Born on October 4, Case Woodward grew up in New York City, New York, US listening to R&B legends like Smokey Robinson and Luther Vandross and striving to reach the success achieved by his influential peers Babyface and Mat J. Blige. Case started his music career performing in various R&B groups like Future and Black and progressed towards an occupation as a back up singer, working for pop mainstays such as Usher, Christopher Williams, and AI B. Sure. Case’s hard work behind the scenes finally earned him the opportunity to act as a solo artist. His first single was written by soul diva Faith Evans. The track grabbed the attention of Def Jam Records, eventually leading him into a recording contract with the label.
Case was shuttled into mainstream success with some of his earliest recordings. His single “Touch Me, Tease Me”, which featured appearances by rapper Foxy Brown and singer Mary J. Blige landed on the popular soundtrack to “The Nutty Professor”. The album entered the US Billboard 200 at No. 63 and the R&B Charts at No. 4. His self-titled debut also included this single as well as the hits “More to Love” and “I Gotcha”. The album shot to No. 7 on the R&B Charts and featured material primarily written by Mary J. Blige.
His next album Personal Conversation” went platinum and contained the 3 singles “Happily Ever After” (feat. Beyonce Knowles), “Faded Pictures” (feat. Joe) and “Think of You”. 2001 marked the release of his 3rd and most successful album to date “Open Letter”. The album was his first to reach gold status, though “Personal Conversation” would eventually go on to do so as well. This release contained the R&B chart topping single “Missing You”, which acted as a major commercial boost for the album, pushing it all the way to No. 5 on the US albums chart.
2009’s “The Rose Experience” did not do as well as “Open Letter” on the US charts; however, it matched it’s success on the R&B charts peaking at No. 2. The album was produced by Case and was self-released through his personal label Indigo Blue. Wu-tang member Ghostface appeared as a guest rapper on the track “Shoulda Known Betta”. Case’s follow up album “Here, My Love” came out on 15 June 2010 through Real Talk Entertainment.
Message to anyone born in the early 90’s; no matter what music you might be mainly into, chances are that you love early 2000’s R&B more than you think you do. Definitely more others would ever admit to at the very least. It’s extremely difficult not to, especially when one takes into account the nostalgia factor; for many this was their first exposure to pop music that was truly their own, and it would take someone truly churlish to give anyone stick for that. I suppose many would have moved on by now but looking back there are more than a few total classics that history doesn’t recall as well as Usher, R. Kelly and the like. Chief among them is New York City born crooner Case, also known as Case Woodard to his mum. Classic tracks of his like Happily Ever After, Missing You and Touch Me, Tease Me still hold up to this day, but are especially spectacular in a live setting, if only to see just how much legitimate passion Case can still bring with only his voice after nearly two decades of performing. He finds the sweet spot between histrionic and honest better than most of today’s top R&B singers and at this point, a show of his would be an intimate master class in performance. A true discovery for anyone who wrote the genre off before, and no doubt a treat for fans as well.
Saturday 16th November 2013 - Bobby V takes the stage at Wembley arena in London, as part of a line up with the likes of Mário and Ginuwine and many more artists on stage. The whole crowd is jumping and screaming at the top of our lungs as Bobby V sings and throws a bit of beat boxing into the mix. The most memorable part being his performance of his second single 'Anonymous', which was originally written with Timbaland in 2007. I wouldn't rate his singing skills as anything amazing, but when you're in a huge crowd watching this guy perform with such energy and enthusiasm it becomes almost infectious. He managed to enchant the crowd with his cheeky banter and his confidence, which is always nice to see of a performer. Bobby V had a lot of ups and downs throughout his career, signing with a label and then later down the line making the decision to leave after his second album didn't do so well. He fought to bring back some more music, not letting a failed album get to him which showed as he did better than ever with his follow up album. In 2012 he even appeared alongside Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne on Minaj's single 'Sex in the Lounge' as part of her 'Roman Reloaded' album. He has done very well over the past 10 years in the music industry and is still going strong with his performances. He's not as huge as the likes of Nicki Minaj but he is worth seeing live, his older material still taking the spotlight but everyone loves the classics right? I was surprised by how much I enjoyed his set as it was rather unexpected, I would definitely watch him again live.
At WorldCafe Live in Philly, October 2023, I had the sublime experience of not only seeing, but being serenaded by one of the greatest RB male vocalists of all time.Top of the list of my 5 fave artists I was nothing short of being blessed. Chris was dynamic, authentic and his voice is unmatched with anyone currently in the game, as it was over 30 years ago. His personality shows in his performance as he is very interactive and a true entertainer, which was nothing short of amazing considering the challenges he’s faced. He shared his story and victories with the audience which was truly inspiring for me, and more than 3 decades , he is still going strong and an amazing talent.A survivor and dope person, I thank God for his life and the blessing he brings us all. Young people, get with the program. There’s a drought of artist of substance now.
The 4 hour drive to see him was worth every second and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.Thank you Christopher Williams for sharing you beautiful self and gifts with the world. You make a difference. I truly adore you. Looking forward to your next project.
Fatima W.