b. 9 March 1948, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. The son of a jazz trumpeter, Osborne sang with L.T.D (Love, Togetherness And Devotion) from 1970 until its disbandment 12 years later. However, he remained subject to the L.T.D. contract with A&M Records for whom he recorded five albums as a solo artist. Under George Duke’s supervision, his 1982 self-titled debut album contained the singles ‘I Really Don’t Need No Light’ and ‘On The Wings Of Love’ which both reached the US Top 40. The latter was a ‘sleeper’ hit in the UK, after ‘Don’t You Get So Mad’ and the title track of 1983’s Stay With Me Tonight had made headway there. Don’t Stop featured a duet with Joyce Kennedy - duplicated on her Lookin’ For Trouble, which was produced by Osborne. His 1986 release Emotional was a strong album, as were the subsequent singles, one of which, ‘You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)’, reached US number 13. For two years, Osborne chose, perhaps unwisely, to rest on his laurels, although ‘Love Power’, a duet with Dionne Warwick, climbed to US number 12 in 1987. He returned with the solo set One Love - One Dream (co-written with Bruce Roberts).
In 1990, Osborne transferred to Arista Records. Airplay for his increasingly predictable output was no longer automatic, however, and he was unable to restore his commercial profile. He left Arista in 1994 and recorded a Christmas album in 1997. He resurfaced in 2000 with a new album for Windham Hill Records before relocating to the Koch imprint for Music Is Life (2003) and From The Soul (2005).
