Kelly Cherelle Price (born April 4, 1973) is an American R&B and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

singer. She started her singing career in 1992. Price originally garnered attention by singing backing vocals for

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 w ...

on multiple songs, including her ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number one singles: "

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

" and " All I Want for Christmas Is You"; before rising to greater prominence after making uncredited guest appearances on the number one single "

Mo Money Mo Problems "Mo Money Mo Problems" is a song by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released through Bad Boy Records and Arista Records, which impacted US mainstream radio stations on July 15, 1997, as the second single from his second and final stud ...

" by

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

, as well as " Feel So Good" by

Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his mononym Mase (formerly Murda Mase and stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper and minister. In the late 1990s, he recorded on the Bad Boy Records label alongside its founder Sean ...

, which prompted her to release her own music. Her debut album ''Soul of a Woman'' (1998), was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

. The album's lead single " Friend of Mine" reached the top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. In 1998, Price was featured on the

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

single "

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being ...

" alongside

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al ...

, which peaked at number two and earned the trio a nomination for the

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by ma ...

. Her second album, ''Mirror Mirror'' (2000), and her fourth album Priceless (2003), both reached the top ten on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. In 2016, she made an uncredited appearance on

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's song " Ultralight Beam" from his album ''

The Life of Pablo ''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in I ...

''. Price has won a

Soul Train Music Award The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...

, and has received nine

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nominations.

Life and music career

Price was born in

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 ...

Far Rockaway, Queens Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the eastern part of the Rockaway peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood extends from Beach 32nd Street east to the Nassau County line ...

, and she sang in church as a youngster. Her first professional engagement was with singer

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling music ...

at Madison Square Garden in New York City in January 1992. During rehearsals for the 1992 Grammy Awards the next month, Price was overheard singing in the rehearsal hall by

. Price was later introduced to Carey's then-husband, Sony Columbia's then CEO

Tommy Mottola Thomas Daniel Mottola (born July 14, 1948) is an American music executive, producer and author. Mottola is currently the Chairman of Mottola Media Group and was previously the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columb ...

, and was offered a gig as a background singer for Carey, which she did until 1997. Her second album, '' Mirror Mirror'', was released in 2000 on the Def Soul imprint of

Def Jam Records Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

. Island Records and Def Jam Records had merged in 1999, with Price and some other labelmates being reassigned to the Island Def Jam subsidiary Def Soul. ''Mirror Mirror'' featured the singles "You Should've Told Me" and the

nominated "As We Lay". In October 2005, Price recorded her first live gospel album. The '' This Is Who I Am'' album has been released on October 24, 2006, on her own label, EcclecticSounds Records. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Gospel Charts and peaked at No. 9 on the R&B album chart. Price was inducted as an honorary member of

Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority, international collegiate, and non-profit community service organization that was founded on November 12, 1922, by seven educators on the Irvington campus (1875– ...

sorority in July 2006. In early 2007, Price kicked off a tour with the 'Sisters in the Spirit 2007'. In 2006, she recorded the song "Why?" for the soundtrack ''

Why Did I Get Married? ''Why Did I Get Married?'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film adaptation written, produced, directed, and starring Tyler Perry. It was inspired by Perry's play of the same name. The film also stars Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Malik Yoba, Shar ...

'', the film version of ''Why Did I Get Married? Priceless Secrets from The Soul of A Woman'', in which Price created the role of Sheila alongside

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmma ...

who used the song titles and lyrical content of Price's hit recordings to develop the story. In early 2009, she was featured on Coko's gospel album entitled '' The Winner in Me'' on the track "Oh Mary". In June 2010, Price promoted her single "Tired" on The Jazz Joy and Roy syndicated radio show as "some of the best work of my career to date." The song was also featured in Tyler Perrys 2011 film ''

Madea's Big Happy Family ''Madea's Big Happy Family'' is a 2010 American stage play created, produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tyler Perry as Mabel "Madea" Simmons and Cassi Davis as Aunt Bam. The play also marks the debut appearance of Aunt Bam p ...

''. On February 9, 2012, in a pre-

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

party to celebrate Price's nominations, the singer sang "

Jesus Loves Me "Jesus Loves Me" is a Christian hymn written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915). The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called ''Say and Seal'', written by her older sister Susan Warner (1819–1885), in which ...

" with

in what turned out to be Houston's last public performance two days before her death. In September 2009, it was announced she would be joining

Deborah Cox Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before ...

and

Tamia Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development de ...

to form the group The Queen Project. The women seek to empower women of all ages, races, and backgrounds by doing a number of community service projects. In 2016, Kelly was included in several songs on rapper

's album, ''

''. Kelly was a co-writer with American R&B singer

K. Michelle Kimberly Michelle Pate (born March 4, 1982) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She is most known from VH1's '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' and after appearing as a regular cast member for two seasons on the reality televis ...

, on her single Not a Little Bit which was released on January 22, 2016. It is the lead single from the singer's third studio album, ''

More Issues Than Vogue ''More Issues Than Vogue'' is the third studio album by American R&B recording artist K. Michelle. It was released on March 25, 2016, by Atlantic Records. The album was preceded by the release of the singles " Not a Little Bit"and " Ain't You". ' ...

''. In September 2021, Price was declared missing as reported by TMZ. Her attorney later stated she was privately recuperating from a severe covid infection.

Legal issues

On July 16, 2010, a lawsuit was filed in a Texas federal court by Price against a nationally known prosperity ministry, New Light Church of Houston, ''et al.'' Other defendants in the case include New Light's pastor, I. V. Hilliard, wife, Bridget Hilliard and daughter, Preshea Hilliard. Price claims she wrote and copyrighted a song called "Women Who Win," which New Light Church and three members of the Hilliard family used without permission in a church show, on DVDs, on a website, and at a "Women Who Win" conference in Houston. The original court docket indicates that the involved parties continued to use the work in a variety of ways despite being refused license to use. Price, however, did not win the case as the court stated she and her legal team failed to state a claim for which relief can be granted. The court also denied Price and her legal team's request to amend the pleadings a second time; it had previously been amended. As such, the court granted the defendants' Motion to Dismiss request. In 2014, Price left the Los Angeles mansion she had shared and was renting with her now-estranged husband, Jeffrey Rolle, as they were getting a divorce. Months after Price's departure from the home, the landlord subsequently evicted Price's husband and the couple's daughter from the home. The landlord filed a lawsuit against Price and Rolle in early 2015, claiming that the couple had trashed the house and the estimated cost to repair the property was $100,000. In March 2015, the landlord won his case, forcing Price and Rolle to pay over $100,000 in damages and court fees. In 2018, Bebashi, a nonprofit HIV/AIDS organization, filed a lawsuit against Price and her company Sang Girl Productions, alleging that Price took $25,000 in advance to perform at a fundraiser that the organization would be hosting. The lawsuit alleges that Price was a no-show and she did not return the $25,000 she had received in advance.

Family

Price grew up in the Edgemere Projects located in New York City in Far Rockaway, Queens. Her father died when she was nine years old. She resides in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

. Price's grandfather is Jerome Norman, bishop and pastor of the Full Gospel Mission

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness– Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly ...

in Queens and Jurisdictional Prelate of the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...

since 1985 by the late Presiding Bishop J.O. Patterson. Her mother, Claudia (1951–2020), was the former musical director of the church. Price began singing in church as a youngster. In 2020, Price lost her grandfather to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

Breast cancer activism

In December 2000, Price donated $250,000 to fight breast cancer. She presented a check to Tony Martell of the T.J. Martell Foundation and Denise Rich of G&P Foundation For Cancer Research to help with the ongoing fight against breast cancer. Price donated the proceeds from her single "Love Sets You Free" which she recorded in January 2000. In April 1999, Price volunteered to showcase her fashion designs during a special charity gala and fashion show to help the National Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative raise money for breast cancer education for minority women. The previous year, in 1998, Price learned that both her mother and her mother-in-law had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which would later claim her mother-in-law's life. Price's mother was a survivor of inflammatory breast cancer and an activist in educating the public about the disease. She was the chairwoman of the seventh annual Sister to Sister Fitness Festival held in

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, Texas which was sponsored by the Celebrating Life Foundation. Claudia experienced pain in her breast in 1997, but said fear and a lack of insurance kept her from seeking immediate medical attention. Instead, she waited two years before seeing a doctor. While at work one day in 1999, her doctor called and said she had inflammatory breast cancer. Doctors gave her two months to live. She underwent chemotherapy, and the disease was in remission as of October 2006.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Soul of a Woman'' (1998) * '' Mirror Mirror'' (2000) * ''One Family: A Christmas Album'' (2001) * '' Priceless'' (2003) * '' This Is Who I Am'' (2006) * ''

Kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

'' (2011) * '' Sing Pray Love, Vol. 1: Sing'' (2014) * ''

Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...

'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

;AMFT Awards !Ref. , - , rowspan=2, 2016 , rowspan=2, " Ultralight Beam" (with

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape ''10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American songwriter, choir director, gospel singer, and rapper. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel ensembles such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC) ...

and

The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...

) , Best Rap Song , , rowspan=2, , - , Best Rap Duo/Group Performance , ;American Music Award , - ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

, Kelly Price , Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist , ;Billboard Music Awards !Ref. , - ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, Kelly Price , Top Hot R&B Singles Artists – Female , , , - , rowspan=3,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, rowspan=3, "

" (with

and

) , Top Hot 100 Song , , rowspan=3, , - , Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Single , , - , Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Single Sales , ;Grammy Award , - ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, "

" (with

and

) ,

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 th ...

, , - ,

, "As We Lay" ,

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

, , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

, "He Proposed" , Best Traditional R&B Performance , , - ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, "Tired" , Best Female R&B Vocal Performance , , - , rowspan="3",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, rowspan="2", "Not My Daddy" (feat. Stokley Williams) ,

Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

, , - , Best R&B Song , , - , ''Kelly'' ,

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

, , - , rowspan="2",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, rowspan="2", " Ultralight Beam" (with

and

) , Best Rap/Sung Performance , , - , Best Rap Song , ;MTV Video Music Award , - ,

, "Heartbreak Hotel" (with Whitney Houston and Faith Evans) , Best R&B Video , ;Soul Train Music Award , - , rowspan="3",

, Kelly Price , Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist , , - , " Friend of Mine" (feat. R. Kelly and Ronald Isley) , Best R&B/Soul Single, Female , , - , '' Soul of a Woman'' , Best R&B/Soul Album, Female , , - ,

, ''Mirror, Mirror'' , Best R&B/Soul Album, Female , ;SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards , - , rowspan="2", 2011 , Kelly Price , Favorite Female Vocalist of The Year , , - , ''Kelly'' , Indie Album of The Year ,

References

External links

* *
Kelly Price Interview with Benji Irby
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Kelly Living people African-American women singers African-American Christians American dance musicians American gospel singers American mezzo-sopranos American Pentecostals American soul singers Def Jam Recordings artists Members of the Church of God in Christ People from Far Rockaway, Queens People from DeKalb County, Georgia American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American contemporary R&B singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers Ballad musicians 21st-century American singers 20th-century American singers African-American songwriters 1973 births Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)