  Usher (Raymond) was born October
14, 1978 and raised in Tennessee and Georgia.
Usher began his singing at the age of 6 in a
church choir led by his mother (who he
credits for keeping him
"grounded"). At the age of 14,
Usher was performing in a talent show when he
was noticed by a record executive from LaFace
Records and after auditioning for L.A. Reid,
he was signed to a record contract.
 Usher released his debut LP, Usher and found some success
with the single "Think Of You."
Usher could be heard singing for
Coca-Cola in their holiday commercial
advertisements and took part in the single
"U Will Know" (as Black Men
United) for the film, Jason's
Lyric.
 Usher could also be heard
singing "Dreamin'" off the 1996 Olympic
Album Rhythm Of The Games and on a duet with Monica from her debut LP, Miss
Thang.
 # 46
Singles Artist of the Year
 After Usher
graduated from high school he released his
2nd LP, My
Way and found some help with some
of the top producers in the industry
including Jermaine Dupri, Babyface and Puff
Daddy. Usher told MTV about his
sophomore LP: "I want to show people
that I've grown a lot since my last album,
and writing was a part of that process."
The first
single, "You Make Me Wanna..." hit the Top 40.
"You Make Me Wanna..." topped the
Billboard R&B Single Sales chart for 4
weeks and the Billboard R&B Singles
Airplay chart for 12 weeks.
 "You Make Me Wanna..." topped the
Billboard Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales
chart for 6 weeks.
Usher hit the Top 10 with "You Make Me Wanna..."
"You Make Me Wanna..." topped the
Billboard R&B Single chart for 11 weeks.
Usher hit #1 for 3 weeks with
"You Make Me Wanna..."
 # 7
Singles Artist of the Year
 My
Way topped the Billboard R&B
Albums chart for 3 weeks.
Usher hit the
Top 40 with "Nice & Slow."
"Nice & Slow"
topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales
chart for 4 weeks, the R&B Singles chart
for 8 weeks, the R&B Singles Sales chart
for 7 weeks, and the R&B Singles Airplay
chart for 3 weeks.
Usher was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance -
Male
("You Make Me Wanna...").
Usher had his second Top
10 hit
with "Nice & Slow."
"Nice & Slow"
topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart
for 2 weeks.
"You Make Me Wanna..."topped the UK
Singles chart for a week.
 Usher guest starred in 8
episodes of the soap opera, The Bold And
The Beautiful. Usher had previously
appeared on television in Moesha and
The Parent Hood.
Usher hit the Top 40 with "My
Way."
Usher was also the first opening
act for Janet
Jackson when she began her Velvet Rope
Tour in Washington, D.C.
 Usher hit the Top
10
with "My Way."
"My Way" topped the
Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales chart for 3
weeks.
Usher was nominated for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best R&B Video ("You Make Me Wanna...").
 Usher's record label filed a
lawsuit again fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger
for using the singer's persona too much in
the ad campaign for the film The
Faculty (which promotes Hilfiger
clothing in the ad).
Usher was nominated for 3
Billboard Video Music Awards for Best Clip
(R&B/Urban) ("My Way") and Best Clip
(R&B/Urban) and Maximum Vision Award
("Nice And Slow") and won a Soul
Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul
Single ("You Make Me Wanna...").
Usher topped the Billboard
Year-End Charts as the Top Pop Artist
(singles & albums), Top Pop Artist - Male
(singles & albums), Top Hot 100 Singles
Artist, Top Hot 100 Singles Artist - Male,
Top R&B Artist (singles & albums),
Top R&B Artist - Male (singles &
albums), and Top Hot R&B Singles Artist -
Male.
Usher was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance -
Male
("My Way").
 Usher released a live LP, Usher
Live with material from 2 shows in
Tennessee the previous October.
Usher could be seen in the films
She's
All That and Light
It Up in the fall (produced by Babyface).
 # 133
Singles Artist of the Year
Usher's acting
career continued to flourish with a guest
role in Disney's The Famous Jett Jackson.
 Usher took time off from
recording to recover from exhaustion and
dehydration, after passing out in the
recording studio.
Usher hit the Top 40 with "Pop
Ya Collar."
 # 12
Singles Artist of the Year
 Usher said one of the reasons
why his next LP, 8701, would be delayed with
a summer release: "After my music was
released to Napster, I didn't think that was
fair... I didn't want that to be the way my
record was remembered or the way I would
present that to my fans."
Usher hit the Top 40 with "U Remind Me."
Usher topped the Billboard Hot
100 for 4 weeks, the Hot 100 Singles Sales
chart for 3 weeks, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
Singles & Tracks chart for 4 weeks, and
the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart for 4
weeks with "U Remind Me."
8701 topped the UK Albums
chart for a week.
 Usher released 8701.
Usher hit the Top 10 with "U Remind Me."
8701 topped the LP charts
in Canada.
Usher topped the Canadian video
charts with "U Remind Me."
Usher hit the Top 40 with "U Got It Bad."
 Usher topped the Billboard
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart
for 7 weeks and the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
chart for 8 weeks with "U Got It Bad."
8701 was certified
platinum.
Usher topped the Billboard Hot
100 Singles chart for 6 weeks and the Hot 100
Airplay chart for 10 weeks with "U Got It Bad."
Usher hit the Top 10 with "U Got It Bad."
8701 was certified 2x
platinum.
 # 11
Singles Artist of the Year
 8701 was certified 3x
platinum.
Usher won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance -
Male
("U Remind Me").
Usher hit the Top 40 with "U Don't Have To Call."
Usher won a Soul Train Award for
Male R&B/Soul Album (8701).
 Usher hit the Top 40 helping out
P.
Diddy with "I Need A Girl (Part
One)"
(from P.
Diddy's The
Saga Continues....).
Usher won a Nickelodeon Kids'
Choice Award for Favorite Male Singer.
Usher hit the Top 10 with "U Don't Have To Call."
Usher started touring with Faith
Evans, Nas, and Mr.
Cheeks.
Usher hit the Top 10 with P.
Diddy on their hit "I Need A Girl (Part
One)."
Usher won a BET Award for Best
Male R&B Artist.
Usher with P.
Diddy and Loon
topped the Billboard Top 40 Tracks
chart for a week and the Hot Rap Tracks chart
for a week with "I Need A Girl (Part
One)."
 8701 was certified 4x
platinum.
Usher had a hit on the R&B
charts with the track "Can U Help
Me."
Usher won 3 Billboard
R&B/Hip-Hop Awards for Top Artist, Top
Male Artist, and Top Singles Artist.
Usher won 2 Teen Choice Awards
for Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Artist and Choice
Love Song ("U Got It Bad").
Usher's videos
were nominated for 3 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Male Video and Best R&B Video ("U Got It Bad") and Best Choreography (Rosero) ("U Don't Have To Call").
 Usher ranked #
47 on VH1: 100
Sexiest Artists.
Usher appeared on the TV series American
Dreams.
Usher released the DVD Live
- Evolution 8701.
Usher could be heard on the
soundtrack for Deliver
Us From Eva with "She's Got The
Part."
 Usher was
nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for
Male R&B/Soul Single ("U Don't Have To Call").
Usher won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance -
Male
for ("U Don't Have To Call").
 # 1
Singles Artist of the Year (# 1
Male Artist of the Year)
 Usher hit the Top 40 with "Yeah" with help from Ludacris and Lil' Jon.
Usher topped the Billboard Hot
100 chart for 12 weeks with "Yeah" with help from Ludacris and Lil' Jon.
 Usher topped the Billboard Top
40 Tracks chart, Hot 100 Airplay chart, Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart
for 8 weeks with "Yeah" with help from Ludacris and Lil' Jon.
Usher released Confessions.
Usher hit #1 for 4 weeks with
"Yeah" with help from Ludacris and Lil' Jon.
Usher topped the UK singles
chart with "Yeah."
Usher topped the UK and Canadian
LP charts with Confessions.
 Usher topped the Billboard 200
LP chart for 9 weeks and Top R&B/Hip-Hop
Albums chart for 11 weeks with Confessions - selling
almost 1.1 million copies its first week of
release in the US - a record first week sales
tally for a male R&B artist.
Usher hit the Top 40 with "Burn."
Usher topped the Billboard
Mainstream Top 40 chart with "Yeah."
Usher topped the Canadian
singles chart with "Yeah."
Confessions was certified 3x
platinum.
 Usher appeared on the cover of Rolling
Stone.
Usher performed on Saturday
Night Live.
Usher hit the Top 10 with "Burn."
Usher topped the Billboard Hot
100 chart for 8 weeks, Hot 100 Airplay chart,
and Rhythmic Airplay chart with "Burn."
Usher hit the Top 40 with "Confessions Part 2."
Confessions was certified 4x
platinum.
 Usher topped the Billboard Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart
for 4 weeks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
chart, and the Top 40 Tracks chart with
"Burn."
Usher hit #1 for 2 weeks with
"Burn."
Usher won 2 BET Awards including
Male R&B Artist of the Year and the
Viewer's Choice Award ("Yeah").
Usher topped the Billboard
Rhythmic Airplay chart with "Confessions Part 2."
Confessions was certified 5x
platinum.
Usher topped the Billboard Hot
100 Singles chart for 2 weeks, Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, Hot 100
Airplay chart, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
Singles & Tracks chart for 2 weeks with
"Confessions Part 2."
Usher topped the UK singles
chart with "Burn."
 Usher kicked of his 'Truth Tour'
in Virginia.
At the Teen Choice Awards, Usher
won for Choice Album, Choice R&B Artist,
Choice R&B Track, and Choice Hook Up
("Yeah"),
The video for "Yeah" won 2 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Male Video and Best Dance Video, and was also
nominated for Video of the Year and
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