Will Downing
Wilfred "Will" Downing (born November 29, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American singer and songwriter.[1] He is married to singer Audrey Wheeler, who was a member of the R&B group Unlimited Touch.
Will Downing | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wilfred Downing |
| Born | November 29, 1963 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, soul, neo soul, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Peak, Hip-O, GRP, Mercury, Motown, PolyGram, Island, Sophisticated Soul |
| Website | www |
Biography
Downing enrolled in Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York. Alumni of the school include record label executives Clive Davis (who founded Arista Records), Kedar Massenburg (who later became president of Motown), Stephanie Mills and singer Barbra Streisand.[2] Downing, who eventually recorded for Motown, graduated with Massenburg in the class of 1981. Downing then attended college at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia. In the mid-1980s, he moved back to New York City, and worked on albums by Jennifer Holliday, Kool & the Gang, Gerald Albright, Billy Ocean, Regina Belle, Rachelle Ferrell and Mica Paris. Later he sang with Arthur Baker's group, Wally 'Jump' Junior.[1] Downing then used Baker as a producer after he signed with Island Records. In 1988, Downing signed a recording contract with 4th & Broadway Records, and his first solo album, Will Downing, was released that same year. His version of the John Coltrane piece, "A Love Supreme",[1] reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.[3] Downing stayed with 4th & Broadway for just one album and switched to Island Records for his second release, Come Together As One (1989).[1] Switching labels to Mercury for his fourth outing, 1993's Love's the Place to Be, Downing scored his best-selling album to date with about 235,000 copies sold in the United States and over 300,000 copies in the UK.[4] He remained with Mercury for two more albums, Moods in 1995 and Invitation Only in 1997, both of which sold well.[1] All the Man You Need received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional R&B Album in 2000. The album included "When You Need Me", a duet single with Chante Moore.[5] In 2002, Downing received the International Association of African-American Music Diamond Award.[6]
In December 2006, Downing suffered from polymyositis.[1] Despite the debilitating aspects of the disease, he worked towards releasing a new album in 2010.[7] Love, Lust, & Lies: An Audio Novel was released in September that year.[1] Beyond performing, Downing is a spokesperson for the American Stroke Association. On tour, he conducts the charity bowling event, Strike Against Stroke, to raise funds towards awareness and education in the African American community, which is disproportionately affected. The American Heart Association recognized Downing for his efforts, honoring him as a Celebrity Ambassador. He is also a keen photographer, and self-published the 2005 coffee table book Unveiled Series I. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He has been married twice. He is currently married to his second wife. He has three children. His stepbrother is former Boyz II Men member and musician Michael McCary.
Discography
Albums
Yesterday (Released February 2012) Today (Released February 2012) Tomorrow (Released July 2012)
| Year | Album details | Chart positions [8][9][10] | Certifications / Note | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | R&B/ Hip-Hop | Jazz | Con. Jazz | UK | |||
| 1988 | Will Downing
| — | — | — | — | 20 | |
| 1989 | Come Together as One
| — | 62 | — | — | 36 | |
| 1991 | A Dream Fulfilled
| — | 22 | — | — | 43 | |
| 1993 | Love's the Place to Be
| 166 | 24 | — | — | — | |
| 1995 | Moods
| 139 | 23 | — | 3 | — | |
| 1997 | Invitation Only
| 127 | 30 | — | — | — |
|
| 1998 | Pleasures of the Night (with Gerald Albright)
| 169 | 36 | — | 1 | — | |
| 2000 | All the Man You Need
| 100 | 25 | — | — | — | |
| 2002 | Sensual Journey
| 90 | 11 | — | 2 | — | |
| 2003 | Emotions
| 92 | 9 | 2 | 2 | — | |
| 2004 | Christmas, Love and You
| — | 40 | 4 | 3 | — |
|
| 2005 | Soul Symphony
| 85 | 18 | — | — | — | |
| 2007 | After Tonight
| 37 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| 2009 | Classique
| 22 | 3 | — | — | — | |
| 2010 | Lust, Love & Lies (An Audio Novel)
| 42 | 11 | — | — | — | |
| 2013 | Silver
| — | 62 | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | Euphoria
| — | 40 | 3 | 2 | — |
|
| 2015 | Chocolate Drops
| — | — | 9 | 2 | — |
|
| 2015 | Black Pearls
| — | 10 | — | — | — |
|
| 2017 | Soul Survivor
| — | 19 | — | — | — |
|
| 2018 | 'Promise
|
| |||||
Compilations
| Year | Album details | Chart positions | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B |
UK | |||
| 2002 | Greatest Love Songs
|
78 | — | |
A Love Supreme – The Collection
|
— | — | ||
| 2006 | 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Will Downing
|
32 | — | |
| 2014 | Collection
|
— | — | |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Dance | U.S. R&B | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "A Love Supreme" | 4 | 77 | 14 |
| "Sending Out an S.O.S" | ― | 45 | ― | |
| "In My Dreams" | ― | ― | 34 | |
| "Free" | ― | 48 | 58 | |
| 1989 | "Where Is the Love" | ― | ― | 19 |
| "Test of Time" | ― | 35 | 67 | |
| 1990 | "Come Together as One" | 40 | 50 | 48 |
| "Sometimes I Cry" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Wishing on a Star" | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1991 | "I Try" | ― | 13 | ― |
| "The World Is a Ghetto" | ― | ― | 83 | |
| "I Go Crazy" | ― | 37 | ― | |
| "Something's Going On" | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Don't Make Me Wait" | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1993 | "There's No Living Without You" | ― | 57 | 67 |
| 1994 | "Love's the Place to Be" | ― | ― | ― |
| "Break Up to Make Up" | ― | 66 | ― | |
| 1995 | "Just to Be with You" | ― | ― | 98 |
| "Sorry, I" | ― | 45 | ― |
References
- Wynn, Ron. "Will Downing - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
- Archived July 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- "Will Downing - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
- "Downing, Will Study Guide & Homework Help". eNotes.com. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
- Billboard - 8 Jul 2000 - Page 24 "released first single "When You Need Me," a duet with MCA's Chante Moore"
- "International Association of African-American Music". Iaaam.com. 2002-06-07. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
- "Will Downing Will Power". Abilitymagazine.com. 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
- "Will Downing Charts Search". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
- "Will Downing US chart history". billboard.com. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
- "UK Charts > Will Downing". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
- "British certifications – Will Downing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2017-06-10. Type Will Downing in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
External links
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