Mary J Blige
Blige was born in Bronx, New York.[4] She is the second of four children born to parents Cora (a nurse; 1951-) and Thomas Blige (a jazz musician; 1948–2007).[5][6][7] Blige was taught to sing by her father. When Blige was four, her father (who is reported to have been physically abusive to Blige's mother) abandoned the family.[5] At the age of five, Blige was molested by a family friend.[8] Blige spent her early years in Richmond Hill, Georgia, where she sang in a Pentecostal church.[9] She later moved to Schlobohm Houses in Yonkers, New York, where she lived with her mother, older sister, five cousins, and two aunts.[4][6] She dropped out of school in the eleventh grade.[4] At the age of 17, Blige recorded an impromptu cover of Anita Baker's "Caught Up In the Rapture" at a recording booth in the Galleria Mall in White Plains, New York. Her mother's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette for Jeff Redd, a recording artist and A&R runner for Uptown Records.[5] Redd sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Andre Harrell. Harrell met with Blige and in 1989 she was signed to the label, becoming the company's youngest and first female artist.[9] After signing up to sing with H. Frison, Blige's early years there were dormant; the label continued to focus most of its attention on its more established acts. During this time, Blige occasionally did session work as a background singer for her label mates. In 1990, she was introduced as a background singer for Redd, during a performance at the Apollo Theatre. The same year she sang the hook on "I'll Do 4 U" by rapper and label mate Father MC, appearing in the concert-themed music video of the same name; In 1991, she was spotted on the syndicated TV show, Showtime at the Apollo, singing back up for Jeff Redd. In early fall of 1992, Blige guest spotted with Grand Puba with his single, Check It Out. Blige's first national debut appearance was in the summer of 1992 when she appeared on MTV . Discography1992: What's the 411? |
