Curtis Stigers

Career

Curtis Stigers came into the world in Hollywood, California, but his family moved to Boise, Idaho, where he grew up. While still a teenager, he played in rock and blues bands and also learned clarinet and saxophone during his high school years in Boise. The jam sessions led by Gene Harris at the Idanha Hotel gave him a strong push toward jazz, and he later paid tribute to those nights with his song "Swingin' Down at Tenth and Main." After finishing high school, he headed to New York City with plans to be a rock musician, but he ended up spending most of his time in jazz clubs, both singing and playing saxophone. His first album, released by Arista, sold multi-platinum copies. His take on Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" landed on the soundtrack for the 1992 film The Bodyguard. Concord Jazz put out his album Baby Plays Around, which featured Chris Minh Doky and Randy Brecker. He made several more jazz-influenced records for Concord before shifting to a country sound on his 2012 release Let's Go Out Tonight, which included covers of songs by Steve Earle, Richard Thompson, and Hayes Carll. Over the years, Stigers has performed with Elton John, Eric Clapton, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, The Allman Brothers Band, and Joe Cocker. He also sang a duet with Julia Fordham on her re-recorded version of "Where Does the Time Go?" for her 1998 compilation The Julia Fordham Collection. His single "I Wonder Why" hit number five on the UK Singles Chart and number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1991, and the follow-up "You're All That Matters to Me" reached number six in the UK. In 2006, he appeared on the BBC show Just the Two of Us, singing alongside journalist Penny Smith. He was one of the soloists at a 2009 Proms concert celebrating MGM musicals. His song "This Life" was used on the American TV series Sons of Anarchy, and he performed "John the Revelator" for that show's first-season finale.