Wilfred "Will" Downing (born November 29, 1963) is an American R&B, soul, neo soul, and jazz singer and songwriter. He has released 22 studio albums.
Biography Early life Downing was born and raised to a working-class family in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. His father was a skycap at a local airport and his mother was a schoolteacher. As a teenager, Downing was a member of a school choir. At age 16, Downing sang demos for publishing houses for songwriters who couldn't sing well, earning $50 each. Downing attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York, graduating in 1981 along with future Motown Records president Kedar Massenburg. Downing then attended college at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia for one year but dropped out to pursue a music career. His parents were not happy with his decision to leave school; all of his siblings had professional jobs.
Career After college, Downing moved back to New York City. In 1983, he was the vocalist for a house music group. He was then a backing vocalist on albums by Jennifer Holliday, Kool & the Gang, Mariah Carey, Gerald Albright, Billy Ocean, Regina Belle and Mica Paris and later sang with Wally "Jump" Junior.
In 1988, Downing signed a recording contract with 4th & B'way Records, and released his first solo album, Will Downing. It included a cover version of the John Coltrane piece, "A Love Supreme", which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs record chart. Downing switched to Island Records for his second release, Come Together as One (1989). In 1991, he then released A Dream Fulfilled, which was his first commercial success, and included his rendition of Angela Bofill's "I Try".
He switched labels to Mercury Records for his fourth outing, Love's the Place to Be (1993). He remained with Mercury for two more albums, Moods (1995) and Invitation Only (1997), both of which sold well. All the Man You Need, released on Motown Records, received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional R&B Album in 2000. The album included "When You Need Me", a duet single with Chante Moore. In 2002, Downing received the International Association of African-American Music Diamond Award.
He released Love, Lust, & Lies: An Audio Novel in 2010.
In 2014, he was the opening act for Patti LaBelle.
Artistry Downing is a baritone. He has often been compared to Luther Vandross.
Personal life From 1987 to 1992, Downing was married to Revonda Mills. In 2002, Downing married singer Audrey Wheeler, who was a member of the R&B group Unlimited Touch.
In December 2006, Downing received a diagnosis of polymyositis, a rare disease occurring most often in black men, in which inflammation causes debilitating muscle weakness. He was hospitalized for three months, used a wheelchair, and lost 100 pounds.
Downing is a spokesperson for the American Stroke Association. On tour, he conducts the charity bowling event Strike Against Stroke to raise funds towards awareness and education in the African American community. The American Heart Association recognized Downing as a celebrity ambassador.
Downing is also a keen photographer, and self-published the coffee table book Unveiled Series I in 2005.
Downing is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
Downing's daughter, Aron Siobhan Downing, died by suicide on January 11, 2023, at the age of 31. She had suffered from bipolar disorder, had depression and some schizophrenia.
Discography Studio albums Year Album details Chart positions Certifications / Notes US US R&B US Jazz US Con. Jazz UK 1988 Will Downing
— — — — 20 BPI: Gold 1989 Come Together as One
— 62 — — 36 1991 A Dream Fulfilled
— 22 — — 43 1993 Love's the Place to Be
166 24 — — — 1995 Moods
139 23 — 3 — 1997 Invitation Only
127 30 — — — Heatseekers No. 5 1998 Pleasures of the Night(with Gerald Albright)
169 36 — 1 — 2000 All the Man You Need
100 25 — — — 2002 Sensual Journey
90 11 — 2 — 2003 Emotions
92 9 2 2 — 2004 Christmas, Love and You
— 40 4 3 — Holiday No. 37 2005 Soul Symphony
85 18 — — — 2007 After Tonight
37 1 — — — 2009 Classique
22 3 — — — 2010 Love, Lust, & Lies: An Audio Novel
42 11 — — — 2013 Silver
— 62 — — — 2014 Euphoria
— 40 3 2 — R&B No. 22 2015 Chocolate Drops
— — 9 2 — R&B No. 22 2016 Black Pearls
— 10 — — — R&B No. 5, Indie No. 12 2017 Soul Survivor
— 19 — — — R&B No. 8, Indie No. 33 2018 Promise
— — — — — 2021 Sophisticated Soul
— — — — — "—" denotes a release that did not chart.
EPs 2021: The Song Garden
Compilations Year Album details Chart positions Note US R&B 2002 Greatest Love Songs
78 A Love Supreme – The Collection
— 2006 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Will Downing
32 2014 Collection
— "—" denotes a release that did not chart.
Singles YearSinglePeak chart positionsUS DanceUS R&BUK 1988 "A Love Supreme" 4 77 14 "Sending Out an S.O.S" ― 45 ― "In My Dreams" ― ― 34 "Free" ― 48 58 1989 "Where Is the Love" (with Mica Paris) ― ― 19 "Test of Time" ― 35 67 1990 "Come Together as One" 40 50 48 "Sometimes I Cry" ― ― ― "Wishing on a Star" ― ― ― 1991 "I Try" ― 13 ― "The World Is a Ghetto" ― ― 83 "I Go Crazy" ― 37 ― "Something's Going On" ― ― ― "Don't Make Me Wait" ― ― ― 1993 "There's No Living Without You" ― 57 67 1994 "Love's the Place to Be" ― ― ― "Break Up to Make Up" ― 66 ― 1995 "Just to Be with You" ― ― 98 "Sorry, I" ― 45 ― 1997 "I Do Believe" (from Cats Don't Dance Soundtrack) ― ― ― "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
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