About Rodney

Rodney - Emmy

        I remember vividly when I first knew who I was. My dad Luther had always wanted to be a singer and loved music. He was the first black salesman at the Sears store in West Philadelphia and he was also an entrepreneur of sorts. He bought burned down houses to rehab them. I was helping him out by age six. It was around then that I remember him making up a country ditty
- "Practice Makes Perfect.â€�

        He had grown up very poor - one of five kids sharing the same bed, with no money for music lessons. But he still believed strongly enough in that song that he wanted to send it to black country music star Charley Pride. So he made an appointment with a local arranger/composer he found in the phonebook. I went along with him and when I walked into the guy's house, there were musical instruments everywhere.

        After my father was finished, the guy asked me to sing into the microphone, too. I had never done anything like that before. Hearing my recorded voice in playback, I was forever changed. Right then and there, I knew I wanted to be involved in music production.

       It didn't work out with Charley Pride, but through his creative effort my father introduced me to my passion. Before my dad passed away in 2004, I recorded him singing "Practice Makes Perfectâ€� and as a tribute to him, I was able place it into a documentary.

        My other love came from family experience, too. We went to the movies a lot and I fell in love with film. So throughout my childhood, there was always this presence and passion for music and film. There was no doubt in my mind I wanted to be involved with both.

      So many people and projects have touched my life, shaped my expertise and molded       both the professional and man I've become. Here are some early highlights.

Began playing piano but shifted to synthesizer, after building one with parts.

By age 15, I was playing guitar and bass as well as studying music at Temple University.
Attended the Settlement Music School summer camp, where I traded licks with late night TV's Kevin Eubanks.

At age 18, I sold first piece of music, a jingle for a local music and clothing store.

Attended the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts as a jazz guitar and composition major. There, I met two influential mentors - contemporary composer Joe Castaldo and cultural critic Camille Paglia.

Left school to form my own band and also played bass with the 80s one-hit-wonder Pretty Poison.

By the late 80s, my band Dark Blonde had become a local legend, receiving many awards and sponsorships. The band's final performance was on the TV program "Star Search.â€�

Met film composer John Hodian and was inspired to follow suit.

Since then, I've met so many great people along the way. I hope you'll become one of them. Click here to contact me.

Read more about Rodney. Click here for article from Philadelphia creative guide.



		About Rodney I remember vividly when I first knew who I was. My dad Luther had always wanted to be a singer and loved music. He was the first black salesman at the Sears store in West Philadelphia and he was also an entrepreneur of sorts. He bought burned down houses to rehab them. I was helping him out by age six. It was around then that I remember him making up a country ditty - "Practice Makes Perfect.â€� He had grown up very poor - one of five kids sharing the same bed, with no money for music lessons. But he still believed strongly enough in that song that he wanted to send it to black country music star Charley Pride. So he made an appointment with a local arranger/composer he found in the phonebook. I went along with him and when I walked into the guy's house, there were musical instruments everywhere. After my father was finished, the guy asked me to sing into the microphone, too. I had never done anything like that before. Hearing my recorded voice in playback, I was forever changed. Right then and there, I knew I wanted to be involved in music production. It didn't work out with Charley Pride, but through his creative effort my father introduced me to my passion. Before my dad passed away in 2004, I recorded him singing "Practice Makes Perfectâ€� and as a tribute to him, I was able place it into a documentary. My other love came from family experience, too. We went to the movies a lot and I fell in love with film. So throughout my childhood, there was always this presence and passion for music and film. There was no doubt in my mind I wanted to be involved with both. So many people and projects have touched my life, shaped my expertise and molded both the professional and man I've become. Here are some early highlights. Began playing piano but shifted to synthesizer, after building one with parts. By age 15, I was playing guitar and bass as well as studying music at Temple University. Attended the Settlement Music School summer camp, where I traded licks with late night TV's Kevin Eubanks. At age 18, I sold first piece of music, a jingle for a local music and clothing store. Attended the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts as a jazz guitar and composition major. There, I met two influential mentors - contemporary composer Joe Castaldo and cultural critic Camille Paglia. Left school to form my own band and also played bass with the 80s one-hit-wonder Pretty Poison. By the late 80s, my band Dark Blonde had become a local legend, receiving many awards and sponsorships. The band's final performance was on the TV program "Star Search.â€� Met film composer John Hodian and was inspired to follow suit. Since then, I've met so many great people along the way. I hope you'll become one of them. Click here to contact me. Read more about Rodney. Click here for article from Philadelphia creative guide.

		rodney whittenberg \| composer.musician rodney@rodneywhittenberg.com 610.941.9300 â€¢ 888.941.9310