Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an Americansinger-songwriter, pianist, percussionist, actor and producer. His publicists describe him as having a unique vocal quality and pop style with classical and world music influences. His official fan website lists each of his four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and, in 2007, was charted as the number one best selling artist in the United States.[1]
Groban originally studied acting but as his voice changed, it developed into a significant instrument. The event that changed Groban's life was when his vocal coach, Seth Riggs, submitted a tape of Josh singing, "All I Ask of You", from The Phantom of the Opera, to Riggs friend, renowned producer, composer and arranger David Foster.[2])[3] Foster called him to stand in for an ailing Andrea Bocelli to rehearse a duet, "The Prayer," with Celine Dion at the rehearsal for the Grammy Awards in 1998.[4] Innately shy, Groban very reluctantly acquiesced. Rosie O'Donnell was so impressed that she immediately invited him to appear on her daytime talk show.[5] He got another big break when Foster asked him to sing at the California Governor's Gray Davis' 1999 inauguration.[2][6] His name and career soared with the public recognition he received, after being cast on Ally McBeal by the show's creator David E. Kelley, who asked him to perform "You're Still You" for the show's 2001 season finale.[7]
Early life and education
Groban was born in Los Angeles to Lindy, a school teacher and full time mother,[8] and Jack Groban, his businessman father.[9] His father is RussianJewish, a descendant of Polish and Russian immigrants.[10] His Norwegian American mother's grandparents were from the eastern Norwegian district of Toten.[11][12][13] His parents joined the Episcopal Church after his father's conversion from Judaism to Christianity.[5] Chris, his younger brother, shares the same birthday, four years later.[14]
Groban debuted as a singer in seventh grade. His music teacher chose the curly-headed, skinny kid, for a solo of "S'wonderful" at the school's Cabaret Night, and Josh sang alone on stage for the very first time. When mother, Lindy, heard his voice from outside the auditorium, she didn't even recognize the voice, . . and when she realized it was her son singing, it brought her to tears...[8] But, at that time, he was more focused on theatrical arts.[5] He said he transferred from a traditional school to Bridges Academy, because, he said, "I didn't feel that I was getting enough creative input. So I went to Bridges Academy to get my grades up to straight A's." There he was permitted to take regular classes from 9 AM to 1 PM, and attend theater classes in the afternoon.[citation needed] In the summers of 1997 and 1998, he also attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts Camp in Michigan,[10] majoring in music theatre, and began taking vocal lessons. Groban went on to attend the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts as a theatre major, and graduated in 1999.[10] He was admitted to the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, intending to study drama, but he left four months into his first semester. Offered a recording contract, he decided to pursue his promising singing career.[10]
Career
Early career
In late 1998, the 17-year-old Groban was introduced by his vocal coach to Grammy-winning producer/arranger David Foster. Groban worked for David Foster as a rehearsal singer on a series of high-profile events, including the 1999 Grammy Awards where — as a stand-in for Andrea Bocelli — he rehearsed Foster's "The Prayer" with Céline Dion, and the January 1999 inauguration of Gray Davis as Governor of California.
Groban was offered a recording contract at Warner Bros. Records through Foster's 143 Records imprint. Foster said: "I love his natural ability in the pop and rock arena, but I love his sense of classics even more. He's a true musical force to be reckoned with."[15] Under Foster's influence, Groban's first album focused more on classics such as "Gira Con Me Questa Notte" and "Alla Luce Del Sole."
David E. Kelley, creator of the television series Ally McBeal, created a character, Malcolm Wyatt, for Groban in the season finale aired in May 2001. The character of Malcolm Wyatt was so popular, with 8,000 emails from fans,[15] that Groban was asked to return the next season to reprise his role and perform "To Where You Are."
The singer's self-titled debut album Josh Groban was released on November 20, 2001. Over the next year, it went from gold to double-platinum.[16]
On February 24, 2002, Groban performed "The Prayer" with Charlotte Church at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and by November, he had his own PBS special, "Josh Groban In Concert" (2002). In December 2002, he performed "To Where You Are" and sang "The Prayer" in a duet with Sissel Kyrkjebø at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. He joined The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Sting, Lionel Richie, and others for a Christmas performance at the Vatican in Rome, Italy. In 2003, Groban performed at the David Foster concert for World Children's Day, singing "The Prayer" with Celine Dion and the finale song, "Aren't They All Our Children?" with artists including Yolanda Adams, Nick Carter, Enrique Iglesias, and Celine Dion.
Groban's second album Closer, produced and written by Foster, was released on November 11, 2003. Groban said that he believed that this second album was a better reflection of him, and that his audience would be able to get a better idea of his personality from listening to it. "What most people know about me, they know through my music. This time, I've tried to open that door as wide as possible. These songs are a giant step closer to who I really am and what my music is all about. Hence the title."[15]
In the summer of 2004, Groban returned to Interlochen, performing and discussing his earlier experiences with local residents and campers. On November 30, 2004, his second live DVD, Live At The Greek, was released; it was also shown as a Great Performances special on PBS. Also in 2004 , Groban performed "Remember When It Rained," backed by a full orchestra, at the American Music Awards, where he was nominated for Favorite Male Artist in the pop category. Groban and his recordings were nominated for more than a dozen awards in 2004, including the American Music Award, a World Music Award, an Academy Award, and a Grammy.
During the first week of September 2006, Groban's single entitled "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" was released exclusively on AOL's First Listen. His third studio album Awake was officially released on November 7, 2006. Groban performed "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" as well as two other tracks from Awake at his recording session for Live from Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios on 26 October 2006. On that album, Groban also collaborated with British musician and songwriter Imogen Heap, on the single "Now or Never". He performed two tracks with the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, "Lullaby" and "Weeping." Groban's "Awake" world tour visited 71 cities between February and August 2007, and travelled further to Australia and the Philippines with Lani Misalucha as his special guest in October 2007. He performed a duet with Barbra Streisand ("All I Know of Love") and with Mireille Mathieu ("Over the Rainbow"). As to his future, Groban is open to a plethora of possibilities. He said, "I am fortunate enough to have had many really big moments in my career. I think the mistake a lot of people in my position make is to always search for the next big thing. I am looking forward to playing some small theaters. I'm looking forward to writing more. I want to delve further into my acting career and explore some of the film and TV opportunities that I haven't had time for. My outlook is to expect the unexpected. And when the next step comes, I'm prepared to take it."[7] Groban has also expressed an interest in performing on Broadway.[citation needed]
Illuminations (2010-present)
Groban finished working on his fifth studio album, entitled Illuminations and the album was released on November 15, 2010. [18] Most of the songs on the album are about "specific situations that I've had where love has existed and ultimately failed," Groban told The New York Times, adding: "And other songs are about the quest, and it just not working out." Groban wrote 11 of the 13 songs on the album.[19] The first single from the album, "Hidden Away," was made available for free download via Facebook on September 8. [20] “For me to sit in a room with a piano in one take with some of Johnny Cash’s musicians — that was totally new for me.” Josh added. “and I think that excitement is on the record.”[19] On October 12, a second single from the upcoming album, "Você Existe Em Mim", was made available on iTunes.[21] This song is sung in Brazilian Portuguese and was written by Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown. TheWashington Post said: "Illuminations" isn't a revelation, but it offers a perfectly fine, and often quite lovely, glimpse at a pop-classical crossover artist in the middle of crossing over."[22]
Movie
In a comedy called Crazy, Stupid, Love, an upcoming movie starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell, scheduled for released on April 22, 2011, Groban plays a character named Richard, a caddish lawyer, much of the humor coming simply from the sheer unlikelihood of Groban in that role. [23][24]
Notable Performances
Groban at the ET Post-Emmys Party, Walt Disney Concert Hall, September 21, 2008
On April 14, 2007, Groban joined Idina Menzel for a PBSSoundstage taping. The next day, he held his own taping for the same PBS TV series at Lincoln Center's Rose Hall at Jazz in New York City.
In June 2007, Groban recorded a Christmas album in London with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Magdalen College Choir, which he discussed on the DVD from "The Making of Noël". It was released on October 9, 2007 and is titled Noël.[25] The album has been highly successful in the US breaking numerous records for a Christmas album, as well as becoming the best selling album of 2007 in only its tenth week of release, at sales of 3.6 million.[26]
On July 1, 2007, Groban performed with Sarah Brightman for the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium; it was broadcast to over 500 million homes in 140 countries.
On August 23, 2007, Groban performed "You Raise Me Up" on Episode 14 of the talent show Last Choir Standing.
Groban was nominated for the 2008 Juno Award for International Album of the Year for Noël. In collaboration with French chanson legend Charles Aznavour, the two of them recorded Aznavour's signature songLa Bohème as a duet in English and French. It is due to be released on Aznavour's next album, titled Duets.
On May 12 and 13, 2008, Groban performed as Anatoly Sergievsky in "Chess in Concert" at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
On July 15, 2008, Groban performed "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch at the 79th All-Star Game in New York City at Yankee Stadium.
On August 29, 2008, Groban appeared on the final episode of The Charlotte Church Show for a brief interview. The show ended as Groban performed "The Prayer" with host Charlotte Church.
On September 21, 2008, Groban performed a comical medley of well-known TV theme songs at the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
On January 18, 2009, Groban performed as part of the Presidential Inauguration ceremonies, performing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" in duet with Heather Headley.[28]
On January 20, 2009, Groban performed at the Warner Theatre- Heroes Red, White & Blue Inaugural Ball, Washington, DC[29]
On March 28, 2009, Groban performed a duet of "Bridge over Troubled Water" with Jordin Sparks for the charity event Celebrity Fight Night.
In March 2009, Groban covered the hits of the late Casey Tatum and his brother on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. On September 14, 2009, Groban appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and surprised an audience member. Two days later he made a cameo appearance on Glee.
Groban was also featured in Nelly Furtado's song "Silencio", which was released on September 1, 2009. This song is from Nelly's first full length Spanish album Mi Plan.
Various music critics have described Groban's voice in different ways, with some referring to him as a tenor[30][31] and others as a baritone.[32][33] In performance, Groban's music goes as low as G2 (as in the song "To Where You Are") and extends up to at least B♭4[34] (as heard in "You Raise Me Up" or "February Song").[35] This places his voice lower than the tenor range on the low end, and just short of Tenor C, and therefore above the baritone range, on the high end.[36][37] There is currently no authoritative system of voice classification in non-classical music. The problem lies in the fact that classical terms are used to describe not merely various vocal ranges, but specific vocal timbres each unique to those respective ranges, and produced by the classical training techniques with which most popular singers are not intimately familiar and which are not universally employed by the few that are. In a 2002 New York Times article, Groban described himself as a "tenor in training".[38]
Charity
Josh Groban in concert at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall
Under the guidance of his mentor David Foster, Groban performed for many charity events that included VH1 Save the Music (2005), Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope (2005), Fifth Adopt-A-Annual Minefield concert (2005), 2nd Annual Grammy Jam (2005), Live 8 (2005), The Heart Foundation Gala (2005), and David Foster and Friends Charity Gala (2006). He also sang a solo on the recording of We Are The World 25 for Haiti (2010). Inspired by a visit with Nelson Mandela during a 2004 trip to South Africa, he established the Josh Groban Foundation to help children in need through education, healthcare and the arts. Mandela appointed Groban as an Official Ambassador for Mandela's Project 46664, a campaign to help raise Global awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa. On April 25, 2007, Josh Groban performed with the African Children's Choir on American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" episode. Also on September 2, 2007, Groban donated $150,000 to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to fund music education.[39] On February 28, 2008, he appeared in One Night Live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada with Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden and RyanDan in aid of the Sunnybrook Hospital Women and Babies Program. In honor of his 27th birthday, his fans set out to raise $27,000 in a project called "Raise 27". They ended up raising a total of $44,227 for the Josh Groban Foundation, to benefit the Noah's Ark children's orphanage called Siyawela in South Africa. Groban has since referred to this donation as "the best birthday present ever".[40]
He was named the #1 Best Selling Artist of All Time on Barnes & Noble in 2007. Groban has sold more than 20 million albums in less than ten years.
In 2002, Groban was listed as "100 Sexiest Newcomer" and in 2008, he became one of People's "100 Most Beautiful People".
Personal views
Groban dated January Jones from 2003–06.[43] “I am a single man at the moment,” Josh told Access Hollywood Live’s Billy Bush. He recently moved to New York to an apartment on a high floor of the Time Warner Center. In some respects, the singer is still getting acclimated himself. "Dating can be very easy or very tough in this city," Groban says. "Everybody's busy and independent, which I actually find attractive." [44] The view from his apartment, overlooks Central Park, but he also still keeps his residence in Los Angeles. "I really left behind every safety blanket I had,” he said. "You think to yourself just how easy that would be to keep recording Groban does this, Groban does that. And there might be a time in his life," he added, where he would “feel perfectly comfortable” with that. “ "But for better or for worse, there’s still some fire and some exploration in me. I felt like it was a natural progression for me to start making it a little more personal.” Groban was once memorably pegged by Stephen Holden in The New York Times as “our national choirboy.” “All of a sudden when success hit, you get demos from publishing companies, and you wind up saying: ‘Is this how they view me? Is this what they think I am?’ And you realize: ‘Well, yeah, if you don’t do anything about it, you’re just going to get a bunch of songs like this.’ ” The urge to write, he said, “started with hearing things I didn’t want to sing.” [45]
Concert for World Children's Day (DVD) - 2002 - Performed "Gira Con Me," "To Where You Are," "The Prayer" (duet with Céline Dion), and "Aren't They All Our Children Anthem" as a cast.
Hitman David Foster & Friends (DVD) - 2008 - Performed "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" With Bryan Mcknight.
Songs featured on CD releases by or with other artists
Charlotte Church - Enchantment - 2001 - "The Prayer" and "Somewhere"
Barbara Cook - Barbara Cook at the Met- 2006 - "Not While I’m Around" and "Move On" performed live at the Metropolitan Opera.
Hurricane Relief — Come Together Now: "Alla Luce del Sole" and "Tears in Heaven" - 2005 - Participated in the fund raising concert and CD for victims of the hurricanes of 2005, including Katrina and Rita.
Stand Up to Cancer benefit concert - September 8, 2008 - performed a duet of "Imagine" with Monica Mancini, with Joshua Bell on violin and Dave Grusin on piano and also joined the rest of the ensemble to end the show singing "I Stand For Life"
60th Primetime Emmy Awards September 21, 2008 - Performed a medley of famous television theme songs from the last 60 years of TV series.
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! - March 30, 2009 - "Groban Sings Casey" - a medley of Casey favorites, including "Time Travel", "Horse and Buggy Ride", "(I Want To Ride) In A Choo-Choo Train", "Hamburgers And Hot Dogs", and "Cops and Robbers".
Performed song "Still Fighting It" with Ben Folds at the Hollywood Palladium on May 5, 2009
