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Kelly Price (born April 3, 1973) is an American R&B and soul singer, formerly on the Def Soul label.

Life and music career[link]

Kelly Cherelle Price was born in Queens, New York. She began singing in church as a toddler. Her first professional engagement was with George Michael at Madison Square Garden in January 1992. As destiny would have it Price was over heard singing by Mariah Carey who after arriving to her own rehearsal late for the Grammys walked into a room where Price was singing in the rehearsal hall while everyone else was on a meal break. Carey subsequently introduced Price to Sony Columbia's then CEO Tommy Mottola.^[1] She made a name for herself as a backing and guest vocalist, appearing on a number of hit singles such as Mariah Carey's "Fantasy", The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Mo Money Mo Problems", and Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel". She has also sung background vocals for Faith Evans, Aretha Franklin, Brian McKnight, SWV and R. Kelly.

Prior to becoming a recording artist Price's career as a writer flourished. She collaborated and performed with and for well-known artists such as Brian McKnight, Faith Evans, The Notorious BIG, Jay-Z, Puff Daddy, Mase, Faith Evans, Mic Geronimo, Da Brat, Jermaine Dupree, SWV, Aretha Franklin, LL Cool J, Wynona Judd, Mariah Carey, Ronald Isley, The Isley Brothers, Angela Winbush, Karen Clark Sheard, Yolanda Adams, Whitney Houston, Dallas Austin, MC Lyte, The Lox, ScarFace, Will Downing, Mary J. Blige, Gerald Levert, JOE, Angelique Kidjo, Coco Lee, KeKe Wyatt, Tamia, R. Kelly and Elton John.

Price issued her debut album, Soul of a Woman, in 1998 on Island Records, which contained the hit single "Friend of Mine". A remix of the song, also included on the album, features R. Kelly and Ronald Isley. In the remix, Isley takes on the fictional role of the singer-protagonist's Godfather ("Mr. Biggs"), taking her husband (R. Kelly) to task for cheating on her with her best friend. The "Friend of Mine" LP version and the remix both charted as #1 hits on the U.S. R&B chart and made history by doing so with no music video to support the song.

She issued her second album, Mirror Mirror, in 2000 on the Def Soul imprint of Def Jam Records; Island and Def Jam had merged in 1999, with Price and labelmates Dru Hill being reassigned to Def Soul. Mirror Mirror featured the singles "You Should've Told Me" and the Grammy Award nominated^[2] "As We Lay", a cover of Shirley Murdock's 1986 hit. A remix of "Love Sets You Free" was issued a single in 2000, produced by Teddy Riley and starring a number of fellow R&B performers, including Babyface, Tamar Braxton, Aaron Hall, Blackstreet, and Def Soul labelmates Dru Hill, Case, Montell Jordan, LovHer and Kandice Love.

Price was featured in the 2003 film, Bringing Down the House, performing a cover of the 1983 Rufus & Chaka Khan hit "Ain't Nobody."

A Christmas album, One Family, was issued in 2001 which had a piano appearance from GospelJazz pioneer, Ben Tankard. Two years later, Price returned with her third regular studio album, Priceless. In October 2005, Price recorded her first live gospel project. The This Is Who I Am album has been released on October 24, 2006 on her own label, EcclecticSounds Records. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Gospel Charts and peaked at #9 on the R&B album chart.

Price was inducted as an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority in July 2006.

In early 2007, Price kicked off a tour with the 'Sisters in the Spirit 2007'.^[3]

In 2006, she recorded the song "Why?" for the soundtrack Why Did I Get Married?, the film version of the stage play of the same name where Price birthed the role of Sheila along side Hollywood mogul Tyler Perry who used the song titles and lyrical content of Price's hit recordings to develop the story.

In early 2009, Price was featured on Coko's gospel album entitled The Winner In Me on the track "Oh Mary".

In June 2010, Price promoted her single "Tired" on The Jazz Joy and Roy syndicated radio show as "some of the best work of my career to date."^[4] The song was also featured in Tyler Perrys 2011 film Madea's Big Happy Family

On February 9, 2012, in a pre-Grammy party to celebrate Price's nominations, the singer sang "Jesus Loves Me" with Whitney Houston in what turned out to be Houston's last public performance two days prior to her untimely death.

The Queen Project[link]

In September 2009, it was announced she would be joining Deborah Cox and Tamia to form the super group The Queen Project. The women seek to empower women of all ages, races and backgrounds by doing a number of community service projects.^[5]

Legal issues[link]

On July 16, 2010, a lawsuit was filed in a Texas federal court by Kelly Price against a nationally known prosperity ministry, New Light Church of Houston, Texas, et al. Other defendants in the case include New Light's pastor, I. V. Hilliard, wife, Bridget Hilliard and daughter, Preshea Hilliard. Price claims she wrote and copyrighted the tune, "Women Who Win," which New Light Church and three members of the Hilliard family used without permission in a church show, on DVDs, on a website and at a "Women Who Win" conference in Houston. The original court docket indicates that the involved parties continued to use the work in a variety of ways despite being refused license to use.

Family[link]

Price grew up in a second apartment in the Edgemere Projects in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York. Her father died when she was nine years old. Residing outside of Atlanta, Georgia, Price lives with her husband/manager, Jeffrey Rolle, and their children, Jeffrey Jr. and Jonia.^[6]

Price's grandfather is the Bishop Jerome Norman, the pastor of the Full Gospel Mission Church of God in Christ in Queens and Jurisdictional Prelate of the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Barbados since 1990 by the late Presiding Bishop J.O. Patterson. Her mother, Claudia Price, is the former musical director of the church. Price began singing in the church at the age of six; with her voice, she gained the nickname 'Little Mahalia Jackson'.^[7]

Breast cancer activist[link]

In December 2000, Price donated $250,000 to fight breast cancer. She presented a check to Tony Martell of the T.J. Martell Foundation and Denise Rich of G&P Foundation For Cancer Research to help with the ongoing fight against breast cancer. Price donated the proceeds from her single "Love Sets You Free" which she recorded in January 2000.^[8]

In April 1999, Price volunteered to showcase her fashion designs during a special charity gala and fashion show to help the National Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative raise money for breast cancer education for minority women.^[9] The previous year, Price learned that her mother-in-law had breast cancer. Later in 1998, Price's own mother also was diagnosed with the disease. Her mother-in-law died from the disease.^[10]

Claudia Price, the mother of Kelly, is a survivor of inflammatory breast cancer which is the deadliest and most deceptive type of breast cancer.^[11] Claudia, who is a New York City resident, has become a breast cancer activist to educate the public about the disease. She was the chairwoman of the seventh annual Sister to Sister Fitness Festival held in Dallas, Texas which was sponsored by the Celebrating Life Foundation.

Claudia experienced pain in her breast in 1997, but said fear and a lack of insurance kept her from seeking immediate medical attention. Instead, she waited two years before seeing a doctor. While at work one day in 1999, her doctor called and said she had inflammatory breast cancer. Doctors gave her two months to live. She underwent chemotherapy, and the disease is in remission as of October 2006.^[12]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]