Cheryl Anne Norton (born October 13, 1958), better known by her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Cherrelle, is an American R&B singer and songwriter who gained fame in the mid-1980s. Her signature hits include "

I Didn't Mean to Turn You On "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" is the debut single written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and originally performed by Cherrelle in 1984. In 1986, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" was covered by Robert Palmer. Palmer's cover fared better on the pop c ...

", "Where Do I Run To", " Everything I Miss at Home", and duets with R&B singer

Alexander O'Neal Alexander O'Neal (born November 15, 1953) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and arranger from Natchez, Mississippi. O'Neal came to prominence in the mid-1980s as a solo artist, with eleven Top 40 singles on the US R&B chart, three of whic ...

such as "

Saturday Love "Saturday Love" is a song performed by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal. It was released in October 1985. The song peaked at #2 on the US R&B chart and became a moderate pop hit peaking at #26 on the US Hot 100 in the spring ...

" and "

Never Knew Love Like This "Never Knew Love Like This" is a top ten US R&B hit, and a top ten UK hit song duetted by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal; released in 1988. The song peaked at #2 in the US R&B chart, #26 in the UK and #28 in the ''Billboar ...

", as well as "Always" with her cousin Pebbles.

Biography

Cherrelle began her career working with jazz/R&B artists

Norman Connors Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led a number of influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads. He is pos ...

and

Michael Henderson Michael Earl Henderson (July 7, 1951 – July 19, 2022) was an American bass guitarist and vocalist. He was known for his work with Miles Davis in the early 1970s and on early fusion albums such as '' Jack Johnson'', '' Live-Evil'', and '' Ag ...

, as well as touring with

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

. After

Tabu Records Tabu Productions was an American record label founded by Clarence Avant in 1975. The label, Tabu Records, focused on R&B and funk. Founding Avant founded the label after Sussex Records went out of business in June 1975. Tabu Record's flagshi ...

founder

Clarence Avant Clarence Alexander Avant (born February 25, 1931) is an American music executive, entrepreneur, and film producer, who also went by the name of "The Black Godfather". Avant's 75th birthday was celebrated by ''Billboard'' in its February 2006 i ...

heard her demo, he signed her to Tabu Records in 1983. Cherrelle decided on her stage name after a boss from a previous job hollered "Cher-relle, you're late again!" In 1984, under the production of

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

, Cherrelle released her debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''Fragile''. It featured her first R&B top 10 single, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On". That song (with a music video homage to the film ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'', featuring Cherrelle as the beast's love interest) was covered about a year later by pop singer Robert Palmer on his 1985 album ''

Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal fl ...

''. It was also covered by

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

for her 2001 soundtrack album ''

Glitter Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...

'' using the same instrumental track. Cherrelle's follow-up album, ''High Priority'', was certified gold and produced the top 40 hit and the #2 R&B hit "

"; a duet with

, it would also land in the top 10 of the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, peaking at number 6. Cherrelle and O'Neal would have another top 40 single with "Never Knew Love Like This", which peaked at #28 US pop in 1988, and #2 R&B. A remixed version of "Saturday Love" on Tabu Records reached #55 in the

in early 1990. Her third album, 1988's ''

Affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...

'', included the Number 1 R&B single, "Everything I Miss at Home". The album's title track became another R&B hit, peaking at number 4 on the R&B charts. Cherrelle's cousin is pop singer

Perri "Pebbles" Reid Perri Arlette Reid (née McKissack; August 29, 1964), known professionally as the recording artist Pebbles, is an American recording artist, singer-songwriter, businesswoman, record producer, and music executive. Reid is known for her hit songs ...

; and she is the aunt of Brandi of the girl group Blaque. Cherrelle is also a first cousin of Musica Monica Feaster, Music Producer/Gospel Artist. In addition to Cherrelle's musical background, she and

Johnny Gill Johnny Gill Jr. (born May 22, 1966) is an American singer and actor. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B/ pop group New Edition and was also a member of the supergroup called LSG, with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. Gill has released ...

were featured on Pebbles' 1991 single "Always", which made the R&B top 20. That same year, Cherrelle released the album ''The Woman I Am'', a first-time departure from using Jam and Lewis productions. The singer linked with producer

Narada Michael Walden Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy. He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...

(known for working with

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

). Cherrelle reunited with the producers eight years later with her independent album ''The Right Time'', released in 1999, and featuring a guest appearance from rapper

Keith Murray Keith Omar Murray (born May 29, 1974) is an American rapper from New York. Murray grew up on Carleton Ave, in Central Islip, which is located on the South Shore of Long Island in Suffolk County. Murray was a known member of a local rap collec ...

Voice and musical ability

Cherrelle has a light-lyric

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

. Her voice has been called a "light, wispy and occasionally whiny soprano" which influenced the urban contemporary music markets by Ron Wynn of AllMusic. Cherrelle's "light and airy soprano" were considered the inspiration as to why

Jimmy Jam Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

and Terry Lewis wanted to produce her and showcase her gift to the world. Other critics gave her praise for being able to convey emotions.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

*''The Best of Cherrelle'' (1995,

Tabu Tabu may refer to: Cultural and legal concepts *Taboo (spelled ''tabu'' in earlier historical records), something that is unacceptable in society *Tapu (Polynesian culture) (also spelled ''tabu''), a Polynesian cultural concept from which the wor ...

) *''Greatest Hits'' (2005, Tabu) *''Icon'' (2011, Tabu)

Singles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cherrelle 1958 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century African-American women singers American contemporary R&B singers American women pop singers American funk singers American soul singers American sopranos Musicians from Los Angeles Singers from California Dance-pop musicians 21st-century African-American women singers