Thomas DeCarlo Callaway-Burton (born May 30, 1975),[2] known professionally asCeeLo Green (orCee Lo Green or simplyCee-Lo), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. Born inAtlanta, Georgia, Green came to initial prominence as a member of theSouthern hip hop groupGoodie Mob in 1991. Following three studio albums with the group, he subsequently began a solo career and released two modestly successful albums forArista Records:Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (2002) andCee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine (2004). He is known for hissoul-infused delivery inhip hop andR&B, displayed in his signature song "Crazy" (withDanger Mouse as "Gnarls Barkley") and his solo single "Fuck You."
From 2011 to 2013, Green was a judge and coach on the American reality television singing competitionThe Voice, appearing on four of its seasons.[a] He voiced Murray the Mummy in the 2012 animated feature filmHotel Transylvania, and also appeared in numerous television programs and films including his own short-lived series,CeeLo Green's The Good Life onTBS. Green has appeared in various commercials, including for7 Up,Duracell,M&M's, and sake brandTYKU. His work has earned a number of accolades, including fiveGrammy Awards, aBET Award, aBillboard Music Award, and aBrit Award.
Green was born on May 30, 1975, in Atlanta, Georgia.[4] Both of his parents were firefighters,[5] and he started his music career in church. His father died when Green was two years old.[5] His mother was paralyzed in a car crash when Green was 16 and died in 1993 when Green was 18.[5][4]
At the time of his mother's death, Green's career withGoodie Mob had just taken off.[6] He subsequently struggled with suicidal thoughts, which he later wrote about in various songs throughout his career, including Goodie Mob's "Free"[5] andGnarls Barkley's "Just a Thought".[6] He would specifically address the deaths of his parents in "She Knows" and "A Little Better", from Gnarls Barkley'sThe Odd Couple (2008),[5] and "Guess Who", from Goodie Mob'sSoul Food (1995).[citation needed] In an excerpt ofCeeLo Distilled, a documentary produced byAbsolut andthe Fader, Green explained that his mother's death led him toward "crossing that threshold over into a career".[7]
Along withBig Gipp,T-Mo, andKhujo, Green was an original member of theAtlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob. He was the youngest of the four.[8] The Goodie Mob was a part of the Atlanta rap collective theDungeon Family, which also includedOutkast. Goodie Mob appeared on two tracks on OutKast's 1994 debut albumSouthernplayalisticadillacmuzik, with Green providing vocals for "Call of da Wild" and "Git Up, Git Out".
Goodie Mob released their debut album,Soul Food, in 1995. The album received much critical praise as a pioneering record for the emergingSouthern rap scene. It featured a distinctive soulful southern sound by production teamOrganized Noize.
During this time, Green also contributed backing vocals toTLC's hit 1995 song "Waterfalls".[9]
The group's second album,Still Standing, came out in 1998 and also received much critical praise. Its commercial performance was slightly lower than the group's previous effort, however. Green took more creative control on the group's next album,World Party, which was released in 1999.[10]
Around 1999, during the making of the albumWorld Party, Green left Goodie Mob to pursue a solo career withArista Records and the remaining members continued to perform together under the Goodie Mob name withKoch Records. They did, however, collaborate in combinations on the Dungeon Family albumEven in Darkness (2001).
The song "Hold On" fromBig Boi'sGot Purp? Vol. 2 album was the first newly recorded Goodie Mob song with all four members sinceWorld Party.[11]
Green was one of ten guest musicians who contributed to the 1999Santana albumSupernatural.Lauryn Hill wrote "Do You Like the Way", and she and Green both provided lead vocals. Green also contributed to the track "We're All Gonna Die" on the 2000 albumEat at Whitey's byEverlast, and the song "Reverse" on the 2000 albumForever byPuff Daddy.
Green's Arista career was short-lived, as he was dropped after two albums due to low record sales. His first album,Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (2002), was much in the vein of other Dungeon Family releases, with southern soul/funk/jazz backings produced by Green and featuring appearances by fellow Dungeon Family members Big Gipp andBackbone. The album did not sell very well, but Green achieved some airplay with the single "Closet Freak".[12]
2004–08: Second solo album and formation of Gnarls Barkley
His second Arista album,Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine (2004), brought a more branched-out sound and more deeply explored southern rap music. This is evidenced by collaborations with "the biggest hip-hop musicians of all time", includingLudacris,T.I., andPharrell Williams.[13] The album debuted and peaked at number 2 on theBillboardTop R&B/Hip Hop Album chart.[14] It received critical acclaim and was described as "one of the most ambitious albums to come out of any genre in recent times."[15]
Gnarls Barkley's first album,St. Elsewhere, was released on April 24, 2006, in the UK and May 2, 2006, in the United States.St. Elsewhere entered the charts at No.1 in the UK, as did the first single, "Crazy". "Crazy" is the first single to reach number one in the UK based on digital download sales alone and is ranked byRolling Stone as the greatest song of the decade, thus making it Green's most successful project to date.[8] A second album by Gnarls Barkley, titledThe Odd Couple, was released in March 2008. Its first single came out in January, titled "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)".[8]
On August 14, 2010, Green released the single "Fuck You!" to YouTube ahead of his planned solo album release, due to its partial leak on April 13. "Fuck You!" was an instant viral smash hit,[21] registering over two million plays in less than a week. Two weeks later on September 1, Green released an official music video for the song on YouTube.[22] "Fuck You!" made a debut at No.1 on the UK charts, notably beating out "Shame" from the recently reunitedRobbie Williams andGary Barlow.
In October 2010, Green released his firstmixtape,Stray Bullets.[23] In an interview withExclaim!, he said his forthcoming 2010 albumThe Lady Killer was "a more clear, concise, consistent, conceptual, entire album [than his previous]. It's a complete thought, because it's written to be like a score. The album's meant to be a motion picture, you know? I've never taken that approach to doing an album before."[24] Released on November 8, 2010, the album would go on to reachDouble Platinum status in the UK, certified on November 4, 2011.[25] On December 1, 2010, Green received fiveGrammy nominations for "Fuck You!", which had been certifiedGold in the United States[26] and Denmark.[27] The single achievedPlatinum status in Canada,[28] New Zealand,[29] and the UK;[30] and multi-platinum status in Australia. A radio-friendly version of the song was recorded, with the title and words "Fuck You!" changed to "Forget You!"[31]
At the April 2011Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Green had his set cut off while performing and then left the stage.[48] Green had arrived 25 minutes late and performed five songs, including "Fuck You" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". His set was scheduled to end at 5:40 p.m. At 5:44 p.m., as he was apologizing for being late due to air travel delays, the audio from his microphone was cut off.[49] He then angrily exited the stage, amid boos.[50]
On August 14, 2011, Green appeared atWWE SummerSlam, performing "Forget You" and theevent's theme, "Bright Lights Bigger City". He also performed at the 2011Billboard Music Awards.[51] Green re-released his albumThe Lady Killer as a Platinum Edition on November 28, 2011.[52] The repackaged album contained the original 16 tracks, including remixed versions of "Bright Lights Bigger City" (feat.Wiz Khalifa) and "I Want You (Hold on to Love)", plus one extra track, "Anyway", written byRoss Golan. The new track served as the album's sixth overall single and first Platinum Edition single.
Green recorded and wrote "Language of Love" for theSex and the City 2 soundtrack. It was rumored in mid-2010 that he was working withAlien Ant Farm on a track slated for appearance on an upcoming album by the band.[53] This was confirmed the following year;[54] however, the track failed to materialize, with Alien Ant Farm singer Dryden Mitchell stating he planned to do a cover of "Easy Lover" with Green, but Green never recorded his parts.[55]
In March 2012, Green performed at a fundraiser for PresidentBarack Obama, who attended.[56] Green began singing "Fuck You" with the original lyrics, but then switched to the clean version.[57] He released the song "I Love Football" in September 2012, set to the tune of "Blitzkrieg Bop" byRamones.[58] It was chosen by theNational Football League as the theme song ofThursday Night Football 2013.[59]
On February 5, 2013, Green released the song "Only You", featuring Lauriana Mae, a contestant onP. Diddy's Starmaker. It was set to be on Green's upcoming fourth album,[60] tentatively titledGirl Power,[61] but in the end did not appear on an album. In the same month, Green kicked off his "CeeLo Green Presents Loberace"concert residency (or simply "Loberace").[62] Originally intended to be unveiled at thePlanet Hollywood Resort and Casino on February 21, 2013, the event was rescheduled to a later date after a fatal shooting along theLas Vegas Strip, where the resort is situated.[63] A few months after, on September 10, Green's autobiographyEverybody's Brother was released.[64]
From June to August 2014, Green toured alongsideLionel Richie for his North AmericanAll the Hits All Night Long tour.[65][66] Green formed a new band, the Board Memberz, led by musical director Printz Board and consisting of Timothy "Izo" Orindgreff, Lucy Graves, Jazelle Rodriguez, Ashley Dzerigan, Patty A. Miller, and Sojung "Liso" Lee.
In January 2015, Green released a concept mixtape with music derived from a variety of TV show theme songs, titledTV on the Radio.[67] His next studio album,Heart Blanche, was released on November 6, 2015.[68] The lead single, "Robin Williams", named after and dedicated tothe actor of the same name, was released on July 17, 2015.[69]
In December 2016, Green released a new song and video, "F**ck Me I'm Famous", under the alias Gnarly Davidson.[70] The artist attended the59th Grammy Awards in character as Gnarly Davidson, for which he dressed in all gold, complete with a face mask.[71] A few days later, he released another new song and video, titled "Jay-Z's Girl".[72] The song is a reworking ofRick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl", with lyrics changed to be about his admiration forJay-Z's wifeBeyoncé.[73]
Green has released two singles, "Lead Me" and "Doing It All Together", from his June 2020 albumCeeLo Green Is Thomas Callaway. The album title references his legal name.[75]
Green, along with the rest of the Goodie Mob, were featured performing "Beautiful Skin" (from 1998'sStill Standing) onSeries 6, Episode 6 ("Bum Rap") of theABC television sitcomSister, Sister in October 1998. Green subsequently had a cameo in the 1999 filmMystery Men, as a member of the Not So Goodie Mob, in which he was credited as "Thomas Burton, aka Cee Lo". He has also done voice acting work, voicing Prime Cut Miggity-Mo' Macdaddy Gizzabang Doggy Dog Dog on theBrak Show episode "Brakstreet" in 2002; Frank and Buddy Z inClass of 3000's Christmas special;Godzilla, The Tablesmasher, and a dog in theRobot Chicken episode "Squaw Bury Shortcake" in 2007; and Rev. Rollo Goodlove in theBoondocks episodes "The S-Word" and "The Hunger Strike" in 2008. In 2010, he appeared inT-Pain'sFreaknik: The Musical as Light Skin.
On January 15, 2011, Green both acted and performed in an episode ofNBC'sSaturday Night Live hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow, who, in November 2010, had covered his song "Forget You" inan episode ofGlee.[76] Green was one of the coaches for contestants on seasons 1 through 3 of the singing TV showThe Voice.[77] He retired as a coach in the fifth season.[78]
On August 14, 2011, Green appeared at WWE SummerSlam and performed both "Bright Lights Bigger City", the official theme song for the event, and his hit "Forget You". On September 25, 2011, Green appeared as himself in a live-action/voice appearance and as the voice of a hot tub in theAmerican Dad! episode "Hot Water".[79] On October 18, 2011, Green guest-starred on the NBC seriesParenthood in the episode "Tales From the Luncheonette".[80][81] The following year, on February 5, Green appeared in theSuper Bowl halftime show withMadonna. On March 31, 2012, he appeared on the2012 Kids' Choice Awards. On August 8, he played J.C. Carpenter in theTV Land sitcomThe Soul Man, in the episode "J.C. Carpenter's Gospel Show". Ten days later, he guest-starred in theNickelodeon showHow to Rock in the episode "How to Rock Cee Lo". That year, he also lent his voice to the animated featureHotel Transylvania as Murray the Mummy.
On February 28, 2013, Green appeared as himself in the sitcomAnger Management, in the episode "Charlie & Cee Lo". The same year, he appeared in the filmBegin Again.[82][better source needed] Green performed at the Singapore Social Star Awards on May 23–24, 2013.[83]
In 2017, Green guest-starred in theCartoon Network seriesTeen Titans Go!, acting as himself and Cee Lo Bear in the first and fourth parts of "The Day the Night Stopped Beginning to Shine and Became Dark Even Though It Was the Day"; his cover of "The Night Begins to Shine" from the special was commercially released.[86] In 2020, Green participated as the "Monster" on the British version ofThe Masked Singer. In 2022, he provided the voice of Shuggie in theDisney+ seriesThe Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
Managed by Primary Wave Entertainment, Green has endorsed various brands, including7 Up,M&M's, andDuracell.[87] Green owns part of thesake brandTYKU and the company has collaborated with him on a few business ventures,[88] including a commercial promoting the brand, dubbed the "first national sake commercial" in the United States.[89] In 2011, it was estimated by aNew York Times reporter that Green earned some US$20 million, predominantly from the endorsement deals, in that year alone.[87]
Green has described himself as having been a "goon" in his youth, as well as a "kleptomaniac,pyromaniac, just plain maniac".[90]
Green was married to Christina Johnson, and divorced in 2005. He and Johnson have a son, Kingston, born on September 30, 2000, and Green was stepfather to her daughters, Sierra (born 1990) and Kalah. Sierra appeared on theMTV showMy Super Sweet 16 for her 15th birthday party in 2005.[91][92]
On June 16, 2011, journalist Andrea Swensson ofCity Pages negatively reviewed one of Green's performances, writing that it "failed to measure up to the fun factor of his recorded material. Green spent most of the set stationed in front of a microphone at the center of the stage, barely moving an inch while he sang, and flanked by two forgettable back-up singers and a DJ that was all but hidden behind a giant LCD display".[93] In response, the following day Green tweeted, "I respect your criticism but be fair! People enjoyed last night! I'm guessing ur gay? And my masculinity offended u? well fuck U!"[94] Green promptly received angered responses from some of his followers on Twitter, to which he replied, "Apologies gay community! what washomophobic about that?"[95] In a subsequent interview with magazineUs Weekly, Green stated that his comments were meant in good fun, adding that "I am not harboring any sort of negative feeling toward the gay community" and that "I am one of the most liberal artists that I think you will ever meet, and I pride myself on that."[96]
On December 31, 2011, Green sangJohn Lennon's "Imagine" just prior to theball drop for New Year's Eve at New York City'sTimes Square. In his rendition, Green replaced the line "and no religion, too" with the words "and all religions true".[97] Many saw this as a substantial revision of the meaning behind Lennon's original lyrics.[97] Shortly after the performance, Green responded via Twitter: "Yo I meant no disrespect by changing the lyric guys! I was trying to say a world where u could believe what u wanted that's all".[98] Green deleted a series of tweets pertaining to this event shortly thereafter.[99]
On October 30, 2012, Green was accused ofsexual battery by a woman with whom he had dined at a Los Angeles restaurant,[100][101] leading to a nearly year-long investigation by theLos Angeles Police Department.[102] On October 21, 2013, Green pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of furnishing a controlled substance after the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office declined to file a charge of rape of an intoxicated person, citing insufficient evidence.[103] On August 29, 2014, Green pleadedno contest to one felony count of furnishingecstasy and was sentenced to three years of probation, 360 hours of community service, and ordered to complete 52Alcoholics Anonymous orNarcotics Anonymous meetings.[104]
On August 31, 2014, Green was criticized for tweets relating to his sexual battery case, including, "People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!," and "If someone is passed out they're not even WITH you consciously! so WITH Implies consent." After sending a number of tweets on the topic of rape, he temporarily deactivated his Twitter account. He re-activated it a number of hours later, tweeting the following apology: "I truly and deeply apologize for the comments attributed to me on Twitter. Those comments were idiotic, untrue and not what I believe."[105]
^Whitburn, Joel (April 15, 2007).The Billboard Albums: Includes Every Album That Made the Billboard 200 Chart. Record Research Incorporated. p. 264.ISBN978-0-89820-166-6.
^"Singer CeeLo Green Charged"(PDF) (Press release). Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. October 21, 2013.Archived(PDF) from the original on October 22, 2013. RetrievedOctober 21, 2013.Green, 38 (dob 5–30–75)....
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