Reunited & Back in the Groove!
After 40 years, funk and soul band Real to Reel is rewriting history—Sony Music has finally released their once-shelved 1983 album!
About the Band
Real to Reel is a high-energy band formed in high school in Los Angeles, featuring seven friends: lead singer Matt Leslie; his brothers Peter and Dominic on guitars; Marquis Dair and Isaias Gamboa on keyboards and vocals; Dan Morgan on drums; and Billy Smith on bass.
The band was discovered by legendary producer Leon Sylvers III—one of the most successful hitmakers of the late 1970s and early 1980s—through his partnership with Dick Griffey of SOLAR Records. For Real to Reel’s debut album, Sylvers brought in top talent, including producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and Dana Meyers, to craft a sound that captured the energy and talent of the young group. Their debut single, “Can You Treat Me Like She Does?” (penned by Jam & Lewis), quickly gained attention.
Despite early success, including a performance on Soul Train, label challenges hindered their momentum. After five years of navigating industry roadblocks, the band disbanded.
Four decades later, Real to Reel has returned triumphantly, with their self-titled album officially released on Sony Music and available on all streaming platforms!
In the Studio
This year, the band reunited for a studio session at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, to recreate their hit singles, “Can You Treat Me Like She Does?” originally produced by the legendary production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and their unreleased album’s title track, “Real to Real.”
The session included G-Funk producer and artist DamFunk on Talk Box, Kerry Griffin on drums (Maxwell, Jody Watley, Loose Ends), James “DC” Wilson III on keyboards (Gladys Knight, Johnny Gill, New Edition, Babyface, Bernadette Cooper, Mazarati), and Keith Eaddy on bass (Eric Benet, Loose Ends, Jasmin Guy, Keisha Jackson, Will Wheaton).
Band Members
ISAIAS GAMBOA plays keyboards and background vocals in Real to Reel. He is a multi-Grammy-winning producer for his work on five of The Temptations albums, a music activist working on the documentary Claim the Sky: We Shall Overcome about the intriguing history behind the civil rights movement’s anthem, and the author of So Help Me God: Peter Seeger Stole We Shall Overcome.
MATT LESLIE is the lead vocalist of Real to Reel and has traveled worldwide with the R&B group Rama and, during the ’90s, was a member of AFRO-D-ZIAK, a funk rock band that was a part of Vernon Reid’s Black Rock Coalition.
MARQUIS “HAMI” DAIR is a multi-instrumentalist who plays keyboards, guitar, and bass, sings background, and co-led vocals in Real to Reel. During the ’90s and 2000s, he was the go-to musician to play live instruments on West Coast hip-hop classics by N.W.A., Eazy-E, Too $hort, and Dr. Dre. He received the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award for Songwriter of 2020 for the platinum-selling “Big Ole Freak” by Megan Thee Stallion.
Media Coverage
Contact
For bookings and information, contact:
Roseann V. Warren | rvw@muphoricsounds.com | (646) 470-1029