Ossie Gurley: recording studio, Musical director, Keyboardist, Sound Engineer, these are just some of his titles!
“Who Let the Dogs Out”, “Follow the Leader”, “Moving to the Left”, these are some just some of his hits!
Ossie Gurley is touted by many as a talented music genius and hit maker. He acclaims his musical brilliance and discipline to his now deceased mother, Verdine Gurley. His mother, a music teacher, ensured that he was well equipped with the skills that are now his trademark and signature. His excellence and ability to read and write music has set him apart in the world of music production. Ossie has saluted among others, the great Qunicy Jones, Stevie Wonder, David Foster, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Frankie McIntosh as his musical influences.
Ossie Gurley migrated from St. Vincent to New York at an early age and was taken under the wings of well-known producers and arrangers Frankie and Tony MacIntosh, also from St. Vincent, who opened doors and gave him his early start in the industry. Known for his uncanny and keen musical ear and for his creativity, he soon earned the respect and admiration of fellow musicians, producers and artists.
After spending those formative years in New York City, Ossie then moved to Toronto where he now resides and operates his recording studio, OSS Productions Music Research Lab.
Since its inception in 1993, this studio has gained notoriety for spitting out hit after over the years, including the international and award winning “Who Let the Dogs Out”. His accomplishments include 4 road march titles, 6 soca and calypso monarch victories, and a string of others. There is no limitation to the type of music coming out of this studio. Musical genres include and are not limited to soca, r&b, hip hop, African cultural and gospel. OSS Productions boasts of top of the line, state of the art equipment. Paramount to the OSS Production motto is originality, creativity, passion and musical ingenuity.
Ossie Gurley is also an entertainer, band manager and vocalist. He has used his vocal talents to perform at various events and to provide backgrounds for many of his studio clients. He is an expert keyboardist who has performed alongside many of the great musicians of our time at many notable venues. His love for playing music and showcasing his talents outside of the studio environment led him to create his own band. “Ossie Gurley and the Relatives” have been around since 1990 backing many high profile international and local artists such as King Ajamu, Arrow, Sparrow, David Rudder, Ronnie Macintosh, Denise Plummer, Iwer George, Anslem Douglas, Denise Belfon, Baron, Sugar Aloes, Lord Nelson a host of others. The band has played in venues such as Molson Ampitheatre, Convention Centre, The Harbourfront and Westin Harbour Castle. They have also performed for many local and regional events including Toronto Caribana Street Parade, Centre Island Cool down, Chin Picnic, Calgary Carifest, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver Carnivals. On numerous occasions, the band has won the title of “Best Playing Musical Band on the Road”.
Ossie himself has shared the stage with international music greats such as Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder and Marilyn McCou. He has graced the stages of Madison Square Gardens and the Apollo Theatre and is so well revered among his peers in Toronto that he has been hired as musical director twice, for a contingent of Toronto Caribana performers representing Canada in the Hong Kong New Years Festival (2003, 2004).
Among other projects, currently, Ossie is working with a number of Caribbean and North American talents in his quest to create a legacy. He is presently under contract with WingSpan Records to discover and develop new artists. His aim is to fuse Caribbean music with other international genres.
Ossie Gurley, audio technician, has already proved that all he touches and aspires for equates success. He can already boast of a flourishing musical career and yet he is set to start another leg of the journey. He has set no limits to his ambitions and he is dedicated to creating real music and to perfecting his craft. His vision is to break moulds, to shatter barriers and push the boundaries of Caribbean and International music expectations. He “dares to be different
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