through his production company Ark Angel Music, Inc. Plans to release new music as an artist are in the works as well as book and film projects.