A Palm Springs, CA native and aspiring keyboardist in his youth, Chris picked up the sax just after high school and began growing his fan base throughout CA and the West Coast. His first three albums, “Destiny” (1997), “Mystical” (1998), and “On The Brink” (1999) garnered the interest of USA Networks, subsequently using his music for some of their television programs. Chris’s big break came during the MP3 revolution, when his 2001 release “Eclectic” sold over two million downloads and received international radio play - a rare feat for an unsigned artist who would be catapulted into the mainstay of a musical genre. The album’s radio track “Tell Me Your Secrets” hit number one on mp3.com’s Smooth Jazz charts and with its success, propelled other songs from previously released albums into the top 40. Songs from Chris’s 2005 release “The Domino Effect” were licensed for commercial use, also capturing the attention of the YouTube community. The song “Mellowman” would be used for a variety of videos by content creators which collectively received tens of millions of views. By 2006, Chris had headlined concerts across the United States, as well as opening for artists Aaron Neville, Hall and Oates, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Maroon 5, Michael McDonald, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Brian Setzer. Chris’s 2007 release “Retrospect: 1996-2006” is a collection of his most popular songs over the period, several of which were recorded during his live shows. In 2008, Chris took a hiatus from composing original music and instead recorded an album of cover songs. “Covers” featured a captivating blend of Adult Contemporary hits from renowned artists Oleta Adams, Colbie Caillat, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Cyndi Lauper, John Mayer, Simply Red, and Sting. Chris returned to the studio with all new original material in 2011 and released “Benefits of Oblivion” - a cool blend of deep, hypnotic, electronic grooves coupled with catchy, haunting sax melodies, resonating with listeners worldwide on platforms like Rhapsody and Spotify. In 2015, Chris’s ninth release “RENDITION” celebrated the inspiration he derived from other esteemed artists in the Smooth Jazz genre. The album featured Chris’s interpretations of popular hits originally crafted by Chris Botti, Rick Braun, Candy Dulfer, Kenny G, Warren Hill, Dave Koz, Chuck Mangione, David Sanborn, Paul Taylor, and Grover Washington, Jr. Chris Compton’s 2024 release “Hello Again” returns him to the scene with his alluring sax tones, set atop a bed of grooves filled with rich colors.
