Cherrelle facts for kids

Cheryl Anne Norton (born October 13, 1958), known by her stage name Cherrelle, is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She became famous in the mid-1980s. Some of her most well-known songs include "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" and "Everything I Miss at Home". She also sang popular duets with Alexander O'Neal, like "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This". Another hit was "Always" with her cousin, the singer Pebbles.

About Cherrelle

Cherrelle was born in Los Angeles. Her father, James Feaster, was a lawyer from Detroit who also helped manage her music career. She started by working with jazz and R&B artists like Norman Connors and Michael Henderson. She also toured with the famous singer Luther Vandross.

In 1983, Clarence Avant, who started Tabu Records, heard her music. He was so impressed that he signed her to his record label. Cherrelle chose her stage name after a boss from an old job used to call out "Cher-relle, you're late again!"

Early Music Success

In 1984, Cherrelle released her first album, Fragile. It was produced by the well-known team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. This album featured her first top 10 R&B song, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On". This song was so popular that other artists later covered it. Pop singer Robert Palmer covered it in 1985, and Mariah Carey used the same music for her 2001 album Glitter.

Her next album, High Priority, was a big hit and sold enough copies to be "certified gold." This means it sold over 500,000 copies! The album included the popular duet "Saturday Love" with Alexander O'Neal. This song reached number 2 on the R&B charts and was also a top 10 hit in the UK. Cherrelle and O'Neal had another hit together called "Never Knew Love Like This."

In 1988, Cherrelle released her third album, Affair. This album featured the number 1 R&B song, "Everything I Miss at Home." The song "Affair" also became a top 5 R&B hit.

Family and Later Work

Cherrelle has strong musical ties in her family. Her cousin is the pop singer Perri "Pebbles" Reid. Cherrelle is also the aunt of Brandi, who was in the girl group Blaque.

In 1991, Cherrelle and Johnny Gill were featured on Pebbles' song "Always," which became a top 20 R&B hit. That same year, Cherrelle released her album The Woman I Am. This album was different because it was not produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Instead, she worked with Narada Michael Walden, who was known for working with Whitney Houston.

Cherrelle worked with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis again in 1999 for her album The Right Time. This album also featured the rapper Keith Murray.

Cherrelle's Voice

Cherrelle has a special singing voice called a "light-lyric soprano." A soprano is the highest type of female singing voice. Music critics have described her voice as "light, wispy, and airy."

Her unique voice was a big reason why Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wanted to produce her music. They wanted to show her talent to the world. Critics also praised Cherrelle for being able to express a lot of feelings through her singing.

Albums

• Fragile (1984)
• High Priority (1985)
• Affair (1988)
• The Woman I Am (1991)
• The Right Time (1999)