I just saw the "Forever More" video by Tony Lemans.This album is #1 on my favorite Paisley Park releases.When you get a chance,check it out.

That video brings back so many great memories from working with Tony in a band we had in Minneopolis during the "Batman Graffiti Bridge"era. Tony was a well respected, influential friend and musical partner of myself and many others. The original version or "Forever More" is much more "Raw " as Tony would say. It really sounds better to me than the polished version on the album. I often listen to demos that I have of Tony before the record came out. We did manage to record demos on the project that he and the band were working on so I still have that to hold on to as well. I have wonderful memories of a bond between brothers and sisters that we as a band had. Bonnie B. use to stop by rehearsals on the way to hers out at Paisley. Bonnie, always with a joke and something good to say. Now I know they both are in Heaven.
Thanks for look'n out.

Muziqmkr said:

Very nice post.

Yeah, I remember Tony. I have his album. I had actually heard of him before when he was doing some stuff with Lenny. When Lenny was Romeo Blu. Anyway, it always seemed to be something hanging over what happened with Tony, while he was with Paisley Park. I heard a few different things. Talented cat, though. Would have liked to had seen him on another label.

blackguitaristz said:

As always, I agree with you totally BG. I think that he would have gotten more promotion if he was at another label. He had a unique style. It's really tragic how his life and career came to a end.

blackguitaristz said:

Funny you should mention Lenny because I had forgotten about that connection. As a matter of fact, when the project was finished in Minneapolis and California, I moved back to Chicago to get with my former band and while in a music store only a few days after I had come back from Minneapolis, in walks Lenny who had been just walking down the streets of the Northside of Chicago with a few of his band members. We exchange a few pleasentries and I mention Tony and a sort of disgusted look comes over his face. Lenny told me "nah, I know him but he ain't no friend of mine". I found out later what happened but it's very personal. Anyway, a few days before I left Minneopolis we all went out to First Ave. to celebrate the completion of the project and while there this guy was upstairs sitting on a table. Tony walks over and hugs and is very excited to see this guy. Someone in our band says that's "Romeo Blue" but as it turns out, Lenny told me that was this guy named Dereck whom he and Tony played in the same band with. It's funny cause Lenny had met my (Chicago) drummer in New York a few weeks earlier. My drummer was playing with Curtis Mayfield at the time and Lenny loved Curtis. (all kinds of magic was happening around this time) Well, later that day Lenny asked my drummer who the fuck was I and my drummmer told him that I was the baddest guitarist he knew (what a guy huh?) and next time I saw Lenny he was all hugs. He always invited me to the shows when in town and was totally cool. Early on he got a chance to hang out with Buddy Miles (Jimi Hendrix band of Gypsies drummer) and he really dug that. This was when Lenny first got his deal and he was touring to support the album. I told him it was funny cause a day or so before I met him, my manager at the time had just given me a promo copy of his album which I told him that I liked. The thing that happened with Tony at Paisley had something to do with a certain opportunist who just so happened to be acompanying Lenny in Chicago the following year. This person also was in our band in Minneapolis and a few people in the band had concerns due to the fact that Prince would and did find out. I thought it all was funny because this person didn't strike me as irresistable by any means but I guess it was just the company they kept. Bonnie would come to rehearsal and some would get nervous about Prince finding out but Bonnie didn't care. She was just there to get her groove on. Besides, she was late herself so...Anyway...I'm ramblin so I'll stop and just say again, I miss those days and I miss Tony

Muziqmkr said:

U know tony worked with donny osmond around 1990?