Life Story : Chris Brown

Birth name: Christopher Maurice Brown

Date of birth: 5 May 1989

Place of birth: Tappahannock, Virginia, USA

Nickname: ChrisBrezzy, CB

Height: 6' 1" (1.85 m)

Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989 in Tappahannock, Virginia) American R&B singer, dancer, and an occasional actor who rose to fame in 2005 with his top-charting Scott Storch-produced debut single "Run It!". At the tender age of 16, the 6'1 Brown became the youngest male to have a #1 hit on the Top 100 Billboard Chart. As of September 16, 2006, the album has sold 1,533,121in the U.S. and three million worldwide.

Early life:

Chris Brown was born to Clinton Brown and Joyce Hawkins in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia. He gained his love of music at an early age and was influenced by the sounds his parents played on the home radio such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Sam Cooke, Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, and Anita Baker. Before singing, Brown was more drawn to becoming a rapper.

By the age of 11, he (and eventually a number of females) finally discovered his unknown vocal talents just by singing along to Usher records. Brown, at 13, was then discovered by local producers who visited his father's gas station looking for some talent. From there, he soon began his recording career.

Music Career:

Brown got his big break when his local production team had connections with major record labels. He then flew to New York and auditioned for Def Jam Vice President Tina Davis, who currently works as his manager . The mere 15 yr. old Brown was sent to L.A. Reid to perform for him in 2004. Davis took Brown to many record labels such as Warner Bros., and Jive.

Brown ended up choosing Jive Records because he felt it was in his best interest. About two or three months later, Brown began recording his debut self-titled album in early 2005. Brown worked with the likes of Scott Storch, The Underdogs, Dre and Vidal, Bryan Cox, Bow Wow, Jermaine Dupri in production for his album. He originally recorded 50 cuts, and chose 13 cuts for the album.

By mid 2005, Brown came out with his debut single, "Run It!" which was #1 in the United States and abroad. The song became an instant hit in the summer of that year. His highly anticipated self-titled debut album was released on November 29, 2005 and is now certified platinum. It debuted at #2 on the charts selling over 155,000 copies in the first week of sales. Following "Run It!", "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" became Brown's second top 10 hit in the US, peaking at #7 and #13 in the UK. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

His third single "Gimme That" was released in March 2006 which featured Lil' Wayne for a remix that is not featured on his album. The song was written by Sean Garrett and produced by Scott Storch. The single debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at #80 and climbed the charts quickly.

Chris also co-directed his music videos for "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Gimme That". The fourth, and current single off his album is the heart-breaking ballad "Say Goodbye" which is also featured in the [[Step Up]] Soundtrack.

Brown will start production for his sophomore album by the end of 2006 and is set to release by May of 2007.

On June 13, 2006, a DVD was released entitled Chris Brown's Journey. It features Brown touring in the UK and Japan, rehearsals, getting ready for his first visit to the 2006 Grammy Awards, behind the scenes of his music videos, bloopers and much more. The DVD is certified gold with more than 500,000 copies sold.

On August 17, 2006, Brown started his Up Close and Personal Tour featuring Ne-Yo, Lil Wayne, Cherish, Juelz Santana, and Dem Franchise Boyz in Cincinnati, Ohio. The tour is still going on in several states and cities throughout the United States.

Acting Career:

Other than his music career, Brown has begun some acting. He made a short appearance on UPN's One on One in March 2006. He also has made his way to movies.

Brown is slated to make his silver screen debut in Stomp The Yard (originally titled: Steppin') along with Ne-Yo and Meagan Good, which is set to hit theatres by January 12, 2007. Production for the movie began in June 2006. In the movie, Brown will portray an ambitious dancer and the younger brother of the lead character.

Brown is also scheduled to have a reoccuring role in the fourth season of FOX's The O.C.. He will appear in seven episodes, which will start airing in November.

Personal Life:

It was falsely announced on September 26, 2006 that Chris was dating R&B singer Young B. It was announced on 97.7 radio.