Brad Howell
Brad Howell is an American keyboardist, pianist and singer. He was the real singer behind Milli Vanilli whose voice Rob Pilatus lip-synced.[1]
Brad Howell | |
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Genres | Dance, pop and funk |
Years active | 1968–2003 |
Labels | Arista Records |
Associated acts | Milli Vanilli and The Real Milli Vanilli |
Career
When Howell became a keyboardist and pianist, he used to go on chat shows and other music related television. Howell performed for many musical artists as the keyboardist such as Peter Gabriel, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Lionel Richie, Don Henley, Cher, Tina Turner, George Michael, Janet Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins and many more.
During the time of playing for so many solo artists, Howell displayed talent for singing and was spotted on a chat show by Frank Farian, who wanted him to sing behind the scenes of Milli Vanilli. Howell was willing to do so and he did for all the albums until the truth came out. When the scandal broke worldwide and the real singers were revealed, Farian decided to gather all the original singers of Milli Vanilli and formed a band called The Real Milli Vanilli.[1] However, they only released one album called The Moment of Truth and released four unsuccessful singles. They fared better on German charts, where the most successful was "Keep on Running", which peaked at no. 4.[1] The Real Milli Vanilli appeared on many talk shows as performers, one award-winning ceremony in Germany and toured in America. Howell continued to play piano and keyboard after The Real Milli Vanilli.
Albums
Milli Vanilli:
- Girl You Know It's True (1988)
- All or Nothing (1988)
The Real Milli Vanilli:
- The Moment of Truth (1991)
References
- Fisher, Marc. "The Creator of Milli Vanilli Speaks Out--in His Own Words : Pop music: German producer Frank Farian admits that he should have been more candid about the duo's lip-syncing, but please don't compare him to Saddam Hussein.", The Los Angeles Times, December 31, 1990.