"Not Just Handsome Faces"
By PETE TATTERSALL
THE SUN HERALD
I'm pretty sure Jeff Timmons is what you'd call a heartthrob. If my female
co-workers hadn't informed me of such, I feel sure I would have figured it out
when I saw him posing, clad only in blue jeans and with buff pecs exposed, on
the cover of "Melt," a magazine for women.
Timmons, founding member of the temporarily defunct pop band 98 Degrees, appears
in concert along with Jim Brickman tonight at 7:30 at the Coliseum.
Brickman, who headlines the show, has racked up an impressive 10 albums since
his 1994 solo recording debut, "No Words." A frequent guest on the
"Today" show, Brickman has played all over the world, in front of
royalty and even a president (Clinton). He also earned a 2003 Grammy nomination
for the holiday CD "Peace."
Aside from a host of other awards and accolades, Brickman has earned four gold
records, one platinum and a pretty loyal following around the country. He also
hosts his own weekly syndicated radio show, "Your Week with Jim Brickman,"
and has penned a best-selling book of essays, "Simple Things" (with
co-author Cindy Pearlman). Brickman has another book, "Love Notes: 101
Lessons from the Heart," due out next month.
Brickman's signature songs include "Valentine" (performed with Martina
McBride), "The Gift" (with Collin Raye and Susan Ashton) and
"Simple Things" (with Rebecca Lynn Howard).
Timmons, meanwhile, said in a recent phone interview that he and Brickman met
through a mutual friend about two years ago.
"Jim and I hit it off very well. He asked me to be on the tour last year,
and I rejoined the tour this year. It's just a blast," said Timmons.
"It's introducing me to a different age range, a different age bracket of
fans. It has definitely helped me create relationships in the business, as far
as the adult contemporary radio format."
Timmons' 98 Degrees bandmates include Justin Jeffre and brothers Drew and Nick
Lachey (yes, that Nick Lachey). So, in a roundabout way, if it wasn't for
Timmons creating the band, we probably wouldn't have Nick and Jessica to kick
around.
"We're taking a few years off, but we'll probably get back together,"
said Timmons. "I actually started the group with some friends of mine in
Ohio. We went out to California to pursue it. Guys I was with got homesick and
went home, before we actually got a deal. Then I was introduced to Nick and
Justin through a friend I met in L.A., and they came out and joined the group in
L.A."
After that, the band's route to success was a bit unorthodox.
"We eventually got signed after we snuck backstage at a Boyz II Men concert
and sang on the radio. We got discovered, signed to Motown and the rest is
history," said Timmons.
Timmons, meanwhile describes his music as "a lot of love songs and ballads.
Sort of like Jim's, very romantic. My music individually sounds a lot like 98
Degrees, in that it has a lot of great melodies, and hopefully the harmony is
there. We based our music off of Boys II Men. We're big fans of them and a lot
of do-wop groups of the '50s and '60s."
Timmons said his other musical influences include Michael Jackson, Stevie
Wonder, The Temptations and The Four Tops.
"I'm also heavily influenced by classical rock, groups that use a lot of
harmonies like Journey, Boston, The Eagles. Stuff like that," said Timmons.
And if he has his way in the future, look for Timmons on the other side of the
aisle, musically speaking.
"I'm just starting to get into production now. I produced this album, so
hopefully it will catch the eyes and ears of a lot of people on the production
side," he said. "That's where my real passion is. Hopefully, I'll be
writing for, and producing for, other artists in the next few years."
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