Neo Soul Pioneers, Gerald Maxwell Rivera is among them Musician Gerald Maxwell Rivera is better known by his stage name 'Maxwell'. Maxwell had difficulty with his debut album, Urban Hang Suite (1996), which he created two years after signing an agreement with Columbia Records. However, the company executives were apparently doubtful of the album's potential, and kept it shelved for almost one year! Even after this difficult wait for his first album to be released, it faced further challenges as the mainstream media was reluctant to cover it. Nonetheless, music always has its way! Urban Hang Suite soon, and quite magically, soared to popularity! Within a year of its release, the album sold over a million copies! One is left to ponder what the sales executives were thinking when they shelved the album. Well, Maxwell did not have time to consider all these trivialities. He went a little deeper in tone with the second album, Embrya (1998). It was a relatively lesser success, and the critics were waiting! Embrya received a huge backlash, but Maxwell made a comeback anyway with his third album, Now, in 2001. It became a platinum seller.
There are things only time will show His most recent and fourth album BLACK Summers Night was released in 2009 after a sabbatical of eight years. Nowadays, the singer is known to be working on his next album. His Facebook page has over 4 million subscribers. His update on Facebook on December 8 reads “There are things only time will show.” His listeners wait.
Haitian Roots: On an interview for NPR.org: MAXWELL: “It's a terrible situation. I'm half Haitian. My mother was born in Haiti and everyone that we know, that she knows is here in either America, New York, Florida, the capital of Haiti, as well.” NPR.org
Haitian Deeds: On an interview for NPR.org, MARTIN: “Before I let you go, I did want to ask about that devastating earthquake in Haiti. And I understand that you're working with Wyclef Jean and his organization. He has an NGO, apparently a very effective one.” NPR.org
Photo by Eric Johnson
Spring 2015 HAITI OPEN |
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