Cal Harris Jr. | |
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Genres | contemporary jazz, smooth jazz |
Instrument(s) | keyboards, trumpet |
Labels | CHI International, Innervision Records |
Cal Harris Jr. is an American contemporary jazz artist, producer, audio engineer, songwriter, and composer. In 2018 Cal Harris was ranked the #5 smooth jazz artist by Billboard. [1] He has toured with Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Boyz II Men, Earth Wind and Fire, Pharrell Williams, Il Divo, Cirque du Soleil (Delirium), Whitney Houston, Babyface, and Kenny Loggins. Harris has worked as a recording engineer for Paula Abdul, Selena, Lenny Kravitz, as well as Earth Wind and Fire. He has also performed as a keyboard player for Con Funk Shun, Jonny Gill, and Lenny Kravitz. In 1990 Harris co-wrote the hit single "Just Want to Hold You" by Jasmine Guy. He also became one of the twenty finalists for American Idol's season 6 songwriter competition, beating out over 25,000 other submissions.
At a young age Cal Harris Jr. was exposed to Motown legends since his father, Cal Harris Sr, worked as a recording engineer for Motown. He grew up seeing his father work with artists such as Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, and the Jackson 5. He learned to play instruments and record music at a young age which inspired him to become a musician later in life.
Source: [2]
Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
US Jazz | ||
"Smooth" |
| 10 [3] |
"By the Bay" |
| 22 [4] |
"Shelter Island" |
| 11 [5] |
"Wave Rider" |
| 28 [6] |
"Soulful" |
| 3 [7] |
"Timeline" |
| 2 [8] |
"The Neighborhood" |
| 22 [9] |
Leonard Albert Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actor. Born in New York City to TV news producer Sy Kravitz and actress Roxie Roker, Kravitz was exposed to the entertainment industry at a young age. As a child, Lenny showed a keen interest in music, and by his teenage years, he began embarking on a music career with his style mixing rock, funk, reggae, hard rock, soul, and R&B. Kravitz has had numerous hit singles over his career including "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (1991) and "Again" (2000), each of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Top 100 chart; other hits include "Let Love Rule" (1989), "Always on the Run" (1991), "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (1993), "Fly Away" (1998), and "American Woman" (1999), each of which reached the top 10 on the Alternative Airplay chart.
"American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band the Guess Who, released January 1970, from the album of the same name. It was later released in March 1970 as a single backed with "No Sugar Tonight", and it reached number one for three weeks commencing May 9 on both the United States' Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian RPM magazine singles chart. Billboard magazine placed the single at number three on the Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970 list, and it was listed as number five for 1970 on the RPM Year-End Chart. On May 22, 1970, the single was certified as gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also reached the top ten in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria, and the top twenty in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Dreaming of You is the fifth and final studio album by American singer Selena. Released posthumously on July 18, 1995, by EMI Latin and EMI Records, it was an immediate commercial and critical success, debuting atop the United States Billboard 200—the first predominately Spanish-language album to do so. It sold 175,000 copies on its first day of release in the U.S.—a then-record for a female vocalist. With first week sales of 331,000 units, it became the second-highest first-week sales for a female musician since Nielsen Soundscan began monitoring album sales in 1991. Billboard magazine declared it a "historic" event, while Time said the recording elevated Selena's music to a wider audience. It won Album of the Year at the 1996 Tejano Music Awards and Female Pop Album of the Year at the 3rd annual Billboard Latin Music Awards.
"Fly Away" is a song by American singer Lenny Kravitz. It was released as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, 5 (1998). Released on November 9, 1998, "Fly Away" peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Fly Away" topped the charts in Iceland and the United Kingdom and peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Performance in 1999.
"Are You Gonna Go My Way" is a song by American musician Lenny Kravitz, released in February 1993 by Virgin as the first single from his third studio album, Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993). The song was written by Kravitz and Craig Ross, while Kravitz produced it. It peaked at number one in Australia and number four on the UK Singles Chart, as well as number one on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Its music video was directed by Mark Romanek.
"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" is a song written, produced, and performed by American musician Lenny Kravitz for his second studio album, Mama Said (1991). Released as the album's second single in June 1991 by Virgin, the song is a mid-tempo ballad musically inspired by Motown, Philly soul, and Earth, Wind & Fire. The horn line at the end is performed by the Phenix Horns from Earth, Wind & Fire. "That song just came out one day, and I knew it had a classic vibe. And I still love that song very much today," Kravitz said in an interview for VivaMusic.com in 2000. The line is based on a Yogiism, or quotation from Yogi Berra: "It ain't over 'til it's over."
"Again" is a song by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, being the only new song from his first Greatest Hits album, released in 2000. Written, arranged and produced by himself, "Again" was initially set to be on his sixth studio album; however, Kravitz found that the song didn't fit the tone of the album, releasing it instead as the lead single from the compilation on September 22, 2000, through Virgin Records. The mid-tempo rock ballad finds Kravitz wondering if he will ever see his former lover again and if they will reunite once more.
"Rock and Roll Is Dead" is the first single released from the 1995 Lenny Kravitz album Circus. The song reached the top 20 in Canada, Finland, New Zealand, and Spain, but it underperformed in the United States, peaking at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"If You Can't Say No" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz, released as the first single from his fifth studio album, 5 (1998), in April 1998. The song was written by Kravitz and reached number eight in Iceland, number nine in Spain and number 39 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and also topped the airplay charts in Italy. Dance producer Brian Transeau and electronica band Zero 7 remixed the track. All instruments on the track were played by Kravitz.
"Dig In" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz, the lead single from his sixth studio album, Lenny (2001). It was released in September 2001. It was used in promos by the National Basketball Association for the 2002 NBA Playoffs, as well as the ending theme for the film Returner.
"Always on the Run" is a song by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released as the first single from his second album, Mama Said (1991), in March 1991. It features a contribution by Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash. Slash had written the music for the song with the original intention of releasing it on a Guns N' Roses studio album, but since former drummer Steven Adler had difficulty playing the song, he saved it for this eventual collaboration with Kravitz. On June 6, 1992, during Guns N' Roses's Use Your Illusion Tour stop in Paris, Kravitz joined the band onstage and played guitar and sang vocals for this track.
Blue, originally titled The Blue Album, is a studio album by American singer Diana Ross. Initially recorded between late 1971 and early 1972, it was released as Ross' twenty-third studio album by Motown Records on June 20, 2006. Overseen by Ross' musical director Gil Askey, the jazz-flavoured album was originally conceived as a follow-up to her soundtrack to the 1972 American biographical drama film Lady Sings the Blues in which Ross starred. Berry Gordy and Motown subsequently decided to shelve the album, and Ross' next release was the more pop-oriented Touch Me in the Morning (1973) album.
"Heaven Help" is a song by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released in August 1993 as the third single from his third studio album, Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993). The song made a brief appearance on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 92. In the United Kingdom, it became his second top-twenty hit from Are You Gonna Go My Way, peaking at number 20, and in Canada and New Zealand, the song reached the top 30. It was later included on Kravitz' compilation album Greatest Hits.
It Is Time for a Love Revolution is the eighth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on February 5, 2008. The album produced four singles released in 2007 and 2008. This is Kravitz's final album for Virgin Records.
Lazy Afternoon is the seventh studio album by American singer Regina Belle. It was released by Peak Records on July 13, 2004, in the United States. The album is a collection of jazz, soul, and pop standards. It peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz chart and number 58 on the magazine's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Belle's rendition of the Isley Brothers song "For the Love of You" served as the album's lead single. "Fly Me to the Moon" and "If I Ruled the World" each received some airplay but did not chart.
"Stillness of Heart" is a song written by Lenny Kravitz and Craig Ross. The song was included on Kravitz's 2001 album, Lenny, and was released as a single on January 14, 2002. "Stillness of Heart" charted at number 38 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts, number 22 on the Canadian Singles Chart, and number 16 on the Italian Singles Chart.
Are You Gonna Go My Way is the third studio album by American singer Lenny Kravitz, released on March 9, 1993, by Virgin Records. It was recorded at Waterfront Studios, Hoboken, New Jersey, by Henry Hirsch. It became Kravitz's first top 20 album on the United States Billboard 200, and his first number one album in both Australia and the United Kingdom, achieving worldwide success that helped to establish his popularity as a performer.
"Believe" is a song by American musician Lenny Kravitz, released by Virgin Records on May 10, 1993, as the second single from his third album, Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993). It is a rock ballad with string orchestration, and was co-written, arranged and produced by Kravitz, with Henry Hirsch also contributing to the orchestration and composition. Its lyrics concern one being able to achieve freedom and "eternal grace" if they believe in themselves and put their faith in God.
Worth Waiting For is the tenth studio album by jazz keyboardist Jeff Lorber, released on Verve Forecast in January 1993. The album topped the U.S. Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart at the end of July 1993. Worth Waiting For is the only album by Lorber to hit number 1 on that chart; five others rose to number 2. The album also hit number 33 on Billboard's Jazz chart, and number 71 on the R&B chart.
"Can't Get You Off My Mind" is a song written and performed by American singer and songwriter Lenny Kravitz and released in February 1996 as the third single from his fourth studio album, Circus (1995). The song was later included in the albums Greatest Hits (2000) and Lenny (2001) as a bonus track. There are two versions of the music video for the song: one was directed by Matthew Rolston, the other by Jim Gable.