What happened to Curtis Stigers? I wonder…why?(!) Remember, you’re all that matters to him!
Long haired, saxophone playing, Michael Bolton wannabe Curtis Stigers (b.1965) was the surprise hit of 1991 and 1992 with his debut album and two chart hit singles. He has since become a prolific jazz performer, releasing innumerable albums and playing to devoted fans across America and beyond. So let’s where he came from and what became of him after the storm.
Idaho born Curtis became a jazz devote from an early age and in his late teens, spent time in jazz clubs singing and playing his favourite instrument, the saxophone and it was from there that he was ‘discovered’ and given a recording contract with Artista Records. Curtis released his self-titled album in September 1991, but it wasn’t until the end of the year that the first single, “I Wonder Why?”, was released separately. The song made its way to No.9 on the Billboard singles chart and early in 1992, to No.5 in the UK. “I Wonder Why?” was also a top ten hit in many other parts of the world and saw much increased sales in his debut long player.
His follow up, “You’re All The Matters To Me”, came in the Spring of 1992 and peaked at No.6 in the UK, while charting a lowly No.98 Stateside. Not to worry, “Curtis Stigers” was by now a top ten hit in itself and shifting hundreds of thousands of copies. Two more singles were lifted from the album, “Sleeping With The Lights On” and “Never Saw A Miracle”, which gave him a third top 40 entry in the UK. Curtis rounded off 1992 with his version of Brinsley Schwarz’s 1974 song “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding?”, which was recorded by Curtis for Whitney Houston’s smash hit film soundtrack, “The Bodyguard”.
Curtis released his follow up, “Time Was”, in 1995, which included the UK hit “This Time” and the single “Keep Me From The Cold”, and by now Curtis has cut his hair as well! He recorded with British singer Julia Fordham in 1998 on a new duet version of her single, “Where Does The Time Go?” for her best of “Collection” and finished the decade with his own release, “Brighter Days”. Curtis signed with the Concord Jazz label at the beginning of 2000 and has since released nine albums of jazz classics, his most recent having just been released today (May 2020), “Gentleman”, which includes a video for the title track, which Curtis himself describes as “What does it mean to be a gentleman in this day and age?” Curtis found himself confronting that question from a variety of angles. The result is his most personal, resonant, and vibrant collection to date.
Stay in touch with Curtis through his WEBSITE and his FACEBOOK page
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