Miki Howard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Miki Howard
Howard during an interview in July 2019
Born	Alicia Michelle Howard (1960-09-30) September 30, 1960 (age 64) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Singer songwriter
Years active	1979–present
Spouse(s)	Eddie Phelps ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 1996)​
Children	3, including B Howard
Musical career
Genres	R&B soul jazz
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Atlantic Giant Warlock Hush Peak Shanachie Branicka

Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard is a famous American R&B singer. She was born on September 30, 1960. Miki had many popular songs in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of her big hits include "Baby, Be Mine" and "Come Share My Love." Her songs "Ain't Nobody Like You" and "Ain't Nuthin' in the World" even reached number one on the R&B music charts!

Miki Howard's Early Life

Miki Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents, Josephine Howard and Clay Graham, were both gospel singers. Her mom, Josephine, sang with a group called The Caravans. Her dad, Clay, sang with The Pilgrim Jubilees.

Growing up, Miki met many famous musicians. Her mother often took her to visit stars like Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples. When Miki was nine, her family moved to Los Angeles. There, her mother sang in a choir led by James Cleveland.

Many famous people visited their home in Los Angeles. These included Albertina Walker, Shirley Caesar, Billy Preston, and Fats Domino. Miki was also inspired by jazz legends like Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson. As a teenager, she loved visiting Maverick's Flat, a popular music club. Seeing groups like Rufus and Earth, Wind & Fire there helped her decide to become a professional singer.

Miki Howard's Music Career

Singing with Side Effect

When Miki was 16, she performed in a teen show. After her performance, she met Augie Johnson. He was the leader of an R&B group called Side Effect. Augie asked Miki to join his group as their main singer.

Miki became a member of Side Effect in 1979. She sang with them for a few years. They released albums like After the Rain and Portraits. During this time, Side Effect had minor R&B hits like "I Can't Play." Miki also sang background vocals for other artists. By 1985, Miki decided she wanted to sing on her own. She left Side Effect and made a special recording called a demo. This demo helped her get a record deal with Atlantic Records.

First Solo Albums and Big Hits

Miki started recording songs for her first solo album, Come Share My Love, which came out in 1986. The album did very well, reaching number 19 on the R&B album charts. The first song from the album, "Come Share My Love," became her first hit in the U.S. It reached number five on the R&B singles chart.

Later that year, she released another song, "Imagination." This song became her first music video. In 1987, Miki went on her first concert tour. She opened for the funk band Cameo.

In November 1987, Miki released her second album, Love Confessions. This album also had two Top 10 R&B songs. "Baby, Be Mine" reached number five on the R&B charts. She also had a popular song called "That's What Love Is" with singer Gerald Levert. This song also reached number five. Miki and Gerald's group, LeVert, went on a tour together. In March 1988, Miki won a Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist.

In November 1989, Miki released her third album, Miki Howard. This album was a huge success! It reached number four on the R&B album charts. The first song from this album, "Ain't Nuthin' in the World," became her first number-one hit on the R&B charts. She also had two more Top 5 R&B hits from this album: "Love Under New Management" and a cover of "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)".

New Labels and Acting Roles

By 1992, Miki signed with a new record company, Giant Records. Her fourth album, Femme Fatale, was released in September. This album reached number seven on the R&B album charts. The first song, "Ain't Nobody Like You," became her second number-one R&B hit!

Miki also started acting. In 1992, she played jazz singer Billie Holiday in the movie Malcolm X. She sang Billie Holiday's song "I Cover the Waterfront" in the film. Miki had always been inspired by Billie Holiday's singing style.

In 1993, Miki also appeared in the movie Poetic Justice, which starred Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur. In December 1993, Miki released her fifth album, Miki Sings Billie. This album was a tribute to Billie Holiday, featuring Miki's versions of Billie's classic songs.

In 1997, Miki released her sixth album, Can't Count Me Out, with a new label called Hush. This album included duets with other singers.

Later Albums and Tours

In March 2001, Miki released her seventh album, Three Wishes. This album was nominated for a Grammy Award! Five years later, in September 2006, she released her eighth album, Pillow Talk. This album featured Miki singing cover versions of her favorite classic R&B songs.

In June 2008, Miki released her ninth album, Private Collection. She released this album on her own record label, Branicka Records. The album included new R&B songs and classic jazz songs.

In 2010, a TV show called Unsung: Miki Howard told her life story. In 2011, she went on a U.S. tour called the Throwback Unplugged Tour.

Recent Music and Performances

In 2015, Miki released an EP (a shorter album) called I Choose to Be Happy. It had four new songs and some of her greatest hits re-recorded live. One new song, "Panther," featured rapper Too Short. Another new song, "I Choose to be Happy," was the title track. She also recorded a tribute to Marvin Gaye called "Soon I'll Be Loving You Again" with her son, Brandon Howard.

Miki has continued to tour in the U.S. and other countries. In September 2015, she released a live album called Miki Howard: Live in Concert. This album features her singing her hit songs and covers of other famous tunes.

Miki Howard's Albums

• Come Share My Love (1986)
• Love Confessions (1987)
• Miki Howard (1989)
• Femme Fatale (1992)
• Miki Sings Billie (1993)
• Can't Count Me Out (1997)
• Three Wishes (2001)
• Pillow Talk (2006)
• Private Collection (2008)
• I Choose to Be Happy (2015)

Miki Howard's Tours

• Cameo Tour (1987)
• Levert Tour (1988)
• Al Jarreau Tour (1990)
• Jazz AllStars Tour (2009)
• Throwback Unplugged Tour (2011)

Miki Howard in Movies

• Malcolm X (1992)
• Poetic Justice (1993)
• Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story (2016)

Awards and Nominations

Miki Howard has received several awards and nominations for her music.

American Music Awards

Chicago Music Awards

Grammy Awards

Soul Train Music Awards

See also

In Spanish: Miki Howard para niños