Rockapella

American a cappella musical group


title: "Rockapella" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["professional-a-cappella-groups", "musical-groups-established-in-1986", "musical-groups-from-new-york-city", "1986-establishments-in-new-york-city", "american-vocal-groups"] description: "American a cappella musical group" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockapella" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American a cappella musical group ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

FieldValue
nameRockapella
imageRockapella 2013.jpg
captionRockapella (L-R) Scott Leonard, Steven Dorian, Calvin Jones, George Baldi III, and Jeff Thacher performing in Clearwater, Florida on December 20, 2013.
backgroundgroup_or_band
originNew York City, U.S.
genreA cappella
years_active1986–present
associated_actsThe GrooveBarbers
labelShakariki Records / PAID, Inc., Amerigo Records, J-Bird Records, Rentrak Records, ForLife Records
websitewww.rockapella.com
current_membersScott Leonard
Jeff Thacher
Calvin Jones
Manny Houston
Armand Hutton
past_membersSean Altman
Elliott Kerman
Steve Keyes
David Stix (deceased)
Charlie Evett
Barry Carl
Kevin Wright
John K. Brown
George Baldi III
Steven Dorian
Ryan Chappelle
Mitchell Rains
Jose Rosario
Bryant Vance
::

|name = Rockapella |image = Rockapella 2013.jpg |image_size = |caption = Rockapella (L-R) Scott Leonard, Steven Dorian, Calvin Jones, George Baldi III, and Jeff Thacher performing in Clearwater, Florida on December 20, 2013. |background = group_or_band |origin = New York City, U.S. |genre = A cappella |years_active = 1986–present |associated_acts=The GrooveBarbers |label = Shakariki Records / PAID, Inc., Amerigo Records, J-Bird Records, Rentrak Records, ForLife Records |website = www.rockapella.com |current_members = Scott Leonard Jeff Thacher Calvin Jones Manny Houston Armand Hutton |past_members = Sean Altman Elliott Kerman Steve Keyes David Stix (deceased) Charlie Evett Barry Carl Kevin Wright John K. Brown George Baldi III Steven Dorian Ryan Chappelle Mitchell Rains Jose Rosario Bryant Vance Rockapella is an American a cappella musical group formed in 1986 in New York City. The group's name is a portmanteau of "rock" and "a cappella". Rockapella sings original vocal music and a cappella versions of other songs. Over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and world music style toward a sound more influenced by R&B. Rockapella found their enduring success in Japan early in their career. They are most successful for their role as a house band and comedy troupe on the PBS children's geography game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?.

In addition to three compilation albums in Japan, Rockapella has released 19 albums in the US and Japan. Since the band's vocal percussionist was hired, the line "All sounds provided by the voices and appendages of Rockapella" has been printed on each of their CDs.

Band history

Early years (1986–1990)

The founding members of Rockapella consisted of Brown University alumni Sean Altman, Elliott Kerman, Steve Keyes, and David Stix. They had each been in an a cappella group at Brown called High Jinks, but not all at the same time. Having been in High Jinks the longest, Altman was the only connection between the other three members; when they found each other in New York City following their graduation, they decided to form Rockapella. The band began performing on New York City street corners in 1986 with a hat at their feet and a song repertoire that consisted of a mix of barbershop arrangements and a cappella renditions of classic doo wop pieces that evolved to focus less on oldies and barbershop and more on contemporary rock music. Passers-by began to drop business cards into the hat, and these street corner performances led to private party and club performances around NYC.

Stix left the group in 1987 to pursue his artistic career and was replaced by Charlie Evett. That same year, a dinner party performance for television personality Kathie Lee Gifford led to Rockapella's 1988 appearance on the WABC-TV show The Morning Show, Regis Philbin and Gifford's NYC morning talk show before it went national. Their performance of Altman's signature arrangement of the calypso novelty standard "Zombie Jamboree" caught the eye of producer Gerard Brown. He invited Rockapella to perform on the PBS "Great Performances" TV special Spike Lee & Company – Do It A Cappella, which would put them into the national spotlight. However, Evett left the group to continue a career in software design in 1988 before the special's taping, and Barry Carl was hired to take his place.

''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' (1991–1996)

With a PBS special and numerous morning talk show appearances under their collective belt, Rockapella was noticed by the producers of an up-and-coming children's geography game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?. Shortly before the show's premiere, Keyes had decided to leave Rockapella to launch his legal career, but was still part of the band when they auditioned and were hired to write and perform the show's theme song as well as appearing as the comic relief house band. Keyes was replaced by Scott Leonard, who had just returned from a career as the lead singer in a Tokyo Disneyland electronic rock band. Between Leonard joining the band and the start of their television break, Rockapella began to pick up fame, starring in a Whoopi Goldberg HBO comedy special Chez Whoopi, a Taco Bell commercial, and opened for acts such as Chuck Berry, Styx, Billy Joel, and their a cappella idols The Persuasions, who the group had met on the Do It A Cappella special. They also performed on Jay Leno's first New Year's Eve episode of The Tonight Show in 1992.

Rockapella first appeared on the half-hour game show in 1991 and later continued to appear daily for five seasons, catapulting the band's four members into mid-level television celebrity status and making the Rockapella-performed theme song (which was penned by Altman and his childhood friend, David Yazbek) as one of the best known television themes in history. Jeff Thacher joined Rockapella as the band's permanent vocal percussionist in 1993, although he only appeared on Carmen Sandiego during its fifth and final season two years later. While Rockapella was seen daily in homes across America, Leonard used his connections to the Japanese music market to acquire a recording contract with ForLife Records. The group released seven albums of original and cover material under this label in Japan during their run on Carmen Sandiego and for two years after that, being the first to bring contemporary a cappella music to Japan. On the final episode of Carmen Sandiego, Sean Altman memorably had his blonde braids cut by show host Greg Lee. As the other members of Rockapella became aware that his braids were actually being cut, they stopped miming the title song and covered their mouths in shock.

Post-''Carmen Sandiego'' years (1997–present)

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Rockapella-LLBean-Concert.jpg" caption="Rockapella performing in 2003. (L-R) Kevin Wright, Elliott Kerman, George Baldi III, Scott Leonard, Jeff Thacher."] ::

Following the end of Carmen Sandiego in 1996, Altman left Rockapella to pursue his solo career the following year, and was replaced by Kevin Wright. They did two Folger's coffee commercials between 1998 and 2001 and a PBS special of their December 9, 2000, concert. In 2002, Carl was replaced by George Baldi III. In 2003, the group started their now annual "A Rockapella Holiday" tour, and in 2004, they released a live album, as well as re-released all of their previous North American albums on the independent label Shakariki Records. That same year, Kerman, the group's baritone and the last remaining founding member of the group, left and was replaced by John K. Brown, a second tenor. Rockapella began joining the Boston Pops on stage in the eastern US in 2006, creating a concert experience that shows both the orchestra's and Rockapella's talents separately and together in a manner never done before: a cappella with instrumentation. In August 2009, Wright announced he would be leaving the group at the end of the year to spend more time with his family; his last performance with the band was on December 22 of that same year, and was replaced by Steven Dorian.

The project to make "Bang", the title track off their newest album, the first track in Rock Band to feature full, four-instrument gameplay based on no live or synthesized instruments began in the summer of 2010, and was released for purchase on January 30, 2011 through the RBN. At the beginning of 2011, the band's cover of "It's A Small World" from their album Comfort & Joy, was featured in a TV commercial for the animated film Gnomeo and Juliet. On November 16, 2011, Rockapella released a new holiday album, A Rockapella Holiday.

In 2022, Jose Rosario left the group and was replaced by Manny Houston. Bryant Vance left the group at that time as well, allowing George Baldi III to return. By mid-2023, Baldi left the group once again and was replaced by Armand Hutton.

Personnel

; Current members

  • Scott Leonard - Countertenor (1991–present)
  • Jeff Thacher - Vocal Percussion (1993–present)
  • Calvin Jones - Tenor (2013–present)
  • Armand Hutton - Bass (2023–present)
  • Manny Houston - Tenor (2022–present)

; Former members

  • Sean Altman - Tenor (1986-1997; founding member)
  • Elliott Kerman - Baritone (1986-2004; founding member)
  • Steve Keyes - Countertenor (1986-1991; founding member)
  • David Stix - Bass (1986-1987; founding member)
  • Charlie Evett - Bass (1987-1988)
  • Barry Carl - Bass (1988-2002)
  • Kevin Wright - Tenor (1997-2009)
  • John K. Brown - Tenor (2004-2013)
  • Bryant Vance - Bass (2016-2022)
  • Ryan Chappelle - Bass (2014–2016)
  • Steven Dorian - Tenor (2009–2016)
  • Mitchell Rains - Tenor (2016-2019)
  • Jose Rosario - Tenor (2019–2022)
  • George Baldi III - Bass (2002-2014, 2022-2023)

; Former supporting musicians

  • Kenny X – Vocal percussion (1992; touring)
  • David Yazbek – Vocal percussion (1992; session)
  • Nathan Herron – Tenor (2014–???; substitute for Steven Dorian)
  • Rolin E. Alexis – Bass (2014–???; substitute for George Baldi III and Ryan Chappelle)
  • Christopher Rossi – Tenor (2013–???; tenor substitute)

Timeline

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Discography

US & International albums

::data[format=table]

CountryRelease dateTitleLine-upLabel
JapanMay 21, 1992To N.Y.Altman, Kerman, Carl, LeonardForLife Records
May 21, 1992From N.Y.
December 16, 1992Bash!
April 21, 1994VocobeatAltman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
November 18, 1994Out Cold
USA1995PrimerIndependent
{{plainlist{{plainlistLucky Seven
USA1997RockapellaKerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, WrightIndependent
February 16, 1999Don't Tell Me You DoJ-Bird Records
March 28, 20002
{{plainlist{{plainlistChristmas
{{plainlistIn Concert
USAAugust 13, 2002Smilin'Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright, BaldiAmerigo Records
November 12, 2002Comfort & JoyKerman, Leonard, Thacher, Wright, Baldi
June 2004Live in JapanShakariki Records
November 16, 2011A Rockapella HolidayLeonard, Thacher, Dorian, Baldi, Brown
September 21, 2010Bang
March 15, 2013Motown & More
September 2017Jams, Vol. 1Leonard, Thacher, Rains, Jones, Vance
December 2018Jams, Vol. 2
December 2019Christmas Live
::

All albums from Don't Tell Me You Do through Comfort & Joy were re-released in the US by Shakariki Records in 2004.

Compilation albums

::data[format=table]

CountryRelease dateAlbumLine-upLabel
JapanNovember 17, 1995Best FestAltman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, ThacherForLife Records
September 2002Best A Cappella
September 25, 2002More Than EverKerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, WrightRentrak Records
::

Miscellaneous albums

::data[format=table]

Release dateAlbumLine-up
2005Live at Duo Music ExchangeKerman, Baldi, Leonard, Thacher, Wright
::

Singles and EPs

::data[format=table]

Release dateTitleLine-upLabel
1993"Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?"Altman, Kerman, Carl, LeonardZoom Express
April 11, 2015"Rock Around the Clock"/"Tell Me Something Good"Leonard, Thacher, Dorian, Jones, ChappelleShakariki Records
February 9, 2016"Candy Man"Shakariki Records
July 23, 2016"Sir GotALot"Shakariki Records
November 4, 2016"Better 2gether"Leonard, Thacher, Rains, Jones, VanceShakariki Records
June 1, 2017"Workin My Way to You"Shakariki Records
November 22, 2017"How 'Bout Now?"Shakariki Records
{{plainlistWhere in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? EP{{plainlist
September 24, 2021"Gimme Money (Con and On and On)" (from The Big Con)Leonard, Thacher, Jones, Vance, RosarioSkybound Games
February 21, 2023"Lost in Love"Leonard, Thacher, Jones, Baldi, HoustonShakariki Records
January 31, 2024"Let It Be"Shakariki Records
::

Other appearances

::data[format=table]

YearArtistAlbumSong(s)Line-up
1990Spike Lee & Company: Do It a Cappella{{plainlist
1991Zappa's Universe{{plainlist
1992Modern A Cappella{{plainlist
1992Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?{{plainlist
1993The MuppetsMuppet Beach Party"Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow"Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
1993Put on Your Green Shoes"Light of the Sun" (with Richie Havens)Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
1993Carmen Sandiego: Out of This World"Big Wet Rag"Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
1994Biggest Little Ticket{{plainlist
199495.5 WPLJ Presents Scott & Todd's Scam-America Comedy Album Vol. II"Where in the World Is Joseph P. Nolan"Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
19941994 World University Games”Pass on the Torch (I Know New York)"Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
1995Ben & Jerry's One World One Heart for Kids"The Light of the Sun" (with Richie Havens)Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
1995AnriOpus 21”Moon in the Rain" (background vocals)Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
1996Voices Only: A Cappella Originals"Bed of Nails"Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
1997AnriTwin Soul”Wiper on a Sunny Day" (background vocals)Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher
1999Sam HarrisRevival"A Change in My Life" (background vocals)Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright
2000A Cappella Christmas Party"Hold Out for Christmas"Altman, Kerman, Carl, Leonard
2000Mark and Brian: Little Drummer Boys"Silver Bells" (live)Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright
200220 Christmas Stars, Vol. IV"Merry Christmas Darling"Kerman, Leonard, Thacher, Wright, Baldi
2007Hokie Nation: An A Cappella Tribute"I'll Hear Your Voice"Kerman, Carl, Leonard, Thacher, Wright
2016Sing 13: Superstition"Sir GotALot"Leonard, Thacher, Jones, Vance, Rains
::

Solo albums and appearances

::data[format=table]

Release dateArtistAlbumSong(s)
1996Scott LeonardMy Favorites: The Bee Gees
1997Sean AltmanSeanDEMOnium
February 1999fi-Ling Fader (Scott Leonard)Bluespeel
2002Nice Kitty
March 2002Sean AltmanAlt.mania
July 2004Barry CarlThe SoLow Project
2005Sean AltmanLosing Streak
2005The Groovebarbers (Altman, Evett, Keyes)Glory
2006Jewmongous (Sean Altman)Unorthodox
May 2007Scott Leonard1man1mike
2008Jewmongous (Sean Altman)Taller Than Jesus
January 2009John K. BrownEssence of Worship
January 2009God Has a Hold on Me
March 2009Altman, Carl, KermanSchoolhouse Rock! Earth"You Oughta Be Savin' Water"
Altman, Carl"Save the Ocean"
2010The Groovebarbers (Altman, Evett, Keyes)Guts
March 2010Scott LeonardTokyo Robots - 1M1M2
June 2010John K. BrownbOOmbOOm
June 2011Unplugged
November 2012A "Just Play It" Christmas
2014The Groovebarbers (Altman, Evett, Keyes)Warning: Barbershop!
2016Zombie Jamboree
December 2016Sean Altman's Jewmongous (Sean Altman)The Least Jewy Jew in Jewville
2019Sean AltmanSalt"Then Comes Lonely" (Kerman)
2023The Everly Set (Sean Altman duo)Golden Hits
2024Forever Simon & Garfunkel (Sean Altman duo)Classics
::

Songs used in commercials

Filmography

Notes

References

References

  1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090109141956/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20193678,00.html Spike & Co.: Do It A Cappella Review {{! TV Reviews and News]. EW.com (October 05, 1990). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  2. [http://theshowbizwizard.blogspot.com/2011/01/rockapellas-scott-leonard.html The Showbiz Wizard: ROCKAPELLA'S SCOTT LEONARD!]. Theshowbizwizard.blogspot.com (January 03, 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  3. [http://www.rockapella.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/302607/pid/302605 News – Spring '06 {{! News] {{webarchive. link. (2011-10-02 . Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.)
  4. [http://www.rockapella.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/21450/pid/302605 Kevin Wright Says a Loving Goodbye to Rockapella {{! News] {{webarchive. link. (2009-08-30 . Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.)
  5. [http://www.rockapella.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/22215/pid/302605 Kevin Wright's Final Shows with Rockapella {{! News] {{webarchive. link. (2011-10-02 . Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.)
  6. {{usurped. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101220222211/http://www.rockbandaide.com/10326/rockapella-to-do-it-on-the-rbn/ Rockapella to Do It on the RBN]. Rockbandaide.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  7. [http://www.facebook.com/Rockapella/posts/174481795918825 Did you hear that...]. Facebook. (December 22, 2010). Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  8. [http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/800007e1-0000-4000-8000-000045410869 Full Song – "Bang" – Xbox.com]. Marketplace.xbox.com. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.
  9. [http://www.rockapella.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/29422/pid/302605 Featured in Gnomeo and Juliet Commercial {{! News] {{webarchive. link. (2011-03-23 . Rockapella. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.)
  10. [https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-rockapella-holiday/481393958 Apple Music "A Rockapella Holiday" release page]. Apple Music. (November 16, 2011).
  11. {{iTunes. us/artist/rockapella/3555269. Rockapella
  12. {{Discogs release. 15968734. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?
  13. {{Discogs master. 1641244. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?
  14. https://built.com/pages/rockapella

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professional-a-cappella-groupsmusical-groups-established-in-1986musical-groups-from-new-york-city1986-establishments-in-new-york-cityamerican-vocal-groups