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Gregory Porter

Jools welcomes Gregory Porter to the studio to sing a classic Nat King Cole song and pick some favourite records.

Gregory Porter guests, singing a classic Nat King Cole song and picking some favourite records

Jazz, soul, and gospel singer, songwriter, and actor Gregory Porter was born in Los Angeles, California but grew up in Bakersfield, California, where his mother was a minister. As a child, he fell under the spell of his mother's Nat King Cole records, learning to imitate and sing like Cole, but his early aspirations were in sports. He was awarded a football scholarship to attend San Diego State University, but after an injury to his shoulder derailed his sports career, he began performing in local jazz clubs, which is where he met saxophonist, composer, and pianist Kamau Kenyatta. Kenyatta became Porter's mentor, introducing him to flutist Hubert Laws, who featured Porter's vocals on a track on his 1998 album Hubert Laws' Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole. Laws' sister, Eloise Laws, heard Porter during the studio sessions and was impressed with his singing; he helped him get cast as one of the leads in a new musical It Ain't Nothing But the Blues, which eventually enjoyed a run on Broadway. The gates were open for Porter. His debut album, Water, appeared in 2010, and was followed by a second, Be Good, released two years later in 2012. In September of 2013, he issued his third album, Liquid Spirit, produced by Brian Bacchus. The album was a huge success, scooping the 2014 Grammy award for best jazz vocal album and becoming the most streamed jazz album of all-time, with over 20 million streams. His second effort for the Blue Note label, Take Me to the Alley, was released in early 2016, and featured Porter's own version of "Holding On," a track he co-wrote and previously recorded with electronic act Disclosure.

57 minutes

Last on

Mon 9 May 2016 23:00
BBC Radio 2

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Music Played

  • Freddie Slack

    Rockin' The Boogie

    • Down The Road a-piece.
    • Fantastic Voyage.
    • 18.

  • Al Browns Tune Toppers feat. Cookie Brown

    The Madison

    • R&B Spotlights 60 (60 Rhythm & Blues Hits).
    • Fantastic Voyage.
    • 6.

  • Dinah Washington

    Baby Won't You Please Come Home

    • The Best Of the Roulette Years.
    • Roulette Jazz.
    • 19.

  • Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra

    Rockin Chair

    • Hoagy Carmichael Snap Stardust and His other great Compositions.
    • Castle Pie.
    • 5.

  • The Hoagy Carmichael Trio

    Stardust Demo

    • Hoagy Carmichael Snap Stardust and His other great Compositions.
    • Castle Pie.
    • 1.

  • Aretha Franklin

    You'll Never Walk Alone

    • Amazing Grace.
    • Atlantic.
    • 6.

  • Gregory Porter

    Don't Lose Your Steam

  • Nat King Cole

    There Will Never Be Another You

    • Nat King Cole sings for Two In Love.
    • EMI.
    • 12.

  • Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

    Sweet Country Love Song (feat. Gregory Porter)

  • Gregory Porter

    Take Me to the Alley

    • Take Me To The Alley.
    • Decca.
    • 1.

Broadcast

  • Mon 9 May 2016 23:00
    BBC Radio 2