Josh Groban Biography - A Popular Artist with Amazing Talent

Josh Groban, a young and very talented star with an amazing career, was born in 1981. He is best known for his mature and versatile baritone voice and his style ranges from classical to pop. Groban was born in America to a Jewish American father and a Norwegian American mother. His father converted to Christianity at marriage and Groban was raised Episcopalian (derived from the English church). Groban is the oldest of two boys, his younger brother is four years younger and was born the same day.

Groban began singing in seventh grade, however, he put the singing on hold when his grades started to slip. In order to improve his grades he attended Bridges Academy from 9am-1pm and had theatre classes in the afternoon. While Groban was in grade school, his musical talent consisted of playing the penny whistle.

In 1997 and 1998, Groban attended the Interlochen Arts Camp and majored in musical theatre. It was also at this time that Groban began taking voice lessons outside of school. Groban's baritone voice continued to develop and he continued to pursue and develop a greater interest in musical theater. After the arts camp, Groban began performing in school productions through acting and singing.

At the end of 1998, 17-year-old Groban was introduced to Grammy-winning producer/arranger David Foster. Groban worked for Foster as a rehearsal singer. In the 1999 Grammy Awards, Groban rehearsed Foster's "The Prayer" with Celine Dion. Groban then auditioned for the "Phantom of the Opera" and attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts as a theatre major. Groban graduated from that high school in 1999 and planned to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.

After one year at Carnegie, Groban left after being offered a recording contract at Warner Bros. Records. David Foster again played a role in the development of Groban's career. Foster had found Groban's "natural ability in the pop and rock arena" as well his sense of classics to be compelling enough to grant a contract.

Groban went on to perform "There For Me" with Sarah Brightman and made his own recording debut with "For Always" with Lara Fabian on the soundtrack of "Artificial Intelligence" which came out in 2001.

Groban later became involved in a variety of charity events and benefits including; "The Andre Agassi Grand Slam Event For Children" and "Muhammad Ali's Fight Night Foundation."

Groban also appeared in "The Family Celebration" in 2001 which was co-hosted by President Clinton and his wife. This event raised funds for cancer research.

Groban also had a role as Malcolm Wyatt in the 2001 finale of "Ally McBeal." This character was actually created for Groban and received such an incredible response that Groban was asked to come back the next season.

Groban's self-titled album was released on November 20,2001. In the course of the year, his record went from gold to double-platinum.

In February of 2002, Groban performed with Charlotte Church during the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics with "The Prayer."

Groban had his own PBS special by November of 2002 titled "Josh Groban in Concert." Groban also performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway and joined The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Sting, and Lional Richie for a holiday performance at the Vatican in Rome, Italy.

Groban's second album came out the following year in November titled, Closer and it was also produced by Foster. Groban was recorded as saying the second album was a better reflection of him and more closely tied to his personality. The songs on Closer are "a giant step closer to who I really am and what my music is all about. Hence the title," noted Groban.

Two months after the release of Closer, it rose from number 11 to number one. The remake of Brian Kennedy's You Raise Me Up, became extremely popular on the adult contemporary charts.

Also, the song Remember Me on the Troy soundtrack became quite popular along with the song Believe which was aprt of the 2004, Polar Express soundtrack.

In the summer of 2004, Groban returned to Interlochen and gave performances to local residents and campers. He signed many autographs and spoke of his experiences as a young performer. It was also during 2004 that Groban performed his second live DVD, Live at the Greek which was also released that year. In 2004, Josh performed Remember when it Rained, which was backed by a full orchestra in the American Music AWards where he was voted the Favorite Male Artist int he pop category. Josh was nominated for more than a dozen awards in 2004, including the American Music Award, the World Music Award, an Academy Award, and a Grammy.

He also apppeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Jay Leno, Larry King Live, The Rosie O'Donnell Show,20/20, The Today Show,The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Groban is currently unwed and withotu children residing in Beverly Hills.

His latest release, Awake, won much popularity and is very impressive.