Kashif (Michael Jones)

The brilliant keyboardist Kashif was born Michael Jones in 1959 in Brooklyn, N.Y., but later changed his name to Kashif Saleem when he adopted the Islamic faith. Kashif began his professional career at the age of 16 as member of the funkband B.T. Express in 1976. He remained there for 3 years. Afterwards he worked as a session musician for a while. In the early '80s he joined Morrie Brown's production house Mighty M Productions together with his friend keyboard player Paul Lawrence Jones III (now Paul Laurence). During 1981 and 1982 the Mighty M triumvirate successfully wrote and produced for Howard Johnson, Evelyn King and Melba Moore. Within the Mighty M team Kashif developed a complete new music style that revolutionized R&B music through the infusion of the MIDI/synth technology, creating a whole new approach to production with vocalists. The fresh synth-based sound appeared for the first time on Evelyn King's debut album I'm In Love in 1981. The title track became one of the first all-synthesized R&B/pop hits and marked the birth of the one-man-band producers. In 1983 he left the Mighty M collective and went on to fame and fortune as a solo artist. While signed with Arista, Kashif started using the Synclavier to create unique blends of synthesized and live music. With hit records like "I Just Got To Have You (Lover Turn Me On)" and "Stone Love" Kashif began creating a solid reputation for his distinctive pioneering musical sound that formed the base of urban contemporary soul music. He started up the production company New Music Group and became a very in-demand producer/songwriter who can be heard on releases by George Benson, Kenny G, Melba Moore, Whitney Houston and Meli'sa Morgan. In 1990 Kashif took a break from recording, devoting his time to other ways of self-expression like software development, conducting seminars about contemporary record production and writing a book on the music industry. He also started up the L.A. based Brooklyn Boy company. He's still recording sporadically nowadays but admits that music is and always will be his first love.

 Productions (and songs) appear on:

Debbie Allen: LP/CD Special Look (MCA, 1989)
Dionne Warwick: LP/CD Reservations For Two (Arista, 1987)
Evelyn King: LP/CD I'm In Love (RCA, 1981)
Evelyn King: LP/CD Get Loose (RCA, 1982)
George Benson: LP/CD In Your Eyes (Warner Bros., 1983)
George Benson: LP/CD While The City Sleeps (Warner Bros. 1986)
Giorge Pettus: LP/CD Giorge Pettus (MCA, 1987)
High Fashion: LP/CD Feelin' Lucky (Capitol, 1982)
Howard Johnson: LP/CD Keepin' Love New (A&M, 1982)
Johnny Kemp: LP/CD Johnny Kemp (CBS, 1986)
Johnny Kemp: LP/CD Secrets Of Flying (CBS, 1988)
June Pointer: LP/CD June Pointer (CBS, 1989)
Jermaine Jackson: LP/CD Don't Take It Personal (Arista, 1989)
Kashif: LP/CD Kashif (Arista, 1983)
Kashif: LP/CD Send Me Your Love (Arista, 1984)
Kashif: LP/CD Condition Of The Heart (Arista, 1985)
Kashif: LP/CD Love Changes (Arista, 1987)
Kashif: LP/CD Kashif (Arista, 1989)
Kenny G: LP/CD G Force (Arista, 1983)
Kenny G: LP/CD Gravity (Arista, 1985)
LaLa: LP/CD LaLa (Arista, 1987)
Melba Moore: LP/CD What A Woman Needs (Capitol, 1981)
Melba Moore: LP/CD The Other Side Of The Rainbow (Capitol, 1982)
Melba Moore: LP/CD Never Say Never (Capitol, 1983)
Melba Moore: LP/CD A Lot Of Love (Capitol, 1986)
Melba Moore: LP/CD I'm In Love (Capitol, 1988)
Meli'sa Morgan: LP/CD Good Love (Capitol, 1987)
Stacy Lattisaw: LP/CD Take Me All The Way (Motown, 1986)
Whitney Houston: LP/CD Whitney Houston (Arista, 1985)
Whitney Houston: LP/CD Whitney (Arista, 1987)

Other contributions:

Average White Band: LP/CD Cupid's In Fashion (RCA,1982) - songwriter
B.T. Express: LP/CD Energy To Burn (Roadshow/CBS, 1976) - musician
B.T. Express: LP/CD Function At The Junction (Roadshow/CBS, 1977) - musician
B.T. Express: LP/CD Shout! Shout It Out (Roadshow/CBS, 1978) - musician
Bobby Mardis: 12 INCH "Keep On" (Profile, 1985) - songwriter
Change: LP/CD Sharing Your Love (Atlantic, 1982) - musician
Dr. York: LP/CD New York (Hot Melt, 1985) - songwriter
Fonzi Thornton: LP/CD The Leader (RCA, 1983) - arranger, musician
Four Tops, The: LP/CD Tonight (Casablanca, 1981) - musician
Geraldine Hunt: LP/CD Heat Heat (Prism, 1981) - arranger, songwriter
Glenn Jones: LP/CD Finesse (RCA, 1984) - musician, executive producer
Johnny Kemp: LP/CD Secrets Of Flying (CBS, 1988) - musician
Lillo Thomas: LP/CD Let Me Be Yours (Capitol, 1983) - arranger, musician
Nona Hendryx: LP/CD Nona (RCA, 1983) - musician
Passion: LP/CD Don't Stop My Love (Prelude, 1982) - songwriter
Pleasure: LP/CD Give It Up (RCA, 1982) - musician
Shawne Jackson: 12 INCH "Loveline" (Loose End, 1983) - songwriter
Tavares: LP/CD Loveline (Capitol, 1981) - songwriter, musician
Wootens, The: LP/CD The Wootens (Arista, 1985) - songwriter, executive producer
Zinc: LP/CD Street Level (Jive, 1982) - songwriter