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 an American R&B singer. She was born on September 30, 1960. Miki Howard became famous in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. She had many songs that reached the top 10 on music charts. Some of her popular songs include "Baby, Be Mine" (1987) and "Come Share My Love" (1986). Her songs "Ain't Nobody Like You" (1992) and "Ain't Nuthin' in the World" (1989) even reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B Singles chart.

Early Life and Musical Roots

Miki Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were both gospel singers. Her mother, Josephine Howard, was part of a group called The Caravans. Her father, Clay Graham, sang with The Pilgrim Jubilees.

Growing up, Miki's mother often took her to visit famous singers 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 other famous musicians, like Albertina Walker and Fats Domino, visited their home.

Miki was also inspired by jazz legends such as Billie Holiday and Nancy Wilson. As a teenager, she often went to Maverick's Flat. This was a popular club in Los Angeles where groups like Rufus and Earth, Wind & Fire performed. These experiences helped her decide to become a professional singer.

Miki Howard's Music Career

Starting with Side Effect

When Miki was 16, she performed in a teen pageant. After the show, she met Augie Johnson. He was the leader of an R&B group called Side Effect. Johnson invited Miki to work with him on music.

Miki joined Side Effect as their lead singer in 1979. She replaced Sylvia St. James. Miki sang with the group for several years. With Miki as the new singer, Side Effect released the album After the Rain in 1980. They also released two more albums, Portraits and All Aboard.

While Miki was with Side Effect, their songs "I Can't Play" and a cover of Toto's "Georgy Porgy" became small R&B hits in 1983 and 1984. Besides singing with Side Effect, Miki also sang background vocals for other artists. By 1985, Miki decided she wanted to start a solo career. She left the group and made a music demo. This demo helped her get a recording contract with Atlantic Records.

Solo Success: First Albums

Miki began recording songs for her first solo album, Come Share My Love, which came out in 1986. The album was produced by LeMel Humes. It reached number 19 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. The first song from the album, "Come Share My Love," became her first U.S. hit. It reached number five on the Billboard R&B Singles chart.

Later that year, she released a cover of Glenn Miller's song "Imagination." This song reached number 13 on the R&B Singles chart and was her first music video. With two hit songs, Miki went on her first concert tour in 1987. She opened for the funk band Cameo. The last song from the album, "Come Back to Me Lover," reached number 33 on the R&B singles chart.

In November 1987, Miki released her second album, Love Confessions. LeMel Humes produced many songs on this album and became a close friend. Miki continued to have success with two more Top 10 R&B songs from this album. The song "Baby, Be Mine" reached number five on the R&B Singles chart. Her duet with R&B singer Gerald Levert, "That's What Love Is," also reached number five. Miki won a Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist on March 30, 1988.

In November 1989, Miki released her third album, Miki Howard. This was her last album with Atlantic. The album was a big hit, reaching number four on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. It became her most successful album so far. Miki had her first number-one hit with the song "Ain't Nuthin' in the World." She also had two more Top 5 R&B hits from the album: "Love Under New Management" reached number two, and her cover of "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" reached number three.

New Labels and Tributes

By 1992, Miki Howard had signed with Giant Records. Her fourth album, Femme Fatale, was released on September 15. This album reached number seven on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. LeMel Humes produced most of the album, including the first song, "Ain't Nobody Like You." This song became Miki's second number-one hit on the R&B Singles chart. It also reached number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1992, Miki Howard played jazz singer Billie Holiday in Spike Lee's film Malcolm X. She performed Holiday's song "I Cover the Waterfront." Miki had always been very inspired by Billie Holiday's singing style. In late 1992, Miki decided to record an album of her favorite classic songs by Holiday. While recording, she also got a role in John Singleton's 1993 film Poetic Justice, which starred Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur.

In December 1993, Miki's fifth album, Miki Sings Billie, was released by Giant Records. This album reached number 74 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart.

By 1997, Miki was no longer with Giant Records. Her sixth album, Can't Count Me Out, was released in May under a new label, Hush. This album included duets with other singers. One song was a cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Love Every Little Thing About You" with Terence Trent D'Arby. Another was "Can't Count Me Out" with her father, Clay Graham.

Later Albums and Tours

In March 2001, Miki Howard released her seventh album, Three Wishes, with Peak Records. This album reached number 60 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

Five years later, in September 2006, Miki signed with Shanachie Records. Her eighth album, Pillow Talk, was released. This album reached number 60 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. All the songs on this album were covers of her favorite classic R&B songs.

In June 2008, Miki released her ninth album, Private Collection. This album was released under her own independent label, Branicka Records. It had ten songs, including new smooth jazz and R&B songs.

On November 1, 2010, a TV show called Unsung: Miki Howard was shown on TV One. In February 2011, TV One also showed Way Black When, which looked at the impact of African Americans in entertainment. Miki Howard was featured in the 1980s part of the show. In March, she went on a U.S. tour called the Throwback Unplugged Tour.

Recent Work and Touring

Miki Howard released an EP (a shorter album) called I Choose to Be Happy in 2015. It included 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. There was also a tribute to Marvin Gaye called "Soon I'll Be Loving You Again" which featured her son Brandon Howard.

While recording, Miki has been touring across the U.S. and overseas. She performs her new songs and her classic hits. On September 25, 2015, Miki Howard released her second live album, Miki Howard: Live in Concert. This album features her performances of hits from her career. It also includes cover versions of songs like "My Man" and "Pillow Talk."

Discography

Studio 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)

Tours

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

Films

• 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