Maxwell
Maxwell was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, on May 23 1973. His mother is of Puerto Rican descent and his father was West Indian. Sadly, his father died in a plane crash when Maxwell was just 3 years old. He adopted his middle name as his stage moniker, (Maxwell) keeping his real identity a closely guarded secret out of concern for his family's privacy. Growing up Maxwell spent much of his youth alone, since he found it difficult mixing with children in his own neighborhood. His fellow classmates nicknamed him 'Maxwell House Coffee' and often referred to him as "the quiet nerd who sat at the back of the classroom".It was not until music entered Maxwell's life that he began to feel more comfortable with himself, and who he was. A friend of his gave him a keyboard to borrow at the age of 16, and he applied his own tutelage by locking himself in his bedroom where he'd practice for hours at a time. In order to support himself through studies and extend his collection of musical instruments, Maxwell held down 2 jobs - one in a movie theatre and the other working as a waiter. It was whilst working as a waiter that Maxwell learnt to develop his social skills, improving significantly in the essence of 'people communi . . .
It wasn't until the spring of 1996 that Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite finally appeared and continues to attract a growing audience to this day. Initially influenced by early-'80s urban R&B, he progressed rapidly, and by 1991 he was performing on the New York club scene, despite ridicule from classmates who couldn't imagine the shy, awkward teenager doing anything of the sort. It attracted attention and acclaim outside the R&B community with the left-field cover choices "This Woman's Work" (by prog rocker Kate Bush) and "Closer" (the Nine Inch Nails hit). Sales were slow to take off at first, even though Maxwell scored some airplay with ". However, after much perseverance, the once quiet and sensitive Maxwell got his girl. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was a romantic concept album in the vein of Gaye's greatest '70s work, with a more modern flavor courtesy of Prince's influence; inspired by a brief but intense affair, the record's giddy celebration of committed monogamy could have come off as old-fashioned as its classic influences, given the marketplace dominance of hip-hop soul at the time. The song in question is entitled Fortunate, and it was recorded for the Eddie Murphy movie Life. The truth behind urban hang suite: Urban Hang Suite is based on an experience close to Maxwell's heart. In 1998, Maxwell released Embrya, which reunited him with many of his original collaborators. He was primarily a musician to begin with, but became a singer later, since he didn't know anyone else who could sing. The story goes he was at a club one evening when he saw a beautiful and mysterious lady, with whom he was instantly attracted to. " The gold selling second single "Ascension (Never Wonder)" lit the fuse, however, and Urban Hang Suite went platinum before a year had passed, also earning a Grammy nomination. Maxwell recorded his debut album that year, working extensively with several collaborators: songwriter Leon Ware (who'd co-written much of the material on Marvin Gaye's I Want You album in 1976), guitarist Wah Wah Watson (who'd also worked with Gaye), and multi-instrumentalist Stuart Matthewman (a longtime cohort of Sade).
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