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With a crystal-clear, sweet croon and oozing humble, natural smoothness, Jeffrey Osborne was the frontman of funky, 1970s soul favourites L.T.D., before finding fame as a solo artist in the 1980s. As the youngest of 12 children, he received his musical education from listening to his siblings' jazz, R&B and pop records and from his father Clarence 'Legs' Osborne, who was a trumpeter who played with Duke Ellington in the era of the big bands. Osborne started singing at twelve-years-old, but it was as a drummer that he got his first break playing briefly with The Ojays when he was just 15, later performing as an emergency stand-in with Love Men Ltd when their drummer was arrested while on tour in Osborne's home town of Providence, Rhode Island. He ended up landing the gig permanently and as the group evolved into L.T.D., Osborne rose from behind the drumkit to become their lead singer on successful albums 'Something to Love' and 'Togetherness' and their big anthem '(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again', which reached number four in the US charts in 1977. Signing to A&M Records, Osborne released his self-titled debut solo album in 1982 and landed US top 30 singles 'On the Wings of Love', 'Don't You Get So Mad' and 'Stay With Me Tonight', quickly developing into a songwriter who embraced the disco, funk and swaggering R&B grooves of the day. He also penned the lyrics for Whitney Houston's 1985 song 'All at Once', featured on the charity single 'We Are the World' and duetted with Dionne Warwick on the hit 'Love Power', but had his biggest solo success when his yearning, neo-soul ballad 'You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)' reached number 13 in the US. His albums 'Stay With Me Tonight' and 'Emotional' also fared well at the time and his elegant, romantic style would later influence the likes of R Kelly, Boyz II Men and Maxwell.
Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
