Al Jarreau
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| Al Jarreau | |
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 Al Jarreau at the North Sea Jazz Festival of 2006.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alwyn Lopez Jarreau |
| Born | March 12, 1940 |
| Origin | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Jazz, pop, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Label(s) | Reprise, Warner Bros., GRP, Concord |
| Website | www.aljarreau.com |
Alwyn Lopez "Al" Jarreau (born March 12, 1940) is an American singer. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, he is the only vocalist in history to win in three separate categories: jazz, pop, and R&B. He won the aforementioned Grammys within a span of four consecutive decades — the '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a vicar, Jarreau's first singing experiences were in a church choir. He attended Ripon College, where he also sang non-professionally with a group called the Indigos, and graduated in 1962. He went on to earn a master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation from the University of Iowa and worked as a rehabilitation counselor in San Francisco while also performing evenings with a jazz trio headed by George Duke.
In 1967, he joined forces with acoustic guitarist Julio Martinez. The duo became the star attraction at a small Sausalito night club called Gatsby's. This success contributed to Jarreau's decision to make professional singing his life and fulltime career.
In 1969, Jarreau and Martinez headed south, where Jarreau appeared in such Los Angeles hot spots as Dino's, the Troubadour and Bitter End West. Television exposure came from Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and David Frost, while he expanded his nightclub appearances to include performing at The Improv between the acts of such rising-star comics as Bette Midler, Jimmie Walker, and John Belushi, among others.
In 1975, Jarreau was working with pianist Tom Canning when he was spotted by Warner Bros. Records and soon thereafter released his critically acclaimed debut album, We Got By, which catapulted him to international fame and garnered him a German Grammy Award. A second German Grammy would follow with the release of his second album, Glow.
One of Jarreau's most commercially and artistically successful albums is Breakin' Away (1981), which includes the hit song "We're in This Love Together." He wrote and performed the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American television show Moonlighting. Among other things, he is well-known for his scat singing and the ability to imitate conventional guitar, bass and percussive instrumentation. He was also a featured vocalist on USA for Africa's "We Are the World" in which he sang the line, "...and so we all must lend a helping hand."
He has toured and performed with such greats as Joe Sample, Kathleen Battle, Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Rick Braun and George Benson. He also performed the role of the Teen Angel in a 1996 Broadway production of Grease. On March 6, 2001 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.
Al Jarreau appeared in a duet with American Idol finalist Paris Bennett during the Season 5 finale and on Celebrity Duets singing with actor Cheech Marin.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1965: 1965 (Bainbridge)
- 1975: We Got By (Reprise)
- 1976: Glow (Reprise) - US# 132, R&B #30, Jazz# 9
- 1977: Look to the Rainbow (Warner Bros.) - US# 49, R&B# 19, Jazz# 5
- 1978: All Fly Home (Warner Bros.) - US# 78, R&B# 27, Jazz# 2
- 1980: This Time (Warner Bros.) - US# 27, R&B# 6, Jazz# 1
- 1981: Breakin' Away (Warner Bros. Records) - US# 9, R&B# 1, Jazz# 1, UK# 60
- 1983: Jarreau (Warner Bros. Records) - US# 13, R&B# 4, Jazz# 1, UK# 39
- 1983: The Masquerade Is Over (Happy Bird)
- 1984: High Crime (Warner Bros.) - US# 49, R&B# 12, Jazz# 2, UK# 81
- 1984: In London (Warner Bros.) - US# 125, R&B# 55, Jazz# 10
- 1986: L Is For Lover (Warner Bros) - US# 81, R&B# 30, Jazz# 9, UK# 45
- 1988: Heart's Horizon (Warner Bros.) - US# 75, R&B# 10, Jazz# 1
- 1992: Heaven and Earth (Warner Bros.) - US# 105, R&B# 30, Jazz# 2
- 1994: Tenderness (Warner Bros.) US# 114, R&B# 25, Jazz# 2
- 1996: Best of Al Jarreau (Warner Bros.) - Jazz #8
- 2000: Tomorrow Today (GRP) - US# 137, R&B# 43, Jazz# 1
- 2002: All I Got (GRP) - US# 137, R&B# 43, Jazz# 3
- 2004: Accentuate the Positive (Verve) - Jazz# 2
- 2006: Givin' It Up (with George Benson) (Concord) - US# 58, R&B# 14, Jazz# 1
[edit] Singles
- 1976: "Rainbow In Your Eyes" - R&B #92
- 1977: "Take Five" - R&B #91
- 1978: "Thinkin' About It Too" - R&B #55
- 1980: "Distracted" - R&B #61
- 1980: "Gimme What You Got" - R&B #63
- 1980: "Never Givin' Up" - R&B #26
- 1981: "We're In This Love Together" - US #15, R&B #6
- 1982: "Breakin' Away" - US #43, R&B #25
- 1982: "Teach Me Tonight" - US #70, R&B #51
- 1982: "You're Precious Love" - R&B #16
- 1983: "Boogie Down" - US #77, R&B #9
- 1983: "Mornin'" - US #21, R&B #6
- 1983: "Trouble In Paradise" - US #63, R&B #66
- 1984: "After All" US #69, R&B #26
- 1985: "Raging Waters" - R&B #42
- 1986: "L Is For Lover" - R&B #42
- 1986: "Tell Me What I Gotta Do" - R&B #37
- 1987: "Moonlighting" - US #23, R&B #32
- 1988: "So Good" R&B #2
- 1989: "All of My Love" - R&B #69
- 1989: "All or Nothing At All" - R&B #59
- 1992: "Blue Angel" - R&B #74
- 1992: "It's Not Hard to Love You" - R&B #36
[edit] Session
- "Since I Fell For You" from Double Vision/Bob James & David Sanborn — 1986, Waner Bros.
- "Girl from Ipanema" and "Waters of March" from A Twist of Jobim/Lee Ritenour — 1997, GRP
[edit] Grammy Awards
[edit] Wins
- 1978 — Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Look To The Rainbow
- 1979 — Best Jazz Vocal Performance, All Fly Home
- 1981 — Best Album for Children, In Harmony A Sesame Street Record, together with other artists
- 1982 — Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Breakin' Away
- — Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male, "(Round, Round, Round) Blue Rondo A La Turk"
- 1993 — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Heaven And Earth
- 2007 — Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, "God Bless The Child", together with George Benson and Jill Scott
[edit] Nominations
- 1981 — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, "Never Givin' Up"
- 1982 — Album of the Year, Breakin' Away
- 1985 — Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), "Step by Step" , together with Tom Canning, Jay Graydon and Jerry Hey
- 1985 — Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, "Edgartown Groove" , together with Kashif
- 1986 — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, High Crime
- 1987 — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, "Since I Fell For You"
- 1988 — Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, "Moonlighting (Theme)"
- — Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, "Moonlighting (Theme)", together with Lee Holdridge
- 1990 — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Heart's Horizon
- 1995 — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, "Wait For The Magic"
- 2005 — Best Jazz Vocal Album, Accentuate The Positive
- 2007 — Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, "Breezin'" , together with George Benson
[edit] Samples
- of "One Note Samba"
[edit] External links
- Official website
- "Al Jarreau performs 'You Don't See Me'" on the WGBH series, Say Brother
- Al Jarreau 2006 Interview with George Benson on Sidewalks Entertainment
- Al Jarreau 2006 Smoothviews.com Interview
