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Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978), known simply by his first name Usher, is an American R&B and pop singer and actor who rose to fame in the mid-late 1990s. To date, he has sold approximately 30 million albums worldwide and has won five Grammy Awards. Usher is also a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers National Basketball Association franchise. He also has his own record label, US Records. Realizing that stage fright was more than worth the joy that came from singing, actor and R&B sensation Usher discovered his love of performing at age nine, while singing in his church choir. Three years later, though only 12 years old, he beat out high-schoolers to win a talent competition. Following this victory, Usher's mother moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia where the music scene was much more active than in their hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. In Atlanta he became a regular on the amateur circuit and soon won the "Star Search" male teen vocalist crown, which in turn led to his discovery by legendary producer Antonio 'L.A.' Reid and was signed in 1992 to LaFace Records, the label formed by Reid and writer/producer/performer Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds. Usher spent some time in New York with producer/performer Sean 'Puffy' Combs working on tracks and creating his niche as a new artist in the R&B music world. Their first effort, an album entitled "Usher,” was released in 1994 and sold a quarter of a million copies. Usher was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Jonetta Patton (née O'Neal) and Usher Terry Raymond III. He spent the majority of his young life in Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a child, he joined his local church choir where he discovered his ability to sing. As early as junior high school, Usher successfully entered local talent shows. Usher's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the belief that the city would provide greater opportunities for showcasing his talent. While in Atlanta, Usher attended the North Springs Charter School of Arts and Sciences. After the moderate success of his self-titled debut album, 16-year old Usher ran into a problem: his voice changed. Before another track could be cut, the young singer underwent vocal training to adjust to his deeper tone. Along with his new voice came new material that moved away from the fabricated bad boy image of his first record. Insistent that an R&B artist need not be bad to be cool, Usher dropped the tough guy makeover he was given by producer Sean 'Puffy' Combs and started smiling for the cameras, unleashing the seductive sweetheart image for which he would become known. With his true-to-life image, strong voice and proficient dance moves, Usher was on his way to greater success. The performer's youth and predilection for stripping down to show off his sculpted muscles would ensure teen idol status as well. "My Way,” his 1997 sophomore effort produced by Jermaine Dupri, was a collection of sultry slow jams that showcased the singer's matured vocals and style. A few million sales later it was apparent that young Usher was the reigning prince of smooth, impressing both younger and older concert goers on his 1998 tour with Janet Jackson. Here the entertainer made the most of his supporting act stint, playing his new hits and covering older R&B standards in medley form, wowing the audience with both his vocal skills and footwork. That same year his phenomenal record sales earned him artist of the year honors from Billboard. At age thirteen, Raymond competed on Star Search, where he was spotted by an A&R representative from LaFace Records, who arranged an audition for him with L.A. Reid. A contract with the company soon followed. Usher was introduced on "Call Me A Mack," a song he recorded for the soundtrack album to the John Singleton film, Poetic Justice. On August 30, 1994, LaFace released Usher’s self-titled debut album. Sean “P Diddy” Combs produced several of the tracks and co-executive produced the album. Usher peaked at number twenty-five on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was accompanied by three singles: “Can U Get Wit It,” “Think Of You,” and “The Many Ways.” After graduating from high school, Usher continued to hone his skills as a stage performer and laid the groundwork for his second album. He also appeared on "Let's Straighten It Out", a 1995 duet with fellow Atlanta teen recording artist Monica; and on "Dreamin’", from Rhythm of the Games, LaFace's 1996 Olympic Games benefit album. He was also featured on the Kazaam soundtrack with "I swear I'm in love" Usher developed a friendship with Jermaine Dupri, with whom he co-wrote and produced several tracks for his second album, My Way, released on September 16, 1997. The lead-off single, “You Make Me Wanna” was serviced to radio that summer and hit number one in its second week out—the same week that the album was released. “You Make Me Wanna” stayed on top of the R&B/Hip-Hop track charts for a total of 11 weeks (the longest-charting R&B hit in more than 3 years) and at #2 on the Pop charts for 7 weeks (second only to Elton John’s “Candle In the Wind.”) The single remained on the R&B chart for an unprecedented 71 weeks and became Usher's first platinum single. The albums second single, “Nice & Slow,” was released in November, and in January 1998 peaked at #1 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart for two weeks, as well as #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart for eight weeks. The following summer, the album's eponymous single title track peaked #2 pop/#4 R&B. In the closing months of 1997, Usher embarked on a series of tour engagements including a spot on Puffy's No Way Out tour, dates with Mary J. Blige, and the opening spot on Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope tour. My Way was certified 6x platinum in the United States. Usher received his first Grammy Award nomination as Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "You Make Me Wanna," which was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award as ‘Best Male R&B/Soul Single.’ Usher made his acting debut on the UPN television series Moesha, which resulted in a recurring role on the series and subsequently his first film role in 1998's The Faculty. Usher’s extracurricular activities outside of the recording studio gathered momentum over the following year as he was cast in the daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful and was seen in the family series Promised Land. He completed two more films, She's All That, and his first starring role in Light It Up. He also appeared in the Disney TV movie "Geppetto" with Drew Carey. Usher also became involved community activities: he served as national spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Transportation's “Get Big On Safety” campaign, and appeared on NBC’s NBA Inside Stuff. He also participated in the NBA "Stay In School" program and performed at several of the franchise's jamborees. Raymond’s first concert album, Live was released in 1999—which featured appearances by Lil' Kim, Jagged Edge, Trey Lorenz, Shanice, Twista and Manuel Seal, and was RIAA-certified Gold. Usher’s third studio album, originally titled All About U, was slated to be released in early 2001. The first single, “Pop Ya Collar” (co-written and produced by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs), was released in late 2000 and became a #2 hit in the UK—but underperformed in America. The album was subsequently pushed back and retooled after select tracks were later leaked to the radio and Internet, and garnered a largely cold public response. After having revised the album, it was renamed 8701 (named for the years of his career at that point [1987-2001], and for its release date of August 7, 2001, or 8/7/01). The first two singles "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad" each topped the U.S. Hot 100 singles chart for four and six weeks respectively in the summer and fall. In early 2002, "U Don't Have to Call," also went top five pop. The albums final single, "U-Turn" was released outside of America, and became a top twenty hit in Australia and the U.K.. 8701 was certified 4x platinum, selling more than seven million copies worldwide. In February 2002, Usher won a Grammy for ‘Best Male R&B Vocal Performance’ for “U Remind Me.” The next year, he won the same award for "U Don't Have to Call," making Usher the only artist aside from Luther Vandross, more than a decade before, and Stevie Wonder (in the 1970s) to win this award consecutively. In summer 2002, Usher contributed vocals to P. Diddy's "I Need a Girl, Part I." The year closed out with a trio of TV series appearances, all in November, on The Twilight Zone, 7th Heaven, Moesha , and American Dreams (in which Usher portrayed Marvin Gaye). Confessions, Usher’s fourth studio album, was released on March 23, 2004—just as its first single, "Yeah!" was in its sixth week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and fifth week on top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. The album's 1.1 million unit first week sales was the highest first week numbers ever scanned by a male R&B artist in Soundscan’s 13-year history (breaking R. Kelly's record of 540k for TP-2.com back in 2000). The album’s second and third singles: "Burn" and "Confessions Part II" also topped Billboard's Hot 100 singles charts, the former for eight weeks. Usher became the third lead artist in pop music history (but the first solo artist) to have three singles inside the Hot 100's top 10 since The Beatles in 1964, and the Bee Gees in 1978. In September 2004, "My Boo," a duet with singer Alicia Keys (which was included on a Special Edition, released a half year after the original version), also peaked at number one and gave him a total of twenty-eight weeks on top of the U.S. charts that year. In December, the album's final single "Caught Up" peaked at number eight on the Hot 100. Confessions became the most successful album of the year; certified diamond in America, topping the world charts for several weeks and as of 2008 it sold more than 15 million copies all over the globe. After "Caught Up" Raymond released another single "Redlight" which is also shown on the Special Edition album. Usher was recognized with numerous awards, including two MTV Video Music Awards for "Best Male Video and "Best Dance Video", three World Music Awards (“Best Male Artist,” “Best Male Pop Artist” and “Best R&B Artist“), two Source Hip-Hop Music Awards (“Male R&B Artist of the Year” and “R&B/Rap Collaboration of the Year,” a Nordic Music Award, three Radio Music Awards, four American Music Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards and two more MTV Europe Music Awards. At the 47th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 2005, Usher won three awards, including: “R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals” (for “My Boo” with Alicia Keys), “Rap/Sung Collaboration” (for “Yeah!”) and “Contemporary R&B Album” (for Confessions). In spring 2005, Usher scored a #3 Hot 100 hit as a featured vocalist on Lil' Jon's "Lovers and Friends." In November 2005, Usher starred as a disc jockey named Darrell in the Lions Gate film, In the Mix. In a rare turn of events, Usher returned to the place of his discovery to serve as a judge for the revamped, but short-lived “Star Search” (CBS, 2002-2004) hosted by Arsenio Hall. Returning to the feature world, he had a supporting role in “Texas Rangers” (2001) as an overeager and inexperienced recruit in the famed group of lawman. After appearing alongside his hip-hop contemporaries in “Fade to Black” (2004), a documentary on the life and times of fellow rapper Jay-Z, Usher had his first starring role with “In the Mix” (2005), a comedy about a nightclub DJ (Usher) who saves the life of a mob boss (Chazz Palminteri) and is rewarded with the job of watching over the Don’s beautiful daughter (Emmanuelle Chriqui). On August 22, 2006, Usher took over the role of Billy Flynn in the long-running Broadway musical Chicago. Critical response to his overall performance were mixed. Usher is currently recording his fifth studio album. The album was due for release in November 2007 but was delayed to March 4, 2008. In June, an album was leaked onto the internet, claiming to be the singer's new album; it is however just a bootleg compilation of his previously unreleased material. In 2007, Usher also collaborated with R. Kelly on the track "Same Girl," for Kelly’s album, Double Up. He was also featured in a remix version of Omarion's Ice Box.Usher also appeared on the track " Shakedown " on Mary J.Blige 's new album " Growing Pains ". Usher is putting the finishing touches on his fifth studio album titled Here I Stand, scheduled to be released on June 8, 2008 according to his myspace page. Usher is the godson of performer Ben Vereen. In June 2007, Usher announced that he and his fiancée Tameka Foster were expecting a baby boy in the fall of 2007. This would be the first child for Usher, and the fourth for the recently divorced Foster. The coupled planned to be wed on July 28, 2007, at record executive LA Reid's home in the Hamptons, but the wedding was abruptly cancelled. On August 3, 2007, Usher and Foster were married in a quiet ceremony in his lawyer's office in Atlanta. In September 2007, Usher placed his Atlanta home in Country Club of the South on the market for an asking price of $1.95 million. Usher is a supporter of Presidential candidate, Barack Obama. Usher made a speech at Obama's political rally on September 20, 2007 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Tameka gave birth to a son, Usher Raymond V, on November 26, 2007. Usher's father, Usher Raymond III, passed away on January 18, 2008. |
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