Prince Charles Alexander | |
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Background information | |
Born | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | April 2, 1958
Occupation(s) | Record producer, audio engineer |
Charles Alexander (born April 2, 1958), known professionally as Prince Charles Alexander, is an American record producer, audio engineer and professor of music. He received a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2003.
Alexander was born in Boston and is a graduate of Boston Latin School. [1] He holds an M.S. from Northeastern University [2] and a B.A. from Brandeis University. [3] [4]
Alexander fronted "Prince Charles and the City Beat Band" [5] as the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist, with a focus on the wind synthesizer called the " Lyricon" in recordings and in live performances. Along with manager and Executive Producer Tony Rose (Solid Platinum Records & Productions) Prince Charles recorded and co-produced three albums, "Gang War", "Stone Killers", and "Combat Zone" on Virgin Records from the early to mid-1980s. [6]
Alexander disbanded his funk group in the mid-1980s and began focusing on audio engineering. After the switch, he became a multi-platinum recording engineer, mixing engineer and producer for clients that include Mary J. Blige, Puff Daddy, Usher, Boyz II Men, Jodeci, X-Clan, Brandy, Babyface, Sting and Aretha Franklin. [7] He mixed and recorded the Notorious B.I.G.'s One More Chance at The Hit Factory. [8] Alexander earned more than 40 Platinum and Gold certifications from the RIAA [2] and won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2003. [9]
Alexander is a Professor in the Music Production & Engineering Department [10] at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. [11] He simultaneously held an Adjunct Instructor position at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, [12] teaching Music Production from 2006 to 2014. In 2006, Alexander also taught Audio Technology at the Institute of Audio Research in NYC. [13] He has lectured at the City College of New York in Manhattan, the University of Oslo in Oslo, Norway, [14] and the Cape Town Academy at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. [15] He is a member of the Producers and Engineers Wing of the Grammy Committee Board of Governors, [16] the Audio Engineering Society (AES) [17] and the Musician's Union Local 802 in New York City. [18]
He is author [19] of Hip-Hop Production: Inside the Beats ( Berklee Press, 2022), a book about the technological history of hip-hop. In November 2023, the Africana Studies Division at Berklee College of Music inducted Prince Charles Alexander into the Berklee Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. [20]
Prince Charles Alexander | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | April 2, 1958
Occupation(s) | Record producer, audio engineer |
Charles Alexander (born April 2, 1958), known professionally as Prince Charles Alexander, is an American record producer, audio engineer and professor of music. He received a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2003.
Alexander was born in Boston and is a graduate of Boston Latin School. [1] He holds an M.S. from Northeastern University [2] and a B.A. from Brandeis University. [3] [4]
Alexander fronted "Prince Charles and the City Beat Band" [5] as the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist, with a focus on the wind synthesizer called the " Lyricon" in recordings and in live performances. Along with manager and Executive Producer Tony Rose (Solid Platinum Records & Productions) Prince Charles recorded and co-produced three albums, "Gang War", "Stone Killers", and "Combat Zone" on Virgin Records from the early to mid-1980s. [6]
Alexander disbanded his funk group in the mid-1980s and began focusing on audio engineering. After the switch, he became a multi-platinum recording engineer, mixing engineer and producer for clients that include Mary J. Blige, Puff Daddy, Usher, Boyz II Men, Jodeci, X-Clan, Brandy, Babyface, Sting and Aretha Franklin. [7] He mixed and recorded the Notorious B.I.G.'s One More Chance at The Hit Factory. [8] Alexander earned more than 40 Platinum and Gold certifications from the RIAA [2] and won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2003. [9]
Alexander is a Professor in the Music Production & Engineering Department [10] at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. [11] He simultaneously held an Adjunct Instructor position at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, [12] teaching Music Production from 2006 to 2014. In 2006, Alexander also taught Audio Technology at the Institute of Audio Research in NYC. [13] He has lectured at the City College of New York in Manhattan, the University of Oslo in Oslo, Norway, [14] and the Cape Town Academy at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. [15] He is a member of the Producers and Engineers Wing of the Grammy Committee Board of Governors, [16] the Audio Engineering Society (AES) [17] and the Musician's Union Local 802 in New York City. [18]
He is author [19] of Hip-Hop Production: Inside the Beats ( Berklee Press, 2022), a book about the technological history of hip-hop. In November 2023, the Africana Studies Division at Berklee College of Music inducted Prince Charles Alexander into the Berklee Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. [20]