Al Jarreau

Born: 1940 in Milwaukee, WI

The only vocalist in history to net Grammy awards in three different categories (jazz, pop, and R&B, respectively), Al Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, WI, on April 12, 1940; the son of a vicar, he earned his first performing experience singing in the church choir. After receiving his master's degree in psychology, Jarreau pursued a career as a social worker, but eventually he decided to relocate to Los Angeles and try his hand in show business, playing small clubs throughout the West Coast. In the mid-'60s, he recorded an LP, but largely remained an unknown, not re-entering the studio for another decade. Upon signing to Reprise, Jarreau resurfaced in 1975 with We Got By, earning acclaim for his sophisticated brand of vocalese and winning positive comparison to the likes of Billy Eckstine and Johnny Mathis. After 1976's Glow, Jarreau issued the following year's Look to the Rainbow, a two-disc live set that reached the Top 50 on the U.S. album charts. With 1981's Breakin' Away, he entered the Top Ten, scoring a pair of hits with "We're in This Love Together" and the title track. After recording 1986's L Is for Lover with producer Nile Rodgers, Jarreau scored a hit with the theme to the popular television program Moonlighting, but his mainstream pop success was on the wane, and subsequent efforts like 1992's Heaven and Earth and 1994's Tenderness found greater success with adult contemporary audiences. A string of budget compilations and original albums hit the shelves at the end of the decade, but into the turn of the century his original output slowed down.

Discography:

Album
All of My Love
Ain't No Sunshine [Magnum]
All or Nothing at All
2004 Accentuate the Positive
2002 Free Spirit
2002 One Note Samba
2002 All I Got
2000 Tomorrow Today
1998 Tribute to Bill Withers
1994 Tenderness
1992 Ain't No Sunshine [Prestige]
1992 Heaven and Earth
1990 Live
1988 Manifesto
1988 Heart's Horizon
1986 L Is for Lover
1985 Replay of Al Jarreau
1984 High Crime
1984 Live in London
1984 Al Jarreau [Disc AZ]
1984 In London
1983 Ain't No Sunshine [Javeline]
1983 Jarreau
1981 Breakin' Away
1980 This Time