Biography
There are several Tony D's!
1.) Weighing in at 16 stone of Italian American heritage Tony Depula a.k.a Tony D (1967 - April 4, 2009) left an indelible mark across the history of the hip-hop beat, wrestling his way round some classic LPs from Poor Righteous Teachers (acting as producer on classics like Shaqila) - to his own Pound for Pound release on Grand Central.
Tony always kept his productions tight and full. The hard drums and bass generated courtesy of his EMU SP1200 drum machine have been laced with some classic raps courtesy of YZ, Lo-key and some amazing vocals from Veba and Spikey T. Tony caught the hip-hop bug in 1985 travelling up to the Bronx from his Trenton, New Jersey base and buying drum machines from a producer who had moved on to drug dealing. It was not long before Tony was making classic beats some which were subsequently robbed by the likes of Naughty by Nature and Heavy d; all cases which were settled out of court.
Responsible for Grand Central's first release and first artist solo album, (Pound For Pound back in 1997)he hooked up with Grand Central when Mark stumbled across Tony D's Central J. Parlay EP'in a N.Y. basement. (taken from Grand Central's Website)
1.a) New Jersey rap artist Tony D. made a promising debut in 1991 with his Droppin' Funky Verses album for 4th & Broadway, an album he both produced and rapped on; however, it was several years before he returned to the rap game, primarily as a producer. From Trenton, NJ, and white, Tony D. surely wasn't your typical rapper in the early '90s. His debut release was impressive, particularly for its time, featuring the two singles "E.F.F.E.C.T." and "Check the Elevation." Unfortunately, 4th & Broadway underwent challenging times, eventually meeting its demise, and Tony D. never got the chance to record a follow-up album for the label. It also didn't help that he was white and from Jersey rather than New York; in the early '90s, rap was still evolving as a genre, and whoever didn't fit the prototypical mold was often refused opportunities. Nonetheless, Tony D. made a low-key return several years later, in 1995, with an album for Contract Records, Flav (Beats) From the Cave. During this mid-'90s era, he also began producing tracks for other rappers such as WC, Wise Intelligent, and Kwest tha Madd Ladd. In 1997, he recorded the Pound for Pound album for Grand Central and then moved to Rufflife, where he recorded Master of the Moaning Beats (2001). ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
2.) Tony D (Tony Damager) is a german rap artist of Aggro Berlin / Sektenmuzik .
His first album with B!Tight "Heise Ware" was the beginning of Tony D.
3.) TONY D
Along with 9 European tours, national status in Canada and now 6 albums under his belt, Tony D has established himself as a player and performer who delivers the goods.
When he was 19 years of age, Tony had the pleasure of performing with the legendary Buddy Guy, starting a trend that would see him share the stage with such greats as Luther Allison, Bryan Adams and Michelle Shocked. A consummate performer, Tony D has supported the likes of both Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, Albert Collins, Robin Ford, Robert Cray, Koko Taylor and The Doobie Brothers.
Tony has also toured throughout Europe with Jeff Healey in Denmark to rave reviews, including an outstanding performance in front of 20,000 crazed fans at the Skanderborg Festival.
Another side of Tony that is not well known is his contribution to entertaining the Canadian troops for eight memorable days in war torn Bosnia and recently (February 2003), in the Persian Gulf. These experiences changed his life.
Tony has become so well respected in his home town by the blues community that when Gladys Knight cancelled out at Ottawa Blues Festival 2000, organizers turned to Tony who not only filled in but engaged the audience with a dynamic performance that drew the first standing ovation of the weekend. Since then, he's held a main stage spot every year in support of the festival's closing headliner.
In 2001, Tony D performed a string of sold out theatre dates in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton opening for Buddy Guy. Also that year, Tony D released his first full blown acoustic album, 'The Size of Your Shoes' which features songs co-written with Anders Osborne and duet performances with both acoustic blues artist Ken Hamm and New Orleans favourite son John Mooney on slide guitar
In 2004, Tony D returned to his maniacal brand of blues by releasing his 6th recording, a full band album titled 'The Jook Joint'.
Heavily influenced by the haunting sounds of the Mississippi delta, The Jook Joint is a blues cocktail part Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix and Argentinean Surf Tango. From the raw slide drenched 'My Baby's So Far' cradled by a hip hop beat to the feed back caresses of Hendrix's 'If Six Was Nine' and the instrumental 'Asstango'. Tony describes this as a montage homage to all the great artists who paved the way before us. We raise the dead with respect and order another round."
Contact info: Advocate Music Ltd
613-236-9442
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