Тедди Рили возвращается в Вирджиния-Бич для открытия некоммерческой академии исполнительских искусств

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... VIRGINIA BEACH — Teddy Riley, who produced major hits for Michael Jackson and a host of other music legends, is returning to Virginia Beach and plans to open a nonprofit performing arts academy. “This plan here was a dream of mine,” said Riley, 59, in a phone interview from Texas, where he currently lives, on Friday. “To have my own academy, giving back to the kids, elevating their skills and showing them the way that I’ve made it today creating my own sound, my own movement.” The self-taught producer pioneered new jack swing — a sound that melded together funk, gospel, jazz and rap. Riley produced Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” and “Now that we Found Love” by Heavy D and the Boyz. Fans and friends along with what he described as a calling from God to “bless others,” helped persuade him to come back to Virginia Beach and provide a learning ground for young people with an interest in the music industry, he said. Riley is building a team of instructors who will be experts in a variety of music genres. The academy will also offer training in the business side of music and video production, coding and finance. Students could range from elementary school age to 17, though details are still being worked out. “I started out very young,” he said. Some students will have the opportunity to work on projects for artists, Riley said. He is moving to Virginia Beach this year and wants to open the academy next fall. The location is to be determined but he’s actively looking at several potential buildings that could house classrooms, studio space and more, he said. Virginia Beach roots In 1987, while living in New York, Riley and he and friends Aaron and Damion Hall formed the R&B group Guy. Their debut album featured chart toppers “Groove Me” and “Teddy’s Jam.” Three years later, at age 23, Riley left New York and relocated to Virginia Beach, where he launched Future Recording Studios in Thalia. He helped formed the band BLACKstreet. The city recently gave Beasley Drive the honorary title: Blackstreet Boulevard in honor of the band. Riley worked with Bobby Brown, Wreckx-N-Effect, Stevie Wonder, Boy George and many other artists through the years. He discovered Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo at a Princess Anne High School talent show that Riley organized and guided them early in their careers. In 2019, at the Something in the Water Festival, Riley was among the star-studded lineup of performers. “I’m excited to get back there,” he said. Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, [email protected]