Raphael Tate

He grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland with 10 siblings. Tate's musicality originated from his religious family background. He was inspired early on by his father Robert and his mother Patricia who lead worship services in their local network of churches. His father also played saxophone and sang professionally for R&B groups before devoting himself to the church as an assistant pastor. His older brother Joel is also a professional drummer and percussionist.

As a child, Tate was very quiet and shy, and struggled with the divorce of his parents. As he entered high school, he discovered more confidence as his talents as both a musician and athlete began to develop at Crossland High School. His performance on the basketball court earned him many scholarship opportunities to play in college. Music performance, however, evolved into Tate's greatest passion. He joined marching band in high school, and learned how to read, write, arrange, and compose music. He started out as a percussionist and continued on to learn the tuba/sousaphone. Tate excelled rapidly on the tuba. He accepted a music scholarship to attend Morgan State University in Baltimore County, Maryland. During this period, he was featured in the (2002) film Head of State, performing with a brass band composed of his colleagues. After college Tate travelled the world and eventually settled on the island of Cyprus. He lived there for several years while developing his craft and ultimately matured into an all around producer, singer, and bandleader. Eventually he was discovered by Eve Efrat (owner of Public Relations firm Arieli) and Jason Dauman.

Tate's song "With Every Beat of My Heart" was released in 2017 and peaked at number 15 on the UK Commercial Pop Chart, and number 25 on Billboard's American Dance Club Songs Chart.[5] The song was originally written by Arthur Baker, Lotti Golden, and Tommy Faragher, and made famous by Taylor Dayne when she released it in 1989. Tate remade the song with the help of Jason Dauman, Dave Audé, Joe Gauthreaux, DJ Lean, Scotty Boy, and Dan Boots. Tate also released a single "Back To Your Heart",[6] as well as a cover of the Oliver Cheatham song "Get Down Saturday Night".[7] His single "Samba Comigo" charted on Billboard.[8] In 2020, he released, "She Like Dat (Smile Again Riddim)".[9][10]

In 2021, he released single entitled "A Fool in Love", which sampled from an Aswad track and was produced by Jermaine Ajang Forde.[11] Also he released a single in honor of his late mother Patricia Ann Tate, "Everyday is Mother's Day".[12][13] On May 20, 2021, Tate released "Blessed", which received a seal of approval from BBC Radio 1 Xtra's Seani B and producer Jazzward on Seani's Spotlight Sessions.[14] [15]

On July 1, 2021, BBC Radio 1 Xtra featured Raphael Tate for international Reggae Day hosted by SeaniB. Singing a remix of Beres Hammond's hit, "Rock Away", Tate was saluted by the original singer.[16][17]

On October 8, 2021, Tate released a new reggae song called "Fear No Evil".[18][19] On November 20, 2021, Jeff Majors paid homage to fellow jazz musician, the late Benard Ighner by revamping his 1974 Quincy Jones-produced single, "Everything Must Change". The recording featured Tate. On April 15, 2022, Tate released "Share My Life", produced by Terrence Chamberlin (Bluesteel Studio) and Jermaine Forde (Ajang Music).[20][21][22] [23]

On May 13, 2022, Tate released his own composition, "Lord I Need You Near".[24]

March 24th, 2023, Raphael released his new single "Here Without You" which premiered on BBC radio Derby. ‘Here without You’ is about different forms of grief we all encounter on a daily basis – from a bad break up, unrequited love, an estranged relationship from one’s love one or child, and the extreme loss of losing a loved one. Surrounded by a breathtakingly stunning orchestration, Raphael brings awareness that suffering from any form of grief in silence can be detrimental to our mental and physical wellbeing. [25]

March 25th 2023 Raphael Tate made his television debut on UK national ITVX show called Starstruck (2023 TV series). On Starstruck 2023 series 2 Episode 6 Raphael delivered a masterful tribute to Soul Legend known as The Godfather of soul music James Brown. The series is presented by Olly Murs with a judging panel, in the second series 2023, consisting of Adam Lambert, Beverley Knight, Jason Manford and new judges Shania Twain and Ronan Keating due to first series judge Sheridan Smith fulfilling other filming commitments. Raphael Starstruck, performance was accompanied by teammates late Ron Davis, and Gospel singer Emmanuel Smith. The series is described by some media outlets as a revived and reformatted version of Stars in Their Eyes. [26]

August 18, 2023 Raphael Tate released his debut album entitled ‘Love Grieve Live’. This album mirrors the cycle of losing a dear one and exploring stages of grief. The fifth effort from the album, 'Gotta Hold On,' serves as the perfect platform for Raphael's heartfelt powerhouse vocals to deliver an inspirational and powerful message of losing someone: it’s OK not to be OK, as those dark moments are a fundamental part of the healing process. Since its release, ‘Love Grieve Live’ has been put forward for a Grammy consideration for Best Progressive R&B Album (in the R&B, Rap & Spoken Word category). 'Gotta Hold On' is also put forward for a Grammy consideration for Song of the Year, Record of the Year (In the general category) whereas the second effort from the album, 'Here Without You', has been put forward for a Grammy consideration for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song (in the R&B, Rap & Spoken Word category). As a new member of The Recording Academy/Grammy Awards Washington D.C. Chapter Class of 2023, Raphael Tate has been put up for a Grammy consideration for Best New Artist of the Year (general category).[27] [28] [29]

He has a son named Micah Isaiah Tate.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tate was unable to return to his home in Cyprus, and performed via live streams while staying with friends in the UK.[30][13]