An Album/Song A Week: "Shake You Down" - Gregory Abbott

One of the surprise #1 hits of any decade, "Shake You Down" by Gregory Abbott was as much of a throwback to 70's Male R&B hits as anything released in the 80's.  So who is Gregory Abbott?  Before this hit, he was an English teacher at Cal-Berkeley and had a master's degree in dramatic arts.  Abbott began pursuing music around the time he was teaching.  He produced some acts before releasing "Shake You Down" in 1986.  Abbott describes his sound as "groove ballad" and that's pretty much how all his music sounds.  "Shake You Down" sounded unlike anything being played on the Pop charts at the time.  Maybe Freddie Jackson's records at the time were similar.  And "Sexual Healing" was definitely Abbott's inspiration for the Shake You Down album.  And if you liked the single, the album has more of that sound.  "Shake You Down" topped the R&B charts in October 1986, and then the Pop chart in January 1987. 

My own affection for it goes back to my young days of going to nightclubs while dating my future wife.  "Shake You Down" was always the slow jam that DJ's would spin.  It takes me back to my bachelor days!

Today "Shake You Down" doesn't seem as remembered as it should.  When VH1 put together their Top One-Hit Wonders of the 80's, it wasn't on it.  One odd trivia about Abbott is he was once married to Freda "Band of Gold" Payne in the late 70's.

Gregory Abbott would turn out to be a one-hit wonder on the Pop charts.  On the R&B charts, he didn't fare any better.  A follow-up single from Shake You Down peaked at #5.  In 1988, the official follow-up album yielded only one hit, the #5 "I'll Prove It To You".  That album is good as well.  Since then Abbott has continued to release his music independently.  Again, if you like his "groove ballad" sound then check him out on the streaming sites.