New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Seven-time Grammy Award winners Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. will record additional albums for EE1 BMG, it was announced today, on Marilyn McCoo's birthday, by Kathy Ireland, Chair & CEO of the recording and multimedia production entity. The landmark announcement is historic, as Marilyn & Billy are the most mature married couple to ever receive a long-term recording contract. Marilyn & Billy were named among the Top Ten Artists in 2021 by
Music Observer, earlier this year.
"We're thrilled by Marilyn & Billy's 'blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons.' To our knowledge, this album - which returned Marilyn & Billy to the Billboard Charts after an absence of over 35 years, and was received in the #1 R&B position at iTunes, and in key radio markets - is the only human rights and freedom, including religious freedom, recording project in 2021. We are very pleased by the ongoing importance to Marilyn & Billy's audience of the physical edition of this beautiful music. We applaud these artists & BMG! The award-winning art, from Jon Carrasco and Brittany Duncan, is receiving prizes, accolades, and tremendous interest from collectors, historians, schools, museums, and in the NFT blockchain arena. Because of this success, we exercised our option for 2022, 2023 and 2024 for more albums from the First Couple of Pop & Soul, and reteamed Marilyn & Billy with 'blackbird' producer Nic Mendoza, who is in studio with the artists, remixing the album for 'Marilyn & Billy Masterworks - blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons,'" said Ms. Ireland.
New recording projects will be announced after the release of "Marilyn & Billy Masterworks" featuring celebrated artists, including
Natalie Hanna Mendoza.
"We're grateful to God, people who embrace us and our music, at this time in our lives. This has been a year of surprises! We appeared in Questlove's 'Summer of Soul' ...
Magnolia Hill at Warner Bros.' 'The Waltons: Homecoming', produced by dear friend, Emmy Award winner, Sam Haskell … confirmed for our second star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... and received the JFK Profile In Courage Award. We haven't had this excitement in a long time! Kathy, Nic, Steve Rosenblum, Rona Menashe of Guttman Associates, and our teams at Sterling Winters Co. and kathy ireland® Worldwide, EE1 and BMG are beautiful, brilliant people. We thank them with enormous gratitude. Today is Marilyn's birthday! This is a wonderful surprise, and fantastic present," said Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.
John Loeffler, Executive Vice President - Legacy Artists at BMG notes of Marilyn & Billy, "The duo's timeless and classic interpretations of their favorite
Beatles songs clearly resonated with fans young and old. They remain as current and exciting as ever."
"It's a great privilege to work with iconic artists in their vocal and performance prime. This renaissance is admittedly a surprise. Marilyn & Billy's great talent, influences music, humanity and cultural relevance, it is richly deserved. Marilyn & Billy Masterworks, will add Executive Producer, Tommy Meharey, Board Member of kathy ireland® Worldwide," said Jon Carrasco and Stephen Roseberry in a joint statement, Worldwide Creative
Director and President & Chief Marketing Officer, kathy ireland® Worldwide and EE1 BMG.
Marilyn & Billy are the best selling, African American married couple in music history. Their current recording statistics include: 15 gold albums, 6 platinum albums, 7 Grammy awards and multiple nominations.
