Here’s Why Singer Gregory Porter Often Wears a Hat

Gregory Porter is a Grammy Award-winning jazz musician and actor, best known for his song Liquid Spirit, which was featured on the soundtrack of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

He is currently promoting his new album Christmas Wish and recently appeared on This Morning, The One Show and BBC Breakfast where he talked about the album and what it means to him.

The album is very personal for the singer, and the title song is a tribute to his mother and her kindness.

The 52-year-old said in X (formerly Twitter): “’Christmas Wish’ is a song in tribute to my mother who would cook the most wonderful Christmas dinner, we would pray over the food, and then she would give it away and we would eat the leftovers.”

He added: “It was such an honor and such a wonderful memory that I had to put it in a song.”

Early reviews of his album have described it as a “soulful, holiday gift,” so it seems Porter is well on his way to a successful holiday season — but there’s one question fans have been asking themselves as he appears in various interviews: what’s the story behind his flat cap?

The cap – specifically the Kangol Summer Spitfire – has accompanied him throughout most of his career and has been modified to cover both the head and the sides of his face.

Why does Gregory Porter always wear a hat?

Although the Porter hat is ubiquitous, it was not originally a matter of style.

Speaking to Jazz Weekly in 2012, the singer admitted that it had a real, practical purpose, saying, “I had skin surgery, so that was my look for a while, and it’s going to be that way for a while. People recognize me by it now. It is what it is.”

He also told The Metro: “It started out as a way to cover up some surgery scars, but it became my style. I was in Denver and it was freezing. I had five layers of clothes on and a hat.

“The weather was getting warmer and I thought, ‘Actually, this is comfortable, this is the look.’ I started singing at a jazz club in Denver and people were like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s the guy with the hat.’ And that’s how it all started.”

In 2015, the singer said he buys his own hats and has a variety of styles to choose from – but they usually have a modified band around the ears and chin.

It’s safe to assume Porter has leaned towards this signature look, and why not? He looks great in it.

Update: The title of this article originally referred to this type of hat as a balaclava.

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