Doc Powell is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was born and raised in Spring Valley, New York. He attended college at University of Charleston.
Career
He has worked with Wilson Pickett, who chose him to be his musical director. He has also worked in the same capacity for Luther Vandross for over a decade. He has also worked with high-profile musicians including Stevie Wonder, Bob James, Grover Washington, Jr., Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones and Teddy Pendergrass.
Powell's debut album, Love Is Where It's At (1987), received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Instrumental for his cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". His credits include work on the music for the feature films The Five Heartbeats and Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B |
US Jazz |
US Con. Jazz | ||||||||||||
| 1987 | Love Is Where It's At | — | — | — | Mercury | |||||||||
| 1992 | The Doctor | — | — | — | Vacuum Tube Log | |||||||||
| 1996 | Laid Back | 89 | 18 | 16 | Discovery | |||||||||
| 1996 | Inner City Blues | — | — | — | Discovery | |||||||||
| 1997 | Don't Let the Smooth Jazz Fool Ya | — | 14 | 9 | Discovery | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Notes
- Biography at official website
- Phares, Heather. Doc Powell at AllMusic
- "Doc Powell: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard.
- "Doc Powell: Jazz Albums". Billboard.
- "Doc Powell: Contemporary Jazz Albums". Billboard.
External links
Categories:- Living people
- African-American guitarists
- University of Charleston alumni
- American jazz guitarists
- Smooth jazz guitarists
- Heads Up International artists
- People from Spring Valley, New York
- Guitarists from New York City
- Jazz musicians from New York City
- American male guitarists
- American male jazz musicians
- 21st-century African-American musicians