Gregory Abbott
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For".Script error: No such module "For". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Gregory Joel Abbott (born April 2, 1954)[1][2] is an American singer, musician, composer and producer. Although he continues to record to date, he is best known for his singles in the mid-1980s including his platinum single, "Shake You Down", from his 1986 debut album.
Biography
Early life
Abbott was born in Harlem, New York.[2] Abbott's parents were from Venezuela and Antigua. During his early years, Abbott's mother taught him how to play piano and encouraged him to develop vocally. Before his career as a musician, Abbott studied psychology[3] at the University of California, Berkeley, and creative writing at Stanford; where he won a Wallace Stegner fellowship. Before becoming a musician, Abbott taught as a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley.[4][3]
Music career
One of Abbott's first opportunities in his studio was an album for an independent record label, which gave him the opportunity to do a duet with Whitney Houston.[3] Continuing on, Abbott produced for the group EQ on Atlantic Records.[3] In 1986, Abbott released his first solo album, Shake You Down. The title track for the album was a success, going platinum and topping the Billboard Hot 100.[2] The album's second single, "I Got the Feelin' (It's Over)", reached Number 5 on the R&B chart. On the strength of its singles, the album reached platinum status and earned Abbott several awards.[3]
Internationally, Abbott has also had success, winning first prize at the Tokyo Music Festival.[3] The title track of his second album, I'll Prove It to You, which was released in 1988, was featured on a Japanese movie soundtrack.[3] In Belgium, he performed with Princess Stephanie of Monaco.[3] Over the years much of his new music has been released via his own Mojo Man Entertainment label. Abbott has continued with his R&B sound, but he added a Caribbean influence to his 1996 album One World![3] In 2011, an album entitled Drop Your Mask was released. Abbott continues to release singles including a smooth jazz song "Chill" featuring saxophonist Gerald Albright.[1]
Personal life
Abbott was married to American singer Freda Payne[5] from 1976 until 1979. Their son, Gregory Joel Abbott, Jr., was born in 1977.[4]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Label | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
US R&B [6] |
UK [7] | ||||
| 1986 | Shake You Down | Columbia Records | 22 | 5 | 53 | |
| 1988 | I'll Prove It to You | 132 | 17 | — | ||
| 1996 | One World! | Musik International | — | — | — | |
| 2002 | Eyes, Whispers, Rhythm, Sex... | — | — | — | ||
| 2011 | Drop Your Mask | Spectra Records | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US R&B [9] |
US Adult Con. [10] |
UK [11][7] | |||
| 1986 | "Shake You Down" | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| "I Got the Feelin' (It's Over)" | 56 | 5 | 25 | 76 | ||
| "You're My Angel" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "I'll Prove It to You" | — | 5 | 35 | — | |
| "Let Me Be Your Hero" | — | 34 | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
Compilation albums
- Super Hits (Legacy Recordings, 1998)
- Rhyme and Reason (Sony Music, 2006)
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Template:Wikidata Template:PAGENAMEBASE discography at DiscogsTemplate:EditAtWikidata
- Script error: No such module "Official website".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Mojo Man Entertainment
- Smooth Jazz Artist Guide
Script error: No such module "Authority control".
- Pages with script errors
- 1954 births
- Living people
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- 20th-century American male singers
- 20th-century American singers
- American contemporary R&B singers
- Musicians from Manhattan
- People from Harlem
- American soul singers
- Columbia Records artists
- Singers from New York City
- UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni
- Musicians from Berkeley, California
- Singer-songwriters from California
- Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences alumni
- University of California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty
- 20th-century African-American academics
- 20th-century American academics
- African-American male songwriters
- 21st-century African-American male singers
- 21st-century American male singers
- Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
- 21st-century African-American academics
- 21st-century American academics