Angela Winbush facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Angela Winbush
Winbush in 1996
Background information
Birth name	Angela Lisa Winbush
Also known as	Angela L. Winbush (songwriting and production credits)
Born	(1955-01-18) January 18, 1955 (age 70) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul gospel new jack swing
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist composer record producer
Instruments	Vocals keyboards programming bass guitar drums
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Hip-O Mercury Elektra Island
Associated acts	René & Angela, René Moore, The Isley Brothers, Stephanie Mills, Lalah Hathaway, Sheena Easton, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G.

Angela Lisa Winbush (born January 18, 1955) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and music producer. She first became famous in the 1980s as part of the duo René & Angela. Later, she also had many hit songs as a solo artist. Angela Winbush has sold over 10 million albums and singles around the world.

Biography

Early Life and Starting Her Career

Angela Winbush was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She began singing in church when she was young. She went to Northwest High School. At first, Angela didn't plan to have a music career. She studied architecture at Howard University and only sang to earn extra money.

While at Howard, she kept singing in church. She also sang with the famous gospel musician Richard Smallwood. Angela performed with a group called "Hot Tea." They opened for well-known artists and sang background for recording artists. Another member of "Hot Tea" was Tawatha Agee, who later joined the funk and soul band Mtume.

By 1977, Angela changed her main study to music education. She made a demo recording and tried to get record labels interested. A music industry expert, Wayne K. Garfield, helped her. He introduced her to New York disc jockey Gary Byrd. This led Angela to join Stevie Wonder's backup singing group, Wonderlove. Stevie Wonder became her mentor, and she learned a lot about writing and arranging songs from him.

While in Los Angeles with Stevie Wonder, Angela met singer Rene Moore. They formed the duo René & Angela that same year. They soon realized they could also write and produce music for other artists. René & Angela released their first album in 1980. They followed it with Wall to Wall in 1982 and Rise in 1983. During this time, they had two top 20 R&B hit songs: "I Love You More" and "My First Love."

Big Hits and New Beginnings

In the early years of René & Angela, they were asked to write and produce four songs for Janet Jackson's first album in 1982. One of these songs, "Young Love," became Janet Jackson's first top ten R&B hit. They also wrote songs for artists like Rufus & Chaka Khan and Odyssey.

In 1985, René & Angela had a number one hit song with "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love" for Stephanie Mills. Angela had become good friends with Stephanie. The duo then signed with Mercury Records. They released their very successful album, Street Called Desire, in the same year.

This album included their first R&B number one hit, "Save Your Love (For #1)." This song featured rapper Kurtis Blow, making it one of the first songs to have a rapper featured so clearly. Other hit songs from the album were "I'll Be Good," "Your Smile" (another number one hit), and "You Don't Have to Cry." Street Called Desire sold over a million copies.

Even with this great success, Angela and Rene had disagreements. After their musical partnership ended, Rene Moore continued to write and produce music for other artists, including Michael Jackson.

In 1986, Angela Winbush met Ronald Isley. He was the lead singer of the famous group The Isley Brothers. Ronald wanted Angela to work on the Isley Brothers' next album. Angela produced, wrote, and arranged their album Smooth Sailin'. She helped the group get a top 10 R&B hit with the album's title song.

Solo Success and Collaborations

After working with The Isley Brothers, Ronald Isley became Angela Winbush's manager. He helped her release her first solo album, Sharp, in 1987. This album included the hit song "Angel." This song showed off Angela's amazing four-octave vocal range. "Angel" reached number one on the R&B charts for two weeks in 1987. Other popular songs from the album were "Run to Me" and "Hello Beloved," which was a duet with Ron Isley. The album stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for 28 weeks.

In 1988, Angela wrote and produced two songs for Sheena Easton's album The Lover in Me. In 1989, Winbush released her second solo album, The Real Thing. The main song, "It's The Real Thing", reached number two on the R&B chart. Other hits like "No More Tears" and "Lay Your Troubles Down" also did well. That same year, Angela wrote and produced another number one R&B hit for Stephanie Mills called "Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)".

In 1989, Angela Winbush wrote and produced all the songs for The Isley Brothers' album Spend the Night. This included the hit song "Spend the Night (Ce Soir)." The next year, she had more top 20 R&B hits as a writer and producer for the group Body and for singer Lalah Hathaway. In 1992, Angela worked with Ronald Isley again to co-write and co-produce another album for The Isley Brothers, Tracks of Life.

On June 26, 1993, Angela Winbush and Ronald Isley got married. A year later, Angela released her third solo album, Angela Winbush. This album featured the R&B hit "Treat U Rite," which reached number six on the R&B chart. In 1996, Winbush produced most of The Isley Brothers' album Mission to Please. This album included the song "Floatin' on Your Love," a duet between Angela and Ron Isley. Angela continued to work with The Isley Brothers until 2001. Angela and Ronald Isley later separated.

In 2003, Angela Winbush shared that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After successful surgery and treatment, she recovered and returned to performing. She has spoken about how her strong faith helped her through this health challenge.

Her Impact on Music

Angela Winbush and Rene Moore have influenced many R&B and hip-hop artists. Their music has been used in songs by artists like The Notorious B.I.G. and Foxy Brown. Singer Avant also re-recorded their song "My First Love" with Keke Wyatt. Angela surprised the audience by singing with Avant on stage in 2001.

Angela Winbush is known for her gospel-influenced humming in her songs. She has inspired singers like Syleena Johnson and Chante Moore. René & Angela were also among the first R&B acts to clearly feature a rapper in their songs. Angela Winbush is also special because she is one of the few female artists who has been very successful as a songwriter, arranger, producer, and musician. She plays piano and keyboards.

TV Appearances

After being away from mainstream TV for some years, Angela Winbush performed her song "Angel" live on The Mo'Nique Show in March 2010. She was also featured in the TV One documentary Unsung in October 2010. This show talked about her career and how her musical journey with Rene Moore ended due to their disagreements.

Discography

Studio Albums

Compilation Albums

• Ultimate Collection (2001, Hip-O)
• Greatest Love Songs (2003, Hip-O)

Singles

Other Appearances

With Donald Byrd

• Thank You...For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life) (Elektra, 1978)

Awards and Nominations