Zalon

Zalon Thompson (born 23 October 1983) is a British pop singer, songwriter and record producer, currently singing backing vocals known most famously for this work with Amy Winehouse as her lead singer, and featuring on her Grammy Award winning album, DVD and single.

Early life

Born at Park Royal Hospital in London, Zalon Thompson, son of reggae singer Dr Alimantado and brother of fellow backing vocalist Heshima. Zalon attended Furness Primary School and then went to Hampstead School in Cricklewood to advance his education.

Zalon Thompson went to Hammersmith and West London College and studied Popular Music which covered all bases of the music industry and learnt to play drums and guitar.

Career

Zalon and his brother Heshima then aged 16 and 20 began touring the UK live circuit with the American soul singer Freddie Lee as part of his production shows in 2003. Zalon has attributed his performance technique through these years of live performance with Freddie Lee. A few years later, promoter Patrick Alan approached Zalon to sing backing vocals and duets with his guests at his regular Monday night spot at the 10 Rooms, and through this Zalon met Amy Winehouse.

Amy Winehouse

Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter known for her deep expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul (sometimes labelled as blue-eyed soul and neo soul),rhythm and blues, and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was a critical success in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album, Back to Black, led to five 2008 Grammy Awards, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made her the first British female to win five Grammys, including three of the general field "Big Four" awards: Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Winehouse won three Ivor Novello Awards: in 2004, Best Contemporary Song for "Stronger Than Me"; in 2007, Best Contemporary Song again, this time for "Rehab"; and in 2008, Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game." She won the 2007 Brit Award for Best British Female Artist, having also been nominated for Best British Album, with Back to Black.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye (/ɡeɪ/; born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr.; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American soul singer, songwriter, and musician. Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of hits, including How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) and I Heard It Through the Grapevine, and duet recordings with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, and Tammi Terrell, later earning the titles Prince of Motown and Prince of Soul.

During the 1970s, he recorded the concept albums What's Going On and Let's Get It On and became one of the first artists in Motown to break away from the reins of their production company.

Gaye's later recordings influenced several contemporary R&B subgenres, such as quiet storm and neo-soul. Following a period in Europe as a tax exile in the early 1980s, Gaye released the 1982 Grammy Award-winning hit "Sexual Healing" and its parent album Midnight Love.

On April 1, 1984, Gaye's father, Marvin Gay Sr., fatally shot him at their house in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. Since his death, many institutions have posthumously bestowed Gaye with awards and other honors—including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.