Deon Yates began his solo career in 2009 when he competed against up and coming contemporary jazz artist from all over the United States at the Capital Jazz Challenge in Columbia, MD. Although he did not win the competition, he was named runner-up. This gave him the drive and determination to pursue his solo career further. With the exposure garnered from the competition and being called on stage to perform with Rick Braun and Richard Elliot at the Capital Jazz Festival, Deon sparked the interest of U.S. Music Enterprises, LLC. They asked Deon if they could feature his song, “Freeway,” on their “Jazz Infusion-Session 1” compilation album. The project was released on May 23, 2010 and marked the first time Deon’s music went international.
Deon spent the next couple of years performing and honing his craft. Thanks to his performances at the Capital Jazz Festival, Deon became a regular fixture with the house band on the Capital Jazz Super Cruise. With that experience and exposure, you could often find Deon on stage with artists like Nick Colionne, Paul Brown, Lin Rountree, Marion Meadows and Marc Antoine to name a few.His latest project “QUINTASTIC” is the culmination of nearly 10 years of paying dues, relationship building and persistence. The word quintastic is a noun. The definition is “a person who is aged fifty or more and is still attractive and successful, especially someone famous.” This title was chosen because Deon turned 50 in June of 2018, this is his 5th solo project and there are 5 songs on the EP.