| Biography of Mary J Blige |
Mary J. Blige began her unexpected path to a music career when her karaoke recording was brought to Uptown Records’ CEO Andre Harrell. Impressed by her voice, she was signed with the company and became a backup singer for rapper Father MC in his single “I’ll Do 4 U” (1991) and appeared in its concert-themed music video.
The following year, Sean “Puffy” Combs, a then-employee of the label, handled the production of Blige’s debut album. Produced by Dave Hall, Mark Morales, and Mark Rooney, What’s the 411 was released on July 18, 1992. Offering a unique and new style of bridging R&B and rap, the album spawned “You Remind Me,” which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. The second single, “Real Love,” became the second top single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and climbed to the 7th spot on the Hot 100. Soon, both singles were certified gold. At the end of 1992, the multi-platinum album sold three million copies, crowning Blige “The Queen Of Hip-hop Soul.” In December, the remixed version of the album was issued.
Blige followed her success with the second studio album, My Life (1994). Co-produced by Sean Combs and co-written by Blige, the album was darker, moodier and slightly less up-tempo than its predecessor. The officially released “Be Happy,” which went to No.6 on the R & B chart, along with the heavily played tracks “Mary Jane (All Night Long)” and “My Life,” boosted the album sales up to three million, earning another multi-platinum certification. In 1995, Blige scored an even bigger success after singing a hit duet with rapper Method Man on his song, “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By,” which won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. She then took home a Lady of Soul for Best R&B Solo Single for her platinum single “Not Gon’ Cry,” the soundtrack of the motion picture Waiting to Exhale (1995).
Meanwhile, the artist also tried performing on screen. She made a number of appearances as herself, including a spot in the series “New York Undercover” (1995), where she also recorded Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” In addition, she had a guest performance in an episode of the comedy series “The Chris Rock Show” (1997, as herself).
In 1997, Blige made further progress in her music career. She moved to MCA Records and released her third recording Share My World, this time without Sean Combs’ involvement. The more vibrant and optimistic toned album was produced by high profile Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Chucky Thompson, R. Kelly, Babyface, and Rodney Jerkins. Debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200, it set off the hit singles “Love Is All We Need” (featuring Nas), “I Can Love You” (featuring Lil’ Kim), “Everything” and “Seven Days.” The triple-platinum recording did even better than the previous two. Share My World won an American Music and a Lady of Soul for Best R&B/Soul Album. The victory was ensued by the golden album The Tour, Blige’s recorded live performance of the Share My World tour, as well as by her work for the soundtrack of Money Talks (1997). Stepping further in acting, she was seen as Ola Mae in an installment of “The Jamie Foxx Show” (1998), before appearing as herself in “Moesha” (1999).
On August 17, 1999, Blige’s next album, Mary, was released. The album featured collaborations with Aretha Franklin (sang duet on “Don’t Waste Your Time”), Eric Clapton (played guitar on “Give Me You”), Lauryn Hill (wrote, produced and sang background on “All That I Can Say”) and George Michael (sang duet on “As,” featured on the UK release). The double platinum album was re-released as a double disc set with two bonus tracks: “Sincerity” (featuring Nas & DMX) and “Confrontation.” Although it was critically praised, Mary did not gain the same commercial success as former albums. This shortcoming was worked on with the dance remix of Blige’s single “Your Child,” which topped the Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for a full week in October 2000. She also released Ballads (2000), an overseas-only compilation of her ballad songs. Blige continued her acting with a guest role as Simone Fellows in the drama TV series “Strong Medicine” (2001). She also made her big-screen acting debut in Prison Song (2001), playing Mrs. Butler.
Once again hitting the music industry, the R&B singer launched No More Drama (2001), with the hit single “Family Affair,” which lingered at the peak of Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks. The second track, “No More Drama,” became one of the Top 20. On January 29, 2002, No More Drama was repackaged and featured two brand new songs and two remixes. The repackage sold four million copies internationally and was certified double platinum. Blige then netted a Grammy for Best Female R&B Performance for the track “He Think I Don’t Know.” The success was followed by her work on soundtracks for the movies Undercover Brother (2002), Brown Sugar (2002), Deliver Us from Eva (2003) and Honey (2003).
Blige rejoined Sean Combs on her sixth album Love & Life (2003), under the label of Geffen Records. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned platinum certification, whereas its single “Love @ 1st Sight” cracked the top 10 of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts. However, the album was criticized for its lack of consistency and noticeable attempts to recapture the early Blige/Combs glory. Following her lowest-selling album and biggest commercial disappointment, Blige worked on “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” for the sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). An eager performer, she went to the stage and had a Broadway debut in “The Exonerated” (2004), portraying Sunny Jacobs, a 20-year old innocent convict.
The next year, Blige satisfied her fans by launching The Breakthrough (2005), under Geffen Records. Debuting in the first position of R&B albums and Billboard 200 albums charts, The Breakthrough broke many records after selling 727,163 copies in its first week. Since the release, the recording has sold over 2 million copies in the US and 3 million overseas. Its lead off single, “Be Without You,” quickly raced up the R&B and pop charts and broke the record for settling on the top of the former chart for fifteen weeks in a row. The second hit single, “One,” sustained the album’s dominance with its heavy play.
Recently, Blige made a second appearance as a musical guest in a 2006 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” Her first performance on the show was in 1993. On the big screen, the skilled performer is set to star as the late jazz musician and classical pianist Nina Simone in an untitled Nina Simone project (2007), written by Cynthia Mort. |
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| Quick Biography |
| Name |
Mary J Blige |
| Height |
5' 9" |
| Nationality |
American |
| Famous For |
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| Date of Birth |
11 January 1971 |
| Place of Birth |
Bronx, New York, USA |
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