Anthony Cornelius Hamilton (born January 28, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who rose to fame with his platinum-selling second studio album '' Comin' from Where I'm From'' (2003), which featured the title track single " Comin' from Where I'm From" and the follow-up " Charlene". Nominated for 17

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 ...

s, he is also known for the song "Freedom" from the soundtrack album of ''

Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis Ch ...

'' co-written and sung as a duo with indie soul singer Elayna Boynton.

Career

Hamilton started singing in his church's choir at age 17. He attended South Mecklenburg High School where he sang in their award-winning choir under the direction of Mark Setzer. In 1992, he met producer Mark Sparks who encouraged Hamilton to leave Charlotte and head to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

where he signed with Andre Harrell's

Uptown Records Uptown Records is an American record label, based in New York City, founded in 1986 by onetime rapper Andre Harrell. From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, it was a leader in R&B and hip hop. During the 1990s, aided by its A&R worker Sean ...

. Hamilton co-wrote the 1999 hit " U Know What's Up" for singer

Donell Jones Donell Jones (born May 22, 1973) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is most notable for the Hit song, hits "U Know What's Up", "Where I Wanna Be (Donell Jones song), Where I Wanna Be", and his cover version, cover of Ste ...

. In 2000, he joined

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 atte ...

singer D'Angelo's international tour in promotion of the '' Voodoo'' album, on which he was a

backup singer A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

. On March 25, 2016, he released his sixth studio album ''What I'm Feelin''' featuring guitarists

Gary Clark, Jr. Gary Lee Clark Jr. (born February 15, 1984) is an American musician from Austin, Texas. He is known for his fusion of blues, rock and soul music with elements of hip hop. In 2011, Clark signed with Warner Bros Records and released ''The Brigh ...

and

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...

with tracks produced by Mark Batson, Salaam Remi, and James Poyser. After one week, the project ranked number two on the Billboard R&B chart, representing his highest career debut. Hamilton works with the background singers the HamilTones, often performing soul renditions of hip hop tracks.

Roots

Hamilton was first introduced to mainstream audiences with his singing of the chorus of Nappy Roots 2002 single "Po' Folks" which earned a

nomination for "

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

" in 2003. " Po' Folks" is the second single from the multi-platinum '' Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz'' album. Hamilton followed up with three collaborations on Nappy Roots next Atlantic Records release '' Wooden Leather'' with "Sick & Tired", "Push On", "Organic" and then one feature on ''

The Humdinger ''The Humdinger'' is the third studio album by American hip hop quintet Nappy Roots from Kentucky. It was released on August 5, 2008 under Nappy Roots Entertainment Group record label's partnership with Fontana Distribution. Recording sessions took ...

'' on the single "Down N' Out". Nappy Roots and Hamilton have a song together called "Bluegrass Stain'd" with

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, R ...

that was released through Elektra Records.

2004 to present

Hamilton was featured on

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

' 2004 hit "Why" (which was nominated for the "Best Rap/Song Collaboration" Grammy in 2005) and two of 2Pac's remixed songs. Hamilton contributed to 2002's "Thugz Mansion" (7" remix) and 2006's "

Dear Mama "Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album, ''Me Against the World'' (1995). It was released on February 21, 1995, as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur. In the song, ...

" (Frank Nitty Remix). Hamilton's first compilation album, ''Soulife'', was composed of songs recorded during the early part of his career. These previous works were released in June 2005. ''Ain't Nobody Worryin, his gold-selling third studio album, was released on December 13, 2005. Hamilton was featured on a track from

The RH Factor Roy Anthony Hargrove (October 16, 1969 – November 2, 2018) was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles ...

's 2003 album ''Hard Groove'' called "Kwah/Home". He appeared on

Angie Stone Angela Laverne Brown (born December 18, 1961) known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s ...

's "Stay For A While" in 2004. He made a guest appearance on blues singer-guitarist

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...

's 2005 album '' Bring 'Em In'', contributing vocals to a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's 1969 " Lay Lady Lay," which featured Robert Randolph. At the 2006

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 ...

, Hamilton won the BET J "Cool Like That" Award. Comedian Dave Chappelle had Hamilton as a musical guest on his show ''

Chappelle's Show ''Chappelle's Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show and starring in the majority of its sketches. Chappelle, Brennan, and Michele Armour were ...

'' in episode 6, Season 2 that premiered on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...

. He made a guest appearance on the

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

show ''All of Us'' in Season 2. Hamilton made a cameo as a soul singer in the film '' American Gangster'', to whose soundtrack he contributed. During the 2008 BET Awards, Hamilton performed Al Green's "

Tired of Being Alone "Tired of Being Alone" is a soul song written by American singer Al Green. It reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number seven on the Soul Singles Chart in 1971. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the number-12 song for 1971. Background ...

" during a tribute to Green's career. Later in 2008, he was featured on '' The Recession'' the certified Gold selling album by

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...

. In July 2011, Jill Scott released her hit single "So In Love" featuring Hamilton. The track spent 19 weeks at the number one spot on the Urban AC charts. 2012 found Hamilton on two successful Def Jam releases: Big K.R.I.T.'s ''

Live from the Underground ''Live from the Underground'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and record producer Big K.R.I.T. It was released on June 5, 2012, by Cinematic Music Group and Def Jam Recordings. As one of the executive producers on the album, Big K.R.I ...

'' and '' Life Is Good'' by Nas, which debuted at #1 on ''Billboard'' 200. Later on in 2012 Hamilton was featured on the

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 soundtrack ...

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

's ''

'' in the track "Freedom" in a duo with indie soul singer Elayna Boynton. British DJ

Ben Pearce Ben Pearce is an English DJ and music producer. He has co-founded the record label and DJ agency Purp & Soul with Chris Farnworth and heads as the Creative Director. Ben Pearce's music is considered Deep House with punk/metal, hip-hop, electronic ...

sampled vocals from Hamilton's song, "Cornbread, Fish & Collard Greens" in his 2013 song, "

What I Might Do "What I Might Do" is the debut single of Manchester-based English DJ/producer Ben Pearce. It was released by MTA Records on 11 October 2012, under exclusive licence from Under the Shade Records. The song is considered as an example of deep house m ...

". In 2015, Hamilton made a guest appearance on the song "That One", the first single from Teedra Moses' second album '' Cognac & Conversation''. Further demonstrating his diversity, Hamilton made a cameo appearance on the hit Fox show, EMPIRE, where he performed ''"Point of It All"'' as part of main character Luscious Lyon's proposal to his girlfriend. The episode aired February 4, 2015. On February 24, 2016, Hamilton performed at the last "In Performance at the White House" hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle as part of a tribute to iconic singer Ray Charles. On March 25, he released his 6th studio album "What I'm Feelin", which he describes as an "emotional" cleanse reflecting on some of the hurdles he has faced. Hamilton partnered with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store to release a deluxe version of the album sold online and in stores across the country. On March 28, 2016, Hamilton performed on NPR's critically acclaimed

Tiny Desk Concerts Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of ''All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first Tiny Desk Concert came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music editor Stephen Tho ...

where he performed his new single "Amen," "Best of Me," "Cool," and "Charlene." Chris Brown recruited Hamilton to perform on the "Legends" remix to his hit single "Back to Sleep," which was released on April 10, 2016. On April 21st, Hamilton embarked on a nationwide tour with Fantasia. Hamilton was featured on the track "Carnival" from virtual band Gorillaz' 2017 album ''

Humanz ''Humanz'' is the fifth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 28 April 2017 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Warner Bros. Records. The album was announced on the band's official Instagr ...

''. On May 15, 2020, Hamilton released his single "Back Together" featuring the late

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...

via his new imprint My Music Box, in partnership with BMG. The song was co-written by Hamilton and Ed D. Kane, and produced by 9th Wonder. It is the first single off his new album that will release on September 24, 2021.

Personal life

Hamilton has six sons: Anthony Jr. (1989), Romeiro (1991), Tristen (1997), twins Nolan Michael and Aaron Anthony (2010), and Princeton (2012). Dating since 2003, he married his background singer Tarsha McMillan in 2005. On November 2, 2010, Hamilton and his wife Tarsha welcomed twin boys Nolan Michael and Aaron Anthony. On his official Facebook page on June 11, 2012, Hamilton announced the birth of another son, Princeton Harris Hamilton. The couple announced on June 20, 2015, after 10 years of marriage, that they were getting a divorce.

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...

'' (1996) * '' Comin' from Where I'm From'' (2003) * ''

Ain't Nobody Worryin' ''Ain't Nobody Worryin is the third studio album by the American singer Anthony Hamilton. It was released on December 13, 2005, by So So Def Recordings and Zomba. It debuted at number 19 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at number four on the Top R& ...

'' (2005) * '' The Point of It All'' (2008) * '' Back to Love'' (2011) * '' Home for the Holidays'' (2014) * '' What I'm Feelin''' (2016) * ''Love Is the New Black'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

;

, - , rowspan="2", 2004 , rowspan="3", Anthony Hamilton ,

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 ...

, , - , rowspan="2", Best Male R&B Artist , , - , rowspan="2", 2005 , , - , " Why" (with

) , Best Collaboration , , - , rowspan="2", 2006 , rowspan="2", Anthony Hamilton , BET J Cool Like Dat Award , , - , Best Male R&B Artist , ;

Critic's Choice Movie Awards The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the United States, American-Canada, Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinem ...

, - , 2007 , " Do You Feel Me" , Best Song , ; Grammy Awards , - , rowspan="3", 2004 , "Comin' from Where I'm From" ,

Best Traditional R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers of quality traditional R&B vocal performances. ...

, , - , "Comin' from Where I'm From" ,

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...

, , - , "Comin' from Where I'm From" ,

Best Contemporary R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the contemporary ...

, , - , 2005 , "Charlene" , Best Male R&B Vocal Performance , , - , 2009 , "You've Got The Love I Need" (with Al Green) ,

, , - , rowspan="3", 2010 , "Soul Music" ,

, , - , "The Point Of It All" , Best Male R&B Vocal Performance , , - , "The Point Of It All" ,

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

, , - , rowspan="2", 2013 , "Back To Love" ,

, , - , "Pray For Me" ,

, , - , , 2014 , "Best of Me" ,

, , - , , 2017 , "What I'm Feelin' (featuring The HamilTones)" ,

, ;

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 ...

, - , 2004 , Anthony Hamilton , Outstanding New Artist , , - , rowspan="2", 2005 , Anthony Hamilton , Outstanding Male Artist , , - , "Charlene" , Outstanding Song , 2022 ;

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...

, - , 2006 , Himself , Best Reggae , ;

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 ...

, - , rowspan="2", 2004 , "Comin' From Where I'm From" , Favorite Male R&B/Soul Single , , - , ''Comin' From Where I'm From'' , Favorite Male R&B/Soul Album , , - , 2005 , "Charlene" , Favorite Male R&B/Soul Single , , - , 2006 , Soulife , Favorite Male R&B/Soul Album ,

References

External links

* * *
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Anthony 1971 births 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers African-American male singers American contemporary R&B singers African-American songwriters Arista Records artists Grammy Award winners Jive Records artists Living people MCA Records artists Musicians from Charlotte, North Carolina American neo soul singers RCA Records artists Singers from North Carolina So So Def Recordings artists Songwriters from North Carolina Zomba Group of Companies artists Ballad musicians 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers The Soultronics members