Lanard Perry

by Lanard
(Gainesville, FL)

Hi - I'm Lanard Perry, architect of this exciting project. I'm also a trumpet player and have been around Gainesville performing music for a long time. It has been a privilege to have played with some outstanding musicians over the years and owe my interest in and passion for music to many of them as teachers and role models.

My first musical endeavor was in the third grade. Me and some of my homies decided we were going to be bust into the big time as an a capella act - the big time was entry into our elementary school talent show.

We didn't make it, but I've been hooked on music ever since and learned from that experience that singing definitely was not my thing.

So what was it? Would you believe the bass guitar? My uncle had a band and practiced where I lived, which was at my grandparents house. It's funny how many people lived in that small three bedroom house.

I digress. The point is that I got a chance to fiddle around on all of the instruments and the bass guitar is what felt the most natural to me. I played in my 1st R&B band, The Uptights, Gainesville's version of The Jackson Five, when I was in the 5th grade. As it was there were more than five of us and we didn't have as much talent as Michael and his brothers had, but what we did have was FUN!

I learned to play trumpet in the 7th Grade and although I fooled around with other instruments trumpet is my instrument of choice.

Throughout the years I played in a small handful of bands; The Uptights, The Fabulous Souls, Johnny Ace and The Percolaters, Weston Prim and Blacklash, Catarro, Jeff Floyd and Friends, Charizma, The Tazers and Lil Jake and The Soul Searches. Church homes included Mt. Olive AME, Mt. Zion AME (Ft. Lauderdale) and now Greater Bethel AME.

So, here I am now on the verge of producing my first concert...Christmas Jubilee Jam! I'll play my horn and might even sing a song or two and hope to collect lots of toys for kids that Santa might not visit.

Please share this event with the people within your sphere of influence so that we can have a great turnout, a super time and collect lots of toys!

Thanking you in advance for helping to get the word out.

Appreciatively,
Lanard Perry