Christopher Lamont Bender (August 2, 1972 – November 3, 1991) was an American R&B singer who reached the national music charts in 1991 with the album entitled ''Draped'' before his murder.

Life and career

Christopher Lamont Bender was the youngest of six children to Andrew Bender, a construction worker and Betty Ann Bender, a nurse's aide. He was born on August 2, 1972, in

Brockton, Massachusetts Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population is 105,643 as of the 2020 United States Census. Along with Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of ...

. The Bender family were active in church and at the age of 10 years old, Bender sang an emotional "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

". Bender's musical influences were

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

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and

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 198 ...

. At the age of 12, Bender met Bobby Jones who owned a studio and helped Chris Bender develop his singing voice, and they were called The Next Generation with the late Robert L Winstead as their manager. At the recording studio called Annie Mae Recording in the city of Brockton and Major recording studio called Normandy Sounds in Warren RI and At 14 years old, Bender formed a group with his two brothers and two cousins called "Steady Life", performing in Brockton. Bender was expelled from

Brockton High School Brockton High School, established in 1870, is a high school located in Brockton, Massachusetts. It is a part of Brockton Public Schools. As of 2016 Brockton High School, with 4,029 students, is one of the largest high schools in the United State ...

at 16 for fighting in school. He went to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and met Earl Williams who became his manager and got him a record deal with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

in 1989. Bender was from the Boston, Massachusetts, area, growing up in Brockton and Waltham. At the age of 16, Bender recorded his first album, ''Chris Bender'', for

. The first single "Baby Girl" was released in 1989 but limited copies of the album were released. Bender's manager Terryl L. Calloway later stated about ''Baby Girl'': " The video was never eleased " Bender nevertheless went on to secure a $500,000 contract with

EastWest Records East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in London, England. History Upon its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had one hit with th ...

. He signed a seven-album contract, although only one album on that contract was released before his death. The album ''Draped'' hit No. 92 on the

Billboard magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

R&B album chart. His two charted singles "I Knew" and "That's Not The Way" broke into the top 70 on the

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. Other songs he was known for included "Who Will I Choose" and "Kiss and Make Up". His first single "I Knew" peaked at #43 on Billboards R&B singles chart, staying on there for 10 weeks. The follow-up single "That's Not The Way" peaked at #68 on the Billboards Hot R&B singles chart, staying on the chart for 5 weeks. "I Knew" was his only music video.

Death

On November 3, 1991, at 2:17 am, Bender was shot and killed in Brockton while sitting in his blue Mercedes Benz outside of the Crescent Court housing project where his mother lived. Bender was sitting in the driver's seat of the car. His 17 year-old cousin, Jesse Starks, was sitting in the passenger’s seat. Bender and Starks were smoking marijuana and talking when three hooded men approached and fired 21 gunshots at the vehicle. Bender used his body to shield Starks from the gunshots. Starks was unharmed, but Bender was struck four times in the back of his torso and once in his elbow. He later died from his wounds in the hospital. On November 9, 1991, Bender was buried at Melrose Cemetery in Plymouth County in Brockton, Massachusettes. Eroy Kindell was convicted of second degree murder; he was released on parole in 2008. His accomplice Stephen "Sticks" Fernandes was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.

Discography

Chris Bender (1989/CD)

:1. Teddy Bear :2. Baby Girl :3. Any Good Girls Left :4. Conceited Girl :5. Never Give Up On Me :6. That's How Love Happens :7. Intimate Lover :8. Go On And Love Your Lady

Draped (1991 / CD)

:1. I Knew :2. Draped :3. It's All About You :4. Spellbound :5. Prelude... Stay Til The Morning :6. Don't Go Home :7. That's Not The Way :8. Sorry Didn't Do It :9. Who Will I Choose? :10. Pouring Like Rain :11. Kiss & Make Up :12. Kiss & Make Up he Apologize Mix UPC: 075679170828Chris Bender - Draped (12 tracks) +Album Reviews
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Chris 1972 births 1991 deaths Musicians from Boston 1991 murders in the United States American contemporary R&B singers People murdered in Massachusetts Deaths by firearm in Massachusetts American murder victims Murdered African-American people Singers from Massachusetts 20th-century American singers 20th-century African-American musicians