Rex Salas is a Grammy

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...

 and Emmy Award

Emmy Award

An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

 nominated American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 record 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...

, songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

, musical director, and music arranger

Arrangement

The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...

. Best known in recent years for his work as the musical director for Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson

Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...

 on several of her tours, Salas has worked with Vanessa Williams, Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake

Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...

, Cher

Cher

Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...

, 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...

, Robert Palmer, Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

, Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder

Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

, Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie

Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...

, JC Chasez, Earth, Wind and Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...

, will. i. am, Robin Thicke

Robin Thicke

Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...

, 50 Cent, Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson

Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...

, Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....

, Taylor Dayne

Taylor Dayne

Taylor Dayne was born Leslie Wunderman on March 7, 1962 before later adopting her current stage name. She is an American pop vocalist, songwriter, and dance artist. Overall, she has had eighteen individual hit songs reach the top ten in Billboard magazine...

, Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...

, Adam Levine

Adam Levine

Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...

, 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....

, Maxwell

Maxwell (musician)

Maxwell , is an American R&B, funk and neo soul musician. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul.-Early life:...

, Leona Lewis

Leona Lewis

Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....

, Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

, Teddy Pendergrass

Teddy Pendergrass

Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade...

, The Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...

, The Jacksons, UB40

UB40

UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...

, Jeffrey Osborne

Jeffrey Osborne

Jeffrey Linton Osborne is an American funk and R&B musician, songwriter, lyricist, and former lead singer of the band, L.T.D.-Early life and career:...

, All-4-One

All-4-One

All-4-One is a male R&B/pop group best known for their cover hit single "I Swear" from their self-titled 1994 debut album. The group comprises Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from the Antelope Valley and Mojave, California areas, but are based in the Los Angeles...

, Johnny Gill

Johnny Gill

Johnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...

, George Howard

George Howard (jazz)

George Howard was a Jazz-Funk/ Fusion /Smooth Jazz soprano saxophonist.-Biography:Howard was born September 15, 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the late 1970s, he began touring with Grover Washington, Jr., who was one of his idols...

, Gladys Knight

Gladys Knight

Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...

, The Gap Band, Lalah Hathaway

Lalah Hathaway

Eulaulah Donyll Hathaway best known as Lalah Hathaway referred to as the First Daughter of Soul, is a contemporary R&B and jazz singer. She is the daughter of soul singer Donny Hathaway and a classically trained vocalist. In 1990, Lalah Hathaway released a self-titled album. The album's first...

, Jasmine Guy

Jasmine Guy

Jasmine Guy is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her starring role as Whitley Gilbert in the television sitcom A Different World.-Biography:...

, Tatyana Ali

Tatyana Ali

Tatyana Marisol Ali is an American actress and R&B singer, best known for her childhood role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...

, James Ingram

James Ingram

James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...

, Corbin Bleu

Corbin Bleu

Corbin Bleu Reivers , known professionally as Corbin Bleu, is an American actor, model, dancer, producer, and singer-songwriter. He performed in the High School Musical film series, the Discovery Kids drama series Flight 29 Down, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In!...

, Patti Austin

Patti Austin

-Life and career:Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents....

, Lakeside

Lakeside (band)

Lakeside is a funk band, best known for their 1980 number one R&B hit, "Fantastic Voyage."-Formation and early years:In early 1969, The Nomads, a singing quartet consisting of lead singer Mark Wood; Tiemeyer McCain; Tony White; and Brian Marbury, met the Montereys, a band that featured Stephen...

, The Mac Band

The Mac Band

The Mac Band was an R&B group from Flint, Michigan, formed by four brothers as the primary vocalists. Their first album included production by Babyface and members of Atlantic Starr, and one of the tracks from the album, "Roses Are Red" reached #1 on the U.S. R&B chart and reached the Top 10 in the...

, Klymaxx

Klymaxx

Klymaxx is a female Pop/R&B band from Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Klymaxx was conceived and formed by Bernadette Cooper, who also chose the name. The dream of an all girl band became a quest she pursued after leaving college...

, Chuckii Booker

Chuckii Booker

Chuckii Booker is an African American award-winning producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader.-Biography:...

, The Dazz Band, Chanté Moore

Chanté Moore

Chanté Moore is an American R&B and jazz singer.-Biography:Born to a gospel minister, she grew up singing in the church and was heavily influenced by the music of George Duke and Lee Ritenour. While in high school, she decided to make a career of singing...

, Tease, Patrice Rushen

Patrice Rushen

Patrice Rushen is a Grammy Award-winning African American R&B and jazz vocalist, composer and pianist.-Biography:...

, Atlantic Starr

Atlantic Starr

Atlantic Starr was a 1980s R&B band. Among their biggest hits were "Always" and "Secret Lovers."- History :The group was started in 1976 in White Plains, New York by trumpeter Duke Jones , drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer, percussionist and flautist Joseph Phillips, and three...

, Lenny Williams

Lenny Williams

Leonard Charles "Lenny" Williams is an American singer known for his work in the R&B and soul music genres. During the 1970s, he was the lead vocalist for Tower of Power...

, Barbara Weathers

Barbara Weathers

Barbara Weathers is an American R&B/soul singer, and former lead singer of R&B vocal group, Atlantic Starr. After leaving her first band, Covacus , Weathers replaced Sharon Bryant, who left the group for a solo career in 1984. Weathers sang on two of Atlantic Starr's biggest hits, "Always" and...

, Miki Howard

Miki Howard

Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard is an American R&B/jazz singer and actress who had a string of Top 10 hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Howard's string of hits also included Baby,Be Mine", "Come Share My Love" and "Love Under New Management"...

, Rebbie Jackson

Rebbie Jackson

Maureen Reillette "Rebbie" Brown is an American singer professionally known as Rebbie Jackson . Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, she is the eldest child of the Jackson family of musicians...

, Aly & AJ

Aly & AJ

78violet is a pop rock band consisting of sisters Alyson and Amanda Michalka. They were born in Torrance, California, but spent part of their childhood in Seattle, Washington. They are both actresses, singer-songwriters, and guitarists. They signed a record deal with the Disney-owned label,...

, Joyce Kennedy (Mother’s Finest)

Mother's Finest

Mother's Finest is a funk rock band founded in Atlanta, Georgia by Joyce Kennedy and Glenn Murdock in the early 1970s. The group charted with the singles "Fire" , "Baby Love" , "Don't Wanna Come Back" , "Love Changes" , and "Piece Of The Rock" in the mid to late 1970s.-History:Mother's Finest...

, Paul Jackson, Jr.

Paul Jackson, Jr.

Paul Jackson, Jr. is a fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional musician...

, Brian Simpson

Brian Simpson

Brian Simpson is a Member of the European Parliament for the Labour Party for North West England.He was a member of the European Parliament from 1989 until 1999 representing Cheshire East and from 1999 until 2004 representing the North West Region, when European Elections switched from First Past...

, Vesta Williams

Vesta Williams

Mary Vesta Williams was an American R&B singer. Originally credited as Vesta Williams, she was sometimes simply billed as Vesta beginning in the 1990s. She was known for her four-octave vocal range...

, Level 42

Level 42

Level 42 are an English pop rock and jazz-funk band who had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s and 1990s.The band gained fame for their high-calibre musicianship—in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the...

, Sheena Easton

Sheena Easton

Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...

 and more.

Early years

Salas was born on March 16, 1962 in Prince George’s County, Maryland to parents Tomas and Mary. He left Maryland as a young child and moved to California where he studied the guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards, eventually focusing on piano and keyboards as his main instruments.

In 1979, while at high school in Los Angeles, California, Salas was a cofounder of the band Tease, which recorded three albums on the RCA and CBS/Epic labels between 1983 and 1988.

Salas left Tease after the release of its first album, although several of his compositions were used in subsequent albums, and he was reunited with the band for a 1987 tour.

Songwriting and music production

As a member of Tease, Salas developed songwriting and arranging skills that would later aid him in producing recordings for multi-platinum artists including Vanessa Williams (for “The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff (album)

The Right Stuff is the debut album of Vanessa L. Williams released in 1988. The albums and its singles were well received by both the Urban and Pop markets...

,” which earned Salas a Grammy nomination), and Boyz II Men (for
“It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday”

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

"It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" is an R&B song written by Motown husband-and-wife songwriting team Freddie Perren and Christine Yarian for the 1975 film Cooley High. In the film, the song is performed by Motown artist G.C. Cameron, whose rendition peaked at number 38 on the Billboard R&B...

, the 1991 song that was featured on the soundtrack to Lethal Weapon 3 and that at the time was the group’s biggest-selling single).

Salas has also recorded and produced other legendary artists through his company Racer-Ex Productions, including Earth Wind and Fire, The Isley Brothers, The Jacksons, and the late Robert Palmer (see Artists Worked With).

Music direction and performance

Through the years Salas has continued to use his expertise in musical direction and as a keyboardist, and playing keyboards on two of singer Robert Palmer’s major tours in the late 1980s as well as music-directing three Janet Jackson world tours, including Jackson’s 1998 HBO TV special: The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden

The Velvet Rope Tour - Live in Concert

The Velvet Rope - Live In Concert is a video released by American R&B/pop singer Janet Jackson.- Release information :Recorded on October 11, 1998 at Madison Square Garden, New York as part of "The Velvet Rope Tour", the concert was broadcast live on HBO in the US, and reached an audience of 5.3...

, for which Salas was nominated for an Emmy award in the category Outstanding Music Direction for a TV show. Salas was also the musical director for TLC’s final “Fanmail Tour”

FanMail Tour

The FanMail Tour was the first concert tour performed by the American pop/R&B group TLC. In support of their album FanMail, the arena tour ran from late 1999 into early 2000. It covered the United States and Canada. There were six dates scheduled for Japan, but all dates were canceled.The Tour...

 as well as director for headlining tours with Maxwell, Brandy, Sheena Easton and Brian McKnight.

In 2009, Salas worked with The New York Symphonic Ensemble’s 37 piece orchestra on a live tour with Boyz II Men in Japan. In 2010 the show was released on CD via iTunes Japan.

Charity work

In 2009, Rex musical-directed a show for Justin Timberlake at Elton John’s Aids Charity benefit in London, England and he also worked with Timberlake on his first Shriners Hospitals for Children

Shriners Hospitals for Children

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’...

 benefit in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2008, at which Salas was musical director for guest artists Lionel Richie, Rihanna, will.i.am, Leona Lewis, 50 Cent, Boyz II Men and Adam Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5.

Personal life

Salas is married to Stacy Brown, sister of Austin Brown

Austin Brown

Austin Brown is an American musician, best known for being the youngest child of singer Rebbie Jackson, of the famous Jackson musical family.-Early life:...

 and Yashi Brown. Stacy’s mother is Rebbie Jackson, the sister of Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

, Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson

Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...

 and the other six siblings of the Jackson musical family.

On July 25, 2005, Salas and Stacee Brown welcomed their son, London Blue Salas.

Other interests

Salas is on the Faculty of the California College of Music in Pasadena, California.

Albums

1983 : Tease – Tease (keyboards and songwriting on various songs)

1986 : Tease (second album) – Tease (songwriting on various songs)

1988 : Remember – Tease (songwriting on various songs including the title track)

1988 : Heavy Nova – Robert Palmer (keyboards on Simply Irresistible)

1990 : The Right Stuff – Vanessa Williams (producer on six songs, co-writer on four songs)

1997 : You and I – Teddy Pendergrass (piano on certain tracks)

2002 : Full Circle

Full Circle (Boyz II Men album)

- Charts :- Release history :-External links:* *...

 – Boyz II Men (arranger)

Singles/Tracks

1984: Fine Fine Fella – Patti Austin (keyboards)

1985 : If Your Heart Isn’t In It – Atlantic Starr (keyboards)

1985 : You Never Know When You’re Gonna Fall in Love – The Isley Brothers (songwriter)

1989 : You Only Come Out at Night – George Howard (keyboards/producer/songwriter)

1989 : All of My Love – The Gap Band (keyboards)

1990: Finishing Touch – Klymaxx (producer)

1990 : Just Want to Hold You – Jasmine Guy (producer)

1991 : The Comfort Zone

The Comfort Zone (song)

"The Comfort Zone" is the second single from Vanessa Williams' second studio album, The Comfort Zone . It peaked at number two on the U.S...

– Vanessa Williams (keyboards)

1993 : It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday – Boyz II Men (co-producer)

1993 : Two Hearts – Earth, Wind and Fire (bass, keyboards, drum programming)

1994 : Separate Ways – Lalah Hathaway (keyboards)

1995 : Misused – The Mac Band (co-writer)

1996 : If Your Heart Isn’t In It – Atlantic Starr (keyboards)

Artists worked with

Salas has produced, written, arranged, played on albums and tracks by or performed with the following singers and groups:

Janet Jackson Vanessa Williams Justin Timberlake Cher Boyz II Men Robert Palmer Mariah Carey Stevie Wonder Lionel Richie JC Chasez Earth, Wind and Fire will. i. am Robin Thicke 50 Cent Jessica Simpson Nicole Scherzinger Taylor Dayne Lindsay Lohan Adam Levine

Brandy Maxwell Leona Lewis Brian McKnight Teddy Pendergrass The Isley Brothers The Jacksons UB 40 Jeffrey Osborne All-4-One Johnny Gill George Howard Gladys Knight The Gap Band Lalah Hathaway Jasmine Guy Tatyana Ali

James Ingram Corbin Bleu Patti Austin Lakeside The Mac Band Klymaxx Chuckii Booker The Dazz Band Chanté Moore Tease Patrice Rushen Atlantic Starr Lenny Williams Barbara Weathers

Miki Howard Rebbie Jackson Aly & AJ Joyce Kennedy Durell Coleman Paul Jackson Jr. Brian Simpson Vesta Williams Level 42 Sheena Easton

External links

Rex Salas at Discogs.com

Rex Salas at ArtistDirect.com

Rex Salas at [ Allmusic.com]