Tonéx
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tonéx | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Anthony Charles Williams II | |
| Also known as | T'Boy, T. Bizzy, O'ryn, Pastor N8ion, ACW2 | |
| Born | May 24, 1975 | |
| Origin | San Diego, California | |
| Genre(s) | gospel, "nureau", R&B, jazz | |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, choreographer, dancer | |
| Instrument(s) | vocals, piano, organ, drums | |
| Years active | 1992-present | |
| Label(s) | Rajah, MSS, Rescue, Tommy Boy Gospel, Jive Records, Verity Records, Nureau Ink | |
| Website | http://www.yotonex.com/ | |
Tonéx (pronounced toe-nay) is an American contemporary gospel singer and preacher. He is the pastor of Truth Apostolic Church in San Diego, California. His often chameleonic image and typically genre-bending musical style (which he himself has dubbed Nureau)[1] have made him alternately revered and reviled among conservative fans of the gospel music. Nonetheless, he has carved out a niche for himself as a formidable vocalist, and prolific songwriter and record producer with his recordings.
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[edit] Career biography
After honing his producing skills with a series of experimental independent recordings, Tonéx made his national debut with a re-release of his most successful independent album Pronounced Toe-Nay. His first high-profile television appearance was performing a medley of "Trinity" & "One Good Reason" on the Stellar Awards, which was a coup as Tonéx was a relative unknown at the time.
A single and music video from Toe-Nay were seviced to media outlets for "Personal Jesus". Upon its release, the album bore 5 different record label logos: Rescue Records, the independent label that originally released the album; MSS Records, Tonéx's then-active vanity imprint label; Tommy Boy Gospel, the label to which Tonéx was signed as an artist; Verity Records, the label to which his independent label Rescue Records sold his album's masters; and Jive Records, the mainstream umbrella over Verity Records.
Two years later, he delivered the musically progressive and pop-leaning album O2 which got off to a great start with the popularity of the upbeat music video for the single "Bout A Thang" featuring energetic hip-hop dance and an edgy urban image not usually associated with gospel artists. The album received it's greatest boost from the momentum gathered by the single "God Has Not 4got" on gospel radio. The song was nominated for multiple Stellar Awards the following year. Reminiscent of the style of R. Kelly, an additional single "That's When" also garnered much radio airplay.
His 2004 double CD Out The Box earned him the most widespread acclaim so far, charting at #5 on the Billboard Magazine Top Gospel Album Chart in September of 2004. He also netted a Grammy nomination for Best Soul Gospel Album the following year, and had a bonafide radio hit with the ballad "Make Me Over".[2] The same year, Tonéx won a total of six Stellar Awards including "Artist of the Year" for Out The Box.
As quickly as his fame grew, his career was dealt several crushing blows in 2005. He was forced to go from being assistant pastor to senior pastor of Truth Apostolic Church when his father passed away suddenly. He also began the process of divorce with his wife of 5 years, Yvette Williams (née Graham). Headlines rippled quickly through the gospel music industry, however, when news hit that Verity Records was suing Tonéx for one million dollars.[3] The headlines kept coming when, amidst a lengthy explanation sent to several media outlets, Tonéx announced that he would retire from the gospel music industry, frustrated by politics and ill-treatment.[4]
Though there is no reference as to the final outcome of the Verity lawsuit at this time, it should be noted that Tonéx has been releasing new and old albums and singles through iTunes under the label heading of Nureau Ink. Among these releases are, a 2-track single from his hip-hop alter ego T. Bizzy, an exclusive remix album Pronounced Remyx, and a sprawling two-disc confessional opus called Oak Park 92105 previously only available through underground websites.
Currently Tonéx is promoting a special version of Oak Park 92105 released to the Christian market re-titled Oak Park 921'o6 and its lead single "Fail U".
Tonéx regularly documents his activities on the blog of his official MySpace page and continues to serve as pastor of Truth Apostolic Church.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Independent Releases
[edit] Major Label Releases
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[edit] Digital Only Releases
[edit] Underground/Out-of-Print Releases
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[edit] References
- ^ An Interview With Tonéx: Foundational Nureau — Part One. GospelFlava.com.
- ^ Verity Dominates Billboard Gospel Chart. GospelCity.com.
- ^ Tonéx lawsuit press release. GospelCity.com.
- ^ Tonéx retires from gospel music industry. GospelCity.com.
[edit] External links
- Tonex at MySpace - official site
- YoTonex.com - official site
- Club Virtue website
- Official Nureau site
