Maxwell’s STL love – St. Louis American

It's natural for a music star to sing the praises of the next city on his tour. But the adoration that Grammy winner and R&B/Soul star Maxwell has

St. Louis is real – and deep. When he talked about bringing his Serenade Tour with Jazmine Sullivan and October London to the Enterprise Center on Sunday (October 13), it was clear how
He loves us very much because he knows us so well.

“I know a lot of people from St. Louis and they are always good people – the love, the kindness, the loyalty,” Maxwell said. “But you have to be right when you're dealing with someone from 'The Lou.' As long as you don't play to their faces, it'll be fine.”

Truer words have never been spoken.

His close connection to our region is rooted in music, including his. Local son Shedrick Mitchell is Maxwell's musical director.

“Wait, how long is this article?” Maxwell said of Mitchell, suggesting that the word count wouldn't be enough to fully express his gratitude for their musical partnership.

“He supports me and supports what we’re trying to do,” Maxwell said. “He's the only one who can tap you on the back and say, 'Hey bro, I think it needs to be more like this.'”

Mitchell and Maxwell have worked together since the first album in the BlackSummers'Night trilogy.

“It was probably 2007 – and when I saw what he did, we lost our minds,” Maxwell said. “He is one of the greatest B3 organists of his generation and after his generation. I could say so much about him. It's more than just a friendship based on us collaborating on a creative level. He is a brother. He is a family member. He’s a protector and he brings stability to the situation.”

Maxwell has also worked with top St. Louis natives such as Grammy winner Keyon Harrold and bassist Jon Jon Webb Jr.

“My drummer is from there too,” Maxwell said, referring to East St. Louis native Charles Haynes. “I just can’t get away from you.”

He's been coming to St. Louis since the days of the great Mississippi Nights, where he emerged as a then-unheard-of artist with a debut album that drew on the fundamentals of R&B.

“I looked at the people I loved and respected. And still love,” Maxwell said. “When you look at what it took for them to do what they did to touch my generation.” That sacrifice. To do a show, I had to go out the back door or through the kitchen because as a person of color you weren't allowed to go through the front door. These are real efforts that the ancestors and ancestors –

and 'foremamas' – have done for us.”

Donny Hathaway of St. Louis is among them.

“When you listen to a song like 'A Song For You,'” Maxwell said. “I've known this song since I was 15. And I can listen to it at 51 and it still gives me the same goosebumps it did back then.”

At the height of the “New Jack Swing” era in the late 1990s, his “Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite” demonstrated the timeless power of a groove that goes much deeper than just inspiring a trunk beat – and that is deliberate in every aspect of the music proceeds.

“When I started in the industry, I don’t think people really knew where to put me or how to categorize me,” Maxwell said. “My mother is from Haiti. My father is Puerto Rican. Not being from the South, I asked myself, “What do I know about R&B?” What do I know about whatever? To be welcomed by the community in this way because they could feel that I connected with them is the greatest honor ever.”

It may be the biggest, but it was far from the only one. In the nearly 30 years since he slowly burst onto the scene and ultimately helped usher in a new era of R&B, he has won three Grammy Awards and 13 nominations, among other achievements. And he's gone from intimate clubs to packed arenas.

“There are children being born right now who will listen to the things we are doing as a collective on this tour and they will make decisions to continue doing it,” Maxwell said. “People feel like they're being given something that serves their emotional and spiritual intelligence and it's just an incredible experience and I'm thankful and grateful to be a part of it.”

He is excited to use the tour as a platform for the current and future generation of soul artists.

“Jazmine Sullivan is the Simone Biles of singers,” Maxwell said. “She’s also a great writer. And in October London I feel like Marvin's ghost is up here (when he performs). It’s incredible to listen to them and see that it’s not over yet – the soul, the R&B and the musicality is still alive.”

He is eternally grateful to God for blessing him with his perfectly tailored musical journey.

“I’m doing my best to keep the torch burning in R&B and soul — and to keep the lost art of singing and musicianship alive,” Maxwell said.

And I'm just grateful that I can kind of do it on my own terms. And I’m grateful that I can bring not only the joy that music brings me every day, but hopefully the joy that I can bring to other people’s lives.”

The Serenade Tour with Maxwell featuring Jazmine Sullivan and October London takes place on Sunday, October 13th at 7pm at the Enterprise Center. For tickets and/or more information, visit www.enterprisecenter.com