# Brian Culbertson

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, the XX album is genre-bending ride through 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 since 1997.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Record label |
| Year | Title | US Pop | US R&B | US Jazz | US Con. Jazz | US Internet | Record label |
| 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 Records |
| 2008 | Bringing Back the Funk | 99 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 7 | GRP Records |
| 2010 | XII | 82 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 9 | GRP Records |
| 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 Entertainment |
| 2019 | Winter Stories | | | 3 | 1 | | BCM Entertainment |
| 2020 | XX | | | 13 | 3 | | BCM Entertainment |
| 2020 | Music From The Hang | | | | | | BCM Entertainment |
| 2021 | Soundscapes | | | | | | BCM Entertainment |
| 2021 | The Trilogy – Part 1: Red = Passion (release September 24, 2021) | | | | 8 | | BCM Entertainment |
| 2022 | The Trilogy – Part 2: Blue = Melancholy (release January 14, 2022) | | | | 11 | | BCM Entertainment |
| 2022 | The Trilogy – Part 3: White = Hope (release June 5, 2022) | | | | | | BCM Entertainment |
| 2023 | Sleep (release June 16, 2023) | | | | | | BCM Entertainment |

### Live albums

| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
| 2009 | Live from the Inside | Verve | CD with DVD , peak chart: #14 US Jazz, #3 US Con, Jazz |
| 2015 | Live 20th Anniversary Tour | BCM Entertainment | recorded live at Yoshi's Sep 11–14, 2014, 2 cd |
| 2019 | Colors of Love Tour – Live in Las Vegas | BCM Entertainment | 2 CD and Blu-ray Disc |

### Singles

| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Year | Title | Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs | R&B/ Hip-Hop Airplay | Smooth Jazz Airplay | Adult R&B Airplay | Album |
| 1999 | "Get'n Over You" | — | — | — | 19 | Somethin' Bout Love |
| 2000 | "I'm Gonna Miss You" | — | — | — | 21 | Somethin' Bout Love |
| 2005 | "Hookin' Up" | — | — | 1 | — | It's On Tonight |
| 2006 | "Sensuality" | 66 | 65 | — | 39 | It's On Tonight |
| 2006 | "Let's Get Started" | — | — | 2 | — | It's On Tonight |
| 2006 | "Deck the Halls" | — | — | 16 | — | A Soulful Christmas |
| 2007 | "Angels We Have Heard on High" | — | — | 26 | — | A Soulful Christmas |
| 2008 | "Always Remember" | — | — | 1 | — | Bringing Back the Funk |
| 2009 | "Let's Stay In Tonight" | — | — | 20 | — | Bringing Back the Funk |
| 2009 | "Go" | — | — | 5 | — | Live from the Inside |
| 2010 | "Skies Wide Open" | 58 | 58 | — | 13 | XII |
| 2010 | "That's Life" | — | — | 1 | — | XII |
| 2011 | "It's Time" | — | — | 2 | — | XII |
| 2012 | "Your Smile" | — | — | 1 | — | Dreams |
| 2012 | "Still Here" | 61 | 61 | — | 15 | Dreams |
| 2012 | "Later Tonight" | — | — | 3 | — | Dreams |
| 2012 | "You're My Music" | — | — | — | 23 | Dreams |
| 2014 | "Fullerton Ave." | — | — | 1 | — | Another Long Night Out |
| 2014 | "Horizon" | — | — | 2 | — | Another Long Night Out |
| 2015 | "Think Free" (live) | — | — | 1 | — | Live – 20th Anniversary Tour |
| 2016 | "Been Around the World" | — | — | 1 | — | Funk! |
| 2017 | "Hey Girl" | — | — | 1 | — | Funk! |
| 2017 | "Let's Take a Ride" | — | — | 4 | — | Funk! |
| 2018 | "Colors of Love" | — | — | 1 | — | Colors of Love |
| 2018 | "You're Magic" | — | — | 1 | — | Colors of Love |
| 2018 | "Understanding" | — | — | 13 | — | Marcus Anderson – Limited Edition |
| 2019 | "L.O.V.E." | — | — | 18 | — | Eric Darius – Breakin' Thru |
| 2019 | "Morning Walk" | — | — | 2 | — | Winter Stories |
| 2020 | "Get Up!" | — | — | 1 | — | XX |
| 2020 | "Keep Movin'" | — | — | 1 | — | XX |
| 2020 | "Time Flies" | — | — | 4 | — | XX |
| 2021 | "Let's Go" | — | — | 8 | — | Music from The Hang |
| 2021 | "Feel the Love" | — | — | 21 | — | The Trilogy – Part 1: Red |
| 2022 | "I Didn't Mean It" | — | — | 5 | — | Lindsey Webster – Reasons |
| 2022 | "Step Into Love" | — | — | 5 | — | The Trilogy – Part 3: White |
| 2022 | "Sistas" | — | — | 3 | — | Marqueal Jordan – All We Have Are Moments |
| 2022 | "Sandcastles" | — | — | 15 | — | The Trilogy – Part 3: White |
| 2023 | "Dance with Me Tonight" | — | — | 5 | — | The Trilogy – Part 3: White |
| 2024 | "Sandcastles 2.0" | — | — | 9 | — | Non-album single |
| 2024 | "Come Dance with Me" | — | — | 14 | — | Donald Hayes – [upcoming album] |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. |||||||