The story behind the creation of Collective Peace is quite interesting.

Grammy-nominated saxophonist, LaDarrel “Saxappeal” Johnson of Detroit and his wife, LaKeisha "Ideeyah" Johnson, a vocalist also bred in Detroit, were asked to perform at the annual Dilla Day celebration, which honors hip hop producer Jay Dilla. They put together a band full of musicians, and during their set, the audience, already hyped up from their performance, asked them what their name was. Johnson told the crowd they were a collective piece of musicians, and that's when Pepper Holten, (mother of deceased Detroit rapper Proof) yelled out, "That's your name "Collective Peace!"

And, as they say, the rest is history.

Collective Peace started out as a spontaneous group that united for one show, but over the last few years, they have morphed into one of the hottest soul fusion bands whose eclectic sound is pummeling through the streets of Detroit. Infused with a blend of electrifying melodies, the band powerfully meshes a vast array of genres into one major sound. From the sultry vocals to the harmonious strings of the violin, Collective Peace is spinning the musical movement into a new direction.

The group has performed for artists such as Zo!, Amp Fiddler, Jessica Care Moore, Dwele, Stokely (frontman of Mint Condition), Phonte of the Foreign Exchange, Sy Smith, Choklate, Carmen Rodgers, and many other phenomenal artists.

"Being where we are now, that definitely wasn't the plan four years ago," says Johnson, who is the music director/producer/saxophonist of Collective Peace. "It’s just exciting to see the movement growing, and the people are excited and their excitement excites us."

The blueprint of this group comprises of seven core members, all of which are Detroit based musicians. It's easy to label the band as a jazz group, but to truly define their sound is not that simple. Collective Peace’s keyboardist Kristopher "Jahi" Crosby says it’s mainly like hybrid music and combines jazz, R&B, funk, hip-hop and soul, all of which are genres the band is influenced by.

"A lot times what happens is with Saxappeal being the lead, they see the saxophone player and just assume its jazz," says Crosby. "They don't think it could be soul music or even hip-hop. People like to put things in a category, but with our music, you really can't put us in a box.”


What makes Collective Peace’s performances unique is that the audience never knows what kind of genre the band will belt out. Their set covers a surge of songs from each of the members’ own projects as well as intricately deciphered cover tunes. Crosby describes the goal of the band is to ultimately work on their own individual projects while supporting one another. Saxappeal's next album will most likely feature members of Collective Peace and the same goes with the other members’ solo albums.

The band is now in the process of finalizing their highly anticipated debut album titled "Introducing Collective Peace", which is tentatively scheduled for a late spring or early summer release in 2015. The album features notable talent including Zo!, Amp Fiddler and Jessica Care Moore, Dwele, and more.

Collective Peace is currently looking for a distribution deal and the band is trying to determine whether they should release the project independently.

Now more than ever, with the release of their popular single, "Let The Music Play", which has been on the iTunes Top 100 Jazz charts since June 2014, fans outside of the metro Detroit area are enjoying the live Collective Peace experience and can’t seem to get enough.

"We want people to leave the show feeling better than when they came into the show. We really believe that music is universal, we want it to be from the smallest of kids to someone's great grandmother, and we want music that everyone can relate to."


Detroit bred Brandon Williams' life has always included music in some capacity, first as a listener, then as a musician, and ultimately as a producer. The aptly named Brandon "B." Williams - The Music Architect, is quickly making his name and stake as a front-runner in the music industry.

His career is astonishing, a direct protégé of Grammy and Billboard super producer Michael J. Powell, B. Williams is a powerhouse of musical knowledge and ability. His talents include production, arranging, engineering, and playing over 15 instruments, and in 2009 he was nominated for 9 Stellar Awards and a Grammy Award and in 2010, he was nominated for a NAACP Image Award.

On the music scene since he was 13 starting at Baker's Keyboard Lounge, B. is known as a prodigy and for being the go-to-guy for the Detroit music industry. He gets request to perform, engineer, MD, arrange and produce around the clock.

As a producer, B. has lent his hand to such artists as Yolanda Adams, Janet Jackson, Pharoahe Monch, Bobby Creekwater, Vickie Winans, Jadakiss, Lin Rountree, J Dilla, Gene Dunlap, and Motown own "Young Dynasty Entertainment. 30 year old B. Williams is a taste and hit-maker with an undeniable track record. As an artist B. has performed and toured with and alongside some of the industry's finest including Morris Day & The Time, Kim Burrell, George Duke, Jaguar Wright, Kelis, Jerald Daemyon, Gene Dunlap, Joe Sample, Norman Brown, Jonathan Butler and just to name a few. Along with national tours, B. has also graced the stages of all of Detroit's premier venues and clubs including The Fox Theatre, Chene Park, Freedom Hill, Detroit Opera House, Hart Plaza, The Music Hall, and Bakers Keyboard Lounge.

Because of his plethora of abilities B has acquired the respect of many friends in the music industry such as George Duke, Stevie Wonder, Denaun Porter, Pharoahe Monch, James "J. Dilla" Yancey, Michael J. Powell, George Clinton and a host of others.

If nothing else you can bet your paycheck that he is much more than your average musician and he will continue to move full steam ahead. . Bottomline...stay tuned because he has the blueprint for success. In his own words… I want people to know I'm a real producer and not just a beatmaker…a producer plays all the parts in the studio. If the guitar player isn't getting it, you must show him, the piano player not getting the correct feel, sit down to the piano and show him. You must know how to do it all. I also want people to know that i want to bring good music back to the world, feel good music is what I'm about.

Twin sisters Paris and Amber Strother and musical compadre Anita Bias are KING.

In 2011 KING independently released their first EP to much acclaim;  title track “The Story,” (featured on GLAMOUR‘s Top Songs Playlist), “Supernatural” (NPR's Song of the Day) and “Hey” (featured in 2014 motion picture ‘About Last Night’) make up the 3-piece introduction to their carefully crafted future-soul sound. Hours after the release, their EP had traveled far to music lovers and tastemakers alike, trending on Twitter and making new fans of many. KING have since been preparing their debut full-length album due for release Summer 2014 and are excited to invite their listeners further into their sound. The album will also include the ethereal romance “In The Meantime” (Top 2013 Pick by NPR, The Guardian UK, and Buzzbands LA). 

KING’s smooth vibe, intricate production and harmonic style evolved beautifully in their home studio, a product solely of the three women. Paris produces KING’s songs, while Amber and Anita are the primary singers. The three work together on songwriting and vocal arrangements to create own their very uniquely soulful sound.

Citing influences ranging from a myriad of genres, KING’s eclectic sound is both relatable yet not simply defined. Though their cross-genre sound plays with the boundaries of their varied influences, maintained throughout each of their compositions is the common thread of a certain soulful authenticity. From Ebony Magazine: “KING bypasses the impulse to categorize musicians into a singular box by falling somewhere in the utopian realm of nostalgic R&B, futuristic soul and folksy-bluesy jazz." Add to that their electronic, new wave and downtempo tastes, their penchant for storytelling and their exceptional ability to blend 3 voices and perspectives- and the result is a melting pot of music that harks to an earlier time of unbridled exploration and creativity. From Okayplayer: "It’s not hard to tell what all the fuss is about; sophisticated pop harmonies that would seem more appropriate to past-masters than newcomers–yet never feel anything less than breezily accessible, mostly because of a certain emotional purity to the songwriting. The ladies of KING are just as refreshingly pleasant as their recordings...this just seems to confirm the eerie suspicion that though only two are blood-sisters, all three are spiritual triplets."

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