Andy Stokes

Active since the early '80s, Andy Stokes is a soul-rooted R&B songwriter and vocalist whose powerful but composed style recalls the Gap Band's Charlie Wilson and Enchantment's Emanuel Johnson. The Portland, Oregon native got his start in 1983, when he joined Cool'r, formed by ex-members of Pleasure. The band released the independent Let's Talk About It (1986) and the A&M-issued follow-up Cool'r (1989). During this period, Stokes was among the vocalists for the claymation retro-R&B act the California Raisins. Once Cool'r split, Stokes went solo, first with the single "Test of Time" (1993) and then with the album About Time (1995). He recorded infrequently during the 2000s, most notably for Let the Good Times Roll: A NW Tribute to Ray Charles, but was active throughout as a performer. Toward the end of the decade, he added a number of regional music awards and acknowledgments to his résumé when he was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Stokes continued his solo output with the Full Circle EP (2016) and Now EP (2018), the latter including the single "Best Day Ever." © Andy Kellman /TiVo