Calvin Richardson (born December 16, 1976) is an American
R&B and
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 '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...
singer-songwriter. In 1999, he released his debut solo album ''Country Boy''.
Career
In the mid 1990s, Richardson went solo and signed with
Universal Records
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
. His debut album, ''Country Boy'', was released on August 24, 1999, selling 100,000 units. Despite this he was dropped by Universal. Shortly thereafter, he signed a contract with
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Record ...
.
On September 16, 2003, he released his second album, ''
2:35 PM''. The album was given that name because Richardson's child was born at that time, just before completing the album. It featured the minor R&B hit "Keep On Pushin'", a song Richardson wrote and produced by himself. He originally recorded the song "More Than a Woman" a duet with
Angie Stone which originally appeared on her 2001 album ''
Mahogany Soul''. Richardson would later re-record the song as a solo track for ''2:35 pm''. An alternate version of the song – which replaces Richardson's vocals with new ones from
Joe- was nominated for
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the
2003 Grammy Awards. The album also included popular songs such as The Underdogs produced single "Not Like This" as well as the Raphael Saadiq produced "Falling Out". The album was produced by
The Underdogs,
Jake & Trevor,
Young RJ, and Raphael Saadiq.
Richardson then co-wrote and performed on the track "Excuse Me", from Saadiq's 2002
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 pre ...
nominated album ''
Instant Vintage
''Instant Vintage'' is the 2002 debut album by American R&B singer and record producer Raphael Saadiq. It was his first full-length solo album after spending much of his post-Tony! Toni! Toné! career as a session player and producer. The record ...
'', as well as co-writing The Charlie Wilson single produced by
Babyface "There Goes My Baby".
Richardson released his third album, ''When Love Comes'', on May 27, 2008, on Shanachie Records. In 2009, he was chosen to record a
tribute album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
to
Bobby Womack, which coincided with Womack being inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...
. The Grammy nominated album was entitled, ''Facts Of Life: The Soul Of Bobby Womack''. On August 31, 2010, Richardson released his fifth album, ''Americas Most Wanted''. The lead single was "You're So Amazing".
As of 2013, he has joined the upcoming reality series "Come Back Kings" with
Ed Lover
James Roberts (born February 12, 1963), better known as Ed Lover, is an American rapper, actor, musician, radio personality, and former MTV VJ. He hosted "The Ed Lover Show" on SiriusXM's old-school hip hop station BackSpin. As of April 12, 2 ...
,
Horace Brown, David "Davinch" Chance (of
Ruff Endz),
Jeff Sanders, Jameio,
Mr. Cheeks and
Black Rob.
In January 2014, it was announced that Richardson signed a new deal with Eric Benét's label Jordan House Records with distribution and marketing from the company
Primary Wave Music
Primary Wave is a private music publishing and talent management company. Primary Wave was founded in January 2006 by music executive Lawrence Mestel. Since its origin as a music publishing company, Primary Wave has expanded into talent manageme ...
.
In April 2014, Richardson released the first single from his album "I Am Calvin" entitled "We Gon' Love Tonite"."
On September 30, 2014, Richardson released his fifth studio album ''I Am Calvin'' on Jordan House/Primary Wave Music/
BMG Rights Management
BMG Rights Management Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a Music publisher (popular music), music publisher and a rec ...
.
In January 2015, following the lead single 'We Gon' Love Tonite,' Richardson released the second single from his album
'Hearsay.'
Artistry
Influences
Richardson cites
Babyface as a major influence and someone who has he "learned a lot from".
He also cites
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses.
During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwide ...
as someone who he would want to work with, admiring his creativity. Other artists that Richardson says has influenced him are
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", ...
,
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown (music style), Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player ...
,
Sam Cooke,
Bobby Womack,
K-Ci Hailey, and
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
Awards
Grammy Awards
, -
, align="center" 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 ...
, "Love Has Finally Come At Last"
,
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
,
, -
, ''Woman Gotta Have It''
, Best Traditional R&B Performance
,
, -
, align="center" ,
2011
, "You're So Amazing"
,
Best Traditional R&B Performance
,
, -
References
External links
Official website*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Calvin
1976 births
Living people
African-American male singer-songwriters
American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
Singer-songwriters from North Carolina
American neo soul singers
People from Monroe, North Carolina
Universal Records artists
Tommy Boy Records artists
Hollywood Records artists
Shanachie Records artists
Ballad musicians
21st-century African-American male singers