Dre-Bio

Being the musical director and lead guitarist for Purple Reign requires D’Andre to know, “pretty much everyone’s part,” a feat he considers not too difficult, seeing as he’s been performing since the age of 12. A native of Chicago, D'Andre has over 30 years experience in the music industry – as a musician, performer, producer and songwriter.

Like most members of the group, music runs in the family. His grandfather was part of a gospel group called “Soul Stirrers;” while his father was a drummer. No surprise then that this was the first instrument he learned, although he quickly progressed to the piano, bass, and even the violin. And while he was no doubt blessed with an ear for music, D'Andre actually went to school to learn music theory.

D'Andre started out as a musician for a Chicago “Big City Band,” and made the move to Vegas in 1994, as a member of “The Next Movement.” This provided the opportunity to open for such top acts as “The Four Tops” and “The Temptations.” The group “Rhythm Nation” followed, where he was a vocalist and guitarist, and another, “Soul Desire” prior to joining Purple Reign in 2009.

When they’re not rehearsing “at least once or twice a week,” D'Andre does more than dabble in production work, continuing to write and produce for other artists. He shares that, “Of course, the ultimate goal for me is that I want to release my own album; I want to be a solo artist;” but he admits that, “I still do a lot of prep work for Purple Reign. There’s a lot more going on underneath than what it appears.”

Ever the musician, D'Andre works hard to ensure that they stay true to Prince’s music and sound, saying, “You’d be surprised – there are a lot of Prince fans that can tell the difference. If it’s a solo, we want to make sure that we have it closest to the record as possible.”

Even with such dedication, D'Andre shares that the most challenging part of his job doesn’t have anything to do with playing the guitar, or arranging music, it’s “Performing in that hot suit!”

D'Andre

guitar/musical director