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WE ARE
MUSIC GROUP
President
Rhonda Jones
Growing up in Southern California, I listened to all types of music in the 70’s and 80’s, which allowed me to gain a broad appreciation for all types of music. However, the Rhythm and Blues (R&B) of the 1980’s was the soundtrack to my teen and young adult years. Always involved in church choirs and talent shows, I had no idea that my love of music would result in being married to Paul Laurence. In addition to my Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership, I hold a Masters in Human & Organizational Development, an Education Specialist (Ed.S) in Educational Leadership and I am currently finishing a PhD in higher education leadership. I have a broad base of work experience in marketing, management, leadership and public relations to contribute to the work of Poplar Music. My work with educational teams, college campus administrations, college students and passion for music has lead me to accept this opportunity with my husband. I am excited about my role in Poplar Music and introducing new talent to the world! Paul and I also plan to spend more time with our big blended family of five children, their spouses and five grandchildren.
Having been involved with music and for the love of music for many, many years, I’ve truly been blessed to come along in an era where creating music and recording music was played live and recorded live. During this time I went from being: self-taught of playing keyboards, programming sounds for keyboards, recording engineering, then to music production. From there I went to using a computer to record MIDI instruments; with MIDI devices to help with creating songs. With this information and knowledge and my background of computer programming, this led me to being introduced to Paul Laurence. I was introduced to Paul by Sonny Moore; and introduced to Sonny Moore by Donald Dean. In 1984, Studio 6 was the studio recording facility that Sonny and I founded to write songs and record some other local artists. It was during this time that I met Paul. Sonny and Paul have known each other from way back in the day. Moving forward, Paul had come to town to to promote his album "Underexposed" which featured the hits " Make My Baby Happy" "I Ain't Wit It" and "Cut The Crap" featuring Janice Dempsey, performing a show in Raleigh NC. During that week, before the show, I recorded Paul at the studio as he was beginning another song, and wanted to get the ideas down on tape. After that Paul had went back to California and continued working on the song. We stayed in touch for a few years after that and then we kind of lost touch because of day to day routines that come into the paths our lives. In 2010 Paul relocated to North Carolina after living many years in California. It was in 2013, after my mother had passed, that we were reconnected by our faith in the Heavenly Father. Being both spiritually grounded, it took another three years to begin really talking about new music and companies; with the mindset to create new songs that will bring R & B back, to be listened to and enjoyed by those who really love music.
Business Experience:
With a background in sales for over 30 years, day to day operations from the working class perspective will be valuable in time as we move forward to make Poplar Music Entertainment Group viable entity among the music industry and entertainment world.
Larry Bennett
SENIOR VICE pRESIDENT OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS
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