Cheryl Anne Norton (born October 13, 1958), better known by her

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

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 "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" is the debut single originally performed by American singer Cherrelle and written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in 1984. In the song, the singer is attempting to rebuff unwanted sexual advances following a date, inclu ...

", "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 Contemporary R&B, 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 char ...

such as "

Saturday Love "Saturday Love" is a song performed by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal. The song was written and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and was released in October 1985. It peaked at No. 2 on the US R&B chart and became a mo ...

" and "

Never Knew Love Like This "Never Knew Love Like This" is a top ten US R&B hit song duetted by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal; released in 1988. The song peaked at #2 in the US R&B chart, #26 in the UK and #28 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was th ...

", as well as "Always" with her cousin Pebbles.

Biography

Born in Los Angeles, her father, James Feaster, was an Detroit attorney who also managed her. She 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 poss ...

and

Michael Henderson Michael Earl Henderson (July 7, 1951 – July 19, 2022) was an American bass guitarist and vocalist. He was known for his work with Miles Davis in the early 1970s on early fusion albums such as '' Jack Johnson'', '' Live-Evil'', and '' Aghart ...

, as well as touring with

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

. After

Tabu Records Tabu Productions was an American record label founded by Clarence Avant in 1975. It focused on R&B and funk. History Avant founded the label after Sussex Records went out of business in June 1975. Tabu Record's flagship release, '' Stormin' ...

founder

Clarence Avant Clarence Alexander Avant (February 25, 1931 – August 13, 2023) was a prominent American music executive and film producer. Originating from Climax, North Carolina, Avant began his professional journey in the 1950s, managing Teddy P's Lounge ...

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. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

, Cherrelle released her debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''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, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

'', 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 * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

singer

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...

on his 1985 album ''

Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal fl ...

''. It was also covered by

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

for her 2001 soundtrack album ''

Glitter Glitter is an assortment of flat, small, reflective particles that are precision cut and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles resemble confetti, sparkles and sequins, but somewhat smaller. Since prehistoric times ...

'' 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 "

"; a duet with

, it would also land in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, 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 UK Singles Chart in early 1990. Her third album, 1988's ''

Affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...

'', 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 Perri Arlette Reid (née McKissack; August 29, 1964), known professionally as Pebbles, is an American singer-songwriter, businesswoman, pastor, and record producer and executive. She is known for her hits during the late 1980s and early 1990s s ...

; 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 Johnny Gill Jr. (born May 22, 1966) is an American singer and songwriter. 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 rel ...

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, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

). 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 Keith Omar Murray (born May 29, 1972) is an American rapper from New York. He is best known for being a member of the hip hop group Def Squad, which includes fellow rappers Redman and fellow Long Island native Erick Sermon. The group releas ...

Voice and musical ability

Cherrelle has a light-lyric

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

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 stud ...

. 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 Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

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 * '' Fragile'' (1984) * '' High Priority'' (1985) * ''

'' (1988) * ''The Woman I Am'' (1991) * ''The Right Time'' (1999)

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 Singers from Los Angeles American dance-pop musicians 21st-century African-American women singers