Regina Belle | |
|---|---|
 Belle in concert on theHolland America Line ship, 2008 | |
| Born | (1963-07-17)July 17, 1963 (age 62)[1][2][3] Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.[3] |
| Education | Rutgers University |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse(s) | [4] [5] |
| Children | Five |
| Relatives | Bernard Belle (brother) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | |
Musical artist | |
Regina Belle[citation needed] (born July 17, 1963)[1][3] is an American singer-songwriter who started her career in the mid-1980s. Known for her singles "Baby Come to Me" (1989) and "Make It Like It Was" (1990), Belle is most notable for three hit duets, all withPeabo Bryson: "Without You", the love theme from thecomedy filmLeonard Part 6, recorded in 1987; "A Whole New World", the main theme of theDisney's animated feature filmAladdin recorded in 1992, with which Belle and Bryson won aGrammy Award; and "I Just Can't Imagine".The theme song "Far Longer than Forever" from the animated movieThe Swan Princess, performed withJeffrey Osborne, was nominated for aGolden Globe in 1995 forBest Original Song.[6]
Belle was born inEnglewood, 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 the age of eight. She attendedDwight Morrow High School, where she studiedtrombone,tuba, andsteel drums.[7] After graduation, Belle studied opera at theManhattan School of Music. She attendedRutgers University and became the first female vocalist with the school's jazz ensemble. Belle's musical influences includePhyllis Hyman,Billie Holiday,Shirley Caesar,Patti LaBelle, andNancy Wilson.[8] She was introduced tothe 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 on theirBack to Basics album, which helped to attract the attention ofColumbia Records. She recorded a second duet, "Maybe Tomorrow", which appeared on the B-side of "Where Did We Go Wrong". Columbia eventually signed her to a record deal.
In 1987, she released her debut album,All by Myself. It includes her first hits "So Many Tears" and "Show Me the Way". The same year, Belle recorded her first successful duet with Peabo Bryson: the song "Without You", the love theme from thecomedy filmLeonard Part 6, also released in 1987. The song was her first single to appear on theAdult Contemporary chart, peaking at #8 and was also her first single to appear in four charts, including theUK 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 withJohnny Mathis, "Better Together", which appeared on his albumBetter Together: The Duet Album. Continuing her tradition of duets, Belle teamed up withPeabo 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).[9][10]
Later in 1993, she released her platinum-selling third album,Passion. The album featured theDisney hit "A Whole New World".[11] The theme song "Far Longer than Forever" from the animated movieThe Swan Princess, performed withJeffrey Osborne, was nominated for aGolden Globe in 1995 forBest Original Song.[6] She releasedReachin' Back in 1995 followed byBelieve in Me in 1998.
In 2001, her cover of "Just the Two of Us" from the tribute albumTo Grover, With Love made a surprising return to theBillboard charts. Within months Belle would sign with the jazz-oriented independent labelPeak-Concord Jazz. She released the albumThis Is Regina!, which featured the R&B hit single "Ooh Boy", and also released were "Don't Wanna Go Home" and "From Now On" withGlenn Jones. In 2004, she released a jazz standard album,Lazy Afternoon, produced byGeorge Duke. The album included covers of theIsley Brothers' "For the Love of You" andTony Bennett's "If I Ruled the World". In 2007, she collaborated withsmooth jazz saxophonistPaul Taylor, co-writing and singing on his albumLadies 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) andShirley Murdock.[12][13] On June 5, 2012, Belle released on Pendulum her second gospel album, calledHigher, on which she stated: "I think that, with the second CD [Higher] I had a better understanding of where I wanted to go [compared toLove Forever Shines]".[14] Belle has appeared in concert with many other performers, includingRay Charles,Boney James,Paul Taylor,The Rippingtons,Gerald Albright,Will Downing,Maze,Frankie Beverly,Phil Perry,Al Jarreau, andStephanie Mills.[15]
Belle has been married twice. Her first marriage was to saxophonist and flute playerHorace Alexander Young from 1985 until 1990, and together they adopted a daughter named Tiy (born 1989)[16][citation needed]. Belle married former NBA basketball playerJohn Battle on June 25, 1991.[17] Belle and her husband reside inAtlanta, Georgia. John is a pastor of a church in Atlanta.[18]
The couple has four children together, two of whom are adopted: daughter Winter, and son Jayln.[citation needed] After suffering miscarriages of two sets of twin boys,[citation needed] the couple had daughter Sydni (born 1994) and Nyla (born November 10, 1995).[19] Belle has two grandchildren from Winter, Thea and Joshua.[20]
Belle successfully battled a brain tumor in 2009. However, she is now deaf in her left ear.[21][citation needed]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications [22] | Record label | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [23] | US R&B [23] | US Jazz [23] | US Gospel [23] | UK [24] | ||||
| 1987 | All by Myself | 85 | 14 | — | — | 53 | Columbia | |
| 1989 | Stay with Me | 63 | 1 | — | — | 62 |
| |
| 1993 | Passion | 63 | 13 | — | — | — |
| |
| 1995 | Reachin' Back | 115 | 18 | — | — | — | ||
| 1998 | Believe in Me | — | 42 | — | — | — | MCA | |
| 2001 | This Is Regina! | — | 61 | — | — | — | Peak | |
| 2004 | Lazy Afternoon | — | 58 | 12 | — | — | ||
| 2008 | Love Forever Shines | 119 | 15 | — | 3 | — | Pendulum | |
| 2012 | Higher | — | 44 | — | 15 | — | ||
| 2016 | The Day Life Began | — | — | — | 11 | — | Shanachie | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart. | ||||||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [23] | US R&B [23] | US A/C [23] | US Dance [23] | US Gospel [23] | UK [24] | ||
| 1986 | "Where Did We Go Wrong?"(withThe Manhattans) | — | 42 | — | — | — | — |
| 1987 | "Show Me the Way" | 68 | 2 | — | — | — | 97 |
| "So Many Tears" | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Without You"(withPeabo Bryson) | 89 | 14 | 8 | — | — | 85 | |
| 1988 | "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"(withJames "J.T." Taylor) | — | 2 | 34 | — | — | — |
| "Baby Come to Me" | 60 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Good Lovin'" | — | — | — | — | — | 73 | |
| "Make It Like It Was" | 43 | 1 | 5 | — | — | — | |
| 1990 | "What Goes Around" | — | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| "This Is Love" | — | 7 | 29 | — | — | — | |
| 1992 | "Better Together"(withJohnny Mathis) | — | 68 | — | — | — | — |
| "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)"(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" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1994 | "Far Longer than Forever"(withJeffrey Osborne) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995 | "Love T.K.O." | — | 29 | — | — | — | — |
| 1998 | "Don't Let Go" | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "I've Had Enough" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2001 | "Oooh Boy" | — | 63 | — | — | — | — |
| 2004 | "For the Love of You" | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | "God Is Good" | — | 83 | — | — | 2 | — |
| "I Call on Jesus" | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | |
| 2012 | "Make an Example Out of Me" | — | — | — | — | 19 | — |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart. | |||||||
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Make It Like It Was" | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 1994 | "A Whole New World"(with Peabo Bryson) | Record of the Year | Nominated |
| Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Won | ||
| 1999 | Believe in Me | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album | Nominated |
| 2002 | This is Regina | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album | Nominated |
regina belle Horace Young.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
