Bobby Brown

Robert Barisford Brown Sr. (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, and dancer.

Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B.

Brown started his career in the R&B and pop group New Edition, from its inception in 1978 until his exit from the group in December 1985.

After performing in several talent shows in the Boston area in 1979, they signed a deal with fellow Bostonian Arthur Baker's Streetwise Records, who released their debut album Candy Girl.

New Edition was founded in 1981 by 12-year-old Brown and childhood friends Michael Bivins and Ricky Bell.

Ralph Tresvant joined the group at the suggestion of Bell who sang with Tresvant as a duo.

Brown was also familiar with Tresvant since they were children.

In 1982, they became a quintet when their manager Brooke Payne insisted on bringing in his nephew Ronnie DeVoe, to complete the group.

The title track, on which Brown sang co-lead alongside Bell and Tresvant, was a top-20 hit on Billboard's R&B Singles Chart in 1983.

Brown's first full lead vocal performance was on the New Edition ballad "Jealous Girl", which was a minor hit when it also charted in 1983.

The group became pop sensations with their self-titled second release.

The album included the crossover hits "Cool It Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man", which Brown also co-led.

Despite the group's success, however, Brown felt the group was never rightfully paid the money they felt they had earned, later saying, "The most I saw from all the tours and all of the records we sold was $500 and a VCR."

Brown also allegedly grew jealous of the attention given to fellow New Edition member Ralph Tresvant, and during some of their tour performances would often step out of his position and perform out of turn, singing and performing seductively, which caused concern within the group's management team.

Brown was featured on two more New Edition albums before leaving the group in early 1986.

Brown later said he felt that the group's management treated them "like little slaves by people who were only interested in money and power, and not in the welfare of New Edition".

Some controversy arose over the way Brown was removed from the group.

Some say Brown asked to be let out of New Edition, but a VH-1 Behind the Music documentary on the group claimed Brown was voted out by the group via their management team, with the members—most prominently Tresvant—against the decision.

Following his exit from New Edition, Brown signed a contract with his former group's label, MCA (which had earlier promised Brown a solo deal if he had decided to leave New Edition), and also signed with manager Steven Machat, who had also worked with New Edition.

The label released his debut album King of Stage in 1986.

Brown had a number-one R&B hit with the ballad "Girlfriend", but the album otherwise failed to perform well.

Brown laid low for more than a year while working on his follow-up album.

With the help of Machat and MCA representative Louil Silas, Brown began working with some of the top R&B producers and songwriters of the time, including Babyface, Antonio "L.A." Reid and Teddy Riley.

Once he started a solo career, Brown enjoyed commercial and critical success with his second album Don't Be Cruel (1988) which spawned five Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including the number one hit "My Prerogative", and the Grammy Award–winning "Every Little Step".

In 1989, Brown contributed two songs to the soundtrack of Ghostbusters II.

Brown's next album Bobby (1992) spawned several singles including "Humpin' Around", "Get Away", and "Good Enough".

However, despite going 3× Platinum, sales of Bobby did not reach the level of its predecessor.

In 1992, Brown married Whitney Houston, with whom he later had a daughter named Bobbi Kristina Brown.

The couple's drug issues and domestic disputes made them tabloid fodder.

Brown also appeared in the films A Thin Line Between Love and Hate and Two Can Play That Game.

He returned to New Edition for a reunion album and tour from 1996 to 1997, and returned with all six members for another stint in 2005.

Brown and Houston starred in the 2005 reality show Being Bobby Brown.

Houston, who filed for divorce two years later in 2007, died in 2012, followed by the death of their daughter in 2015.

Brown was born in Boston, Massachusetts, as one of eight children.

His mother Carole Elizabeth (born Williams) was a substitute teacher, and his father Herbert James Brown was a construction worker.

Brown grew up in Roxbury's Orchard Park Projects.

Brown's first taste of being onstage occurred when he was three and one of his childhood idols, James Brown, performed in Boston.

This performance sparked a dream of becoming a singer.

Brown joined the church choir, where he recognized and developed his singing abilities.

Brown's musical influences also include Rick James, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, and Prince.