Art Porter, a native of Little Rock, AR, began his musical education at hom… Read Full Bio ↴Art Porter, a native of Little Rock, AR, began his musical education at home, learning and practicing jazz standards under the instruction of his father Art Porter, Sr., a renowned pianist and former accompanist for Carmen McCrae and John Stubblefield. Starting off on drums and becoming part of his father's band, Porter was drawn to the sax after noticing the melodic proficiency of his father and another band member, Leonard Johnson, who was his high school band director. He decided to drop the drums and get into the harmonics of music. The saxophone intrigued him with it being so close to the human voice. Porter picked up the sax and found that he had a natural affinity with the instrument. When he was 16 and worked with his father's trio, he was barred from playing in clubs because he was under 21. The ensuing case led to Arkansas State's Attorney General Bill Clinton pushing through a law allowing underage performers to work if a parent or guardian supervises.

At 18, Porter learned his most valuable musical lessons when he began touring with such jazz masters as organist Jack McDuff and saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. He matured as a player and learned how to interact with an audience. In between concerts, Porter continued his studies at the Berklee Conservatory of Music and at Virginia Commonwealth University where he became a student of pianist/educator Ellis Marsalis.

In 1992, Porter came to Chicago on a scholarship to Northeastern Illinois University, finishing with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He went to study at Roosevelt University where he earned his master's degree. In the Windy City, Porter was mentored by legendary tenor saxophonist Von Freeman and bassist James Leary. When Porter was signed to Verve Forecast, he decided that instead of jumping on the then-current neo-classical jazz bandwagon, Porter decided to make his largely self-composed debut contemporary rather than bop-revisited in style. Produced and engineered by keyboardist Jeff Lorber, Pocket City was immediately embraced by those who didn't want their smooth jazz "too smooth" in the summer of 1992. The key tracks, the heart-melting ballad "Inside Myself," a cover of Maxi Priest's "Close to You," and funky hoppin' "Pocket City" (whose video was played on VH1 and BET) were played on both smooth jazz and a few urban stations. Porter was sent on a promotional and concert tours where he built up a reputation for being very amiable and giving a high-octane performance. Porter was a whirling wonder on stage, smiling like a Chesire cat, blowing his heart out, running around the venue honking it up. On November 23, 1996, while journeying to a remote part of Thailand to perform in a jazz festival, Porter was killed when the boat he was riding in capsized.

Beside his four Verve sets, Pocket City, Straight to the Point, Undercover, Lay Your Hands on Me, and the posthumously released For Art's Sake, Art Porter appeared as a sideman on recordings by Jeff Lorber, Tom Grant, and Ramsey Lewis and was infusing a hard bop sound sensibility to smooth jazz when he was killed.

Achievements

Porter has been inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame. Porter received the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.

Forever Love
Art Porter Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now here we are the two of us,
And nothing's gonna come between us again.
Forever love I feel you with me
You're the sun that chases away the rain
I cherish all the love you bring
It's you forever and a day,
I love you more than anything
I can't throw that away my love.

There's nowhere, Baby, unless you're here.
I could never let you down
By the way, I have wanted to say,
I will always be around forever, love.

Inside my heart you'll never die,
you understand the man that hides deep inside.
So come to me I need you dearly
I'll never give you reason to say goodbye
There were times I made you cry
and times I wasn't there for you,
But for our love I'd even die
by you I'm gonna stay

There's nowhere, Baby, unless you're here.
I could never let you down
By the way, I have wanted to say,
I will always be around forever, love.

You know girl, being with you
Has brought new meaning in my life
You give me so much happiness
Just to see you smile, gives me
The strength to go on
I cherish all the moments
We spend together, the laughter
The tears, they're all special to me
I guess what I'm really trying to say is that
I love you

For the memory of you
For all the times we shared together

For all we've been through, Forever love
"This bud's for you"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Art Porter feat. Brian McKnight's song Forever Love express a deep and enduring love that will never falter. The song speaks to the idea that nothing can come between the two people in the relationship and that their love will last through any challenges or obstacles they may face. The singer expresses a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the love that is shared between the two of them and acknowledges the mistakes he has made, promising never to let his partner down again. The lyrics also convey a sense of vulnerability and vulnerability, with the singer letting his partner know that she is a source of strength and happiness in his life.

Overall, the message of the song is one of lasting loyalty and devotion. It speaks to the idea that true love is something that endures and can transcend any difficulties that may arise. The singer promises to always be there for his partner, expressing a deep level of commitment and dedication to their relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Now here we are the two of us,
We are together now, just you and me.

And nothing's gonna come between us again.
No person or circumstance will ever drive us apart again.

Forever love I feel you with me
My love for you is forever, and I always feel your presence with me.

You're the sun that chases away the rain
You bring happiness and joy to my life and make all my troubles disappear.

I cherish all the love you bring
I deeply appreciate the love and care that you give me.

It's you forever and a day,
I will always love you, now and for all eternity.

I love you more than anything
There is nothing in this world that I love more than you.

I can't throw that away my love.
I will never let anything come between us and I will always hold onto our love.

There's nowhere, Baby, unless you're here.
Without you, I feel lost and there's nowhere I'd rather be than by your side.

I could never let you down
I will always be there for you and never disappoint you.

By the way, I have wanted to say,
There is something I've been meaning to tell you.

I will always be around forever, love.
My love for you will always be present and I will never leave you.

Inside my heart you'll never die,
You will always live on in my heart, even after death.

you understand the man that hides deep inside.
You know me better than anyone and accept me for who I am, even my flaws.

So come to me I need you dearly
I miss you and need you in my life more than anything.

I'll never give you reason to say goodbye
I will never do anything to make you want to leave me.

There were times I made you cry
I have hurt you in the past and caused you pain.

and times I wasn't there for you,
I have failed to support you when you needed me most.

But for our love I'd even die
I would do anything for our love, even sacrifice my life.

by you I'm gonna stay
I will always be by your side and never leave you.

You know girl, being with you
Spending my life with you has brought so much happiness and fulfillment to my existence.

Has brought new meaning in my life
Being with you has given me a new perspective and purpose.

You give me so much happiness
Being with you brings immense joy and satisfaction in my life.

Just to see you smile, gives me
Your smile is so powerful that it can change my mood and bring me joy.

The strength to go on
Your love and support give me the strength to face any challenges that come my way.

I cherish all the moments
I deeply appreciate and value every moment we spend together.

We spend together, the laughter
Our times together, especially the moments of laughter, are incredibly precious to me.

The tears, they're all special to me
Even the difficult times we've shared together have brought us closer and are meaningful to me.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that
What I really mean to say is that

I love you
I deeply and truly love you.

For the memory of you
I will always remember and cherish every moment we've shared together.

For all the times we shared together
I value every moment we've shared and appreciate the time we've spent together.

For all we've been through, Forever love
No matter what we've been through, my love for you will always endure.

"This bud's for you"
A toast to our love and the moments we've shared together.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BRYAN KYETH ABRAMS, MARK ELRA CALDERON, JAMES SAMUEL III HARRIS, JAMES HARRIS III, TERRY LEWIS, KEVIN KRAIG THORNTON, SAMUEL WATTERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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