Al Jarreau Biography
The
only vocalist in history to net Grammy Awards in three different categories
(jazz, pop, and R&B, respectively), Al Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, WI, on
March 12, 1940. The son of a vicar, he earned his first performing experience
singing in the church choir. After receiving his master's degree in psychology,
Jarreau pursued a career as a social worker, but eventually he decided to
relocate to Los Angeles and try his hand in show business, playing small clubs
throughout the West Coast.
He
recorded an LP in the mid-'60s, but largely remained an unknown, not reentering
the studio for another decade. Upon signing to Reprise, Jarreau resurfaced in
1975 with We
Got By, earning acclaim for his sophisticated brand of vocalese and winning
positive comparison to the likes of Billy
Eckstine and Johnny
Mathis. After 1976's Glow,
Jarreau issued the following year's Look to the Rainbow, a two-disc live set
that reached the Top 50 on the U.S. album charts. With 1981's Breakin'
Away, he entered the Top Ten, scoring a pair of hits with "We're in
This Love Together" and the title track. After recording 1986's L Is for
Lover with producer Nile
Rodgers, Jarreau scored a hit with the theme to the popular television
program Moonlighting, but his mainstream pop success was on the wane, and
subsequent efforts like 1992's Heaven and Earth and 1994's Tenderness
found greater success with adult contemporary audiences.
A
string of budget compilations and original albums hit the shelves at the end of
the decade, but into the turn of the century his original output slowed down.
That was until he signed with the Verve/GRP label in 1998 and reunited with
producer Tommy LiPuma. LiPuma had produced Jarreau's ostensible 1975 debut, We
Got By, and the pairing seemed to reinvigorate Jarreau, who went on to
release three stellar albums under LiPuma's guidance, including 2000's Tomorrow
Today, 2002's All
I Got, and 2004's Accentuate the Positive. 2006's Givin'
It Up, recorded with George
Benson, was nominated for three Grammy Awards -- each one for a different
song. Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide