Could you tell us about your childhood and upbringing?
I was born in Newark, New Jersey but actually grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey. My childhood was based on a traditional Italian family upbringing. We were always a close family surrounded with plenty of music and wonderful food. As a young child I was introduced to music early on through my family's love for music and my uncles who had a popular local band. By age twelve, I was encouraged to learn the guitar by my uncle Vinny. I could hardly wait to get home from school so I could play my guitar, sing and soon began writing my own songs. My family knew I had a good ear for music because I learned pretty quickly how to play the guitar. I then formed a singing group with a back-up band, starting to work some of the smaller clubs throughout the area. Through the encouragement of my family, I was able to pursue my dream of becoming a recording artist.
When did you first start singing?
I remember singing along with the radio at age five. My family was and still is musically talented. They loved singing and most were self-taught instrumentally also. Our traditional Italian Sunday dinners were with our entire family. When the Italian desserts came out, the singing began while sitting around the dining room table. I have such fond memories of those wonderful days.
Who have been your musical influences?
As a young teenager my interests were based on the doo-wop artists such as Dion and the Belmonts. As I grew into my late teens my interests turned toward the R&B scene. My biggest inspiration was Otis Redding and so many other great '60s R&B artists.
How did you get involved in the music business?
I met a producer by the name of Billy Terrell in the early '70s. We began doing demos together of various songs but mostly based on R&B. Eventually we landed a deal in 1975 with De-lite Records. The disco scene was on top at this time. We recorded an album titled Tearin' Me to Pieces and one of the songs on the album written by Billy Terrell was "I Wanna Give You Tomorrow". The first time I heard this song I was staying in a hotel in Philadelphia while recording the album at De-lite studio when Billy walked in with a guitar and said "I wrote another song I think would be great for the album." Billy played it for me and I immediately said, "Yes, let's record it. And the rest is history!"Yes, I did record for Ampex. It was a song I recorded in the late '60s for a producer by the name of Neil Goldberg. It was more a country R&B record. It was called 'The Girl with San Francisco in Her Eyes'. I also went on to record for Epic Records with Neil Goldberg, called 'I Miss You' which was more in the pop genre. Along with that I formed a bond with Dave Appell and with Dave I recorded for 20th Century Fox Records. The name of the song is 'I Don't Know You Anymore' which is more in the soul genre.
Could you tell us about Mirror records?
In 1987 I was approached by Mike Esposito who caught my act in the Sands Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Mike had just started an indie record label called Mirror Records. With Mike, I recorded a full album of songs in the pop R&B genre. I was signed through Mirror who in turn co-signed with Sutra Records. At this time Sutra released my cover version of '634-5789' which was originally recorded by Wilson Pickett. And that's how Mirror Records came about.
What have been the highlights of your career to you personally?
Without a doubt one of the highlights of my career was performing at Prestatyn, North Wales this past March, 2009. There have been many other highlights performing with so many great disco acts such as the Tramps, Vickie Sue Robinson and so many others who were popular back in the '70s. Earlier on in my career another highlight was at the age 18 years old; Joey Dee of Joey Dee and the Starlighters of 'Peppermint Twist' fame, approached me after seeing me perform in a club in NJ, asking me to become a Starlighter - which I did for a year, which turned into another great experience.
The gig was great and the fans were outstanding! Really enthusiastic! I wish there were more crowds in the US who appreciate and have the same enthusiasm for our music as the fans in the UK have and appreciate so warmly.
Could you describe a typical day in the life of Benny Troy?
Ahh, a typical day in the life of Benny Troy... hmmm... Well, my daily life revolves around the normal things most people do each day. I spend as much quality time with my family as possible, in light of my work schedule. I just do the typical things most people do, with the exception of spending time continually developing my career and music.
You've been quite successful in the commercial jingles industry?
Do you have any favourite singers today?
In truth, in the US market today, I'm not too fond of much of the music. Not that it's bad, but for me personally, it's just not my cup of tea. I prefer listening to all of the older R&B-style music.
I am very much looking forward to many returns to the UK! I'm in the process of working with promoters and agents to do just that. I'm also working on some new recordings and hopefully we'll have them out there soon.
© Rob Jones 2009