Jon Christopher

Jon Christopher was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in the 70s-80s singing and playing on the family piano. His first recognition as a writer came during his freshman year in college when he won a national creative writing contest to pitch a script for a Hill Street Blues spin-off sitcom called Beverly Hill Buntz. He went on to win several other creative writing contests, but Christopher was bitten by the music bug after a short stint dancing on American Bandstand, and decided to pursue songwriting fulltime.



He begin recording demos in the early 90s and pitching song to other artist, before teaming up with Art and Scott Powell (Dem Twinzz) the identical twins from DC. In 1998 Christopher collaborated with the twins on "Unfinished Business" (released in 1999). It marked the first effort for the singer/songwriter. The tune was fairly sophisticated, jazz-inflected, musically rhythmic, mid-tempo. but the song's slick arrangement and introspective spoken word put it in the urban contemporary format.



After the single was picked up by several stores/radio in the New York City area, enough interest was generated to pursue recording an album (Love and Magic), and subsequent label deal with Sun Total Entertainment.



Christopher's voice is extremely stylized: the cadence of his spoken word suggests an unsung melody that only he hears. sometimes it sounds inquisitive and calming, and other times mechanical. even eerie . but it works. When he sings, he has a lithe phrasing and timbre that resembles Michael Franks(if Franks took an urban odyssey). However, his voice is most interesting when the delivery is a tight, breathy, and unforgiving, off-center staccato. Christopher's artistry is most apparent in his lyrical writing -- often rich in imagery and metaphors wrapped around poignant commentaries on the human condition.