Hamilton Park
Oct 17, 2011
Hamilton Park may have honed their vocal skills while singing in their church choirs, but they are much more than just four guys who share a love for singing. They are a brotherhood born on the basketball courts of Hamilton Park Recreation Center in Atlanta. Hamilton Park, which is made up of Anthony, Mr. Marcus Lee, Chris Voice and Royce P, turned to both music and basketball as a way to avoid trouble in the streets of Atlanta, and remain on the path of following their dreams. Never once did H.P., imagine that the endless time spent playing basketball, or singing for hours on end, would later lead to being discovered by legendary music mogul Andre Harrell through his partnership with Radio One's "Superstar Soul Search," becoming the first group signed to his label, Harrell Records.
In 2010, Andre Harrell and Radio One launched the "Superstar Soul Search" in Atlanta, with the grand prize being a recording contract with Harrell Records. H.P. unfortunately missed the registration deadline, but fate would soon bring the four another chance to perform in front of Harrell. While on a radio promo tour for the competition throughout Atlanta, Harrell heard more and more about H.P. from every radio station he visited. After a visit to Atlanta station WHTA, Harrell learned that the Southeast Regional Manager for Atlantic Records, Yancey Richardson, who had been with him throughout this promo tour, was actually one of the managers of H.P. Harrell reached out to Yancey to set up a meeting with his partner Frame and the group for an impromptu performance. After H.P.'s rendition of the national anthem blew the entire audience away, Harrell realized they deserved a recording contract more than the other contestants, knowing that with his musical genius combined with H.P.'s potential, the outcome could be extraordinary.
From there, H.P. flew to New York to meet with Atlantic Records, where they performed their infectious single "Computer Love" along with Jodeci's "My Heart Belongs to You." It took H.P. only two songs to get a standing ovation from an entire conference room of music execs and A&Rs. After seeing this reaction, Harrell knew that H.P. had something special, and knew he could polish them into the flagship group for his new label Harrell Records, a partnership with Atlantic Records.
For the next four years, Don "Frame" Howard groomed the four members at Hamilton Park Recreation Center & Park in Scottdale, Ga., where they spent vigorous hours learning their strengths and weaknesses as a group, building camaraderie and teamwork during pick-up games on the basketball court. The four named themselves Hamilton Park, paying homage to the area where their bond progressively became more intact. In a five-year period, H.P.'s likability transcended across the city, drawing comparisons to hometown platinum-selling groups 112, Jagged Edge and the 1990s group Jodeci, gaining approval from the masses.
In today's disposable pop environment, H.P. is seeking to reestablish the sheer essence of chivalry and lyrically deliver tasteful grooves that will encourage listeners to reminisce about the time when showmanship was once a direct correlation of male R&B groups. Their debut single "Thing Called Us" is currently climbing up the charts with listeners waiting for their debut album to drop.
