ARTIST

Usher

Usher's rise to the top of the charts with three consecutive No. 1 singles ("You Make Me Wanna," "Nice & Slow," "My Way") might make him appear to be an overnight sensation. But the Chattanooga, Tennessee native, who moved to Atlanta when he was 12, grew up singing in church; his mother was the choir director. Usher received his big break when LaFace Records co-founder L.A. Reid saw the singer performing in a local talent show in 1993, the same year that he made his recording debut on the Poetic Justice soundtrack.

His single "Call Me A Mack," performed under the name Usher Raymond, featured the then-14-year-old establishing the sound that would eventually make him one of the hottest R&B male teen idols of the '90s. "Call Me A Mack" did gain him some attention,...
More...