PHOTOS VIDEOS Javier Colon to compete on The Voice

Thanks to a frequently aired promo video we have confirmed the identity of one of the upcoming performers for NBC’s The Voice.  It is Javier Colon, simply known as Javier, from Bridgeport, Connecticut.  Join me as I provide bio info, links and more for the one time lead singer of The Derek Trucks Band.

NBC is promoting the show hard and has landed big time artists Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton to act as coaches for the singing competition that is based on a version of the show from The Netherlands called The Voice of Holland.  Here’s the description of the format via the show’s official website:

The show’s innovative format features three stages of competition: the first begins with the blind audition, then the competition enters into a battle phase, and finally, the live performance. The show’s casting team is working with the music industry and searching the country for the best singers to bring to the blind audition process. During the blind auditions, the decisions from the coaches are based solely on voice and not on looks. The coaches hear the contestants perform, but they don’t get to see them – thanks to rotating chairs. If a coach is impressed by a contestant’s voice, he/she pushes a button to select the contestant. At this point, the coach’s chair will swivel to face the contestant selected. If more than one coach selects the talent, the power shifts to the contestant, who may choose which coach they want to work with throughout the competition.

Here’s Javier’s bio via an official website that appears to be a little outdated with the latest news update coming from 2006:

A musical prodigy in his formative years, Javier’s musical gifts took him to the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music, where he founded an R&B based acappella quintet that performed at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater. Javier graduated from Hartt with a degree in Music Education, and soon afterwards he started on his path as a world-class performer as the lead singer for a neo-funk group (called EmCQ) dedicated to the legacy of Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Maceo Parker and Tower of Power among others. “Being in that band really helped me grow vocally. I had never actually fronted a band or done anything like that before. I found another gear that I could kick into that I didn’t know I had,” he says.

When that band opened for neo-funk luminaries Soulive, Javier’s performance drew the attention of Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno, who recommended Javier to be the lead singer for jam-band heroes the Derek Trucks Band, led by Allman Brothers guitarist Derek Trucks. Javier spent almost 2 years touring with Trucks, exploring onstage everything from rock and soul to blues, jazz and beyond.

Here are some links for Javier Colon:

Facebook: Here

MySpace: Here

Official Website: Here

Obviously there are quite a few videos of Javier doing his thing floating around out there so I’ve hand-picked three good ones that reflect the range and abilities of the soulful singer.  First up his most well known song “Crazy.”

Here’s a raw clip of a performance from the famed NYC joint The Bitter End. I think this provides a good taste of experiencing Javier live. You get a taste of his guitar playing skills and of course his singing chops as he gets the crowd going with the standard “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

And here’s a clip of Javier doing the song that is featured in the promo for The Voice, Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”

Good luck to Javier Colon as he tries to become “The Voice” and win the grand prize of $100,000 and a recording contract.  Check back with us as we continue with our profiles of the contestants for The Voice.  Here’s one more parting shot of Javier who’s pretty easy on the eyes too!