Biography

The R&B and gospel singer Howard Hewett was born in 1955 in Ohio, but moved to California in the mid 1970’s. While in California, Hewett became friends with musicians Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel, of the group Shalamar. When the group found itself in need of a lead singer in 1979, Daniel contacted Hewett to fill the position, and so for the next six years Hewett served as lead singer for Shalamar.

With Shalamar, Howard Hewett gave audiences some of the biggest R&B hits of the ear, including “Dancing in the Sheets,” “Second Time Around,” “A Night to Remember,” and “Make that Move.” After Shalamar disbanded, Hewett signed with Elektra Records as a solo artist, and released I Commit to Love in 1986. The album was a hit, and set the stage for the follow-up albums Forever and Ever (1988), Howard Hewett (1990), Allegiance (1992), It’s Time (1994), The Journey (2001), and If Only (2007.) The album spawned his solo hits, “Stay,” “I’m for Real,” “Show Me,” and “Enough.”

Although Hewett has been focused on family and live performances for the last few years, he recently recorded “Lover’s Lane” alongside Teena Marie for her album Congo Square, and has plans to return to the studio in the coming years.