Usher Terrence "Terry" Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978; pronounced
/ˈʌʃər/), who performs under the
mononym Usher, known as
The King of R&B.
[1] is an American recording artist, dancer, and actor.He rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album
My Way, which spawned his first
Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, "
Nice and Slow". His followup album
8701 (2001) produced the
Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits "
U Remind Me" and "
U Got It Bad". Both albums sold over 8 million copies worldwide, establishing Usher as one of the biggest selling R&B artists of the 1990s.
On March 30, 2010, Usher released his sixth studio album
Raymond v. Raymond, which became his third consecutive album to debut at number one on the US
Billboard 200 chart.
Early life
Usher was born in Dallas, Texas,[20][21] the son of Jonetta Patton (née O'Neal) and Usher Raymond III. Usher spent the majority of his young life in Chattanooga: his father left the family when Usher was a year old. Usher grew up with his mother, then-stepfather, and half-brother, James Lackey, born in 1984. Directed by his mother, Usher joined the local church youth choir in Chattanooga, when he was nine years old; there, his grandmother discovered his ability to sing, although it was not until Usher joined a singing group that she considered he could sing professionally.[22] In the belief that a bigger city would provide greater opportunities for showcasing his talent, Usher's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where there was a more conducive environment for beginning singers.[23] While in Atlanta, Usher attended North Springs High School. Usher's father died of a heart attack on January 21, 2008.
Career
1987–92: Musical beginnings
At age 11, Usher joined an R&B local
quintet called the NuBeginnings, which was organized by local music svengali, Darryl Wheeler. Usher recorded 10 songs with the group in 1991, and the ensuing album,
Nubeginning Featuring Usher Raymond IV, was only made available regionally and by
mail order.
[26] However, Patton took him out because, according to her, it was a "bad experience".
[22] The album was re-released nationally in April 2002 by Hip-O Records.
[26][27]
1993-1996: Usher
At age 13,On August 30, 1994, LaFace released Usher's self-titled debut album
1997–2003: My Way and 8701
2004–07: Confessions Era
2008–09: Here I Stand
2010–present: Raymond v. Raymond and Versus
Other ventures
Aside from recording, Usher is involved in other businesses, including several restaurants.
[95]
He has acted in feature films, debuting in 1998's
The Faculty. He was among the stars in
Light It Up and
In the Mix.
Usher founded his record label US Records, a
vanity label, in 2002. The label is a subsidiary of
Clive Davis's
J Records, which is distributed by
Sony BMG. The first album released by US was the soundtrack to
In the Mix in late 2005, which was used to introduce the label's acts, such as rapper
Rico Love, Canadian teen R&B artist
Justin Bieber, R&B vocal group
One Chance, and singer
Rayan. Usher served as songwriter-producer in the project.
[96][97]
Usher is a part owner of the
Cleveland Cavaliers professional basketball team. He is part of a group which bought the team with a reported total purchase price of $375 million. He became the third pop artist to own a large stake in an
NBA team.
[98]
Usher served as the contestant mentor for the Top 10 Week of Season 9 of the television show
American Idol. He appeared on the ITV1 show
Britain's Got Talent on 5 June 2010.
Philanthropy
Usher founded New Look, a non-profit charity organization which aims to "provide young people with a new look on life through education and real-world experience". Its flagship project, camp New Look, ran from July 11 to July 23, 2005 in
Clark Atlanta University.
[111] In 2006, the charity started an initiative called Our Block, for which it helped rebuild and revitalize city blocks in
New Orleans. The project went on one street at a time, and the funding was helped through part of the proceeds of Usher's team-up with
Armani Exchange in creating "Love 4 Life" dog tags, which were made available at the company's stores and Web site.
[112]
Discography
Filmography
On March 30, 2010, Usher released his sixth studio album Raymond v. Raymond, which became his third consecutive album to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Usher is a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers professional basketball team. He is part of a group which bought the team with a reported total purchase price of $375 million. He became the third pop artist to own a large stake in an NBA team.[98] 
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