Kasif (musician)

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Kashif (born Michael Jones in 1959), is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer.

[edit] Early Career

Kashif, then as Michael Jones, became well-known from playing keyboards in the renowned funk band B.T. Express. He played synthesizer bass using the miniMoog while touring with the group. After leaving the band in the early 80's, Kashif recorded demos with the band Stepping Stone, which led to his eventual solo signing with Arista Records.

[edit] Solo Career

Introduced to Arista by Gerry Griffith it's A&R Director in 1983, his self-tilted debut "Kashif" (1983) spawned the hits "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)," "Stone Love," "Help Yourself to My Love," and "Say Something Love." With this release, Kashif was well received as an innovator in music, as R&B artists were only beginning to experiment with synthesizers and other electronic instruments.

His other albums are "Send Me Your Love," "Condition of the Heart," "Love Changes," 1989's "Kashif," with the cover of the Four Tops' hit "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got," "Baby Don't Break Your Baby's Heart," and "Are You the Woman."

As an in-demand writer/producer, Kashif can be heard on releases by Kenny G, George Benson, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Johnny Kemp, Melba Moore, Dionne Warwick, Giorge Pettus, Stacy Lattisaw, Expose, The Wootens, Freda Payne, Whitney Houston, High fashion and others. His Grammy nominations are for the instrumentals "The Mood," "Call Me Tonight," "Edgartown Groove" featuring Al Jarreau, and "The Movie Song."

In 1994, Kashif received an invitation from the U.C.L.A. Extension program and created a course called Contemporary Record Production with Kashif. In August 1995, Kashif authored a book entitled Everything You'd Better Know About the Record Industry, as CEO of his Los Angeles-based Brooklyn Boy Books, Entertainment, and Information. In 1998, Kashif signed with U.K. label Expansion Records and his album Who Loves You was released that same year.