peoplepill id: brian-culbertson
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The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
American musician
Work field
Gender
Male
Place of birth
Decatur, Macon County, Illinois, USA
Age
51 years
Education
DePaul University
USA
MacArthur High School
Illinois, USA
Genre(s):
Instruments:
Audio
Spotify
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Brian Culbertson (born January 12, 1973) is an American smooth jazz/R&B/funk musician, instrumentalist, producer and performer from Decatur, Illinois, United States. His instruments include the synthesizer and the piano.

Early life and career

Brian Culbertson was born in Decatur, Illinois. As a child, he was musically skilled, having started playing piano at age 8, drums at 9, trombone at 10, bass in 7th grade, euphonium in high school and more.

Growing up, he listened to Sting, The Yellowjackets, George Duke, David Foster, Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, Chicago, and Earth, Wind and Fire. He attended and graduated MacArthur High School, where his father was a music teacher. He then moved to Chicago where he attended DePaul University. It was in college that he actually started working on a CD, gathering a group of musicians, recording a demo tape and sending it to the only person he knew in Los Angeles, Bud Harner, who would get him his first record deal.

He is married to Michelle Culbertson, also known by her stage name Micaela Haley, and they live in Chicago, IL. In an interview, Culbertson revealed that he met his wife in college through his first bass player Sharay Reed who had met Michelle at the World of Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee where they both won awards at the age of 16. Michelle, originally a violinist, won for Best Concert Master and Sharay Reed for Best Soloist. They both were reintroduced to one another at DePaul University two years later. At the end of their Freshman year together Sharay introduced Michelle to Brian telling them that they would make a good match. His wife contributed background vocals on his earlier albums and a feature vocal on his Christmas CD, A Soulful Christmas.

Culbertson plays Mason & Hamlin pianos and Roland keyboards and has appeared at the NAMM Show. All About You from his album Nice & Slow is one of his best single in all the singles that Brian Culbertson released in his career.

In 2013, he announced on his blog that he was working on his fourteenth album, the album Another Long Night Out was released on February 25, 2014 and was going to revisit his earlier roots in contemporary jazz. In 2015, he released a second live album "20th Anniversary Tour" while performing at jazz club Yoshi's and, subsequently, he also released a solo piano album for yoga and meditation.

His latest album released on April 10th, 2020 is aptly titled "XX" (roman numeral for 20) since it's his 20th solo record. Featuring many guests including Mr. Talkbox, Bootsy Collins, Avery*Sunshine, Marcus Anderson, Everette Harp, Noel Gourdin, Patches Stewart, Ray Parker Jr., Paul Jackson Jr., Jubu Smith, Nicholas Cole, and more, the XX album is genre-bending ride through tracks remeniscent of all of Brian's albums: Smooth Jazz, Funk, Gospel, Pop, R&B, and more.

Napa Valley Jazz Getaway

In late 2011, Culbertson announced he would be hosting the first annual Brian Culbertson Napa Valley Jazz Getaway at the Napa Valley Opera House on June 7–10, 2012. Brian along with his wife, Michelle Culbertson (Micaela Haley) began working on the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway together after having spent their 10th wedding anniversary in the region. . The 4-day concert event would include live performances by comedian Sinbad, vocalists Oleta Adams and Kenny Lattimore, as well as artists Eric Marienthal, Eric Darius, and David Benoit.In addition to performances, Culbertson curated the weekend's events to include food and wine events at his favorite Napa establishments including: Cindy Pawlcyn's Brassica restaurant, Miner Family Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars, Caldwell-Snyder Art Gallery, and Silo's Napa.

The inaugural event was a commercial and critical success, selling out within a week of the public announcement of ticket sales. At the 2012 event, Culbertson announced that the event would return for a second year, held June 5–9, 2013.The expanded 5-day 2013 event was held at the Napa Valley Opera House and the Lincoln Theater in addition to several wineries and featured Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun, Larry Graham & Graham Central Station, Take 6, Ray Parker Jr., Eric Darius, Nick Colionne, Michael Lington, DW3, Cecil Ramirez and returning special guest comedian Sinbad.

Awards

Culbertson has received numerous awards including a 2012 NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Jazz Album; 2012 Soul Train Award nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Artist; Winning Six (6) 2011 Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards for Best Entertainer, Best Album "XII", Best Song "That's Life", Best Keyboardist, Best Male Artist and Best Collaboration "w/Earl Klugh"; 2010 Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for Best International Artist; 2010 American Smooth Jazz Award for Best Keyboardist; 2005 ASYM All That Jazz Award; 2001 National Smooth Jazz Award for Best Keyboardist.

Discography

Studio Albums

YearTitlePeak chart positionsRecord label
US Pop
USR&B
USJazz
US Con. Jazz
USInternet
1994Long Night Out-----Mesa / Bluemoon
1995Modern Life--38--Mesa / Bluemoon
1996After Hours--50--Mesa / Bluemoon
1997Secrets--2015-Mesa / Bluemoon
1999Somethin' Bout Love--83-Atlantic / Wea
2001Nice & Slow--21-Warner Bros / Wea
2003Come on Up1973633-Warner Bros / Wea
2005It's on Tonight161-2118GRP Records
2006A Soulful Christmas--177-GRP Records
2008Bringing Back the Funk9918317GRP Records
2009Live from the Inside--143-GRP Records
2010XII8215219GRP Records12th album including 2009 live album
2012Dreams105-1117Verve
2014Another Long Night Out83-1111BCM Entertainment
2016Funk!--31-BCM Entertainment
2018Colors of Love--11-BCM Entertainment
2019Winter Stories31BCM Entertainment
2020XXBCM Entertainment

Live Albums

YearTitleLabelNotes
2009Live From The InsideVervewith DVD
2015Live 20th Anniversary TourBCM Entertainmentrecorded live at Yoshi's Sep 11-14, 2014, 2 cd
2019Colors of Love Tour - Live in Las VegasBCM Entertainment2 cd
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
What genre of music does Brian Culbertson play?
Brian Culbertson is primarily a contemporary jazz musician, but he incorporates elements of funk, R&B, and pop into his music as well.
How did Brian Culbertson get started in music?
Brian Culbertson began playing piano at the age of 8. He gained popularity in the 1990s through his self-produced albums, and eventually signed with a major record label in 1994.
Has Brian Culbertson won any awards for his music?
Yes, Brian Culbertson has received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career. He has been nominated for several NAACP Image Awards and has won multiple Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards.
Does Brian Culbertson perform live concerts?
Yes, Brian Culbertson is known for his energetic and captivating live performances. He frequently tours and has performed at music festivals and prestigious venues around the world.
Does Brian Culbertson collaborate with other artists?
Yes, Brian Culbertson has collaborated with a wide range of artists from various genres. Some of his notable collaborations include working with musicians such as Michael McDonald, Kenny Lattimore, and Avant.
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