Malcolm Singleton

Malcolm Singleton, a graduate of Mars Hill Bible School and an Entertainment Industry Management major at the University of North Alabama who also attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massacusetts this past summer, has just released his first CD, "This Feeling".

A native of Snellville, Georgia, and the son of a construction worker, Singleton lived around the nation, including Washington DC; Bedford and Concord, Ohio; and Erie, Pennsylvania, before finally settling in Spring Valley, Alabama.

The first instrument to make its way into Singleton's hands was drums. Because of his mother's affinity for Phil Collins, Singleton also became a fan and was influenced greatly by his playing. The intensity and volume of his inspired playing was inhibited, however, by the fact that the family lived in an apartment complex. When they finally moved back to the country, he was really able to let loose.

Although he'd always had interest in playing the guitar, the instrument really came into his life under the influence of Gaylon Partain, a friend he met while attending Tharptown School in Franklin County.

"The first time I heard him play (Nirvana's) 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' it really got me," said Singleton. "We've been playing music together ever since."

He picked up an old Alvarez as he entered his teen years and began to play.

Although he does not consider his music Christian rock, he gives credit to God, because "that's why everything is here." Musically, Dave Matthews and John Mayer are big influences.

Singleton, reared in the Church of Christ, joined with Muscle Shoals studio owner and engineer Daniel Beard, who is the media director for his Baptist church, and hit songwriter and recording artist Eddie Martin, of Russellville, to put together an album, which was recorded at Beard's and Singleton's studios.

Martin, an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' award winner who started his career art Wishbone Studio in Muscle Shoals in the 1980s, has worked with and had a song recorded by Brian McKnight. Beard was employed at Fame Studios for 8 ? years, where he worked with producer and studio owner Rick Hall, who has worked with Aretha Franklin, The Osmonds, Paul Anka, Shenandoah and many more artists.

Singleton played all the instruments and sang all the vocals on This Feeling.

"Malcolm is so talented, you know he can do something. You hear it in your head, and you know he hears it in his head; it's just getting it out. He so wants everything to be perfect. We worked hard on it to make it where we're all happy with it," said Beard.

"I don't want to take all the credit. It's very important to know that Daniel and Eddie had a major influence," said Singleton. "It's awesome, because I've always envisioned these songs and doing what I want with them, and hooking up with Daniel and Eddie has helped me out so much. They've allowed me to express myself in both the songs and the production. To me, it's honestly a dream come true."

"Eddie and I both tried to stress performance and feeling over perfection. I think that is part of the Muscle Shoals in us. We like music that makes us feel good," said Beard.

Singleton said most of his songwriting is inspired by people who mean a lot in his life: his girlfriend, friends and different life experiences. He gives credit to his mother, who is responsible for much behind-the-scenes action.

"[Eddie] sort of pushed me along and helped me finish the songs. It was great, because that turned into his collaborating on more songs," said Singleton.

"I knew the first time I heard Brian McKnight sing that he was a sure thing. I feel the same way about Malcolm. I have total faith in Malcolm as the complete package. Malcolm and I have talked so much about what music has meant to us through our lives and how we've both used it at times as sort of our safe haven, like an escape. We both have a tendency to sort of live in our own heads sometimes. I was attracted to that part of him and wanted to work with him. Once I really got to know him, he's a lot of fun to work with. We've got a really great team here," said Martin.

"I'm so thankful that not only am I working with Daniel and Eddie and have all the support of my parents, but that I even had the opportunity to make this record. It's a big, big deal," said Singleton.

The young performer was recently invited to participate in the Huntsville radio station WTAK's 2nd Annual Rock-n-Roll Demo Demolition, where he has made it to the top 10.

He is also being honored at UNA's homecoming on Saturday as a promising alumnus. He was chosen by faculty and staff to receive this award from the UNA National Alumni Association.

Malcolm Singleton's debut CD, This Feeling, is now available for purchase. There will be a CD release party October 22 at Rivertown Coffee Co. (formerly Aroma's). Singleton, along with Partain, will be performing one set of originals and one set of covers. The party begins at 8 p.m. and admission is free. - The Flor-Ala by Christine Fink

When 22-year-old musician and songwriter Malcolm Singleton, a senior at the University of North Alabama, talks about his first CD, he literally means "his" CD.

He wrote the songs, sang the lyrics and played all the instruments -- drums, bass, guitars and keyboards -- on the CD, "This Feeling."

A popular performer at such venues as Brinley Brothers and Logan's Roadhouse in Florence and the Muscle Shoals Songwriters' Showcase and the recent winner of the promising alumnus award from the UNA National Alumni Association, Singleton is happy with his first album.

"I'm really pleased with it," he said between classes at UNA. "I finally got the chance to do what I've always envisioned in my mind when I first sat down and wrote these songs with stripped-down vocals and an acoustic guitar."

The musician, who graduated from Mars Hill Bible School in 2001, describes his style as pop-rock music.

"It's not too heavy, but it's got a poppy end to it," he said. "I'm more along the lines of (singer-songwriter) John Mayer, and there are all kinds of bands that have influenced me. I could go on forever."

Songs on the CD include "Counting on You," winner of the rock category at the W.C. Handy Festival's songwriting competition, and "I'm Over You," winner in the summer songwriting competition at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where Singleton attended a five-week music-program.

But as much as "This Feeling" is about Singleton, it's also about the people who have supported him.

"We wanted to push this record as all about me, but at the same time, if it weren't for the people who've helped me, it wouldn't have gotten made," Singleton said. "This was a massive team project. It was a whole bunch of different people working together to make this one thing happen. I hope a whole lot of other things come out of it."

A team effort

He credits Daniel Beard, Muscle Shoals studio owner and engineer, and Eddie Martin, Russellville recording artist and hit songwriter, with production help on the CD.

"I'd always wanted to do this full production work, and they helped me express what was in

my music," Singleton said. "I loved the recording aspect. It was so cool to sit down and work with different drum sounds and different guitar sounds. It's so important, if you want to get into serious recording, to get the sound that you want."

Beard and Martin, in a news release from UNA's office of university relations, praised their friend.

"Malcolm is so talented. You know he can do something," Beard said. "You hear it in your head, and you know he hears it in his head -- it's just getting it out. He so wants everything to be perfect. We worked hard on the album to make it where we're all happy with it."

Martin agreed.

"I have total faith in Malcolm as the complete package," he said. "Once I got to know him, he was a lot of fun to work with."

Singleton's also quick to point out that his parents, Mack and Diane Singleton, of Spring Valley, are his No. 1 fans and that he couldn't have made it this far without his first vocal teacher, Gene Ann Gifford, of Muscle Shoals.

In fact, his mother, who also is his promoter, has been helping him sell "This Feeling" on the Internet.

"We've almost broken even on the costs of CD," Singleton said, "but of course, we're not selling millions of records. I can't believe the feedback we've gotten. People from all over the country have bought it. Even folks in England have listened to it and been interested in getting it."

Acoustic performance

At Saturday's release party, Singleton and longtime music buddy Gaylon Partain will perform "This Feeling" acoustically.

"That will give people an idea of what it sounded like when I first wrote the songs," Singleton said. "Then, they can hear the fully produced version on the CD. For the second set, I'll play some covers by musicians who have influenced me and throw in a few more original songs I've been working on."

Despite his newfound passion for studio production, Singleton still enjoys the opportunities to express himself with songwriting and performing. He wants to be a singer/songwriter with a hit album, touring and recording with a major label.

"But to get that major label, you have to have financial backing and you have to have the right connections," he said. "So right now, it's all about networking, drawing interest and making those connections."

An Entertainment Industry Management major at the Univeristy of North Alabama, he will graduate after he completes an internship next summer.

"I can use all the knowledge I've gained because I've had some useful classes in this degree," he said. "Things are changing all the time in the music industry, and now I've got an insight into that so when I get out there, I won't be completely oblivious."
- Times-Daily by Cathy Wood Myers

FLORENCE - Award winning
singer/songwriter
Malcolm Singleton will
headline a concert at The
Zodiac Theatre in Florence
Friday night, April 13. The
event will serve as a benefit
for the Make-A-Wish
Foundation and will feature
local songwriters Eddie
Martin, Charlton James,
and Daniel Beard, along
with guitarist, Gaylon
Partain. Tickets are $10
each and are available in
Florence at Pegasus Music
and in Muscle Shoals at
Mug.com and Counts
Brothers Music. All
proceeds from ticket sales
will be donated to the
Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Singleton recently
graduated from UNA with
a degree in Entertainment
Industry Management. He
also attended the Berklee
College of Music and
completed an internship
with Rounder Records in
Boston. He has received
glowing reviews for his
independent debut CD, This
Feeling, which was
produced by UNA alumni
Eddie Martin and Daniel
Beard. Malcolm regularly
performs across the southeast
and in the Boston area.
Martin is a veteran
songwriter, born and raised
in Russellville, who owns
Crestwood Flash Music, an
independent music
publishing company, and is
also an independent
producer.
Beard has a "downhome"
approach to music,
working as an Engineer,
Studio Manager and
Executive Assistant at the
historic FAME Recording
Studios.
James received his BFA
from the University of Utah
and MFA from the Alabama
Shakespeare Festival’s
Graduate Program in
Acting. - Courier Journal / April 11, 2007

Singleton brings along friends for benefit concert
By Emily Couch
Staff Writer

FLORENCE -- With a unique style and a smooth voice, Malcolm Singleton has a trademark sound that is undeniable.

His fresh sound and poignant lyrical content has earned Singleton songwriting accolades from the W.C. Handy Festival in the Shoals as well as the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

Starting early in life, Singleton has had years to perfect his acoustic sound along with his drumming abilities.

"I started out as a drummer at 10, and I really didn't pick up the acoustic until I was 13," he said.

"I was influenced by Nirvana when I was drumming, then I really got into Dave Matthews and John Mayer when I started getting more into the acoustic stuff."

Singleton's influences are clear, but his music speaks for itself.

Singleton's talent shines on his debut CD titled "This Feeling" and also shows the great team he has behind him.

"Daniel Beard and Eddie Martin have really helped me so much on this EP," he said. "We've been working together for years, and we are still working together today."

Singleton's team also consists of the support and influence of his parents, as well as his longtime friend and fellow guitar player Gaylon Partain.

"They have helped me so much financially and emotionally; without them I wouldn't be able to do what I do," he said.

Singleton has strong family ties and with a newly restored Gibson guitar his grandfather played and carried during World War II, the music feels even more special.

"The guitar is amazing," said Eddie Martin, co-writer and co-producer with Singleton.

"It's a 1930 Gibson and the Gibson people in Nashville did an unbelievable job restoring it."

What makes the guitar so unique are the carvings on the back.

"It is amazing to know that you are carrying a guitar that your grandfather carried to places like Normandy and Liverpool," Martin said.

Singleton and his team are excited about the new guitar and the new projects they continue to work on.

"Right now, we are all working together with an entertainment lawyer in L.A., who is representing me legally and is also getting the buzz out there on my music."

Singleton plays gigs in the Shoals, Nashville and Georgia areas, and he is definitely looking forward to making it to L.A. in the near future.

"We are in the process of writing, recording and just staying busy and creative," Singleton said.

While Singleton continues to work hard on his upcoming shows and new material, he also will be participating in the Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraiser that will be Friday at the Zodiac Theater.

The fundraiser will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets will be $10 at the door and all the proceeds will go directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"We basically came up with the idea for everyone to do what they love and to give back," Singleton said. "It's really a great opportunity and all the proceeds go directly to the foundation."

The showcase will include many other talented performers such as Daniel Beard, Eddie Martin and Charlton James.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation mission statement "grants the wishes of children with life threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy."

Beginning in 1980 and starting from humble beginnings, the foundation continues to grow yearly.

Not only will the showcase be great entertainment, but it also will be an opportunity to give back to children less fortunate. - TIMES-DAILY - April 12, 2007

Malcolm Singleton lived in a dozen different cities before he was a dozen years old and the only constant he knew was music. Before the days of corporate radio, every city had it's own musical identity and Malcolm soaked up the musical mixed bag in each town he rode through or lived in via the airwaves.

From Dean Martin to Gavin DeGraw, from Boston to the Badlands, Malcolm had a chance to hear music born in the heartland of America and it became an integral part of who he is today. He has grown into a musical talent capable of heartbreaking melodies and danceable pop and his live performances are a local crowd favorite.

Malcolm finally planted his roots in the rich musical soil of Spring Valley in Colbert County, Alabama and he is well on his way to becoming another Muscle Shoals musical legend. He is an active participant in the Muscle Shoals Songwriter's Showcase and has won several songwriting awards but live performances are his true joy. He believes that it is very important for a musician to be solid vocally and that is his main focus right now, "When you strip all the production away and the voice and guitar are great, then you know you have something from the heart."
- BLISS MAGAZINE

Published: Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.


Malcolm Singleton is taking the music on his latest album a bit further, but is sticking with the pop/rock formula that he loves.

"Be There," which was recorded in Spring Valley, Harvest and Murfreesboro, Tenn., will be available in stores in the Shoals on Tuesday.

The album took longer to record because, unlike his EP where Singleton played all the instruments, he and producers Daniel Beard and Eddie Martin called in several session players for "Be There."

"I was really happy we brought them in," Singleton said. "The guys that played the instruments on the record are better players on their instruments than I am. I'm not a virtuoso on anything."

The album includes Chris Fryar on drums and percussion, Jon Putnam on bass, Kelvin Wooten on keyboards and Matt Slocum on organ.

Singleton also brought in his friend and former partner Gaylon Partain to play lead guitar and former Steppenwolf guitarist Larry Byrom to play Wurlitzer organ on one track.

"We expanded a little as far as the instrumentation." Singleton said. "It's a more mature record, but we stuck to the same sound, the pop/rock type of thing."

While he enjoys performing, Singleton said he loves the creative process of arranging songs and instrumentation.

Singleton said the album was recorded in several locations.

Some basic tracks were laid down at Singleton's home studio in Spring Valley and a recording studio in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The bulk of the album was recorded at Beard's Musiek Entertainment studio in Harvest.

"Be There" contains 10 tracks with two bonus tracks.

The last two tracks are a remix version of "The Girl From Another World" and an acoustic version of "A Road I Can't Go Down".

"A Road I Can't Go Down" is a stripped-down vocals and guitar mix and the remix of "The Girl From Another World" is an experimental version with additional instrumentation.

Singleton credits Beard with the inspiration for "The Girl From Another World" and song developed by he, Martin and Singleton based on a girl Beard met while on a mission trip to South Africa.

"He happened to meet this girl who was a waitress at a restaurant," Singleton said. "She was absolutely gorgeous. He said. 'I'm going back to the states and I'll never see this girl again.' "

He said it's the first song he Beard and Martin have written "from scratch."

The title track was written in Boston, Massachusetts, while Singleton was doing an internship at Rounder Records in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Martin came to visit Singleton and his father and they found a quiet place to write what became "Be There."

Singleton said for the songs on "Be There", he stayed with the pop/rock sound he enjoys.

"I tried to stay with the catchy, hooky type stuff," he said.

Singleton said he considered debuting the album at a CD release show, but decided just to release the album in stores for the time being.

"I'm getting married this weekend, and I've been real busy with the planning of that," he said.

The album will be available locally at Mug.com and Counts Brothers Music in Muscle Shoals, Cold Water Books in Tuscumbia, Rivertown Coffee and Pegasus Records, Tapes & CDs, all in Florence. The disc will also be available online through CDBaby and as a digital download from iTunes.

After his honeymoon, Singleton said he will get back to performing live around the Shoals.

As for the future of his musical career, Singleton said he would love to become involved in an artist development deal.

He loves writing songs, but does not want to become someone who churns out songs for other artists.

"Some folks are willing to write songs for anybody. I'm not that kind of person," Singleton said. "I want to write catchy pop songs. I write them for me. If someone else wants to cut it because it's a great song, I think that's how it naturally works."

Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@TimesDaily.com.
- Times-Daily/Russ Corey, Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 3:30 a.m.


Malcolm Singleton has experienced the conflict that can develop in a band, including the clashing of egos and breakups that seem to occur at the most inopportune times.

For that reason, he prefers to pursue his musical career as a solo artist. That way, he has control over the music and nobody to depend on but himself.

"I got totally frustrated with trying to put a band together," Singleton said.

Standing near a drum kit and an array of guitars that includes a refurbished 1930's era Gibson that belonged to his grandfather, the
25-year-old singer/songwriter talked about his career and the excitement of being asked to perform at the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City tonight.

"I'm excited about it," Singleton said. "New York is just a cool place to go, especially if you're getting to play music."

Singleton, who is on a bill with seven other up-and-coming songwriters, said he will be performing two original songs.

The event will be another opportunity for him to perform in New York and to get more exposure.

"Just the fact that ASCAP asked him to represent them at this is a big deal," said Singleton's producer Eddie Martin.

Singleton said he's expecting members of the other artists rights organizations, such as BMI and ASCAP, to be at the show, but there's no telling who else might be watching, including well-known artists or music industry professionals.

Martin, who is producing Singleton's upcoming album along with Daniel Beard, said Singleton has gotten good response to his music in New York, which is known for knowledgeable and critical fans.

"Everywhere he plays, they want him back," Martin said.

Singleton also has played well-received shows at clubs in Martha's Vineyard.

He said he wants to be known as an artist who creates and performs catchy pop songs, the kind that get stuck in your head.

He started out playing drums when he was about 11 years old, then began picking on his dad's guitar when he was 13.

"My first influence on guitar was Dave Matthews because he's such a percussive, rhythmic player," Singleton said. "It's really right up my alley."

Singleton said he prefers being a rhythm guitarist and writing songs to playing lead guitar and playing solos.

He first began writing songs at 17 and prefers creating a melody and progression on his guitar before adding lyrics.

He admits being a big fan of The Beatles, especially from a songwriting perspective.

Singleton began working Beatles' songs into his repertoire not because they were being requested by fans, but because he liked them.

Soon he had enough original songs and covers to perform a three- or four-hour set.

Some of the time he would play acoustic gigs with his friend Gaylon Partain, the remaining member of one of Singleton's bands.

They pair still perform live from time to time as Partain's work schedule permits.

In between shows, Singleton is trying to complete work on his full-length follow up to his 2005 ep "Counting on You."

The album was supposed to be finished by December, but will likely be released in early 2008.

Singleton said the new album will feature songs with a full band and just himself playing guitar, plus a bonus track.

Most likely, Singleton, Martin and Beard, will release the album themselves, but Singleton is always keeping his options open for a deal with either a major or independent label.

Singleton happily reports that his parents, Mack and Diane, are 100 percent behind his career.

His dad and "mom-ager" help book shows and distribute posters for upcoming gigs.

Russ Corey can be reached at russ.corey@timesdaily.com or 740-5738.
- Times-Daily/Russ Corey, Staff Writer