Abbott's parents came from
Venezuela and
Antigua. He is a dual citizen of the
U.S. and Antigua. During his early years, Abbott's mother taught him how to play
piano and encouraged him to develop vocally.
In 1986, Abbott released his first
solo album,
Shake You Down. The
title track for the album was a success, going
platinum and topping the
Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "I Got The Feelin (It's Over)" which reached #5 on the
R&B chart. With the strength of its
singles, the album propelled to platinum status and earned Abbott several awards.
Internationally, Abbott carried much success, winning first prize at the Tokyo Music Festival. The title track of his second album, "I'll Prove It To You" which was released in 1988, was featured on a
Japanese movie soundtrack. In
Belgium, he performed with
Princess Stephanie of
Monaco.
Abbott is quite active on the World Wide Web and over the years much of his new music has been released via individual songs (singles)... In 2011, a new album entitled "Drop Your Mask" was released by Gregory Abbott on Spectra Records. April 2012 sees the 30th anniversary release of his absolute masterpiece "Shake You Down".