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Darron McKinney plays
saxophone from the heart. Mckinney, 38, is a former deputy sheriff
with the Wayne County Sheriff and puts his
passion for being a positive force for change in people's life into
his work. He recently released a 15-song CD called "Soft Spoken" on a
label he founded, Shield Records. The contemporary Jazz CD is getting
major attention due to a song on the disc entitled " A Call to
Courage", a tune which is dedicated to the men and women of the
nation's police force.
"I wrote 'A Call to Courage' to serve as a wake-up call and an
inspiration to police officers everywhere. The message I wanted to
convey is that the badge they wear represents the public's trust in
them. I want to inspire police officers to establish a relationship
with God", said McKinney who served 14 years in the Sheriff's
department.
The song features vocals by Nichelle Colvin and has gained in
significance after the September 11, 2001 attacks, a coincidence that
McKinney finds prophetic--especially since he was invited to perform
the song before 18,000 people in Washington,
DC at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
candlelight vigil on May 13, 2001,
nearly 4 months to the day before the attacks occurred.
What is even more ironic to McKinney is that he performed the song
approximately a half-mile from where the plane would strike the
Pentagon.
Several branches of the US armed services have now picked up on the
song and have used it as a rallying point of sorts, and it is even
being broadcast on the Pentagon Network around the world. Many cable
and educational TV stations have also begun broadcasting the video
footage of McKinney's performance of the song that day in Washington,
D.C. including Comcast cable in the Detroit
area. While McKinney is, in his words, "humbled " by the widespread
acceptance the song has received, he states that his initial aim was
merely to let his fellow officers know that they were loved and
appreciated, a fact that many do not realize until it is too late.
"To my surprise, I found there was a high rate of suicide among police
officers. In 2003, 450 police officers committed suicide. That is
double the national rate of officers killed in the line of the duty. I
personally know 7 officers who killed themselves. There is even a rise
in suicide among soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is really an epidemic", said McKinney.
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Darron McKinney CD with
"Call
To Courage" |
McKinney comes from a well-respected jazz family in Detroit. The late
Harold McKinney was his cousin, and another cousin, Gaelyn Mckinney,
plays in the group Straight Ahead.
"Soft Spoken", which features co-production by his brothers Nathan and
Martin, is Mckinney's second release on his label. His first, called
"Inner Prizm" was released in 1996. Some of the musicians who
performed on the CD make up McKinney's traveling band: Don Mayberry on
bass; Jabari on drums and Mike Gelic on keyboards.
"I believe in using Detroit cats. We have some of the best musicians
on the planet. In fact, my management was asking about using other
musicians in other states for economic reasons, but I insisted on
using my band", said McKinney.
McKinney's approach to the music business is extremely professional
and top-notch, a fact he said was no accident.
"If you are going to get into this business, you have to know that you
have to have your business in order: good compositions, good
recordings, good musicians. What separates the professional from the
amateur is that the pros recognize that in order to be marketable and
competitive in this industry you have to have quality product. It's
not easy. And it's not cheap", McKinney said
As head of Shield Records, McKinney is also very cognizant of how the
modern recording industry operates.
"I been through the school of Hard Knocks. I have a box, literally, of
rejection letters from the record companies that turned me down
through the years.
"I sold thousands of CDs on my own and got the attention of Navarre",
McKinney said referring to the Minneapolis-based distributor which has
helped place his CDs all over the world.
"This is the way it is with [major] record labels now. They'd rather
do business with somebody established, that has created a buzz in
their hometown. I would also tell any aspiring artist to make sure
their business in order: the publishing, the copyrights, and know your
instrument. Know that this is what you want to do. Also, get advice
from folks who have been out there. There are plenty of professional
musicians in Detroit who are accessible", he continued.
In recording "Soft Spoken", McKinney relied upon The Disc recording
studios in Eastpointe, one of the premier studios in the country, and
used both analog and digital recording techniques to
achieve the
results he wanted. McKinney also included the video footage of of his
Washington, DC performance on the CD as an added bonus.
Local response to the CD, available at area record stores, has been
very favorable. In addition to the airplay of "A Call to Courage",
other songs receiving rotation at area stations include "75 South" and
"Shift Change".
Future plans for Shield Records and McKinney include work on a project
with Cuba Gooding Sr, father of the Oscar-winning actor and former
lead singer of the soul group, Main Ingredient, as well as attending
to new signees to the label. McKinney also plans to travel around the
country promoting "Soft Spoken", and do some
dates with Jazz legends The Crusaders in a series of concerts.
McKinney says Shield Records is also looking for new acts of all
styles, but not the minstrelsy and negativity that is "gangsta" rap.
Those interested in submitting work can get more information at
www.darronmckinney.com
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When asked about any final thoughts he would like to leave readers
with, McKinney is quick to respond that his good fortunes is
definitely not of his making, but of a higher power.
"I give all Honor and Praises to God", he stated.
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