Calvin Richardson (born December 16, 1976) is an American R&B and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer-songwriter. In 1999, he released his debut solo album ''Country Boy''.

Career

In the mid 1990s, Richardson went solo and signed with

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. His debut album, ''Country Boy'', was released on August 24, 1999, selling 100,000 units. Despite this he was dropped by Universal. Shortly thereafter, he signed a contract with

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...

. On September 16, 2003, he released his second album, '' 2:35 PM''. The album was given that name because Richardson's child was born at that time, just before completing the album. It featured the minor R&B hit "Keep On Pushin'", a song Richardson wrote and produced by himself. He originally recorded the song "More Than a Woman" a duet with

Angie Stone Angela Laverne Brown (born December 18, 1961) known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s ...

which originally appeared on her 2001 album ''

Mahogany Soul ''Mahogany Soul'' is the second studio album by American singer Angie Stone. It was first released in the US on October 16, 2001, by J Records, then in the UK on November 5. In the US, the album sold 71,000 copies in its first week of release. The ...

''. Richardson would later re-record the song as a solo track for ''2:35 pm''. An alternate version of the song – which replaces Richardson's vocals with new ones from

Joe Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

- was nominated for

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

at the 2003 Grammy Awards. The album also included popular songs such as The Underdogs produced single "Not Like This" as well as the Raphael Saadiq produced "Falling Out". The album was produced by The Underdogs, Jake & Trevor, Young RJ, and Raphael Saadiq. Richardson then co-wrote and performed on the track "Excuse Me", from Saadiq's 2002

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominated album '' Instant Vintage'', as well as co-writing The Charlie Wilson single produced by

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

"There Goes My Baby". Richardson released his third album, ''When Love Comes'', on May 27, 2008, on Shanachie Records. In 2009, he was chosen to record a

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guit ...

, which coincided with Womack being inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

. The Grammy nominated album was entitled, ''Facts Of Life: The Soul Of Bobby Womack''. On August 31, 2010, Richardson released his fifth album, ''Americas Most Wanted''. The lead single was "You're So Amazing". As of 2013, he has joined the upcoming reality series "Come Back Kings" with Ed Lover, Horace Brown, David "Davinch" Chance (of

Ruff Endz Ruff Endz is an American R&B duo, consisting of members David "Davinch" Chance and Dante "Chi" Jordan from Baltimore, Maryland. They are best known for their hit singles "No More" and " Someone to Love You" Originally part of a quartet, the two ...

Jeff Sanders Jeffery Raynard Sanders (born January 14, 1966) is an American retired professional basketball player who was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round (20th pick overall) of the 1989 NBA draft. Sanders played for the Bulls, Charlotte Horne ...

, Jameio,

Mr. Cheeks Terrance Kelly (born March 28, 1971), known professionally as Mr. Cheeks, is an American rapper best known for his work with the musical group Lost Boyz, and as a solo artist with the single "Lights, Camera, Action!". Biography 1991–2019: L ...

and

Black Rob Robert Ross (June 8, 1968 – April 17, 2021), known professionally as Black Rob, was an American rapper who was signed to Bad Boy Records. He was best known for his 1999 single " Whoa!", which peaked at number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ...

. In January 2014, it was announced that Richardson signed a new deal with Eric Benét's label Jordan House Records with distribution and marketing from the company Primary Wave Music. In April 2014, Richardson released the first single from his album "I Am Calvin" entitled "We Gon' Love Tonite"." On September 30, 2014, Richardson released his fifth studio album ''I Am Calvin'' on Jordan House/Primary Wave Music/

BMG Rights Management BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label. BMG was founded in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its ...

. In January 2015, following the lead single 'We Gon' Love Tonite,' Richardson released the second single from his album 'Hearsay.'

Artistry

Influences

Richardson cites

as a major influence and someone who has he "learned a lot from". He also cites

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

as someone who he would want to work with, admiring his creativity. Other artists that Richardson says has influenced him are

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

K-Ci Hailey Cedric Renard Hailey (born September 2, 1969), known professionally as K-Ci (formerly Little Cedric as a member of Little Cedric and the Hailey Singers), is an American singer, songwriter and member of K-Ci & JoJo and Jodeci. Although Hailey i ...

, and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Discography

Studio albums

Awards

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, "Love Has Finally Come At Last" ,

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

, , - , ''Woman Gotta Have It'' , Best Traditional R&B Performance , , - , align="center" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, "You're So Amazing" ,

Best Traditional R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers of quality traditional R&B vocal performances. ...

, , -

References

External links

Official website
* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Calvin 1976 births Living people African-American male singer-songwriters American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from North Carolina American neo soul singers People from Monroe, North Carolina Universal Records artists Tommy Boy Records artists Hollywood Records artists Shanachie Records artists Ballad musicians 21st-century African-American male singers