The band is the brainchild of Harvey Swann, Sr., a recording artist, composer, producer and author. (In your spare time, check out Harvey Sr.'s speed typing book at velircorp.com. In his much younger years, Harvey Sr. found his way into the IT world through being a speed typist.). He grew up singing, playing and writing music throughout most of his childhood. He began playing the piano at age eight. He was given piano lessons for approximately 8 months. At age 11 he picked up the trombone. During his teens he learned to play the bass guitar as well. He played the trombone in middle and high school bands. A lot of his childhood musical experiences came from the church environment; picking up skills by accompanying adults, as well as utilizing self-taught skills. He is an avid fan of the big band era and artists, such as Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Over the years, he taught his eight children to play music as well. In the 90's, a neighbor gave the Swanns a flute and Harvey began to teach his oldest daughter, Chontell to play the flute. He purchased an alto sax for his oldest son, Thomas. Harvey Sr. first learned to play the sax, and then began to teach Thomas. Jacqueline, one of his daughters expressed an interest in learning the sax, and Harvey Sr. began to teach her also. A bass guitar was purchased for Benjamin and Harvey Sr. began teaching Benjamin to play the bass. Harvey Sr. began teaching Harvey Jr. the piano a few months later. By the end of 1998, a drum set had been purchased for John and the musical group The Swanns held their first box office concert in February of 1999. Soraja, one of the younger daughters, began receiving flute lessons from Harvey Sr. in 2000.

In the early years, they would perform original musical pieces at neighborhood events, etc. Even Jazzrielle, barely 5 at the time, would get in on the act by selling CD's, and handing out pamphlets to the audience and bystanders. Jazzrielle grew up and became the Lead Guitarist for The Swanns.

Judy, the matriarch of the family, got involved as the Public Liaison and secured gigs for the band at larger venues, such as; The Washington, D.C. Convention Center, the Hollywood in Washington Awards Dinner (attended by movie producers, TV personalities, etc.), The Summer of The Arts Festival held in Erie Pennsylvania at The Pepsi Amphitheater, The Harlem Renaissance Festival and various other festivals, black tie affairs and private events. In the summer of 2005 The Swanns kicked off an annual event, held on the grounds of The National Mall (National Monument Grounds) in Washington, D.C with their smooth sounds. They have been featured in the Washington Post and other newspapers. In 2003, they were featured on Metro Watch on Radio Station WPFW 89.3 FM in Washington, DC.