Tony Bean

The seventh child of Jamaican immigrants, Tony's musical life began in the New Testament Church of God (New T), influenced by his mother, a rare female church musician.

His grandmother was a co-founder and the first female minister of the George Street church. Though initially drawn to football, sibling rivalry led him to the guitar at age eight. A pivotal moment occurred at age 12 when his father secured him a white Fender Stratocaster for £300, a transaction that taught him a crucial lesson in bargaining and validated his parents’ belief in his musical future. He was mentored by Elliot Brown, who introduced him to jazz-funk, a genre Tony sought to integrate into the strict gospel traditions of the Highgate Gospel Choir.

Tony’s professional aspirations soon clashed with the choir’s focus on church commitments. Mainstream opportunities, such as recording background vocals for Labi Siffre’s “Something Inside So Strong,” were dismissed by the choir majority as a “distraction,” leading to them not being credited on the song. Tony argued that musicians, not church leaders, pioneered breaking denominational barriers through informal “jam sessions” that fostered intense practice and musical growth. His entry into the secular scene with the soul band Delegation, including a German tour, resulted in an ultimatum from the Highgate Choir, which he refused, leading to his departure as he pursued a professional career.

A significant turning point came in the late 1980s when Tony partnered with Michael of Musical Youth, forming the production team 5 AM. Michael introduced him to the music industry, leading to a record deal with Polydor. 5 AM quickly developed successful UK acts like Eternal and Dina Carroll. Tony leveraged his father’s lesson to insist Polydor build the 5 AM studio in Birmingham, allowing him to focus on production there. 5 AM became renowned for its commitment to the highest-quality sound, benchmarking against American music. After various singer ventures “imploded” due to lack of work ethic, 5 AM focused on remixing and production, achieving industry respect when BMG and Sony directly released their precisely mastered mixes, notably a Tyrese remix.

Inspired by Michael’s spiritual shift, 5 AM applied their mainstream expertise to gospel, forming the girl group New Life. Tony actively challenged major gospel label Integrity to invest in UK talent. New Life secured a five-album deal and distribution with Universal, despite the album being labeled “risque” for discussing topics like drugs. However, the group members were unwilling to commit to a crucial six-month US tour with Kirk Franklin, which Tony viewed as the chance to “crack” the UK gospel industry. He expresses deep pain over this missed opportunity, attributing the failure to a pervasive lack of professionalism and excellence among UK gospel artists and the church’s failure to connect music with investment.