Sterling Lauren Simms (born July 7, 1982), is an American R&B singer-songwriter. His debut album, '' Yours, Mine & The Truth'' was released on December 23, 2008, by Def Jam Records.

Biography and career

Sterling recorded his first song with his grandfather at the age of 6. His grandfather, a musician himself, introduced him to the sounds of

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

. When he was 15, his mother moved the family of four children to Atlanta. There Sterling began to make the rounds with Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and other music makers in the city. After a period struggling, Sterling began to focus on writing, putting his artist ambitions aside. Returning to Philadelphia, Sterling reconnected with Kenny Gamble. Back in Atlanta, Sterling met up with producer Teddy Bishop, who liked the songs Sterling was working on. Bishop asked, "Who was the voice behind the songs?" At Teddy's prompting Sterling decided to pursue becoming a performer again. He sang for Lyor Cohen,

Kevin Liles Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968) is an American record executive and co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment. In 2020, Kevin was recognized by Billboard Magazine as R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year for both his efforts in activism and the c ...

and a group of other influential music executives, giving them Sam Cooke's "A Long Time Coming." They were impressed with Sterling and by this time Warner Bros and Atlantic were very interested in signing him. While waiting for an offer, Sterling traveled to Miami with Bishop to the VMAs. Bishop played Sterling's music for industry veteran George Robinson. Robinson recognized his talent at once and convinced the partners of One Recordings to make Sterling their first release. Sterling signed with One Recordings and began finishing his album and eventually a meeting was set up with L.A. Reid at Island/Def Jam. Two months later One Recordings signed a deal with Island/Def Jam to jointly release Sterling Simms. Sterling's musical influences include

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

, Sade, Brian McKnight, Mario, New Edition,

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** Fiel ...

and Latin music generally. In 2009, Sterling co-wrote "Robot Love," a song on Allison Iraheta's debut album " Just Like You," which will be released on December 1, 2009. In early 2011, Sterling signed a recording deal with RCA Records and is currently working on his second effort.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Yours, Mine & The Truth'' (2008) * ''July's Finest'' (2011)

Mixtapes

* ''July's Finest'' (2011) * ''Mary & Molly'' (2012)

Guest appearances

*03. "Was It Worth It" (with Kid Ink) on " Almost Home"

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Sterling American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Living people 1982 births J Records artists RCA Records artists African-American male singers American soul singers 21st-century American singers Rappers from Philadelphia African-American songwriters 21st-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania