Ralph Tresvant
Ralph Tresvant | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ralph Edward Tresvant Jr. |
| Also known as | Rizz, Rizzo |
| Born | May 16, 1968 |
| Origin | Roxbury, Massachusetts, US |
| Genres | R&B, new jack swing |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Xzault Media Group MCA Records Geffen Records Interscope Records |
| Website | Official website |
Ralph Edward Tresvant Jr. (born May 16, 1968), also known as Rizz or Rizzo, is an American contemporary R&B singer best known as one of the lead singers of R&B/pop group New Edition. As a solo artist, Tresvant released the album Ralph Tresvant (1990). In 2008, he began touring with Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill in a new group named Heads of State.
Early Life
Born in the Roxbury section of Boston, Massachusetts, on May 16, 1968, Ralph Edward Tresvant Jr. grew up enjoying music with his older sister LaTonya and younger brother Andre. When some junior high school friends got the idea to put a group together, Tresvant and four others—Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell and Michael Bivins—started performing at local talent shows. They were spotted by a local up-and-coming producer and songwriter, Brooke Payne, a local manager and choreographer, who encountered the boys at a local talent show in Roxbury. After an audition for Payne, he gave them the name New Edition to signify they were a new edition of the Jackson 5. Maurice Starr, who wanted to create a "newer edition" of the pop act The Jackson 5, signed them to his independent Streetwise Records label, releasing their debut album, Candy Girl, in 1983. The album was a successful launching pad for the group, spawning the teen-oriented hit singles "Popcorn Love," "Is This the End" and the title track.
Career
After a dispute over money, New Edition left Starr's management and record label and signed with major label MCA Records, which released the group's self-titled second album. Tresvant's smooth, approachable vocal style had become a signature for the group, and the hits continued, including the Top Five smash single "Cool It Now."
Quiet and shy, Tresvant was initially apprehensive about the idea of recording a solo project. However, after witnessing the huge success of Bobby Brown's solo albums and of Ronnie DeVoe, Ricky Bell and Michael Bivins' Bell Biv Devoe side project, Tresvant eventually relented. His 1990 debut solo album, Sensitivity, was released in 1990 and the title track spent 20 weeks including one week at No. 1 on the U.S. R&B Singles chart. The album also included the hit singles "Do What I Gotta Do" and "Stone Cold Gentleman."
Tresvant's vocals were also featured on songs on the soundtracks for the films Mo' Money ("Money Can't Buy You Love") and The Preacher's Wife ("Somebody Bigger Than You and I"). He made a cameo appearance in the popular urban comedy House Party 2.
Personal Life
Tresvant married his childhood sweetheart, Shelly, in 1993; they have two daughters, Na'Quelle and Mariah and a son, Ralph, Jr. In 2004, he married his second wife, Amber Serrano with whom he has a son, Dakari.
Discography
New Edition
- Candy Girl (1983)
- New Edition (1984)
- All for Love (1985)
- Under the Blue Moon (1986)
- Heart Break (1988)
- Home Again (1996)
- One Love (2004)
Solo
- Ralph Tresvant (1990)
- It's Goin' Down (1994)
- Rizz-Wa-Faire (2006)
Filmography
- 1985: Krush Groove as New Edition
- 1991: House Party 2 as himself
- 2004: Barbershop Blues as Jake
- 2006: Triple Cross as Sonny
- 2008: Behind RizzWaFaire
- 2014: Get On Up as Sam Cooke
References
External links
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