Anthony Hamilton

With a foot in classic soul and a flair for modern production, Anthony Hamilton had a hand in many of the new millennium's landmark R&B records. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, he began singing in church choirs at age ten. In 1991, the 21-year-old Hamilton moved to New York City as a protégé of producer Mark Sparks. He signed with the Uptown label, and scored the occasional success, including co-writing Donell Jones' 1999 hit "U Know What's Up" and touring the following year as a backup singer for D'Angelo. Yet record-label problems led to Hamilton's first album XTC being shelved; when finally released in 1996 it saw critical praise but little sales. He spent a few more years appearing on other artists' releases-notably the seven-inch version of Tupac Shakur's "Thugz Mansion"-while recording more solo material that wasn't released. Hamilton finally scored a major success with Nappy Roots' 2002 single "Po' Folks," on which he sang the chorus. The following year brought Comin' From Where I'm From-- the fourth solo album Hamilton recorded, but only the second one released-which earned platinum sales and rave reviews. While the production featured hip-hop inspired beats and synthesizers, Hamilton proved a soulful vocalist in the tradition of Bill Withers and Bobby Womack. Hamilton would be ubiquitous on the charts for years to come, collaborating with a wide range of artists including R&B diva Jill Scott (on the hit "So in Love"), progressive jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and blues master Buddy Guy. Also successful was his duet with Elayna Boynton on "Freedom," from the 2012 Quentin Tarantino film Django Unchained. Hamilton's collaboration with classic soul vocalist Al Green, on the 2008 album Lay It Down, resulted in a significant comeback for Green. In February 2016 Hamilton was part of a Ray Charles tribute, hosted at the White House by President Obama. The next month brought his ninth album What I'm Feelin', which again featured an array of guest stars. The first single "Amen" brought his career full circle by revisiting his gospel-choir roots.