PROFILBARU.COM

Gregory Abbott
Gregory Abbott
Background information
Birth name	Gregory Joel Abbott
Born	April 2, 1954 (age 70); New York City, U.S.
Genres	R&B; soul; adult contemporary;
Occupations	Singer; musician; composer; record producer;
Instruments	Vocals; keyboard; piano; drums;
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Columbia; Legacy; Mojo Man Entertainment;
Website	gregoryabbott.com

Gregory Joel Abbott (born April 2, 1954)^[1]^[2] is an American singer, musician, composer and producer. Although he continues to record to date, he is best known for his singles in the mid-1980s including his platinum single, "Shake You Down", from his 1986 debut album.

Biography

Early life

Abbott was born in Harlem, New York.^[2] Abbott's parents were from Venezuela and Antigua. During his early years, Abbott's mother taught him how to play piano and encouraged him to develop vocally. Before his career as a musician, Abbott studied psychology^[3] at the University of California, Berkeley, and creative writing at Stanford; where he won a Wallace Stegner fellowship. Before becoming a musician, Abbott taught as a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley.^[4]^[3]

Music career

One of Abbott's first opportunities in his studio was an album for an independent record label, which gave him the opportunity to do a duet with Whitney Houston.^[3] Continuing on, Abbott produced for the group EQ on Atlantic Records.^[3] In 1986, Abbott released his first solo album, Shake You Down. The title track for the album was a success, going platinum and topping the Billboard Hot 100.^[2] The album's second single, "I Got the Feelin' (It's Over)", reached Number 5 on the R&B chart. On the strength of its singles, the album reached platinum status and earned Abbott several awards.^[3]

Internationally, Abbott has also had success, winning first prize at the Tokyo Music Festival.^[3] The title track of his second album, I'll Prove It to You, which was released in 1988, was featured on a Japanese movie soundtrack.^[3] In Belgium, he performed with Princess Stephanie of Monaco.^[3] Over the years much of his new music has been released via his own Mojo Man Entertainment label. Abbott has continued with his R&B sound, but he added a Caribbean influence to his 1996 album One World!^[3] In 2011, an album entitled Drop Your Mask was released. Abbott continues to release singles including a smooth jazz song "Chill" featuring saxophonist Gerald Albright.^[1]

Personal life

Abbott was married to American singer Freda Payne^[5] from 1976 until 1979. Their son, Gregory Joel Abbott, Jr., was born in 1977.^[4]

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Label	Peak chart positions
Year	Album	Label	US ^[6]	US R&B ^[6]	UK ^[7]
1986	Shake You Down	Columbia Records	22	5	53
1988	I'll Prove It to You	Columbia Records	132	17	—
1996	One World!	Musik International	—	—	—
2002	Eyes, Whispers, Rhythm, Sex...	Musik International	—	—	—
2011	Drop Your Mask	Spectra Records	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions
Year	Single	US R&B ^[8]	US Adult Con. ^[9]	US ^[10]	UK ^[11]^[7]
1986	"Shake You Down"	1	2	1	6
	"I Got the Feelin' (It's Over)"	5	25	56	76
	"You're My Angel"	—	—	—	—
1988	"I'll Prove It to You"	5	35	—	—
1988	"Let Me Be Your Hero"	34	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.