André Cymone

André Cymone
Born	Minneapolis
Nationality	United States of America
Genres	funk · soul music · rock music
Instruments	guitar · voice

André Cymone
Cymone in 1982
Background information
Birth name	Andre Simon Anderson
Born	(1958-06-27) June 27, 1958 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres	Rock, funk, new wave, urban contemporary, R&B
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)	Bass, guitar, piano, drums, brass section, vocals
Years active	1974-present
Labels	Columbia
Website	andrecymone.com

André Cymone (born Andre Simon Anderson; June 27, 1958) is an American bassist, songwriter and record producer. Cymone was a bass guitarist for Prince's touring band, pre-Revolution. Cymone began a solo career in 1981. His song, "The Dance Electric" (written by Prince), reached #10 on the R&B charts in 1985. Cymone later co-wrote and produced hit songs for other acts, including his then wife Jody Watley's "Looking for a New Love" and "Real Love".

Cymone's stage name comes from a variation of his middle name, Simon.

Biography

Early years

Cymone was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The son of Fred Anderson, a musician, and Bernadette, a social worker, Cymone was the youngest of six children. The Anderson home soon had an additional member – a young Prince who left his own home due to conflicts with his father. The band included Cymone's sister Linda and Morris Day — they later changed their name to Champagne due to being confused with the funk band Graham Central Station.

His song "Better Way", performed by James Ingram, featured on the Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack released in 1987.

Cymone is referenced by Brooklyn band The Hold Steady on their critically received debut album, Almost Killed Me, on track two, "The Swish".

In September 2012 Cymone released a digital single, titled "America", in aid of United States President Barack Obama's re-election campaign with all proceeds from the sale of the digital single being donated to the campaign. The single is available through andrecymone.bandcamp.com, via digital download. A sneak-peek at a new song titled "American Dream" was available for a limited time for everyone who donated by purchasing "America".

In 2012, Cymone confirmed he was working on a new album, bringing an end to a 27-year singing hiatus.

In late May 2013 Cymone appeared alongside former Revolution member Bobby Z on a web-based video chat forum co-hosted by celebrity blogger Dr. Funkenberry where he went into greater detail about the writing of the song and the hopes for his new album.

In November 2013, the album, titled The Stone, became available for pre-order in various exclusive packages on the site PledgeMusic. The packages included early MP3 downloads, signed CDs and one-off personalised items. The Stone was released on February 18, 2014. on April 7, 2017, via BandCamp and iTunes.

Discography

Albums

• Livin' in the New Wave (1982), Columbia #49 US R&B
• Survivin' in the 80s (1983), Columbia #28 US R&B
• AC (1985), Columbia #31 US R&B
• The Stone (2014), Blindtango
• Black Man in America EP (2016), Blindtango
• 1969 (2017), Blindtango

Singles

• "Livin' in the New Wave" (1982)
• "Kelly's Eyes" #107 Hot 100 #72 R&B charts (1982)
• "Survivin' in the 80s" (1983)
• "Make Me Wanna Dance" (1983) #37 R&B charts
• "What Are We Doing Here (1983)
• "Body Thang featuring Germain Brooks (1983)
• "The Dance Electric" (1985) #10 R&B charts
• "Satisfaction" (1985)
• "Lipstick Lover" (1985)