Jeff Redd is an American singer and record producer who performed

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...

-style R&B music in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Career

A New York native, Redd began singing with the short-lived group, The Sophisticated Gents, at the age of 17 in the mid-1980s. Redd has also appeared on ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' to sing a song demonstrating "between". Redd signed a deal with

Uptown Records Uptown Records is an American record label, based in New York City, founded in 1986 by old school rapper ‘Dr Jekyll’ - Andre Harrell. From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, it was a leader in R&B and hip-hop. Beginnings and success In ...

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

after André Harrell saw him perform as a solo artist. Uptown/MCA produced his 1990 debut album '' A Quiet Storm''. It included the uptempo

tracks " I Found Lovin'" and "Come and Get Your Lovin'," and the ballad "Love High." Two of the album's singles found their way onto the ''

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 advertis ...

'' R&B chart: "What Goes Around Comes Around" reached #53, and "Love High" reached #16. The album ''A Quiet Storm'' had major producers such as

Devante Swing Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known as the main songwriter and producer of the R&B group Jodeci, whic ...

from

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and K-Ci & JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo ...

and Timmy Allen as well as The Untouchables

Dave "Jam" Hall David "Jam" Hall is an American record producer. He first became known for his production work on Mariah Carey's 1993 single " Dreamlover", which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The year prior, he was credited on Mary J. Blige's debut album '' ...

and Eddie F. He released a song entitled "You Called and Told Me" from the '' Strictly Business'' soundtrack in 1991. The song samples "Catch the Beat" by T-Ski Valley. Redd played a large part in getting then-unknown singer

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

her start in the music industry. While working on the assembly line at General Motors, Redd met Blige's stepfather, who gave Redd a tape that featured Blige performing

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American jazz and soul singer. She is known for her soulful ballads, particularly from the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk ban ...

's "Caught Up in the Rapture." After hearing the tape, Redd helped her get signed to Uptown Records. Blige then toured with Redd as one of his backup singers. In 1994, Redd recorded a second album, ''Down Low''. However, before the album could see release,

EMI America EMI America Records was launched in 1978 by EMI as their second label in the United States after Capitol Records, relying on Capitol only for pressing, distribution, and international liaison. In 1987, EMI America merged with Manhattan Records, ...

shuttered their entire black music department. As a result, very few copies ever circulated. Some of the album was produced by rapper Lord Finesse. In 1996 he dabbled in reggae with producer and singer Robert Ffrench with two singles, one featuring Grand Puba called Cry No More and the other titled Time Is Slipping both being released in 1996. In 2024, ''Down Low'' was officially released to digital and streaming platforms under

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. Jeff Redd then went on to work as an A&R executive at MCA Records. While at MCA, Redd worked with artists like Regina Belle and K-Ci & JoJo. When MCA closed their doors in 2003, Redd established his own independent label Sol Real Records. Under this banner, Redd currently works with artists Akili, Blaq Rose and Forever, among others. In 2007, Redd released a compilation album entitled ''Jeff Redd Presents: The Essence of Soul'', a sampler which features tracks from each of these artists. In April 2010, Redd released "Take You Higher".

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

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Jeff Redd InterviewJeff Redd Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redd, Jeff 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century African-American male singers American contemporary R&B singers Living people Singers from New York (state) Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers