CeCe Peniston

 

Cecilia Veronica "CeCe" Peniston (born September 6, 1969) is an American singer and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she scored five number one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Her signature song "Finally" reached No. 5 on the US Hot 100 and No. 2 in the UK.

 

Peniston has performed at private engagements for Aretha Franklin's private birthday party in Detroit, Michigan, Pope John Paul II in Rome at the Vatican (as a member of the gospel band Sisters of Glory) and the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, during both of his inauguration ceremonies in Washington, D.C. She was the first foreign female entertainer to perform in post-apartheid South Africa. According to Peniston, her vocal range vacillates between "five to seven octaves".

 

In February 2011, Peniston signed a record deal with West Swagg Music Group/Bungalo Records, with full distribution through Universal Music Group Distribution, and announced the release of a new solo album 15 years after her last studio set (I'm Movin' On from 1996 on A&M Records). By the end of the year, however, only three digital singles had been issued, including a new song called "Stoopid!", and two cover versions of her prior hits, "Keep On Walkin'" and "Finally".

 

In December 2016, Billboard magazine listed her among the 100 Top Dance Club Artists of All Time (as the 52nd).

 

Biography

Early life and education

Peniston was born in Dayton, Ohio, but spent the majority of her formative years in Phoenix, Arizona, where she was raised from the age of nine. She is the third of four siblings. The daughter of Ronald Peniston, a military veteran and Barbara Anne, she started singing at church and doing plays and musicals such as H.M.S. Pinafore in the 6th grade. She participated in local karaoke contests and singing talent shows, while taking piano lessons.

 

She attended Trevor G. Browne High School, class of 1987, in Phoenix, and landed a part in a local theatre group's production of Bubblin' Brown Sugar (playing the young Sweet Georgia Brown). After earning her diploma, she continued to study liberal arts at Phoenix College, where she got involved in athletics and entered beauty pageants. She was crowned Miss Black Arizona in 1989.

 

Peniston began writing pop lyrics while at school. The words of her international hit "Finally" were penned during a chemistry class, while thinking about dating in college.

 

1990–91: Female Preacher

Her music career began in January 1991, when Felipe "DJ Wax Dawg" Delgado, her friend and a record producer based also in Phoenix, asked Peniston to record back-up vocals for Tonya Davis, a black female rapper known as Overweight Pooch after her childhood nickname.

 

Davis, headed in the direction of a "new" Monie Love, was searching for a singer to add vocals to the title track of her album Female Preacher, which was to be released on A&M Records that summer. At a talent show, she met a woman named Malaika LeRae Sallard, but when it came time to get Sallard into the studio, the rapper found she'd lost her future label-mate's number. When Delgado, who'd preferred Peniston instead, brought his favourite in to do background parts, the response from everyone was immediate, but did not move the Pooch to invite Peniston back for more vocals – unless she was successful in locating Sallard.

 

Later, as it became clear that Peniston was leaping from the Overweight Pooch's album to the top of the charts, rumour had it that the Pooch was stewing over Peniston's using Female Preacher as her springboard. Tonya Davis, pregnant at the time of recording her album, swore she harboured no jealousy towards Peniston. "There's no jealousy, because she has a voice. I gave her the chance, but I didn't give her a voice," the rapper insisted for Phoenix New Times in July 1992, and Peniston, interviewed by the same newspaper in the meantime, reacted by her own words. "I feel like anything's possible, and I know one thing. If I wasn't at this spot, I still would be achieving to get to this spot." Ironically enough, Sallard eventually threw in a few back-up vocals for Peniston on a song with a significant title, "You Win, I Win, We Lose", while Peniston, who in return played an agent to get a record deal also for Malaika (whose album Sugar Time scored in 1993 two Top 5 hits on the US Dance chart, including the No. 1 single "Gotta Know (Your Name)") mentioned the Pooch's name on her own debut album in addition, leaving Davis a note saying "thanks for letting me be a part of Female Preacher".

 

Besides Peniston's vocal performance on three tracks in total, of which "I Like It" was released as a single with a moderate success (at No. 16 in US Dance and No. 58 in UK Singles Chart the following January), she was eventually given also a credit for co-writing two of those, "Kickin' Da Blues" and the title's, "Female Preacher". But the Overweight Pooch's album flopped on the market, and A&M was the first major label for Delgado himself, who was facing contractual disputes with the record company. After Manny Lehman (a DJ, then A&M Art Director and one of the executive producers of Female Preacher) also noticed the powerful voice of a still back-up vocalist, he offered Delgado a second chance and commissioned him to produce a track for Peniston herself as a solo artist. Not looking to lose his major deal connections, Delgado called on music producer Rodney K. Jackson, whom she had met through mutual friends in Arizona, who was brought to the A&M family to help co-produce Peniston's single, which was soon to be recognised as "Finally".

 

Despite an initial label's resistance to sign Peniston to more than a one-off single deal, the "Finally" session resulted in recording her own debut album after the final approval of A&M's Vice President, Mark Mazzetti.

 

1991–92: Finally

Peniston was 21 years old when her debut single "Finally" was released. The song burst on to the US club scene in the fall of 1991, where it became an instant dance anthem, peaking, in October, at the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play for two weeks, while achieving a respectable starting position (at No. 29) overseas.

 

After her first song climbed the international charts, Peniston was headed into the studio to record a full-length album. However, she "had two months to pull the whole album together" and "didn't realise the impact the record was having until it reached the top five". She also described how difficult it was to begin her career at such an extreme pace, but the result was a solidly produced ten-track collection titled Finally, issued in January of the following year.

 

Both the single and album entered the US Hot 100, as well as the UK Top 75 chart (at No. 5 and No. 2 for the single, respectively at No. 70), and at No. 10 for the album release and ultimately earned Peniston a gold or silver certification in both countries. By the end of 1992, her debut (in Europe re-released in 1997 with a bonus remix "Finally '97") had sold over 540,000 copies in the United States.

 

"We Got a Love Thang", the second single (co-written by Chantay Savage), with a video clip in heavy rotation on TV music channels, went to No. 1 in the US Dance chart in February (No. 20 in the Hot 100), and in England (where "Finally" skipped to No. 2 eventually) "We Got a Love Thang" peaked at No. 6. Who provided backing vocals on the album remains a source of contention. While on her album, Finally Darnnel Rush was credited, on its single release, the name of Kym Sims (who was a co-writer of "Keep On Walkin'") appeared as one of the back-up vocalists.

 

With another hit record on the charts, Peniston began a year of touring clubs and small theatres in the US in support of her album. Her travels started with a series of shows in the Philippines, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Italy, and after her return to the US, Peniston continued with such R&B acts as Joe Public, the Cover Girls, R. Kelly and LeVert.While on tour, "Keep On Walkin'", a hip hop swinging composition, joined the list of Peniston's three consecutive running hits, bringing Peniston in June her third No. 1 in the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (No. 15 in the Hot 100), and another Top 10 hit in the UK. Later in August, that was also her highest outing in the US R&B chart, scoring at No. 3.

 

On October 17, Billboard magazine announced that Peniston was the leading nominee in the Billboard Music Awards, being nominated in four categories: three times in the dance category with "Finally" (Best New Artist, Best Female Artist and Best Director), and one in the R&B/Rap category (Best Female Artist) for her urban hit "Keep On Walkin'". Ultimately, the song won two awards, and three of her singles released in 1992 were also listed within the Top 100 songs of the Billboard Year-End chart (at No. 20 with "Finally", at No. 61 with "Keep On Walkin'", and at No. 97 with "We Got a Love Thang"). In the UK, Peniston was listed as the 20th of Top top-selling singles artist in 1992.

 

Additional songs taken from the album Finally achieved the Top 40 status at least in the hip hop/R&B field. The grieving lyrics of her ballad "Inside That I Cried", co-written by Peniston's then-husband, Malik Byrd (who also appeared in its video), and produced in conjunction with Anita Baker's cohort, Steve Lindsey, peaked at No. 10 in the US R&B (No. 94 in the Hot 100 and No. 42 in the UK chart. The fifth single, a midtempo, "Crazy Love", climbed to No. 31 (No. 97 in the Hot 100 and No. 44 in the UK).

 

By the end of the year, Peniston received several awards for her achievements in the music industry in 1992. Among them, one Billboard Music Award (as Best New Artist – Dance, the second went to the video director Claude Borenzweig), three ASCAP Awards (for Song of The Year, Most Performed Song of The Year, and Pop Songwriter of The Year), another three awards (as Best New Dance Artist, Best Dance Solo Artist, and for Best 12" Dance Record) at the Annual Winter Music Conference, and the BMI Urban Award of Achievement. The album itself was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award '93 in the Best R&B/Soul Album – Female category.

 

1993–95: Thought 'Ya Knew

Within a year, Peniston was back in the studios to record her sophomore release, and the particular challenge for the vocalist was to avoid getting pigeonholed into the dance genre. For that reason, several ballads were arranged to appear on the final set (in the front with "Forever In My Heart", produced by Brian McKnight), of which, however, none was chosen for a single release. This time around, Peniston co-authored three of thirteen tracks ("Whatever It Is", "Give What I'm Givin" and "Maybe It's The Way", a ballad about her father), and along with Manny Lehman and Damon Jones, who later became Peniston's manager, she was also credited as an executive producer of her scheduled album release, Thought 'Ya Knew. Apart from others, also fellow Ohio-born singer Norma Jean Wright joined the session.

 

After a certain level of hesitation over the first single, "I'm in the Mood" (originally produced by Soulshock and Karlin) was picked to be the final leader, though as support for "Searchin'", which would be separately delivered on vinyl only to DJs. "I'm in the Mood" did well by itself, and with a video accompanied by a hip-hop remix from M-Doc & Jere M.C. (better known as In Da Soul), the title was on singles reproduced by David Morales for the dance floor. The song spawned Peniston's fourth No. 1 (dethroning from the top of the US Dance chart Aretha Franklin's "A Deeper Love") and peaked at No. 16 in the UK (No. 32 on the Hot 100).

 

On January 25, 1994, the album Thought 'Ya Knew, which was to represent Peniston's musical zenith at that time, arrived on all available formats, including digital compact cassettes. However, as the record promptly entered the music charts, it was soon to be evident Thought 'Ya Knew was not enjoying the high-profile success of her previous set, Finally. After its progress had stalled in the Billboard 200 at No. 96, Thought 'Ya Knew climbed to No. 31 in the UK, but the album charted for only two weeks in the UK.

 

Not certain about the second single either, "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" was accepted to become the British follow-up. But the track, remixed by Eddie Gordon's West End production team, had no supporting music video, and after peaking at No. 36 in April in the United Kingdom, an alternative title ("I'm Not Over You") was chosen for the US market as the second cut from the Thought 'Ya Knew album.

 

"I'm Not Over You" (written by Steve Hurley, Jamie Principle, and M-Doc) might have missed the highest position of the US Dance chart, but only by about one point (at No. 2), and the single was later classified in the overall Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart as the ninth most successful track of 1994 (leaving "I'm in the Mood" far behind, at No. 44). However, although the song had sealed the Top 10 of the US R&B chart, it did not succeed in the Hot 100 that much, failing to crack Top 40 (No. 41). Considering that expectations of A&M Records company must have been bigger than a club play sale of Peniston's singles, "I'm Not Over You" was released in the UK only on B-side of the "Hit by Love" release.

 

"Hit by Love" was to be the third song taken from the album. As with her previous releases, the song (with additional remixes by David Morales) became Peniston's next US Dance hit in a line of her No. 1s, but while on the top of the chart "Hit by Love" stayed for another week, the single stuck at No. 33 in the UK Top 75, as well as on the bottom positions of the American Hot 100 chart (at No. 90).

 

Along with "Hit by Love" in the charts, A&M issued a rare compilation, Remix Collection, in Japan with nine alternate versions of her songs previously available only on vinyl, which tracked Peniston's music career since the "Keep On Walkin'" release. A similar remix collection, however, consisting of only two singles ("Finally" and "We Got a Love Thang"), was earlier issued in Japan as an EP under the title Finally / We Got a Love Thang: Remix Collection, featuring eight remixed versions.

 

At the end of the year Peniston was named the No. 1 Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Artist, summarizing all her songs released in 1994 ("I'm Not Over You" No. 9, "Hit by Love" No. 24, and I'm in the Mood" No. 44). While A&M was listed as the sixth best dance label in the Billboard Year-End chart, Peniston was also rated as the 5th Top R&B Singles Female Artist (behind Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, Aaliyah and Mariah Carey).

 

In addition, a remix of "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" was popularised on the original motion picture soundtrack of the Prêt-à-Porter (Ready To Wear) film, and released in the U.S. after a one-year delay, scoring No. 4 in the US Dance charts in March 1995. "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" became Peniston's first song not to enter the Hot 100 chart (No. 101), possibly as the result of appearing as a B-side on her previous release, and sharing its sales with the single "Hit by Love".

 

The Sisters of Glory

Between releases, Peniston made a jazzy cameo on "Don't Forget the Love" with words and music by a Grammy Award-nominated composer, Jeff Lorber, and Eric Benét (also a later Grammy Award nominee) for his album West Side Stories. The title of the Lorber's album was his response to residing on the West Side of L.A. (not an adaptation of songs from the musical West Side Story), and after its issue in November 1994, the studio record peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's list of Top Contemporary Jazz albums.

 

As a member of the gospel quintet called The Sisters of Glory, which included Thelma Houston, Phoebe Snow, Lois Walden, Albertina Walker, and herself, Peniston also recorded a spiritual album, Good News in Hard Times, that featured two solo traditionals ("How I Got Over" and "Precious Memories") performed by Peniston, four standards with her solo part ("Rough Side of the Mountain", "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", "I Won't Be Back No More" and "Oh Happy Day"), as well as her chorus vocals on additional nine tracks. Good News in Hard Times (produced by Jennifer Cohen and Lois Walden) was released in August 1995 on Warner Bros, and the album brought Peniston an entry also in the Billboard Top Gospel Albums list, where it reached No. 29 in October, remaining in the chart for 6 weeks.

 

1996–98: I'm Movin' On and The Best Of album

In February 1996, Billboard posted information that the singer was putting the finishing touches to her new studio album, I'm Movin' On, slated for its release in May. Judging from the magazine's earlier preview of several cuts, Billboard published that Peniston was about to explore more mature jeep-soul fare a la Faith Evans, and that she has never sounded so assured and convincingly soulful. Though I'm Movin' On, with a noticeably slimmed-down Peniston adorning its cover, was not released until September, a similarly sleek sound marked its title single, delivered to the radio stations on July 17, while hitting music stores one week later.

 

"Movin' On", the song considered as the strongest track to reach core R&B listeners with potential across several genres, was produced by Dave "Jam" Hall, the hit maker behind Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover", whose earlier work also included Madonna's Bedtime Stories album. The song cracked the Top 40 on the US R&B/Hip Hop at No. 29, but failed to show up in the UK chart, while scoring at weak No. 83 on the Hot 100.

 

On September 9, I'm Movin' On, the record with evident absence of her ever-dependable club workouts, finally arrived. Peniston contributed to the set with three songs she co-wrote (except the title track, the ballad "The Last To Know" and a club potential, "Don't Know What To Do", that was not promoted). After peaking at No. 48 on the US R&B chart, the album passed by the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and soon largely fell victim to mismarketing.

 

Despite insistence from the Penistons' management to release "Somebody Else's Guy" as a follow-up, the A&M label preferred an alternate composition, "Before I Lay (You Drive Me Crazy)", which featured Peniston's then-beau JoJo Hailey (of K-Ci & JoJo), who was supposed to help establish Peniston as an R&B artist. But the duet reached its top in the US R&B already at No. 52, with no entry in the Hot 100 chart (No. 121) or in England.

 

However, Peniston herself seemed not to be worried about losing her audience when interviewed at the time of I'm Movin' On release by Billboard: "When you're first coming out as an artist, many times label executives have their own vision for you. But as you move forward, it's only fair that you begin determining your own direction. People will make the change with you as long as you're honest about your craft and display a comfort for what it is that you're doing." Two years later, Peniston actually confirmed her doubts, after being questioned by the magazine: "I can speak about this firsthand, believe me. Sometimes, doing what you feel isn't always accepted by the public. You've got to choose where you want to go and be consistent," (said by the artist at the 5th annual Billboard Dance Music Summit that urged members of the dance music community to work together toward greater credibility, visibility and sales for the genre, held July 8–10 in 1998). After only two singles released from her R&B set, A&M did not decide to select a song that would cater to another music format, and capitulated to progress with the I'm Movin' On album that Peniston promoted also during Bill Clinton's election campaign, on which she performed several tracks from the set. Clinton commented on her performance on November 4, 1996, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, mentioning, "I want to thank CeCe Peniston for singing so beautifully."

 

Following her dismissal, Peniston took on the role of Glinda the Good Witch in a theatrical production of the musical play The Wiz. The staged concert was opened at Oakland's Paramount Theatre for a five-day run on June 11, 1997, and besides herself, Grace Jones and Peabo Bryson appeared to act.

 

In September, A&M re-released the single "Finally" that re-entered the UK Singles Chart (No. 26), and also her debut album on CD, enhanced with the new remix, Finally (Classic Funk Radio Mix), both re-issued only overseas.

 

In February 1998, a David Morales remix of "Somebody Else's Guy", originally popularized by Jocelyn Brown and recorded for the album I'm Movin' On, became a hit in Europe, where it reached No. 13 in the UK Top 75 (as her last entry to date in England), as well as in April No. 26 in Japan, after being picked to promote Peniston's import greatest-hits collection simply titled The Best Of. The black and white photographs for its booklet were done by Daniela Federici, whose artwork was noticed already on the I'm Movin' On release, and later also on album and single covers of other female recording artists, such as Céline Dion, Toni Braxton, or Pink.

 

After her departure from A&M, Peniston contributed two songs to the M.C. Magic's compilation of various Phoenix-based artists called Desert Funk! that was issued on Nastyboy Records. The first title, "I Know You Want Me", was a hip-hop duet recorded in common with Nastyboy Klick (No. 109 on the US R&B), while the second, a Latino hip-hop ballad, "When I'm with You" was her own solo track also produced by Marcus Cardenas.

 

1998–2000: Cancelled Nobody Else album

Rumours about Peniston working in Chicago on a new album with Steve "Silk" Hurley sprang up after "Nobody Else", a gospel-infused single and her debut on the producer's label, saw its official release in 1998. However, apart from the Billboard, the inlay details of "Nobody Else" also informed her fan base that a studio album with the same title was due that summer; this information seemed to be rather optional than the reality that followed the artist's future, while she had been signed to the Silk Entertainment company.

 

To make things surrounding her potential comeback even worse, ferocious house groove "Nobody Else", which was premiered at the 5th Annual Billboard Dance Music Summit on the stage at the Green Dolphin Street, failed to enter the music charts, despite favorable reviews of the Billboard that rated the song "among the artist's strongest recordings", "a sure to-thrill die hards", and as "a triumphant return to clubland" commenting in addition her summit live performance.

 

In 1999, "He Loves Me 2", co-written by M-Doc (known for a remix production for such major artists as Madonna, Janet Jackson or Keitha Sweat) to whom the singer returned the favor providing background vocals on "Keep It Real", a song recorded for his own album Young, Black, Rich and Famous, seemed to bring more competitive results than her previous endeavor, reaching No. 24 on the Hot Dance Club Play.

 

But Peniston's next single, "My Boo", with then already Grammy Award-nominee Hurley (apart from other five remixes for another artists, also for his own 'Silk's 12" Mix' of "He Loves Me 2", eventually lost in favor of Peter Rauhofer alias Club 69, who became the Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical, in 2000) happened to become disappointing again for both, and the last act distributed through the producer's record company. The song contained a sample of "The Bottle" by Gil Scott-Heron, one of the most important progenitors of rap music, at that time imprisoned for one to three years following a series of drug possession charges.

 

 

Charity work

LOTS alias CeCe Peniston Youth Foundation

Originally in 1997, singer, along with her friend Heather, founded the CeCe Peniston Youth Foundation to help raise funds for many other organisations, particularly those concerned with HIV/AIDS, women and children in need, hunger and the equality of mankind. After the September 11 attacks, Michael Jackson requested her presence for his "United We Stand" concert to benefit the families of 9/11. She has also blazed two tracks ("The Christmas Song" and "What a Wonderful World) on the albums Merry Arizona II and Merry Arizona 97, with proceeds going to multiple sclerosis. She had been requested to perform for U.S. troops on the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1993, and has continued to travel to entertain the U.S. troops overseas since.

 

Later in 2006, the foundation was to be re-named as the LOTS Foundation (Lifting Others To Succeed), after her statement in the interview for 5 Mag in June the same year, and she was planning to do a benefit for cancer research, because of her father, a cancer survivor.

 

National PTA Ambassador

In October 2008, the singer was, along with Dara Torres, named a National Ambassador for the Parent Teacher Association, which is the largest volunteer child advocacy organisation with more than 5 million members. In her new role, she visited with hundreds of children across the country to reinforce the importance of an arts education and pursuing their dreams. She also joined parents and educators to work toward improving the lives of children, as well as urging families to be more involved.

Following this announcement, Peniston started to record the official PTA anthem, "Above Horizons", which was released on the organisation's recording label, National PTA Recordings, in June 2009, as its first music release. The single was available in three different mixes ("Original Mix", "Status Mix" and "Aaron-Carl Mix") at PTAmusic.org, and its release coincided with PTA's unofficial announcement of Downloadfundraiser.com as a PTA National Member Benefits Provider, and the "category exclusive" digital music retailer for National PTA.