Rare Essence, affectionately known by their fans as, The Wickedest Band
Alive, grew from a relationship between four childhood friends, Quinten
"Footz" Davidson, Andre "Whiteboy" Johnson,
Michael "Funky Ned" Neal, and John Jones.
After school, the four musicians would get together in each other's
basements and play top 40's hits from such influential bands as Parliament
Funkadelic, Cameo, and Confunkshun. Eventually, the band adapted more
players and conformed to the go-go sound that started in 1976. It was
at that time that the band called on the assistance of Quinten's mother,
Annie Mack, who became the bands' first manager.
Today, the band consists of 12 musicians that play a range of instruments
from the timbales to the bass guitar. Rare Essence is still going
strong performing 6 nights a week, with some nights performing 2 concerts.
Rare Essence credits their continued success to the enthusiastic
interaction they have with their fans at every performance.
Rare Essence has enjoyed success with such hits as Body
Moves, the hit album, Live at Breeze's
Metro Club, and the single Lock It,
which was featured on the Strictly Business soundtrack. The bands'
most successful single, Work The Walls,
hit Billboard's Top 10 chart and blew up airways nationwide.
While Rare Essence' greatest success remains on the East Coast, many
dedicated fans all over the world love their groove. Even after 25
years, true fans will still proclaim Rare Essence as ...
"The Wickedest Band
Alive!"
