Who is Movin' Melvin?

I would describe myself as a song and dance man, because I do what most of the great entertainers did, Michael Jackson. James Brown, Jackie Wilson. I bring the original dance styles of the past to today’s sound.

During my show you see a mix and match of styles from old school to today’s hip hop, with my own pieces thrown in. Singing, dancing and tapping all at once is the highlight of my work on stage that grabs the excitement from the audience.

As a child growing up in the hood, singing and dancing was passed on as a coping mechanism. My greatest inspiration in life was my mother. She said "life is what you make of it". With dancing you could forget about how poor you were and own something that made you feel good. Dancing was second to walking, when music came on the radio that the people liked, it was an opportunity to show off to whoever was around.

So when we heard music we danced, and of course when you were alone you got in front of a mirror to see if what you were doing was great. Someone was always waiting to challenge you, and every chance you got to watch anyone like James Brown, you stole some moves to put into your repertoire, so you got better and you always had fun.

I was inspired most by Ray Charles, he didn't have a great voice but he had the greatest delivery and feel of any singer I ever heard, no matter what kind of music he was doing. Everybody knew the Ray Charles sound, and the height of my day is when someone says to me you sound like Ray Charles. And of course Sam Cooke, and the Nicholas brothers were tap. I think that Michael Jackson was culmination of the truly great song and dance men at the next level. They continue to be my inspiration.

The fringe provides an avenue for me to tell of some of the great adventures that I have lived through with a lot of stories that I either know or worked with like BB.King, James Brown, Little Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, The Isley Brothers, Ray Charles and others. I have a very nice place in what’s now considered the music capitol of the world, Austin Texas. I work a lot more with show bands and orchestras depending on where I am, occasionally I still do solo shows such as in Glastonbury this year where I tapped into a whole new group who are now checking out my CDs and shows. It was a blast.

I got the chance to see Beyonce at Glastonbury, this is a girl working from the heart that makes you feel good about it all. Stevie Wonder is the man, Savion Glover is the tap man, and Akon has a nice place in the hip hop, and I like the country Garth Brooks. They seem to be the people as was described by Ray Charles "there are people who entertain to make money and those who make money as a result of their entertainment"