335: Gregory Porter
Gregory Porter has one of the most recognizable voices in contemporary jazz. A two-time Grammy winner who regularly performs for audiences of thousands, he has built a career around a rich baritone that draws from gospel, blues, soul, and jazz. But he didn't release his first album until he was nearly 40.
Growing up in Bakersfield, California, Porter was one of eight children raised by a mother who was a storefront preacher. She brought him along to sing in churches and introduced him to the people and places that would eventually inspire his 2016 Grammy-winning album Take Me to the Alley.
Zooming with Gregory Porter, September 2026.
Here Porter looks back on those early experiences, the influence of his mother, and the advice she gave him shortly before her death that helped set him on his musical path.
Along the way, he talks about his early ambitions as a football player, his relationship with food and cooking, the connection between music and ministry, and a lifetime spent falling into — and staying in — love.