Music 26
Usher Raymond (known as Usher) began singing when he was six years old; he joined the local church choir after his mother forced him to, Jonnetta Patton, who acted as choir director. Patton, a single mom, raised Usher and his younger brother, James, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before moving the family to Atlanta, Georgia, when Usher was 12 years old. Usher referred to his mom as his best friend, Usher's mom guided him through his teen years on his way to becoming a teenage star. She stood by his career as his manager, a job she took after quitting her full-time office job several years prior to him becoming a star. Moving to Atlanta, Usher began participating in various local talent shows. In one talent show, in 1992, he was spotted by Bryant Reid, brother of Antonio Reid, the famed R&B producer and co-president (with 'Kenneth Babyface' Edmonds') of LaFace Records. Bryant Reid arranged for Usher to audition for his brother, and the Bryant Reid ( which was a very well known producer at the time) was immediately taken by usher’s undeniable talent.- Reid offered Usher a contract on the spot. Usher later recorded and released his debut album on LaFace in 1994. The record, which was co-executive-produced by Reid and Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, welcomed the minor hit "Think of You". Usher who was only 14 when he worked on the album and puberty proved somewhat of an impediment to the process. As a result, the producers brought in several vocal coaches in order to help him complete the record. Their efforts were not because of him lacking voice strength, as the album captured Usher's youthful exuberance and native singing prowess, not to mention how he captured anyone’s attention who heard him sing. After graduating from high school, he entered the studio to record his sophomore effort, "My Way", which was produced by Jermaine Dupri of So So Def Records, and was released in October of 1997, around the time of Usher's 19th birthday. The record was already highly...