Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer. She was born on October 7, 1967, in Severn, Maryland, the oldest of six children. Her father was a clergyman and the Braxton children were raised in a strict religious household. Braxton's first performing experience was singing with a church choir. She is most notable for her dark, deep and husky, contralto that is low even by contralto standards.
Toni on the cover of the single
Hit The Freeway
Braxton attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree but decided to pursue a musical career. She and her four sisters (Traci, Trina, Towanda and Tamar) performing as The Braxtons, released their first single The Good Life in 1990. This single attracted the attention of producer Antonio "L.A." Reid which led to Braxton recording demos of songs written for Anita Baker for a new Eddie Murphy movie. Pregnant, Baker passed and suggested the "girl in the demos". That was the break Toni needed, and she ended up performing for the soundtrack of the movie Boomerang in 1992 and releasing her first album, Toni Braxton in 1993. The album was a critical and popular success and Braxton won a Grammy as Best New Artist. Braxton's second album, Secrets (including her 'signature ballad' Un-Break My Heart written by Diane Warren), was released in 1996 and was another major success, leading to Braxton winning the 1997 Billboard Award for Female R&B Artist of the Year.
Braxton's career suffered a major downturn in 1998 when she declared bankruptcy following a legal dispute with her record company. Her recent albums; The Heat in 2000, Snowflakes, a 2001 Christmas themed album, and More Than A Woman in 2002, while successful, have not matched the phenomenal sales of her earlier work.
In 2001, Braxton made her acting debut in the film Kingdom Come. Braxton has also appeared on Broadway in two Disney shows, "Beauty & the Beast" and "Aida". She and her husband, Keri Lewis, also had their first child, a son Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis, that same year. Their second son Diezel Ky was born in 2003.
Vocal Profile
- Voice type: Deep Contralto
- Highest note: B5, C6
- Lowest note: A2
- Vocal range: 3.2 octaves
Discography
Albums
Singles
- "Another Sad Love Song" (1993) #7 US
- "Breath Again" (1994) #2 UK #3 US
- "Seven Whole Days" (1994)
- "Another Sad Love Song" (1994 Re-issue) #15 UK
- "You Mean The World To Me" (1994) #30 UK #7 US
- "Love Shoulda Bought You Home" #33 UK #33 US
- "You're Makin' Me High" (1996) #7 UK #1 (1 week) US
- "Un-Break My Heart" (1996) #2 UK #1 (11 weeks) US
- "I Don't Want To" (1997) #9 UK #19 US
- "I Love Me Some Him" (1997)
- "How Could An Angel Break My Heart" (featuring Kenny G) (1997) #22 UK
- "He Wasn't Man Enough" (2000) #5 UK #2 US
- "Spanish Guitar" (2000) #98 US
- "Just Be A Man About It" (2000) #32 US
- "Christmas In Jamaica" (2002)
- "Hit The Freeway" (featuring Loon) (2003) #29 UK #86 US
- "Please" (2005)
Filmography
External links
