Bobby Caldwell

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the musician and songwriter. For the rock drummer, see Bobby
Caldwell (drummer). For other uses, see Robert Caldwell (disambiguation).

Bobby Caldwell
 Caldwell in 1976

Background information

Birth name Robert Hunter Caldwell

Born August 15, 1951

New York City, U.S.

Died March 14, 2023 (aged 71)

Great Meadows, New Jersey, U.S.

 R&B
Genres
 blue-eyed soul

 smooth jazz

 pop rock

 soft rock

 adult contemporary

Occupation(s)  Singer

 songwriter

 musician

Instrument(s)  Vocals

 guitar
  piano

Years active 1968–2020

Labels  TK

 Atlantic

 Polydor

 Sin-Drome

Robert Hunter Caldwell (August 15, 1951 – March 14, 2023) was an American singer,
songwriter, and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz,
and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell
released the hit single and his signature song "What You Won't Do for Love" from his
double platinum debut album Bobby Caldwell in 1978. After several R&B and smooth
jazz albums, Caldwell turned to singing standards from the Great American Songbook.
He wrote many songs for other artists, including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single "The
Next Time I Fall" for Amy Grant and Peter Cetera.[1] Caldwell's musical catalog is
perhaps best known today for its later sampling by several prolific hip hop and R&B
artists.

Early life[edit]
Bobby Caldwell was born in Manhattan,[2] but grew up in Miami, Florida. His mother sold
real estate and one of her clients was reggae singer Bob Marley; Caldwell and Marley
became friends. Growing up in Miami exposed Caldwell to a variety of music such as
Haitian, Latin, reggae, and R&B. His parents hosted a local variety television show
called Suppertime.[3][4] He grew up listening to the music of Frank Sinatra and Ella
Fitzgerald.[5] When he was 12, Caldwell started playing piano and guitar. He was drawn
to rock and roll, jazz, and rhythm and blues.

Career[edit]
Caldwell was a member of a Miami band called Katmandu who wrote much of their
material while also performing traditional standards. Caldwell played multiple
instruments and sang. At 17, he worked with the band in Las Vegas, then moved to Los
Angeles.[2]
Caldwell got his first career break as a rhythm guitarist for Little Richard in the early
1970s.[6][7] Caldwell and his band eventually left Little Richard, and Caldwell went solo.
[7]
By 1977, he had spent six years in Los Angeles playing in different bar bands and
trying to get a record deal.[7] Caldwell eventually signed with TK Records in Miami in
1978. After songs for his first album were recorded, executives told Caldwell they
enjoyed the album, but thought it was lacking a hit. Caldwell returned to the studio for
two days and wrote "What You Won't Do for Love". TK was mainly an R&B label
popular among African American listeners. Executives at the label wanted to conceal
the fact that Caldwell was white, so they kept his face off the album cover. When he
toured with Natalie Cole to support the album, most of the audience was black and
many were surprised that Caldwell was white.[4][5]
"What You Won't Do for Love" on Bobby Caldwell reached the top ten on
the Billboard magazine Hot 100 (No. 9)[8] R&B (No. 6), and Adult Contemporary (No. 10)
charts. The song has been covered, remade and sampled many times. Caldwell
remade it in 1998. It was covered by Go West, Phyllis Hyman, Roy Ayers, Michael
Bolton, Intro, Boyz II Men and Snoh Aalegra and was sampled by Tupac Shakur for his
hit "Do for Love". It was covered by Elliott Yamin during the fifth season of American
Idol in 2006. Caldwell's track "My Flame" is sampled for "Sky's the Limit" by The
Notorious B.I.G. featuring R&B group 112.
Caldwell's debut album was followed by Cat in the Hat (1980) and Carry On (1982). The
track "Open Your Eyes" from Cat in the Hat was sampled by J Dilla on Common's "The
Light" from his 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate.[9] "Open Your Eyes" was also
covered by artists John Legend and Dwele. For the album Carry On, Caldwell played all
the instruments, was the producer and helped with arranging and mixing.[10] In 2019, Lil
Nas X was sued for $25 million for using the song "Carry On" (from the album of the
same name) without permission in his own song of the same name from his 2018
mixtape Nasaratti, which at the time was available
on YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud.[11] In 1983, Caldwell released August Moon only
in Japan. It was released in the United States in the 1990s.
Singer Boz Scaggs advised Caldwell to write songs for other musicians after TK
Records shut down. Caldwell wrote "The Next Time I Fall", which became a hit for Amy
Grant and Peter Cetera,[1] along with songs for Scaggs himself, Roy Ayers, Chicago,
Natalie Cole, Neil Diamond, Roberta Flack, and Al Jarreau.[12]
On Blue Condition (1996), Caldwell turned from R&B to recording big
band arrangements of songs from the Great American Songbook, particularly those
sung by Frank Sinatra. He also portrayed Sinatra in tributes to the Rat Pack in Las
Vegas.[5][13][14] He continued to sing standards on Come Rain or Come Shine (1999), The
Consummate Bobby Caldwell (2010) and After Dark (2014). In 2015, he collaborated
with record producer Jack Splash on the album Cool Uncle.[12]

Death[edit]
Caldwell died at his home in the Great Meadows section of Independence Township,
New Jersey, on March 14, 2023, at the age of 71.[15][16] His death was announced the
following day by his wife, who stated on Twitter that "Bobby passed away here at home.
I held him tight in my arms as he left us. I am forever heartbroken. Thanks to all of you
for your many prayers over the years." According to his wife, Caldwell's health had
declined after suffering severe side effects from fluoroquinolone in 2017.[17][18]

Film soundtracks[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this
section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed.
 Find sources: "Bobby Caldwell" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March
2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Caldwell wrote and performed songs for the movies Back to School ("Educated
Girl"), Mac and Me ("Take Me, I'll Follow You"), Salsa ("Puerto Rico") and its sequel
("Every Teardrop"). He also recorded a song for the 1984 film Night of the
Comet ("Never Give Up"). Due to what he has cited in interviews as a lower cost of use
than the original recordings, his versions of big band standards have appeared in
several films. Examples include Simone (2001) and Lake Boat (2002).
Aside from a minor role in 1988's Salsa, Caldwell portrayed Frank Sinatra from October
1999 to January 2000 in the Las Vegas musical The Rat Pack Is Back.

Japanese audience[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this
section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Bobby Caldwell" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March
2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Caldwell is popular in Japan, where he was nicknamed "Mister AOR". In Japan, the
acronym "AOR" (AOR short for "Adult Oriented Rock") is used to describe the style
commonly called Adult Contemporary in the United States. In 1992, he received the
award for Best Foreign Artist at the 34th Japan Record Awards.

Discography[edit]
Albums[edit]
Peak chart positions

Year Title Certifications

US US
US
[19] R&B Jazz
[20] [20]

 US: Double Platinum

1978 Bobby Caldwell 21 7 ―
 Japan: Platinum

 US: Gold
1980 Cat in the Hat 113 46 ―
 Japan: Platinum
1982 Carry On 133 41 ―  Japan: Gold
1983 August Moon ― — —  Japan: Gold
1989 Heart of Mine ― ― ―
1991 Stuck on You ― 65 5
1993 Where Is Love ― ― 13
1995 Soul Survivor ― 23 5
1996 Blue Condition ― ― 12
1999 Come Rain or Shine ― ― 8
2005 Perfect Island Nights ― ― 2
Live at the Blue Note
2007 ― ― ―
Tokyo
2010 The Consummate Caldwell ― ― ―
2012 House of Cards ― ― ―
2012 The Joy of Christmas ― ― ―
2014 After Dark ― ― ―
2015 Cool Uncle ― ― ―
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Sources:[21][22]

Compilation albums[edit]
Year Title Notes

1998 Timeline: The Anthology No. 8 US Jazz Albums[20]

Time and Again: The Anthology Part

2001
2

The Time Has Come - Ultimate Same songs as Anthology, Pt.1 + Anthology, Pt.2, different
2020
Anthology order.

Singles[edit]
Peak chart positions

Year Single Album

US US
US US
Pop R&B
[20] [20] A/C Dan

1976 "The House is Rockin'" — — — — Non-album single

1978 "What You Won't Do for Love" 9 6 10 — Bobby Caldwell

 "My Flame" — 40 — —

10
1979 "Can't Say Goodbye" 36 — —
3

"Down for the Third Time" — — — —

1980 "Coming Down from Love" 42 28 — — Cat in the Hat

1981 "Alfie" — — — — Non-album single

10
"Jamaica" 54 — —
5
1982 Carry On

"All of My Love" 77 67 — —

Non-album single from Body by

1984 "Don't Quit" — — — 53
Jake soundtrack

"What You Won't Do for

1987 — — — — Bobby Caldwell
Love" (reissue)

1988 "Take Me, I'll Follow You" — — — — Mac and Me soundtrack

"Real Thing" — — 41 — Heart of Mine

1991
"Janet" — 88 — — Stuck on You

12
1996 "I Give In" 53 — — Soul Survivor
5

2015 "Miami Nights" — — — — Cool Uncle

 "—" denotes single did not chart or was not released

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b Appleford, Steve (October 6, 1991). "Writing Hits Not Enough for Singer
Caldwell". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Ankeny, Jason. "Bobby Caldwell". AllMusic. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
3. ^ Pedersen, Erik (March 15, 2023). "Bobby Caldwell Dies: 'What You Won't Do For Love'
Singer Who Wrote 'The Next Time I Fall' Was 71". Deadline.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b Gordon, Ed (May 19, 2005). "Bobby Caldwell: 'Perfect Island
Nights'". NPR.org. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Singer/Songwriter Bobby Caldwell". Tavis Smiley. PBS. Archived from the
original on June 23, 2015.
6. ^ Appleford, Steve (October 6, 1991). "Writing Hits Not Enough for Singer Caldwell". Los
Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
7. ^ Jump up to:a b c Stuffco, Jered. "The White Lie That Broke Bobby Caldwell on Black
Radio". Red Bull Academy. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
8. ^ "What You Won't Do For Love Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
9. ^ Lamb, Karas (2013). "Tawiah Covers Bobby Caldwell's 'Open Your Eyes'". okayplayer.com.
10. ^ Wynn, Ron. "Carry On". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
11. ^ Cullins, Ashley (July 25, 2019). "Lil Nas X, Sony Music Hit With $25M Lawsuit Over "Carry
On" Sample". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
12. ^ Jump up to:a b Leight, Elias (November 18, 2015). "Cool Uncle: Inside 2015's Smartest
Retro-Soul Revival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
13. ^ Kohlhaase, Bill (August 2, 1999). "Caldwell Goes Back a Bit and Does It Frank's Way". Los
Angeles Times. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
14. ^ Rizik, Chris (December 9, 2014). "Bobby Caldwell – After Dark (2014)
(Review)". SoulTracks. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
15. ^ "Bobby Caldwell, 'What You Won't Do For Love' Singer Dead at 71". Tmz.com.
Retrieved March 15, 2023.
16. ^ Williams, Alex (March 15, 2023). "Bobby Caldwell, Silky-Voiced R&B Crooner, Dies at
71". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
17. ^ Brisco, Elsie (March 15, 2023). "Bobby Caldwell, 'What You Won't Do For Love' R&B
crooner, dies at 71". USA Today. Maribel Perez Wadsworth. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
18. ^ Kreps, Daniel (March 15, 2023). "Bobby Caldwell, 'What You Won't Do for Love' Singer,
Dead at 71". Rolling Stone. Brian Szejka. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
19. ^ "Bobby Caldwell Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17,
2021. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
20. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e "Bobby Caldwell - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on
January 29, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
21. ^ "Discography". Bobby Caldwell. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
22. ^ "Bobby Caldwell | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2017.