Regina Belle (born July 17, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and actress who first started her career in the mid-1980s. Known for her singles, "Baby Come to Me" (1989) and "Make It Like It Was" (1990), Belle's most notable for two hit duets, both with Peabo Bryson: "Without You", the love theme from the comedy film Leonard Part 6, recorded in 1987 and "A Whole New World", the main theme of the Disney's animated feature film Aladdin, recorded in 1992, with which Belle and Bryson won the Grammy award. The theme song "Far Longer than Forever" from the animated movie The Swan Princess, performed with Jeffrey Osborne was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1995 for Best Original Song.
Video Regina Belle
Biography
Early life and education
Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey. It was at Englewood's Mount Calvary Baptist Church, and then Paterson's Friendship Baptist Church (presided over by Belle's uncle, the Reverend Fred Belle), that Belle began attracting attention with her vocal abilities. She sang her first solo in church at age 8. Belle attended Dwight Morrow High School where she studied trombone, tuba and steel drums. After graduation, she studied opera at the Manhattan School of Music. At Rutgers University, she became the first female vocalist with the school's jazz ensemble. Belle's musical influences include Phyllis Hyman, Billie Holiday, Shirley Caesar, Patti LaBelle, and Nancy Wilson. She was introduced to the Manhattans by New York radio DJ Vaughn Harper and began working as their opening act. She recorded the duet "Where Did We Go Wrong" with the group which helped to attract the attention of Columbia Records. They eventually signed her to a record deal.
Career
In 1987, she released her debut album All by Myself. It includes her first hits "So Many Tears" and "Show Me the Way". In the same year, Belle recorded her first successful duet with Peabo Bryson: the song "Without You", the love theme from the comedy film Leonard Part 6, also released in 1987. The song was her first single to appear on the Adult Contemporary (chart), peaking at #8 and was also her first single to appear in four charts, including the UK Singles, peaking at #85, her best position in this chart until 1989. Her follow-up album, Stay with Me, released in 1989. Belle recorded a duet in 1991 with Johnny Mathis, "Better Together" which appeared on his album Better Together: The Duet Album. Continuing her tradition of duets, Belle teamed up with Peabo Bryson for four songs: "Without You" (in 1987), "I Can't Imagine" (in 1991), "A Whole New World" (in 1992) and "Total Praise" (in 2009).
Later in 1993, she released her Platinum selling third album, Passion. The album featured the Disney hit, "A Whole New World". The theme song "Far Longer than Forever" from the animated movie The Swan Princess, performed with Jeffrey Osborne was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1995 for Best Original Song. She released Reachin' Back in 1995 followed by Believe in Me in 1998.
In 2001, her cover of "Just the Two of Us" from the tribute album To Grover, With Love made a surprising return to the billboard charts, within months Belle would sign with the jazz oriented independent label Peak-Concord Jazz. she released the album This Is Regina!, which featured the R&B hit single, "Ooh Boy" also released were, "Don't Wanna Go Home" and "From Now On" with Glenn Jones. In 2004, she released a jazz standard album, Lazy Afternoon, produced by George Duke. The album included covers of the Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You" and Tony Bennett's "If I Ruled the World". In 2007, she collaborated with smooth jazz saxophonist Paul Taylor, co-writing and singing on his album "Ladies Choice". Belle released her debut gospel album Love Forever Shines on May 13, 2008 via Pendulum Records. The 14-track collection features guests Melvin Williams (of the Williams Brothers) and Shirley Murdock. On June 5, 2012, she released on Pendulum her second gospel album, called "Higher", on which Belle stated: I think that, with the second CD ["Higher"] I had a better understanding of where I wanted to go [compared to "Love Forever Shines"]. Belle has appeared in concert with many other performers, including Ray Charles, Boney James, Paul Taylor, The Rippingtons, Gerald Albright, Will Downing, Maze, Frankie Beverly, Phil Perry, Al Jarreau, and Stephanie Mills.
Maps Regina Belle
Personal
Belle has been married twice. Her first marriage was to saxophonist and flute player Horace Alexander Young from 1985 until 1990, together they had a daughter Tiy (born 1989). Belle has been married to former NBA basketball player John Battle since September 1991. The couple have three children: Jayln (born 1991), Sydney (born 1994), and Nyla (born November 10, 1995) and resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Belle has at least two grandchildren.
Discography
Studio albums
Compilations
- 1997: Baby Come to Me: The Best of Regina Belle
- 2001: Super Hits
- 2006: Love Songs
Singles
Awards and nominations
- American Music Award
- 1991, Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist (Nominated)
- Grammy Award
- MTV Movie Awards
- 1993, Best Song From a Movie: "A Whole New World" (with Peabo Bryson) (Nominated)
See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100
References
External links
- Regina Belle official website
- Regina Belle at AllMusic
- Regina Belle 2016 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com
Source of article : Wikipedia
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