Alwin Lopez “Al” Jarreau was born on March 12, 1940 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Al was the son of a Seventh Day-Adventist minister (father) and a pianist (mother).  He was student council president and  Badger Boy’s State delegate for Lincoln High School, where he was later elected for governor.  Al attended Ripon College , where he sang with a group called “The Indigos”. He graduated from Ripon in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology. In 1664, he received his master’s in vocational rehabilitation from the University of Iowa, and later worked as a rehabilitation counselor in San Francisco, California. (Fox 1)

Furthermore, Jarreau’s music career began when he began singing with a jazz trio led by  musician, George Duke. In 1967, he collaborated with acoustic guitarist, Julio Martinez and the duo immediately became the main attraction at a small Sausalito club called “Gatsby’s”. In 1968, Al immediately made jazz his primary career.In 1969, Jarreau and Martinez migrated down south to make appearances at nightclubs like Dino’s, The Troubadour, and The Bitter West End. He expanded his appearances by performing at The Improv between acts of rising stars like Jimmie Walker. Al later became involved with the United Church Of Religious Science. He then discovered that his Christian spirituality began to influence his music writing. Later,  he began to work with Warner Bro Records. Once, he released his debut album We Got By he became internationally famous and won his first Echo Award (German Grammy’s). In 1978, he won his first grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Appearance. In 1981, he made one of his most successful albums Breakin Away. He began touring while also producing hits and making appearances on popular television shows.  In the 1990’s he took an extended break after his tour, to rest and connect with his audience. (Fox 1)