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Ben Whishaw
GREGORY Porter is one of the biggest soul singers of the past decade having won two Grammy awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
But one thing you may have noticed about the musician is his rather distinctive hat.
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Why does Gregory Porter wear a hat?
For all of his public appearances, Gregory wears his now-famous hat to cover up the scars he has from surgery.
The musician calls the flat cap his “security blanket” and refers to it as his “jazz hat.”
In an interview with Jazz Weekly, the interviewer asked: “What’s with the weird and wonderful hat?”
Gregory replied: “I’ve had some surgery on my skin, so this has been my look for a little while and will continue to be for a while longer.
“People recognise me by it now. It is what it is.”
However, he also told the BBC that he wants to be “less about my hat and more about my heart and my sound”.
What has Gregory said about his famous hat?
Speaking to The Independent about his hat, Gregory said: “I get recognised for the hat in airports.
“In the UK, they know me quite well but they don’t give me a free pass, I get fully checked and secured.
“There has been a time or two when I have been asked to sing to let them know it’s really me.
“When a person in uniform asks you to do something you are conditioned to do it.”
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What type of hat does Gregory Porter wear?
Gregory wears a flat cap called a Kangol Summer Spitfire.
The hat has a modified strap that covers his ears and chin.
The cap covers up his scars so he can feel more comfortable out in public.
What else do we know about Gregory?
Gregory was born in Sacramento, California, on November 4, 1971 – that makes him 50.
He won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2014 for Liquid Spirit and in 2017 for Take Me to the Alley.
Liquid Spirit was unusually successful for a jazz album and was certified gold by the BPI – selling over 100,000 units in the UK.
He has been described as “a jazz singer of thrilling presence, a booming baritone with a gift for earthy refinement and soaring uplift”.
In 2021, he released his latest album, Still Rising, and in 2022, he has a UK tour.
