Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer. His 1981 albumBreakin' Away spent two years on theBillboard 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R&B sound. The album won Jarreau the1982 Grammy forBest Male Pop Vocal Performance. In all, he won tenGrammy Awards and was nominated 19 other times during his career.
Jarreau was born inMilwaukee on March 12, 1940,[1] the fifth of six children. His father Emile Alphonse Jarreau was aSeventh-day Adventist Church minister and singer, and his mother Pearl (Walker) Jarreau was a church pianist. Jarreau and his family sang together in church concerts and in benefits, and Jarreau and his mother performed atPTA meetings.[2]
Jarreau wasstudent council president andBadger Boys State delegate forLincoln High School. At Boys State, he was elected governor.[3] Jarreau went on to attendRipon College, where he also sang with a group called the Indigos. He graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.[1] Two years later, in 1964, he earned a master's degree invocational rehabilitation from theUniversity of Iowa. Jarreau also worked as arehabilitation counselor in San Francisco, and moonlighted with a jazz trio headed byGeorge Duke. In 1967, he joined forces with acoustic guitarist Julio Martinez.[4] The duo became the star attraction at a smallSausalito nightclub called Gatsby's. This success contributed to Jarreau's decision to make professional singing his life and full-time career.[5]
In 1975, Jarreau was working with pianist Tom Canning when he was spotted byWarner Bros. Records. Soon he released his critically acclaimed debut album,We Got By, which catapulted him to international fame and won anEcho Award (the German equivalent of theGrammys in the United States). On Valentine's Day 1976, he sang on the 13th episode of NBC'sSaturday Night Live, that week hosted byPeter Boyle.[7] A second Echo Award would follow with the release of his second album,Glow.[8] In 1978, he won his firstGrammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for his album,Look to the Rainbow.[9]
One of Jarreau's most commercially successful albums isBreakin' Away (1981), which includes the hit song "We're in This Love Together". He won the 1982 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance forBreakin' Away.[10] In 1983 he releasedJarreau. It was his third consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard Jazz charts, while also placing at No. 4 on the R&B albums chart and No. 13 on the Billboard 200. The album contained three hit singles: "Mornin'" (U.S. Pop No. 21, AC No. 2 for three weeks), "Boogie Down" (U.S. Pop No. 77) and "Trouble in Paradise" (U.S. Pop No. 63, AC No. 10). In1984 the album received fourGrammy Award nominations, including forJay Graydon asProducer of the Year (Non-Classical).
In 1984, his single "After All" reached No. 69 on theUS Hot 100 chart and No. 26 on theR&B chart. His last big hit was the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American television showMoonlighting, for which he wrote the lyrics. Among other things, he was well known for his extensive use ofscat singing (for which he was called "Acrobat of Scat"[11]), andvocal percussion. He was also a featured vocalist on USA for Africa's "We Are the World" in which he sang the line, "...and so we all must lend a helping hand." Another charitable media event, HBO'sComic Relief, featured him in a duet withNatalie Cole singing the song "Mr. President", written by Joe Sterling, Mike Loveless, andRay Reach.[12]
Jarreau took an extended break from recording in the 1990s. As he explained in an interview withJazz Review: "I was still touring, in fact, I toured more than I ever had in the past, so I kept in touch with my audience. I got my symphony program under way, which included my music and that of other people too, and I performed on the Broadway production ofGrease. I was busier than ever! For the most part, I was doing what I have always done... perform live. I was shopping for a record deal and was letting people know that there is a new album coming. I was just waiting for the right label (Verve), but I toured more than ever."[13] In 2003, Jarreau and conductor Larry Baird collaborated on symphony shows around the United States, with Baird arranging additional orchestral material for Jarreau's shows.[14][15][16]
In 2010, Jarreau was a guest on aEumir Deodato album, with the song "Double Face" written by Jarreau, Deodato, and Nicolosi. The song was produced by the Italian companyNicolosi Productions. On February 16, 2012, Jarreau was invited to the ItalianFestival di Sanremo to sing with the groupMatia Bazar.[citation needed]
Jarreau was married twice. Jarreau and Phyllis Hall were married from 1964 until their divorce in 1968.[5][11] Jarreau married his second wifeSusan Elaine Player [it] in 1977. Jarreau and Player had a son, Ryan Jarreau.[20]
It was reported in July 2010 that Jarreau was critically ill at a hospital in France, after performing inBarcelonnette, and was being treated for respiratory problems and cardiacarrhythmias.[21][22] He was conscious, in a stable condition and in the cardiology unit of La Timone hospital inMarseille, the Marseille Hospital Authority said, and he remained there for about a week for tests.[23]
In June 2012, Jarreau was diagnosed withpneumonia, which caused him to cancel several concerts in France.[24] He made a full recovery and continued to tour extensively for the next five years until February 2017.[25][26]
In February 2017, after being hospitalized for exhaustion in Los Angeles, Jarreau canceled his remaining 2017 tour dates.[27] On that date, the Montreux Jazz Academy, part of theMontreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, announced that Jarreau would not return as a mentor to ten young artists, as he had done in 2015.[28][29]
Jarreau died ofrespiratory failure, at the age of 76 on February 12, just two days after announcing his retirement, and one month before his 77th birthday.[11][30][31]
He is interred inForest Lawn Memorial Park in theHollywood Hills. His headstone features lyrics from his song "Mornin'": "Like any man / I can reach out my hand / And touch the face of God."[32]
^Yancy, Robert; Cole, Timolin; Cole, Casey (January 12, 2016)."Unforgettable Natalie Cole".Focus VI. Archived fromthe original on February 14, 2017. RetrievedFebruary 13, 2017.
^Jarreau, Al."All I Got".Jazz Review (Interview). Interviewed by Ron Miller. Archived from the original on January 6, 2006. RetrievedFebruary 13, 2017.{{cite interview}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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