Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau (born March 12, 1940) is an
American jazz singer.
Jarreau was born in
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, the fifth of six children. His website refers to Reservoir Avenue, the name of the street where he lived. His father was a
Seventh-day Adventist Church
minister and singer, and his mother was a church pianist. He and his
family sang together in church concerts and in benefits, and he and his
mother performed at
PTA meetings.

He was
student council president and
Badger Boys State delegate for
Lincoln High School, going on to
Ripon College, where he also sang with a group called the Indigos. Jarreau graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.
He went on to earn a
master's degree in
vocational rehabilitation from the
University of Iowa, worked as a
rehabilitation counselor in
San Francisco, and moonlighted with a jazz trio headed by
George Duke.
In 1967, he joined forces with acoustic guitarist Julio Martinez.
The duo became the star attraction at a small
Sausalito
night club called Gatsby's. This success contributed to Jarreau's
decision to make professional singing his life and full-time career.
In 1968, Jarreau made jazz his primary occupation. In 1969, Jarreau and Martinez headed south, where Jarreau appeared in such
Los Angeles hot spots as Dino's,
The Troubadour, and Bitter End West. Television exposure came from
Johnny Carson,
Mike Douglas,
Merv Griffin,
Dinah Shore, and
David Frost. He expanded his nightclub appearances performing at
The Improv between the acts of such rising-star comics as
Bette Midler,
Jimmie Walker, and
John Belushi. During this period, he became involved with the
United Church of Religious Science and the
Church of Scientology,
but he is no longer affiliated with Scientology. Also, roughly at the
same time, he began writing his own lyrics, finding that his Christian
spirituality began to impact his work.
In 1975, Jarreau was working with pianist Tom Canning when he was spotted by
Warner Bros. Records. He sang on the first season of Saturday Night Live episode 13, 1975, hosted by Peter Boyle (
Young Frankenstein,
Everyone Loves Raymond). Soon thereafter released his critically acclaimed debut album,
We Got By,
which catapulted him to international fame and garnered him a German
Grammy Award. A second German Grammy would follow with the release of
his second album,
Glow.
One of Jarreau's most commercially successful albums is
Breakin' Away
(1981), which includes the hit song "We're In This Love Together." He
wrote and performed the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American
television show
Moonlighting. Among other things, he is well known for his
scat singing
and the ability to imitate conventional guitar, bass, and percussive
instrumentation. He was also a featured vocalist on USA for Africa's "
We Are the World" in which he sang the line,
"...and so we all must lend a helping hand." Another charitable media event,
HBO's
Comic Relief, featured Al in a duet with
Natalie Cole singing the song "Mr. President," written by Joe Sterling,
Mike Loveless and
Ray Reach.

Jarreau took an extended break from recording in the 1990s. As he explained in an interview with
Jazz Review:
"I was still touring, in fact, I toured more than I ever had in the
past, so I kept in touch with my audience. I got my symphony program
under way, which included my music and that of other people too, and I
performed on the Broadway production of
Grease. I was busier than
ever! For the most part, I was doing what I have always done … perform
live. I was shopping for a record deal and was letting people know that
there is a new album coming. I was just waiting for the right label
(Verve), but I toured more than ever."
In 2003, Jarreau and conductor
Larry Baird
collaborated on symphony shows around the United States, with Baird
arranging additional orchestral material for Jarreau's shows.
He has toured and performed with numerous musicians, including
Joe Sample,
Chick Corea,
Kathleen Battle,
Miles Davis,
David Sanborn,
Rick Braun, and
George Benson. He also performed the role of the Teen Angel in a 1996
Broadway production of
Grease. On March 6, 2001, he received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard on the corner of
Hollywood Boulevard and
La Brea Avenue.
Al Jarreau appeared in a duet with
American Idol finalist
Paris Bennett during the Season 5 finale and on
Celebrity Duets singing with actor
Cheech Marin.
In 2010, Al Jarreau is a guest on the new
Eumir Deodato album, with the song "Double Face" written by
Nicolosi/Deodato/Al Jarreau. The song is produced by the Italian company
Nicolosi Productions.
On February 16, 2012, he was invited to the famous Italian
Festival di Sanremo to sing with the Italian group
Matia Bazar.
Jarreau has been married twice. His first marriage, to Phyllis Hall,
lasted from 1964 to 1968. His second wife was model Susan Player, whom
he married in 1977. Jarreau and Player have one adult son together,
Ryan.
It was reported on July 23, 2010 that Jarreau was critically ill at a hospital in
France, while in the area to perform a concert at nearby
Barcelonnette, and was being treated for respiratory problems and cardiac
arrhythmias.
He was taken to the intensive-care unit at
Gap late on July 22, 2010.
Jarreau was conscious, in a stable condition and in the cardiology unit of La Timone hospital in
Marseille, the Marseille Hospital Authority said. He was expected to remain there for about a week for tests.
In June 2012, Jarreau was diagnosed with
pneumonia, which caused him to cancel several concerts in France.
Since then, Jarreau has made a full recovery and continues to tour extensively.
In 2009 children's author Carmen Rubin published the story
Ashti Meets Birdman Al,
inspired by the music of Al Jarreau. He wrote the foreword for the book
and reads from it across the world. Both Al and Carmen work together to
promote literacy and the importance of keeping music alive in children.
Books are available on iTunes and www.carmenrubin.com