Wednesday, February 19, 2003
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Wednesday, February 19, 2003 |
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County resident Nesby up for a Grammy By MICHAEL
BOYLAN A Fayette County resident has a chance to bring home a Grammy Award this weekend. Ann Nesby has been nominated for Best Traditional R & B Performance for her duet "Put In On Paper" with Al Green. The record is a continuation of a career for Nesby that has spanned three decades and seen various levels of musical success. Born in Joliet, Ill., she moved to Rockford after high school as her father became a pastor there. Having sung in church and directed choirs for her father, she later was a part of three Grammy-winning performances with the Sounds of Blackness and the Rev. James Cleveland. She also did some theater, including gospel cabaret on Broadway. Nesby spent several years in Minneapolis, releasing a solo CD and working with noted producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. She recorded on their Perspective Records, a division of A&M Records, and also wrote for other artists such as Patti Labelle and Gladys Knight. She found her way to Atlanta in late 1997 for a televised gospel concert during the Christmas season. Around New Year's, she and her husband-manager, Tim Lee, decided that the Atlanta area's climate was much more appealing during the winter than Minnesota's. Now living in Millpond Manor in the Starr's Mill area, the couple runs their own record label, It's Time Child Records, under which the most recent CD, also titled "Put It On Paper," was released. She toured with Green last year, including a summer performance at Chastain Park in Atlanta. She spends a lot of time on the road, although she has been at home for the last couple of months, which is unusual for her. It's no surprise that business has picked up since the Grammy nominations were announced a month ago. "The phone has been ringing quite a bit," she said. Now she is preparing for her next album, which is expected to have an April release. For more information, visit www.AnnNesby.com |
