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All Music Guide:
Jazz, soul, and gospel singer, songwriter, and actor Gregory Porter was born in Los Angeles, California but grew up in Bakersfield, California, where his mother was a minister. As a child, he fell under the spell of his mother's Nat King Cole records, learning to imitate and sing like Cole, but his early aspirations were in sports. He was awarded a football scholarship to attend San Diego State University, but after an injury to his shoulder derailed his sports career, he began performing in local jazz clubs, which is where he met saxophonist, composer, and pianist Kamau Kenyatta. Kenyatta became Porter's mentor, introducing him to flutist Hubert Laws, who featured Porter's vocals on a track on his 1998 album Hubert Laws' Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole. Laws' sister, Eloise Laws, heard Porter during the studio sessions and was impressed with his singing, and helped him get cast as one of the leads in a new musical, It Ain't Nothing But the Blues, which eventually enjoyed a run on Broadway. The gates were open for Porter. His debut album, Water, appeared in 2010, and was followed by a second, Be Good, released two years later in 2012.
Wikipedia:
Gregory Porter (born November 1971) is an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actor.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Life and career[edit]
Porter was born in Los Angeles, California, but grew up in Bakersfield, California, where his mother was a minister.
His debut album, Water, released in 2010 via Motéma Music, was nominated for Best Jazz Vocal album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. He was also a member of the original Broadway cast of It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues. His sophomore album, Be Good, which contains many of Porter's compositions, was released on February 14, 2012, and garnered critical acclaim for both his distinctive singing and his compositions, such as "Be Good (Lion's Song), "Real Good Hands", and "On My Way To Harlem".
He was signed by Blue Note Records (Universal Music Group) on May 17, 2013, and his third album, Liquid Spirit, was released on September 2, 2013, in Europe and on September 17, 2013, in the US. The album is produced by Brian Bacchus.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
