| Birth name | Neal Antone Dyer |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 29 March 1971 (age 55) |
| Birth place | London, England |
| Occupation | Singer, rapper, DJ |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Past member of | Beat System (1996), R.I.O. (2008–2011) |
Neal Antone Dyer (born 29 March 1971), better known by the stage name Tony T., is a British singer, rapper and DJ of Jamaican origin,[1] best known as the frontman of German dance music projects Beat System, Cascada, and R.I.O.[2] His best known hit with R.I.O. was "Turn This Club Around",[3] which reached number 3 in German Singles Chart and topped the Swiss Schweizer Hitparade chart, and was certified gold in both charts.[2][4][5][6]
Beginnings
Born to Jamaican parents, Dyer resided early on in Brooklyn where he started DJing.[7] After two years, he moved to Germany in 1985 where he worked as a resident DJ at the club Gaslight.[8]
1996–1998: Beat System
In the 1990s, he was a member of the dance music project Beat System which released "Noise Dance", a limited release in Germany. Then came the singles "Dance Romance" and "Dance Romance Chapter Two" on Insania Records and "Stay with Me", produced by Axel Breitung. Changing labels and signing with Blow Up, the group released "Fresh", a cover of the Kool & the Gang song that charted in Germany, followed by "Reggae Night", a Jimmy Cliff cover. The label Intercord released Beat System's debut and only album Refreshiator after which the project was dropped.[9]
2008–2012: R.I.O.
In 2008, Tony T was a founding member of the German dance project R.I.O. with Yann Pfeifer (Yanou) and Manuel Reuter (DJ Manian).[10] After the debut single "De Janeiro / R.I.O.", the trio with Tony T. as frontman of the band had a string of hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, like "Shine On" from the Shine On (The Album), followed by "When the Sun Comes Down", "Hot Girl", "Like I Love You" and "Miss Sunshine". But R.I.O.'s hit "Turn This Club Around" featuring the vocals of U-Jean proved to be an international success reaching No. 5 in Austria, No. 3 in Germany, No. 1 in Switzerland also charting in the UK, Scotland, Netherlands, as well as Belgium, Canada. The band released same titled album Turn This Club Around with the further hit "Animal" from the album.[11]
2012–: Solo career / DNGRS Crew
Tony T. left the R.I.O. project in 2012 to launch a solo career. His first solo releaser was "Way to Rio". He was featured in "Everybody" from Mike Candys also featuring Evelyn. He also had collaborations such as with Darius & Finlay in "Phenomenon" and with Soulwash featured in "No Games". In 2013, he was featured in the hit "Want U Now" by Ardian Bujupi, a finalist in the German music competition Deutschland sucht den Superstar and in "Beautiful Life" by Sasha Lopez also featuring Big Ali.[12]
In May 2013, he co-founded DNGRS Crew with rappers Carlprit and Marlon B. Their first single together was "Dangerous" credited to DJ Mase vs DNGRS Crew, released on Kontor Records.
In 2022, he teamed up with singer Iraj and they did a cover of "Truth Hurts".[13]
Discography
Albums
- with Beat System
- 1996: Refreshiator
- with R.I.O.
- 2008: Shine On (The Album)
- 2011: Sunshine
- 2011: Turn This Club Around
Singles
- with Beat System
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | BELFL | BELWA | FRA | GER | |||
| "Fresh" | 1996 | 29 | 37 | 18 | 15 | 32 | Refreshinator |
| "Reggae Night" | – | 36 | – | – | 93 | ||
| "—" denotes singles that did not chart | |||||||
- with R.I.O.
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | CAN | ESP | FRA | GER | ITA | NLD | SWE | SWI | UK | |||
| "De Janeiro" | 2007 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | — | — | — | Shine On (The Album) |
| "Shine On" | 2008 | 21 | – | 22 | 8 | 25 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 17 | — | |
| "When the Sun Comes Down" | 54 | – | 9 | – | 63 | – | 9 | – | 62 | — | ||
| "After the Love" | 2009 | 41 | – | – | – | 65 | – | 66 | — | — | — | |
| "Serenade" | – | – | – | – | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "One Heart" | 2010 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 24 | — | — | — | |
| "Hot Girl" | – | – | – | – | – | – | 90 | — | — | — | Sunshine | |
| "Like I Love You" | 2011 | 35 | – | – | – | 31 | – | 24 | – | 28 | — | |
| "Miss Sunshine" | 44 | – | – | – | 50 | – | 17 | – | 43 | — | ||
| "Turn This Club Around" (feat. U-Jean) | 5 | 95 | – | 96 | 3 | – | 34 | – | 1 | 36 | Turn This Club Around | |
| "Animal" (feat. U-Jean) | 33 | – | – | 111 | 48 | – | 26 | – | 51 | — | ||
| "—" denotes singles that did not chart | ||||||||||||
Featured in
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | CZE | GER | SVK | SWI | |||
| "Phenomenon" (Darius & Finlay feat. Tony T.) | 2012 | 26 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Everybody" (Mike Candys feat. Evelyn & Tony T.) | 2013 | 14 | 57 | 40 | 69 | 14 | |
| "Beautiful Life" (Sasha Lopez feat. Tony T. and Big Ali) | – | 49 | — | — | — | ||
| "Break My Stride" (Bodybangers feat. Tony T.) | 62 | – | 90 | — | — | ||
| "Heart It Tonight" (ONdray feat. Tony T.) | 2014 | – | 47 | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes singles that did not chart | |||||||
- 2012: "No Games" (Soulwash feat. Tony T.)
- 2013: "Want U Now" (Ardian Bujupi feat. Tony T.)
- 2013: "Breaking the Ice" (Bodybangers feat. Tony T.)
- 2013: "Summer's Gone" (Sash! feat. Tony T.)
- 2017: "Color of Love" (Stephan F feat. Tony T.)
References
- ^ InternationalDJs.at: Tony T. Archived 8 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ R.I.O.: Doppel-Gold für "Turn This Club Around" (in German)
- ^ "R.I.O. & U-Jean Biography, Discography, Chart History". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ Zeitung, Westdeutsche (2009-04-29). "Tony T – Traumkarriere eines Überfliegers mit Bodenhaftung" (in German). Westdeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ "Tony T the Producer". www.top-charts.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ "R.I.O. feat. U-Jean - Turn This Club Around", retrieved 2023-01-25
- ^ "TONY T". Blaster Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ Spidermix: Tony T. (in Italian)
- ^ "Beat System". webdjs.ch. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Tony T va avea o colaborare cu Sasha Lopez". Daily Magazine. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com - Discography R.I.O.". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ "Tony Dyer". The Eurodance Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ "Iraj and Tony. T release new track - Life Online". www.life.lk. Retrieved 2023-01-25.