Vaughn Hemingway - Jupiter Prophet

When and where were you born? Are you originally from San Diego, Ca. What was growing up like for you?

I was born in San Diego California about the time the first satellites were launched into space. Yes. I was raised by my mother who gave me cool stuff like Legos, tinker toys, and Lincoln Logs. We had a big yard with a big canyon and my dad was a ham radio operator. When I was 4 I climbed to the top of my dad's 40 foot radio tower. The neighbor was brave enough to talk me down.

When did you first begin to fall in love with music and what instrument initially fascinated you and why? Do you have any siblings?

I grew up listening to Diana Ross, the Beach Boys, and Early Beatles on my transistor radios. We had an old stand up piano in the garage and my mother would play Bach from sheet music. From age 2, I spend a lot of time on that piano and I wrote my first 2 measure song when I was 4. Then I started guitar in second grade summer school where they tried to teach me how to play The Doors Riders on the Storm and I learned Ike & Tina Turners Rollin on the River. A friend of my mother told me about the Moog and Introduced me to Switched on Bach. I loved synthesizers ever since and enjoy the sound in songs Like Rod Stuart’s Do you think I’m sexy and Van Halen’s Jump (Arp). My mother had 4 children and my father had 5. All together there are 7. My oldest brother is not related to my youngest sister and all 7 have never been together in the same room.

What was your local music scene like in those early days? Where would you go to see bands perform and who were amongst some of the first groups that left an impression on you early on?

When I was 7, I remember attending a Jefferson Airplane concert at Balboa Stadium opened by Iron Butterfly's (In-a-gadda-davi-da). There were tons of Hell’s Angels and Hippies there passing out from the heat. When I was a teenager I went to a lot of concerts. Mostly from tickets I won from the local radio stations KCBQ and B100. Most concerts I attended were at the San Diego Sports arena. I saw the Beach Boys, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Heart, and the Cars. I think the biggest scars were from Fleetwood Mac and the Cars. I love anything drenched with synth such as Disco and 80’s music.

When did it dawn on you that you wanted to pursue music and be an artist? Did you participate in any groups, or projects prior to releasing the Jupiter Prophet record?

I really had no idea until I met some famous artists along the way. It was probably Christine McVey that inspired me to strike out on my own with a guitar and a thumb. Some of my songs are actually about Fleetwood Mac. My very best songs are about women I had the chance to fall deeply in love with. We had a tiny band of me and John Gaynor where together we did the song Emma. Emma was a penpal of mine. Though we never actually met, I fell in love with the idea of crossing the ocean for love.

Tell me about composing the songs “35,000 Feet (Challenger’s Theme)/Sayanata Vondata (Instrumental)”. You mentioned in our correspondence you created those tracks with a Moog, correct?

When I heard about the Challenger explosion I can still remember exactly where I was and how I felt. I have always been a big space fanatic and this hit deep in my heart. Yes. The Moog I used was at the University of Missouri Kansas City’s Performing Arts Center. I took Electronic music production and recording for several years and my joy was those many all nighters in the studio. We studied the Moog, the Arp, the Fairlight, Yamaha/Mac MIDI and more. 35,000 feet was created during one of those sleepless nights. Other songs such as Moog Afternoon, Bird Rock, Rocket LOx, Jerrylin, In Seattle, I Want Your Love, I've been Dreaming, Sleeping on the Ceiling, and Heaven’s Gate were all created in the UMKC studios.

How did the deal with Radiowave Records come about? You also mentioned that you drew the illustration that is on the record. Was this a self released project of sorts?

Radiowave Records later became CD Entertainment and was one of the first independent micro labels. Their slogan is “Turning the Music World Upside Down.” Yes.

When and where were these songs recorded in ‘86? What led to the decision to move out to Kansas City, MO during that time? What did you ultimately want to achieve and or express by creating this record?

UMKC Performing Arts Center Studios. Moving out to KC is fully explained in the lyrics of my song “I’ve Been Dreaming.” Kansas City has some of the friendliest people in the United States. They took me in when I was down and out. It is actually my dangerous conspiracy theory about how it was destroyed. And it will never be released again. 

What eventually happened after ‘86? What direction did you take both personally as well as musically during this time? Did you continue to pursue music? What have you been up to in more recent years?

I got married to a penpal, had kids, and built an awesome MIDI studio in my house where I recorded “I wanna love you.” This is one of my favorite songs and was even covered by another band. Yes, I played in the punk band “Projekt Malfunction  with Duke White and Kris Holloman in 1995 through 1996. My music laid dormant until 2008 when I was inspired by Britney Spears. During her so called meltdown I had the pleasure of being active on the Blackout Chats. While helping her revitalize her happiness, confidence and self esteem, I revitalized my own. In 2009 I published my first CD “Touch Me” and in 2010 I published the CD “Children of Holden.” They were manufactured by CD Baby who also published my songs all over the world on Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart, and probably 30 other servers around the world. Google my music.

You mentioned you're currently in the Philippines, correct?

I am a great romantic. I fell in love at a young age with an Asian girl. I was married twice, have 5 kids. I have a house I built here in the Philippines with my fiance Manylene. She has a wonderful voice and we will start some more multi media projects soon.

Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?

Search Vaughn Hemingway in your Facebook Story and TikTok  to use my music for free.

Dakota Brown