Few people realise just how deeply steeped in performing Tony Humphries’ family is. His father, Rene Grand, an émigré from Colombia in the 1950s, was a prominent bandleader in New York, alongside peers like Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri. Plus he has a raft of cousins, uncles and aunts who have forged a career in the performing arts. Tony was born to it.
Tony Humphries has been DJing nearly 35 years, an incredible achievement that in any other industry would have been rewarded with a carriage clock or service medal. His big break came through a chance meeting with Mastermixer Shep Pettibone at the offices of Prelude Records. Tony handed the maestro a tape and the rest is history. Humphries’ star rose as his KISS FM show (and later HOT 97) lasted for decades.
Although Humphries was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, he has long been associated with New Jersey and the reason for that is his long-held residency at Club Zanzibar in Newark that began in 1982. Zanzibar became synonymous with a new soulful electronic sound, labelled the Jersey sound, but with Tony’s hands at the tiller it was a vastly more varied menu than that suggests. “It wasn’t like going to a house club, everything was intertwined,” explains Tony. “The hours were long, so obviously you didn’t want to hear ten hours of straight house music. If you’re going to pay $15-20 to hear this guy, you want to hear the whole damn spectrum. You had to come with everything possible. Talking Heads and The B-52s don’t sound like Zanzibar/Garage records, but they were. I think that’s what the Zanzibar’s appeal was.”
Although Tony is often seen more as a DJ than a remixer, his forays into the studio have always been productive. His remix of Mtume’s ‘Juicy Fruit’ has been sampled on several big hip hop and R&B hits and Fresh Band’s ‘Come Back Lover’ is rightly regarded as one of the best disco songs of the 1980s. He has gone on to remix scores of artists from Soul II Soul to Janet Jackson (which earned him a gold disc). Poignantly, Tony was enticed back into the studio in 2013 by Frankie Knuckles who asked Tony to do a swap mix for a track he’d been working on. As Frankie told Tony, “You’re a great remixer. I just thought folks needed to be reminded.”
His reputation in Europe, established via illegally copied tapes of his KISS shows, grew hugely after successful jaunts to influential parties like Danny Rampling’s Shoom & Norman Jay’s High On Hope in London. He was coaxed back to Europe in the early ’90s for residencies at both Ministry of Sound in London and Echoes in Rimini on the Italian Riviera.
Tony’s first label venture Yellorange was launched in 1998 and ran the gamut of styles, from the soulful vocals of Mel’isa Morgan, Miguel Plansencia’s Afro-Cuban flavors, through to Soweto Funk’s Italo-grooves. His latest venture, Tony Records is, “showcasing younger artists and producers doing soulful music in a modern form.” Check Tony’s own recent release Housework EP, which fuses blues, gospel and worksongs into a brilliantly contemporary setting (or even his new mix compilation with DJ Spen, Quintessentials, demonstrating his expansive style).
In 2009, Body & Soul promoter John Davis brought Tony together with ‘Little’ Louie Vega and David Morales for a ten-hour session at New York’s Webster Hall that was appropriately dubbed the Kings of House. Little did any of them anticipate the success that this would be, turning into a worldwide phenomenon that has straddled continents and cities, as well as regular trips to the likes of Pacha Ibiza.
What strikes anyone when meeting Tony Humphries is not what he’s done or where he’s been, but where he’s going. ““Growing up in Boston, our biggest influence was the New York house scene and no one embodies this spirit more than Tony Humphries,” explains Soul Clap’s Eli Goldstein. “For us, the gospel, deep, tribal sound he created at his Zanzibar residency reached us through the many remixes and tracks named after the legendary club. We finally had the honor of opening for Tony this year and we were blown away by his ability to represent the old, while pushing a unique, modern house sound. There is clearly only one Tony Humphries!” Amen to that.
Tony Humphries Official Website:
http://www.tonyhumphries.com
Artist Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/TonyHumphriesOfficial
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TonyHumphries
Happiness
Tony Humphries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got life, you're inspiration
I love the way that you do
Your heart's so freely
You're a sweet sensation
You're my invitation to happiness
You're full of sweet surprises happiness
You fill my heart desire
And over and over again
Keep that goodness coming
I love the way you watch the world
Through kind eyes
That's why you're never sad, sad
Things don't bother you like dos, don'ts and whys
You hold on to the good and you let the bad go by
Yeah, yeah
Happiness
I want your love forever
Happiness
Give me your love forever
More, more, more and more
And over and over again
Keep that goodness coming
Happiness
Give me your love forever
Happiness
Say you'll leave me never
More, more, more and more
And over and over again
Keep that goodness coming
Keep it coming, keep it coming
Keep it coming, coming
Keep it coming, keep it coming
Keep it, keep it coming
The lyrics to "Happiness" by Tony Humphries are about the happiness and joy that the singer experiences in their relationship with someone they love. The singer admires the way their partner lives life, taking joy in the small things and always looking at the world through kind eyes. They describe their partner as an inspiration and a sweet sensation, someone who fills their heart with desire and happiness.
The song celebrates the simple pleasure of being in love and the happiness that comes from sharing your life with someone else. The singer expresses their desire for their partner's love forever, wanting to keep the goodness of their relationship coming over and over again. The song is a joyful tribute to the power of love to bring happiness and fulfillment to our lives.
Overall, the lyrics to "Happiness" express a deep appreciation for the joy and happiness that comes from being in love with someone who inspires us and fills our hearts with love and positivity.
Line by Line Meaning
I love the way you love to live
I admire how you have a zest for life and thoroughly enjoy living it.
You got life, you're inspiration
Your vitality and optimism inspires others.
I love the way that you do
I appreciate the unique way in which you approach things.
Your heart's so freely
Your heart is open and willing to love and give freely.
You're a sweet sensation
Being around you brings a pleasant feeling or sensation.
You're my invitation to happiness
You are the key to my happiness and bring joy into my life.
You're full of sweet surprises happiness
Being with you is filled with unexpected pleasures and happiness.
You fill my heart's desire
You satisfy all my longings and aspirations.
More, more, more and more
I always want more of your goodness and love.
And over and over again
I want this happiness to continue repeatedly.
Keep that goodness coming
Please continue to spread your goodness and love.
I love the way you watch the world
I admire how you observe the world around you.
Through kind eyes
You see the world with empathy and benevolence.
That's why you're never sad, sad
Your optimism and positive outlook keep you from being sad.
Things don't bother you like dos, don'ts and whys
You don't worry about rules and restrictions - they don't get you down.
You hold on to the good and you let the bad go by
You focus on the positive things and let the negative things slide.
Happiness
Complete satisfaction and joy.
I want your love forever
I want your companionship and love for all eternity.
Say you'll leave me never
Promise that you'll always stay with me.
Keep it coming, keep it coming
Continue to provide me with love and happiness.
Keep it, keep it coming
Please don't stop giving me your love and happiness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALLEN TOUSSAINT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
E. Rob
"Straight outta Jersey" I started going to Zanzibar in 1984 at 18 yrs old, Tony Humphries was the DJ and the music I fell in love with. Nobody bump like Zanzibar... Zanzibar will live in my heart Forever !!! ❤️
Gigi hall
My boyfriend lenny was the light man. Everybody knows me. Gigi. I lived there. Omg. We need a straight Friday to Sunday. Omg. I feel homesick in Maryland now. Went to see him overseas and him and the group three kings of house blew up. Omg it was nuts. I will be an old lady with a cane one day still rocking all this music. I felt free. My parents ain't say shit. Me and my girls danced so much that when we got back home to JC, I couldn't even park my car. 🤦🏽♀️. I would wake up like mommy someone stole my car. 😭
Ursula Gwozdz
@Gigi hall Great times.
duster43
Naheem Johnson .. too
B P
More than 10 years, Tony Humphries was the resident dj @ Newark, New Jersey's Legendary Club Zanzibar. Tony Humphries, Larry Patterson, David Morales, Larry Levan, Tee Scott, Louie Vega along with Zanzibar's first and original dj Hippie Torrales rocked "The Zanz" from midnite until dawn weekly on Wed., Fri & Saturdays under the direction of Club Director Albert Murphy & assistant Shelton Hayes.
clubhead433
When exactly did Louie Vega play at Zanzibar? I know he used to bring Tony acetates but I don't remember him spinning at Zanz.
B P
clubhead433 - When Tony was playing in London, Dj Hippie Torrales brought Louie in as his personal “Guest DJ”. I first met Louie when he was behind “The Wheels of Steel” playing @ Club Zanzibar. - billie.prest.former.director.club.zanzibar.newark.new.jersey.usa
clubhead433
@B P Tony first went to London in 1987, then again during the second week of October 1989 (I was among the entourage that went with him). Now, I know Hippie was playing at Docks on Thursdays when it moved to Club Sensations in 1986-87, I remember David Morales was holding down Wednesday nights @ Zanz in 1986...until he left and Tony took over Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays this is still 1986-87. I remember Larry Patterson stopped playing at Zanz around this time, I can't remember if he went to Charades or Cheetahs or doing both. I remember Hippie & Butchie starting Hardcore in 1987-88 at Club 280 on Orange St. in Newark. So the question is, when did Hippie bring in Louie Vega? In 1987? or 1989? Or, when did Hippie's residency end at Zanzibar? By your accounts, Hippie had to be a "resident" DJ at Zanzibar in 1987 through 1989 while Tony was a resident DJ in order for Hippie to have Louie Vega play as a "guest DJ" while Tony was in London. I know Tony moved to London in 1993. I know Tony stopped being a "weekly" resident Zanzibar DJ on November 4th, 1990 during his birthday party. This was due to Shelton Hayes' the club's manager at that time ( I was employed under him from March 1988 to November 1990 and I still have my paystubs to prove it and I was a patron since 1979) departure from Zanzibar arising from whatever was going on between him and Miles Burger.
B P
clubhead433 Hippie brought Louie in after the exit of Shelton Hayes (RIP).
clubhead433
@B P That period after Shelton left really doesn't count with the "real" underground heads (that's my opinion (and others)....but who am I, right?) That's why I never went to Club 88 but only once b/c the crowd was NOT underground, and everyone who is a "true" Jersey underground head from back in the day knows that.