The voice of Michael Marshall is a lot more familiar to old-school Bay Area music listeners than his name or face.
The singer who, as he says on his most recent single "Kill The Lights," started in West Oakland with a closet and a microphone, is responsible for the catchy hook on Bay Area rap classic "I Got Five On It" by the Luniz. Before that, he was the frontman for Timex Social Club, the Berkeley R&B group that scored a top 10 hit in 1986 with "Rumors."
His recorded output in the years since has been increasing, including the release of "Who Is He" in 2009, an album in 2010 called In The Meantime and In Between Time, collaborating with Equipto for the catchy "I Drink Fernet" in 2011 and an album called Simply Meezy dropped last year. But he says he often gets calls from others to "fix" songs by adding his soulful tones.
"I'm just a hook doctor making house calls all over the world," he sings on "Kill The Lights."
Marshall will perform live on September 13 at Brick and Mortar Music Hall with Equipto, Solid City, Shagnasty and DJ TC, with host Baldhead Rick. Watch the video for "Kill The Lights" below:
