Ellington

Saxophonist, singer and songwriter Andre Delano may have grown up in East St. Louis, Mo., but he feels just as much a child of Jackson. After graduating from Lincoln High School in St. Louis, the alma mater of Miles Davis, he attended Jackson State University on a full music scholarship, finishing at the top of his class in business in 1994. He performed with local legends like Dorothy Moore and Johnnie Taylor of Jackson's Malaco Records. At one point, he even considered staying in Jackson.

"I had about four or five different job offers on the table," Delano says. "I turned them all down and came out to L.A. to pursue a career in music. I never really had any regrets, but I was 22 or 23 years old, coming out to L.A., which is a big place. It's very exciting and very different from Jackson or St. Louis."

His early days in Los Angeles were exhilarating, nerve-wracking and educational, but his road was smoother than most. Where many artists move to entertainment capitals and find hardship, Delano realized the only way to succeed was to thrust himself into the spotlight, though he made a stop or two along the way.

"I kind of thought I needed a job when I first got here. I was hired as a car salesman in Hollywood ... (but) I never really sold anything," Delano jokes. "I would be riding people around in the cars and playing my demo tapes."

Soon after he quit not-selling cars, he began performing anywhere that would take him, building relationships with local musicians.

"In music, that's what you have to do," he says. "You can't send out resumes and go, 'Hire me.' You have to get out. They have to see you, vibe you. It's a networking thing that has to happen."

Within eight months, Delano had established his network. He began touring regularly with various L.A. artists, including guitarist Doc Powell, who previously backed Luther Vandross. Delano discovered Powell's music director also worked for R&B singer Maxwell. That connection would end up being one of the most important in his career.

"I performed with Maxwell pretty much from when he first came out, his first tour ... from the beginning right until the time he took that hiatus (from 2002 to 2009)," he says. The experience was frustrating for long-time band members like Delano, who didn't receive an explanation. "I think his career kind of catapulted too quickly, maybe even too quickly for him. ... We're still cool, and every now and then, when I can catch him, we'll talk."

Maxwell also encouraged him to hone in on his vocal skills, having him provide harmonies during concerts, though Delano wasn't so sure at first. During one sound check, Maxwell was running late, and Delano began singing in the microphone for fun.

"He caught me. I didn't know he was in the back of the room because it was dark. He comes up and goes, 'Yo. Whatcha doin?' I said, 'Well, I'm just testing your mic, bruh.' And he said, 'You're about to sing in the band,'" Delano says. "I got very Jackson State business department. I was like, 'That's not my job description; I was not hired to do that!' And he said, 'I'll pay you more money.'" Delano then busted out in song.

After that, Delano performed with Lionel Richie for several years, complete with tour busses, private planes and jet setting from Washington, D.C., to Switzerland. Delano says the experience was "cloud nine," but he started to see the problem with tying your career to another person's.

"At one point, I was turning down my own gigs to go and play with Lionel Richie," he says. "When my album, 'Mine So Fine,' came out (in 2005), we had set it up with Jackson State University for me to be the marshal of the parade, for me to play on the field with the band, and for me to play a show in Jackson."

Ultimately, his homecoming performance never occurred. The dates clashed with Lionel Richie's first tour date in China, and Delano canceled his Mississippi performance.

"I ended up taking the gig in Hong Kong. I mean, who knows? This concert that I'm doing around homecoming could have been done seven years ago," he says, referring to his approaching Duling Hall performance Friday, Oct. 10.

Delano says he has a lot of love for the city of Jackson and his supporters, including local radio personality Stan Branson of Kixie 107 FM, who "has gone above and beyond the call of duty" as a host for the upcoming performance.

The musician and songwriter is hard at work on his next release, which he and Kevin Beckett, his cousin, co-writer and partner for his company, WuCuz Productions, are in the process of recording. Delano has already completed work on single "Sex Machine," the first of 10 tracks, which he says will be more in the realm of R&B than his previous releases.

Andre Delano performs at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10 at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave., 601.292.7121) For more information, visit andredelano.net and ardenland.net.