Eugene Allen Booker, Jr. (born December 19, 1962), known professionally as Chuckii Booker, is an American producer,

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

and bandleader.

Biography

Booker emerged in the late 1980s as a prominent urban contemporary R&B artist and producer. He began recording music after being signed by his godfather,

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

, to his production company in 1984. Later, he played keyboards with the short-lived Epic Records band Tease for three years. Booker received his recording contract in an unlikely manner. He gave his demo tape to the manager of Gerald Albright to showcase his skills as a musician, but had forgotten about the songs on the other side of the tape that contained original songs with his vocals. As a result, he was offered a recording contract with Atlantic Records. Booker signed a recording contract with Atlantic to release his debut album ''Chuckii'' in 1989 in which he played all the instruments and sang all vocals. The album fared well on the strength of hit singles "(Don't U Know) I Love U" and the #1 R&B single "Turned Away". The follow-up final album ''Niice 'N Wiild'' was released in 1992 and yielded another chart-topping R&B hit " Games". Booker produced for several recording artists throughout the years, including

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Tr ...

, which yielded two #1 singles ("

All I Do Is Think of You "All I Do Is Think of You" is a song released by the Jackson 5 on the Motown label in 1975. It was initially released as the B-side to the group's single "Forever Came Today" before being released as an A-side single months later. The song is the ...

" & " Spread My Wings"), his godfather

, Janet Jackson, Vanessa William s,

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. ...

and many more. He was the musical director, producer and keyboardist for Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation World Tour as well as the opening act. Booker got the gig after he was invited by Jackson to the premiere of her long-form video ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814''. Although Booker went to the premiere to mingle with celebrities, he was caught off guard when Jackson asked him after the screening to be her musical director for the tour. Booker has carved a sizeable niche for himself as a record producer for artists such as

Lalah Hathaway Eulaulah Donyll "Lalah" Hathaway (born December 16, 1968) is an American singer. In 1990 Hathaway released her first album titled ''Lalah Hathaway''. After releasing another album, titled '' A Moment'' (1994), it debuted at number 34 on the To ...

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single ...

Angela Winbush Angela Lisa Winbush (born January 18, 1955) is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who rose to fame first in the 1980s R&B duo René & Angela, also scoring hits as a solo artist. To date, Winbush has sold over ...

, Diana Ross, Anastacia, Commissioned, Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, and Bette Midler.

Discography

Albums

Tease (as keyboardist and songwriter): * 1986: ''Tease'' ( Epic) As solo artist:

Singles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Booker, Chuckii Living people African-American songwriters American male singer-songwriters Record producers from California 1962 births Singer-songwriters from California American contemporary R&B singers 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people