Regina Belle
Encyclopedia
Regina Belle is a singer-songwriter who first surfaced in the late 1980s. She is notable for her Grammy award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 winning duet with Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina...

, "A Whole New World
A Whole New World
"A Whole New World" is the Oscar winning featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. It was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is a ballad between the primary characters Aladdin and Jasmine about the new world they are going to discover together....

".

Biography

Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...

. 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 Regina Belle began attracting attention with her vocal abilities. She sang her first solo in church at age 8; and by age 17, she was the church's star singer. Belle attended Dwight Morrow High School
Dwight Morrow High School
Dwight Morrow High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Englewood, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Englewood Public School District. The school also serves students from Englewood Cliffs, who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship...

 where she studied trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...

 and steel drums. After graduation, she studied opera at the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...

. At Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

, she became the first female vocalist with the school's jazz ensemble. Belle's musical influences include Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Linda Hyman was an American soul singer and actress.-Early years:Phyllis Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the St. Clair Village, the South Hills section of Pittsburgh...

, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...

, Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...

, and Nancy Wilson.

She was introduced to the Manhattans
The Manhattans
The Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group, with a string of hit records spanning four decades. Their best known million-selling songs being "Kiss and Say Goodbye" and 'Shining Star' in 1980...

 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
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

. They eventually signed her to a record deal.

Personal life

Belle resides in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

 and is married to ex-NBA basketball player John Battle (basketball)
John Battle (basketball)
John Sidney Battle is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6' 2" guard from Rutgers University, Battle was selected in the fourth round of the 1985 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks...

. Battle played 10 years in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 with the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

 and Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

. He is now a pastor in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. Belle and Battle have five children: Winter, Tiy, Jayln, Sydni, and Nyla. Winter, the eldest daughter, is married and has 2 children, Lea and Joshua, making Belle a grandmother.

Career

In 1987, she released her debut album All By Myself
All By Myself (Regina Belle album)
All by Myself is the debut album by singer, Regina Belle. The album features the hit singles "Show Me the Way", "So Many Tears", "How Could You Do It to Me", "Please Be Mine" and "You Got the Love"....

.
It includes her first hits "Please Be Mine" and "Show Me the Way." Her follow-up album, Stay with Me
Stay with Me (Regina Belle album)
Stay with Me is the second album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle. It was released in 1989, two years after her debut. The album peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart...

, released in 1989.

Belle recorded a duet in 1991 with Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...

, "Better Together" which appeared on his album Better Together: The Duet Album. Continuing her tradition of duets, Belle teamed up with Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina...

 for the songs "I Can't Imagine", "Without You" and "A Whole New World
A Whole New World
"A Whole New World" is the Oscar winning featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. It was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is a ballad between the primary characters Aladdin and Jasmine about the new world they are going to discover together....

", which was the featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney movie Aladdin. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 in 1993 for "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal as well as a "Best Song" Oscar in the same year
Later in 1993, Belle released her Platinum selling third album, Passion
Passion (Regina Belle album)
Passion is the third album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle. The album became her most successful album, peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200 and #13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling over 389,000 copies according to Neilsen Soundscan...

. The album featured the Disney hit "A Whole New World
A Whole New World
"A Whole New World" is the Oscar winning featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. It was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is a ballad between the primary characters Aladdin and Jasmine about the new world they are going to discover together....

", "Dream In Color" and "If I Could", which reached # 9 on the R&B charts.

Belle released Reachin' Back
Reachin' Back
Reachin' Back is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle. The album peaked at #115 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart...

in 1995 followed by Believe in Me
Believe in Me (Regina Belle album)
Believe in Me is the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle. The album failed to entry Billboard 200 and peaked #42 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.It includes the hit singles, "I've Had Enough" and "Don't Let Go"....

in 1998.
In 2001, Regina Belle's 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
Concord Music Group
Concord Music Group is a record company owned by Village Roadshow formed in 2004 by the merger of Concord Records and Fantasy Records. In 2005, the company acquired the classics and jazz label Telarc International. On December 18, 2006, Concord announced the re-launch of the soul label Stax;...

. she released the album This Is Regina!
This Is Regina!
This Is Regina! is the sixth studio album by singer-songwriter Regina Belle, and was released October 21, 2001 on Peak Records. The album peaked at #61 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #26 on the Top Independent Albums chart....

, which featured the R&B hit single, "Ooh Boy." also released were, "Don't Wanna Go Home" and "From Now On" with Glenn Jones
Glenn Jones
Glenn Jones, , is an American R&B/soul singer.-Career:He started his career as a gospel singer and has since, managed a successful move into the R&B field. He got his start in R&B in 1980 when Norman Connors featured Jones on a track on his album, Take It To The Limit...

.

In 2004, she released a jazz standard album, Lazy Afternoon, produced by George Duke
George Duke
George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...

. The album included covers of the Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You" and Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....

's "If I Ruled the World".
In 2007, she collaborated with smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....

 saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

 Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor (musician)
Paul Taylor is an American smooth jazz saxophonist who has released eight albums since his debut On the Horn in 1995. He is signed to Peak Records. Although originally from Denver, Colorado, he is based in Las Vegas, Nevada...

, co-writing and singing on his album "Ladies Choice".

Belle released her debut gospel album Love Forever Shines
Love Forever Shines
Love Forever Shines is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle, and was released May 13, 2008 on Pendulum Records. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard U.S...

on May 13, 2008 via Pendulum Records. The 14-track collection features guests Melvin Williams (of the Williams Brothers) and Shirley Murdock
Shirley Murdock
Shirley Murdock is an American R&B singer, who is best known for her 1986 R&B hit single "As We Lay" and for her vocals on Zapp and Roger hit single Computer Love.-Career:...

.

Belle has appeared in concert with many other performers, including Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...

, Boney James
Boney James
Boney James, is a saxophonist, songwriter and producer who popularized urban jazz...

, Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor (musician)
Paul Taylor is an American smooth jazz saxophonist who has released eight albums since his debut On the Horn in 1995. He is signed to Peak Records. Although originally from Denver, Colorado, he is based in Las Vegas, Nevada...

, The Rippingtons
The Rippingtons
The Rippingtons are a contemporary group mainly relating to the genres Smooth jazz, Jazz pop, and Crossover jazz. Formed in 1986 by guitarist and band leader Russ Freeman , their career has spanned two decades...

, Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright is an American jazz saxophonist.Albright has sold over 1,000,000 albums in the U.S. alone. His self-produced music features him on bass guitar, keyboards, flutes, drum programming, and background vocals.- Biography :...

, Will Downing
Will Downing
Will Downing , is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Downing is known in the contemporary jazz and R&B music genres for his rich baritone vocals, and his interpretations of R&B and pop classics that stretch back to the early 1980s...

, Maze
Maze (band)
Maze a soul / quiet storm band, also known alternately as Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Frankie Beverly and Maze, was established in San Francisco, California in the early 1970s.-Career:...

, Frankie Beverly
Frankie Beverly
Frankie Beverly is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band, Maze.-Early life and career:...

, Phil Perry
Phil Perry
Phil Perry is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician and a former member of the soul group The Montclairs from 1971 to 1975.- Biography :...

, Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau
Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...

, and Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times...

.

Studio albums

Year Album Chart Positions US
Certifications
Record Label
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

US
R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

US
Jazz
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

US
Gospel
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

1987 All by Myself
All By Myself (Regina Belle album)
All by Myself is the debut album by singer, Regina Belle. The album features the hit singles "Show Me the Way", "So Many Tears", "How Could You Do It to Me", "Please Be Mine" and "You Got the Love"....

85 14 53 Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

1989 Stay with Me
Stay with Me (Regina Belle album)
Stay with Me is the second album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle. It was released in 1989, two years after her debut. The album peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart...

63 1 62 Gold
1993 Passion
Passion (Regina Belle album)
Passion is the third album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle. The album became her most successful album, peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200 and #13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling over 389,000 copies according to Neilsen Soundscan...

63 13 Gold
1995 Reachin' Back
Reachin' Back
Reachin' Back is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle. The album peaked at #115 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart...

115 18
1998 Believe in Me
Believe in Me (Regina Belle album)
Believe in Me is the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle. The album failed to entry Billboard 200 and peaked #42 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.It includes the hit singles, "I've Had Enough" and "Don't Let Go"....

42 MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

2001 This Is Regina!
This Is Regina!
This Is Regina! is the sixth studio album by singer-songwriter Regina Belle, and was released October 21, 2001 on Peak Records. The album peaked at #61 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #26 on the Top Independent Albums chart....

61 Peak
Peak Records
Peak Records is a record label that was co-founded by The Rippingtons leader and guitarist Russ Freeman & Andi Howard in 1994.The early years, Peak founded as a production for Russ' group The Rippingtons in GRP Records...

2004 Lazy Afternoon 58 12
2008 Love Forever Shines
Love Forever Shines
Love Forever Shines is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter, Regina Belle, and was released May 13, 2008 on Pendulum Records. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard U.S...

119 15 3 Pendulum
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified

Compilations

  • 1997: Baby Come To Me: The Best Of Regina Belle
  • 2001: Super Hits
  • 2006: Love Songs

Singles

Year Single Chart positions
US
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

US
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

US
A/C
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

US
Dance
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...

US
Gospel
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

1986 "Where Did We Go Wrong?" (with The Manhattans
The Manhattans
The Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group, with a string of hit records spanning four decades. Their best known million-selling songs being "Kiss and Say Goodbye" and 'Shining Star' in 1980...

)
42
1987 "Show Me the Way" 68 2 97
"So Many Tears" 11
1988 "Without You (Love Theme from Leonard Part 6)" (with Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina...

)
89 14 8 85
"How Could You Do It to Me" 21
"After the Love Has Lost Its Shine"
"You Got the Love"
1989 "All I Want Is Forever" (with James "J.T." Taylor) 2 34
"Baby Come to Me
Baby Come to Me (song)
"Baby Come to Me" is an 1989 single by Regina Belle. The single was Regina Belle's first number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart, as well as the singer third entry onto the Hot 100, where "Baby Come to Me" peaked at number sixty..-References:...

"
60 1
"Good Lovin'" 73
"Make It Like It Was
Make It Like It Was
"Make It Like It Was" was a hit song for R&B singer Regina Belle in 1990.Written by Carvin Winans, it was released from Belle's 1989 album, Stay With Me. It spent one week at number one on the R&B singles chart and peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart....

"
43 1 5
1990 "What Goes Around" 3
"This Is Love" 7 29
1992 "Better Together" (with Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...

)
68
"A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)
A Whole New World
"A Whole New World" is the Oscar winning featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. It was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is a ballad between the primary characters Aladdin and Jasmine about the new world they are going to discover together....

" (with Peabo Bryson)
1 21 1 12
1993 "If I Could" 52 9 12
"Quiet Time" 47
"Dream in Color" 63
"The Deeper I Love"
1995 "Love T.K.O.
Love T.K.O.
"Love T.K.O." was a single by R&B crooner Teddy Pendergrass, from his 1980 album, TP. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100...

"
29
1998 "Don't Let Go" 51
"I've Had Enough" 25
2001 "Oooh Boy" 63
2004 "For the Love of You"
2008 "God Is Good" 83 2
"I Call on Jesus" 17
"—" denotes the single failed to chart

Awards and nominations

  • American Music Awards
    American Music Awards
    -Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...

    • 1991, Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist (Nominated)

  • Grammy Awards
    • 1991, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Make It Like It Was" (Nominated)
    • 1994, Record of the Year: "A Whole New World" (Nominated)
    • 1994, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group: "A Whole New World" (Winner)
    • 1999, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album: Believe in Me (Nominated)
    • 2002, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album: This is Regina (Nominated)

  • MTV Movie Awards
    MTV Movie Awards
    The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...

    • 1993, Best Song From a Movie: "A Whole New World" (Nominated)

See also


External links

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