The Sharpshootaz
| Laney Stewart | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Philip Lane Stewart II |
| Born |
January 10, 1966 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | R&B, pop, hip hop, house, electronic |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, publisher, manager |
| Years active | 1978-present |
| Associated acts | Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Babyface, Louil Silas, Jr., The-Dream, Esther Dean, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Kuk Harrell, B2K, Charlie Wilson, Aaron Hall, Karyn White, Go West, Chante Moore, Tony, Toni, Tone, K-Ci & JoJo, Tony! Toni! Toné!, The Sharpshootaz, Jesse McCartney, Alex Jacke |
Laney Stewart (born January 10, 1966) is an American songwriter, music producer, musician, music publisher, music executive, manager and youth mentor.
He was born Philip Lane Stewart II, in the South Side suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Laney has penned, produced and published hits for some of the biggest names in R&B, hip hop and pop music over the past three decades. In addition to his individual achievements, he also has a proven ear and consistent track record of recognizing and developing unknown talent on their way to success. The long list of hits he has created, published and or managed is a testament to both his creative and business acumen.
Laney had a mother, Mary Ann Stewart, who was a successful singer in her own right, having sung backgrounds for the Ohio Players, Curtis Mayfield and Aretha Franklin. His uncle, Morris "Butch" Stewart was a successful musician and producer. By age nine, Laney had taught himself how to play piano and drums. With the advertising business booming in Chicago, Laney started singing on jingles at the age of 12. As a teenager, he made the transition to writing and composing with a career doing his own jingles. By 15, he had his first commercially released songs on CBS Records with Ramsey Lewis' "This Ain't No Fantasy." At the age of 16, he became a regular in the burgeoning Chicago underground house music scene, and became one of the early house producers, producing songs for Arrogance such as, "Crazy,"[1] which was released on DJ International Records in 1986. Eventually, Laney began working as a session musician with his uncle, Wayne Stewart, Tony Brown and Patrick Leonard. Laney's most significant keyboard influence was Leonard, who was known for his work with Madonna, "Like a Prayer" etc. By 18, Stewart and partner Kenneth Hale formed their own jingle company, Minute Men, composing popular spots for Bud Light, McDonald's and Coca-Cola. They became the "go to" guys for urban based spots for advertising juggernauts like the Burrell ad agency and DDB Needham. They even won an award for their work on the California Lottery ad campaign. He was doing House clubs at night, jingle sessions and meetings with ad executives by day.
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