Realizing his dreams of becoming a successful soul
artist didn’t come easy for Anthony Hamilton.
In fact, he was dealt more than one unlucky break, despite
the critical acclaim his work repeatedly garnered from
critics.
Like many successful musicians, Hamilton’s love
of music stemmed from his boyhood when he sang in the
church choir. Born and raised in North Carolina, Hamilton
spent many of his teenage years performing in talent
shows and at nightclubs. However, he soon realized that
to break into the big time, he would have to leave his
roots and head to New York City, one of the hot spots
of the music industry. His move proved to be a success
when, in 1993, he won a recording contract with Uptown
Records, famous for producing artists including Mary
J. Blige and Jodeci.
However, Hamilton would soon face a huge, unexpected
obstacle. Just as his first album was set for release,
in 1995, Uptown Records went under. Fortunately, little
time passed before Hamilton joined MCA Records. He recorded
XTC, his second album, in 1996. Critics were ripe with
praise for Hamilton’s work, but the public gave
the album little notice.
It wasn’t until Hamilton joined the then-newly
formed label Soulife that he began to record his third
album and started writing songs for other artists. The
soul singer received a lucky break in 2000: the opportunity
to tour with D’Angelo as a backup singer.
While the tour provided Hamilton the invaluable chance
to see the world and to add to his resume, he would
soon be faced with another obstacle.
Soulife, too, went under. Hamilton knew it was time
to switch his focus, and began to sing backup and write
lyrics for other musicians. Finally, what appeared to
be his big break, came in 2002. His lead vocals on the
song “Po Folks” again garnered him critical
acclaim. This time, however, things just kept getting
better.
“Po Folks” was nominated for a Grammy Award,
and Hamilton was soon signed by the So So Def label.
As his career continues to burn white hot, critics realize
it’s only a matter of time before hordes of fans
are clambering to purchase Anthony Hamilton concert
tickets.
To date, Hamilton has released four albums: Ain’t
Nobody Worryin’ (2005), Soulife (2005), Coming
Where I’m From (2003), and XTC (1996).
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