Welcome to the Unofficial
WILL DOWNING BIOGRAPHY PAGE
and Miscellaneous Stories
Nominated for a Grammny for his
"All The Man You Need" CD for best Traditional CD.

Written by the staff of http://www.grammys.com
Will Downing
[Image]

From the Keyboard of Bob Baldwin:

Will Downing and I met in 1990 the same year my CD, "Rejoice" was released.  I was asked to play at a benefit for drummer Yogi Horton, who died that same month and left behind a beautiful family.  Will was asked to perform at this same benefit.  On the way to the benefit, I heard, "Wishing On A Star" and said to myself, Luther is really going over the top on this one. As I listened further, I was hearing baritone inflections never heard before and a cat that was very risque harmonically. Then they announced his name and 60 minutes later, we were trading numbers.

That led to our collaborations on the stage and in the studios. He sang on my "Reflections of Love" CD in 1992 and I produced and wrote, "She", "Sailing On a Dream", "Break Up" and two on his latest CD, "All the Man You Need".  His legacy is strong and he will be around for a long time. If you don't know about this wonderful person, friend and baritonist, let me be the first to do so.

Written by Bob Baldwin


BIOGRAPHY: b. New York, USA. Downing was an in-demand session singer during the late 70s, appearing on recordings by artists including Rose Royce, Billy Ocean, Jennifer Holliday and Nona Hendryx. The soul singer's career was really launched when he met producer/performer Arthur Baker in the mid-80s. This led to him joining Baker's group Wally Jump Jnr. And The Criminal Element, whose other members included Brooklyn-bred Wally Jump, Craig Derry (ex- Moments ; Sugarhill Gang ), Donny Calvin and Dwight Hawkes (both ex-Rockers Revenge), Rick Sher (ex- Warp 9 ), Jeff Smith, and the toasting pair Michigan And Smiley. After a spell with Wally Jump Jnr. recording for Baker's Criminal Records label, Downing secured a solo contract with Island Records and recorded his debut album in 1988 with Baker producing. The first release under Downing's own name was 'A Love Supreme', which set lyrics to one of John Coltrane 's most famous compositions. The single reached number 1 in the UK, while his first album, produced by Baker, was a Top 20 hit. He had further hits with 'In My Dreams' and a remake of the Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway duet 'Where Is The Love', on which he partnered Mica Paris. Downing himself produced the second album, co-writing tracks with Brian Jackson, Gil Scott-Heron 's collaborator. Neither this nor A Dream Fulfilled, on which Barry J. Eastmond and Wayne Braithwaite co-produced, was able to approach the popularity of his debut. Moods and Invitation Only put Downing firmly in the smooth late-night music category, and although his exquisite vocals were suitably melancholic on both albums, they came uncomfortably close to sounding merely lethargic.

Will Downing
Will Downing

2000 Bob Baldwin CD, "Bobbaldwin.com", featuring Chuck Loeb, Gerald Albright,  Marion Meadows, Eric Essix and a special song co-composed
by Will Downing. Click the CD for more details.

Will Downing Biography
Will Downing has managed to successfully bridge the gap between contemporary R&B and jazz - no small feat! While growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was exposed to the music of his older siblings; seventies R&B music by the icons of the time such as Earth, Wind & Fire and the Ohio Players. The jazz enjoyed by his parents was a major cross-influence. He would sing along with Donny Hathaway, D.J. Rogers and Peabo Bryson: tenors all. Then his voice changed. He lost his ability to sing along with them but found his own, deep, full sound. He became a part of the New York music scene performing dance music under various psuedonyms (he'd rather you not know that was him) and building a solid reputation as a session vocalist and background singer. By the late Eighties, having spent years honing his craft, he felt he was ready to step out front. He kicked off his solo career with the 1988 release of his self-titled album, "Will Downing," and the single, "Free." Initially, he achieved greater popularity in Britain than in his native U.S. That changed with the release of his third album, "A Dream Fulfilled," which contained his most popular single to date, "I Try." Now, he's back with album number six, "Invitation Only," which could just as easily have been titled, "Will Downing and Friends," given the accompanying talent lineup. He's here to tell his story first-hand via RealAudio. So, enjoy Will Downing on The R&B Page.

Bio written by the R&B Page. 
 


Billboard

Feature stories on artists and the music they make. July 7, 2000.

                    Will Downing Returns To R&B Sound

                    By Jeff Lorez

                    Motown's July 18 release "All The Man You Need" represents Will Downing's most
                    R&B-oriented set in over a decade.

                    The singer/songwriter debuted on Island Records in the late '80s with
                    an out-and-out R&B album. But he gradually moved away from the
                    genre, carving an adult  contemporary jazz niche. His last  album on
                    Verve Forecast with  saxophonist Gerald Albright  (1998's "Pleasures
                    Of The Night") remained No. 1 on the jazz charts for nine weeks.
                    However, as a result of the Universal/PolyGram merger, Downing found
                    himself on Motown.

                    "This new album is a good project because it was a reunion of sorts,"
                    says Downing. "I've known Kedar  [Motown president/CEO Massenburg]
                    since high school. It was really his influence that took me in this direction.
                    He said, 'The contemporary jazz thing is a  very safe thing to do. But you've
                    still got some fire in  you. Let's have some more edge.' "

                    Downing collaborated with an array of writers and producers, including Rex Rideout,
                    James Poyser, Gordon Chambers, and Stanley Brown and Kelly Price
                    (the latter pair collaborating on the May 23-released first single "When You Need Me,"
                    a duet  with MCA's Chante). The result is an album whose sound competes with
                    that of labelmate Brian McKnight, as  well as of contemporary crooners Carl Thomas
                    and Joe (through such songs as the syncopated groove  "Summer Day," breezy
                    "Share My World," and funky "Tired Melody") -- without sacrificing Downing's core
                    adult audience.

                    "This was different for me because I've been in another space for the last few years,"
                    Downing admits. "When I  first started doing this project, I didn't know if I could
                    pull it off because I thought I was stepping away from  who I am. As I look back now,
                    I'm real proud of it."

                    Cover songs have been a staple of Downing's career since he debuted with a reading of
                    Deniece  Williams' "Free" in '88. The new album continues that tradition with an
                    interesting take on Bill Withers' down-home, bluesy "Grandma's Hands."

                    "One day I was just listening to the radio in New York.  It came on, and I started singing
                     along," recalls Downing. "It just felt good to me. I thought, 'Damn, maybe I should try
                     and add a little twist to it.' "

                    Downing is more than aware that in the ephemeral music industry, his 12-year tenure --
                    during which he's made eight albums -- is in itself something of a landmark, bearing
                    testament to his staying power and loyal fan base. He attributes his success to one simple
                    concept: staying true to his musical vision.

                    "I always did the one thing that people told me not to do," he says. "They'd always say,
                     'Hey man,  your stuff is catered too much to adults.' That's the one thing I've always
                     maintained. A ballad lasts forever. If I stay on this course, I'm going to last forever. I'm
                     going to have a career."

                    Downing kicked off an extensive U.S. tour July 6 with fellow artists Chante' Moore, Gerald
                    Albright, and Phil Perry.


  ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide 

Brooklyn vocalist and composer Will Downing has hovered on the cusp of stardom since the late '80s, occasionally making some arresting album cuts but never the major hit or string of records he needs to establish himself. Downing sang in Arthur Baker's "Wally Jump Junior" group, and then employed Baker as his producer when he signed with Island. He did session work in the early and mid-'80s, singing on dates
with Daryl Payne, Marc Sadane, Warp 9, and Jennifer Holiday. Downing's 1988 debut, Will Downing, included a revised version of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." Downing recorded and produced a duet with British soul songstress Mica Paris in 1989, remaking "Where Is the Love." His second release, Come Together as One, was in more of an Urban Contemporary mode, but his third one took a jazz-oriented turn. 1991's A Dream Fulfilled included an ambitious version of War's "The World Is a Ghetto." He has been a favorite of audiences in England, but has not yet clicked with American R&B or Urban Contemporary fans, releasing Pleasures of the Night in 1998 and All The Man You Need two years later. 

~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

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