Grammy Award winner singer, songwriter, record producer
Photo: Jody Watley/facebook
Jody Vanessa Watley was born January 30, 1959 in Chicago Illinois is a singer, songwriter, record producer, music maverick and one of music’s defining artists whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul. Before becoming a solo artist in 1987, Watley was a member of the Disco, funk soul group Shalamar. The “classic” lineup of Shalamar, which included Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffery Daniel scored a total of three gold albums in the US with Big Fun, Three for Love, which eventually went platinum, and Friends.
After going solo in 1987, Watley won the Grammy Award for “Best New Artist. Along with Janet Jackson and Madonna, she ranks as one of MTV Video Music Awards most nominated female artists ever, with six nominations for her ‘Real Love’ video.
To date, she is best known for her role in being a pioneer setting trends and standards for dance, style, music and video. Early in her solo career she was also noted for her commercial dance pop styling’s with a funky edge. Jody Watley is also noted as being the first Pop/R&B singer to include a rapper on the specialized verse/bridge with their collaboration on “Friends” released in 1989, featuring Eric B. & Rakim, which would become a popular formula in commercial Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop
In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard magazine, and was also prominently featured in the historic black issue of Vogue Italia in 2008.
Her early music influences included such music greats, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5, The Carpenters, Roberta Flack, Prince, Grace Jones and various jazz artists including Nancy Wilson.
Grammy Award winner singer, songwriter, record producer
Jody Vanessa Watley was born January 30, 1959 in Chicago Illinois is a singer, songwriter, record producer, music maverick and one of music’s defining artists whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul. Before becoming a solo artist in 1987, Watley was a member of the Disco, funk soul group Shalamar. The “classic” lineup of Shalamar, which included Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffery Daniel scored a total of three gold albums in the US with Big Fun, Three for Love, which eventually went platinum, and Friends.
After going solo in 1987, Watley won the Grammy Award for “Best New Artist. Along with Janet Jackson and Madonna, she ranks as one of MTV Video Music Awards most nominated female artists ever, with six nominations for her ‘Real Love’ video.
To date, she is best known for her role in being a pioneer setting trends and standards for dance, style, music and video. Early in her solo career she was also noted for her commercial dance pop styling’s with a funky edge. Jody Watley is also noted as being the first Pop/R&B singer to include a rapper on the specialized verse/bridge with their collaboration on “Friends” released in 1989, featuring Eric B. & Rakim, which would become a popular formula in commercial Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop
In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard magazine, and was also prominently featured in the historic black issue of Vogue Italia in 2008.
Her early music influences included such music greats, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5, The Carpenters, Roberta Flack, Prince, Grace Jones and various jazz artists including Nancy Wilson.
