Perri Arlette Reid (née McKissack; August 29, 1964), known professionally as the recording artist Pebbles, is an American

singer-songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted thr ...

, businesswoman, record producer, and music executive. Reid is known for her hit songs during the late 1980s and early 1990s such as "

Girlfriend A girlfriend is a female friend, acquaintance or partner, usually a female companion with whom one is platonically, romantically, or sexually involved. In a romantic context, this normally signifies a committed relationship where the indi ...

" (1987), "

Mercedes Boy "Mercedes Boy" is a song by American singer Pebbles from her 1987 self-titled debut studio album. The song was written by the singer and produced by Charlie Wilson, with additional production from Pebbles. "Mercedes Boy" was released as the albu ...

" (1988), " Giving You the Benefit" (1990), " Love Makes Things Happen", (1990), and "

Backyard A backyard, or back yard (known in the United Kingdom as a back garden or just garden), is a yard at the back of a house, common in suburban developments in the Western world. In Australia, until the mid-20th century, the back yard of a pro ...

" (1991). In addition to a recording career, Reid helped develop the successful

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...

group

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an As ...

. She is now an

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

-based minister, known as "Sister Perri".

Early life

Reid was born Perri Arlette McKissack on August 29, 1964, one of four siblings to two mixed African-American parents. Reid's parents divorced when she was around six years old. Her mother raised Reid and her siblings on the income of a waitress and housekeeper.

Career

Reid got her start at age sixteen in 1980 as a

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

for the percussionist/band leader Bill Summers and the funk band

Con Funk Shun Con Funk Shun (formerly known as Project Soul) is an American R&B and funk band whose popularity began in the mid-1970s and ran through the 1980s. They were influenced by funk legend James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. Signed to Mercury R ...

. Reid co-wrote one of Con Funk Shun's singles, "Body Lovers". A local musician gave Reid a production deal which fell through several months later when she became pregnant with her daughter. While working at an

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, real estate office she met contractor George L. Smith, who she later married. Smith bankrolled Pebbles with $80,000 for a demo tape and video for "

". The demo and video led to a contract with MCA. She recorded several hit singles on her own during the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "

", "

", " Giving You the Benefit", " Love Makes Things Happen", and "

". Reid's cousin is R&B singer

Cherrelle Cheryl Anne Norton (born October 13, 1958), better known by her stage name 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", "Where Do I Run To", " Ev ...

who was featured, along with

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 ...

, on her 1991 hit song, "Always". Meanwhile, by the time she began scoring her first solo successes, she and Smith had split. In July 1989, Pebbles formed the

-based production company Pebbitone and founded her own record label, Savvy Records. Pebbitone managed

, which was signed with her then husband

L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer. He is the founder and served as co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment. He also previously served as the chairman and CEO of Ep ...

's record label

LaFace Records LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achie ...

. When TLC filed for bankruptcy in 1995, due to Pebbles' alleged mismanagement regarding their funds, the ensuing conflict damaged Pebbles' marriage. She divorced Reid, and Pebbitone sued LaFace for $10 million. In 1997, Pebbles underwent a religious conversion. Under her new stage name "Sister Perri", she founded Women of God Changing Lives (WOGCL) Ministries. As an ordained minister, she now preaches and ministers through song. In 2008, after a thirteen-year music hiatus, Reid released her fourth album and debut gospel album, ''Prophetic Flows Vol I & II'', which peaked at #12 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Gospel Album Chart. In February 2011, she was named the executive producer/host of

Essence Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...

's national R&B search.

Personal life

Pebbles has been married five times and has three children. Pebbles gave birth to a daughter, Ashley Victoria Winzer, in January 1982. Her first marriage was to her daughter's father from 1982 until 1983. Her second marriage was to

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

contractor George L. Smith from 1983 until 1987, and made their home in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. Smith had a daughter, Jennifer (b. 1972). In July 1989, Pebbles married Reid. They had one son named Aaron, born in 1990. Reid and Pebbles later divorced in 1996. In 2000, Pebbles married former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player

Otis Nixon Otis Junior Nixon (born January 9, 1959) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1983), Cleveland Indians (1984–87), Montreal Expos (1988–90), Atlanta Brave ...

. They divorced in 2004. Pebbles married her fifth husband Excel Sharieff in 2012, an administrative law judge.

Discography

* '' Pebbles'' (1987) * ''

Always Always may refer to: Film and television * ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom * ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg * ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...

'' (1990) * '' Straight from My Heart'' (1995) * ''Prophetic Flows Vol I & II'' (2008)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pebbles Living people 20th-century African-American women singers American dance musicians New jack swing musicians American contemporary R&B singers Musicians from Oakland, California MCA Records artists American freestyle musicians 1964 births 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century African-American women singers