The son of a Southern Baptist preacher, Jeffery Alani
Stanfill was born in Brownsville, Tennessee and raised in
Memphis. His mother, a now retired elementary school
teacher, encouraged his love of music and art, while his
father guided him in spiritual development and a great appreciation
for gospel music. Jeffrey sang in church choirs from
an early age. He sang his first public solo on the
radio at age eight, with his rendition of “Climb Every
Mountain,” from the “Sound of Music.”
Music was
the focus of Jeffrey’s early life until he became involved with the riding
and training of show jumping horses. Jeffrey toured the National Horse
Show circuit until he was 18, at which point he realized that his talents were
better served in music.
Jeffrey
pursued a degree in vocal performance from Florida State University, and later
attended New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Although his time
at F.S.U. and N.E.C. was focused on Classical music training, Jeffrey also
explored other avenues of music including Musical Theater, Pop, and R&B.
Mr. Stanfill
became a frequent soloist in the Boston area. He also performed in various
productions such as the “Gondoliers at the Boston Public Theater” and
the “Pirates of Penzance.”
Later, Jeffrey
performed in summer stock productions at the Buck’s County Playhouse,
in New Hope, PA and eventually landed several contracts with Jean Ann Ryan
Productions aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines ships. During the long contracts
at sea, he began to expand his musical repertory by exploring new genres of
music, Salsa and Latin Pop. Along with his rigorous schedule with Jean
Ann Ryan Productions, which included eight shows a week, Jeffrey also began
performing with a Salsa band called Mangoo. The members of the band took
the time to teach him the intricacies of salsa music and nurture his craft. This
solidified his love of Latin music.
In 1999,
Jeffrey began his long association with Maestro David Jones in New York. Mr.
Jones’ unique ability to help the singer understand the fundamentals
of singing, as well as his knowledge of a vast array of exercises which create
balance, beauty, and breadth of tone helped Jeffrey develop a solid vocal foundation. Maestro
Jones’ technique also helped Jeffrey achieve versatility of sound. He
can easily shift from a Classical sound to a Pop sound, or even a Rock or R&B
sound with very little effort.
With the
help of Maestro Jones’ technique, Jeffrey was able to endure a rigorous
twelve-show-a-week contract with Casino Magic Hotel in Biloxi, Miss., as one
of the lead singes for the show, “Hot Salsa.”
Jeffrey
began teaching soon after his first meeting with David. He found that
the vocal ability of his students progressed rapidly, through the use of Maestro
Jones’ technique. Many of his current and former students now perform
in national Broadway tours, in production shows located in Las Vegas and Atlantic
City, as well as on cruise ships.
After performing
in “Hot Salsa,” Jeffrey went back to New York to continue his teaching
and training with Mr. Jones.
Most recently,
Mr. Stanfill was the lead male vocalist in the Tropicana Casinos’ production, “Havana
after Dark.” This show gave him the opportunity to continue his
training in Latin music.
Currently,
you can catch Jeffrey’s act every Friday and Saturday night at Cuba Libre
Restaurant and Rum Bar, in the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. Don’t
miss his exquisite renditions of the most popular Latin Pop and Salsa beats. |