Leonard Patterson

<b>Singer-songwriter doesn't want much...just a Grammy</b>

Singer, songwriter and keyboard player Leonard Patterson II wants a songwriting Grammy for the material he's written.

That's all.

"It doesn't have to be in any particular category," Patterson said. "Even if it's nominated, it's cool. That means it has been recorded by an artist, and it's getting a lot of air play."

Until then, Patterson will keep performing, writing songs and chasing after a dream. The 36-year-old artist performs with Living Proof, which will be playing at the Hyatt Regency on New Year's Eve.

The band

Living Proof formed out of the Sept. 11 tragedies.

The group came together to promote awareness of a Sept. 11 memorial fund for one of Patterson's friends, whose father had died in the Pentagon.

It was the first time Patterson had thought about forming a band "to go out and do our own stuff," he said.

After a number of lineup changes, the band now plans to ring in the New Year playing original tunes from its 2004 debut CD, "Price of a Dream."

These days, the group incorporates Motown, old school funk, jazz, R&B and hip-hop into its performances.

And they don't mess around.

"We like to keep things going like a DJ," Patterson said. "No stage jokes and stopping and talking. We play. You sweat. That's the agreement."

The man

Patterson, an Anderson native, grew up in a family of musicians. Fond memories take him back to days of listening to the Patterson Brother's Trio, a group made up of his father, Leonard Patterson Sr., who played the organ, and his uncles Benny and Jimmy, who played the saxophone and drums.

As an adult, Patterson has taken that familial love of music and written songs with it -- for himself, as well as with major recording artists in mind.

Some of his material has been forwarded to stars like Boyz II Men and Jennifer Lopez.

"A lot of times, I'll write stuff and it's like, 'Man, that felt good,' and they'll send it back and say you need to work on your song structure or you need to do this or you need to do that," Patterson said.

But the feedback Patterson gets is beneficial, and he hopes it will someday help him win that Grammy.

"Being able to have the masses hear (my songs) . . . would be pretty satisfying," he said.


- Nicole Edwards, INtake Weekly