La Verne’s Charles DeWayne Dorsey Rips it Up on America’s Got Talent

LaVerneOnline brings you good news and bad news:

The good news is we were able to contact Charles DeWayne Dorsey, La Verne’s hot playing keyboardist and singer whose version of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” rocked the judges and studio audience in episode nine of America’s Got Talent, which aired nationwide on NBC, July 21.

The bad news, the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist can’t tell us much more about the show, his performance, his music or his future dreams at the moment because of contractual obligations to the television show.

Therefore, we’ll tell you what we know based on past postings about the former Damien High School student, now 21, whose family resides in La Verne.

DeWayne brings a fresh new sound to the world of entertainment “from the depths of La Verne,” according to his MySpace posting. He is not only a songwriter, but also a vocalist, saxophonist, drummer, keyboardist, actor, model & overall “Renaissance Man.

Recently, Dewayne’s hit “For the People” was Grand Prize Winner in the 16th Annual Billboard World Song Contest. Charles was crowned Best Gospel Artist in the 2008 Hollywood Music Awards and received a nomination for “Best Male Vocal”. DeWayne also picked up a nomination for Soul/R&B single of the year in the 18th Annual LA Music Awards.

Charles has also been the July winner and three-time finalist in the “Song of the Year International Songwriting Competition” and has received Honorable Mention in the “John Lennon” and”We Are Listening” International Songwriting Competitions.

Charles DeWayne has performed at a wide variety of venues, ranging from the House of Blues on Sunset Strip, The Seoul Theological University Conference in Seoul, Korea and many other festivals and events across the Los Angeles area.

In the effort of fine-tuning these many talents, he is now studying at the prestigious California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) in Valencia, Ca. In addition to his solo career comes his leadership as Music/Media Director at Lifeline Fellowship Christian Center located in Altadena, Calif.

DeWayne is said to represent a blend of Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire and Marvin Gaye influenced by the present contemporary sounds of John Legend and Ne-Yo.

On his July 21 America’s Got Talent performance, he not only won over the judges and audience, but also TV Guide critic Dana Zepeda:

“Singer/ keyboardist Charles DeWayne Dorsey was the real deal,” Zepeda said. “I was skeptical when Mama Dorsey told Nick (the host) that her son ‘was born to do this.’ C’mon, don’t all moms say that? But Sharon (Osborne) nailed it when she told him, ‘You’ve got that little bit of star quality about you.’ His feel good cover of Stevie Wonder’s hit “Signed, Sealed Delivered” was the high note of the night.”

Even before DeWayne’s nationwide performance, he had been picking up favorable and enthusiastic reviews for his songwriting and musicality. Here’s another excerpt from a recent review:

“The music reaches incredible heights of jazz and fusion that is almost addictive. Your musical composition is complex, alive and vivid. The melodies are an infectious creative explosion!.” “The music pushes you forward, inward, outward and through various layers of sounds, while the vocals bring out the passion and energy in the song.”

You can hear more of Dorsey’s high notes by checking out his http://www.myspace.com/officialcharlesdewayne or http://www.youtube.com/charlesdewayne. Also click on Reel People on LaVerneOnline.com to view Charles DeWayne’s most recent performance on “America’s Got Talent.”

As soon as Charles is contractually able to speak to the media, LaVerneOnline will bring you the full story on this amazing young man and musical talent “from the depths of La Verne.” Until then, enjoy his music.

A special thank you goes out to Nancy Wyatt for her assistance with this story. Ms. Wyatt is a loyal reader of LaVerneOnline, and has her finger on the pulse when it comes to all things La Verne.