Abraham Laboriel Sr.

From his first successful tour with Olivia Newton-John, Laboriel worked with Al Jarreau on a European tour and eventually settled into a full-time studio career in Los Angeles.

During his studio career, he worked with a variety of artists for their albums – including Leo Sayer’s Thunder in My Heart in 1977, Stan Getz’s Children of the World in 1978, Peter Allen’s I Could Have Been a Sailor and Dolly Parton’s Great Balls of Fire in 1979. Throughout the 1980s, Laboriel worked with Al Jarreau on various albums, including 1980s This Time, 1981s’ Breakin’ Away, 1983’s Jarreau and 1988’s Heart’s Horizon.

As the new decade began, Laboriel’s reputation as a studio artist grew, and he was hired more and more frequently. He worked alongside artists to produce albums such as Aretha Franklin’s Love All the Hurt Away in 1981, Dionne Warwick’s How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye in 1983, Kenny Rogers’ They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To in 1986 and Olivia Newton John’s The Rumour in 1988. Alongside his collaborations, he formed the band Koinonia and produced four albums during the 1980s, including 1983’s More Than a Feelin’ and 1986’s Frontline.

He continued his studio work throughout the 1990s; however, a change in the century came a change in scenery as Michael Giacchino hired Labroriel to work on a variety of Disney films, including 2004’s The Incredibles, 2008’s Ratatouille and 2015’s Inside Out. Alongside his film work, Laboriel has also produced several solo albums.