Kenny Lattimore Brings 30 Years of R&B Hits to City Winery St. Louis

Kenny Lattimore is set to give two performances at City Winery St. Louis on Tuesday, bringing three decades of R&B hits to the seated dinner-concert venue inside City Foundry STL. Doors open at 6 pm, with the show starting at 7:30 pm, as the Grammy-nominated singer and National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame inductee marks 30 years since the release of his self-titled debut album.

According to FOX 2, Lattimore's voice was developed through classical study, shaped by jazz, and grounded in gospel — a foundation that produced the songs “For You” and “Never Too Busy,” both drawn from his 1996 debut. That record was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, according to AllMusic, after both tracks became top-20 hits on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart, with “Never Too Busy” reaching No. 19 and “For You” climbing to No. 6.

A Signature Ballad Turned Wedding Staple

“For You” went on to spend 17 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Adult R&B Airplay chart and earned Lattimore a nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards in 1998, per Rated R&B. The ballad, written by Lattimore's high school friend Kenny Lerum, became a popular wedding anthem that has followed the singer throughout his career. That debut album also earned him the NAACP Image Award for Best New Artist in 1996, recognizing his immediate impact on R&B music as he launched his solo career.

Lattimore's catalog since then includes the lullaby album Lullabies for You, and the FOX 2 piece notes he currently has an orchestra album in development. His momentum has not been confined to nostalgia, either. The singer's tenth studio album, Here to Stay, released in December 2021 through his independent imprint Sincere Soul Records in partnership with SRG/ILS Group, according to Rated R&B, and yielded the single “Take a Dose,” which gave Lattimore his first Billboard Adult R&B Airplay No. 1 in 25 years when it topped the chart in February 2023.

Still Charting Decades Later

The same report notes “Take a Dose” also topped the Mediabase R&B radio chart. Lattimore added another milestone in December 2023 when “Never Knew,” produced by longtime collaborator Daryl Simmons, reached No. 10 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart after an 18-week climb — his eighth career top-10 single on that chart, the outlet reported. In 2024, Lattimore was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame alongside fellow veterans Regina Belle and Ginuwine, according to WBLS, an honor recognizing more than 25 years of contributions as a solo R&B recording artist.

Before his solo career, the Washington, D.C.-born Lattimore studied architecture and city planning at Howard University while fronting the R&B vocal group Maniquin, which released an album on Epic Records in 1989, according to AllMusic. He left Maniquin after a year of touring to write songs for other artists before eventually signing with Columbia Records.

Inside City Winery's Dinner-and-Show Format

Tuesday's shows will unfold inside City Winery St. Louis, which presents Kenny Lattimore Live as part of its seated concert format, with dinner served at guests' tables and wines poured from the venue's own barrels. City Winery St. Louis opened at the City Foundry STL complex in Midtown St. Louis in March 2023, according to KSDK, situated within the redevelopment of the former Century Electric foundry complex. The brand, founded in 2008 by CEO Michael Dorf, operates as a national chain offering intimate, table-served live entertainment paired with in-house wines in cities including New York, Chicago, Nashville, and Philadelphia.

Readers can purchase concert tickets through City Winery Presents, and those wanting more background on the artist can learn more at kennylattimore.com or follow Kenny Lattimore on Instagram. The pairing of a three-decade R&B catalog with City Winery's mature, seated-dinner concert model fits a venue positioned for adult contemporary and soul audiences, following recent appearances that saw Lattimore performing at the Cincinnati riverfront reunion and among artists honored during Atlanta's Black Music Week.