Tony Vincent

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Biography

Tony Vincent , born Anthony Peter Strascina, is an American actor, singer and songwriter born in Albuquerque , New Mexico (July 25, 1973) and based out of New York City , New York . Vincent attended Albuquerque Academy. He took the stage name Tony Vincent when he was preparing to release his first EP in 1993 .

Early Career

Vincent's professional career began while attending Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Using the school's recording studio, he recorded what became his first single, Love Falling Down . It was originally released only to his hometown radio station, KLYT in Albuquerque. The song proved popular. When it hit #1 on that station's charts, he and a college friend hastily organized a campaign to release the single nationally. The single was released nationwide in May 1993 and appeared for one week on the national Contemporary Christian music|CCM radio charts in July 1993, becoming the first independently released single ever to do so. After signing a recording contract with Star Song Records|Star Song Records / EMI , Vincent spent six more years recording in Nashville. During that time, Vincent had six #1 songs on Billboard's radio charts and his song One Deed , from the album of the same name, was featured in a United Way of America campaign.

Musical Theatre

Rent

In 1998, Vincent moved to New York, and by March 1998 had landed a role in the American touring production of Rent (musical)|Rent . In January 1999, Vincent returned to New York and made his Broadway theatre|Broadway debut in the cast of Rent - appearing first in the role of Roger, and then later as Mark - at the Nederlander Theatre .

Jesus Christ Superstar

In 2000, Vincent was cast in the role of Simon Zealotes in the film remake of Jesus Christ Superstar in London ; he was the only American to be cast in the film. This new production brought about a revival of the show on Broadway, and Vincent and several of his castmates from the film were asked to star in it. Vincent was again cast as Simon, understudy ing the lead roles of Jesus Christ|Jesus and Judas Iscariot|Judas , but in a change just three and a half weeks before opening night, Jason Pebworth - who was originally cast as Judas - left the show, and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber moved Vincent into the leading role. Vincent's performance as Judas won him a nomination for an Outer Critics award for "Best Featured Actor". http://www.tonyvincentworld.com/jesuschristsuperstar.htm Impressed with his Broadway performances, Webber selected Vincent to travel through China in 2001, introducing the composer's music in a cultural exchange production later released on DVD as .

We Will Rock You

In 2001, Vincent landed the lead role of Galileo Figaro in Queen (band)|Queen's musical, We Will Rock You (musical)|We Will Rock You on London's West End of London|West End . He performed the role from May 2002 through November 2003. Vincent also performed Bohemian Rhapsody with Queen for the band's June 2002 appearance at Party at the Palace , a celebration of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth's 50th anniversary as monarch.

The North American premiere of We Will Rock You (musical)|We Will Rock You opened in Las Vegas in 2004. Vincent again starred in the production, where he met his future wife, Aspen Miller , who played his love interest Scaramouche. Vincent remained with the show until July 2005, when he returned to New York City to resume work on his solo music career.

American Idiot

Vincent originated the role of St. Jimmy in American Idiot (musical)|American Idiot , the Tony award-winning stage musical based on Green Day|Green Day's award-winning American Idiot|album of the same name . The production premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in September 2009 and, after being extended twice, became Berkeley Rep's most popular and highest grossing production."Berkeley Repertory Theatre Extends American Idiot, Again, Thru 11/15", November 15, 2009. http://sanfrancisco.broadwayworld.com/article/Berkeley_Repertory_Theatre_Extends_AMERICAN_IDIOT_Again_Thru_1115_20091114

When American Idiot (musical)|American Idiot opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre (opening April 20, 2010) Tony Vincent received considerable praise for his portrayal of St. Jimmy . Charles Isherwood of the New York Times praised the show as "performed with galvanizing intensity by a terrific cast, ... a pulsating portrait of wasted youth that invokes all the standard genre conventions ... only to transcend them through the power of its music and the artistry of its execution," and describing performance as having "mesmerizing vitality and piercing vocalism." Isherwood, Charles. "Stomping Onto Broadway With a Punk Temper Tantrum", April 21, 2010. http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/theater/reviews/21idiot.html? pagewanted=1 Peter Travers from Rolling Stone , in his review of American Idiot , wrote "the standout is vocal powerhouse Tony Vincent as St. Jimmy, Johnny’s dealer and toxic id.... American Idiot ...cuts its own path to the heart. You won’t know what hit you. American Idiot knows no limits — it's a global knockout." Travis, Peter. "Green Day Blast Broadway with American Idiot", April 23, 2010. http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/;kw=%5B8662,134111%5D

In April 2010, Vincent, along with co-star John Gallagher, Jr. , received a 2010 Drama League Award nomination for the Distinguished Performance Award.

Vincent played his final performance as "St. Jimmy" on December 30, 2010, and was succeeded by Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong . The show closed on Broadway on April 24, 2011.

Music Career

Vincent has released four solo albums: Love Falling Down (1993), Tony Vincent (1995), One Deed (1997), and a five-song EP entitled A Better Way (2007), a collaboration with platinum-selling producer Adam Anders and songwriter Nate Campany. Vincent has had six #1 songs on Billboard's CHR/CRR radio charts: Simple Things , Whole New Spin , Out of My Hands , High , Do You Really and One Deed . Tony Vincent is continuing to write for future projects, both as a solo artist and under the band moniker Mercer.

On Tuesday, May 1st, 2012, Vincent released his latest single "Starting Over" as a free download from the site. "I wanted to give back to the people that have supported me and my music from my first record thru my most recent time on NBC's The Voice. This is also a opportunity for people to see a new side of me as an artist and songwriter. I think it will really surprise people-- I believe this (and the songs that will soon be released) is the best work I've done to date" he said.

"Starting Over" can be downloaded for free .

Side Projects

In 2005, the multi-platinum vocal group Il Divo included the song, Hoy Que Ya No Estas Aqui (As Far As Any Man Can See) , co-written by Vincent and Jorgen Elofsson (translation by Rudy Perez), on their self-titled debut album. Also a voice-over actor, Vincent provided the voice for the Fisher-Price interactive game, I Can Play Guitar . Vincent has been featured as a guest artist with for several live concert events in England, and performed at the Matthew Shepard Foundation|Matthew Shepard Foundation's Embrace! benefit at the Westside Theatre in February 2006. Vincent is also a recurring guest artist at the Vanemuine|Vanemuine Theater in Tartu , Estonia, most recently starring in their original production, Queen-The Doors Of Time .

The Voice

Vincent was a contestant on the hit reality talent show The Voice (US)|The Voice (Season 2)

Cee Lo Green was so impressed by Vincent's powerful (blind audition) performance of We Are The Champions that he snatched him up for his team (known as TeamCeeLo) and commented that Freddie Mercury would have been proud. Vincent went on to win a cut-throat "Battle" singing Journey (band)|Journey 's " Faithfully (song)|Faithfully " against teammate (and close friend) Justin Hopkins and he advanced to the "Live" stage of the competition. During Live show (Week 2), Vincent performed Tears For Fears ' " Everybody Wants To Rule The World " which received mixed reviews from the coaches, and prompted Cee Lo to apologise for giving him a song which restricted his vocal range and dynamic. America voted and Vincent found himself in #TeamCeeLo's bottom three during the results show the following evening. For his "Last Chance" performance, Vincent chose " Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) " by the Eurythmics --a song which represented him perfectly as an artist. He gave it gusto, playing to the camera with dramatic expression whilst dominating the stage with power, presence and true Tony Vincent style. Cee Lo was torn over the decision of which of his bottom three artists he would save, but after a heart-stopping moment of deliberation, he announced, "my head says Tony, but my heart says Cheesa."and to the shock of the studio audience, and fans around the world, Tony was eliminated from the competition.

Public outrage ensued in the days following, with thousands of comments being posted online (mainly Facebook and Twitter) strongly supporting Tony, and condemning Cee Lo's decision to eliminate him.

Cee Lo said that cutting Tony was not easy for him. "To have to let someone as talented as Tony go, it really disappointed me tonight. It hurt me," he said. "It hurt my feelings, and I know I hurt his feelings too. So I apologize to Tony. You know I love you." "I felt connected to him like a brother." Plus, they celebrated the birth of his new baby and were "just really good friends." Cee Lo sings the highest of praises for Tony. "I am humbled by his ability. I am humbled by his experience, his wisdom, and his veteran-ism. He has accomplished something in the arts that I have not. He has conquered Broadway and made himself worthy to be here and get to this point. "

Tony, gracious in defeat, gave his comments also, saying “If you don’t go with your gut, you’re probably going to make a misstep,” he said. “I do think he made a misstep tonight. I think he chose wrong. But if I was in his seat, feeling those things, I can’t say that my decision would be different.” Tony went on to say that his elimination came as a big surprise, but he thinks he knows why America didn’t vote him into the top three: his unique style. “I read a little bit of online stuff last night that it came across as a little bit socialist, militant, a little too Hitler-esque,” he said laughing. “I thought it was incredibly vibey, but America isn’t about that. They’re about Top 40, at least this audience, and that’s ok.” “I’m disappointed, but I left my mark on the show with a great exit.” Tony said.

Personal Life

Vincent met his wife, Aspen, when they played co-lead roles in We Will Rock You (Las Vegas). They married on January 5, 2008 in Vincent's hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aspen gave birth to their daughter, Sadie Day on April 3, 2012.

Discography

Year	Title	Label	Producer
2012	Starting Over (Single)	Adobe Music	Tony Vincent
2012		Universal Republic Records.
2012		Universal Republic Records.
2012		Universal Republic Records.	Bill Appleberry
2010	American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording	Warner Bros.	Billie Joe Armstrong
2010	21 Guns, featuring American Idiot cast	Warner Bros.	Billie Joe Armstrong
2007	A Better Way	Adobe Music	Adam Anders
2005	Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen	Hollywood
2004	We Will Rock You (The Original London Cast Recording)	EMI UK	Brian May
2001	Jesus Christ Superstar	Sony Music	Simon Lee
1997	One Deed	EMI/ CMG	Dennis Matkosky
1995	Tony Vincent	EMI/ CMG	Charlie Peacock and Brent Bourgeois
1993	Love Falling Down	LamCo	Tony Vincent

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
2009	''Freud's Magic Powder	El Conquistador
2007	Fable	Michael
2001	The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber: Masterpiece Live in Beijing	Himself (concert film)
2000	Jesus Christ Superstar	Simon Zealotes

Stage Work

Year	Title	Role	Venue
2010	American Idiot	St. Jimmy	Broadway
2009	American Idiot	St. Jimmy	Berkeley Repertory Theatre
2004-05	We Will Rock You	Galileo Figaro	Las Vegas
2002-03	We Will Rock You	Galileo Figaro	London
2000	Jesus Christ Superstar	Judas Iscariot	Broadway
1999	Rent	Mark / Roger	Broadway
1998	Rent	Swing	First National Tour

Copyright Citations

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