Gregory Abbott | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gregory Joel Abbott |
| Born | April 2, 1954 New York City, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
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| 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 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).
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"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.
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