Title: The Remarkable Journey of Who Is
Kenneth is], the visionary mind behind the prominent blog "Who Is," has become a familiar figure in the blogosphere. With an unwavering commitment to their craft and a strong passion for sharing knowledge, they have created a platform that educates, entertains, and inspires readers from all corners of the globe. This blog post will take you through the incredible journey of Who is, shedding light on their background and their rise
Who is Ronald Isley? is an Americanpop, rock, soul, and R&B singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the legendary family music group The Isley Brothers. He is currently serving time in Federal Prison for tax evasion in Terre Haute, Indiana, according to the Bureau of Prisons website, he will be released on April 13, 2010.
Isley was born May 21, 1941, Cincinnati, Ohio the third of six brothers, Ronald, like many of his siblings, began his career in the church. He began singing at the age of three, winning a $25 war bond for singing at a spiritual contest at the Union Baptist Church. By the age of seven, Ronald was singing onstage at venues such as the Regal Theater in Chicago, alongside Dinah Washingtonand a few other notables.
In 1954, when Ronald was only 13, he and his brothers, Rudolph, O'Kelly and Vernon Isley, formed the original lineup of what would become the Isley Brothers. Beginning as a gospel quartet, they began singing alongside their father, O'Kelly, Sr. (also a singer in his own right at the time), and their mother Sallye (the group's first pianist). Ronald carried on as the leader of the Isleys after Vernon's 1955 death in a bicycle accident at age 13. In 1957, the Isleys moved out of Cincinnati and headed to New York City, where they began recording doo-wop material for several record labels. After several failed attempts, the brothers hit pay dirt after cultivating a song that had been created after the brothers' inspired performance of Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops"
and a brief successful stint at Motown, the brothers formed the T-Neck record label (named after their New Jersey hometown) in 1968 and released the hugely successful funk anthem, "It's Your Thing",
which won the group their only Grammy. Ronald could sing rock & roll as well as funk and soul. In fact, Ronald is considered one of the original belters and vocalists of the rock era. After years singing in gritty gospel-infused vocals, Ronald introduced R&B audiences to his piercing falsetto and softer tenor in ballads that critics have hailed as some of the greatest love songs of all time, including "For the Love of You",
and "Don't Say Goodnight." He still sang in his gritty tenor in hits like "That Lady"
, "Live It Up",
"Fight the Power"
and "Take Me to the Next Phase".
After the death of his oldest brother, O'Kelly, in 1986, Isley began working with soul singer-songwriter-producer Angela Winbushon the next Isley Brothers record, Smooth Sailin'. The album was released in 1987. Isley and Winbush shared a duet on Winbush's Sharp album (the top 40 R&B ballad "Hello,
Beloved"), and in 1993, they were married. Winbush continued producing records with Isley for 1989's Spend the Night, 1991's The Tracks of Life (with a revamped version of the Isley Brothers), 1996's Mission to Please (from which Isley and Winbush scored a hit duet, "Floatin' On Your Love",
Evans was born June 10, 1973 in Coral Gables, Florida in June 1973 to an African-American mother, Helene Evans, a professional singer.[2] Her father, Richard Swain, was a musician who left before Evans was born (Evans has said "I've heard people mumble something about him being Italian, but I don't know for sure").[5] A half year later, 19-year-old Helene returned to Newark, New Jersey and left Faith with her cousin Johnnie Mae and husband Orvelt Kennedy, the foster parents of more than 100 children they raised in the time that Faith lived with them.[2][4] It was not until a couple of years later, Helene's career floundered and she tried to take Evans back home. Faith, however, was scared to leave what she'd "been used to," and instead, Helene moved in next door.[2]
Raised in a Christian home, Evans began singing at church at age two, and at age four, she caught the attention of the congregation of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newark when she sang The Fifth Dimension's song "Let the Sunshine In."[6] While attending University High School in Newark, she sang with several jazz bands and, encouraged by Helene, entered outside pageants, festivals and contests, where her voice would be noticed and praised. "I was raised in a very, very Christian home", Evans told i-D magazine in a 1998 interview. "It was church, school, church, school. I could hardly go to the corner of my block. It was strict."
The album was certified platinum with over a million copies sold, according to RIAA.[8]
Following Biggie's murder in March 1997, Puff Daddy helped get Evans out of her gloom to record a tribute song titled "I'll Be Missing You". The song, which featured Puffy, Evans, and Bad Boy Records group 112, reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1997 and stayed there for eleven weeks. The song won Puffy and Evans a Grammy Award for Best Rap Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
After marrying Todd Russaw and having a third child, named Joshua, Evans released her long-awaited follow-up, Keep the Faith in 1998. Unlike the solemn approach to her first album, this album spoke of optimism, good times, and love. Among its biggest hits include the Chic-sampled track "Love Like This"
(#2 R&B). For the album's promotion, Evans went through a transformation in her physical appearance. Always a slightly full figured woman, Evans shed over fifty pounds and presented a sexier image that was present for the videos to "I Love You" and "Burnin' Up".
Fatman Scoopalso sampled her vocals on the song "Be Faithful"
in 2003, which reached number one in the UK. Although the album wasn't as largely promoted as her first two, it was a moderate success. The album was certified platinum in January 2002, with over 1 million units sold.
In 2004, Evans and her husband Todd Russaw made negative headlines in January 2004 when they were arrested due to drug possession, driving under the influence, and improper vehicle tags.[9] The couple was fined, sentenced to three years' probation; and ordered to attend rehab for 13 weeks.[10][11][12] Evans later incorporated this ordeal into the lyrics of "Again", the first single released from the album The First Lady.
Evans rebounded with a record that many of her fans have proclaimed as her strongest record to date, The First Lady (released on April 5, 2005) her Capitol record debut album. After finding success with her Twistacollaboration, "Hope",
Evans released her first song of new material in three years with "Again", a biographical account of her life struggles (its second verse mentioned the 2004 drug incident). Faith recorded "Say A Prayer" with gospel music star Donald Lawrence on his "I Speak Life" album in 2004. The First Lady came out commemorating her tenth anniversary in the industry and her first record on Capitol Records after leaving Bad Boy in 2003. With the help of "Again"
reaching the top ten of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and appearances on David Letterman,BET, Later... with Jools Holland and MTV the album entered the Billboard 200 at number two with 160,000 copies sold in its first week, marking the largest first-week total of her career. The First Lady was RIAA certified Gold selling over 600,000 copies to date. The second single, "Mesmerized",
saw Faith going with a 70's retro-funk soul vibe. The track failed to crack top fifty R&B despite numerous remixes; however a dance remix by the Freemasons went on to hit number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
At the end of 2005, Evans released her fifth studio album, A Faithful Christmas, a Christmas collection of new material and covers of seasonal classics. She also made lots of appearances on holiday TV programming. In early 2006, Faith Evans' third single, "Tru Love"
(produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox), gradually gained ground on urban/urban AC radio without any assistance from her label since they never promoted (sent to radio) or had a video for "Tru Love", becoming her eleventh solo R&B hit. Also in 2005, Evans appeared along with Jessi Colter and Cece White as a feature vocalist on the Shooter Jenningssong "Southern Comfort"
from the album "Put the O Back in Country".
Prior to Faith Evans meeting and having a relationship with The Notorious B.I.G. she was involved in a relationship with Kiyamma Griffin. She and Griffin had a daughter named Chyna, who was born April 1, 1993. Evans then married The Notorious B.I.G.(Christopher Wallace)
on August 4, 1994.[3] The marriage was turbulent as B.I.G. reportedly had affairs with Lil Kimand Charli Baltimore. But the two did reunite and their son Christopher Wallace, Jr., (who plays his father ages 10–13 in the 2009 biopic Notorious), was born on October 29, 1996; five months later, Wallace was murdered in a California drive-by shooting. The case, as of 2009, still remains unsolved. In summer 1997 the Bad Boy Records tribute to Wallace "I'll Be Missing You"
dominated charts worldwide. In February 1998 Evans, Combs, and 112 won a Grammy award for their work on the recording.
In late 1997 Evans became pregnant by Todd Russaw. Her son Joshua was born June 10, 1998. In the summer of 1998 Faith and Todd married.[13] On March 22, 2007 they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw.
In Faith Evans' autobiography, Keep the Faith: A Memoir, she states "Biggie and I had known each other for barely two months. And we were now married. I don't know where the legend of us getting married after nine days comes from. Granted, two months isn't a long time, either. But unlike what's been printed so many times, we didn't get married nine days after we met."
Evans released her biographic book called Keep the Faith: A Memoir on August 29, 2008. It detailed the highs and lows of the singer's life, but also shed light on Evans' controversial relationship with her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G. "I want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't actually begin or end with Big's death. My journey has been complicated on many levels. And since I am always linked to Big, there are a lot of misconceptions about who I really am. It's not easy putting your life out there for the masses. But I've decided I'll tell my own story. For Big. For my children. And for myself."[14]