Hall of Fame: Al B. Sure!
Al B. Sure! was a New Jack pioneer, dropping his first album, In Effect Mode in 1988. Signed to Warner Bros, and quickly earning the respect of industry heavyweights such as Quincy Jones, Al B. Sure! held both the pop and R&B charts in a trance with his first single, “Nite and Day.” He continued to shake things up in the R&B world with “If I’m Not Your Lover,” and “Off On Your Own, Girl.”
In 1989, he toured with fellow New Jack Swingers, New Edition and Bobby Brown. In 1990 he released his second album (Private Times...and the Whole 9), featuring “Misunderstanding” and “My Love,” while finding time to contribute to Quincy Jones’ classic “Secret Garden” alongside Barry White, James Ingram and El DeBarge. During this period, Al B. also worked on Jodeci’s Forever My Lady and Tevin Campbell’s ‘T.E.V.I.N.’. In 1993, Al B. Sure! released his final album, Sexy Versus featuring the singles called “Right Now,” and “Natalie.”
In 1994, he did some production on Usher’s debut album and would eventually join Andre Harrell at the helm of Motown Records for a brief period. After the end of 1995 however, we wouldn't hear from Al B. Sure! again until he popped up in 2002 on Kiss 98.1 FM in San Francisco.
Since entering radio, Al B. Sure! has been gradually re-enterting the spotlight, thanks to his position at Hot 92.3 in Los Angeles.
Al B. Sure! has also re-emerged in the consciousness of the public thanks to his children Lil' B. Sure! and Quincy Brown, who looks very much like his father. His new album, Honey I'm Home is set for release in 2009. Al B. Sure! is currently leading the way for a New Jack alumnus resurgence.
