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", "Where Do I Run To", "

Everything I Miss at Home "Everything I Miss at Home" is a 1988 single by Cherrelle from her third studio album ''Affair''. The single was one of the most successful of her career, peaking at number one on The Black Singles chart for one week. Unlike previous Cherrelle r ...

", 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" and " Never Knew Love Like This", 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, 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 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 Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

singer

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful, soulful voice and wikt:sartorial, sartorial elegance, and his stylistic explorations, combining Soul music, so ...

on his 1985 album '' Riptide''. 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 ...

for her 2001 soundtrack album '' Glitter'' 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 " Saturday Love"; 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'', 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; 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 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 "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

). 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.

Voice and musical ability

Cherrelle has a light-lyric soprano

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 st ...

. 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 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) *''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