Keith Sweat was born July 22, 1961, in Harlem, New York. His mother, Juanita Thompson, was a hairdresser, and his father, Charles Crier, was a factory worker. Sadly, Keith’s father passed away in 1973. Juanita, now a widow, went on to raise their 5 children as a single mom.
Sweat completed high school and earned a degree in communications from The City College of New York. He then climbed the ladder to success with numerous jobs, including a night stocker at Macy’s department store, a mailroom clerk at Paine Webber, a brokerage assistant at the New York Stock Exchange, and lastly, supervisor for the New York Mercantile Exchange. As you can see, the desire to succeed was instilled in Sweat even before he became a recording artist
Keith’s introduction into music was with a band called Jamilah in 1975. They performed throughout the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The band consisted of guitarist Michael Samuels, drummer Walter Bradley, and bass player Larry Peoples, the group’s founder. Sweat served as the lead vocalist with the band until 1984.
Sweat ventured into his solo career and performed at nightclubs throughout NYC. In 1987, he was discovered by Vincent Davis with Vintertainment Records. On November 24, 1987, his debut album, “Make It Last Forever,” was released. The album reached triple platinum status, selling over 3 million copies. Sweat also partnered with producer Teddy Riley, who had no intentions of producing R&B music at that time, only hip hop. Sweat and Riley co-wrote 6 songs together, including “I Want Her,” “Make It Last Forever,” “Don’t Stop Your Love,” and “Something Just Ain’t Right,”
Keith Sweat went on to release 13 solo albums from 1987 to 2016. His first six albums were all consecutively certified platinum. He had six albums peak at #1 on the US R&B Chart and 19 songs on the Billboard Top 100 list.
Sweat was also a member of the triple threat R&B legends group LSG. LSG was composed of Gerald Levert, Keith Sweat, and Johnny Gill. The trio released two albums together.
Sweat has won two American Music Awards, and he received the Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013,
With so much success, Keith Sweat developed a keen eye for talent. In 1992, he discovered the R&B group Silk. Their self-titled debut album was released November 28th of the same year. The album went double platinum, peaking at #7 on the Billboard 200 Chart and #1 on the US R&B Chart. Sweat co-wrote Silk’s biggest hit “Freak Me,” which topped the Billboard 100 Chart. He went on to write for several other groups and recording artists, including Kut Klose, Xscape, Dru Hill, Johnny Kemp, and LSG.
Sweat is also an accomplished actor. He’s appeared on several 90s hit shows, including New York Undercover, Martin, and The Wayans Bros. In 2011, he made a cameo appearance on the hit show The Game, and in 2017 he was a special guest on Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen.
Keith continues to tour and perform before sold-out crowds with his timeless classics and unforgettable tunes. You can also catch him Sunday-Thursday from 7pm to midnight CST, on his nationally syndicated radio show, The Sweat Hotel with Keith Sweat, which he has hosted since 2007.
Keith Sweat is also the father of 3 daughters and 3 sons.
