Karyn White
| Karyn White | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 14, 1965 |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B,New jack swing |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, Interior Designer |
| Years active | 1986–1995 2006, 2012-present |
| Labels | Warner Bros. (1986–1995) |
Karyn Layvonne White (born October 14, 1965) is a R&B singer who became popular during the late 1980s.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
White was born in Los Angeles,to Vivian and Clarence White. She is the youngest of five children. She sang in a church choir and worked as a backing singer, then sang on Jeff Lorber's single "Facts of Love" before signing to Warner Bros. Records.
White married Terry Lewis in 1992 and together they had a daughter, Ashley Nicole. They eventually divorced, and she later married producer/musician Bobby G.
[edit] Recent times
White resides in Rocklin, California, a suburb of Sacramento, and runs a successful interior design and real estate business.[1] In 2006 she recorded a new album, titled Sista Sista; which was slated for release in 2006, but has since been shelved. Two tracks from the shelved album, "All I Do" and "Disconnected", were later released on the Best-Of compilation Superwoman: The Best She was also slated to appear on the Soul Train Music Awards in 2009 as a tribute to Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. Unfortunately this performance was canceled when Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A" Reid withdrew from the Soul Train ceremony, declining the honor. Currently, White plans to release her first album after a seventeen-year break, Carpe Diem, in early 2012. [2][3]
[edit] Career
White's self-titled debut album Karyn White was released in 1988. It was produced by L.A. Reid & Babyface and achieved platinum status. Karyn White contained the hit singles "The Way You Love Me", "Secret Rendezvous" (#6 in the U.S., her biggest hit at the time), "Superwoman" and "Love Saw It" a duet with Babyface. White was nominated in the Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist category for the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards.She was also nominated for two Grammy Awards. She became the first female artist to have their first three solo releases hit #1 on the R&B charts.
Her follow-up album was Ritual of Love in 1991. It had songs produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and featured the hit single "Romantic", which hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Other singles from the album include "The Way I Feel About You" (U.S. #12), "Walkin' the Dog," and "Do Unto Me" (the last two did not chart). The photographer and director Matthew Rolston directed the video for the hit single Romantic. Michael Walls, who is credited as stylist on the Ritual of Love album, worked closely with Karyn White on the look for the Ritual of Love cover and 3 of the music videos released for the album. Walls brainstomed the idea for the Chanel inspired simple pearls and black dress used on the album cover, the french maid look and multiple wardrobe changes for video of "The Way I feel About You", and the colorful "Walkin' the Dog" video, which was based on a scene from the film Sweet Charity.
Her next album was Make Him Do Right in 1994. The album did not sell particularly well, although she did chart with the singles "Hungah" and the Babyface-penned "Can I Stay With You", which became her final U.S. R&B Top 10 hit in early 1995. "I'd Rather Be Alone", her last chart single to date, peaked at #50 on the same chart later that year. White left Warner Bros. Records afterwards, and dropped out of the music public eye for many years to start a family.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions[4][5] | US certifications[6] |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
UK | ||||
| 1988 | Karyn White | 19 | 1 | 20 | Platinum | Warner Bros. |
| 1991 | Ritual of Love | 53 | 7 | 31 | Gold | |
| 1994 | Make Him Do Right | 99 | 22 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
[edit] Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | US certifications |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
UK | ||||
| 1995 | Sweet & Sensual | — | — | — | — | WEA Japan |
| 2007 | Superwoman: The Best of Karyn White | — | — | — | — | Shout! Factory |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions[4][5] | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Dance |
US A/C |
UK | |||
| 1986 | "Facts of Love" (with Jeff Lorber) | 27 | 17 | 9 | — | 95 | Private Passion |
| 1987 | "True Confessions" (with Jeff Lorber) | — | 88 | — | — | — | |
| 1988 | "The Way You Love Me" | 7 | 1 | 5 | 38 | 42 | Karyn White |
| "Superwoman" | 8 | 1 | — | 12 | 11 | ||
| 1989 | "Love Saw It" (with Babyface) | — | 1 | — | — | — | |
| "Secret Rendezvous" | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | 52 | ||
| "Slow Down" | — | 36 | — | — | — | ||
| "Secret Rendezvous" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | 22 | ||
| "The Way You Love Me" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | 82 | ||
| "Not Thru Being with You" (with Michael Jeffries) | — | 32 | — | — | 99 | Michael Jeffries | |
| 1991 | "Romantic" | 1 | 1 | 6 | 37 | 23 | Ritual of Love |
| "The Way I Feel About You" | 12 | 5 | — | 35 | 65 | ||
| 1992 | "Walkin' the Dog" | — | 34 | — | — | — | |
| "Do Unto Me" | — | 24 | — | — | — | ||
| 1994 | "Hungah" | 78 | 18 | 10 | — | 68 | Make Him Do Right |
| "Can I Stay with You" | 81 | 10 | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "I'd Rather Be Alone" | 120 | 50 | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | |||||||
[edit] Awards and nominations
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1989 | American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist |
| 1989 | Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best New Artist, Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single, Female and Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album, Female |
| 1989 | Billboard Music Award win for No. 1 R&B Single of the Year ("Superwoman"). [1] |
| 1989 | Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("The Way You Love Me"). |
| 1990 | Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("Superwoman"). |
| 1990 | American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Album - (Karyn White). [2] |
[edit] See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
[edit] References
- ^ Superwoman: The Best Of liner notes
- ^ http://soultrain.com/2012/01/31/the-return-of-karyn-white/
- ^ http://soultrain.com/2012/01/31/the-return-of-karyn-white/
- ^ a b "Karyn White US chart history". billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/karyn-white/chart-history/6008. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ^ a b "Karyn White UK chart history". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=5286. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ^ "Karyn White US certification history". riaa.com. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Karyn%20White&format=Album&go=Search&perPage=25. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
