Culbertson was born in
Decatur, Illinois. As a child, he was musically skilled, having started playing piano at age eight, drums at nine, trombone at ten, bass in seventh grade, and
euphonium in high school. Growing up, he listened to
Sting,
The Yellowjackets,
George Duke,
David Foster,
Marcus Miller,
David Sanborn,
Chicago, and
Earth, Wind and Fire. where his father was a music teacher. It was in college that he actually started working on a CD, gathering a group of musicians, recording a demo tape and sending it to the only person he knew in Los Angeles, Bud Harner, who would get him his first record deal. He is married to Michelle Culbertson, also known by her stage name Micaela Haley, and they live in Chicago. In an interview, Culbertson revealed that he met his wife in college through his first bass player Sharay Reed who had met Michelle at the World of Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee where they both won awards at the age of 16. Michelle, originally a violinist, won for Best Concert Master and Sharay Reed for Best Soloist. They both were reintroduced to one another at DePaul University two years later. At the end of their Freshman year together Sharay introduced Michelle to Brian telling them that they would make a good match. His wife contributed background vocals on his earlier albums and a feature vocal on his Christmas CD,
A Soulful Christmas. Culbertson plays
Mason & Hamlin pianos and
Roland keyboards and has appeared at the
NAMM Show. In 2013, he announced on his blog that he was working on his fourteenth album, the album
Another Long Night Out was released on February 25, 2014, and was going to revisit his earlier roots in contemporary jazz. In 2015, he released a second live album "20th Anniversary Tour" while performing at jazz club
Yoshi's and, subsequently, he also released a solo piano album for yoga and meditation. His latest album, released on April 10, 2020, is aptly titled
XX (Roman numeral for 20) because it is his 20th solo record. Featuring many guests including
Mr. Talkbox,
Bootsy Collins,
Avery*Sunshine,
Marcus Anderson,
Everette Harp,
Noel Gourdin,
Patches Stewart,
Ray Parker Jr.,
Paul Jackson Jr.,
Jubu Smith,
Nicholas Cole, and more. XX features tracks reminiscent of all of Brian's albums: Smooth Jazz, Funk, Gospel, Pop, R&B, and more. == Napa Valley Jazz Getaway ==