| Greg Raposo | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gregory Frank Raposo |
| Born | May 3, 1985 |
| Origin | Long Island, New York |
| Genres | Pop, Rock |
| Years active |
1998–2002 (group) (Dream Street) |
| Labels | Independent |
Gregory Frank "Greg" Raposo (born May 3, 1985)[1] is an American rock'n'roll singer and actor. Raposo initially came to fame in the early 2000s as a member of the boy band Dream Street, but has subsequently branched out into a solo career as a rock singer in his band The Taken (formerly Raposo, Stereopath, and Raposo again). His self-titled debut solo album Greg Raposo was released in 2003 and charted at #40 in its opening week.
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Gregory Frank Raposo was born in New York May 3, 1985 to Maryann and Octavio Raposo.
When Greg was two years old, he began to develop a fascination with the guitar. When he was six years old, Mrs. Raposo decided that she was tired of having to buy more toy guitars because he kept breaking them, so she bought him his first real guitar and arranged for him to take guitar lessons with a private teacher. O'Connell, his teacher, advised him to take vocal lessons with his guitar classes. He was soon after entered into a talent contest. He won, singing an Elvis Presley song. His mother then entered him on Star Search. He took second place and was referred to an agent.
Raposo was cast into sixteen regional and national commercials for everything from Kit-Kat candy bars to Crest toothpaste. Then at nine, he requested to be allowed to sing and play guitar on-air during a local live recording of a radio show on WPLJ. Deejay Scott Shannon agreed and Greg went on the air. Shannon thought that Greg was very talented and from that day on was crowned as "The Elvis Kid". Greg appeared on WPLJ for three years.[2]
"The Elvis Kid" performed everywhere, including with The Jordanaires and DJ Fontana who were Elvis' real backup band. Greg was the only child invited to perform at Graceland for the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death (1997) by Priscilla Presley.
In 1996, Raposo auditioned for 'Broadway on Broadway', an extravaganza of Broadway performers. Greg got the honor of being the opener for the show and sang an original composition in front of fifty-thousand people.
After opening for 'Broadway on Broadway', he was cast in an off-Broadway singing group called "The Broadway Kids", with whom he recorded two albums and met fellow future Dream Street member Chris Trousdale. In 1998, both boys successfully auditioned for a group called "Boy Wonder". "Boy Wonder" had to be disbanded for lack of interest from sponsors. Greg and Chris were kept on hold for a new project called Dream Street.
Besides Dream Street and The Broadway Kids, Greg was involved with many charity and anti-substance abuse groups. The charities he was involved with included: The Kids for Kids Project, Audrey Hepburn/Children's Fund, Young Plaza Ambassadors Club, Jerry's Kids, and Variety, the Children's Charity. Greg claims that Kids for Kids is his favorite credit and the most fulfilling thing he has ever taken part in.
He performed his first solo concert on October 13, 2002 at The Downtown in Farmingdale, New York. The event was so successful that tickets sold out in less than two hours and he had to schedule a second concert for that day at the same venue, which also sold out. He subsequently performed at several radio station multi-artist shows, solo acts, and as an opening act for several bands.[2]
On May 3, 2003 Raposo's first solo single, "Take Me Back Home", premiered on Radio Disney as a part of their "Music Mailbag" segment. It received rave ratings, and won a spot on the station's playlist with an amazing 92% of the popular vote—setting records on RadioDisney.
Greg's second amazing debut-album single, "Every Summer", was premiered on the RadioDisney Music Mailbag on July 12, 2003, and again Greg broke records with an astounding 95% of the popular vote.
Greg's self-titled debut album hit shelves on September 2, 2003. The album was in the top fifty on the Billboard Top Sales chart (#40) and was #67 on the Billboard Top HeatSeekers chart the week of its release. The first single from the album, "Every Summer", debuted on the RadioDisney Top Thirty Countdown on September 14, 2003 at spot #22. He first debuted on the RadioDisney Dot Com Top 3 with "Every Summer" on November 19, 2003, at the #3 spot.
In November 2003, Greg embarked on his first national tour as a headlining act, co-heading with Stevie Brock for the RadioDisney Jingle Jam Tour, with fellow ex-Dream Street Jesse McCartney opening. The tour hit nineteen cities across the United States and the average audience size was around 2000 people for each venue.
Greg's second single, "Take Me Back Home", was officially added to the RadioDisney playlist on November 21, 2003.
Raposo has headlined several times at New York's Knitting Factory. Greg Raposo has performed in many venues including Jones Beach Amphitheater, Nassau Coliseum and House of Blues. At 16, Greg released a self-titled debut album of pop/rock songs, which debuted on the Billboard Independent Albums chart at #40, and released a live concert DVD last year.
Through years of various band formations, Raposo finally found what he was looking for in lead guitarist Nick Slobodskoy, 22. Nick was first a classically trained violinist, but that all changed when he was introduced to the music of Guns N' Roses and purchased his first guitar 7 years ago. Nick formed rock band Floffus and later joined local band Brookside, sharing the stage with such national acts as Thursday, Taking Back Sunday, The Starting Line, Wheatus and Superdrag. Drummer Lou Vecchio, 21, started playing drums the moment his foot could reach the pedal. This third-generation drummer cites his father, Louis Vecchio, among his many idols. Endorsed by MRP Drums, Lou is recognized as one of the best drummers on Long Island. His tight rhythms and passionate playing brings a distinctive groove to the RAPOSO sound. Bassist Jakey Lee, 21, grew up on classic rock. He was in Brookside for several tours and played with Nick. He had also done some studio sessions with Lou, and their chemistry was already there. Matching Lou's tight rhythms brought Jake into the fold as the final member of RAPOSO.
The second incarnation of Raposo, Stereopath existed until guitarist Nick Slobodskoy left in February 2008. The band recorded an unreleased 6-song EP entitled "Stereopath".
The third incarnation of Raposo began in May 2008. Its members are Greg, Jesse Leo, Brian Corona, and Danny Miller. Jesse and Brian formerly led Long Island-based The Unlikely Heroes.
The third incarnation of RAPOSO were semi-finalists in the MTV2 Battle of the Bands for a spot on the RockBand II Tour and finished the voting process ranked in the top two.
Raposo has also pursued an acting career, appearing as himself in The Biggest Fan in 2002, and in Destination Fame in 2004. He also played gary in Return to Sleepaway Camp in 2008.