At a Glance …īorn Usher Raymond IV in Dallas, Texas, probably on Octoraised by single mother Jonnetta Patton (a choir director, later his manager) one brother, James.Ĭareer: Recording artist and actor. Usher continued to enter competitions, and, around 1991, took home his biggest prize yet: he was named best teen male vocalist on the nationally broadcast television program, Star Search. The family moved to Atlanta because of the city ’s importance as a spawning ground for new R&B talent during the 1990s. Then she nurtured his competitive instincts by entering him in talent contests, and Usher justified his mother ’s confidence by winning many of them. Usher ’s mother spotted her son ’s talents and honed them by getting him to join her church choir, a critical step for many vocalists in the R&B tradition. Ironically, it was a song recorded eight years before he was born, the Jackson 5 ’s “I Want You Back ” (with Michael Jackson ’s ebullient vocals), that first caught the youngster ’s attention and made him think about singing himself. The members of Usher ’s extended family, which included grandmothers and aunts as well as his mother, were fans of R&B radio, and he soaked up various vocal sounds when he was young. “She showed me the difference between good and evil, ” Usher told Interview.
But Usher benefited from constant support and encouragement from his mother, Jonnetta Patton. His father, despite the long continuity of male family lineage implied by the fourth generation of the “Usher ” name, abandoned his family. Usher was born Usher Raymond IV on Octo(some sources give the year as 1979), in Dallas, Texas, but grew up (from age one) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. At the century ’s end, Usher was attempting to add to his stature with a well-planned launch of a new acting career, and he seemed likely, thanks to what People described as his “sculpted pecs, six-pack abs, and come-hither croon, ” to enjoy a greater longevity than other teenage stars. ” Usher ’s musical talents were obvious, and became recognized with a 1998 Grammy award nomination for Best Male R&B vocal performance.
“I twisted my ankle -well, they twisted my ankle -in Amsterdam. “I actually have been hurt, ” he told Interview magazine writer Dimitri Ehrlich. A genuine teen idol, Usher travels with bodyguards.
One of the many teenage vocalists who flourished in the 1990s, Usher had natural good looks and personal presence that set him apart from the pack.
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