Gina Sedman
- Jan 15
- 6 min read

"Ingram Street" Brothers & R&B Duo Howard "Minquel" Ingram & Daniel "Woody" Got "Friend Zoned!"

Updated: May 11

R&B Duo, Brothers Howard “Minquel” Ingram & Daniel “Woody of "Ingram Street"

Tell me a little bit about your background. Where are you from, and how did you get started in music? Daniel "Woody" Ingram: My brother and I started performing as children in our hometown of Columbus, Ohio. We would write songs for fun and sing and make up dance routines to the tunes of our favorite artists at the time, like The Jacksons DeBarge New Edition and Shalamar. Our father saw what we were doing and liked it so much that he would have us perform in front of neighbors, family members, and people from his job. They would watch us perform, sometimes for hours giving us change and money. It was a lot of fun.

When did your professional career begin, and how did it happen? Daniel "Woody" Ingram: It wasn't until we were in our teens that we joined the group, Up 2 Par, where we started to sing professionally. A few local promoters around Ohio noticed us, and we began to open for artists Such as Men at Large and Joe Little of the Rude Boys. We were a five-member group, so we did five-part harmony. We also recorded some of our first demos at “Patchworks Studios” in Atlanta.

What Genre of music do you enjoy singing the most, and what Genre would you like to try that's different from the one you usually sing? Daniel "Woody" Ingram: R&B is our passion. That is what we grew up on. We also love pop music. We watched a lot of MTV growing up, which also influenced us. For me, country music. It has an incredible sound.

Howard "Minquel" Ingram: I also would like to add that I, too, am interested in trying country music, it has a lot of heart to it, and artists like Lionel Ritchie, who started with a funk sound in the Commodores, later went on to compose songs for the group that had a country vibe like "Sail On" and "Oh, No" but then also wrote songs like "Lady" for Kenny Rodgers and that inspires me.

In your opinion, what does it take to "make it in this business? Howard "Minquel" Ingram: First, it takes belief in yourself and your actions. It also takes discipline and arduous work, especially if you have been doing it for a long time.

Daniel "Woody" Ingram: The internet has dramatically changed the music industry. It is more hustle now than ever before. You must be persistent by constantly putting out new material and engaging your audience on social media because you compete for people's attention.

Throughout your career, who have you worked with? Daniel "Woody" Ingram: We have worked with talented people, including Rufus Blaq from Youngstown, Ohio. He has written and produced for Destiny's Child, Faith Evans, Marques Houston, Angie Stone, and Salt N Pepa, Brandon Scott, who has written and produced for Eric Roberson, Ron Tyson of The Temptations, Preston Glass, who has worked with Aretha, Kenny G, Whitney, Johnny Gill, International remixer Nigel Lowis, and many other writers and producers. We want to acknowledge Jay Walker, Paisha Thomas (artist), Manny Rahelu-The Realm, Denny "DJ Soulchild" Sutton, Chad River, and Irving Johnson, who was a member of Up 2 Par and still works with us to this day.

In your opinion, what's the best and worst part of being an independent artist? Howard "Minquel" Ingram: The best part of being an independent artist is controlling what is released, how it is released, and when it comes out. Having control of our look and sound and how we want to be presented to the world. The worst part of being an independent artist is not having a massive team behind you to help with all the administrative work that comes with it so that more time can be focused on the creative side of things.

Have you ever released a song that you thought would be a significant success but didn't do as well as you expected? Tell me about an experience you had like that. Daniel "Woody" Ingram: Probably when we were performing as Up 2 Par. We still needed to learn how things worked regarding radio and promotion. Putting out an album in itself, no matter how good it is, doesn't mean it's just going to catch fire and automatically explode. A lot goes into it, so expectations had to be tempered.

Do you have a daytime job, or is music your full-time job? Howard "Minquel" Ingram- I work as an Insurance Agent and do some Real Estate during the day and then nights and weekends. I work on my passion which is music.

Daniel "Woody" Ingram: I am also an Insurance Agent focused on Home and Auto, Music is my part-time passion, and I endeavor for it to be full-time.

How important is it that your friends and family support your music by purchasing and downloading your single? How crucial is their support for the success of your career? Woody & Minquel-We love getting support from our family. Our Name, Ingram Street, is partially an ode to them. We are proud of all our roots, and when our family is behind us, it makes us happy. Our parents and many of our aunts and uncles are no longer here, so we most certainly enjoy the support of those we still have.

In your opinion, are likes and dislikes on social media an accurate assessment of the artist's talent, worth, or ability? Howard "Minquel Ingram-Likes and dislikes are not an accurate assessment of an artist as far as their talent and worth; they look good on the surface and are appreciated; however, within those likes, you will find those that genuinely support while some likes are there just as an acknowledgment that they checked out the post, but they may not be genuinely invested by purchasing a ticket to the show, downloading the album, or purchasing physical merch from the website. That is why social media is needed to build your brand, but live performances give an artist an authentic connection to their audience and always build faithful followers.

What do people who hear your music say about your vocal style, and what sets you apart from other vocalists? Daniel "Woody" Ingram-I've heard a lot of comparisons. I've listened to Debarge, Ne-Yo, and Blackstreet. Minquel sings very passionately and with a lot of emotion. I do a lot of falsetto, but I can change it depending on the song. Our voices complement each other.

Howard "MInquel" Ingram-People who hear our music feel we are heavily influenced by Old school artists like The Jackson 5, The Stylistics, and Babyface. But we also get compared to Bruno, “The Weeknd,” and Justin. What sets us apart is the combination of our vocal styles. My brother's excellent range, mixed with my emotional delivery, creates a unique style.

How would you describe your music to those who have never heard it? Howard "Minquel" Ingram-I would describe our music as sophisticated soul music with a taste of old school mixed with a new original vibe.

Do you write and produce your music? Daniel "Woody" Ingram-Yes, we write our music. We also work with producers to flush out our ideas. We have quite a few we work with, which is cool because each producer has their flavor and can bring different elements out of us as artists.

What would you like to see change in the music industry? Howard "Minquel" Ingram- I would like to see artists getting paid more for streaming on Spotify and other streaming platforms. Daniel "Woody" Ingram- I would like to see R &B back in the mainstream. R & B is enormous overseas, and we have a thriving following in England and Brazil. But here in the U.S., where contemporary R&B was once major with artists like Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, and others, it's been reduced to the Top 30 on "Billboard. For decades, it was one of the main genres of music here in the states. So much talent is out there and working the independent scene just like us.