The Avila Brothers, composed of Bobby "Ahvlah" Ross Avila and Issiah "Iz" J. Avila, are an American R&B producing and songwriting duo best known for their numerous contributions to Usher projects, including 2004 album Confessions.[1] The brothers later won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for their contributions to Chaka Khan album Funk This.
The Avila Brothers | |
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| Origin | San Bernardino, California, United States |
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| Years active | 1989– |
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In 1989 at the age of 12, Bobby Ross Avila signed a record deal with RCA Records, releasing his eponymous debut solo album later that same year and achieving a minor R&B hit with "Music Man". This project was followed by mature R&B album My Destiny (1993), which paired Avila with notable R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as they had recently signed Avila to their label Perspective Records.[2] The album scored Avila his biggest single to date with Hot 100-charting "La La Love". Additional albums Que Pasa? (1994), and Into My Life (1995) would be released on other record labels, before Avila and his brother Issiah would become in-house producers for Jam & Lewis' subsequent label Flyte Tyme Records.[2] This opportunity resulted in contributions to Usher, Mya, Yolanda Adams, Gwen Stefani, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Janet Jackson projects, among others, as well as playing instruments for various songs on the The Fighting Temptations Soundtrack executive-produced by Jam & Lewis.
The brothers next worked alongside Jam & Lewis, as well as notable R&B producer James "Big Jim" Wright to co-write five songs for inclusion on Chaka Khan's eleventh studio album Funk This in 2007. This included minor R&B hit "One for All Time".
In 2017, the duo were credited for all instrument accompaniment on "Banana Clip" from Miguel's 2017 album War & Leisure. They would later reunite with longtime Usher collaborators Lil Jon and Sean Garrett in 2023 to co-write single "Glu", later climbing to number one on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart.[3][4] The pair also produced "Horas Y Horas", the Spanish version of Muni Long's R&B sleeper hit "Hrs and Hrs" for an exclusive Spotify release.[5][6]
Selected songwriting and production credits
editCredits are courtesy of Discogs, Tidal, Spotify, and AllMusic.
| Title | Year | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Darling Girl" | 2001 | Yolanda Adams | Believe |
| "Jesus for a Day" | 2003 | Macy Gray | The Trouble with Being Myself |
| "Anatomy 1On1" | Mya | Moodring | |
| "Things That Lovers Do" | Kenny Lattimore & Chanté Moore | Things That Lovers Do | |
| "Loveable (From Your Head to Your Toes)" (#19 US Adult R&B) | |||
| "Truth Hurts" | 2004 | Usher | Confessions |
| "Simple Things" | |||
| "Bad Girl" (#106 US R&B) | |||
| "That's What It's Made For" (#53 US R&B/Hip-Hop) | |||
| "Seduction" (#68 US R&B/Hip-Hop) | |||
| "Sweet Kind of Life" | Cheryl Lynn | Shark Tale OST | |
| "Harajuku Girls" | Gwen Stefani | Love. Angel. Music. Baby. | |
| "Damita Jo" | Janet Jackson | Damita Jo | |
| "Spending Time with You" | |||
| "Like You Don't Love Me" | |||
| "Moist" | |||
| "Baggage" (#104 US R&B/Hip-Hop) | 2005 | Mary J. Blige | The Breakthrough |
| "Can't Get Enough" | |||
| "4 My Man" (Featuring Fantasia) | Missy Elliott | The Cookbook | |
| "Music" (#26 US Adult R&B, #33 US Dance/Club Charts) | Leela James | A Change Is Gonna Come | |
| "Pure Gold" (#15 US Adult R&B, #23 US Adult Contemporary) | Earth, Wind & Fire | Illumination | |
| "Enjoy" | 2006 | Janet Jackson | 20 Y.O. |
| "Back in the Day" | 2007 | Chaka Khan | Funk This |
| "One for All Time" (#35 R&B) | |||
| "Will You Love Me?" | |||
| "Disrespectful" (Featuring Mary J. Blige) (#1 US Dance/Club Charts) | |||
| "Hail to the Wrong" | |||
| "Point Of It All" (#109 US, #19 US R&B) | 2008 | Anthony Hamilton | The Point of It All |
| "On The Hood" | Sean Garrett | Turbo 919 | |
| "One Day" | |||
| "Beautiful U R" (#1 Dance/Club Charts, #10 CAN) | Deborah Cox | The Promise | |
| "Down 4 U" | |||
| "Monstar" (#107 US) | 2010 | Usher | Raymond v. Raymond |
| "Mars vs Venus" | |||
| "Pro Lover" | |||
| "Lingerie" | Versus (EP) | ||
| "How Can You Love Me" | El DeBarge | Second Chance | |
| "Christmas Without You" | |||
| "Heart Full of Love" | |||
| "I'll Wait (To Fall in Love)" | 2011 | Anthony Hamilton | Back to Love |
| "Hey Lover" | 2015 | Charlie Wilson | Forever Charlie |
| "Me and You Forever" | |||
| "Do It Yourself" (with Usher) | 2021 | Jam and Lewis | Jam & Lewis: Volume One |
| "Glu" (#1 US Adult R&B) | 2023 | Usher | Non-album single |
| "530" | 2024 | ¥$ | Vultures 2 |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 47th Annual Grammy Awards | Grammy Award for Album of the Year (Confessions) | Nominated | [7][8] |
| 2008 | 50th Annual Grammy Awards | Grammy Award for Best R&B Album (Funk This) | Won | [7][8] |
| 2024 | ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards | Most Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ("Glu") | Won | [9] |
References
edit- ^ Sandoval, Manny (September 19, 2018). "Local natives and Grammy Award winners, the Avila Brothers inspire youth". Inland Empire Community News. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "Black Music Month Rare Music Spotlight: Bobby Ross Avila (1993)". UrbanBridgez. June 10, 2012. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Samuels, Keithan (April 13, 2023). "Sean Garrett Discusses Working on Usher's 'GLU': Interview". RatedR&B. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Folk, Antwane (June 19, 2023). "Usher's 'Glu' Hits No. 1 on Billboard's Adult R&B Airplay Chart". RatedR&B. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Abraham, Mya (January 31, 2023). "Muni Long Releases "Horas Y Horas," Spanish Version Of Viral Single "Hrs & Hrs"". Vibe. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Rowley, Glenn (January 31, 2023). "Muni Long Translates 'Hrs & Hrs' Into Spanish for 'Horas y Horas'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "Bobby Ross Avila | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "Issiah J. Avila | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ "2024 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Celebration".
