bOydestiny on The Virtual Sessions presented by The DJ Sessions 7/2/25

bOydestiny on The Virtual Sessions presented by The DJ Sessions 7/2/25 

About bOydestiny -

Boydestiny was born in Hartford, Connecticut, as Michael Antonio Brocco to an Italian teenage mother, Maria Brocco and an African-American teenage father. The family, under financial pressure, could not keep Michael, and he was placed up for fostering. 

A variety of foster families in the New Britain, Connecticut area helped to care for Michael in his very early youth including the Carter's and the Ward's. At age 10, Michael was placed in a loving home and raised by his adoptive Father, Robert Thornton, a single man residing in North Philadelphia. A young Michael, then took his current legal adopted name Michael Anthony Thornton. His first Philadelphia home was located at 2908 Diamond Street also known as the Henry O' Tanner home; as the famous African-American painter, known for the "Banjo Lesson"  lived their back in the late 1800's as did the famous black lawyer Raymond Pace Alexander and his equally accomplished wife Sadie Tanner Mossell. 

Michael still currently owns that famous National Historic property which his father gave him when he passed in 2018.  Michael later moved from his O Tanner home and then resided in the West Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia on Carpenter Lane.  Before this, as a foster child in Connecticut, Michael showed early musical promise, playing the String Bass at the age of six at the Smith School and performing in various school activities. 

At age ten, he took up trumpet and played well enough to participate in a Philadelphia citywide youth orchestra. Then, by age eleven, Michael found his true instrumental calling....the piano. By age 12 Michael was performing on the piano in the Philadelphia school district 6 musical festival where he 1st met James K. Lloyd the now famous pianist of "Pieces of a Dream". Mike quickly learned both the piano and the organ and joined his first band at age thirteen, which was called "Unique" .This group performed throughout the Philadelphia area and was featured on numerous Television shows such as "AM Philadelphia",  "Visions" and  "City Lights."  

By age seventeen, Michael had written over twenty original musical pieces, many of which had lyrics. Michael attended Central High School for Boys (class 240) and then LaSalle College where he earned his Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology.  By age 26 Michael had become a member of the smooth jazz group known as "Pieces of a Dream". He remained a member for ten years and traveled the world-over with them.  

As a highly gifted pianist, Michael offered his keyboard playing services and in some cases vocal services to numerous famous and not-so-famous groups, in which he was able to perform with and/or share the stage with several artists and bands, including Kimberly Covington, Vincent Knight, Leon Evans, Eddie Baccus jr. Barbara Walker, Carla Benson, Lynn Randall, Stacy Mitchhart, Eddie Holman Sr., Pieces of A Dream, Marion Meadows, Alex Bugnon, Gladys Knight, George Benson, Jeff Lorber, Grover Washington jr., Cherelle, Alexander O Neal, Melisa Morgan, Queen Latifah, Phylis Hyman, Big Daddy Kane, Patti LaBelle, Freddie Jackson, Regina Belle, Bill Whithers and more. 

By age 36,  Michael had returned to University and obtained his PhD in Cell and Molecular Genetics from the University of Pennsylvania; graduating with a 3.99 GPA. Less than 2% of the world's population has a doctorate. According to the US Census Bureau, only 1.2% of the US population have a PhD. This makes having a PhD very rare. This places bOydestiNy in a very special and unique club especially amongst those rare PhD holders that are also singers and musicians.  

Some years after obtaining his doctorate; in January 2008, Michael  returned to music and penned the tune entitled 'You Got Me Going,' also known as the "Emma Watson Song". This song featured Michael not only on Piano but singing and rappi