“Singing Is My Life” and LIFE is a song worth singing!

I have been blessed with the opportunity to do what I love to do as a living. From national and international tours with Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt and Buddy Guy with Jimmie Vaughan to Sister Sledge, Regina Belle etc. to headlining corporate entertainment events for Agile Software (for whom I am the official corporate entertainer), Coca Cola, Checker’s Hamburger’s, Dell etc. I have met and worked with some of the most accomplished and respected musicians and vocalist in the world on this amazing musical journey.

Healthy lungs are vital to a successful singing career!

I have also written , produced and/or been the voice (vocal/voice-over) for radio and TV commercials for Fortune 500 corporations such as: Wal-Mart, Coca Cola, Burger King, Chili’s, Corona, Greyhound, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Krispy Kreme, Nation Wide, Fed Ex-Kinko’s, etc. As well as State Agencies: Texas Department of Health, Texas Department of Transportation, and production and vocals for Disney. It’s been an awesome ride!!!

Again, great health is vital to success!

Ten or so years ago I began to develop allergies. I noticed my reaction to be more intense after I had performed in smoke filled rooms. My eyes would burn, become watery and itchy and very red and swollen several days after the show. I started to experience shortness of breath, congestion, uncontrolled coughing and sneezing into severe allergic reactions. I visited a doctor and underwent a battery of test series and was determined chronic. The Doctor said it was easier to inform me of what I was not allergic to than to what I was allergic to. Singing effectively means you must fill your lungs with a full breath of air before each phrase, and if the air you are breathing in is full of smoke then……… you guessed it……not good! My performances and energy levels began to suffer.

I became aware of the dangers of second hand smoke! While you ordinarily relate to a “casual” breath for those in the audience, imagine the full breath of a vocalist between phrases throughout the repetition of a 5 minute song. The breath of a singer is deeper and more frequent, thus exceeding by far the inhalation of the smoker, subsequently increasing the risk of smoke related disease and complications to the non-smoker.

I am directly affected by second hand smoke and I’m not going to take it lightly.

My brother and I own a production company www.starr-entertainment.net and for the past 6 years we have written and produced radio and TV commercials for The State of Texas’ teen tobacco prevention division. Some of them involve a mascot called “The Duck” in which Tony Rock (Chris Rock’s brother) is the voice for the character. We have realized great success in reaching our target audience with hip/modern/urban-chic product. The last project that I produced was titled “The Next Level”, it referenced video games and the language associated with them. We found a clever analogy in “getting to the next level” of a game – to – “getting to the next level” in life. The radio/ TV spots were such a hit; they asked if the guy and girl who performed on the tracks could do a live performance at the Texas Teen Tobacco Summit. We took it a step further and offered a broader presentation with a little more action, fun and excitement…..thus “Da P.A.C.”(People Against Cigarettes) was born. We added skits w/ brand potential characters, spoken word artist’, dancers and singers along with live rap performances and audience interactive opportunities. We branded our slogan/catch phrase “Smoking is B- A-D…..so run with Da P.A.C.” after each skit/performance. Though we had limited resources, it worked beautifully. We were amazed by the reaction from the kids and left with a feeling of great purpose. As a result, we realized that “Da P.A.C.” could be a powerful educational tool to help reach millions of kids not just in Texas, but through-out the world!!!! Thanks to a call from Frieda Glantz of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (“ANR”), we have a momentum that is certain to be “FULL STEAM AHEAD” very soon!

I am proud to endorse ANR and respect the great work they have done and continue to do.

With love, respect and “a breath of fresh air”

Rayvon