Curtis Hairston
| Curtis Hairston | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Curtis Kinnard Hairston |
| Born |
10 October 1961 Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States |
| Died | 18 January 1996 (aged 34) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States |
| Genres | R&B, funk, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1980–1995 |
| Labels | Pretty Pearl Records, Atlantic, Reverse Spin Entertainment, |
| Associated acts | Luther Vandross, B. B. & Q. Band, Madonna, Richard Marx, Whitney Houston, Change |
Curtis Kinnard Hairston (10 October 1961 – 18 January 1996) was an American soul/funk vocalist, who had a number of Top 75 hit singles in the UK and US, both as a solo artist and as a featured artist in the B. B. & Q. Band.
In 1985, Hairston reached #13 in the UK Singles Chart with "I Want Your Lovin' (Just a Little Bit)". In 1986, as a member of the B. B. & Q. Band, he sang vocals on the song "Dreamer", which reached #1 in the UK Dance Chart and the US Dance Chart.
A longtime sufferer of diabetes, Hairston died of related kidney failure at age 34 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in January 1996.
He had attended both Winston-Salem State University and the Juilliard School of Music.
Curtis Hairston started his career upon signing to Pretty Pearl Records. This small record label was founded by basketball player, Earl Monroe who had attended the same school as Hairston. The two met up in 1980, and after Earl hearing a demo tape recording of Hairston singing, he signed him up to his new label. However, Curtis did not start recording music until a few years later.
His first single "I Want You (All Tonight)" turned out to be a triumph hit in the UK, peaking at #44. It was released along with the song "Summertime" in 1983. Curtis returned in 1985 with his first major hit single "I Want Your Lovin' (Just a Little Bit)" which rose up the UK Charts, Rising to #13. It was so successful that he had an appearance on British music show Top of The Pops. This is also the only song he made a music video for.
Later in the year of 1985, Curtis was offered a place in the Funk and Soul group, B. B. & Q. Band as their new lead vocalist. He accepted the proposal and produced their forth studio album with them. The album, called Genie, was released the same year as Curtis joining. The song "Genie" made it to #40 in the UK. A year later the group released the single "Dreamer" which rose to #35 in the UK.
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