(2008-05-13) Harish Solanki
In this article is define an American Jazz Musician Female Singer Miki Howard is back with new album Private collection. What is Miki Howard?
Introduction: After some 25 years, singer and actress Miki Howard continues to resonate passion and soul into music. With many years in the entertainment business, Miki’s latest CD, Private Collection makes the listener think of her and the CD content as similar to a collection of fine, developing wine. Aside from a string of Billboard R&B top rated singles, and success with nominations from Grammies, American Music Awards, Soul Train Music Awards and others, how many singers and actresses could pull off portraying the legendary Billy Holliday? Outside of Diana Ross, Miki Howard did to rave reviews in Spikes Lee’s highly acclaimed, Academy Award nominated 1990 masterpiece, Malcolm X.
Unlike the current 'Soul Revival' coming to the forefront from such new artists like, Amy Warehouse, Donnie, Rahassan Paterson, The Brand New Heavies, Gordon Chambers, Anthony Hamilton and others, Miki Howard not only brings a soul element to her vocal depth, but she also embodies jazz, blues and the best of today's R&B, including the music coming singers likes of Alicia Keys and Fantasia, to name a few. This all stems from Miki’s early roots.
1960s: Born Alicia Michelle Howard in Chicago, Illinois, she is the daughter of gospel singer Josephine Howard of the legendary, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group, The Caravans, and Clay Graham of the Pilgrim Jubilees. During her childhood in Chicago and Detroit, Howard met some of the best singers of the day when they visited her family. "It was nothing for me to see James Cleveland, Billy Preston, and Fats Domino in my house," she said. "I was surrounded by music every day, so I knew I wanted to sing professionally someday." Among Howard's earliest influences were family friends Dinah Washington--to whom she would later be compared--and Aretha Franklin. Howard also counted Nina Simone, Shirley Basely, Lena Horne, and Judy Garland among her favorite vocalists.
1970s: Miki's family moved to Los Angeles while she was in her early teens. Already aiming at a career in music, the 15-year-old Howard received her first break when she participated in a teen beauty contest. Augie Johnson, leader of the group Side Effect, happened to be in the audience; impressed with Howard's singing talent, he introduced her to Wayne Henderson, who signed the teenager to a contract with his At Home Productions. Howard also joined the lineup of Side Effect in 1978. For the next couple of years, Howard continued to sing with the group and performed backup vocals as a studio singer for jazz great Stanley Turpentine, Wayne Henderson, Roy Ayers, Grover Washington, Jr., and Philip Bailey. Howard and Johnson also began a personal relationship that produced two children