Anthony Hamilton

Before he was a hitmaking neo-soul singer/songwriter and producer, Anthony Hamilton was known in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, for cutting hair—and singing—in a barbers. There, he learned how to work a diverse room, perform for older folks and grandkids alike, while keeping women in the crowd engaged. In the early ‘90s, he was signed by music mogul Andre Harrell to Uptown Records, the cradle of new jack swing, a genre that melds R&B and hip-hop. In 2000, he joined D’Angelo as a backup singer on the superstar soul artist’s tour to support his wildly popular Voodoo album. But Hamilton came to the forefront on his 2003 LP, Comin’ from Where I’m From, a gleaming soul set with big nods to Al Green (whom he’d later duet with twice on the legend’s 2008 record, Lay It Down). Hamilton can put a tale in your ear like he’s talking to you (2003’s “Charlene”), and then come upside your head on rousing tracks like 2006’s “Sista Big Bones” and 2012’s “Freedom”, his duet with Elayna Boynton off the Django Unchained soundtrack. In 2020 he released “Back Together”, a relaxed “duet” with late funk singer Rick James (using a found sample producer 9th Wonder pulled out of the locker), and “Mercy”, a hypnotic groove with a Black Lives Matter message. Life gives Anthony Hamilton stories and he shares them like a polished raconteur. Pull in close.