Michael Sterling (born October 26, 1960) is an American singer and composer from Miami, Florida. His 1990 single 'Lovers and Friends' was a quiet storm classic, having notably been sampled in Usher,

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

and

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

and the East Side Boyz '

Lovers and Friends ''Lovers and Friends'' is an American soap opera that aired on NBC from January 3 to May 6, 1977. When the show didn't catch on immediately, NBC put the show on hiatus for seven months, and then brought it back on December 6, 1977, as a retooled ...

'. Sterling also worked with Miami artists having produced for

MC Shy D Peter Jones, professionally known by his stage name MC Shy D, is an American rapper and Record producer, producer originally from the Bronx, New York, but was based in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia and thus became known as one of the first rappers to ...

, engineered for

2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop group from Miami, Florida, formed in 1984. The group was originally composed of DJ Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs), Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won), and Amazing Vee (Yuri Vielot), though its most well-known lineup ...

and Poison Clan, and was briefly a member of the Reggae group Inner Circle.

History

His musical career started in his teens when he played bass guitar for popular Latino recording artist Ray Fernandez. Soon afterwards, Sterling and two childhood friends formed the group ''Silver Platinum'', who quickly scored a hit on the R&B charts with their single ''Dance''. He then went on to play lead guitar and sing as a member of the Grammy award winning reggae band Inner Circle, well known for their hit ''Bad Boys''. After touring with Inner Circle, Sterling returned to Miami and began his career as a solo artist. During this time, he started his own record label TSOM Records, where he engineered and produced for local artists 2 Live Crew, MC Shy D, Anquette, Poison Clan and others. He also served as musical director for BMG recording artist

Blu Cantrell Tiffany Cobb (born March 16, 1976), known professionally as Blu Cantrell, is an American contemporary R&B, R&B singer. Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at number two ...

. His first album, The Artist, didn't generate much attention. He first struck big time stardom with his second album, No Such Animal, in 1987 produced the songs, 'One More Chance', 'Is It Still Good To Ya' and the timely socially conscious theme song, 'Holiday'. The song, Cheating While She's Wearing My Ring, received a lot of airplay on the video channels (It is not on the album though). His voice is known for its trademark slight sweet and soft falsetto sound.

Later years

During the 1990s and 2000s, Sterling maintained a low profile, while still releasing albums and producing. He still garners rave reviews and fans worldwide. In 2005, Usher,

and

and the East Side Boyz covered his song,

from his 1990 album, ''

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

''. The song was released on the quadruple platinum album Crunk Juice and was the winner of two BMI Billboard awards including ‘Hip Hop Song of the Year'. In 2006, his song Bedroom Boom was covered by The Ying Yang Twins feat.

Avant Avant can refer to: People * Avant, part of music production team Bloodshy & Avant * Avant (singer), Myron Avant, an American singer * Clarence Avant, a music executive * Jason Avant, is a US American football player Places * Avant, Oklahoma, ...

on the platinum Ying Yang CD ''U.S.A''. On November 17, 2009, volume 1 of his new two volume album, ''Eyes Around My Heart'' was released online.

Personal life

Sterling has received the key to Metropolitan Miami Dade County. Sterling is married to Irene Rena Sterling.

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Singles

Discography with Inner Circle

Billboard (Writer/Composer)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sterling, Michael Living people American male composers 21st-century American composers 1960 births Musicians from Miami American contemporary R&B singers 21st-century American male musicians African-American composers African-American singers