Marcus Miller is a Grammy-winning Brooklyn-born bassist, composer, and producer known for his contemporary jazz, funk, and R&B fusion. After working extensively as a session musician and playing in Miles Davis band, he built a prolific solo career with albums like M² and Renaissance, and scored several films.
Born in Los Angeles, Grammy-nominated contemporary jazz saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, and session player Gerald Albright is known for chart-topping albums like New Beginnings, Groovology, and 24/7 with Norman Brown.
Formed in 1973 by Donald Byrd at Howard University, the jazz-funk band the Blackbyrds achieved crossover success with hits like Walking in Rhythm and Happy Music. They earned three consecutive gold albums in the 1970s, including City Life, and a Grammy nomination for Unfinished Business.
Originating from Minnesota, vocalist José James is known for blending jazz, soul, funk, and R&B. After debuting with The Dreamer in 2008, he released multiple albums on Blue Note, topped Billboard's jazz chart with No Beginning No End, and founded Rainbow Blonde Records.
Four-time GRAMMY-nominated R&B singer-songwriter Eric Benét is known for his signature falsetto and No. 1 hits like Spend My Life With You featuring Tamia and Sometimes I Cry. He is also the President and co-founder of JBR Creative Group.
Formed in 1987 in Indiana, contemporary R&B vocal group After 7 is best known for their platinum debut album and gold follow-up Takin' My Time. Collaborating with Babyface and L.A. Reid, the Grammy-nominated group scored major hits like Can't Stop and Ready or Not.
Bronx native Samara Joy won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in college. She released her debut album in 2021, followed by Linger Awhile and Portrait, earning Grammy and NAACP Image Awards for her acclaimed jazz vocal work.
Formed at Alabama's Oakwood College, the a cappella group Take 6 blends gospel, doo wop, and jazz. Their 1988 platinum self-titled debut won Grammy and Dove awards, leading to contributions for Spike Lee and Quincy Jones. Later albums featured collaborations with artists like Stevie Wonder and George Benson.
Grammy-winning composer, pianist, and producer Bob James is a co-creator of smooth jazz, seamlessly blending bop, pop, classical, and R&B. Best known for his hit Angela from the show Taxi and as a founding member of Fourplay, he has released numerous acclaimed solo and collaborative albums.
Formed in Oakland by producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, Grammy-nominated R&B vocal group En Vogue debuted in 1990 with Born to Sing. Known for hits like Hold On and My Lovin, the multi-platinum quartet earned widespread acclaim for blending diverse musical styles.
Born Antonio Hardy in Brooklyn, hip-hop artist Big Daddy Kane joined the Juice Crew and released his acclaimed debut album, Long Live the Kane, in 1988. Known for his rapid-fire rhyming, he issued albums like It's a Big Daddy Thing and later pursued acting.
Atlanta R&B/pop trio TLC (Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas) became one of the biggest-selling female groups ever, winning Grammys for CrazySexyCool and FanMail with hits “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs.”
Formed 1976 in White Plains, NY, Atlantic Starr are smooth R&B/pop masters of harmonies and ballads; hits “Secret Lovers” and #1 “Always” made them 80s icons.
Merriweather Post Pavilion
