Gregory Porter

Born in Los Angeles in November 1971 and raised in Bakersfield, California, jazz singer Gregory Porter was heavily influenced as a child by the music of Nat King Cole. His mother first introduced him to this music, and soon enough, Porter was imitating the iconic singer with surprising similarity. In the late 1990s, Porter met flutist Hubert Laws, who allowed him to sing on a track on his album Hubert Laws Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole, released in 1998. It wasn’t until 2010 that Porter released his debut album, Water, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal album.

Two years later, Porter released his sophomore album Be Good, and the title track earned him a Grammy Award nomination for the Best Traditional R&B Performance. In 2013, just after the release of his third album Liquid Spirit, Porter made his first U.S. television appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno to talk about his album. Liquid Spirit was reviewed by the likes of NPR and the New York Times, and ESQUIRE magazine referred to him as “American’s Next Great Jazz Singer”.