"The Gigolo" was one of the prime guilty pleasures of black dance music in the early '80s, with its castrato vocals, hokey lyrics, and clavinet squiggles. It had all the earmarks of a one-shot hit, but surprisingly O'Bryan managed to cut nine singles that made the R&B charts in the 1980s, as well as record four albums for Capitol. A multi-instrumentalist, his up-tempo tracks could sound something like a more mainstream Prince, though he tread far closer to the urban contemporary mainstream on his ballad "slow jams." O'Bryan got into the business after a friend in the choir that he sang in as a young adult in Southern California married Ron Kersey, who had worked in Philadelphia with groups like the Trammps in the 1970s. Upon her recommendation, Kersey got O'Bryan into a group he was forming. That quickly fell apart, but Kersey helped the singer connect with Soul Train impresario Don Cornelius, who helped O'Bryan land a deal with Capitol. "The Gigolo" made number five on the R&B charts in 1982, and over the next few years he had some up-tempo and ballad follow-ups. "I'm Freaky," which was reminiscent of "Gigolo," was the best of these; "Lovelite" was the most successful. He hasn't released any albums, though, since leaving Capitol in the late '80s. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide