Jaki Graham
Jaki Graham ( born September 15, 1956 in Birmingham) is a British soul singer. Between 1984 and 1995, she had numerous hit singles in the UK charts. Round and Around and Set Me Free in 1985 and 1986 could also place on the German charts.
Biography
Jaki Graham's parents came from Jamaica and moved in the 1950s after Handsworth, Birmingham, where Jaki was born and raised. At 15, she met Tony Ormsby, brother of footballer Brendon Ormsby, know who was to become her husband in 1976.
Graham's first band was called ' One Night Affair '. After that, she was also a member of the ' SRO Band' and ' Ferrari '. After recording with a jazz-funk group called 'Medium Wave Band' she was discovered by a talent scout. So it was in 1983 to a record deal with EMI and was followed by the single Heaven Knows by the eponymous debut album, which was produced by Derek Bramble. The second single was called What's the Name of Your Game? and allowed the first television appearance on the show Crackerjack.
By 1986, more hits followed in the UK Singles Chart, including Could It Be I'm Falling in Love? and Automated, two duets with David Grant. That was a Guinness World Record for the first black British singer with six consecutive Top 20 hits. When Michael McDonald for his UK tour was looking for a duet partner for his hit On my own, he decided to Jaki Graham. This resulted in a lasting friendship developed until today.
In the 1990s, Graham was particularly successful in Japan. From their album Real Life, it sold 800,000 copies in less than four weeks, their following tour was sold out in 20 minutes. But even in the U.S., success was one, as not Nobody reached # 1 on the Billboard Dance Charts. In the United States, Australia and Japan, there was a gold record for the cover of Chaka Khan hits.
In 1992, Graham along with Paul Hardcastle the duo ' Kiss the Sky'. The title Living for You, which contained samples from Minnie Ripertons Loving You, was the only notable release of the two artists.