Basement Boys
Jay Steinhour, Teddy Douglas, and Thomas Davis are the three founders of Basement Boys Productions. Founded in 1986, this unique organization was originally signed as an artist on a small,independent New York Record Label - Jump Street Records, and has grown into a multi-major label production and remix company that is based out of Baltimore, Maryland.
Teddy, Jay, and Tommy all have background centered around music. All three had successful careers as club disc jockeys, playing at night clubs in the Baltimore, Virginia, and D.C. area. Jay, began deejaying in Washington D.C. at several nightclubs and bars, and then relocated to Baltimore in 1980. Tommy and Teddy began their careers in music by working in various retail record stores as salesmen, purchasers, and store managers during the day, and they, like Jay, were deejayng in local clubs at night. Jay and Tommy met in a night club, competing for a residency. Teddy and Tommy had met while working at the same record store. In 1986, after the three connected personally, professionally, and creatively, the trio united together to create their own music to play at area nightclubs, thus forming Basement Boys Productions. The name "Basement Boys" was conceived, due simply to the fact that the small 4 track studio, in which the trio has been working, happened to be located in Jay's basement. Their first release was a dance cover of the Rose Royce ballad, "Love Don't Live Here", on which Teddy was the vocalist. This recording was signed by Jump Street Records in 1988.
With the success of Basement Boys Production's first release on Jump Street, the company realized that its future was in artist development, and they began working with new artist and developing production deals with various record labels. Their first production deal was with Profile Records in 1989, with the song entitled "Don't Blame Me", by Sublevel. As is the case with many producer driven projects, the Basement Boys were the artists behind the pseudonym "Sublevel", featuring the vocalist Andrea Holdclaw. This was the first of several pseudonyms to be used by the Basement Boys. Ultra Nate' was the first artist signed to the Basement Boys production company. They wrote and produced her first album, "Blue Notes in the Basement". An album that came out in 1990 on Warner Bros Record. As the company grew, the 4 track studio, in Jay's basement has expanded into a 16 track studio. The second artist signed to the production company was songwriter, and recording artist, Crystal Waters. In 1991 Crystal Waters struck gold with her world wide, hit single "Gypsy Woman", which was released on Mercury, and A&M (UK) Records. The Basement Boys then produced Crystal Waters first LP "Surprise". Following this success, the company invested its profits into further updating their studio. In 1992, the Basement Boys purchased a two story building in their neghborhood, near downtown Baltimore, and in March of 1993, they opened a state of the art, two studio complex, solely for the companies expanding projects.
The trio continued to create, and grow together in the music industry until 1993 when creative and personal differences, forced Tommy to leave the group and pursue his own creative direction. Teddy and Jay have continued on with the Basement Boys' unique sound and tradition. Now, the Basement Boys' production company has blossomed into a creative family of talented producers, musicians, writers and engineers. In 1994, the Basement Boys were once again successful with Crystal Waters' second LP "Storyteller", which went Gold. The single "100% Pure Love", off of that album also went Gold in that same year. Basement Boys Productions have also ventures into remixing with projects such as; the Shamen's "Destination Eschaton" on Epic, Karyn White's "Hungah" for Warner Bros., and Crystal Waters' "Who Taught You How" off of the Too Wong Foo Sound Track, on MCA. Their latest remix project was for Michael Jackson's "Stranger in Moscow" on Epic.
In 1995, the Basement Boys launched the first release on their own independent record label named "Basement Boys Records". The label has has eight releases to date including; D.J. Spen Presents Jasper Street Co. "A Feelin", an Xavier Gold cover of "Bad Girls", Sublevel, featuring Donnel Rush "Time To Celebrate", Those Guys "Love, Love, Love", and their latest release, remixes of a song entitled "Do You Believe?", a song that first appeared on an EP, on their label, entitled "OO7". To date, "007", "Sublevel", and "Those Guys", are all artist pseudonyms for the Basement Boys. The Basement Boys have managed to stay on the cutting edge with their production work, wich seems to set them apart from their peers. Another important element in their work is the versatility of their music and its ability to hit various sales markets.
You can't pigeon hole the Basement Boys' music into one category. They love many types of music and have a broad knowledge of all types of music. This awareness has made them a strong force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Their company has became a solid, ever growing and expanding production company, with it's own unique sound, and ability to create a variety of quality music. -- maurizioclemente