Gregory Abbott
Background information
Birth name	Gregory Joel Abbott
Born	(1954-04-02)April 2, 1954 (age 70) New York City, New York, 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 Americansinger,musician,composer andproducer. 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.

Abbott was born inHarlem,New York.^[2] Abbott's parents were fromVenezuela andAntigua. During his early years, Abbott's mother taught him how to playpiano and encouraged him to develop vocally. Before his career as amusician, Abbott studiedpsychology^[3] at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, and creative writing atStanford; where he won aWallace Stegner fellowship. Before becoming a musician, Abbott taught as a professor ofEnglish at the University of California, Berkeley.^[4][3]

One of Abbott's first opportunities in his studio was an album for anindependent record label, which gave him the opportunity to do aduet withWhitney Houston.^[3] Continuing on, Abbott produced for the group EQ onAtlantic Records.^[3] In 1986, Abbott released his first solo album,Shake You Down. Thetitle track for the album was a success, goingplatinum and topping theBillboard Hot 100.^[2] The album's second single, "I Got the Feelin' (It's Over)", reached Number 5 on theR&Bchart. On the strength of itssingles, the album reached platinum status and earned Abbott several awards.^[3]

Internationally, Abbott has also had success, winning first prize at theTokyo 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] InBelgium, he performed withPrincess Stephanie ofMonaco.^[3] Over the years much of his new music has been released via his own Mojo Man Entertainment label. Abbott has continued with hisR&B sound, but he added a Caribbean influence to his 1996 albumOne World!^[3] In 2011, an album entitledDrop Your Mask was released. Abbott continues to release singles including a smooth jazz song "Chill" featuring saxophonist Gerald Albright.^[1]

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

• Super Hits (Legacy Recordings, 1998)
• Rhyme and Reason (Sony Music, 2006)

• Gregory Abbott discography atDiscogs
• Official website
• Mojo Man Entertainment
• Smooth Jazz Artist Guide

• 1954 births
• Living people
• 20th-century African-American male singers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• American contemporary R&B singers
• Musicians from Manhattan
• People from Harlem
• American soul singers
• Columbia Records artists
• Singers from New York City
• UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni
• Musicians from Berkeley, California
• Singer-songwriters from California
• Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences alumni
• University of California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty
• 20th-century African-American academics
• 20th-century American academics
• African-American male songwriters
• 21st-century African-American male singers
• 21st-century American male singers
• Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
• 21st-century African-American academics
• 21st-century American academics

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from January 2015
• Articles with hCards
• Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia