Maxwell (musician)
His silken voice and intimate 1996 debut album helped define the sound of a generation, bringing soul music back to its sensual, sophisticated roots.
Born 1973 (age 53)·American R&B singer·Birthday: May 23·Generation X
Biography
Maxwell's debut album 'Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite' revived the concept of the soul record as a complete artistic statement. Born Gerald Maxwell Rivera in Brooklyn in 1973, he emerged in the mid-1990s against hip-hop's dominance. The album's live instrumentation and vulnerable lyricism carved a space for neo-soul, a retro-inspired yet forward-looking R&B. He proved adult themes and musical complexity could find a massive audience. His career featured deliberate pauses and meticulously crafted follow-ups. He prioritized depth and feeling over commercial churn, influencing countless singers who followed.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Maxwell was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Maxwell Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Maxwell's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- His 1996 debut album 'Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite' is widely considered a landmark record that catalyzed the mainstream neo-soul movement.
- The album's single 'Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)' became a defining R&B hit of the 1990s, earning a platinum certification.
- He won a Grammy Award in 2010 for Best R&B Album for his fourth studio album, 'BLACKsummers'night.'
- His 2009 single 'Pretty Wings' won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
Did You Know?
He is of Puerto Rican descent and was raised in the Pentecostal church, where he first began singing.
He famously took a seven-year hiatus between his third and fourth albums, from 2001 to 2009.
He is known for being intensely private and rarely gives interviews about his personal life.
He taught himself to play several instruments, including guitar and keyboards, during his teenage years.
“I'm not trying to be a star, I'm trying to be a legend.”
