Jeffrey Osborne

Jeffrey Linton Osborne (born March 9, 1948) is an American Grammy–nominated singer–songwriter, musician and lyricist. Osborne is the former drummer and lead singer of the American R&B/Soul group L.T.D.; with whom he began his musical career in 1970.

Jeffrey Osborne
Osborne in 2008
Background information
Birth nameJeffrey Linton Osborne
Born (1948-03-09) March 9, 1948
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • drummer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • drums
Years active1970–present
Labels
Associated actsL.T.D.
Websitejeffreyosborne.com

Biography

Early life and family

Osborne was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Born the youngest of twelve children which consisted of five brothers and six sisters, Osborne's family was musically inclined. Some of Osborne's siblings went on to have music careers, his brother Billy Osborne was his band-mate in L.T.D. Osborne's father, Clarence "Legs" Osborne, was a popular trumpeter who played with Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. Osborne's father died in 1961 when Osborne was thirteen.[1]

L.T.D.

Osborne began his music career in 1970 becoming a member of the American soul band "Love Men Ltd.", who would later become known as L.T.D.[2] The band recorded hit singles such as "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again" (1977), "Concentrate on You," "Love Ballad" (1976), and "Holding On (When Love Is Gone)" (1978). At first, Osborne served as only a drummer, sharing lead vocal duties with his brother Billy Osborne, but by 1976 he became the group's primary lead vocalist. Osborne and his brother both left the band in late 1980 to start solo careers. Osborne sang lead vocals on L.T.D.'s 3 #1 songs on the U.S. R&B Chart and for the band's 3 gold and platinum albums.

Solo career

In 1982, Osborne sang the opening song "I Just Want to Be Your Friend" for the comedy film The Toy. Osborne later released his self-titled debut album in 1982, which featured two hit singles, "On the Wings of Love" and "I Really Don't Need No Light" (1982), peaking at #29 & #39 on the pop chart respectively. This was followed up the next year by Stay with Me Tonight, his first solo gold album, which spawned four more hits, "Don't You Get So Mad" (#25), the title track (#30), "Plane Love" (#10 R&B, #6 Dance Clubplay) and "We're Going All the Way (#48). "Stay with Me Tonight" (May 1984, #18) and "On the Wings of Love" (August 1984, #11) reached the UK Singles Chart.

In 1985, Osborne wrote the lyrics to the Whitney Houston hit "All at Once" (music by Michael Masser). He appeared on USA for Africa's fundraising single, "We Are the World" in 1985. Osborne sang the unreleased single "Everything Good Takes Time" which was part of a video tribute to Julius Erving (Dr. J) in 1987. He would later appear on Celebrity Duets in 2006, performing "On the Wings of Love" with Alfonso Ribeiro. Osborne lent his vocals to the theme song of the soap opera, Loving, from 1992 to 1995[1] as well as the first season theme song for the Kirstie Alley comedy Veronica's Closet.

Osborne had two more gold albums, Don't Stop and Emotional, the latter of which had his highest charting solo pop hit, "You Should Be Mine", which peaked at #13 in 1986. The following year, Osborne had the highest-charting hit of his career duetting with Dionne Warwick on "Love Power", which reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the Adult Contemporary singles chart. This was a turning point in his pop success, as his albums and singles began charting lower and lower on the pop charts. Osborne's 1988 single "She's on the Left" would be his final Hot 100 entry, as well as his only #1 R&B hit.

Later career

In the new millennium, he returned with a series of albums that, while far from the success he enjoyed in the 1980s, returned him to Adult R&B radio, scoring modest chart singles such as "Rest of Our Lives" (#75, 2003) and his cover of Barbara Mason's classic "Yes, I'm Ready" (#64, 2005). In 2008, Osborne sang the national anthem before Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center in Los Angeles, a feat which he repeated in 2009, before Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals, and also again in 2010 before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, all at Staples Center in Los Angeles. He also performed the national anthem prior to Game 3 of the 1988 World Series, a feat he repeated two years later at Game 3 of the 1990 World Series, both at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California. He also regularly sang the national anthem before Hartford Whalers games. On March 1, 2010, Osborne appeared on The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love season finale, "After the Final Rose", singing his hit "On the Wings of Love" while Bachelor Jake Pavelka took to the dance floor with his newly announced fiancé, Vienna Girardi.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Jeffrey Osborne among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[3]

Personal life

Osborne has been married to Sheri Osborne since 1983,[4] and together they have three daughters: Tiffany Nicole,[4] Dawn and Jeanine Osborne as well as one son, Jeffrey Jr.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Chart positions Certifications Record label
US Pop[5] Billboard US
R&B
[6]
UK Pop[7]
1982 Jeffrey Osborne 49 3 - A&M Records
1983 Stay with Me Tonight 25 3 56 RIAA: Gold[8] A&M Records
1984 Don't Stop 39 7 59 RIAA: Gold[8] A&M Records
1986 Emotional 27 5 - RIAA: Gold[8] A&M Records
1988 One Love – One Dream 86 12 - - A&M Records
1990 Only Human 95 9 - - A&M Records
2003 Music Is Life

-

-

-

-

Koch Records

2013 A Time for Love - - - - Time Life Records
2018 Worth It All - - - - Mack Avenue Records

Charted singles

Year Single Chart positions
US[9] US
R&B
[10]
US
AC
[11]
US
AR&B
[12]
AUS[13] UK Pop[7]
1982 "I Really Don't Need No Light" (featuring Lynn Davis) 39 3
"On the Wings of Love" 29 13 7 36 11
1983 "Eenie Meenie" 76 18
"Don't You Get So Mad" 25 3 29 54
"Stay with Me Tonight" 30 4 18
1984 "Plane Love" 10
"We're Going All the Way" 48 16 6
"The Last Time I Made Love" (with Joyce Kennedy) 40 2 37
"Don't Stop" 44 6 61
"The Borderlines" 38 7 98
1985 "Let Me Know" 44
1986 "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)" 13 2 2
"Soweto" 18 44
"Room with a View" 29 96
"In Your Eyes" 82 15
1987 "Love Power" (with Dionne Warwick) 12 5 1 63
1988 "She's on the Left" 48 1
"Can't Go Back on a Promise" 28
1989 "All Because of You" 48
"Take Good Care of You and Me" (with Dionne Warwick) 46 25 93
1990 "Only Human" 3
1991 "If My Brother's in Trouble" 11
"The Morning After I Made Love to You" 24
1994 "I'll Be Around" (Russ Freeman/Rippingtons featuring Jeffrey Osbourne) 33
2000 "That's For Sure" 6
2003 "The Rest of Our Lives" 75 11
"Caller ID" 30
2005 "Yes, I'm Ready" 64 14
2018 "Worth It All" 12
"—" denotes the single failed to chart

Filmography

  • The Young Messiah – Messiah XXI (2006) (DVD)

In media

  • He sang with Vonda Shepard at the bar in the end of episode four ("Without A Net") of season four of the television show Ally McBeal.
  • Pam sang the first bars of "On The Wings of Love" from the album Jeffrey Osborne with Dwight's recorder accompaniment during a bird's funeral on The Office third-season episode "Grief Counseling."
  • A snippet of "On The Wings of Love" is often played on the E! show The Soup as a reoccurring joke every time Joel McHale mentions the current Bachelor season. On March 5 he was nominated for one of The Soup Awards and lost to Heidi Montag. Despite the loss, he sang a parody of this song.
  • Guest starred on the Robert Townsend sitcom, The Parent 'Hood
  • Played in the 1988 TV movie, Ladykillers and was the showpiece song
  • Guest starred on season 1 episode 17 of the TV series Cosby. He sang "The Woo Woo song"
  • Sang 'Far Longer than Forever' with Regina Belle in the end credits of the 1994 animated film, The Swan Princess.
  • Sang the theme song for the ABC Daytime Drama Loving, from February 1992 until November 1995.
  • Sang "Never Met A Woman (Like You)" in Steven Eugene Grove (saxophonist)'s aka: "Euge Groove" (2012) musical CD album House of Groove.

Awards and honors

Osborne received the 2014 New England Pell Award for Artistic Excellence from Providence (Rhode Island)'s Trinity Repertory Company in honor of his artistic achievements and philanthropic work in Rhode Island.[14][15]

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Osborne has received four Grammy nominations.[16]

Year Category Nominated work Result
1984 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Stay With Me Tonight Nominated
1985 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Don't Stop Nominated
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group "The Last Time I Made Love" (w/Joyce Kennedy) Nominated
2001 Best Traditional R&B Performance That's For Sure Nominated

See also

References

  1. "Jeffrey Osborne Bio | Jeffrey Osborne Career | MTV". Vh1.com. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  2. "Last.fm". Last.fm. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  3. Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  4. "JET Magazine - Jeffery Osborne's Wife Sheri Tells How To Land And Keep Man Of Your Dreams - Jan. 30, 1989". Google Books. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  5. "Jeffrey Osborne: Billboard 200". Billboard.
  6. "Jeffrey Osborne: Top Soul Albums". Billboard.
  7. "Jeffrey Osborne". Official Charts Company.
  8. "Jeffrey Osborne". riaa.com. RIAA.
  9. "Jeffrey Osborne: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard.
  10. "Jeffrey Osborne: Top Hip-Hop/R&B Songs". Billboard.
  11. "Jeffrey Osborne: Adult Contemporary Songs". Billboard.
  12. "Jeffrey Osborne: Adult R&B Songs". Billboard.
  13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 226. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. BWW News Desk (April 25, 2014). "Trinity Rep to Honor Jeffrey Osborne With 2014 New England Pell Award for Artistic Excellence, 6/9". Broadway World. Retrieved June 9, 2014. Trinity Rep announced today that Jeffrey Osborne will be honored with the 2014 New England Pell Award for Artistic Excellence, acknowledging his artistic achievements and philanthropic work throughout Rhode Island.
  15. Gray, Channing (June 9, 2014). "Pell Awards salute the best of R.I. arts / Gallery". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  16. "Jeffrey Osborne". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
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