Early life
Mutlu Onaral was born on
May 16,
1979 in Philadelphia and is of
Turkish descent. He grew up absorbing the
Hip-Hop and
R&B sounds of Philadelphia, including
Kenny Gamble &
Leon Huff, and his peers such as
Jill Scott,
The Roots,
Amos Lee and
G. Love. He attended Friends Select, a
Quaker high school, and graduated from
Drexel University with a degree in marketing.
Early Musical Career
Mutlu became a mainstay of the Philadelphia Music Scene playing the small clubs and cafes in the area. It was at those shows he garnered the attention of the local music community with his smart songwriting, soulful vocals and good old hard work. In 2003, Mutlu released a self-titled Indie EP. It received airplay on WXPN, Philadelphia's Triple A station. In 2004/2005 he caught the attention of rising Philadelphia star Amos Lee who took Mutlu along on Lee's
United States and
UK tours. The tours brought Mutlu to the attention of Manhattan Records. Mutlu went on to record a 5 song EP produced by
Amos Lee for the label. The success of the EP led to the label green lighting a full length CD. Titled "Livin' It" the album is due for release this July (2008). Producing duties went to T-Bone Wolk. T-Bone is one of the most recognized sessions players in contemporary music. He has been the bassist on Saturday Night Live, music director for Carly Simon, Billy Joel and Hall & Oates. His recording credits are extensive. Mutlu still makes Philadlephia his home. The new album has an intentional Philly-centricity with performances on the album by Daryl Hall, Amos Lee, G. Love, Raheem DeVaughn, Mercedes Martinez, Sharon Little and songwriting collaborations with Amos Lee, Ben Arnold, Scot Sax, Mike Ojike McHenry and Tony Reyes. Stay Tuned.
See also
Amos LeeG. LoveManhattan RecordsWXPNT-Bone Wolk