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Wayman Tisdale
"Ya'll Ready to Hang?"
It’s no surprise that Wayman Tisdale emerged as one of the most consistent and most-admired basketball players during his 12 years in the NBA. His towering frame, exceptional strength and relentless work ethic made him one of the game’s most dominating power forwards. It’s that same single-minded drive that propels the bassist forward while crafting his most melodically pure CD to date, the high-energy Hang Time. Tisdale is at the top of his musical game on Hang Time, marking his debut on Rendezvous Entertainment, the label co-founded by saxophone star Dave Koz and earning a slot on the high-profile Dave Koz and Friends concert tour this summer. Wayman continues to display the
skills that landed his first four CDs in Billboard’s Top Tens on Hang Time which Tisdale says is "the perfect summertime BBQ CD, so get ready to hang!"
Hang Time offers 12 songs in which Tisdale’s bass takes the lead as he coaxes memorable sounds from his instrument. "I feel like I’m a melodic vocalist on the bass," Tisdale explains. "I’m not playing bass - I try to make it sound more like a singer. I don’t think it’s been done this way, being more in tune with singing than with just chops."
Hang Time’s balanced mix of funk, old-school-cool and up-to-date R&B boasts collaborations with Koz, super-producer Jeff Lorber, longtime friend and gospel music producer Tracy Carter and Pieces of Dream co-founder James Lloyd, who wrote and produced the title track. As he did with his No. 1 song "Can’t Hide Love" from his last CD, Face to Face Tisdale reaches back into the ‘70s for two cover songs on Hang Time: the McFadden and Whitehead dance classic "Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now", produced by newcomer Darren Rahn, and Smokey Robinson’s seminal "Cruisin’." "I’m stuck in that ‘70’s type of groove," Tisdale says with a laugh. "I feel like it’s my duty to keep the old-schoolers in the loop for today’s listeners."
On the Koz collaboration "Better Days," Tisdale picks the melodic lead on the bass in time with Koz’s sax. "Sax and bass really work well together when they’re playing the same melodies," Tisdale says. On "My World," a ballad featuring a charming passage mimicking a children’s playground sing-song challenge, Tisdale plays all instruments as well as the bass: acoustic guitar, keyboards and drum programming. The CD closes with "Glory Glory," a song Tisdale originally wrote and sang on for a gospel CD he released last year called 21 Days. It spotlights the vocals of Tisdale’s daughter, Danielle, who is now pursuing a singing career while also studying at the University of Oklahoma.
Tisdale was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he still lives with his wife Regina and their four children. His new home includes a pond stocked with fish so he can indulge in his passion: fishing. Tisdale’s proud of his Bible Belt roots, and his life is strongly faith-based. He fell in love with his chosen instrument while watching the bass players in his hometown church, where his father, the late Rev. Louis Tisdale, was a minister. "I though they were the coolest cats," Tisdale says. "They got to stand and do their thing in the back. I’d watch their fingering and how they played." One day, his father bought young Wayman and his two brothers a Mickey Mouse guitar each. Although his brothers quickly turned them into paddles and baseball bats, Wayman began teaching himself how to play and hasn’t stopped since. "It’s the greatest gift my dad ever gave me," Tisdale says.
A natural athlete, Tisdale was on the basketball court when not making music. He played for the University of Oklahoma Sooners from 1983 to 1985 and became the first basketball player to have his jersey, number 23, retired. Wayman still has ties to the school, as he provides commentary for the men’s team during the basketball season. All three years at Oklahoma, Tisdale was a member of the John Wooden Award All-American Team and in 1984 he played on the U.S. Olympic team who brought home the Gold. After college, in 1986, the Indiana Pacers selected Tisdale as the No. 2 pick in the draft, behind Patrick Ewing. For the next 12 years, Tisdale left his mark on the NBA
with the Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns as the All-Star scored more than 12,800 points and pulled down more than 5,000 rebounds in his 12-year career.
Before he retired after the 1997 season, Tisdale had already made the transition toward a career in music. In 1995, he released his debut CD, appropriately titled Power Forward which went to No. 4 on Billboard’s contemporary jazz charts and, like all of his music, crossed over into the R&B charts. Tisdale’s follow-ups to his debut, In the Zone, Decisions and Face to Face all landed in Billboard’s Top 10, with 2001’s "Face to Face" going all the way to No. 1.
In addition to his solo career, Wayman has played on CDs by some of the most popular musicians in contemporary jazz, including solo artists Brian Culbertson, David Sanborn and Everette Harp and the jazz supergroup Maximum Grooves. Wayman also finds time to develop future musical stars through his Tisway Productions. In 2002, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame with the Legacy Tribute Award for up-and-coming musicians. The NAACP nominated Wayman as "Outstanding Jazz Artist" for the 2004 Image Awards.
"I was born to entertain," Tisdale says. "I just love people and I feel like entertainment goes right in line with my personality. Whether it's on the stage or playing basketball, it’s just what I've been called to do on this earth."
Content From http://www.waymantisdale.com/about.html
  
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