Health scare
songs are one reason why women usually outnumber the men at a Downing performance, Scott says.
“He’s definitely a ladies’ man when it comes to his concerts,” says Scott, who puts Downing among the most recognizable artists in the smooth-jazz world. “He’s got that presence and that look. He’s very striking.”
That’s another part of the Downing mystique. He dresses in beautifully tailored suits that accent his shaved head and pierced ears. It’s such a distinctive look that fans can spot him coming or going.
“Well, on my first two albums, you could see the hairline was fading,” Downing says, laughing. “I was doing a photo shoot one day, and the photographer said she could see my scalp, so then the makeup artist used an eyebrow pencil to cover in the spots where you could see scalp. That took 20 minutes, so the following day I went to the barber shop and told them to shave it all off.”
The next part of the transformation came a few months later.
“After that I did an- other photo shoot, and I looked like a black crystal ball,” he says. “I figured I’d better put some flair to it. I got an earring in my left ear, but then when I was photographed on the right side, I still looked like a black crystal ball. I had my right ear pierced and put an earring on that side, and now I’m covered all the way around. Suddenly I’ve got some bling and my head is shining, and voila, I’ve got a look.”
Downing’s career was flowing nicely when his life was turned upside down. After tumbling down the stairs at his house, he began noticing his muscles growing weaker. Simple tasks like buttoning his shirt became tough. He began losing weight and had difficulty swallowing. Things deteriorated to such a point that he recorded 2007’s “After Tonight” (a No. 1 R&B album in from a wheelchair. He even joked about calling the album “Songs From the Black Chair.”
“For the first time in my life, I felt like I was mortal,” says Downing, who canceled a series of concerts when illness struck. “I’d always been on the go, chasing shows and money. If people told me I should slow down, I just said, ‘Screw you, I’m going for it.’ This made me feel like there were more important things out there than chasing the dollar.”
When the symptoms were at their worst, he even lost the ability to sing. Still, he refused to give up hope that he could continue in the business.
“Music kept me alive,” he says. “It’s the only thing I’ve done in my adult life, and I know I can do it well. I was sitting there wondering, ‘What’s next? How will I support my family?’ It was an eye-opening experience.”
He was eventually diagnosed with polymyositis, an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and usually affects women. Thanks to an intense treatment, he was able to recover from the disease, though he still has regular doctor visits and is on a full plate of medications.
“I don’t know if you ever come back 100 percent, but I’m better,” he says. “I’m not in a wheelchair. I can feed myself. Right now I’m good, and I pray it’s forever.”