Brian Culbertson (born January 12, 1973) is an American smooth jazz/R&B/funk musician and producer. His instruments include the synthesizer, piano and trombone.
Early life and career Culbertson was born in Decatur, Illinois. As a child, he was musically skilled, having started playing piano at age eight, drums at nine, trombone at ten, bass in seventh grade, and euphonium in high school.
Growing up, he listened to Sting, The Yellowjackets, George Duke, David Foster, Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, Chicago, and Earth, Wind and Fire. He attended and graduated MacArthur High School, where his father was a music teacher. He then moved to Chicago where he attended DePaul University. It was in college that he actually started working on a CD, gathering a group of musicians, recording a demo tape and sending it to the only person he knew in Los Angeles, Bud Harner, who would get him his first record deal.
He is married to Michelle Culbertson, also known by her stage name Micaela Haley, and they live in Chicago. In an interview, Culbertson revealed that he met his wife in college through his first bass player Sharay Reed who had met Michelle at the World of Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee where they both won awards at the age of 16. Michelle, originally a violinist, won for Best Concert Master and Sharay Reed for Best Soloist. They both were reintroduced to one another at DePaul University two years later. At the end of their Freshman year together Sharay introduced Michelle to Brian telling them that they would make a good match. His wife contributed background vocals on his earlier albums and a feature vocal on his Christmas CD, A Soulful Christmas.
Culbertson plays Mason & Hamlin pianos and Roland keyboards and has appeared at the NAMM Show.
In 2013, he announced on his blog that he was working on his fourteenth album, the album Another Long Night Out was released on February 25, 2014, and was going to revisit his earlier roots in contemporary jazz. In 2015, he released a second live album "20th Anniversary Tour" while performing at jazz club Yoshi's and, subsequently, he also released a solo piano album for yoga and meditation.
His latest album, released on April 10, 2020, is aptly titled XX (Roman numeral for 20) because it is his 20th solo record. Featuring many guests including Mr. Talkbox, Bootsy Collins, Avery*Sunshine, Marcus Anderson, Everette Harp, Noel Gourdin, Patches Stewart, Ray Parker Jr., Paul Jackson Jr., Jubu Smith, Nicholas Cole, and more. XX features tracks reminiscent of all of Brian's albums: Smooth Jazz, Funk, Gospel, Pop, R&B, and more.
Napa Valley Jazz Getaway In late 2011, Culbertson announced he would be hosting the first annual Brian Culbertson Napa Valley Jazz Getaway at the Napa Valley Opera House on June 7–10, 2012. Brian along with his wife, Michelle Culbertson (Micaela Haley) began working on the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway together after having spent their 10th wedding anniversary in the region. The 4-day concert event would include live performances by comedian Sinbad, vocalists Oleta Adams and Kenny Lattimore, as well as artists Eric Marienthal, Eric Darius, and David Benoit. In addition to performances, Culbertson curated the weekend's events to include food and wine events at his favorite Napa establishments including: Cindy Pawlcyn's Brassica restaurant, Miner Family Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars, Caldwell-Snyder Art Gallery, and Silo's Napa.
The inaugural event was a commercial and critical success, selling out within a week of the public announcement of ticket sales. At the 2012 event, Culbertson announced that the event would return for a second year, held June 5–9, 2013. The expanded 5-day 2013 event was held at the Napa Valley Opera House and the Lincoln Theater in addition to several wineries and featured Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun, Larry Graham & Graham Central Station, Take 6, Ray Parker Jr., Eric Darius, Nick Colionne, Michael Lington, DW3, Cecil Ramirez and returning special guest comedian Sinbad.
Awards Culbertson has received numerous awards including a 2012 NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Jazz Album; 2012 Soul Train Award nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Artist; Winning Six (6) 2011 Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards for Best Entertainer, Best Album "XII", Best Song "That's Life", Best Keyboardist, Best Male Artist and Best Collaboration "w/Earl Klugh"; 2010 Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for Best International Artist; 2010 American Smooth Jazz Award for Best Keyboardist; 2005 ASYM All That Jazz Award; 2001 National Smooth Jazz Award for Best Keyboardist.
Personal life
Culbertson has been married to a woman since 1997.
Discography Studio albums Year Title Peak chart positions Record label US Pop USR&B USJazz US Con. Jazz USInternet 1994 Long Night Out - - - - - Mesa/Bluemoon 1995 Modern Life - - 38 - - Mesa/Bluemoon 1996 After Hours - - 50 - - Mesa/Bluemoon 1997 Secrets - - 20 15 - Mesa/Bluemoon 1999 Somethin' Bout Love - - 8 3 - Atlantic 2001 Nice & Slow - - 2 1 - Atlantic 2003 Come On Up 197 36 3 3 - Warner Bros. 2005 It's On Tonight 161 - 2 1 18 GRP Records 2006 A Soulful Christmas - - 17 7 - GRP 2008 Bringing Back the Funk 99 18 3 1 7 GRP 2010 XII 82 15 2 1 9 GRP 2012 Dreams 105 - 1 1 17 Verve 2014 Another Long Night Out 83 - 1 1 11 BCM Entertainment 2014 Breathe - Piano for Relaxation, Massage, Yoga and Meditation - - - - - BCM Entertainment 2016 Funk! - - 3 1 - BCM Entertainment 2018 Colors of Love - - 1 1 - BCM Entertainment2019Winter Stories 3 1BCM Entertainment2020XX133BCM Entertainment2020Music from 'The Hang' BCM Entertainment2021SoundscapesBCM Entertainment2021The Trilogy – Part 1: Red8BCM Entertainment2022The Trilogy – Part 2: Blue11BCM Entertainment2022The Trilogy – Part 3: White8BCM Entertainment2023SleepBCM Entertainment2025Day TripBCM Entertainment
Live albums Year Title Label Notes 2009 Live from the Inside Verve CD and DVD; chart: No. 14 US Jazz, No. 3 US Contemporary Jazz 2015 Live 20th Anniversary Tour BCM Entertainment 2 CD; recorded live at Yoshi's (September 11–14, 2014) 2019 Colors of Love Tour – Live in Las Vegas BCM Entertainment 2 CD and Blu-ray 2025 The Trilogy Tour – Live from Detroit BCM Entertainment 2 CD and 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Singles Year Title Peak chart positions Album Hot R&B/Hip-HopSongs R&B/Hip-HopAirplay Smooth JazzAirplay Adult R&BAirplay 1999 "Get'n Over You" — — 19 Somethin' Bout Love 2000 "I'm Gonna Miss You" — — 21 2005 "Hookin' Up" — — 1 — It's On Tonight 2006 "Sensuality" 66 65 — 39 "Let's Get Started" — — 2 — "Deck the Halls" — — 16 — A Soulful Christmas 2007 "Angels We Have Heard on High" — — 26 — 2008 "Always Remember" — — 1 — Bringing Back the Funk 2009 "Let's Stay In Tonight" — — 20 — "Go" — — 5 — Live from the Inside 2010 "Skies Wide Open" 58 58 — 13 XII "That's Life" — — 1 — 2011 "It's Time" — — 2 — 2012 "Your Smile" — — 1 — Dreams "Still Here" 61 61 — 15 "Later Tonight" — — 3 — "You're My Music" — — — 23 2014 "Fullerton Ave." — — 1 — Another Long Night Out "Horizon" — — 2 — 2015 "Think Free" (live) — — 1 — Live – 20th Anniversary Tour 2016 "Been Around the World" — — 1 — Funk! 2017 "Hey Girl" — — 1 — "Let's Take a Ride" — — 4 — 2018 "Colors of Love" — — 1 — Colors of Love "You're Magic" — — 1 — "Understanding" — — 13 — Marcus Anderson – Limited Edition 2019 "L.O.V.E." — — 18 — Eric Darius – Breakin' Thru "Morning Walk" — — 2 — Winter Stories 2020 "Get Up!" — — 1 — XX "Keep Movin'" — — 1 — "Time Flies" — — 4 — 2021 "Let's Go" — — 8 — Music from 'The Hang' "Feel the Love" — — 21 — The Trilogy – Part 1: Red 2022 "I Didn't Mean It" — — 5 — Lindsey Webster – Reasons "Step Into Love" — — 5 — The Trilogy – Part 3: White "Sistas" — — 3 — Marqueal Jordan – All We Have Are Moments "Sandcastles" — — 15 — The Trilogy – Part 3: White 2023 "Dance with Me Tonight" — — 5 — 2024 "Sandcastles 2.0" — — 9 — "Come Dance with Me" — — 14 — Donald Hayes – Soul Searching 2025 "On the Road" — — 1 — Day Trip 2026 "Morning Light" — — 4 —"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.
References
External links Official site Facebook page YouTube Channel Napa Valley Jazz Getaway website Profile on GRP Records