Howard Hewett

Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles and, after a period as a dancer on Soul Train, became a member of Shalamar, the centerpiece of Dick Griffey’s SOLAR (Sound of Los Angeles) label. His mellifluous tenor voice mixed beautifully with the bright vocals of Jody Watley and the writing and production of Leon Sylvers III, resulting in such top hits as “The Second Time Around,” “Full of Fire,” “Dead Giveaway” and “A Night to Remembe.”

When the most popular lineup of Shalamar broke up in the mid 80s, it was anticipated that Hewett would transition to a monster solo career. He came out of the box strong, signing with Elektra and recording I Commit To Love, a relatively solid urban album that yielded two Soul hits, “I’m For Real” and “Stay.” The album also included perhaps his finest solo moment, a glorious Hewett composition called “Say Amen.” His 1990 self-titled album, which included his biggest solo hit (“Show Me”), another wonderful gospel number (“Jesus”), and a number of solid compositions.

After 1995’s It’s Time, Hewett stopped recording solo, spending much of his time providing wonderful guest vocals on albums by jazz artists such as Joe Sample, Brian Culbertson, George Duke and Everett Harp and on several gospel albums. Then in 2001, he recorded his first all gospel album, The Journey, on Sony, followed a year later by The Journey Live: From the Heart.