Michael Sembello
| Michael Sembello | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 17, 1954 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States |
| Genres | Hi-NRG, new wave, synthpop, pop rock, rhythm and blues, world music, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | Warner Bros., EMI, A&M |
| Associated acts | Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, George Benson, Barbra Streisand, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, David Sanborn, Donna Summer |
Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American musician and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sembello was born and raised in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, a western suburb of Philadelphia. He studied with jazz great Pat Martino and began his career in music as a session musician, working increasingly with high-profile artists as a guitarist. By age 17 he was working professionally with Stevie Wonder on electric and acoustic guitar as a studio player on Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale. He continued the same year, chosen as one of the core artists who worked on Songs in the Key of Life, an ambitious concept album that took two years in the making. He was credited as lead and rhythm guitarist on most of the tracks, and shares songwriting credit with Wonder on the song "Saturn". The list of pop music personalities he worked with, or wrote for, includes Wonder (from 1974 to 1979), The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, George Benson, Barbra Streisand, Stanley Clarke, David Sanborn, Donna Summer, Sérgio Mendes, Miguel Mateos and New Edition among many others.
He released his first solo album, Bossa Nova Hotel, in 1983, and the song "Maniac" was selected for inclusion in the blockbuster film Flashdance. This song went on to become the second best charting song from the soundtrack and the ninth biggest single of 1983 (after the title track). That soundtrack was rewarded with a Grammy Award in 1983 for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.
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