Babi Floyd belongs to
a rich musical clan. His father, A.J. Floyd was a stride piano
player who worked as a Pullman Porter performing dining cars of
the Santa Fe R.R. and then as a sideman in Chicago playing honky
tonk and jazz. Pearl Bailey and Mahalia Jackson were among the
many artist he accompanied. Babi's grandfather, E.B. Floyd,
played with Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet while also performing
on the Mississippi river boats. Babi's grandmother, known
professionally as Mama Mamie, was a popular nightclub singer in
Nashville during the thirties and forties.
Babi, who was raised in the Chicago area, took a B.A.
in English in 1976 from Carleton College, a premier liberal arts
college, and then headed to New York where he was sought out as
a studio musician, doing background and step out vocals.
By 1982, Babi had recorded on albums with Nina Simone,
Jimmy Cliff, Billy Joel, Frankie Valle, and Ester Phillips; in
this ongoing work he's recorded with Bette Midler, the Neville
Brothers, Luther Vandross, Robbie Krieger, Keith Richards, and
many other prominent artists, and has toured with leading pop
acts, most recently as a member of Keith's X-Pensive Winos. Babi
is now the lead vocalist for noted producer Danny Kortchmar's
Slow leak band.
Babi's lively vocals and charisma also saw him become
in the eighties the leas singer for national and international
TV and radio ads, including campaigns for Texaco, Ivory Soap,
Cheerios, the Army, Pontiac, Pepsi, and Coca Cola. Throughout
the eighties and nineties, Babi has remained at the top
of the group of commercial advertising voices Quincy Jones dubbed
the Super Singers. Babi made a visit to Jamaica in the
early eighties and fell in love with the music and culture. Soon
thereafter the love was reciprocated as he became the sound of
Jamaica for Air Jamaica as the feature vocalist for their ongoing
"One Love" campaign. Babi has also written and produced
jingles for 3 Tree Productions
located in New York City.
Babi's remarkable path in music and life accounts for
his exceptional songwriting. He recently co-wrote "Friendship",
to be recorded by Erykah Badu, and Tom Jones has recorded one
of Babi's songs for an upcoming album. This year the first
commercial Babi wrote and produced is a national TV spot
for Tropicana. He has a CD, "One Blood" in release
in Japan, in which his love and assimilation of Jamaican musical
culture is present in a mix of original tunes and covers of several
Marley classics. In his songs Babi shares stories, life
experiences, moments and memories in well-crafted lyrics, rich
and filling melodies, and superb performance. He expresses this
style in writing for the alternative country folk scene and for
gospel as well.
Babi's roots and his superb humanities and musical education
allow him a total musicianship and breadth rare in contemporary
songwriters and performers. He is related to many musical traditions
and understands the audience professionally. His songs are quality,
original material an established artist would relish, while
Babi himself is a consummate studio musician and a devilishly
handsome, charismatic showman.
Babi's articulate and fresh writing and music belong
to the music scene. Enjoy Babi and his music.Check out
Babi's chronodiscography
and see who he's been with in the mix.
