Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and an early figure in the new jack swing musical movement. He is known for his collection of hits including "

I Want Her "I Want Her" is a song by American R&B singer Keith Sweat. As the first single from his debut album, '' Make It Last Forever'', it reached number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart fo ...

", " Make It Last Forever", "

I'll Give All My Love to You ''I'll Give All My Love to You'' is the second studio album by the American R&B recording artist Keith Sweat. It was released on June 12, 1990, and went to number one on the Top R&B albums chart and number 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200. It spawned ...

", "

Make You Sweat "Make You Sweat" is the title of a number-one R&B single by Keith Sweat. As the leading single from the album, ''I'll Give All My Love to You,'' the hit song reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and spent one w ...

", "

Get Up on It ''Get Up On It'' is the fourth studio album by the American R&B recording artist Keith Sweat. It was released by Elektra Records on June 28, 1994 in the United States and went to number one on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for tw ...

", " Twisted" and "

Nobody Nobody may refer to: * Nobody, an indefinite pronoun Nobody may also refer to: Fictional characters * Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series *Nobody, a character in the Jim Jarmusch films '' D ...

". He has released 13 solo albums (2 as a part of the R&B supergroup LSG) and discovered the groups

Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

and

Kut Klose Kut Klose is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B trio (music), trio that formed in Atlanta, Georgia. The three female singers that made up the group were Athena Cage, Lavonn Battle and Tabitha Duncan. The girls were discovered by Keith Sweat who re ...

Early life

Keith Sweat was born in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, New York City, to Juanita Thompson, a hairdresser, and Charles Sweat, a factory worker. Juanita raised their five children alone after Charles Sweat's death in 1973. He worked as a night stock boy at

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

Department Store, and then a mail room clerk at

Paine Webber PaineWebber & Co. was an American investment bank and stock brokerage firm that was acquired by the Swiss bank UBS in 2000. The company was founded in 1880 in Boston, Massachusetts, by William Alfred Paine and Wallace G. Webber. Operating with t ...

, a

brokerage firm A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be confu ...

. In just four years he worked his way up to a lucrative brokerage assistant job on the floor of the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...

. Sweat also worked as a supervisor for the

New York Mercantile Exchange The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is a commodity futures exchange owned and operated by CME Group of Chicago. NYMEX is located at One North End Avenue in Brookfield Place in the Battery Park City section of Manhattan, New York City. T ...

Career

1975–1984: Career beginnings with Jamilah

Sweat started his musical career as a member of a Harlem band called Jamilah in 1975. With the help of Jamilah, Sweat was able to hone his craft as a lead singer by performing regionally throughout the tri-State area of New York,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The group was started by bassist Larry Peoples, guitarist Michael Samuels, and drummer Walter Bradley. After leaving the group in 1984 to begin a solo career, he sang at

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s throughout New York City and landed a chance to record for the independent label, Stadium Records. Sweat recorded only two tunes for Stadium, "Lucky Seven", and "My Mind Is Made Up", which was their third and fourth ever release, but on Stadium's first release, he is credited as co-writer and co-producer of "You Are the One for Me", the last recording ever made by the group GQ. One of GQ's original members is his uncle, Keith "Sabu" Crier.

1987–1991: ''Make It Last Forever,'' ''I'll Give All My Love to You'', and ''Keep It Comin''

Later in 1987, Keith Sweat was discovered by Vincent Davis and offered a recording contract with his label, Vintertainment Records, which was founded in 1983 on the foundations of early Hip-Hop and otherwise best known for releasing Joeski Love's "Pee Wee's Dance" in 1985. Vintertainment was distributed by Elektra Records from 1985 until it ceased operations in 1990. On November 24, 1987, Sweat released his debut solo studio album '' Make It Last Forever'', which sold three million copies. The biggest hit from this album was the song that inaugurated the new jack swing era "

" (No. 1 R&B & No. 5 Pop), which was nominated for the 1989 Soul Train Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year award, while the title track from the album hit No. 2 on the R&B charts. Sweat reached the charts again with his second album ''

'' (1990) which hit No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. He released his third album, ''

Keep It Comin' ''Keep It Comin'' is the third studio album by the American R&B recording artist Keith Sweat. It was released on November 26, 1991, and topped the R&B Albums chart upon its debut, while entering the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' 200. It spent t ...

'' in 1991, which debuted in the Top 20 of the album chart. He produced soul singer Omar Chandler.

1992–2001: Get Up on It, Keith Sweat/LSG

In 1992, Sweat discovered the group

, and helped craft their debut album, '' Lose Control'', which hit No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. The album's single "

Freak Me "Freak Me" is a song by American R&B group Silk. It was released in February 1993 as the second single from their debut album, '' Lose Control''. It was co-written and co-produced by Keith Sweat, for whom Silk was a touring opening act. Tim Camer ...

" hit No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on May 1, 1993. In 1993, Sweat discovered the Atlanta-based female R&B group

. Sweat also produced the group's debut album ''Surrender'', which produced their biggest hit single " I Like", peaking to No. 8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Sweat released his fourth album ''

'' in the summer of 1994, and his self-titled fifth album in 1996. Both albums reached the top ten on the ''Billboard'' 200. The single co/produced and written by Eric McCaine " Twisted" featuring R&B group Kut Klose hit No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and "

" hit No. 3, which made them Sweat's biggest hits to date. "Just A Touch" was a cover of the 1979 song "Just a Touch of Love" by

Slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. He produced R&B group Dru Hill in 1996. In the fall of 1997, Sweat discovered the group

Ol' Skool Ol' Skool was an American new jack swing and urban R&B group from St. Louis, Missouri that consisted of Jason Little (vocals), Jerome "Pookie" Lane (vocals), Tony Herron (vocals), Curtis Jefferson (vocals, bass) and Bobby Crawford (vocals, dr ...

and helped with their self-titled debut. He was on their biggest single, "Am I Dreaming", which featured the R&B group Xscape. Sweat also formed the R&B supergroup LSG with

Gerald Levert Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and producer. Levert was best known for singing with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon of the vocal group LeVert. Levert was also a ...

and

Johnny Gill Johnny Gill Jr. (born May 22, 1966) is an American singer and actor. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B/pop group New Edition and was also a member of the supergroup called LSG, with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. Gill has released e ...

, and released their self-titled debut album '' Levert.Sweat.Gill'' in 1997. That album featured "My Body", which became a hit single. The album was certified double platinum and reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Sweat's sixth album, '' Still in the Game'' was released in 1998, hitting No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and No. 2 on the R&B/Hip Hop albums chart. It featured the singles "Come and Get With Me" (which featured

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

) (No. 12 Hot 100) and "I'm Not Ready" (No. 16 Hot 100). Sweat's success on the charts started to diminish in 2000, when he released the album '' Didn't See Me Coming''. None of the singles from the album reached the top forty.

2002–present: ''Rebirth, Just Me, Ridin Solo'', and ''Til the Morning''

On August 13, 2002, Keith Sweat released his eighth album, ''

Rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * ''The Re ...

''. The single "One on One" reached No. 75 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 44 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.His 2008 album '' Just Me'' included the single, "Love U Better (featuring Keyshia Cole)". Sweat is currently signed to Kedar Records and released his tenth studio album entitled ''Ridin' Solo'' on June 22, 2010. The lead single taken from the album is "Test Drive" and featured label-mate

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 ...

. Since 2007, Sweat has been the host of a nationally syndicated radio program based upon the

Quiet storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album '' A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Li ...

format. ''The Keith Sweat Hotel'' (known as ''The Quiet Storm with Keith Sweat'' on

WBLS WBLS (107.5 MHz) is an urban adult contemporary formatted FM radio station, licensed to New York City. It is currently owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared services agreement, along with sister station ...

in New York City) is syndicated through

Premiere Radio Networks Premiere Networks (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a wholly owned subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. I ...

. Sweat is also the host of a nationally syndicated radio show called The Sweat Hotel, which I s produced and distributed to

urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music ...

and

classic soul Classic soul is a radio format that focuses on the more raw types of soul music from the 1950s-1970s that draw from certain rhythm and blues and soul music influences, after 1980 is generally considered “contemporary R&B” with the smoother ...

radio stations across the U.S. by

Premiere Networks Premiere Networks (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a wholly owned subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. ...

, a subsidiary of

iHeartMedia, Inc. iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

Personal life

From 1992 until 2002, Sweat was married to ''

The Real Housewives of Atlanta ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' (abbreviated ''RHOA'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on October 7, 2008. Developed as the third installment of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has aired fourteen seaso ...

'' star Lisa Wu Hartwell. With her, he had two sons, born in 1995 and 1998. He also has three daughters, one with Tracy J. He also has a son named Joshua.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Make It Last Forever'' (1987) * ''

'' (1990) * ''

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1994) * '' Keith Sweat'' (1996) * '' Still in the Game'' (1998) * '' Didn't See Me Coming'' (2000) * ''

'' (2002) * ''

A Christmas of Love ''A Christmas of Love'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Keith Sweat. It was released by Sweat Shop Records and Rhino Records on November 20, 2007. Critical reception AllMusic found that "Sweat knows something about contemporary R&B ...

'' (2007) * '' Just Me'' (2008) * ''

Ridin' Solo "Ridin' Solo" is the third single from Jason Derulo's self-titled debut album, produced by J.R. Rotem. The demo originally sampled "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by the Verve, but the sample was not cleared and was subsequently replaced with electroni ...

'' (2010) * '' Til the Morning'' (2011) * ''

Dress to Impress ''Dress to Impress'' is the thirteenth studio album by American singer Keith Sweat. It was released on July 22, 2016 by KDS Entertainment. Critical reception Andy Kellman from Allmusic found that ''Dress to Impress'' features Sweat's "best roun ...

'' (2016) * '' Playing for Keeps'' (2018) ;Collaboration albums *'' Levert.Sweat.Gill'' (1997) *''

LSG2 ''LSG2'' is the second and final studio album by R&B group LSG. It was released on July 28, 2003 by Elektra Records. Critical reception David Jeffries from Allmusic found that "the sexier than expected ''LSG2'' presents the singers as swashbuc ...

'' (2003)

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...

**1991: Favorite R&B/Soul Male Artist (nominated) **1997: Favorite Male R&B/Soul Artist (winner) **1997: Favorite R&B/Soul Album for ''Keith Sweat'' (nominated) **1998: Favorite Male R&B/Soul Artist (nominated) **2013: ''Soul Train'' Lifetime Achievement Award

References

External links

*
Keith Sweat
artist page at VH1.com * Keith Sweatartist page at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

*
Keith Sweat's 'SoulRnB.com' group
(videos, photos, discussions, etc.)
Keith Sweat 2010 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweat, Keith 1961 births African-American record producers Record producers from New York (state) Singers from New York City American soul musicians Living people Musicians from Atlanta People from Harlem American hip hop singers Atco Records artists Songwriters from New York (state) American contemporary R&B singers LSG (band) members African-American male songwriters 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers New jack swing musicians