Gerald Maxwell Rivera (born May 23, 1973), known

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

ously as Maxwell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence following the release of his debut studio album ''

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' is the debut album by American R&B singer-songwriter Maxwell. It was recorded in 1994 and 1995, then released on April 2, 1996, by Columbia Records. Maxwell largely wrote and produced the album himself, recording ...

'' (1996), which received widespread acclaim, and spawned the singles "

Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder) "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder) is a 1996 song by American R&B/neo soul singer Maxwell, released as the second single from his debut album, '' Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite''. It peaked at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ...

" and " Sumthin' Sumthin'". The album has since been cited by music critics for helping form the "

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and con ...

" movement that rose to prominence during the late 1990s. Maxwell then released the albums '' Embrya'' (1998), and '' Now'' (2001), both of which were certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

(RIAA); with the latter reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. After taking a hiatus from music, he returned in 2009 with his fourth studio album '' BLACKsummers'night,'' which became his second album to reach number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. ''BLACKsummers'night'' was nominated for six

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

, including Song of the Year for " Pretty Wings", and won Best R&B Album and

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: *In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male *From 1969 to 1994 it was awarded as Best R&B ...

(for "Pretty Wings"). His fifth studio album '' blackSUMMERS'night'' (2016), spawned the single " Lake by the Ocean", and was released to critical acclaim. He has won three Grammy Awards, six

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the p ...

and two

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

. Maxwell was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and

Congressional Black Caucus The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is a caucus made up of most African-American members of the United States Congress. Representative Karen Bass from California chaired the caucus from 2019 to 2021; she was succeeded by Representative Joyce B ...

in 2019 for "his innovative contributions to the music industry as a singer, songwriter, and producer".

Early life

Maxwell was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the son of a Haitian mother and a Puerto Rican father. His mother grew up in a devout

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

household in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

. Maxwell's father died in a plane crash when Maxwell was three years old.Huey, Steve. After the time of his father passing, Maxwell moved to Willingboro, NJ. He spent his time there, along with family and friends. Maxwell: Biography

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

. Retrieved February 6, 2013. Maxwell grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of

East New York East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough li ...

Career

1990-1994: Beginnings

After receiving a low-cost

Casio keyboard The CZ series is a family of low-cost phase distortion synthesizers produced by Casio in the mid-1980s. Eight models of CZ synthesizers were released: the CZ-101, CZ-230S, CZ-1000, CZ-2000S, CZ-2600S, CZ-3000, CZ-5000, and the CZ-1. Additionally, ...

from a friend, the Brooklyn, New York-native began composing music at age 17.Brennan (2002), pp. 132–133. Already a fan of what he described as "

jheri curl The Jheri curl (often spelled Jerry curl or Jeri Curl) is a permanent wave hairstyle that was popular among African Americans during the 1980s and early 1990s. Invented by the hairdresser Jheri Redding, the Jheri curl gives the wearer a glossy, ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

", which was the trademark of early 1980s R&B acts such as

Patrice Rushen Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist and R&B singer. She is also a composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director. Her 1982 single "Forget Me Nots" received a Grammy Awar ...

S.O.S. Band The S.O.S. Band (sometimes written as S.O.S. Band; abbreviation for Sounds of Success) is an American R&B and electro-funk group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", "Just Be Good to M ...

and Rose Royce, Maxwell began to teach himself to play a variety of instruments. According to him, the R&B of the early 1980s contained "the perfect combination of computerized instrumentation with a live feel", and that the genre's dynamics later became lost due to the influence of hip hop on R&B.Adams (1998), pp. 172–173. Despite facing ridicule from classmates for being shy and awkward, he progressed and continued to develop his musical abilities, and he also adopted the look of a more

bohemian style The Bohemian style focuses on color, life, and culture as its main aspects, seeking to replicate the romani nomadic lifestyle. The word Bohemian comes from the French word "bohémien",meaning romani. A person living a "bohemian lifestyle" is t ...

outwardly in his clothing, growing long sideburns and letting his hair grow out wildly and combed in an extreme style, or sometimes putting his hair in long thin braids. Initially influenced by early-1980s urban R&B, Maxwell progressed rapidly, and by 1991 he was performing on the New York City club scene. Maxwell was able to gain access to a

24-track Multitrack recording (MTR), also known as multitracking or tracking, is a method of sound recording developed in 1955 that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources or of sound sources recorded at different times to create a ...

recording studio and started to record songs for a

demo tape A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...

, which he circulated among his friends. The demo engendered interest, and his official debut concert performance at Manhattan nightclub

Nell's Nell's (or Nells) was a nightclub located on 246 West 14th Street in downtown Manhattan. It opened in the fall of 1986 in the space of a former electronics store and closed May 30, 2004. History Nell's opened in the fall of 1986 in the space of a ...

drew a crowd. During the next two years, Maxwell wrote and recorded over three hundred songs and played frequently at small venues throughout New York City. Maxwell's performances continued to draw interest and increase the buzz about him, and he was called "the next

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

" by a writer from ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'' magazine who attended one of his shows. After earning a considerable reputation, Maxwell signed a recording contract with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

in 1994. He adopted his middle name as a

moniker A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

out of respect for his family's privacy.

1994-1997: ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite''

Maxwell began working with songwriter

Leon Ware Leon Ware (February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017) was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy ...

and noted guitarist Wah Wah Watson to record his debut ''

'' in the mid 1990s. Recording sessions for the album took place in 1994 and 1995 at

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten we ...

, RPM Studios, Sorcerer Studios and

Chung King Studios Chung King Studios was a recording studio that operated in New York City under that name from 1986 to 2015. It was founded by producer John King and engineer Steve Ett with financial backing from the Etches brothers, occupying three different locat ...

in New York City, and at CRC recording studios in Chicago, Illinois.Product Page: ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite''
Muze. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. After production for the album was completed in 1995, the finished product was presented to Columbia Records in Spring of that same year.Williams, Jean A.
Maxwell Finds His Groove
. ''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently ...

'': July 23, 1997. However, it was shelved for nearly a year,Harrington, Richard.
Maxwell's House of Soul; Romantic Debut Is Quite a Concept
. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'': 7. October 16, 1996. due to issues with Columbia's management, the label's extensive reorganization and record executives' doubts of the album's commercial potential. Initially, the album was slow to obtain commercial interest. On April 20, 1996, the album made its chart debut at number 38 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

chart.0&N=36#pos25 Albums Charts: Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2009-04-04. From August to October 1996, ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' experienced chart growth on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at number eight on the former and at number 36 on the latter. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite: Billboard Albums Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-04-04. It spent seventy-eight weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. It became a Top 30 hit in the United Kingdom.Easlea, Daryl
Review: ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite''

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. The album was later ranked as one of the year's top-10 best albums by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'', ''Rolling Stone'' and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

''.George, Michael
Maxwell: African American singer
''American Visions''. Retrieved on 2009-04-04. and was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 39th Grammy Awards, losing the award to The Tony Rich Project's ''

Words A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...

.'' The album spawned four singles. The first single released, "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'", debuted on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

at number 87 in May 1996. Peaking at number 79, the single spent 12 weeks on the chart. The second single, "

", debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks in August 1996 at number 11, eventually peaking number eight. It spent eighteen weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 36 on September 28, 1996. The third single, " Sumthin' Sumthin'", peaked at number 22 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite: Billboard Singles Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-04-04. The album's fourth single, "Suitelady (The Proposal Jam)", entered the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

component chart in May 1997, peaking at number 64. (Maxwell contributed the song "Segurança (Security)" to the AIDS-benefit album ''

Red Hot + Rio ''Red Hot + Rio'' is a compilation album produced by Béco Dranoff and Paul Heck as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series intended to promote AIDS awareness. This installment is a contemporary tribute to the bossa nova sound, especially the mus ...

'', produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

.) Maxwell released a series of EPs featuring different versions of his songs from ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'', including "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'", "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)", "Whenever Wherever Whatever" and "Sumthin' Sumthin'". These EPs were re-released in 2019. "Sumthin' Sumthin': Mellosmoothe" appeared on the '' Loves Jones''

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

in March 1997. Despite Maxwell's having released only one album, the music video television channel

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

saw his burgeoning popularity and asked him to tape an episode of the concert series ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'' in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The show was taped live on June 15, 1997, and he performed his own songs as well as covers of songs by

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

(" This Woman's Work") and

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

(" Closer"). (Maxwell clashed with his label about the release of a full album of his session, resulting in the release of only an extended play, or EP instead, containing seven songs.) The ''MTV Unplugged'' performance of "...Til the Cops Come Knockin" was included as a bonus track on the international release. The episode of ''MTV Unplugged'' first aired on the network on July 22, 1997.

1998-2002: ''Embrya'' and ''Now''

Maxwell's second studio album, '' Embrya'', was released on June 30, 1998, and upon its release it was panned by contemporary

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. The album received mixed criticism for its more "indulgent sound." With its internal focus and esoteric grooves, the album served as a departure for Maxwell, who did not regret risking his reputation with urban listeners for a more challenging record. The album experienced a critical backlash similar to that of other artists' work that broke their previous releases' successful formulas in favor of more compelling projects, now being termed " neo-soul."Neal (2003), p. 117. In 1999, it won the Soul Train Music Award for Best Male Soul/R&B Album. In a retrospective review for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

wrote that Maxwell "overstuffs his songs with ideas that lead nowhere" and called ''Embrya'' "a bit of a sophomore stumble, albeit one with promising moments." Arion Berger, writing in ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' (2004), found the songs monotonous and called the album "unfocused and pretentious ... full of overwrought, underwritten songs with obscure, fancy titles revolving around a sort of sexual

gnosticism Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

." Critics have since reappraised ''Embrya'' as a groundbreaking forerunner to later trends in

Alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, hipster R&B, dark R&B, emo R&B and left-field R&B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and came to pro ...

, and Columbia Records reissued the album in 2018 on its 20th Anniversary. Despite the negative press, the album sold more than one million copies and garnered Maxwell a new

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

fanbase, but confounded the traditional urban consumers. On May 26, 1999, the album was officially certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

by the

(RIAA). ''Embrya'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, losing to fellow neo-soul artist Erykah Badu's '' Baduizm'' (1997).Erykah Badu sweeps Soul Train Awards
''rollingstone.com'' March 3, 1998 Later in the year he released "

Fortunate "Fortunate" is a neo soul song from the 1999 motion picture ''Life'' and was released on the film's soundtrack. The song was written, composed, produced and arranged by R. Kelly and recorded by Maxwell. "Fortunate" was awarded Best R&B Single o ...

", a single written by R. Kelly and featured on the

for the 1999

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

''. The single peaked at number one on ''Billboard'' magazine's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart. To date, the song is Maxwell's most successful single and was ''Billboard's'' number-one R&B single of 1999. '' Now'', Maxwell's third album, was released on August 14, 2001 on

in the United States. Following the lukewarm radio success of his previous album, Maxwell has stated he felt more comfortable with his artistic direction in the creation of his new album, which does not exhibit his previous work's conceptual style.Jones, Steve.
Maxwell Says He's Ready 'Now' to 'Get to Know Ya'
. ''

'': D.08. August 20, 2001. The album sold over 296,000 units in the U.S. in the first week, according to SoundScan, to earn him his first-ever number one album. The album was later certified platinum by the RIAA. " Lifetime" was the second single from the album. It was a top five hit on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and peaked at No. 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The third single off the album, " This Woman's Work", a live staple of Maxwell's,Leroy, Dan
Review: ''Now''

Yahoo! Music Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds o ...

. Retrieved on 2009-09-25. charted at number 58 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at number 16 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. Once again, despite some criticism towards Maxwell's songwriting,Lewis, Miles Marshall
Review: ''Now''
''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose par ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.Cinquemani, Sal
Review: ''Now''
.

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.Coleman, Nick
Review: ''Now''
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-09-25. La Weekly stated "''Now'' is a disappointment in the wake of 1996's Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite and its 1998 follow-up, Embrya." ''Now'' received generally positive reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 78/100 from

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

.''Now'' (2001): Reviews

. Retrieved on 2009-09-25. The album was Maxwell's last release before he took a lengthy

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: * Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure * Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes'' * G ...

from performing.

2003-2010: ''BLACKsummers'night''

Recording sessions for a new album took place during 2007 to 2009 at

, Bowery Digital, and Platinum Sound Recording Studios in

.Per liner notes from ''BLACKsummers'night'' album The album was produced entirely by Maxwell and musician Hod David. The album was to serve as the first part of his scheduled trilogy of albums.Capobianco, Ken
Review: ''BLACKsummers'night''
''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-07-19. During this time, and after seven years of not performing, he appeared as a surprise musical guest on the

2008 BET Awards The 8th BET Awards took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on June 24, 2008. The awards recognized Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Comedian D. L. Hughley Darry ...

, where he performed the song "

Simply Beautiful "Simply Beautiful" is a 1972 song by Al Green from his album '' I'm Still in Love with You''. Legacy American R&B group Destiny's Child sampled the song on the track "Bridges" from their 1998 self-titled debut album. American singer Mary J. Bl ...

" in a tribute to soul singer

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

, shocking fans and the audience alike with his ability to still perform well, but also with his new look, his trademark afro and pork-chop sideburns gone, replaced with a more relaxed and subdued look. The album '' BLACKsummers'night'' was released on July 7, 2009 and received universal acclaim from music critics. Commercially the album was a success, debuting at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart in July 2009, with first-week sales of 316,000 copies,Sisario, Ben
‘Blacksummers’night’ Takes Maxwell to No. 1
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-09-13. serving as Maxwell's highest first-week sales. The album produced four singles. The lead single " Pretty Wings" debuted at number one on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

chart, ultimately spending 47 weeks on the chart. Chart History - Maxwell: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-05-02. It also spent 18 weeks and peaked at number 33 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and at number 12 on its Radio Songs component chart. Chart History - Maxwell: Hot 100 ''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-05-02. Chart History - Maxwell: Radio Songs ''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-05-02. The second single, " Bad Habits", peaked at number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, spending 46 weeks on the chart. It peaked at number 71 on the Hot 100, at number 38 on the Radio Songs chart, and at number 16 on the

Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart. The third single "

Cold Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

" spent one week at number 62 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album's fourth single "

Fistful of Tears "Fistful of Tears" is a R&B song by American recording artist Maxwell. The song is taken from his platinum album ''BLACKsummers'night'', and reached number-eleven on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The music video was directed by Philip Andel ...

" spent 24 weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at number 11. It charted at number 94 on the Hot 100 and at number 63 on the Radio Songs chart. Maxwell received six nominations for the 2010

, winning "Best R&B Album" for ''BLACKsummers'night'' and "Best Male R&B Vocal Performance" for "Pretty Wings." "Pretty Wings" was nominated for the "Song of the Year" which was written by Maxwell under his publishing moniker Musze.

2011-2017: ''blackSUMMERS'night''

On April 17, 2012, Maxwell announced that he and his eleven-piece band would embark on a six-day tour, MaxwellTwoNight -M2N tour 2012 – two nights in three cities, scheduled for the cities of Los Angeles, California – Staples Center (July 20 and July 21); Atlanta, Georgia – Philips Arena (July 27 and July 28); and Newark, New Jersey the Prudential Center (August 3 and August 4). Maxwell was to perform his discography in its entirety. The first day of the tour Maxwell was to perform songs from his first album ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' and second album ''Embrya''. The second day of the tour Maxwell was to perform from his third and fourth albums ''Now'' and ''BLACKsummer'snight'', respectively. Maxwell was to debut never-performed songs from his BLACKsummer'snight trilogy. lt was also announced that proceeds from the M2N tour merchandise would support the "Obama-Biden 2012" re-election campaign. However, the tour was canceled due to vocal hemorrhaging. After two years of occasionally performing and planning, he disclosed during an interview with

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

magazine in May 2014 that he had been working on his fifth studio album for "the past three years" and has been recording in Miami. On December 18, 2014, Maxwell announced on the

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...

site

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

the second installment of his trilogy '' blackSUMMERS'night'' would be arriving sometime in winter 2015. On April 7, 2016, Maxwell released his first solo single in 6 years titled " Lake by the Ocean", and also revealed his long-awaited fifth album ''blackSUMMERS'night''. He performed it on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second ...

'' on May 5, 2016. It was his first television performance in seven years. The full-length album was released on July 1, 2016 and charted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 while garnering widespread acclaim from critics.

2018-present: ''Night''

In October 2018, Maxwell released the single "Shame", which he said was a preview of his upcoming album ''Night'', the final installment of his album trilogy. In April 2019 as he was re-issuing his earlier EPs in digital format, Maxwell said that he was scheduling a string of performances for mid-2019. Maxwell had a consecutive four-night concert run at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, supported by the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National M ...

, in September 2019.

Legacy

Along with fellow musicians

D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

and

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

, Maxwell has been credited with helping to shape the "

" movement that rose to prominence during the late 1990s.Shapiro (2006), p. 104–105. Along with D'Angelo's ''

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

'' (1995) and Badu's '' Baduizm'' (1997), ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' has been recognized by writers for beginning neo soul's popularity and helping the genre obtain commercial visibility.Nelson, Trevor
Radio 1 Listeners Top 50 Albums of 1993-2003
. TrevorNelson. Retrieved on 2009-03-30.Harvilla, Rob
Maxwell Returns. So Do the Giant Panties
''The Village Voice''. Retrieved on 2009-03-31. However, in contrast to D'Angelo, Maxwell was more conventional in his approach on his debut album.Hahn (2003), p. 227. In commenting on the "new soul revival" in music, Maxwell told ''Entertainment Weekly'' in 1997 that "everything out there musically was inspired or influenced by something from the past. It's not about creating some super-fresh new thing. If it doesn't lend itself to your history, how is it going to extend to your future? That's what's really brilliant about looking into children's eyes—you can see their parents in them." ''

'' called him "the Marvin Gaye of the '90s". Its columnist wrote that ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' "heralded the arrival of a top-of-the-class graduate of the old school of soul, one who could sing about romantic aspiration and tribulation with heart-wrenching emotion. It was as if the aesthetic that Gaye ascribed to — 'music that has feeling, hope and meaning – all the things people are looking for' — had been rediscovered after a long, hedonistic interlude."Harrington, Richard.
Maxwell Has a Gaye Old Time
. ''Washington Post'': July 15, 1997. Maxwell's role in writing and producing the album exhibited a level of artistic control by an R&B artist that was uncommon in the recording industry at the time. On his emergence with ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'', writer Carol Brennan cited him, along with the

Fugees Fugees (; sometimes The Fugees) is an American hip hop group formed in the early 1990s. Deriving its name from a shortening of the word "refugees", the group consists of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill. The group rose to fame with i ...

, D'Angelo and

Tony Rich Antonio Jeffries (born November 19, 1971), better known as Tony Rich and The Tony Rich Project, is an American Grammy-award-winning Contemporary singer-songwriter best known for his hit single " Nobody Knows". Early career Rich was born in De ...

, as neo soul musicians that "exhibited the identifying characteristics of this new breed of R&B artists: lyrics that give voice to intense personal expression, creative control over the music, and a unexpectedly successful debut."

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (1996) * '' Embrya'' (1998) * '' Now'' (2001) * '' BLACKsummers'night'' (2009) * '' blackSUMMERS'night'' (2016)

Tours

;Headlining * Urban Hang Suite Tour (1997) * Now Tour (2001–02) * Maxwell Live (2008) *

BLACKsummers'night Tour BLACKsummers'night Tour is a tour by American R&B singer Maxwell. The tour was in support of his platinum hit album ''BLACKsummers'night''. The trek kicked off on June 17, 2009, in Grand Rapids, Michigan throughout North America. The tour continu ...

(2009) * Summer Soulstice (2014) * Summers' 2016 (2016) * The Night Tour (2022) ;Co-headlining * Sony Music Black College Tour (1996) * Maxwell & Jill Scott: The Tour (2010) * Annual Summer Jam (2016) * King and Queen of Hearts World Tour (2016) * 50 Intimate Night (2018) ;Cancelled tours *MaxwellTwoNight (2012)

Awards and nominations

;

American Music Award The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produ ...

, - ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

, , Maxwell , , Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist , , ;

BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

, - ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

, , Maxwell , , Best Male R&B Artist , , , - ,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, , Maxwell , , Best Male R&B Artist , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, , rowspan="2" , Maxwell , , Best Male R&B Artist , , , - , Centric Award , , ;

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

, - ,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, , ''

'' , , Best R&B Album , , , - ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, , "Whenever Wherever Whatever" , ,

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...

, , , - , rowspan="2" ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, , " Matrimony: Maybe You" , ,

, , , - , '' Embrya'' , , Best R&B Album , , , - ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, , "

" , , Best Male R&B Vocal Performance , , , - ,

, , " Lifetime" , , Best Male R&B Vocal Performance , , , - , rowspan="6" ,

, , rowspan="3" , " Pretty Wings" , , Song of the Year , , , - , Best Male R&B Vocal Performance , , , - , Best R&B Song , , , - , "Love You" , , Best Male Pop Vocal Performance , , , - , "Phoenix Rise" , ,

Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by m ...

, , , - , '' BLACKsummers'night'' , , Best R&B Album , , , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, , " Lake by the Ocean" , , Best R&B Song , , ;

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video categor ...

, - ,

, , " This Woman's Work" , ,

Breakthrough Video Breakthrough or break through may refer to: Arts Books * ''Break Through'' (book), a 2007 book about environmentalism by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger * ''Break Through'' (play), a 2011 episodic play portraying scenes from LGBT life * ...

, , ;

, - , 1997 , , Maxwell , , Outstanding New Artist , , , - , rowspan="5" , 2010 , , Maxwell , , Outstanding Male Artist , , , - , rowspan="2" , " Pretty Wings" , , Outstanding Music Video , , , - , Outstanding Song , , , - , " Bad Habits" , , Outstanding Song , , , - , '' BLACKsummers'night'' , , Outstanding Album , , , - , rowspan="2" , 2011 , , rowspan="2" , "

" , , Outstanding Music Video , , , - , Outstanding Song , , , - , rowspan="3" , 2014 , , rowspan="3" , " Fire We Make" , , Outstanding Duo or Group , , , - , Outstanding Music Video , , , - , Outstanding Song , , , - , rowspan="2" , 2017 , , Maxwell , , Outstanding Male Artist , , , - , " Lake by the Ocean" , , Outstanding Traditional Song , , , - , 2018 , , "Gods" , , Outstanding Music Video , , ;

, - , rowspan="3" ,

, , Maxwell , ,

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

, , , - , "

" , , Best R&B/Soul Single – Male , , , - , ''

'' , , Best R&B/Soul Album – Male , , , - ,

, , ''

'' , , Best R&B/Soul Album – Male , , , - ,

, , '' Embrya'' , , Best R&B/Soul Album – Male , , , - ,

, , "

" , , Best R&B/Soul Single – Male , , , - ,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

, , " This Woman's Work" , , Best R&B/Soul Single – Male , , , - , rowspan="4" ,

, , Maxwell , , Best R&B/Soul Male Artist , , , - , rowspan="2" , " Pretty Wings" , , Best Song of the Year , , , - , The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award , , , - , '' BLACKsummers'night'' , , Best Album of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, , rowspan="2" , " Fire We Make" , , The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award , , , - , Best Collaboration , , , - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, , Maxwell , , Best R&B/Soul Male Artist , ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell 1973 births Living people American contemporary R&B singers American funk guitarists American funk keyboardists American funk singers American hip hop singers American male guitarists American male pianists American male singer-songwriters American musicians of Haitian descent American musicians of Puerto Rican descent American neo soul singers American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American soul guitarists American soul keyboardists Ballad musicians Columbia Records artists Grammy Award winners Guitarists from New York City Jazz record producers American male jazz musicians Musicians from Brooklyn NAACP Image Awards Record producers from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singers from New York City Soul Train Music Awards Soul-jazz pianists Writers from Brooklyn 20th-century American composers 21st-century American composers 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American writers

Early life

Career

1990-1994: Beginnings

1994-1997: ''Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite''

1998-2002: ''Embrya'' and ''Now''

2003-2010: ''BLACKsummers'night''

2011-2017: ''blackSUMMERS'night''

2018-present: ''Night''

Legacy

Discography

Tours

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links