Dionne Farris
| Dionne Farris | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Bordentown, New Jersey, United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, alternative hip hop, pop |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Columbia/SME Records, Free and Clear Records |
| Associated acts | Arrested Development, Count Bass D, Randy Jackson, Van Hunt, Guru (rapper), Jermaine Dupri, TLC, Jermaine Rand |
| Website | Dionne Farris |
Dionne Yvette Farris (born December 4, 1968) is an American female, singer,songwriter, producer and actor known for her vocal contribution to the hip hop group Arrested Development.[1] breakthrough song “Tennessee”. She sang a total of three songs on their debut album in 1992.
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Early Life and Career [edit]
Dionne was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, United States[2] the only child of Richard and Larraine Farris. Her father played several instruments and was a member of a local New Jersey choir, while Larraine Wall-Farris had aspirations of being a singer. Her father had some influence as a musician but, it was Dionne's mother and her mother’s side of the family that introduced her to the musical acts that shaped and influenced her.
Dionne attended Peter Muschal Elementary School where she first sang in a school's musical performance. Her most memorable performance was at the age of 12, when she sang an a cappella rendition of “Good Morning Heartache” by Billie Holiday.
In high school she sang in her high school’s choir in Bordentown, NJ and starred in the then controversial lead role of the high school’s production of Annie.
After high school she sang on Manhattan’s club circuit as a solo artist and with a female group called Onyx.
She started dating Rasa Don right before she moved to Atlanta in 1990. He is one of the earlier member of the Arrested Development. The group was looking for a female singer and Dionne, although she was not interested in being in a group, became an unofficial member.
After the success of “Tennessee”, Dionne began to receive media attention, which may have been the result of the personal/business conflicts she began experiencing with the group’s leader, Speech and she left the group in 1993.
Chrysalis, Arrested Development’s record company offered Dionne a solo deal, but Dionne rejected the offer in search of a deal where she would have artistic control. She contacted David Harris,former members of the funk-rock band” Follow for Now” and Milton Davis and begn colloabortion on a solo project which resulted in a demo that made its way to Sony Music.
In 1995, she had a solo hit single called "I Know", which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1996, and in 1997, she had another called "Hopeless" (written by Van Hunt) from the Love Jones soundtrack. This was after her demo made its way to Sony Music, and her debut album, Wild Seed, Wild Flower, was released in the summer of 1994, spawning "I Know."[3] Wild Seed - Wild Flower reached #57 on the Billboard 200 chart.[3]
In the UK Singles Chart, "I Know" peaked (after a re-release) at #41 in May 1995.[4]
On April 8, 1995, she was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, season 20 episode 17, where Damon Wayans was the guest host. That same year, her version of Dr. Billy Taylor's "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" appeared on the soundtrack to the documentary "The Promised Land".
In 1996, she sang the closing song "For Once In My Life" in the 1996 film, The Truth About Cats & Dogs.
In June of 1997, she had another hit with “Hopeless" (written by Van Hunt) from the "Love Jones" soundtrack. The song peaked at #42.
Farris has released an album entitled Signs of Life on her own record label, Free & Clear. Her 2007 release For Truth If Not Love was issued on iTunes. It featured the track, "Stuck in the Middle".
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
- Wild Seed – Wild Flower (1995), Columbia
- For Truth If Not Love (2007), Music World
- Signs of Life, (2011), Free & Clear Records
- Dionne get your Gunn (2013), Free & Clear Records
Mixtapes [edit]
- Lady Dy, The Mixtape pt. 1 (2011), Free & Clear Records
Singles [edit]
- I Know (1995), Sony
- Don't Ever Touch Me Again (1995), Sony
- Passion (1996), Sony
- Food For Thought (1996), Sony [promo]
- For Once In My Life (1996), The Truth About Cats and Dogs (Movie Soundtrack)
- Hopeless (1997), Sony
References [edit]
- ^ "Speech Interview". Songfacts. Retrieved April 3, 2008.
- ^ Rateyourmusic.com
- ^ a b "Biography by Steve Huey". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 195. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links [edit]
- Dionne Farris
- Dionne Farris on Myspace
- [1] twitter
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