Gordon Chambers

Last updated

Gordon Anthony Chambers (c. 1969 [1] ) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer who has written songs for more than 75 recording artists including Angie Stone, Yolanda Adams, The Isley Brothers, Brandy, Trey Songz, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Usher, Marc Anthony, Jamie Foxx, Aretha Franklin, Beyoncé Knowles, and Nao Yoshioka. His number-1 hits as lyricist include Anita Baker's Grammy-winning hit "I Apologize", Brownstone's Grammy-nominated hit "If You Love Me", Angie Stone's "No More Rain (In This Cloud)", the Grammy-nominated theme of 1996's Set It Off "Missing You" (performed by Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan) and Yolanda Adams "Someone Watching Over You". He is the winner of eight awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), has four Dove Award nominations, and his songs have been nominated for three Grammy Awards. Anita Baker won a Grammy for "I Apologize", which Chambers wrote. His songs have been performed at the Essence Awards, American Music Awards, the Goodwill Games and the White House. His prestigious appearances, in addition to acclaimed European and Japanese tours, have included the Essence Music Festival, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Apollo Theater, Constitution Hall, B. B King's and the Kennedy Center. [2]

Biography

Chambers was born in the Bronx to parents from Jamaica, his father having grown up in Montego Bay and his mother in Port Antonio and Kingston. [1] Chambers moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1977. He wrote his first song at the age of seven and was guided by other Teaneck residents, including trombonist Dick Griffin, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Lenny White. At Teaneck High School he learned piano and trumpet, and joined New Progressions, a 16-piece band. In an interview with The Record , Chambers stated that "Teaneck is the place where I had all my musical training" and recalled: "Growing up, knowing that [I] lived in Teaneck gave me something to dream and aspire to: that one day I could grow up and become a professional." [3]

Chambers enrolled at Brown University, in 1986, planning to major in political science and become a lawyer. [1] After graduating, he returned to Teaneck, where he wrote "If You Love Me", the single by Brownstone released in 1994 that reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. While working as entertainment editor for Essence magazine in 1993, an interview with Queen Latifah led to the opportunity to write the song "Winki's Theme" that appeared on her 1993 album Black Reign . [3] Gordon also has no kids but one nephew named Jonai Chambers (his younger brother Brian's son) who is also an aspiring musician but also pursues a basketball career.

His solo albums have been nominated for Independent Soul Album of the Year by Soultracks.com and have been among CDBaby's top R&B sellers. His first solo album, Introducing Gordon Chambers, was released in 2005 and featured special guests Carl Thomas, Glenn Lewis, Sara Devine, Roy Hargrove and Mike Phillips. His second album, Love Stories, was released in 2007 and features soul artist Ledisi. Gordon Chambers' album Sincere was released in August 2011, featuring duets with Sara Devine and Candace Coles, and production by Darien Dorsey, The BeatBanggahz and Jermaine Mobley. The album also includes covers of Donny Hathaway's "A Song For You" and his version of "Missing You", which he dedicates to late mentors Phyllis Hyman and Gerald Levert. [3]

As of 2009, Chambers resides in Brooklyn. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">41st Annual Grammy Awards</span> Award ceremony

The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill received the most nominations with 10, setting a record for the most nominations for female artist in one night. Hill received a total of 5 awards, and became the first female rapper to take home Best New Artist. Her album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill became the first hip hop album to win the award for Album of the Year.

The 38th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 28, 1996, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Alanis Morissette was the main recipient, being awarded four trophies, including Album of the Year. Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men opened the show with their Record of the Year nominated "One Sweet Day".

The 39th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 26, 1997, at Madison Square Garden, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Babyface was the night's biggest winner, with 3 awards. Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, Sheryl Crow, and The Fugees won two awards. Celine Dion for "Best Pop Album" and "Album of the Year" and Toni Braxton for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" and "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance". The show was hosted by Ellen Degeneres who also performed the opening with Shawn Colvin, Bonnie Rait, and Chaka Khan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaka Khan</span> American singer

Yvette Marie Stevens, better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, is an American singer and songwriter. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the "Queen of Funk", Khan was the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with "I Feel for You" in 1984. Khan has won ten Grammy Awards and has sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald Levert</span> American R&B singer (1966–2006)

Gerald Edward Levert was an American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor. Levert was best known for singing with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon of the vocal group LeVert. Levert was also a member of LSG, a supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and himself. Levert is the son of Eddie Levert, who is the lead singer of the R&B/soul vocal group the O'Jays. He had released nine solo albums, six with LeVert, two with his father Eddie Levert, two with LSG, as well as discovering the R&B groups the Rude Boys, Men at Large and 1 of the Girls. Levert was also part of the R&B group Black Men United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis</span> American R&B songwriting production team

James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most notably Janet Jackson. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US. In 2022, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angie Stone</span> American singer and actress (born 1961)

Angela Laverne Brown known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s, she became a member of the R&B trio Vertical Hold. Stone would later release her solo debut Black Diamond (1999) on Arista Records, which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and spawned the single "No More Rain ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenny White</span> American drummer

Leonard "Lenny" White III is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won three Grammy awards, two nominations and one Latin Grammy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashford & Simpson</span> American songwriting and recording duo

Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yolanda Adams</span> American gospel music singer

Yolanda Yvette Adams is an American gospel singer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold nearly 10 million albums worldwide. In addition to achieving multi-platinum status, she has won four Grammy Awards, four Dove Awards, five BET Awards, six NAACP Image Awards, six Soul Train Music Awards, two BMI Awards and sixteen Stellar Awards. She was the first Gospel artist to be awarded an American Music Award.

Christopher Howard Jasper is an American singer, composer, and producer. Jasper is a former member of the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley and is responsible for writing and producing the majority of the Isley Brothers music (1973–1983) and Isley-Jasper-Isley music (1984–1987). He is also a successful solo musician and record producer, recording over 17 of his own solo albums, including 4 urban contemporary gospel albums, all written, produced and performed, both vocally and instrumentally, by Jasper. He also produces artists for his New York City-based record label, Gold City Records. Jasper's keyboard and Moog synthesizer work was a primary ingredient of the Isley Brothers' sound of the 1970s and 1980s when the Isley Brothers were a self-contained band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Hamilton (musician)</span> American singer and record producer

Anthony Cornelius Hamilton is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who rose to fame with his platinum-selling second studio album Comin' from Where I'm From (2003), which featured the title track single "Comin' from Where I'm From" and the follow-up "Charlene". Nominated for 17 Grammy Awards, he is also known for the song "Freedom" from the soundtrack album of Django Unchained co-written and sung as a duo with indie soul singer Elayna Boynton.

LaShawn Ameen Daniels was an American songwriter, vocal producer and arranger known for his songwriting credits on songs by artists such as Brandy, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jackson, Tamar Braxton, Toni Braxton, Jennifer Lopez, Ciara, Whitney Houston and more. As a songwriter and producer, Daniels had received eight Grammy Award nominations, winning one for Best R&B Song for co-writing Destiny's Child's number-one single "Say My Name".

<i>From the Bottom Up</i> 1995 studio album by Brownstone

From the Bottom Up is the debut studio album by American girl group Brownstone. It was released by Epic Records and Michael Jackson's MJJ Music on January 10, 1995 in the United States. Brownstone worked with a wide range of producers and songwriters on the album, including Jorge Corante, Dave "Jam" Hall, Soulshock & Karlin, and Gordon Chambers. From the Bottom Up spawned four singles, including the top 10 R&B hits "If You Love Me" and "Grapevyne," and a cover of The Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why". In addition, "Sometimes Dancin'" was featured in the Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home soundtrack.

Charlie Mole is a British/French film and television score composer and songwriter. His scores include An Ideal Husband, Othello, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Diary of Anne Frank, the 2007 and 2009 versions of St. Trinian's, the 2009 version of Dorian Gray, and the 2013 ITV drama series Mr Selfridge, for which he was Emmy nominated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missing You (Brandy, Gladys Knight, Tamia, and Chaka Khan song)</span> 1996 single by Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan

"Missing You" is a song recorded by American singers Brandy, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan and Canadian R&B musician Tamia. The song was used to promote the 1996 film Set It Off. It was written and produced by Gordon Chambers and Barry J. Eastmond and released as the lead single from the soundtrack album of the film on August 6, 1996, through East West Records. The song features a string arrangement conducted by Eastmond.

Charlie Midnight is an American songwriter, record producer, and founder of Midnight Production House. He has been nominated for the 1987 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, two Golden Globes, and has been a producer and/or writer on several Grammy-winning albums, including The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album, Joni Mitchell's Turbulent Indigo, and Marlo Thomas & Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long. He also is a writer on the Barbra Streisand Grammy-nominated, Platinum-selling Partners album having co-written the Barbra Streisand and Andrea Bocelli duet "I Still Can See Your Face."

Juan Winans is an American singer/songwriter, music producer, and a third-generation member of the Winans family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandy Clark</span> American country music singer-songwriter

Brandy Lynn Clark is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her songs have been recorded by Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, the Band Perry, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, and Kacey Musgraves. She was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

Barry James Eastmond is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and record producer. Eastmond is an adjunct professor at New York University Steinhardt Performing Arts Department in songwriting and is part of the NYU Summer Songwriting Workshop.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Munroe, Norman. "Gordon Chambers: Ja's songwriter to the stars" [ permanent dead link ], The Jamaica Observer , February 21, 2003. Accessed May 14, 2009.
  2. ↑ Lindsey, Craig D. "The Essence of Gordon Chambers", Houston Press , February 14, 2007. Accessed May 10, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Garcia, Alfa. "With a song in his heart for Teaneck: Native son returns to pay tribute", The Record (Bergen County) , May 14, 2009. "For Gordon Chambers, returning to Teaneck to perform is more than just a homecoming; it's a chance to pay tribute to the town that helped him on the road to becoming an award-winning songwriter and performer. 'Teaneck is the place where I had all my musical training,' says Chambers, who was born in the Bronx and moved to Teaneck in 1977. As a student at Teaneck High School, Chambers took up trumpet and piano and joined a high school 16-piece cover band called New Progressions."
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.