Stephen Pate Bray(born December 23, 1956) is an American songwriter, drummer, and record producer. He is best known for his collaborations withMadonna,being a member of the bandBreakfast Club,and for winning the 2017Grammy Awardfor the Best Musical Theater Album of the Tony Award-winning revival ofThe Color Purple.Bray owns and operates Saturn Sound recording studios and the Soultone Records label.
Stephen Bray | |
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| Birth name | Stephen Pate Bray |
| Born | December 23, 1956 Detroit,Michigan,U.S |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | ZE,MCA Saturn Sounds Studios Soultone Records |
Career
editBray began studying music through private instruction in Detroit, attendedWashtenaw Community CollegeinAnn Arbor.He continued his education atBerklee College of Musicin Boston in 1978.[1]
Collaborations with Madonna
editBray dated Madonna before her fame when she was attending theUniversity of MichiganinAnn Arborfor dance in 1976.[2]He moved to New York after receiving a call from Madonna in November 1980; at that time she was a member of the bandBreakfast ClubinQueens.[3]Madonna wanted to form a new band and invited Bray to play the drums. They formed the band Emmy and the Emmys. They also rekindled their romance and together they moved intoThe Music Buildingin Manhattan for a while.[4]
Madonna obtained a recording contract with Gotham Management, managed by Camille Barbone in 1981. Barbone put together a new band with session musicians although Madonna wanted Bray as her drummer.[4]Barbone knew they had been romantically involved and didn't want love affairs among band members.[4]The music she was producing with them was more rock oriented but Madonna had her eyes set on dance music.[5]She and Stephen Bray continued working on a parallel project, more club oriented.
After being signed toSire Recordsin 1982, Madonna opted not to work with Bray for her debut album, but they continued collaborating with her second albumLike a Virgin(1984). Together, they wrote and produced some of the biggest hit songs of the 1980s, including several of Madonna's biggest hits. The songs Bray and Madonna composed often followed a distinctive structure, many of which repeat the song's second verse and bridge before fading out with the chorus. Their partnership concluded with their work on Madonna's albumLike a Prayer(1989).
The Breakfast Club
editFollowing Madonna's rise to stardom, Bray rejoinedBreakfast Club,and the quartet signed first withZE Recordsand later withMCA.[2]The band's eponymous first album was released in early 1987, preceded by theTop 10hit "Right on Track". Bray co-wrote most of the albums' songs with bandmate Dan Gilroy, and Bray produced several songs. The band's second album was not released, and Breakfast Club broke up shortly afterward.
The Color Purple
editBray made his Broadway debut in 2005 as composer and lyricist for the Broadway version ofAlice Walker's bookThe Color Purple.[6]He was nominated for aTony Awardfor his work on the show.[6][7]
Personal life
editBray lives inStudio City, Californiawith his wife, movie producerStephanie Allain,who producedHustle & FlowandBlack Snake Moan.[1]
According to Mary Gabriel's book Madonna: A Rebel Life, Stephen Bray dated Madonna in 1977.
Discography
editSingles
edit| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| "Ain't No Big Deal" | Barracuda(original demo by Madonna) |
| "Angel" | Madonna |
| "Stay" | |
| "Pretender" | |
| "Over and Over" | |
| "Into the Groove" | |
| "Say It, Say It" | E.G. Daily |
| "Baby Love" | Regina |
| "True Blue" | Madonna |
| "Jimmy, Jimmy" | |
| "Where's the Party" | |
| "Spotlight" | |
| "Cross My Broken Heart" | The Jets |
| "Sendin' All My Love" | |
| "Each Time You Break My Heart" | Nick Kamen(feat. Madonna) |
| "Right on Track" | Breakfast Club |
| "Causing a Commotion" | Madonna |
| "Can't Stop" | |
| "Express Yourself" | |
| "Keep It Together" | |
| "Baby Going Shake" | Royalty |
| "Get Over" | Nick Scotti(original demo by Madonna) |
| "Count the Days" | Kylie Minogue |
| "Rhythm of Love" | |
| "Little Black Book" | Gina G |
| "That's Why" | The Party |
| "Needin' Someone" | |
| "Change on Me" |
Unreleased songs
edit| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| "One More Chance" | Madonna |
| "Warning Signs" | |
| "Desperately Seeking Susan" | |
| "Working My Fingers to the Bone" | |
| "Pipeline" | |
| "Love Attack" | |
| "First Is a Kiss" |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abPennington, Juliet (November 16, 2017)."In the VIP Lounge with songwriter Stephen Bray".Boston Globe.
- ^abGraff, Gary (August 25, 1987)."Bray's Loyalty to Madonna Pays Off".Chicago Tribune.
- ^Cross, Mary (2007).Madonna: A Biography.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 21.ISBN978-0-313-33811-3.
- ^abcChristopher, Anderson (October 14, 1991)."Madonna Rising".New York Magazine:45.
- ^Anderson, Christopher (November 4, 1991)."The Faces Of Madonna".The Seattle Times.RetrievedApril 28,2021.
- ^abAzizian, Carol (May 17, 2008)."Broadway musical 'The Color Purple' heading to Fox Theatre in Detroit".Flint Journal.RetrievedOctober 19,2013.
- ^"Complete list of nominees for Tony Awards".USA Today.May 17, 2006.RetrievedOctober 19,2013.
External links
edit- Stephen BrayatIMDb
- Pop Music and the New Musical–Working in the Theatre Seminarvideo atAmerican Theatre Wing.org,September 2005