Anthony Hamilton

b. 28 January 1971, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Soul vocalist Hamilton was raised in Charlotte, and began singing as a member of his local church choir before graduating to the city’s nightclub circuit. He relocated to New York City in 1993 and signed a recording contract with Uptown Records, but plans to release his completed debut album fell through when the label folded. A new contract was quickly signed with MCA Records who facilitated the release of XTC in 1996, but lacking any worthwhile promotion this fine collection of modern soul sank without a trace. Hamilton’s next move was to sign with Los Angeles imprint Soulife, where he contributed material to albums by Sunshine Anderson and Donell Jones and toured with nu soul figurehead D’Angelo. The demise of Soulife was another setback in Hamilton’s stop-start career, forcing him back to session work for artists such as Eve, 2Pac and Nappy Roots. His contribution to the latter’s Grammy-nominated hit single ‘Po’ Folks’ helped raise his profile and led to a new recording contract with Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def imprint. Hamilton’s debut for So So Def, Comin’ From Where I’m From, struck an impressive balance between classic soul melodies and vocals and a more contemporary production style. The album, originally released in mid-2003, proved to be something of a sleeper hit and eventually went on to break the million-seller barrier. The single ‘Charlene’ also enjoyed success on the mainstream and R&B charts. In summer 2005, Atlantic Records released the material Hamilton recorded between 1999 and 2001 for Soulife. His third solo album followed later in the year.