Curtis Stigers drives his publicists crazy.
For the past 30 years, the singer, songwriter, saxophonist and guitarist has been making records that confound those who try to categorize his music or put him in a box.
Curtis Stigers has had several top ten hits as a long-haired, blue-eyed soul singer and he’s written and sung an Emmy nominated TV theme song. He’s recorded a track for one of the biggest-selling pop albums of all time and he’s released nine critically-acclaimed, award-winning jazz albums. He’s played for presidents and princes and he’s appeared in two Seth MacFarlane movies about a foul-mouthed cuddly bear called Ted. He’s recorded thirteen studio albums and a live album singing Sinatra songs with a big band from Denmark. He’s toured with symphony orchestras, written songs with Carole King and duetted with Al Green, Shawn Colvin and Tom Jones.
Who is this guy?
Stigers' success as a songwriter has included co-writing with the likes of legends like Carole King, Barry Mann and Beth Nielsen Chapman, and his songwriting talent also led to an Emmy nomination for co-writing and singing the theme song to the wildly successful TV series Sons Of Anarchy.
It is his rich singing voice, however—singular, balletic, and at turns both mournful and playful—that has landed him on records with the likes of Al Green, Shawn Colvin and Jackson Browne, in studios with venerated producers like Larry Klein, Danny Kortchmar, and Glen Ballard, and on stages and concert bills with pop and rock legends, including Eric Clapton, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Prince, Rod Stewart and The Allman Brothers Band, as well as jazz giants Nancy Wilson, Al Jarreau, Gerry Mulligan, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Chuck Mangione, Toots Thielmans, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Kurt Elling, Diana Krall, John Scofield, Larry Goldings and many more.
After being mentored in his early years by legendary jazz pianist Gene Harris, and by the revered jazz singer Mark Murphy, Stigers’ unique talent was recognized by music business impresario Clive Davis, who signed Stigers to a record deal after hearing him in a New York restaurant. A debut album sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide on the strength of self-penned hit singles like “I Wonder Why,” “You’re All That Matters to Me,” and “Never Saw a Miracle.” A year later, Stigers contributed a cover version of Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding” to The Bodyguard soundtrack, which has sold over 45 million copies worldwide. Multiple appearances on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Today Show and countless international TV shows, put Stigers directly in the spotlight of popular culture. Stigers also made cameo appearances in the movie comedies, Ted and Ted 2, written and directed by his friend, Seth MacFarlane.
During the pandemic, Curtis Stigers began a weekly internet livestream show called “Songs From My Kitchen” which he continues to present once a month with his four very cute dogs.
Born in Hollywood, raised in Boise, Idaho and transplanted to Manhattan, he now resides, between concert appearances, back in Idaho, where he’s proud to help raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the Interfaith Sanctuary Homeless Shelter.
The latest Curtis Stigers album, This Life (February, 2022), is a self-produced look back at 30 years of songs, albums and concerts, featuring newly crafted versions of some of the biggest and best songs from his long, successful career.