K-Ci facts for kids

Cedric Renard Hailey (born September 2, 1969), known as K-Ci, is an American singer and songwriter. He is a member of the music groups K-Ci & JoJo and Jodeci.

K-Ci is famous for being the main singer of Jodeci. He is also a lead singer in the duo K-Ci & JoJo. K-Ci has also worked on his own music. One of his most famous solo songs is his 1994 cover of "If You Think You're Lonely Now". This song reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart.

Early Life and Family

Cedric Hailey was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. His parents, Anita and Cliff Hailey, were both gospel singers. For a time, the Hailey family lived in Baltimore. There, they performed gospel music together. The family later moved back to Charlotte when Cedric was a teenager. He went to Garinger High School.

Musical Family Connections

Cedric and his younger brother, Joel, are cousins to several other R&B singers. These include Fantasia Barrino, Dave Hollister, Calvin Richardson, and Stephanie Mills.

Cedric Hailey has two sons. Their names are Devin Hailey and Deven Cedric Renard.

K-Ci's Music Career

K-Ci started his music career singing gospel music. He sang with his younger brother, Joel (known as "JoJo"), and their father. They were called "Little Cedric and the Hailey Singers". They released three gospel albums. Their first album, I'm Alright Now, came out in 1983.

Gospel Music Success

Their next two albums did very well on the Billboard magazine charts. Jesus Saves (1984) reached number 4 on the Gospel Albums chart. God's Blessing (1985) reached number 22.

Joining Jodeci

Cedric and Joel's gospel singing led them to meet the DeGrate brothers. These were Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate and Dalvin DeGrate. Together, they formed the R&B group Jodeci. As the lead singer for Jodeci, K-Ci helped the group release three very popular albums. These albums sold millions of copies between 1991 and 1995.

K-Ci & JoJo Duo

In 1996, Jodeci decided to take a break from making music. K-Ci then continued to record with his brother JoJo. They formed the duo K-Ci & JoJo. This duo released five albums between 1997 and 2013.

Solo Music Projects

K-Ci also worked on music by himself. In 1992, he sang a duet called "I Don’t Want to Do Anything" with Mary J. Blige. This song was on her first album, What's the 411?.

His cover of Bobby Womack's song "If You Think You're Lonely Now" was very popular. It was featured in the 1994 movie Jason's Lyric. When released as a single, it became a hit. It reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Discography

Albums with Jodeci

• Forever My Lady (1991)
• Diary of a Mad Band (1993)
• The Show, the After Party, the Hotel (1995)
• The Past, The Present, The Future (2015)

Albums with K-Ci & JoJo

• Love Always (1997)
• It's Real (1999)
• X (2000)
• Emotional (2002)
• My Brother's Keeper (2013)

Solo Album

• My Book (2006)