Theophilus Coakley is a brilliant pianist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer, and producer from the beautiful Andros Island in the Bahamas. Theophilus, also known as “Theo” or “T” Coakley had a very successful music career, one he did not share alone. Theo is most known for his Funk/R&B/Pop/Disco group, T-Connection, which he formed with his younger brother and their friends. Before all the fame and success Theo was just a typical young boy born in the Islands. His parents were Ruth and Lency Coakley; Theophilus adored his mother who gave birth to his nine other siblings. Theo always had a wonderful relationship and connection with his mom; who gave him much inspiration for his music. Theo and his other siblings were always encouraged to pursue music by their parents. From the very first time Theo put his hands on a Piano it was recognized that he was a child prodigy. He learned fast which led him to eventually join a group founded by his father. The group was called The Upsetters which also consisted of his sisters Marion, Patricia, Leona, Margaret, and Viola.  At the age of sixteen Theophilus was introduced to his mentor and good friend Duke Hanna at a Restaurant in Fresh Creek, Andros. Theo auditioned for Duke Hanna and got a job playing piano with Duke’s band at The Lighthouse Club Hotel. After playing at the Hotel for a year Theo and Duke journeyed to Freeport to play at a Club called The Pirates’ Den. They spent a year there before traveling back to Nassau to play at a hotel restaurant called The Beach Inn for another year. He spent one more year with Duke at the Nassau Beach Hotel. Theo then moved on to play with a local group called the Blue Notes, he played with them for two years and with his determination and talent Theo formed T-Connection; one of the most prestigious bands to come from the Bahamas. The first original members of T-Connection were Theophilus Coakley, Kirkwood Coakley, Monty Brown, and Berkley Vanbyrd; Later on adding Anthony Flowers and Dave Mackey. The band gained their fame in the Nassau music scene where they gigged at the Out Island Bar of the Nassau Beach Hotel in 1974. The band’s fame spread like a wildfire. In November 1975 T-Connection was asked to come to Freeport to play at a Club called ‘The Kiki Rouge.’ They went from local music heroes to national stars. T-Connection first got signed at TK Records in Miami, Florida in 1976. T-Connection’s first major hits were “Disco Magic” and “Do What You Wanna Do” which later became a number one hit on the Billboard Dance chart and eventually gained a Grammy nomination for top dance hit of the year 1977. The Group appeared on the Television show American Bandstand. They recorded four albums at TK Records before being signed by Capitol Records. T-Connection then traveled to New York to record their first two Albums with Capitol Records. In 1981 they recorded two of their biggest hits “Paradise” and “Everything is Cool.” T Connection appeared on the TV show Soul Train that same year. In 1982 T-Connection recorded the Album “Pure and Natural” which included the popular Ballad “Best of my Love”. They recorded four albums with Capitol Records before their contract ended in 1984. Theophilus decided to disband the group and work on his solo career. He took a few years off to write music, read philosophy, and to discover his many talents. In 1988 Theo released his first Smooth Jazz album Written on the Water. Theophilus moved to Southern California in 1996 and began to play Smooth Jazz with his good friend John Carey. Starting in 2003 Theo and the other members of T-Connection reunited to perform in the Bahamas; usually for special events such as the Bahamas Independence Concert, the SAC 40th Alumni Anniversary Concert, and the Celebrating Woman 2014 fundraiser. Theo currently still plays Smooth Jazz with John Carey while working on his music. Theo recently released his new CD “So Nice” on April 10, 2015 before traveling to the Bahamas to perform at The Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. To read about Theo's new album "So Nice" Click Here >>>