Patti Austin(born August 10, 1950) is an AmericanGrammy Award-winningR&B,pop,andjazzsinger and songwriter best known for "Baby, Come to Me",her 1982 duet withJames Ingram,which topped theBillboardHot 100after its re-release that same year.
Patti Austin | |
|---|---|
 Austin in 2000 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | August 10, 1950 Harlem, New York,U.S. |
| Genres | R&B,pop,jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1954–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | pattiaustin |
Music career
editAustin was born inHarlem,New York, to Gordon Austin, ajazz trombonist.[1]She was raised inBay Shore, New Yorkon Long Island.[2]Quincy JonesandDinah Washingtonreferred to themselves as her godparents.[3][4]
When Austin was four years old, she performed at theApollo Theater.As a teenager she recorded commercial jingles and worked as a session singer in soul and R&B. She had an R&B hit in 1969 with "Family Tree".[4]She sang backing vocals onPaul Simon's 1975number-one hit"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover".The jazz labelCTIreleased her debut album,End of a Rainbow,in 1976.[5]She sang backing vocals on the track "Everybody has a Dream" forBilly Joel's hit albumThe Stranger(album)in 1977. She sang "The Closer I Get to You"forTom Browne's albumBrowne Sugar,a duet with Michael Jacksonfor his albumOff the Wall,and a duet withGeorge Bensonon "Moody's Mood for Love".[5]
After singing on Quincy Jones's albumThe Dude,she signed a contract with his record label,Qwest,which releasedEvery Home Should Have Onewith "Baby, Come to Me",a duet with James Ingram that became a No. 1 hit on theBillboardmagazine pop chart. A second duet with Ingram, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing", appeared on soundtrack to the filmBest Friends(1982). Her final album for Qwest,The Real Mecontained versions of jazz standards. Austin moved on to[5]GRPfor four releases, includingLove Is Gonna Getcha,which contained the singles "Good in Love" and "Through the Test of Time".[5]
Austin was booked forUnited Flight 93onSeptember 11, 2001,but because her mother suffered a stroke days before, she cancelled her ticket and flew at a different time.[6]
In 2003, she collaborated withFrances YiponPapillon IIIin the rotunda ofSan Francisco City Hallto help theJade Ribbon Campaignof Stanford University. A companion CD/DVD was released with Austin and Yip singing duets in Mandarin.[7]
A performance in 2000 with the Germany-basedWDR Big Band[4]led to later recordings with the Germany-based ensemble that yielded two of Austin's six Grammy nominations:[8]For Ella(2002) was a tribute toElla Fitzgerald.[4][5]A 2007 release with the band and arranger Michael Abene,Avant Gershwin,earned her the trophy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.[9][10]
During a 2007 interview, Austin spoke of reluctantly attending as a teenager one ofJudy Garland's last concerts and how the experience helped focus her career. "She ripped my heart out. I wanted to interpret a lyric like that, to present who I was at the moment through the lyric."[11]
In 2011,Sound Advicewas released containing cover versions ofBob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody",Brenda Russell's "A Little Bit of Love", the Jackson Five's "Give It Up", Bill Withers' "Lean on Me", andDon McLean's "Vincent". The album also included "The Grace of God", a song Austin wrote after watching an episode of theOprah Winfrey Showwhich included a woman with scarred face. Austin appeared in the Oscar-winning documentary film20 Feet from Stardom,which premiered at theSundance Film Festivaland was released on June 21, 2013.[12]
In 2015, Austin appeared on Patrick Williams'Home Suite Homelarge jazz ensemble album, as vocalist for Williams' composition "52nd & Broadway," which won a Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals.[13]
Awards and honors
edit- Grammy Award, Best Jazz Vocal Album,Avant Gershwin,2008[14]
- Honorary doctorate,Berklee College of Music[15]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [16] |
US R&B [16] |
US Jazz [16] |
UK [17] | ||||
| 1976 | End of a Rainbow | — | — | 31 | — | CTI | |
| 1977 | Havana Candy | 116 | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | Body Language | — | 62 | 28 | — | ||
| 1981 | Every Home Should Have One | 36 | 16 | 9 | 99 | Qwest | |
| 1984 | Patti Austin | 87 | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | Gettin' Away with Murder | 182 | 25 | — | — | ||
| 1988 | The Real Me | — | 56 | 7 | — | ||
| 1990 | Love Is Gonna Getcha | 93 | 45 | 4 | — | GRP | |
| 1991 | Carry On | — | 75 | 13 | — | ||
| 1994 | That Secret Place | — | — | 12 | — | ||
| 1996 | Jukebox Dreams(Japan only) | — | — | — | — | Pony Canyon | |
| 1998 | In & Out of Love | — | — | — | — | Concord | |
| 1999 | Street of Dreams | — | — | — | — | Intersound /Platinum | |
| 2001 | On the Way to Love | — | — | 21 | — | Warner Bros. | |
| 2002 | For Ella | — | — | 7 | — | Playboy Jazz /Concord | |
| 2003 | "Papillon" featuring Patti Austin andFrances Yip | — | — | — | — | Independence Label | |
| 2007 | Avant Gershwin | — | — | 5 | — | Rendezvous | |
| 2011 | Sound Advice | — | — | 15 | — | Shanachie | |
| 2016 | Mighty Musical Fairy Tales | — | — | — | — | Let's Roar | |
| 2023 | For Ella 2 | — | — | — | — | One River Stream | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart and/or was not released in that territory | |||||||
Live albums
edit| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [16] |
US R&B [16] |
US Jazz [16] | |||||
| 1979 | Live at the Bottom Line | — | — | 33 | CTI | ||
| 1992 | Live | — | — | 20 | GRP | ||
| 2017 | Ella and Louis | — | — | — | ABC Jazz | ||
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart and/or was not released in that territory | |||||||
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [16] |
US Hot 100 [16] |
US A.C [16] |
US Dance [16] |
UK [17][18] | |||
| 1965 | "I Wanna Be Loved" / "A Most Unusual Boy" | — | — | — | — | — | (Coral 45 #62471) |
| 1966 | "Take Away the Pain Stain" | — | — | — | — | — | (Coral 45 #62491) |
| 1969 | "The Family Tree" | 46 | — | — | — | — | (United Artists 45 #50520) |
| 1971 | "Black California" | — | — | — | — | — | (Columbia 45 #45410) |
| 1972 | "Day by Day" | — | — | — | — | — | (Columbia 45 #45592) |
| 1977 | "Say You Love Me" | 63 | — | — | — | — | End of a Rainbow |
| 1978 | "Love, I Never Had It So Good" | 60 | — | — | — | — | Sounds...and Stuff Like That!! |
| "We're in Love" | 90 | — | — | — | — | Havana Candy | |
| 1980 | "Body Language" | 45 | — | — | — | — | Body Language |
| 1981 | "Do You Love Me?"/" The Genie " | 24 | — | — | 1 | 76 | Every Home Should Have One |
| "Razzamatazz"(with Quincy Jones) | 17 | — | — | — | 11 | The Dude | |
| "Betcha Wouldn't Hurt Me"(with Quincy Jones) | — | — | — | — | 52 | ||
| "Every Home Should Have One" | 55 | 62 | 24 | — | — | Every Home Should Have One | |
| 1982 | "Baby, Come to Me"(withJames Ingram) | 9 | 1 | 1 | — | 11 | |
| 1983 | "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"(with James Ingram) | 6 | 45 | 5 | — | — | It's Your Night |
| "In My Life" | 92 | — | — | — | — | In My Life | |
| 1984 | "It's Gonna Be Special" | 15 | 82 | — | 5 | — | Patti Austin Two of a Kindoriginal soundtrack |
| "Rhythm of the Street" | 33 | — | — | 11 | 96 | Patti Austin | |
| "Shoot the Moon" | 49 | — | — | 16 | — | ||
| 1985 | "Honey for the Bees" | 24 | — | — | 6 | — | Gettin' Away with Murder |
| "Gettin' Away with Murder" | 72 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme"(withNarada Michael Walden) | 39 | 106 | — | — | 87 | The Nature of Things | |
| 1986 | "The Heat of Heat" | 13 | 55 | — | 14 | 76 | Gettin' Away with Murder |
| 1989 | "Any Other Fool"(withSadao Watanabe) | — | — | 6 | — | — | Front Seat |
| 1990 | "Through the Test of Time" | 60 | — | 9 | — | — | Love Is Gonna Getcha |
| 1991 | "Givin' Into Love" | 55 | — | — | — | — | Carry On |
| 1992 | "I'll Keep Your Dreams Alive"(with George Benson) | — | — | — | — | 68 | Darlings Delight |
| 1994 | "Reach" | — | — | — | 4 | — | That Secret Place |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart and/or was not released in that format | |||||||
Filmography
edit| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Wiz | The Wiz Singers Children's Choir / The Wiz Singers Adult Choir (voice) |
| 1988 | Tucker: The Man and His Dream | Millie |
| 2013 | 20 Feet from Stardom | Herself |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Patti Austin - biography".encyclopedia.Archivedfrom the original on August 27, 2014.RetrievedAugust 26,2014.
- ^"The New Patti Austin".Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 23,2014.
- ^Murph, John (July 2, 2014)."Patti Austin: 5 Tips for Aspiring Singers".aarp.org.AARP.Archivedfrom the original on September 3, 2014.RetrievedAugust 26,2014.
- ^abcdYanow, Scott (2008).The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide.Backbeat. p. 12.ISBN978-0-87930-825-4.
- ^abcdeWynn, Ron."Patti Austin".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on September 26, 2019.RetrievedOctober 4,2019.
- ^White, Beverly; Brayton, Julie (September 8, 2011)."Singer Patti Austin Talks About 9/11 Experience".NBC Los Angeles.Archivedfrom the original on March 9, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 11,2016.
- ^Engardio, Joel P. (May 22, 2002)."Dim Sum Diva".SF Weekly.San Francisco.Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2015.RetrievedMarch 31,2015.
- ^"Artist: Patti Austin".Grammy.Archivedfrom the original on November 30, 2022.RetrievedOctober 7,2022.
- ^"50th Annual GRAMMY Awards".GRAMMY.RetrievedJune 8,2024.
- ^"Grammy-Winning Singer Patti Austin Celebrates Gershwin at Walt Disney Concert Hall".The Ford.RetrievedJune 8,2024.
- ^"Topic Galleries".baltimoresun.Archived fromthe originalon May 13, 2007.RetrievedMay 2,2012.
- ^"Hoda and JBH sing backup for Patti Austin".TODAY.March 3, 2014.RetrievedJune 8,2024.
- ^"Grammy Award Results for Pat (Patrick) Williams".grammy.November 19, 2019.RetrievedMay 1,2020.
- ^"Patti Austin".Grammy.February 15, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on April 17, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 16,2019.
- ^"Jazz Beat: Sonny Rollins, Herb Alpert, Thelonious Monk".MTV News.May 16, 2000. Archived fromthe originalon April 21, 2017.RetrievedAugust 9,2019.
- ^abcdefghij"Patti Austin > Biography, Music & News > Billboard".Billboard. Archived fromthe originalon November 19, 2024.RetrievedNovember 19,2024.Select the corresponding chart from the drop-down menu.
- ^ab"Patti Austin Official Charts Company".Official Charts Company.Archivedfrom the original on February 9, 2021.RetrievedJune 14,2010.
- ^"Quincy Jones - full Official Chart History".Official Charts Company.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 4,2021.
External links
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