| Walter Beasley | |
| Background: | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| Birth Name: | Walter Beasley |
| Birth Date: | May 24, 1961 |
| Origin: | El Centro, California, United States |
| Instrument: | Soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, voice |
| Genre: | Smooth Jazz, R&B |
| Occupation: | Musician, professor, recording artist, performer, composer |
| Label: | Shanachie Records Warner Bros. Records Mercury Records Headsup/Affable Records |
Walter Beasley (born May 24, 1961) is an American saxophonist, a professor of music at the Berklee College of Music, and founder of Affable Publishing and Affable Records.
Beasley grew up in El Centro, California.[1] By the age of 13 he was singing in Spanish in a band called Los Elegantes, and he played in various bands and performed at clubs throughout middle and high school.[2]
Beasley graduated from Berklee in 1984,[3] and a year later took a short-term teaching position at the same school, which became a permanent career. He is now a professor at the school.[4]
In 1987, he released his first, self-titled, album,[3] and since 1998 has been one of the top ten best-selling African American saxophonists in the world. Having grown up as a fan of R&B and funk and trained in classical and jazz saxophone,[5] his own style falls between contemporary R&B and contemporary jazz,[6] a blend which has been called "smooth jazz".
He is not only an alto and soprano saxophonist and a singer,[7] but also a composer and producer. He is the founder and CEO of Affable Publishing, and the owner of Affable Records.
| Album | Year | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Beasley | 1987 | Polydor/Polygram | |
| Just Kickin' It | 1989 | Mercury/Polydor | |
| Intimacy | 1992 | Polygram | |
| Private Time | 1995 | Mercury/Polydor | |
| Walter Beasley Live and More | 1996 | Affable Records | |
| Tonight We Love | 1997 | Shanachie | |
| For Your Pleasure | 1998 | Shanachie | |
| Won't You Let Me Love You | 2000 | Shanachie | |
| Rendezvous | 2002 | Shanachie | |
| Go with the Flow | 2003 | Affable Records | |
| Midnight Love | 2003 | Shanachie | |
| The Classic R&B Collection | 2004 | Shanachie | |
| For Her | 2005 | Heads Up | |
| Greatest Hits! | 2005 | Shanachie | |
| Live | 2006 | Shanachie | |
| Ready for Love | 2007 | Affable Records | |
| Sax Meditations | 2008 | Affable Records | |
| Free Your Mind | 2009[8] | Heads Up | |
| Backatcha | 2010 | Shanachie[9] | |
| Walter Beasley Live – In the Groove | 2010 | Affable Records | |
| Live in the Club | 2013 | Walter Beasley | |
| Sax Meditations II | 2014 | Affable Records | |
| I'm Back | 2015 | Affable Records | |
| Blackstreams | 2017 | Walter Beasley | |
| Going Home | 2019 | Affable Records | |
| Meet Me At My Place | 2022 | Affable Records | |
| Lil' Darlin' (single) | 2023 | Affable Records | |
| Déjà Vu (single) | 2023 | Affable Records | |
| Do You Wanna Dance (Walter's version) ft. Rebecca Jade (single) | 2023 | Affable Records | |
| Nice and Easy (Walter's version) ft Najee (single) | 2023 | Affable Records | |
| Lovely Day (Live at the Birchmere) ft. Chad Selph (single) | 2024 | Affable Records | |
| Silver Lining (Live at the Birchmere) ft. Chad Selph (single) | 2024 | Affable Records | |
| Aqui (Live) ft. Kevin Prince (single) | 2024 | Affable Records | |
| Nice & Easy (live) ft. Robert Johnson (single) | 2024 | Affable Records | |
| Live and Blessed | 2024 | Affable Records | |
| Funk Foot (Smooth Jazz Radio Edit) (single) | 2024 | Affable Records | |
| Baby That's Backatcha (Re-release) | 2024 | Affable Records |