Dionne Farris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dionne Farris
|
|
|---|---|
Farris at the 2013 Black Women Rock concert
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dionne Yvette Farris |
| Also known as | The Original Soul Rocker, Lady DY |
| Born | December 4, 1969 Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts |
|
Dionne Yvette Farris (born December 4, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. She was born and grew up in New Jersey. Dionne started singing when she was in elementary school. As a teenager, she even competed in pageants.
In the early 1990s, she became known for singing on the hit song "Tennessee" by the hip hop group Arrested Development. Later, Dionne Farris released her first album, Wild Seed – Wild Flower, in 1994. This album included her very popular song "I Know" in 1995. The music video for "I Know" won an award. She was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 1996 for her singing.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Dionne Farris was born in Plainfield, New Jersey. Her parents, Larraine and Richard Farris, both loved music. They named her Dionne after their favorite singer, Dionne Warwick. Dionne grew up in Bordentown, New Jersey, raised by her mother. Her mother's family helped her discover many musical artists who influenced her.
When she was a child, Dionne loved Diana Ross. One of her favorite memories is going to a Diana Ross concert at age eight. Her uncle lifted her onto the stage, and Diana Ross gave her a kiss!
Dionne started dance lessons at age three. She learned ballet, jazz, and tap for 10 years. At 13, she decided to focus on singing instead. She sang in her high school choir.
After high school in 1987, Dionne studied photography at college. She also entered a pageant and won "Miss Hemisphere's Adult Talent" in 1987. She sang Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You".
Later, Dionne joined a band called 2.0, which then became Breaking Ground. They performed in clubs in New York City. Dionne then moved to Atlanta, where her father lived. There, she met producer Jermaine Dupri. She began writing songs for groups like TLC and sang background vocals for artists like El Debarge. She also joined a girl group called Onyx for a short time.
Career Highlights
Singing with Arrested Development
Dionne Farris and the hip hop group Arrested Development were managed by the same company. The group needed a female singer for their album 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of.... Dionne agreed to sing with them, even though she wasn't an official member.
She sang on three of their songs, including their big hit "Tennessee". Dionne performed "Tennessee" with Arrested Development on TV shows like the MTV Movie Awards. She also joined them on their first national tour.
After "Tennessee" became a huge success, Dionne started getting a lot of attention. She was offered a record deal, but she wanted to have control over her music. She also had some disagreements with the group's leader. In September 1992, Dionne and Arrested Development went their separate ways.
Success with Wild Seed – Wild Flower
After leaving Arrested Development, Dionne started working with Milton Davis and David Harris. They created a demo, which is a sample of their music. This demo was sent to Sony Music. Randy Jackson, who later became famous as a judge on American Idol, signed Dionne to Columbia Records.
Her first album, Wild Seed – Wild Flower, came out in 1994. It featured the hit song "I Know" in 1995. This song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 1996. "I Know" was the most played song on mainstream radio stations in 1995. It stayed at number one on the Mainstream Top 40 chart for 10 weeks!
On April 8, 1995, Dionne Farris was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. She performed "I Know" and a special acoustic version of the Beatles song "Blackbird."
Songs for Movies
Dionne Farris has also contributed songs to several movie soundtracks.
- In 1995, her song "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" was in the documentary The Promised Land. It was also the opening song for the movie Ghosts of Mississippi.
- For the movie The Truth About Cats & Dogs, she sang a version of the Stevie Wonder classic "For Once in My Life".
- She also sang "Heartbreak Road" by Bill Withers for the movie The First Wives Club.
- Her song "Hopeless" was featured on the Love Jones soundtrack in 1997.
Later Music and Independent Releases
Dionne Farris recorded a second album called For Truth if Not Love. However, she had creative disagreements with her record label, Columbia Records. Because of this, the album was not released by the label at that time. After a disagreement, Dionne left the label. The album was finally released about twelve years later, in 2007, on iTunes.
Since then, Dionne Farris has released music independently. This means she released it on her own record label, Free & Clear Records.
- In 2011, she released Signs of Life, which was named one of the top soul albums of that year.
- She also released a mixtape called Lady Dy, the Mixtape Pt 1 in 2011.
- In 2012, she released a live jazz album called Dionne Get Your Gunn.
Personal Life
Dionne Farris has a daughter named Baby Tate, who is also a rapper. Her father is David Ryan Harris, a former member of the band Follow for Now.
Discography
Albums
- Wild Seed – Wild Flower (1994), Columbia
- For Truth If Not Love (2007), Music World
- Signs of Life, (2011), Free & Clear Records
- Dionne Get Your Gunn (2013), Free & Clear Records
- DionneDionne (2014), Free & Clear Records
Mixtapes
- Lady Dy, The Mixtape pt. 1 (2011), Free & Clear Records
Singles
- "I Know" (1995), Sony
- "Don't Ever Touch Me Again" (1995), Sony
- "Passion" (1996), Sony
- "Food for Thought" (1996), Sony [promo]
- "For Once in My Life" (1996), The Truth About Cats & Dogs (movie soundtrack)
- "Hopeless" (1997), Sony
Soundtracks
- The Promised Land (1994), Columbia
- The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996), A&M
- First Wives Club (1996), Work Group
- Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Sony
- Love Jones (1997), Sony
See also
In Spanish: Dionne Farris para niños
