Regina Belle | Wanna Play Music

Regina Belle began attracting attention with her vocal abilities while performing at church. She sang her first solo in church at age 8; and by age 17, she was the church's star singer. In high school she studied trombone, tuba and steel drums. After graduation, she studied opera at the Manhattan School of Music. At Rutgers University, she became the first female vocalist with the school's jazz ensemble.

She was introduced to the Manhattans by New York radio DJ Vaughn Harper and began working as their opening act. She recorded the duet "Where Did We Go Wrong" with the group, which attracted the attention of Columbia Records. In 1987, she released her debut album All By Myself, which included two near-No. 1 hits on the R&B chart. Her follow-up album, Stay with Me, released in 1989 achieved the No. 1 spot on the R&B album chart.

Belle recorded a duet in 1991 with singing superstar Johnny Mathis, "Better Together" then teamed up with Peabo Bryson for the song "A Whole New World," which was the featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney movie Aladdin, a GRAMMY-Award and Oscar winner in 1993. She released her third album, Passion, that same year, and then had a five-year hiatus before Believe in Me was released in 1998.

In 2001, Regina Belle's cover of "Just the Two of Us" from the tribute album To Grover, with Love again hit the charts, followed by This Is Regina!. In 2004, she released a jazz standard album, Lazy Afternoon produced by George Duke. Belle released her debut gospel album Love Forever Shines in 2008.

Belle is married to ex-NBA basketball player John Battle. She has four daughters and one son, and resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Source: Wikipedia