Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, Raphael is a singer-songwriter that uses his music to encourage, uplift, inspire and entertain his audiences.
Coming from a long line of ministers, the church was instilled in Raphael at a very young age. It was there, he began singing at the age of three. By the age of seven he was playing for the church choir. Inspired by many of the true singers of our time including Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Brian McKnight and many more, Raphael is a true student of music.
A recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Raphael served as President of the Black Chorus while at the University. In addition, he was the Director of Soul Premier, a musical ensemble that performs traditional and contemporary music from the African American experience. It was at U of I while performing that fellow Chicago native R. Kelly began an impromptu duet from the audience with Raphael. Impressed by what he heard and saw, Kelly gave Raphael his number and told him to meet him in the studio.
Raphael has gone on to perform with or open for many of the talented singers in music. Some of these artists include Joann Rosario, Kiki Sheard and Deitrick Haddon. He has also shared a stage with Johnny P. and Disturbing Tha Peace recording artist Shawnna.
Recently moving to New York to pursue his dream of entertaining, Raphael was immediately cast in an off-Broadway musical, Katrina: A Whole Lotta Water. In exploring the emotional, psychological, human rights, race, class and gender issues affecting hurricane Katrina survivors, Raphael had a role in which he was able to showcase his acting ability as well as his singing talent. Shortly after this he was asked to be a part of two separate off-Broadway productions of Dreamgirls, patterned after the block-buster feature film. With Dreamgirls, Raphael served as the co-musical director as well as an essemble member in both productions. Since his short time in New York, he has also been a performer and/or Musical Dircector in the off-Broadway productions of The Wiz, The Grandpa and Men on the Downlow.
Raphael has most recently been asked to join the world famous Harlem Gospel Singers on a European Tour which will include over 50 shows in more than six countries. In addition to singing with the Harlem Gospel Singers, Raphael will also serve as the Assistant Music Director, a title in which he is the youngest person to hold in the rich history of the group.
Raphael continues to grow as an artist by producing many of his own songs. A pianist since his days of the church, he now can make his expressions whole through his own music.
Coming from a long line of ministers, the church was instilled in Raphael at a very young age. It was there, he began singing at the age of three. By the age of seven he was playing for the church choir. Inspired by many of the true singers of our time including Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Brian McKnight and many more, Raphael is a true student of music.
A recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Raphael served as President of the Black Chorus while at the University. In addition, he was the Director of Soul Premier, a musical ensemble that performs traditional and contemporary music from the African American experience. It was at U of I while performing that fellow Chicago native R. Kelly began an impromptu duet from the audience with Raphael. Impressed by what he heard and saw, Kelly gave Raphael his number and told him to meet him in the studio.
Raphael has gone on to perform with or open for many of the talented singers in music. Some of these artists include Joann Rosario, Kiki Sheard and Deitrick Haddon. He has also shared a stage with Johnny P. and Disturbing Tha Peace recording artist Shawnna.
Recently moving to New York to pursue his dream of entertaining, Raphael was immediately cast in an off-Broadway musical, Katrina: A Whole Lotta Water. In exploring the emotional, psychological, human rights, race, class and gender issues affecting hurricane Katrina survivors, Raphael had a role in which he was able to showcase his acting ability as well as his singing talent. Shortly after this he was asked to be a part of two separate off-Broadway productions of Dreamgirls, patterned after the block-buster feature film. With Dreamgirls, Raphael served as the co-musical director as well as an essemble member in both productions. Since his short time in New York, he has also been a performer and/or Musical Dircector in the off-Broadway productions of The Wiz, The Grandpa and Men on the Downlow.
Raphael has most recently been asked to join the world famous Harlem Gospel Singers on a European Tour which will include over 50 shows in more than six countries. In addition to singing with the Harlem Gospel Singers, Raphael will also serve as the Assistant Music Director, a title in which he is the youngest person to hold in the rich history of the group.
Raphael continues to grow as an artist by producing many of his own songs. A pianist since his days of the church, he now can make his expressions whole through his own music.