Impact Detroit Magazine Impact Detroit Holiday Issue 2013 | Page 15

KERN BRANTLEY
Thank you for this opportunity to share my music journey and career with Impact Detroit Magazine
in this special edition celebrating the one year anniversary of the making of the movie Sparkle in
the city of Detroit. Susan, I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to be named Music Director for some major talented artists in the music industry. Growing up in Detroit as a kid, I
was surrounded by many talented musicians and singers. At age 16, I studied with some of
the Motown session players in a summer youth program hosted by Kim Westin. There I met
musicians and wonderful people, like the Funk Brothers, Earl Van Dyke, Bean Bowles and
Paul Riser, as well as Brainstorms bassist, Lamont Johnson. From there I met Gospel Artists:
Thomas Whitfield. He introduced me to The Clark Sisters, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and The
Winans Family. Marvin L. Winans (Bishop elect) hired me as Musical Director for their tour and
recordings, but it was in Kim Weston's festival, where I learned to deal with several acts at the same time as a
musician and director. I was excited about all the wonderful opportunities when I got the call to identify musicians from Detroit for the film Sparkle.

! because it was being filmed in Detroit, I guess that is how my name came up. I was first conAnd
tacted by a friend of mine from New York, Michelle Joyce, former Bad Boy Record general
manager who referred me to Winsome Sinclair, one of the Sparkle casting directors. Michelle
knew me from when I worked as MD for Bad Boy and P. Diddy in NYC. She told Winsome that
I would be a great resource to identify musicians here in Detroit and that I was well connected.
Lol, when I think about it, I do kind of know just about every musician in Detroit. The casting
directors were looking for real musicians to play the role of the musicians in the film. Selecting the band for Sparkle was different from if this was a live gig. I knew it was a
film based in 1960s Motown era, so I looked for cats with that look and swag, no
dreads or braids, but more of a retro look, I wanted them to be able to play the songs
from the film live , but that was not the main requirement. It was all about the look,
because the music was prerecorded by studio musicians. I selected the band through
auditions, as well as calling many of the best musicians in Detroit from the jazz
clubs,Churches, Eastern Michigan and Wayne State University. I contacted bassist
Ralph Armstrong who put me in contact with Detroit Federation of Musicians
Union Local #5. I also contacted String arranger Paul Riser, who put me in touch
with members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Paul and Ralph were great
added values to this process.

! Susan, I was even asked to play a role in Sparkle as one of the musicians
And,

in a club scene as one of the band members backing Jordin Sparks. But, I could
not accept the offer because I’d previously agreed to perform in a television
special in New York and couldn’t make any of the filming days for the band. I
know your husband Chris is a bassist, too. I think he and I were influenced by
the same Motown legendary bassist, James Jamerson. Jamerson had a ‘Motown feel’ in his music. I was attracted to that. Jaco Pastorious. his technique as
a bassist really influenced me. Others are, Bootsy Collins and Larry Graham for the funk, Marcus Miller for the tone and style and Nathen
East for the pocket and groove, As a MD I am influence by Detroit's Nate Watts MD and bassist for Stevie Wonder. It is
who you know first then, what you know. Sure, I wanted to get noticed for my craft. Growing

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