R. Kelly

Biography

Robert Sylvester Kelly, best known by the name R. Kelly, was born on January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. From early childhood his passions were basketball and music, which he loved more. Studying at the Kenwood Academy High School he won a young talents show, singing Stevie Wonder’s Ribbon In The Sky, following which he decided to commit himself to music. In 1990 Robert took his electronic keyboard and went in the city streets to sing and earn money. Soon he was noticed by a musical producer Wayne Williams, the owner of Jive Records label, and by the end of the year a contract with the young artist was signed. Kelly arranged a band called Public Announcement and in 1991 they released their debut work Born into the 90’s. Some of the album’s songs became hits – She's Got That Vibe, Honey Love, Dedicated, and Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ), and all of them were performed by Robert Kelly. Thinking that solo career would bring him more success, he left the band and in 1993 released his solo album 12 Play. The disc included such hits as Sex Me and Your Body’s Calling, as well as the single Bump & Grind registering at No. 1 on U.S. R&B charts for twelve record-setting weeks. Afterwards the album became multi-platinum with more than five million sold copies and brought the artist the all-time fame.

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