Bobby Caldwell

Singer-songwriter Bobby Caldwell was born Robert Hunter Caldwell on August 15, 1951 in Manhattan, New York. His parents were the hosts of two variety television shows and he learned to play guitar and piano, writing and performing his own music as a teenager. Much of his childhood was spent in Miami, Florida where Caldwell had access to a wide variety of music including reggae and R&B. He wrote and performed much of his early music with a local band Katmandu; the band later moved to Las Vegas and then Los Angeles for more exposure. His first big break was getting a gig playing rhythm guitar for Little Richard in the 70s. In 1978, after spending years making a name for himself in Los Angeles bars and clubs, Caldwell signed a record deal and began production of his first album. His record company TK was popular with black Americans so upon its release, his debut album "Bobby Caldwell" (1978) did not include a photograph of Caldwell, leaving the average listener surprised to learn that he was white. The album's hit single "What You Won't Do for Love" reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 list and would prove to be his most popular single. He continued writing and performing music, releasing more than a dozen albums in his lifetime. In addition to his own performances, Caldwell wrote music for other artists such as Boz Scaggs, Neil Diamond and Chicago. Notably, he wrote the Grammy nominated song "The Next Time I Fall" for Peter Cetera and Amy Grant in 1986. Later in his career, Caldwell transitioned from R&B to more big band songs and Frank Sinatra classics. In 2015, he released the comeback album, "Cool Uncle" (2015) featuring CeeLo Green and other young artists. It was widely celebrated by critics. Much of his body of work has been sampled and covered by musicians over the last 40 years including John Legend,Tupac Shakur, and Notorious B.I.G. On March 14, 2023, Bobby Caldwell passed away at his home in Great Meadows, New Jersey with his wife by his side.