Will Downing

Biography

Brooklyn singer Will Downing was born in 1963 and appeared on the scene in the early 1980s. Singing with Arthur Baker's group, Wally Jump Junior, Downing then used Baker as a producer after he signed with Island Records. Before releasing his own album, Downing appeared on tracks with many other artists, including Daryl Payne, Marc Sadane, Warp 9 and Jennifer Holliday.

In 1988, Downing's self-titled solo debut was released. The album featured a version of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." The track did not fare well on the R&B charts but it managed to reach No. 4 on the dance charts. In the United Kingdom, the single reached No. 14.

Downing has released several albums, always on the brink of major stardom but never quite making it. In 1989 he released Come Together As One and in 1991, A Dream Fulfilled. The latter featured the single "I Try," which reached #13 on the R&B listings, his biggest chart single.

In 1993, Downing released his fourth album, Love's the Place to Be. Subsequent discs include Moods (1995); Invitation Only (1997); the Gerald Albright collaboration Pleasures of the Night (1998); All the Man You Need (2000); Sensual Journey (2002); Emotions (2003); Christmas, Love and You (2004; and Soul Symphony (2005).

Downing's albums regularly score on the U.S. jazz charts, with both Moods and Pleasures of the Night reaching No. 1 in Billboard. Sensual Journey and Emotions both reached No. 2.

External links/Sources

• Will Downing
• Billboard
• Will Downing biography and updates at Soul Tracks