The sweet urban soul quartet 98° was formed in Los Angeles by four former Ohio residents: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey plus Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre. Timmons was trying to make it in the music industry, so he called Jeffre and Nick Lachey -- both former classmates at the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Artists -- and formed... [+] Read More

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Brian McKnight grew up in a family where music came naturally. He was a member of the church choir along with his immediate family; his grandfather was the director. With a gospel upbringing, McKnight explored other genres of music. Still in his early teens, he exercised his writing ambitions by penning instrumentals (soft jazz, easy listening).... [+] Read More

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A Harvard Law School graduate, Clive Davis, disheartened by his lack of status as a young lawyer, joined Columbia Records in 1960 as a contract lawyer. One of his first assignments was to renegotiate Bob Dylan's contract, which had apparently become void after the singer had turned 21. Davis outsmarted Dylan and, by forcing him to renew, the... [+] Read More

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In spite of the fact that Faith Evans carved out a recording career in her own right, her name will forever remain linked in the minds of many to her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G. Evans was an active session singer and songwriter before signing her own solo deal and marrying Biggie, and while she never matched the level of his stardom, she... [+] Read More

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Ginuwine was one of R&B's pre-eminent love men during the '90s heyday of hip-hop soul. Initially teamed with Timbaland, the most innovative producer of the late '90s, Ginuwine's sultry, seductive crooning earned him a substantial female following and made him a regular presence on the R&B charts, even after the futuristic production he favored... [+] Read More

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Atlanta vocalist Monica debuted in 1995 with the platinum Top Ten singles "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of dem Days)" and "Before You Walk out of My Life." After appearing on LL Cool J's Mr. Smith later that year, she recorded another killer duet with Brandy on "The Boy Is Mine," which spent several weeks at the top of the singles charts... [+] Read More

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R&B diva Monifah grew up in Spanish Harlem in the midst of a musical family, who encouraged her to work in several musicals while at an early age. With the experience she gained singing, Monifah signed a contract with MCA and released her self-titled album in 1995. The following year, her single "I Miss You (Come Back Home)" became an R&B hit.... [+] Read More

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Singer Natalie Brown might not have seen the release of her debut album, Let the Candle Burn, until 2000, but long before then she had been around in the world of music -- learning from others, polishing her talents, paying her dues.

Brown was born in Ontario, Canada. Even in elementary school she showed promising talent for both... [+] Read More

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Singer/songwriter/producer TQ hit the music scene in 1998 with a style that made him different than any other R&B singer on the market. A native of Compton, California, his swagger and delivery made some fans regard him with the same appeal as a rapper. In fact, he has been told that he reminds many of a “singing Tupac” with his realistic lyrics... [+] Read More

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Heavily influenced by fellow Philadelphians Boyz II Men, Voices of Theory is an urban contemporary group that combines R&B/pop crooning with hip-hop production. All five members of the group -- Mechi, James, Hector, David, and Mike G -- are Latino men who grew up in North Philly, a tough area of the city that has often been compared to the South... [+] Read More

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Whitney Houston is inarguably one of the of the biggest female pop stars of all time. Her accomplishments as a hitmaker are extraordinary; just to scratch the surface, she became the first artist ever to have seven consecutive singles hit number one, and her 1993 Dolly Parton cover "I Will Always Love You" became nothing less than the biggest... [+] Read More

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