Commissioner Gordon’s Biography

Background

Gordon Williams can be described as a “multi-faced” artist because of his vast yet different involvement in the music industry. Dubbed “Commissioner” by rapper KRS One-with whom he worked closely- his extensive résumé includes multiple Grammy Awards and numerous Gold and Platinum albums.

The Bronx native started experiencing his abilities in the field of music as a DJ in the 80’s, when he also participated in the break-through of the Hip-Hop genre and culture- what he described as a “neighborhood phenomena”. Inspired at eight years old by DJs playing music in parks in the Bronx, Williams will himself be spinning records until his decision to delve more into his production skills in college, a decision that made him leave Rutgers University- which he only attended for a year- and transfer to the New York’s Center for Media Arts. There, he participated in one of the first programs of its kind for music engineering.

After graduating, The Commissioner was signed by an independent record label as a producer and member of the group, Touch, where he worked as an engineer, producer and programmer. Touch gained much success and their single “With Out You” reached top-five in the Billboard dance category. Soon after that, Williams earned a production deal with Motown Records, what he described as being the start of his career in the music industry. In fact, this achievement led to Gordon’s emergence as a programmer and re-mixer. Soon, his credits included projects with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Teddy Riley, Babyface, Staci Lattisaw, Diana Ross, New Edition, Nile Rodgers and Quincy Jones. In 1998, Williams further extended his creative reach and became Senior Director of A&R at Sony Music Entertainment. During this time, he worked on Lauryn Hill’s solo debut smash, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and Will Smith’s blockbuster movie and soundtrack “Men in Black”. His label duties involved looking after the likes of Alicia Keys, Wyclef Jean and 50 Cent.

Williams recently collaborated with Canadian blues artist, Matt Andersen, producing his new album “Honest Man” which officially released February 26th, 2016. The album has been receiving high praise from critics in the industry even charting in the “Top 5” on Soundscan Albums in Canada. Matt is currently on tour in North America.

The Grammys Legacy

The Commissioner’s first two Grammys arrived after his collaboration on “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”, where he tied the vocals, music and effects together to help create one of the biggest-selling albums of 1998-1999. The album was critically Commissioner Gordon’s Biography

acclaimed and the Commissioner walked away with two Grammys for his work on what was hailed as the Album of the Year. During those years, he was also the live sound mixer for Ms. Hill’s world tour.

In 1999, Williams won another Grammy for participating in the mixing of Santana's multi-platinum “Supernatural" (Arista) which also won Album of the Year.

His other Grammys include Will Smith’s “Men in Black” (1998,) Damian Marley’s “Halfway Tree” (2001,) Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock” (2005), and Stephen Marley’s “Mind Control” (2009).

His contributions include Amy Winehouse’s critically acclaimed debut album “Frank,” and Joss Stone’s multi-platinum “Mind, Body and Soul.”

Education

Over the past years Williams has delved deeper into the area of education. In 2007 Williams received an honorary degree from Gibbs College for writing the curriculum for their first audio engineering program. The program was accredited by the state of New Jersey as an accredited Associate’s Degree course.

A few years later followed one of the most significant experiences that will confirm Williams as a devoted pioneer in the field of education. In 2010 he was introduced to Mr. Bill Strickland of the Manchester Craftsman’s Guild. Williams was very inspired by Mr. Strickland and agreed to implement his first program at one of Mr. Strickland’s replication sites, NewBridge Center for Art and Technology in Cleveland. Williams served as a teacher there and put together one his first curriculums for apprentice composers and mixers.

Since then he has found his passion for teaching and giving back to the community through passing on his knowledge and support. The Commissioner has worked with other educational organizations in Ohio such as The Music Settlement, Case Western University, The Cleveland Foundation and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but also in New York, at the vocational high-school Co-op tech, and in Brooklyn at Long Island University, where he has worked as adjunct professor in the Media and Arts Department.

Lalabela

Now-days Commissioner Gordon is based at the Manhattan Center in central Manhattan, where he works as the head and founder of Lalabela, an Agency, Academy and Alliance for artists. The idea for what was to become Lalabela started after Williams visited one of the townships in South Africa, where he traveled in 2005. Having parents from the Caribbean-and Bob Marley as one of his biggest influences growing up- Williams always felt a deep connection to Africa. “When I saw the conditions people, especially the Commissioner Gordon’s Biography

children, were living in, I was moved and wanted to find a way to help,” he said in an interview. Williams is concerned with nurturing underserved communities through the arts by offering them a place where they can rehearse, record and grow with the help of other artists. Furthermore, Lalabela functions as the pioneer of the several educational programs that Williams has recently initiated, such as its new collaboration with the National Urban League.

Lalabela is also home to the group White Tiger Society, which Williams has founded in 2012 with singer and songwriter Dajla Lalia. In this group, Williams is not only a producer, but also a member. “I started as a DJ, so this is a full circle for me,” he described in an interview, “being in front of an audience again. White Tiger Society represents all of us, it’s a family.”