|
"West Coast A cappella At Its
Best" |
The Royals,
formed in 2005, are committed to the recreation of the East Coast street corner
sound from the late 50s and early 60s. They refer to themselves as an "East
Meets West" group because members hail from both the East and West Coast.
While
the group performs mainly on the West Coast, their recordings have earned them a
global fan base thanks to online oldies radio. With their performances being
featured in West Coast Doo Wop shows alongside some of the era's greatest
legends, it's no wonder why they're often billed as "West Coast A cappella At
Its Best"!
Click on a name to view their biography!
Peter King
Baritone, Lead
Vocals, Music Director
 Originally from Boston, he began studying classical piano at the age of
seven. Over the course of the next four years, he was "corrupted" by the
evils of early Rock & Roll and started playing the guitar in 1964. His vocal
debut at the age of fifteen was a highly acclaimed rendition of "Honestly
Sincere" from the musical Bye Bye Birdie
in the
summer of 1968. After getting a bit tired of acid rock, Doo Wop became his
specialty in the early 1970’s. The first Sha Na
Na album was probably the most significant
influence on his musical career and he formed his first 50's band, "The
Little Darlins" in 1971. Several years later, he
became a bass player and has been ever since. His conversion to the bass
guitar was influenced by Johnny Maestro (lead singer of the Crests and the
Brooklyn Bridge). For a time, he returned to classical music and studied
voice for nine years. In the early 1980’s, he sang with several opera
companies in the New England area, including the Opera Company of Boston and
the Providence Opera Theater in Rhode Island. He participated in the
Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Boston in 1985. After having enough of New
England winters, he relocated to San Diego in 1991 and has continued to work
with numerous groups both singing and playing bass guitar. The Royals is
his latest project in the Doo Wop arena.
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Kevin Jones
Baritone, Tenor, Lead Vocals
 Kevin
hails from Northern New Jersey. He began singing in his
churches children's choir at the age of 7, though the passion was with him
long before that. While never studying voice professionally, Kevin was able
to train his voice in the high school choir, twice being selected for the
Bergen County (High School) Choir as a second tenor in 2001 and 2002. In his
junior year, he also auditioned for the New Jersey State (High School)
Choir. In his senior year, he was the recipient of the National Choral
Award, as voted on by his peers. Kevin moved to San Diego in May 2004 due to
his involvement in the Marine Corps. Since that time, Kevin has had the
privilege of singing the National Anthem for the San Diego Surf Dawgs (Tony
Gwynn Stadium), the Sea-to-Shining Sea Festival (Sea World San Diego), and
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell (CFA Convention, San Diego Marriott
Hotel & Marina). In Sept 2007, he left the Marines and enjoys
serving the public with his musical talents.
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Jim Carkagis
Bass
 Jim
is a multi-faceted musician, both vocally and instrumentally, with many ties to
the San Diego music and theatre scene. Since 1992, he has been singing with a
number of a cappella groups ranging in styles from Doo Wop, Jazz, Swing, to
USO/Patriotic. As a solo artist, he has over 13 years of experience at a church
as their Bass Section Leader and Soloist. He also plays bass, and has worked
with church worship bands, rock, & acoustic/coffee house bands. Jim's stage
credits include Miss Saigon and Sweeney Todd (San Diego Civic
Light Opera/Starlight), Guys & Dolls (Moonlight Amphitheatre), and
Jesus Christ Superstar and Fiddler On The Roof (CCT). Additionally,
he has performed with Lyric Opera San Diego in productions like Barber of
Seville, Gondoliers, and Abduction From The Seraglio. Jim is
also very accomplished in the recording studio, having done voice work for many
projects, including a national children's radio drama, musical recordings, and
educational DVDs. When not performing a cappella with The Royals, he sings with
the Jazz/Swing group, Harmony Express. Yes, a cappella harmony is in his blood!
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David Silva
Tenor, Lead Vocals
 David
is the newest member of The Royals, and also the founding and only member of the
"Not a Dave, but you can call me Davido" club. David has been involved in
singing since he can remember and instrumental music since the age of 10. Early
collaborations include the groups Toosoul, Angstrom Maxis, Jerry and the
Backups, and Uncle Fungus. David founded the a cappella group TAG in the early
90's with fellow singers from The Choraleers, trying to take vocal jazz farther
into Rockapella-dom. TAG sang all over the county, did backing vocals for local
artists, and sung the National Anthem for sporting events, including the Padres
and the Gulls. TAG morphed into Naked Voices, which in turn, morphed into
Singchronicity. Somewhere in there was also the short-lived Tenacity, a
pre-Voicestra experiment. Today David divides his musical energies between The
Royals, Singchronicity, a contemporary a cappella group, Thomas Baird and David
Silva, an electronic, yet folksy duo, I-Witness, playing power rock originals,
sound consulting, and sitting-in / subbing with several of our wonderful local
San Diego music artists. David has also acted in local Community Theater with
Romeo and Juliet (he has the scars to prove it), Much Ado About Nothing,
The Boys Next Door, Christmas Of '44, and several radio plays for
live audiences. David's hobbies include singing, guitar, bass guitar, lots of
percussive devices including himself, sound for live shows, technology in
general, and what seems like the ever constant repair of his strange and
wonderful home.
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Promotional photo courtesy of
Jimmy Stephens. |
