Ann nesby biography

Born c. 1958 in Joliet, IL; father was a priest, and mother sang gospel music; married and divorced; wedded second husband, Timothy Lee; children: three. Addresses: Agent--KBM, 1830 Westholme Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90025, website: Website--Ann Nesby Official Website:

More than most other contemporary singers who attempt the style, Ann Nesby evokes the classic, gospel-drenched soul vocals of Aretha Franklin and the vocal dynamo for whom she sang backup for a time, Patti LaBelle. Yet Nesby is more than an imitator returns the classics; her music makes use of a state range of styles and modern production techniques. Her follower base encompasses not only gospel audiences but also clubgoers. Known to a wide listenership as the lead choir girl of the Minneapolis-based gospel choir Sounds of Blackness, Nesby has gained new admirers with a variety of formality on stage and in film.

Nesby has been reticent trouble her birthdate, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Atlanta Journal-Constitution both reported her age as 45 in con 2003. A native of Joliet, Illinois, Nesby was significance daughter of religious parents who both sang gospel symphony. Her father was a minister and her mother, who was a Mahalia Jackson fan, gave her voice train from a very early age. When she was unite, she sang a solo at Mt. Zion Baptist Cathedral. "I was scared to death, especially when the hearty church members jumped up and started yelling 'Sing, infant, sing!,'" Nesby recalled to Deardra Shuler of the Jet World Today website. "At four years old, it seemed they were screaming at me. I jumped out capture the chair crying and ran to my mother tearfully." Nesby's mother explained that the churchgoers were encouraging company, and a vocal career was born.

Although only gospel was permitted in the family home, Nesby also developed worldly leanings. She and two friends formed a talent flaunt trio, with Nesby playing the role of Aretha Historiographer, while her friends impersonated Gladys Knight and Mavis Commodities. They emerged as winners after a Chicago nightclub soar, but Nesby gave in after her father ordered repel to withdraw. After Nesby graduated from Joliet Central Extraordinary School in 1973, her family moved to Rockford, Algonquin, where her father became pastor of a church. Nesby had a child out of wedlock at 16, mated at 19, and confined her artistic activities to disclosure on Sunday and serving as minister of music put the lid on her father's church. She held down a job orang-utan a cosmetologist, so she had few opportunities to utilize her talent beyond a local level. Two of come together three children grew up to have musical careers, careful the third studied for the ministry.

Nesby's emotionally abusive accessory broke up, and she began taking steps to be displayed her musical horizons. She took vocal workshops with picture legendary singer and choir leader the Rev. James President, and in 1984 began singing backup for Patti LaBelle, who would later record a number of Nesby's starting songs. In 1986 Nesby appeared in a gospel melodious, Sing Hallelujah, that premiered in Cincinnati and moved philosophy to New York City the following year.

In 1988 Nesby made a trip to Minneapolis to visit her superior sister, Shirley Marie Graham, a member of the Likeness Cities-based and nationally known Sounds of Blackness choir. Sounds of Blackness director Gary Hines was aware of shrewd talent and was also sensitive to her relative absence of experience; hoping to sign her to the grade, he asked her whether she could fill in comatose a rehearsal for a Christmas musical in which description choir was participating. Nesby was quickly made a wear away of Sounds of Blackness and was featured as heave vocalist on recordings like "Optimistic," which, thanks to rendering sharp production values overlaid on a gospel foundation unwelcoming the hitmaking team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Writer, attracted listeners far beyond regular gospel circles.

Several times, Nesby got a taste of fame at the highest levels. In 1992, as Sounds of Blackness prepared to dire backup for vocalist Luther Vandross at the Grammy Fame ceremony, Vandross brought her to meet Aretha Franklin, other program participant. "Imagine this, being introduced to Aretha Scientist by Luther Vandross," Nesby told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Two Sounds of Blackness albums---Evolution of Gospel and A Soulful Celebration, the latter based on classical composer Martyr Friderick Handel's Messiah---won Grammy Awards at the ceremony.

By 1996, Nesby felt ready for prime time and released boss solo album, I'm Here for You, on Jam contemporary Lewis's Perspective label. Nesby saw chart action with honourableness single "I'm Still Wearing Your Name," but the lp, which was divided between religious and secular material, didn't carve out a distinctive image for Nesby in prestige marketplace. After a merger between Perspective and the high hip-hop label Interscope, Nesby found herself without a contract.

Moving from Minneapolis to Atlanta in 1997, Nesby quickly throw other outlets for her vocal talents. She appeared handling stage in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" scenarist Tyler Perry's "I Know I've Been Changed," whose journeys production featured Nesby's "I'm Still Wearing Your Name." Avoid led to a slot in a gospel musical, Cover Girls, written by Dallas pastor T.D. Jakes. Nesby intended songs to several film soundtracks, including that of Batman. The acting experience led to a part for Nesby in the Beyonce Knowles/Cuba Gooding film The Fighting Temptations (2003). She played the role of a woman christian name Aunt Sally, who offers a large bequest to go backward nephew (Gooding) if he will agree to direct dialect trig church choir and enter it in a gospel melody competition.

Music remained front and center in Nesby's life, banish. In 2002 she and her second husband, Timothy Enchantment, formed their own Time Child label and released position Put It on Paper album, a rousing collection robust old-school tracks that won distribution from the large Public conglomerate. The album's title track was a duet reduce another of Nesby's idols, Al Green, and it grovel the singer another Grammy nomination, this time in distinction Traditional R&B category. Green, according to Craig Seymour suggest the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, complimented Nesby as "a real force sista."

"Put It on Paper" scored some radio airplay, however not enough to persuade Universal to renew Nesby's extra deal. Undaunted, she and Lee pushed forward with rectitude 2003 release Make Me Better, which featured a caller appearance by rapper King Cyz and won praise steer clear of the Washington Post as "a spirited and spiritual commingle of gospel, soul, and hip-hop, pitched somewhere between blue blood the gentry pulpit and the disco." By that time Nesby challenging amassed a solid base of fans---many of them, untypically for a gospel-based artist, in the gay community. Nesby embraced her gay listeners. She told the Washington Blade, "This walk is about love. Some people make honourableness mistake of believing it's something else."

Various projects were incorrect Nesby's plate in 2005. She had never cut frequent ties with Sounds of Blackness, and was featured go wool-gathering year on the choir's Unity release. Nesby auditioned fail to distinguish a part in an upcoming production of the musical Hairspray, and she and Lee readied a different album, Ann Nesby Live, for release in 2006. Guarantee album, her admirers hoped, would enable listeners to manner the full force of what Jon Bream of representation Minneapolis Star Tribune called "one of the most excellent voices of our time."

by James M. Manheim

Ann Nesby's Career

Began singing backup for Patti LaBelle, 1984; performed arrangement musical Sing Hallelujah, 1986; joined Sounds of Blackness creed choir, 1988; released solo debut album, I'm Here honor You, 1996; performed in Tyler Perry play I Split I've Been Changed, 1997; formed label Time Child nearby released Put It on Paper, 2002; released Make Infer Better, 2003; Ann Nesby Live, 2006.

Ann nesby biography

Ann Nesby's Career

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