Hollywood Branding is pleased to announce a new entertainment division, Music Nation USA. Music Nation is a music publishing and artist management company. We currently have over 100 original songs and lyrics for sale or license to producers, artists, TV shows, movies, or other sync/performance opportunities.
Our mission is to sign established independent artists who understand and appreciate the benefits of working with a brand to grow both the brand and the artist’s fan base. With all artists, we will manage their marketing, which ensures the brand will receive the exposure, integration, and product placements they desire.
We are pleased to present our first artist David Allen Proffer
David Allen Proffer (born July 28, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Born into a musical family, where everyone sang four part harmonies, Proffer grew up singing Gospel music. His mother and father sang, his sister played piano, and his brother played piano and guitar.
David began studying piano at age eight but quit four years later. At age 13 he started studying the guitar and eventually became accomplished at piano through self-taught methods. At age 15 he began writing songs and found that new melodies and lyrics came easily to him.
Preferring music over academic studies, Proffer skipped class to play guitar and sing in the school stairwells at Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights, Missouri. By his senior year he had formed a band called Jack Daniels Revue with fellow students.
In the fall of 1976, David left St. Louis to play baseball and soccer at Mid-America Nazarene College in Olathe, Kansas. He then transferred to Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on a soccer scholarship.
After college he moved back to St. Louis and played local gigs with Mark Kuban, the son of Bob Kuban who founded both The In-Man and Bob Kuban Brass. Longing to advance his music career, David moved to San Diego in 1993. He played solo gigs throughout San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County, in addition to playing guitar, keyboard and background vocals with his own band Michelle’s Past which featured Candi Morris as lead vocalist.
In 1996 Proffer recorded a demo CD with his band Michelle’s Past produced by Josquin des Pres, a music industry heavyweight who owns Track Star Entertainment and is well-known for his writing partnership with Bernie Taupin, lyricist for Elton John. Josquin, also a legendary session musician, played bass on the album.
Image credit: www.josquindespres.com
In August 1996, Proffer had the good fortune of opening for Janis Ian, who won a Grammy in 1975 for her song “At Seventeen” and most recently in 2013 another Grammy for her audiobook of her biography, Society’s Child – My Autobiography.
Image credit: www.wikipedia.org
In 1998 David worked with Josquin des Pres again to produce his first full album with 11 tracks entitled NAKED as the day I was born. Josquin played bass and Jimmy Crespo was lead guitar. Crespo, at the time, was lead guitarist for Aerosmith and would go on to perform and record with Rod Stewart.
Jimmy Crespo & Steven Tyler – Image credit www.bravewords.com
While continuing to write and play music, Proffer co-founded and co-directed a non-profit organization, Making a Difference, which built group homes in metro San Diego for at-risk youth. After 8 years of non-profit work, David crossed over to the business world working for one of the largest debt settlement companies in the U.S.
In 2012, he moved back to his home town of St. Louis, MO to be closer to family. Still writing original songs and lyrics, Proffer had a catalog of over 100 songs. In early February 2013, David signed with Music Nation USA, a division of Hollywood Branding International, to publish and sell his music and manage his music career. His albums and singles from NAKED as the day I was born and Michelle’s Past are available on iTunes, Amazon, Facebook, ReverbNation, and other music retailers. In addition, his catalog of 100+ songs and lyrics will be available for purchase or license.
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