Gregory Abbott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gregory Joel Abbott |
| Born | April 2, 1954 New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | gregoryabbott |
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.
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]
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]
Abbott was married to American singer Freda Payne [5] from 1976 until 1979. Their son, Gregory Joel Abbott, Jr., was born in 1977. [4]
| 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. | ||||||
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [8] | US Adult Con. [9] | US [10] | UK [11] [7] | |||
| 1986 | "Shake You Down" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
| "I Got the Feelin' (It's Over)" | 5 | 25 | 56 | 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. | ||||||
Alabama is an American country music band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry. They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook. First operating under the name Young Country and later Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a recording deal.
Freda Charcilia Payne is an American singer and actress. Payne is best known for her career in music during the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. Her most notable record is her 1970 hit single "Band of Gold". Payne was also an actress in musicals and film as well as the host of a TV talk show. Payne is the older sister of Scherrie Payne, a former singer with the American vocal group the Supremes. She also acted on Living Single.
Scherrie Ann Payne is an American singer. Payne is best known as a member and the final lead singer of the R&B/Soul vocal group the Supremes from 1973 until 1977. Payne is the younger sister of singer Freda Payne. Payne continues to perform, both as a solo act and as a part of the "Former Ladies of the Supremes" (FLOS).
A Taste of Honey is an American recording act, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1972 by associates Janice-Marie Johnson and Perry Kibble. In 1978, they had one of the best known chart-toppers of the disco era, "Boogie Oogie Oogie". After their popularity waned during the 1980s, Johnson went on to record as a solo artist and released the album One Taste of Honey. In 2004, Janice–Marie Johnson and Hazel Payne reunited to perform on the PBS specials Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion and My Music: Funky Soul Superstars. In 2022, A Taste of Honey featuring Janice-Marie kicked off the celebration of 50 years of impact in the music and entertainment industries. A Taste of Honey now consists of Janice-Marie Johnson and other accomplished musicians.
"Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a threnody by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind". It was released on 13 September 1997 as a tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales, with the global proceeds from the song going towards Diana's charities. In many countries, it was pressed as a double A-side with "Something About the Way You Look Tonight". It was produced by Sir George Martin.
"Shake That" is a song by American rapper Eminem featuring American singer Nate Dogg. It's the second and final single taken from the former's first compilation album, Curtain Call: The Hits (2005), as well as one of three original songs featured on the album.
The singles discography of British singer, songwriter and pianist Elton John consists of 140 official singles as main artist, 22 as a featured artist, as well as 56 other non-single guest appearances, 2 charity singles, and 3 other charted songs.
"Band of Gold" is a song written and composed by former Motown producers Holland–Dozier–Holland and Ron Dunbar. It was a major hit when first recorded by Freda Payne in 1970 for the Invictus label, owned by H-D-H. The song has been recorded by numerous artists, notably competing 1986 versions by contrasting pop singers Belinda Carlisle and Bonnie Tyler, and a 2007 version by Kimberley Locke.
The solo discography of Belinda Carlisle, an American pop singer, contains eight studio albums, 11 compilations and six video albums. Her singles discography features 32 physical releases, eight digital-only and five promotional releases. She has also made nine other appearances and 31 music videos.
Greatest Hits Vol. III is the third greatest hits package released by the American country music band Alabama. The album was released by RCA Records in 1994, and has since been certified double platinum for sales of 2 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The discography of Kings of Leon, an American rock band, consists of nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, two video album, five extended plays, 26 singles, one promotional single and 26 music videos. As of 2016 the band has sold over 21 million albums worldwide and 38 million singles. The band released their debut extended play Holy Roller Novocaine in February 2003, followed by the release of the extended play What I Saw in May. Their debut studio album, Youth and Young Manhood, was released in July 2003, peaking at number 113 on the US Billboard 200 and number three on the UK Albums Chart. The album has since been certified two times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and three times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Three singles were released from the album, including the UK top 40 hit "Molly's Chambers". In November 2004, Kings of Leon released their second album, Aha Shake Heartbreak. The album peaked at number 55 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the UK Albums Chart. It has been certified double platinum by the BPI and the ARIA. The album's first single, "The Bucket", peaked at number 16 in the UK; it also became the band's first single to chart in the United States, where it peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
"Shake You Down" is a song by American R&B artist, writer and producer Gregory Abbott. It was released in August 1986 as the lead single from his debut album of the same name. It became Abbott's biggest hit and was certified platinum by the RIAA. The track is also featured in the 2007 film Are We Done Yet?
The discography of Joan Jett, an American rock musician, includes 44 singles and 12 studio albums.
Shake You Down is the debut album by American R&B singer-songwriter Gregory Abbott. It was self-written and produced by Abbott, being released by Columbia Records in 1986.
Stares and Whispers is Freda Payne's seventh studio album released in 1977; it was also her first for Capitol Records. The last two tracks, "Loving You Means So Much to Me" and "Bring Back the Joy," were co-written by Payne's then-husband, Gregory Abbott, the latter of which was co-written by Payne herself. Four tracks were lifted from the album, "I Get ," "Bring Back the Joy," "Love Magnet," and "Feed Me Your Love." "Love Magnet" was the only one of the four that charted.
"Shake It Off" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the lead single from her fifth studio album, 1989. She wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. Inspired by the media scrutiny on Swift's public image, the lyrics are about her indifference to detractors and their negative remarks. An uptempo dance-pop song, it features a looping drum beat, a saxophone line, and a handclap–based bridge. Big Machine Records released "Shake It Off" on August 19, 2014, to market 1989 as Swift's first pop album after her previous country–styled sound.
As a solo artist, English singer Liam Payne (1993–2024) released one studio album, two extended plays (EPs), 14 singles, nine music videos, and one guest appearance. He was musically active from 2010 until his death in 2024.
The discography of American pop rock band Metro Station consists of two studio albums, five extended plays, 17 singles and 13 music videos. The band members consisted of Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
