Sam Watters

Last updated

Sam Watters
Birth nameSamuel Joshua Watters
Born (1970-07-23) July 23, 1970 (age 54)
Camp Springs, Maryland, U.S.
OriginSan Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres Hip hop, R&B, dance, new jack swing, soul
Occupation(s)Record producer, songwriter, singer, record executive
Years active1984–present
LabelsFresh Laundry
Member of Color Me Badd

Samuel Joshua Watters (born July 23, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. [1] Watters was a member of the multi-platinum selling 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd and co-authored many of their hits including "I Adore Mi Amor", and "All 4 Love". [2] Watters has also written and produced songs for Grammy-winning and nominated artists such as American Idol winners Fantasia, Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks, and other superstars such as Céline Dion, Whitney Houston, Leona Lewis, and Anastacia. [3] Watters is a member of the production/songwriting team The Runaways including fellow hitmakers Rico Love, Wayne Wilkins, Ryan Tedder, and Louis Biancaniello. [4]

Contents

Music career

Color Me Badd

Watters formed what later would be known as the R&B singing group Color Me Badd in high school along with fellow members Mark Calderon, Kevin Thornton, and Bryan Abrams. [5] After forming, the group was soon discovered by Robert "Kool" Bell of Kool and the Gang fame. [5] Bell introduced them to his management team and the group were soon signed to Giant Records in 1990. [5]

As part of Color Me Badd, Watters and his band mates sold 8.8 million records over their career and had nine Top 40 Hits on the Billboard Hot 100 including three number ones with "I Wanna Sex You Up" (No. 1 Billboard R&B and No. 2 Billboard Hot 100), I Adore Mi Amor" and "All 4 Love". [6] [7] Once Color Me Badd disbanded in 1998, Watters elected to pursue a career in music production and songwriting. [5]

Production and songwriting

Watters met record producer and songwriter Louis Biancaniello in 1996 while working on Color Me Badd's third album Now and Forever. [8] Watters and Biancaniello soon became production partners and have been writing songs and producing together ever since. [8]

The partners wrote and produced Jessica Simpson's hit "I Wanna Love You Forever," released in September 1999. [9] The platinum single was Simpson's first top ten hit which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [9] [10]

Released in February 1999, the partners produced and co-wrote with Anastacia her debut single "I'm Outta Love," from her album Not That Kind which went on to platinum and multiplatinum status in 10 countries. [11] [12] The single was a hit internationally going Top 5 in 10 countries. [12] [11]

In 2001, Watters produced, co-wrote (with Biancaniello) and sang background vocals (with Mary Griffin) on "What About Love" for the album Bad Girls from Spanish singer Mónica Naranjo.

Watters and Biancaniello produced and co-wrote another single with Anastacia, "One Day in Your Life", released in March 2002. [13] The top ten single charted in 8 other countries. [13] [14] Also released in March 2002 was Celine Dion's multi-platinum album A New Day Has Come . [15] [16] Watters and Biancaniello co-wrote the song "I Surrender" on the album that debuted at No. 1 in over 20 countries. [17] [18] The album went on to sell 12 million copies worldwide. [18]

In June 2004, Watters and Biancaniello co-wrote with Watters' wife and fellow American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray, "I Believe" released by American Idol Season 3 winner Fantasia. [19] [20] The song debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [21] The single went platinum and won the Billboard Top Selling Single of the Year and Top Selling R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year for 2004 and the Billboard American Urban Radio Networks Top Selling R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year for 2005. [22]

In 2007, Watters formed the production/songwriting team The Runaways along with Biancaniello, Wayne Wilkins, Rico Love, and Ryan Tedder. [23] Some of the team's hits have included, Natasha Bedingfield's "Love Like This", and Keri Hilson's "Energy". [23]

In April 2007, Watters and Biancaniello wrote and produced [24] another hit single for Fantasia, "When I See U", which spent 8 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [25] It became the No. 8 song of the decade on the chart, [26] went gold, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards (Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song). [16] [27]

The Watters and Biancaniello duo also worked on the British singer's Leona Lewis' 2007 debut album, Spirit , which sold 7 million units worldwide. [28] [29] The duo co-wrote and co-produced two songs, "Yesterday" and "Take a Bow" and produced a third, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". [29]

Watters and Biancaniello wrote three songs for Kelly Clarkson's March 2009 studio album All I Ever Wanted : "Whyyawannabringmedown", "The Day We Fell Apart" and the title track "All I Ever Wanted". They also produced a fourth song entitled "I Want You." [30] The album sold over 900,000 copies in the US, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard 200 album chart, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. [31] [32] [33]

In May 2009, former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks released the single "Battlefield". [34] Watters co-wrote and co-produced the song that reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. [35] Outside of the US, it reached number five in Canada and reached the top ten in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, and the top twenty in the United Kingdom. With this song Watters assisted the platinum singer in achieving her third top ten Billboard Hot 100 single. [35] [36]

Watters had chart success overseas with the multi-platinum British girl group The Saturdays' "Forever Is Over" which was a No. 2 single on the UK Singles chart. [37] The song was released in October 2009, with Watters co-writing and co-producing the song, along with Biancaniello and others. [38]

Watters followed the success he had overseas with the multi-million selling Irish pop group Westlife in November 2009. [39] Westlife's album Where We Are contained two titles co-produced and co-written by Watters. [40] The album went double platinum in the United Kingdom, triple platinum in Ireland, and gold in New Zealand and Sweden. [41]

From 2014–2016, Watters was VP of Island Records under David Massey where he worked on artists such as Shawn Mendes, Iggy Azalea, Keke Palmer and Luke James. [42]

After leaving Island in 2016, Watters began to manage the artist Lucky Daye, who was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 2020.[ citation needed ] Watters also manages Bobi Andonov. [43]

Awards and nominations

Singles

YearSingleChart positionsAlbum
US Hot 100 US
Pop 		US Dance Club US
R&B 		CAN UK AUS EU Hot 100 NZ IRA
1991"I Wanna Sex You Up" (Color Me Badd)2––12014–19 C.M.B.
"I Adore Mi Amor" (Color Me Badd)1––1––––––
"All 4 Love" (Color Me Badd)1––––59–18
1993"Time and Chance" (Color Me Badd)–––2–––––– Time and Chance
1999"I Wanna Love You Forever" (Jessica Simpson)3–––97961613 Sweet Kisses
1999"I'm Outta Love" (Anastacia)92–2–1161112 Not That Kind
2002"One Day in Your Life" (Anastacia)––1––116191515 Freak Of Nature
2004"I Believe" (Fantasia)112––1–4–20– Free Yourself
2007"When I See U" (Fantasia)32––1–––––– Fantasia
2009"Battlefield" (Jordin Sparks)1011––51142339 Battlefield
"Forever Is Over" (The Saturdays)–––––2–8–9 Wordshaker
2010"All Night Long" (Alexandra Burke)–––––44814–1 Overcome

Discography

Color Me Badd albums

Musical Influences

Watters has cited diverse singer, songwriter, and producer influences such as Ronald Bell, Narada Michael Walden, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, L.A. Reid & Babyface, David Foster, Miles Foster, Billy Joel, Celine Dion, Bootsy Collins, Howie Tee, and Diane Warren. [5] [46]

Ventures

London Police

Watters and Biancaniello formed their own record label, London Police, in 2010.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celine Dion</span> Canadian singer (born 1968)

Céline Marie Claudette Dion is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads", she is noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals. Her music has incorporated genres such as pop, rock, R&B, chanson, and classical music. Her recordings have been mainly in English and French, although she has also sung in several other languages including Japanese, Italian, German, Mandarin, Spanish and Neapolitan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasia (singer)</span> American R&B singer (born 1984)

Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor, known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American singer and actress. She rose to prominence in 2004 for her performance of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" during the third season of American Idol, and eventually became that season's winner. Following her victory, Barrino became the second woman to have her first single debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, following Lauryn Hill, when her debut single "I Believe", launched atop the chart. Her accolades include two Billboard Music Awards and a Grammy Award, along with nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. In 2024, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people.

<i>All the Way... A Decade of Song</i> 1999 greatest hits album by Celine Dion

All the Way... A Decade of Song is the first English-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. Released by Sony Music on 12 November 1999, it features nine previously released songs on most editions and seven new recordings on all editions. Dion worked on new tracks mainly with David Foster. Other producers include Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, James Horner, and Matt Serletic. It is the best-selling greatest hits album in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era. All the Way... A Decade of Song has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, including over nine million in the United States, five million in Europe, two million in Japan and one million units in Canada.

<i>The Colour of My Love</i> 1993 studio album by Celine Dion

The Colour of My Love is the twelfth studio album and third English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released by Sony Music on 9 November 1993. The songs were produced mainly by David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Christopher Neil, and Guy Roche, and four of them were written by Diane Warren. The album features cover versions of "The Power of Love" and "When I Fall in Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Color Me Badd</span> American R&B group

Color Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, by lead singer Bryan Abrams, tenor Mark Calderon, second tenor Sam Watters and baritone Kevin Thornton. Color Me Badd broke up in 1998 before reuniting in 2010, with various lineups since.

<i>Falling into You</i> 1996 studio album by singer Celine Dion

Falling into You is the fourteenth studio album and fourth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 11 March 1996 by Sony Music. The follow-up to her blockbuster album The Colour of My Love (1993) and French-language D'eux (1995), Falling into You showed a further progression of Dion's music. Throughout the project she collaborated with Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", among others. Several songs were produced by David Foster, including Diane Warren's "Because You Loved Me". In total, Dion worked on the album with fourteen producers and a variety of songwriters and musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Wanna Love You Forever</span> 1999 single by Jessica Simpson

"I Wanna Love You Forever" is the debut single of American recording artist Jessica Simpson. The song was released on August 30, 1999, by Columbia Records as the lead single from Simpson's debut studio album, Sweet Kisses (1999). Written and produced by Louis Biancaniello and Sam Watters, "I Wanna Love You Forever" is a pop power ballad.

Louis John Biancaniello is an American songwriter and record producer.

<i>Celine Dion</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Celine Dion

Celine Dion is the eleventh studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion and her second English-language album. It was released by Columbia Records and Epic Records on March 30, 1992 and features the Grammy and Academy Award-winning song "Beauty and the Beast" and other hits, such as "If You Asked Me To" and "Love Can Move Mountains". The album was produced by Walter Afanasieff, Ric Wake, Guy Roche, and Humberto Gatica. It reached numbers one in Quebec and three in Canada, where it was certified Diamond for shipments of over one million copies. At the 35th Annual Grammy Awards, Celine Dion was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The album has sold over five million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Outta Love</span> 2000 single by Anastacia

"I'm Outta Love" is the debut single of American singer Anastacia. Written by Anastacia, Sam Watters, and Louis Biancaniello and produced by the latter two, it was released on February 29, 2000, as the lead single from her debut album, Not That Kind (2000). The song became a major hit in Europe and Australia, reaching number one in Wallonia, Australia, and New Zealand; it was the most successful song of 2000 in the latter two regions. It additionally reached the top five in several others, including France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Wanna Sex You Up</span> 1991 single by Color Me Badd

"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a song by American R&B group Color Me Badd, released in March 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, C.M.B. (1991). The song was produced by Dr. Freeze and was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1991 film New Jack City, starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Chris Rock and Judd Nelson. The song heavily samples “Tonight is the Night” by Betty Wright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You'll Never Be Alone</span> 2002 single by Anastacia

"You'll Never Be Alone" is a song by American recording artist Anastacia from her second studio album, Freak of Nature (2001). Co-written with and produced by Louis Biancaniello and Sam Watters, the ballad was released in Europe as the album's fifth and final single in November 2002. Though it was not released in the United States, it still managed to chart on the Adult Contemporary chart at number twenty-eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Because You Loved Me</span> 1996 single by Celine Dion

"Because You Loved Me" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion on her fourth English-language studio album, Falling into You (1996). It was released on 19 February 1996 as the first single in North America, and as the second single in the United Kingdom on 20 May 1996. "Because You Loved Me" was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, and served as the theme song from the 1996 film Up Close & Personal, starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Billboard ranked it as the 14th "Top Love Song of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamela Mann</span> American gospel singer and actress

Tamela Jean Mann is an American gospel singer and actress. She began her career as a singer with the gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family. Mann was a primary vocalist on several tracks while with Franklin's group, including "Now Behold the Lamb", and "Lean on Me", the latter of which also included Mary J. Blige, Crystal Lewis, R Kelly and Bono. She began her solo career by releasing the albums Gotta Keep Movin (2005), and The Master Plan (2009).

<i>Lara Fabian</i> (1999 album) 1999 studio album by Lara Fabian

"Lara Fabian" is the fourth studio album and the first English-language album by pop singer Lara Fabian. It was first released on 29 November 1999 in France and was released worldwide in 2000. The album features the hit singles "I Will Love Again", "I Am Who I Am" and "Love by Grace".

Stephan Moccio is a Canadian composer, producer, pianist, arranger, conductor and recording artist. He co-wrote and co-produced the two end credit songs for Fifty Shades of Grey and its soundtrack: "Earned It" and "I Know You", with the former being nominated for Best R&B Song and Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, and Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards. He also was a producer on the Weeknd's album Beauty Behind the Madness, which was nominated for Album Of The Year at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>C.M.B.</i> 1991 studio album by Color Me Badd

C.M.B. is the debut album by American recording act Color Me Badd, released July 23, 1991, on Giant Records. It was produced by several record producers, including Dr. Freeze, Nick Mundy, and Howie Tee.

<i>Taking Chances</i> 2007 studio album by Celine Dion

Taking Chances is the twenty-third studio album and tenth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Columbia Records on 7 November 2007. Dion returned to the music scene after almost five years of performing A New Day... on the Las Vegas Strip. She collaborated on Taking Chances with various rock and pop producers, including John Shanks, Linda Perry, ex-Evanescence members Ben Moody and David Hodges, Kristian Lundin, Ne-Yo, Chuck Harmony, Tricky Stewart, Eurythmics' David A. Stewart, Kara DioGuardi, Emanuel Kiriakou, Anders Bagge, Peer Åström, Aldo Nova, Christopher Neil and Guy Roche.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Shanks</span> American record producer and songwriter

John Matthew Shanks is an American songwriter, record producer and guitarist.

Paul Boutin is a French-born American music mixer, audio engineer and a long-time collaborator with producer/songwriter/artist Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

References

  1. ↑ "50th annual Grammy Awards nominations - Entertainment News, Award Central News, Media - Variety". www.variety.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Color Me Badd | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic .
  3. ↑ "Sam Watters | Credits". AllMusic .
  4. ↑ "Keri Hilson - in a Perfect World - Hip Hop Album Review". www.djbooth.net. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Louis Biancaniello & Sam Watters fanlisting". nsyncable.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2005. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Color Me Badd". Facebook. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Color Me Badd". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Hit Factory: The Louis Biancaniello and Sam Watters fanlisting". just-a-fan.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Search Results | Billboard.com
  10. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - September 06, 2014". Recording Industry Association of America . September 6, 2014. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Not That Kind - Anastacia | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic .
  12. 1 2 "Anastacia: News". www.anastacia.net. Archived from the original on February 23, 2001. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Anastacia". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Anastacia - One Day In Your Life". Top40-Charts.com.
  15. ↑ "A New Day Has Come - Céline Dion | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic .
  16. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  17. ↑ "I Surrender - Céline Dion | Song Info". AllMusic .
  18. 1 2 "RFI Musique - - Céline Dion". September 28, 2013. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Fantasia | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic .
  20. ↑ "I Believe - Fantasia | Song Info". AllMusic .
  21. ↑ ":: The Official Fantasia Bookings ::". www.fantasiabookings.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  22. ↑ Fantasia Biography & Awards | Billboard.com
  23. 1 2 "Made — Louis Biancaniello". www.madeyoufamous.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  24. ↑ "When I See You - Fantasia | Song Info". AllMusic .
  25. ↑ When I See You – Fantasia | Billboard.com
  26. ↑ "When I See You – Fantasia | Billboard.com". Billboard .
  27. ↑ "The Best Variety of 80's, 90's & Today's R&B; New on KISS". www.987kissfm.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Discography | Leona World". leonaworld.net. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  29. 1 2 "Spirit - Leona Lewis | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic .
  30. ↑ "All I Ever Wanted - Kelly Clarkson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic .
  31. ↑ "Bonus sales numbers: Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, David Archuleta, more". USATODAY.COM.
  32. ↑ "Welcome". kellyclarkson.com.
  33. ↑ "Grammy Awards 2010 Winners & Nominees". PEOPLE.com.
  34. ↑ "Battlefield - Jordin Sparks | Song Info". AllMusic .
  35. 1 2 "Jordin Sparks". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Jordin Receives Platinum Plaques | Jordin Sparks Official Site – RCA Records".
  37. ↑ "ultimate kylie | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Forever Is Over - The Saturdays | Song Info". AllMusic .
  39. ↑ "WebCite query result". Webcitation.org. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  40. ↑ "Where We Are - Westlife | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic .
  41. ↑ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Sam Watter: New VP of A&R at Island Records".
  43. ↑ "HITS Daily Double : The B-Side - Lucky Daye (Keep Cool/RCA)". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Winners - 50th Annual Grammy Awards on CBS". CBS. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  45. 1 2 "Grammy Nominations Span Streisand, Seal, Seattle Symphony | The Seattle Times". Archive.seattletimes.com.
  46. 1 2 3 4 "Color Me Badd Study Guide & Homework Help - eNotes.com". www.enotes.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  47. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rock On The Net: 19th American Music Awards (presented in 1992)". Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
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.