George Howard

Born in Philadelphia on September 15, 1956, George Howard's mix of R&B, soul, and smooth jazz proved to be a winning combination during the 1980s and 1990s, when several of his albums topped the Billboard Traditional Jazz Albums chart. He toured with smooth jazz pioneer Grover Washington Jr. during the late 1970s and made his solo debut with 1982's Asphalt Gardens. Dancing in the Sun became his first release to top the Jazz Albums chart in 1985, with his next three albums — Love Will Follow, A Nice Place to Be, and Reflections — all following suit. Howard released six well-received albums with GRP Records during the 1990s, but lost his battle with colon cancer on March 20, 1998.