| Maxwell Biography |
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Maxwell Rivera (born in Brooklyn, New York on May 23, 1973) is an American R&B artist. He played an important role in the development of the subgenre of neo-soul music[citation needed][1].
BiographyMaxwell was born of a Puerto Rican father and a Hatian mother. Maxwell never knew his father because he died in a 1976 plane crash when Maxwell was just three years old[citation needed]. Maxwell is his middle name which is his stage moniker. Maxwell's father's death made Maxwell a deeply religious child[citation needed]. Maxwell first performed in a Baptist church. Maxwell didn't really get serious about music until age 17, when he began writing his own songs using a cheap Casio keyboard given to him by a friend[citation needed]. Initially influenced by early-'80s urban R&B, he progressed rapidly, and by 1991 he was performing on the New York club scene. Maxwell was heavily inspired by the work of artists such as Marvin Gaye and Prince. This caused ridicule from classmates who couldn't imagine the shy, awkward teenager doing anything of the sort. After making a name for himself, he signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1994 at age 21 [2]. Musical careerMaxwell began working with songwriter Leon Ware and noted guitarist Wah Wah Watson to record his debut Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite in the early 1990s. When the album was finished, Columbia had doubts about the album's potential, and shelved it for two years, but finally issued it in 1996. Heavily inspired by the sound of classic soul music, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite did not catch on with audiences until the release of its second single, "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)", which became a hit. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite sold over 500,000 copies, earning gold status, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. On June 15, 1997, Maxwell taped an episode of the MTV concert series MTV Unplugged in New York City, performing his own songs as well as covers of songs by Kate Bush ("This Woman's Work) and Nine Inch Nails ("Closer") [3]. He clashed with his label about the release of an album of his unplugged session, so only an EP [4] containing seven songs was released for sale. Maxwell's second studio album, Embrya, was released in 1998 and became a critical success. The following year, Maxwell released "Fortunate", a single written by R. Kelly and featured on the soundtrack for the 1999 film Life. The single peaked at number one on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart. To date, "Fortunate" is Maxwell's most successful single, and was Billboard's number one R&B single of 1999. Now, Maxwell's third album, was released in 2001, becoming his first No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 album chart and Billboard's R&B album chart. It featured the hit singles "Lifetime" and a studio version of "This Woman's Work"; the Kate Bush song Maxwell covered during his 1997 MTV Unplugged set [5]. Maxwell appeared on the 2008 BET Awards, where he performed the song "Simply Beautiful" in a tribute to Al Green [6] [7] [8]. Upcoming WorkMaxwell's next project is his fourth album Black Summers' Night. On his myspace Maxwell states that it is a trilogy of albums released over three years, starting in 2008 with Black. The second album, Summers' coming out in 2009 and the third album Night 2010. An audio clip of the song "Pretty Wings" from Black was also featured on his MySpace page in spring 2008. On his 2008 fall tour, he has played tracks from the upcoming album "Black", including, "Pretty Wings", "Bad Habits", "Never Do W/Out You", "Help Somebody", and "Cold". Maxwell is currently working with the NAACP and serves as a Board member of BET[citation needed]. DiscographyAlbums
Singles
Notes: Soundtrack contributions
Other works
As a featured artist
Awards and nominationsAwards
Nominations
External links
References
Categories: 1973 births | African American singers | Puerto Ricans of African descent | American rhythm and blues singers | American soul singers | Puerto Rican-Americans | Haitian Americans | Hispanic Americans | Living people | Multiracial musicians | Neo soul singers | New York musicians | Puerto Rican-American singers |
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