Happy 44th birthday to singer, songwriter, model, record producer, and actress Mary J. Blige. The Savannah, Georgia, native moved with her mother and older sister to the Schlobam housing projects in Yonkers, New York, when she was a young girl. Blige dropped out of high school in her junior year and spent her time doing her friends hair in her mothers apartment and hanging out. When she was at a local mall in White Plains, NY, she recorded herself singing Anita Bakers Caught Up in the Rapture, into a karaoke machine. Her stepfather passed the recording on to Uptown Records CEO Andre Harrell. He was impressed with Bliges voice and signed her to sing backup for local acts like Father MC. In 1991, Sean Puffy Combs took Blige under his wing and began working with her on her debut album, Whats the 411? Combs and his stylish touches added to Bliges unique vocal style, created a stunning album that bridged the gap between R&B and rap in a way that no female singer had previously. Her 1995 follow-up, My Life, again featured Combs handiwork, stepping back from its urban roots and featuring less of a rap sound and making up for that with its subject matter. In 1997, her Share My World marked the beginning of Bliges creative partnerships with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The album was another hit for Blige and debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Critics soured somewhat on its more conventional soul sound, but Bliges fans seemed undaunted. By 1999, the fullness and elegance of her new sound appeared more developed, as Blige displayed a classic soul style aided by material from Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Stevie Wonder, and Lauryn Hill. She made it obvious that the ghetto and harsh aspects of her music were gone, while the sensitive power remained. That power also helped carry the more modern-sounding 2001 release, No More Drama, a deeply personal collective effort musically, featuring more of her songwriting. A recipient of nine Grammy Awards, in addition to receiving a record of thirty Grammy nominations, eight of Bliges albums have reached multi-platinum status in the United States. My Life, in particular, is considered among the greatest albums ever recorded according to Rolling Stone, Time, and Vibe. For her part in combining hip-hop and soul in the early-1990s and its subsequent commercial success, Blige received the Legends Award at the World Music Awards. Blige also received the Voice of Music Award from music publishing company ASCAP, with its official Jeanie Weems stating that [Bliges] music has been the voice of inspiration to women worldwide in both struggle and triumph. As of 2013, Blige has sold more than 50 million albums and 15 million singles worldwide. Billboard ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years. In addition, she starred in the 2009 Tyler Perry box-office hit, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and guest-starred in the 2012 film, Rock of Ages. She performs below.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 19:19:05 +0000
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