African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans or Afro-Americans, and formerly as American Negroes) are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Most African Americans are the direct descendants of captive Africans who survived the slavery era within the boundaries of the present United States, although some are—or are descended from—immigrants from African, Caribbean, Central American or South American nations. As an adjective, the term is usually written as ''African-American''.

African-American history starts in the 17th century with indentured servitude in British America and progresses onto the election of Barack Obama as the 44th and current President of the United States. Between those landmarks there were other events and issues, both resolved and ongoing, that were faced by African Americans. Some of these were slavery, reconstruction, development of the African-American community, participation in the great military conflicts of the United States, racial segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans make up the single largest racial minority in the United States and form the second largest racial group after whites in the United States.

History

Slavery era

The first recorded Africans in British North America (including most of the future United States) arrived in 1619 as indentured servants who settled in Jamestown, Virginia. As English settlers died from harsh conditions, more and more Africans were brought to work as laborers. Africans for many years were similar in legal position to poor English indenturees, who traded several years labor in exchange for passage to America. Africans could legally raise crops and cattle to purchase their freedom. They raised families, marrying other Africans and sometimes intermarrying with Native Americans or English settlers. By the 1640s and 1650s, several African families owned farms around Jamestown and some became wealthy by colonial standards.

The popular conception of a race-based slave system did not fully develop until the 18th century. The first black congregations and churches were organized before 1800 in both northern and southern cities following the Great Awakening. By 1775, Africans made up 20% of the population in the American colonies, which made them the second largest ethnic group after the English. During the 1770s, Africans, both enslaved and free, helped rebellious English colonists secure American Independence by defeating the British in the American Revolution. Africans and Englishmen fought side by side and were fully integrated. James Armistead, an African American, played a large part in making possible the 1781 Yorktown victory, which established the United States as an independent nation. Other prominent African Americans were Prince Whipple and Oliver Cromwell, who are both depicted in the front of the boat in George Washington's famous ''1776 Crossing the Delaware'' portrait.

By 1860, there were 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the United States due to the Atlantic slave trade, and another 500,000 African Americans lived free across the country. In 1863, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation declared that all slaves in states which had seceded from the Union were free. Advancing Union troops enforced the proclamation with Texas being the last state to be emancipated in 1865.

Reconstruction and Jim Crow

[[File:Jesse Owens1.jpg|thumb|right|Jesse Owens shook racial stereotypes both with Nazis and segregationists in the USA at the 1936 Berlin olympics.]] African Americans quickly set up congregations for themselves, as well as schools, community and civic associations, to have space away from white control or oversight. While the post-war reconstruction era was initially a time of progress for African Americans, in the late 1890s, Southern states enacted Jim Crow laws to enforce racial segregation and disenfranchisement. Most African Americans followed the Jim Crow laws, using a mask of compliance to prevent becoming victims of racially motivated violence. To maintain self-esteem and dignity, African Americans such as Anthony Overton and Mary McLeod Bethune continued to build their own schools, churches, banks, social clubs, and other businesses.

In the last decade of the 19th century, racially discriminatory laws and racial violence aimed at African Americans began to mushroom in the United States. These discriminatory acts included racial segregation—upheld by the United States Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896—which was legally mandated by southern states and nationwide at the local level of government, voter suppression or disenfranchisement in the southern states, denial of economic opportunity or resources nationwide, and private acts of violence and mass racial violence aimed at African Americans unhindered or encouraged by government authorities.

Great Migration and Civil Rights Movement

The desperate conditions of African Americans in the South that sparked the Great Migration of the early 20th century, combined with a growing African American community in the Northern United States, led to a movement to fight violence and discrimination against African Americans that, like abolitionism before it, crossed racial lines. The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968 was directed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans, particularly in the Southern United States. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the conditions which brought it into being are credited with putting pressure on President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Johnson put his support behind passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that banned discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and labor unions, and the Voting Rights Act (1965), which expanded federal authority over states to ensure black political participation through protection of voter registration and elections. By 1966, the emergence of the Black Power movement, which lasted from 1966 to 1975, expanded upon the aims of the Civil Rights Movement to include economic and political self-sufficiency, and freedom from white authority.

Post-Civil Rights era

Politically and economically, blacks have made substantial strides during the post-civil rights era. In 1989, Douglas Wilder became the first African-American elected governor in U.S. history. There is currently one black governor; governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts. Clarence Thomas became the second African-American Supreme Court Justice.In 1992 Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois became the first black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. There were 8,936 black officeholders in the United States in 2000, showing a net increase of 7,467 since 1970. In 2001 there were 484 black mayors.

On November 4, 2008, Democratic Senator Barack Obama defeated Republican Senator John McCain to become the first African American to be elected President. At least 95 percent of African-American voters voted for Obama. He also received overwhelming support from young and educated whites, a majority of Asians, Hispanics, and Native Americans picking up a number of new states in the Democratic electoral column. Obama lost the overall white vote, although he won a larger proportion of white votes than any previous nonincumbent Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter. The following year Michael S. Steele was elected the first African-American chairman of the national Republican Party.

Demographics

In 1790, when the first U.S. Census was taken, Africans (including slaves and free people) numbered about 760,000—about 19.3% of the population. In 1860, at the start of the Civil War, the African American population had increased to 4.4 million, but the percentage rate dropped to 14% of the overall population of the country. The vast majority were slaves, with only 488,000 counted as "freemen". By 1900, the black population had doubled and reached 8.8 million. In 1910, about 90% of African Americans lived in the South, but large numbers began migrating north looking for better job opportunities and living conditions, and to escape Jim Crow laws and racial violence. The Great Migration, as it was called, spanned the 1890s to the 1970s. From 1916 through the 1960s, more than 6 million black people moved north. But in the 1970s and 1980s, that trend reversed, with more African Americans moving south to the Sun Belt than leaving it.

The following table of the African American population in the United States over time shows that the African American population, as a percentage of the total population, declined until 1930 and has been rising since then. {|class="wikitable" style="float:left; font-size:85%;" African Americans in the United States ! Year || Number || % of total population || Slaves || % in slavery |- | 1790 || 757,208 || 19.3% (highest) || 697,681 || 92% |- | 1800 || 1,002,037 || 18.9% || 893,602 || 89% |- | 1810 || 1,377,808 || 19.0% || 1,191,362 || 86% |- | 1820 || 1,771,656 || 18.4% || 1,538,022 || 87% |- | 1830 || 2,328,642 || 18.1% || 2,009,043 || 86% |- | 1840 || 2,873,648 || 16.8% || 2,487,355 || 87% |- | 1850 || 3,638,808 || 15.7% || 3,204,287 || 88% |- | 1860 || 4,441,830 || 14.1% || 3,953,731 || 89% |- | 1870 || 4,880,009 || 12.7% || – || – |- | 1880 || 6,580,793 || 13.1% || – || – |- | 1890 || 7,488,788 || 11.9% || – || – |- | 1900 || 8,833,994 || 11.6% || – || – |- | 1910 || 9,827,763 || 10.7% || – || – |- | 1920 || 10.5 million || 9.9% || – || – |- | 1930 || 11.9 million || 9.7% (lowest) || – || – |- | 1940 || 12.9 million || 9.8% || – || – |- | 1950 || 15.0 million || 10.0% || – || – |- | 1960 || 18.9 million || 10.5% || – || – |- | 1970 || 22.6 million || 11.1% || – || – |- | 1980 || 26.5 million || 11.7% || – || – |- | 1990 || 30.0 million || 12.1% || – || – |- | 2000 || 36.6 million || 12.3% || – || – |- | 2010 || 38.9 million || 12.6% || – || – |- |}

By 1990, the African American population reached about 30 million and represented 12% of the U.S. population, roughly the same proportion as in 1900. In current demographics, according to 2005 U.S. Census figures, some 39.9 million African Americans live in the United States, comprising 13.8% of the total population. The World Factbook gives a 2006 figure of 12.9% Controversy has surrounded the "accurate" population count of African Americans for decades. The NAACP believed it was under counted intentionally to minimize the significance of the black population in order to reduce their political power base.

At the time of the 2000 Census, 54.8% of African Americans lived in the South. In that year, 17.6% of African Americans lived in the Northeast and 18.7% in the Midwest, while only 8.9% lived in the western states. The west does have a sizable black population in certain areas, however. California, the nation's most populous state, has the fifth largest African American population, only behind New York, Texas, Georgia, and Florida. According to the 2000 Census, approximately 2.05% of African Americans identified as Hispanic or Latino in origin, many of whom may be of Brazilian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Haitian, or other Latin American descent. The only self-reported ''ancestral'' groups larger than African Americans are the Irish and Germans. Because many African Americans trace their ancestry to colonial American origins, some simply self-identify as "American".

U.S. cities

Almost 58% of African Americans lived in metropolitan areas in 2000. With over 2 million black residents, New York City had the largest black urban population in the United States in 2000, overall the city has a 28% black population. Chicago has the second largest black population, with almost 1.6 million African Americans in its metropolitan area, representing about 18 percent of the total metropolitan population.

Among cities of 100,000 or more, Detroit, Michigan had the highest percentage of black residents of any U.S. city in 2010, with 82%. Other large cities with African American majorities include New Orleans, Louisiana (60%), Baltimore, Maryland (63%) Atlanta, Georgia (54%), Memphis, Tennessee (61%), and Washington, D.C. (50.7%).

The nation's most affluent county with an African American majority is Prince George's County, Maryland, with a median income of $62,467. Within that county, among the wealthiest communities are Glenn Dale, Maryland and Fort Washington, Maryland. Other affluent predominantly African American counties include Dekalb County in Georgia, and Charles City County in Virginia. Queens County, New York is the only county with a population of 65,000 or more where African Americans have a higher median household income than White Americans.

Religion

The majority of African Americans are Protestant of whom many follow the historically black churches. Black church refers to churches which minister predominantly African American congregations. Black congregations were first established by freed slaves at the end of the 17th century, and later when slavery was abolished more African Americans were allowed to create a unique form of Christianity that was culturally influenced by African spiritual traditions.

According to a 2007 survey, more than half of the African American population are part of the historically black churches. The largest Protestant denomination among African Americans are the Baptists, distributed in four denominations, the largest being the National Baptist Convention and the National Baptist Convention of America. The second largest are the Methodists, the largest sects are the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Pentecostals are mainly part of the Church of God in Christ. About 16% of African American Christians are members of white Protestant communions, these denominations (which include the United Church of Christ) mostly have a 2 to 3% African American membership. There are also large numbers of Roman Catholics, constituting 5% of the African American population. Of the total number of Jehovah's Witnesses, 22% are black.

Some African Americans follow Islam. Historically, between 15 to 30% of enslaved Africans brought to the Americas were Muslims, but most of these Africans were converted to Christianity during the era of American slavery. However during the 20th century, some African Americans converted to Islam, mainly through the influence of black nationalist groups that preached with distinctive Islamic practices; these include the Moorish Science Temple of America, though the largest organization was the Nation of Islam, founded during the 1930s, which attracted at least 20,000 people as of 1963, prominent members included activist Malcolm X and boxer Muhammad Ali.

Malcolm X is considered the first person to start the movement among African Americans towards mainstream Islam, after he left the Nation and made the pilgrimage to Mecca. In 1975, Warith Deen Mohammed, the son of Elijah Muhammad who took control of the Nation after his death, guided majority of its members to orthodox Islam. However, few members rejected these changes, in particular Louis Farrakhan, who revived the Nation of Islam in 1978 based on its original teachings.

African American Muslims constitute 20% of the total U.S. Muslim population, the majority are Sunni or orthodox Muslims, some of these identify under the community of W. Deen Mohammed. The Nation of Islam led by Louis Farrakhan has a membership from 20,000—50,000 members.

There are relatively few African American Jews; estimates of their number range from 20,000 to 200,000. Most of these Jews are part of mainstream groups such as the Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox branches of Judaism; although there are significant numbers of people who are part of non-mainstream Jewish groups, largely the Black Hebrew Israelites, whose beliefs include the claim that African Americans are descended from the Biblical Israelites.

Contemporary issues

African Americans have improved their social and economic standing significantly since the Civil Rights Movement and recent decades have witnessed the expansion of a robust, African American middle class across the United States. Unprecedented access to higher education and employment in addition to representation in the highest levels of American government has been gained by African Americans in the post-civil rights era.

Nevertheless, due in part to the legacy of slavery, racism and discrimination, African Americans as a group remain at a pronounced economic, educational and social disadvantage in many areas relative to European Americans. Persistent social, economic and political issues for many African Americans include inadequate health care access and delivery; institutional racism and discrimination in housing, education, policing, criminal justice and employment; crime, poverty and substance abuse.

One of the most serious and long standing issues within African American communities is poverty. Poverty itself is a hardship as it is related to marital stress and dissolution, health problems, low educational attainment, deficits in psychological functioning, and crime. In 2004, 24.7% of African American families lived below the poverty level. In 2007, the average African American income was $33,916, compared with $54,920 for whites.

Politics and social issues

Collectively, African Americans are more involved in the American political process than other minority groups in the United States, indicated by the highest level of voter registration and participation in elections among these groups in 2004. African Americans collectively attain higher levels of education than immigrants to the United States. African Americans also have the highest level of Congressional representation of any minority group in the U.S.

The large majority of African Americans support the Democratic Party. In the 2004 Presidential Election, Democrat John Kerry received 88% of the African American vote compared to 11% for Republican George W. Bush. Although there is an African-American lobby in foreign policy, it has not had the impact that African American organizations have had in domestic policy.

Historically, African Americans were supporters of the Republican Party because it was Republican President Abraham Lincoln who helped in granting freedom to American slaves; at the time, the Republicans and Democrats represented the sectional interests of the North and South, respectively, rather than any specific ideology, and both right and left were represented equally in both parties.

The African American trend of voting for Democrats can be traced back to the 1930s during the Great Depression, when Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program provided economic relief to African Americans; Roosevelt's New Deal coalition turned the Democratic Party into an organization of the working class and their liberal allies, regardless of region. The African American vote became even more solidly Democratic when Democratic presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson pushed for civil rights legislation during the 1960s.

After over 50 years, marriage rates for ''all'' Americans began to decline while divorce rates and out-of-wedlock births have climbed. These changes have been greatest among African Americans. After more than 70 years of racial parity black marriage rates began to fall behind whites. Single-parent households have become common, and according to US census figures released in January 2010, only 38 percent of black children live with both their parents. Despite that and heavy Democratic leanings, African Americans favor "traditional American values" about family and marriage.

While 52% of Democrats support same-sex marriage, only 30% of black Democrats do. In 2008, though Democrats overwhelmingly voted (64%) against the California ballot proposition banning gay marriage, blacks overwhelmingly approved (70% in favor) it, more than any other racial group. The high-profile candidacy of Barack Obama is credited with increasing black turnout on the bill which has been seen as the crucial difference in its passing.

Blacks also hold far more conservative opinions on abortion, extramarital sex, and raising children out of wedlock than Democrats as a whole. On financial issues, however, African Americans are very much in line with Democrats, generally supporting a more progressive tax structure to provide more services and reduce injustice and as well as more government spending on social services.

News media and coverage

News media coverage of African American news, concerns or dilemmas is inadequate, some activists and academics contend. Activists also contend that the news media present distorted images of African Americans. To combat this African Americans founded their own television networks. Black Entertainment Television, founded by Robert L. Johnson is a network that targets young African Americans and urban audiences in the United States.

Most programming on the network consists of rap and R&B music videos and urban-oriented movies and series. Additionally, the channel shows syndicated television series, original programs, and some public affairs programs. On Sunday mornings, BET broadcasts a lineup of network-produced Christian programming; other, non-affiliated Christian programs are also shown during the early morning hours daily. BET is now a global network that reaches 85 million viewers in the Caribbean, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

In addition to BET there is Centric, which is a spin-off cable television channel of BET, created originally as BET on Jazz to showcase jazz music-related programming, especially that of black jazz musicians. Programming since has been expanded to include a block of urban programs as well as some R&B, neo soul, and alternative hip hop, with the focus on jazz reduced to low-profile hours.

TV One is another African American-oriented network and a direct competitor to BET. It targets African American adults with a broad range of programming. The network airs original lifestyle and entertainment-oriented shows, movies, fashion and music programming, as well as classic series such as 227, Good Times, Martin, Boston Public and It's Showtime at the Apollo. The network primarily owned by Radio One. Radio One, Inc., founded and controlled by Catherine Hughes, it is one of the nation's largest radio broadcasting companies and the largest African American-owned radio broadcasting company in the United States.

Other African American networks scheduled to launch in 2009 are the Black Television News Channel founded by former Congressman J. C. Watts and Better Black Television founded by Percy Miller. In June 2009, NBC News launched a new website named The Grio in partnership with the production team that created the black documentary film, Meeting David Wilson. It is the first African American video news site which focuses on underrepresented stories in existing national news. The Grio consists of a broad spectrum of original video packages, news articles, and contributor blogs on topics including breaking news, politics, health, business, entertainment and Black History.

Education

By 2000, African Americans had advanced greatly. They still lagged overall in education attainment compared to white or Asian Americans, with 14 percent with four year and 5 percent with advanced degrees, though it was higher than for other minorities. African Americans attend college at about half the rate of whites, but at a greater rate than Americans of Hispanic origin. More African American women attend and complete college than men. Black schools for kindergarten through twelfth grade students were common throughout the U.S., and a pattern towards re-segregation is currently occurring across the country.

Historically black colleges and universities remain today which were originally set up when segregated colleges did not admit African Americans. As late as 1947, about one third of African Americans over 65 were considered to lack the literacy to read and write their own names. By 1969, illiteracy as it had been traditionally defined, had been largely eradicated among younger African Americans.

US Census surveys showed that by 1998, 89 percent of African Americans aged 25 to 29 had completed high school, less than whites or Asians, but more than Hispanics. On many college entrance, standardized tests and grades, African Americans have historically lagged behind whites, but some studies suggest that the achievement gap has been closing. Many policy makers have proposed that this gap can and will be eliminated through policies such as affirmative action, desegregation, and multiculturalism.

In Chicago, Marva Collins, an African American educator, created a low cost private school specifically for the purpose of teaching low-income African American children whom the public school system had labeled as being "learning disabled". One article about Marva Collins' school stated,

Working with students having the worst of backgrounds, those who were working far below grade level, and even those who had been labeled as 'unteachable,' Marva was able to overcome the obstacles. News of third grade students reading at ninth grade level, four-year-olds learning to read in only a few months, outstanding test scores, disappearance of behavioral problems, second-graders studying Shakespeare, and other incredible reports, astounded the public.

During the 2006–2007 school year, Collins' school charged $5,500 for tuition, and parents said that the school did a much better job than the Chicago public school system. Meanwhile, during the 2007–2008 year, Chicago public school officials claimed that their budget of $11,300 per student was not enough.

Economic status

Economically, African Americans have benefited from the advances made during the Civil Rights era, particularly among the educated, but not without the lingering effects of historical marginalization when considered as a whole. The racial disparity in poverty rates has narrowed. The black middle class has grown substantially. In 2000, 47% of African Americans owned their homes. The poverty rate among African Americans has decreased from 26.5% in 1998 to 24.7% in 2004. African Americans are the second largest consumer group in America with a combined buying power of over $892 billion currently and likely over $1.1 trillion by 2012. In 2002 African American owned businesses accounted for 1.2 million of the US's 23 million businesses.

In 2004, African American workers had the second-highest median earnings of American minority groups after Asian Americans, and African Americans had the highest level of male-female income parity of all ethnic groups in the United States. Also, among American minority groups, only Asian Americans were more likely to hold white-collar occupations (management, professional, and related fields), and African Americans were no more or less likely than European Americans to work in the service industry. In 2001, over half of African American households of married couples earned $50,000 or more. Although in the same year African Americans were over-represented among the nation's poor, this was directly related to the disproportionate percentage of African American families headed by single women; such families are collectively poorer, regardless of ethnicity.

By 2006, gender continued to be the primary factor in income level, with the median earnings of African American men more than those black and non-black American women overall and in all educational levels. At the same time, among American men, income disparities were significant; the median income of African American men was approximately 76 cents for every dollar of their European American counterparts, although the gap narrowed somewhat with a rise in educational level.

Overall, the median earnings of African American men were 72 cents for every dollar earned of their Asian American counterparts, and $1.17 for every dollar earned by Hispanic men. On the other hand by 2006, among American women with post-secondary education, African American women have made significant advances; the median income of African American women was more than those of their Asian-, European- and Hispanic American counterparts with at least some college education.

African Americans are still underrepresented in government and employment. In 1999, the median income of African American families was $33,255 compared to $53,356 of European Americans. In times of economic hardship for the nation, African Americans suffer disproportionately from job loss and underemployment, with the black underclass being hardest hit. The phrase "last hired and first fired" is reflected in the Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment figures. Nationwide, the October 2008 unemployment rate for African Americans was 11.1%, while the nationwide rate was 6.5%.

The income gap between black and white families is also significant. In 2005, employed blacks earned only 65% of the wages of whites, down from 82% in 1975. ''The New York Times'' reported in 2006 that in Queens, New York, the median income among African American families exceeded that of white families, which the newspaper attributed to the growth in the number of two-parent black families. It noted that Queens was the only county with more than 65,000 residents where that was true.

In 1999, the rate of births to unwed African American mothers was estimated by economist Walter E. Williams of George Mason University to be 70%. The poverty rate among single-parent black families was 39.5% in 2005, according to Williams, while it was 9.9% among married-couple black families. Among white families, the comparable rates were 26.4% and 6%.

According to ''Forbes'' magazine's "wealthiest American" lists, a 2000 net worth of $800 million dollars made Oprah Winfrey the richest African American of the 20th century; by contrast, the net worth of the 20th century's richest American, Bill Gates, who is of European descent, briefly hit $100 billion in 1999. In Forbes' 2007 list, Gates' net worth decreased to $59 billion while Winfrey's increased to $2.5 billion, making her the world's richest black person. Winfrey is also the first African American to make Business Week's annual list of America's 50 greatest philanthropists. BET founder Bob Johnson was also listed as a billionaire prior to an expensive divorce and as of 2009, had an estimated net worth of $550 million. Winfrey remains the only African American wealthy enough to rank among the country's 400 richest people. Some black entrepreneurs use their wealth to create new avenues for both African Americans and new opportunities for American business in general. Examples such as Tyler Perry who created new filming studios in Atlanta, Georgia which makes it possible to film movies and television shows outside of California.

Health

African Americans continue to have lower life expectancies on average than whites in the United States. Even when adjusted for age, African Americans are 1.6 times more likely to die from one of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States than European Americans. However, there is evidence that this may be changing: by 2003, sex had replaced race as the primary factor in life expectancy in the United States, with African American females expected to live longer than European American males born in that year.

In the same year, the gap in life expectancy between American whites (78.0) and blacks (72.8) had decreased to 5.2 years, reflecting a long term trend of this phenomenon. By 2004, "the trend toward convergence in mortality figures across the major race groups also continued", with white–black gap in life expectancy dropping to five years. The current life expectancy of African Americans as a group is comparable to those of other groups who live in countries with a high Human Development Index.

At the same time, the life expectancy gap is affected by collectively lower access to quality medical care. With no system of universal health care, access to medical care in the U.S. generally is mediated by income level and employment status. As a result, African Americans, who have a disproportionate occurrence of poverty and unemployment as a group, are more often uninsured than non Hispanic whites or Asians. For a great many African Americans, healthcare delivery is limited, or nonexistent. And when they receive healthcare, they are more likely than others in the general population to receive substandard, even injurious medical care. African Americans have a higher prevalence of some chronic health conditions.

African Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes, than whites, and twice as likely to die from the disease. Obesity affects 37% of men and 51% of women. This and other factors contribute to hypertension, which affects 40% of all adults. African American men are twice as likely to have diabetes induced end-stage kidney disease, and twice as likely to die of it than white men of the same age. African Americans are 1.7 times more likely to have a stroke and 60% more likely to die from it. Two reasons for poorer health are lack of routine preventative medical care, such as mammograms and colonoscopies and lack of the primary care physcian.

While 1 in 6 Americans (16.2 percent) between the ages of 14 and 49 is infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), the infection rate is more than three times higher among blacks (39.2 percent) than whites (12.3 percent). The most affected group is black women, with a prevalence rate of 48 percent. Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention stated that "high rates of herpes among African-Americans is most likely contributing to the high rate of HIV in that community. In fact, statistics show that people with herpes are two to three times more likely to get HIV if exposed."

African Americans are the American ethnic group most affected by HIV and AIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black men are six times more likely to have HIV than white men and black women are nearly 18 times more likely to have HIV than white women. A 2004 "CDC analysis of MSM in five cities found that while only 18 percent of the HIV-infected white men were unaware of their infections, 67 percent of the infected black men were unaware."

It has been estimated that "184,991 adult and adolescent HIV infections [were] diagnosed during 2001–2005" (1). More than 51 percent occurred among blacks than any other race. Between the ages of 25–44 years 62 percent were African Americans. Dr. Robert Janssen (2007) states, "We have rates of HIV/AIDS among blacks in some American cities that are as high as in some countries in Africa". The rate for African Americans with HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C. is 3 percent, based on cases reported. In a New York Times Article, about 50 percent of AIDS-related deaths were African American woman, which accounted for 25 percent of the city's population. In many cases there are a higher proportion of black people being tested than any other racial group. Dr. Janssen goes on by saying "We need to do a better job of encouraging African Americans to test. Studies show that approximately one in five black men between the ages 40 to 49 living in the city is HIV-positive, according to the ''TIMES''. Research indicates that African Americans' sexual behavior is no different than any other racial group. Dr. Janssen says "Racial groups tend to have sex with members of their own racial group.

Crime also plays a significant role in the racial gap in life expectancy. A report from the U.S. Department of Justice states "In 2005, homicide victimization rates for blacks were 6 times higher than the rates for whites" and "94% of black victims were killed by blacks."

Cultural influence in the United States

From their earliest presence in North America, African Americans have contributed literature, art, agricultural skills, foods, clothing styles, music, language, social and technological innovation to American culture. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the U.S., such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton, can be traced to African and African American influences. Notable examples include George Washington Carver, who created 300 products from peanuts, 118 products from sweet potatoes, and 75 from pecans; and George Crum, who invented the potato chip in 1853.

African American music is one of the most pervasive African American cultural influences in the United States today and is among the most dominant in mainstream popular music. Hip hop, R&B, funk, rock and roll, soul, blues, and other contemporary American musical forms originated in black communities and evolved from other black forms of music, including blues, doo-wop, barbershop, ragtime, bluegrass, jazz, and gospel music.

African American-derived musical forms have also influenced and been incorporated into virtually every other popular musical genre in the world, including country and techno. African American genres are the most important ethnic vernacular tradition in America, as they have developed independent of African traditions from which they arise more so than any other immigrant groups, including Europeans; make up the broadest and longest lasting range of styles in America; and have, historically, been more influential, interculturally, geographically, and economically, than other American vernacular traditions.

African Americans have also had an important role in American dance. Bill T. Jones, a prominent modern choreographer and dancer, has included historical African American themes in his work, particularly in the piece "Last Supper at Uncle Tom's Cabin/The Promised Land". Likewise, Alvin Ailey's artistic work, including his "Revelations" based on his experience growing up as an African American in the South during the 1930s, has had a significant influence on modern dance. Another form of dance, Stepping, is an African American tradition whose performance and competition has been formalized through the traditionally black fraternities and sororities at universities.

Many African American authors have written stories, poems, and essays influenced by their experiences as African Americans. African-American literature is a major genre in American literature. Famous examples include Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou.

African American inventors have created many widely used devices in the world and have contributed to international innovation. Norbert Rillieux created the technique for converting sugar cane juice into white sugar crystals. Moreover, Rillieux left Louisiana in 1854 and went to France, where he spent ten years working with the Champollions deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics from the Rosetta Stone. Most slave inventors were nameless, such as the slave owned by the Confederate President Jefferson Davis who designed the ship propeller used by the Confederate navy.

By 1913 over 1,000 inventions were patented by black Americans. Among the most notable inventors were Jan Matzeliger, who developed the first machine to mass-produce shoes, and Elijah McCoy, who invented automatic lubrication devices for steam engines. Granville Woods had 35 patents to improve electric railway systems, including the first system to allow moving trains to communicate. Garrett A. Morgan developed the first automatic traffic signal and gas mask.

Lewis Howard Latimer invented an improvement for the incandescent light bulb. More recent inventors include Frederick McKinley Jones, who invented the movable refrigeration unit for food transport in trucks and trains. Lloyd Quarterman worked with six other black scientists on the creation of the atomic bomb (code named the Manhattan Project.) Quarterman also helped develop the first nuclear reactor, which was used in the atomically powered submarine called the Nautilus.

A few other notable examples include the first successful open heart surgery, performed by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, and the air conditioner, patented by Frederick McKinley Jones. Dr. Mark Dean holds three of the original nine patents on the computer on which all PCs are based. More current contributors include Otis Boykin, whose inventions included several novel methods for manufacturing electrical components that found use in applications such as guided missile systems and computers, and Colonel Frederick Gregory, who was not only the first black astronaut pilot but the person who redesigned the cockpits for the last three space shuttles. Gregory was also on the team that pioneered the microwave instrumentation landing system.

Political legacy

African Americans have fought in every war in the history of the United States.

The gains made by African Americans in the Civil Rights and Black Power movements not only obtained certain rights for African Americans, but changed American society in far-reaching and fundamentally important ways. Prior to the 1950s, Black Americans in the South were subject to de jure discrimination, or Jim Crow. They would often be the victims of extreme cruelty and violence, sometimes resulting in deaths: by the post WWII era, African Americans became increasingly discontented with their long-standing inequality. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., African Americans and their supporters challenged the nation to "rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal ..."

The Civil Rights Movement marked a sea-change in American social, political, economic and civic life. It brought with it boycotts, sit-ins, demonstrations, court battles, bombings and other violence; prompted worldwide media coverage and intense public debate; forged enduring civic, economic and religious alliances; and disrupted and realigned the nation's two major political parties.

Over time, it has changed in fundamental ways the manner in which blacks and whites interact with and relate to one another. The movement resulted in the removal of codified, ''de jure'' racial segregation and discrimination from American life and law, and heavily influenced other groups and movements in struggles for civil rights and social equality within American society, including the Free Speech Movement, the disabled, women, Native Americans, and migrant workers.

The term "African American"

Political overtones

The term African American carries important political overtones. Earlier terms used to identify Americans of African ancestry were conferred upon the group by colonists and Americans of European ancestry. The terms were included in the wording of various laws and legal decisions which some thought were being used as tools of white supremacy and oppression. There developed among blacks in America a growing desire for a term of self-identification of their own choosing.

With the political consciousness that emerged from the political and social ferment of the late 1960s and early 1970s, blacks no longer approved of the term Negro. They believed it had suggestions of a moderate, accommodationist, even "Uncle Tom" connotation. In this period, a growing number of blacks in the United States, particularly African American youth, celebrated their blackness and their historical and cultural ties with the African continent. The Black Power movement defiantly embraced ''Black'' as a group identifier. It was a term social leaders themselves had repudiated only two decades earlier, but they proclaimed, "Black is beautiful".

In this same period, a smaller number of people favored ''Afro-American'', a common shortening (as is 'Anglo-American'). However, after the decline in popularity of the 'Afro' hairstyle in the late 1970s, the term fell out of use.

In the 1980s the term ''African American'' was advanced on the model of, for example, German-American or Irish-American to give descendents of American slaves and other American blacks who lived through the slavery-era a heritage and a cultural base. The term was popularized in black communities around the country via word of mouth and ultimately received mainstream use after Jesse Jackson publicly used the term in front of a national audience. Subsequently, major media outlets adopted its use.

Many blacks in America expressed a preference for the term, as it was formed in the same way as names for others of the many ethnic groups in the nation. Some argued further that, because of the historical circumstances surrounding the capture, enslavement and systematic attempts to de-Africanize blacks in the United States under chattel slavery, most African Americans are unable to trace their ancestry to a specific African nation; hence, the entire continent serves as a geographic marker.

For many, African American is more than a name expressive of cultural and historical roots. The term expresses pride in Africa and a sense of kinship and solidarity with others of the African diaspora—an embrace of pan-Africanism as earlier enunciated by prominent African thinkers such as Marcus Garvey, W. E. B. Du Bois and George Padmore.

Who is African American?

Since 1977, in an attempt to keep up with changing social opinion, the United States government officially classified black people (revised to ''black'' or ''African American'' in 1997) as "having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa." Other federal offices, such as the United States Census Bureau, adhere to the OMB standards on race in its data collection and tabulations efforts. In preparation for the United States 2010 Census, a marketing and outreach plan, called ''2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign Plan'' (ICC) recognized and defined African Americans as black people born in the United States. From the ICC perspective, African Americans are one of three groups of black people in the United States

The ICC plan was to reach the three groups by acknowledging that each group has its own sense of community that is based on geography and ethnicity. The best way to market the census process toward any of the three groups is to reach them through their own unique communication channels and not treat the entire black population of the U.S. as though they are all African Americans with a single ethnic and geographical background. The U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation categorizes black or African American people as "A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa" through racial categories used in the UCR Program adopted from the Statistical Policy Handbook (1978) and published by the Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards, U.S. Department of Commerce, derived from the 1977 OMB classification.

The African-American experience

Some black scholars have argued that the term "African-American" should refer strictly to the descendents of West or Central African slaves and free people of color who survived the slavery-era, and not the sons and daughters of black immigrants who lack that ancestry. The argument being that grouping all blacks together regardless of their unique ancestral circumstances would inevitably deny the lingering effects of slavery with in the American slave descendent community, in addition to denying black immigrants recognition of their own unique ancestral backgrounds.

In the book ''The End of Blackness'' published by author Debra Dickerson, she warned against drawing favorable cultural implications from upwardly mobile black immigrants who are not the sons and daughters of American slavery and racial segregation. She used the political rise of President Barack Obama, who is the son of a Kenyan immigrant, a result of "Lumping us all together," Dickerson claimed it, "erases the significance of slavery and continuing racism while giving the appearance of progress." On the liberal website Salon Dickerson wrote, "African-American", in our political and social vocabulary, means those descended from West African slaves". Similar statements have been echoed by Stanley Crouch in a New York Daily News piece, Charles Kenzie Steele, Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and African-American columnist David Ehrenstein of the LA Times who accused white liberals of flocking to blacks who were "Magic Negros", a term that refers to a black person with no past who simply appears to assist the mainstream white (as cultural protagonists/drivers) agenda. Ehrenstein went on to say "He's there to assuage white 'guilt' they feel over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history." said "descendants of slaves did not get much of a head start, and I think you continue to see some of the effects of that." She has also rejected an immigrant designation for African-Americans and instead prefers the term "black" or "white" to denote the African and European U.S. founding populations.

Terms no longer in common use

The terms mulatto and colored were widely used until the second quarter of the 20th century, when they were considered outmoded and generally gave way to the use of ''negro''. By the 1940s, the term commonly was capitalized, but by the mid 1960s, it had acquired negative connotations, though the term ''mulatto'' is still in use in many parts of Latin America and is not considered offensive there. Today, in the culture of the United States, the term is considered inappropriate and is now rarely used and perceived as a pejorative.

The term Negro is largely out of use among the younger black generation, but is still used by a substantial block of older black Americans, particularly in the southern U.S. In Latin America, ''negro'', which translates as ''black'' is the term generally used to refer and describe black people and, similarly to ''mulatto'', it is not considered offensive at all in these regions. However, it is pronounced differently, with the ''e'' being closer to the sound in the English word egg.

See also

Affirmative action

African-American art

African-American history

African-American literature

African-American music

African American Muslims

African American National Biography Project

African American Vernacular English

African American Women, 1960's

American Black Upper Class

American Civil War

Black church

Black feminism

Black Loyalist

Black nationalism

Military history of African Americans

Slavery in the United States

Diaspora:

African Americans in France

African diaspora

African immigrants to the United States

Afro-Latin American

American Black Indians

Americans of Igbo ancestry

Americo-Liberian

Black Hispanic and Latino Americans

Black Nova Scotians

Black people

Foreign-born Afro Americans

Sierra Leone Creole people

Lists:

Lists of African Americans

List of African-American-related topics

List of topics related to Black and African people

Terminology: Colored, Creole peoples, Negro, Nigger, Nigga

Notes

References

Further reading

Jack Salzman, ed., ''Encyclopedia of Afro-American culture and history'', New York, New York : Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1996.

''African American Lives'', edited by Henry L. Gates, Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Oxford University Press, 2004—more than 600 biographies.

''From Slavery to Freedom. A History of African Americans'', by John Hope Franklin, Alfred Moss, McGraw-Hill Education 2001, standard work, first edition in 1947.

''Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia'', Darlene Clark Hine (Editor), Rosalyn Terborg-Penn (Editor), Elsa Barkley Brown (Editor), Paperback Edition, Indiana University Press 2005.

External links

Richard Thompson Ford Name Games, ''Slate'', September 16, 2004. Article discussing the problems of defining ''African American''

"Of Arms & the Law: Don Kates on Afro-American Homicide Rates"

''Scientific American'' Magazine (June 2006) Trace Elements Reconnecting African-Americans to an ancestral past

"The Definition of Political Absurdity", ''San Francisco Chronicle'', March 2, 2007

African American archaeology in Sacramento, California pdf

African American archaeology in Oakland, California —See Part III, Chap 10

Black History related original documents and photos

President Obama's Speech to the NAACP on July 16, 2009—full video by ''MSNBC''

Black or African American?, Frank Newport. Gallup, September 28, 2007

The Long Journey of Black Americans - slideshow by ''The First Post''

Category:African American history Category:Ethnic groups in the United States Category:History of civil rights in the United States Category:Peoples of the African diaspora

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Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
name	Richard Pryor
birth name	Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor
birth date	December 01, 1940
birth place	Peoria, Illinois, United States
death date	December 10, 2005
death place	Encino, California, United States
death cause	Heart attack
nationality	American
medium	Stand-up, film, television
active	1958–1999
genre	Satire, observational comedy, black comedy, Improvisational comedy, character comedy
subject	Racism, race relations, United States politics, African-American culture, human sexuality, self-deprecation, everyday life, recreational drug use
influences	Lenny Bruce, Jack Benny, Jonathan Winters, Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx, Paul Mooney
Influenced	George Carlin, Martin Lawrence, George Lopez, Denis Leary, Eddie Izzard, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Hicks, Robin Williams, Lewis Black Colin Quinn, Bernie Mac, Joe Rogan, Louis C.K., Patton Oswalt Artie Lange, and Jim Norton
Notable work	''That Nigger's Crazy'' ''Bicentennial Nigger'' Himself in ''Richard Pryor: Live in Concert'' and ''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' Zeke Brown in ''Blue Collar'' Grover T. Muldoon in ''Silver Streak'' Harry Monroe in ''Stir Crazy'' Gus Gorman in ''Superman III''
spouse	Patricia Price (1960–1961; divorced) 1 child Shelley R. Bonis (1968–1969; divorced) 1 child Deborah McGuire (1977–1978; divorced) Jennifer Lee (1979–1982; divorced) Flynn Belaine (1986–1987; divorced) 2 children Flynn Belaine (1990–1991; divorced) Jennifer Lee (2001–2005; widow)
website	RichardPryor.com

}}

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of his era: Jerry Seinfeld called Pryor "The Picasso of our profession"; Bob Newhart has called Pryor "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years.". This legacy can be attributed, in part, to the unusual degree of intimacy Pryor brought to bear on his comedy. As Bill Cosby reportedly once said, "Richard Pryor drew the line between comedy and tragedy as thin as one could possibly paint it."

His body of work includes the concert movies and recordings ''Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin''' (1971), ''That Nigger's Crazy'' (1974), ''...Is It Something I Said?'' (1975), ''Bicentennial Nigger'' (1976), ''Richard Pryor: Live in Concert'' (1979), ''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' (1982), and ''Richard Pryor: Here and Now'' (1983). He also starred in numerous films as an actor, such as ''Superman III'' (1983) but was usually in comedies such as ''Silver Streak'' (1976), and occasionally in dramatic roles, such as Paul Schrader's film ''Blue Collar'' (1978). He collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder. Another frequent collaborator was actor/comedian/writer Paul Mooney.

Pryor won an Emmy Award (1973), and five Grammy Awards (1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982). In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award. The first ever Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was presented to him in 1998. Pryor is listed at "Number 1" on Comedy Central's list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians.

Early life

Born in Peoria, Illinois, Pryor grew up in his grandmother's brothel, where his mother, Gertrude Thomas, practiced prostitution. His father, LeRoy "Buck Carter" Pryor was a former bartender and boxer.

After his mother abandoned him when he was 10, he was raised primarily by his grandmother Marie Carter, a violent woman who would beat him for any of his eccentricities. Pryor was one of four children raised in his grandmother's brothel. He was a victim of sexual abuse as a child.

He was expelled from school at the age of 14. His first professional performance was playing drums at a night club. Pryor served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960, but spent virtually the entire stint in an army prison. According to a 1999 profile about Pryor in ''The New Yorker'', Pryor was incarcerated for an incident that occurred while stationed in Germany. Annoyed that a white soldier was a bit too amused at the racially charged sections of Douglas Sirk's movie ''Imitation of Life'', Pryor and some other black soldiers beat and stabbed him, though not fatally. According to ''Live on the Sunset Strip'', when he was 19, he worked at a Mafia-owned nightclub in Youngstown, Ohio, as the MC. On hearing that they would not pay a stripper friend of his, he attempted to hold up the owners with a cap pistol. The owners were greatly amused.

During this time, Pryor's girlfriend gave birth to a girl named Renee. Years later, however, he found out that she was not his child. In 1960, he married Patricia Price and they had one child together, Richard Jr. (his first child and first son). They divorced in 1961.

Career

Early career

In 1963, Pryor moved to New York City and began performing regularly in clubs alongside performers such as Bob Dylan and Woody Allen. On one of his first nights, he opened for singer and pianist Nina Simone at New York's Village Gate. Simone recalls Pryor's bout of performance anxiety:

Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor began as a middlebrow comic, with material far less controversial than what was to come. Soon, he began appearing regularly on television variety shows, such as ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' and ''The Tonight Show''. His popularity led to success as a comic in Las Vegas. The first five tracks on the 2005 compilation CD ''Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966–1974)'', recorded in 1966 and 1967, capture Pryor in this era.

In September 1967, Pryor had what he called in his autobiography ''Pryor Convictions'' an "epiphany" when he walked onto the stage at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas (with Dean Martin in the audience), looked at the sold-out crowd, exclaimed over the microphone "What the fuck am I doing here!?", and walked off the stage. Afterward, Pryor began working profanity into his act, including "nigger". His first comedy recording, the eponymous 1968 debut release on the Dove/Reprise label, captures this particular period, tracking the evolution of Pryor's routine. Around this time, his parents died — his mother in 1967 and his father in 1968.

In 1967, his second child and first daughter, Elizabeth Ann, was born to his girlfriend Maxine Anderson. Later that year, he married Shelley Bonis. In 1969, his third child and second daughter, Rain Pryor, was born. Pryor and Bonis divorced later that year.

Mainstream success

In 1969, Pryor moved to Berkeley, California, where he immersed himself in the counterculture and rubbed elbows with the likes of Huey P. Newton and Ishmael Reed. He signed with the comedy-oriented independent record label Laff Records in 1970, and in 1971 recorded his second album, ''Craps (After Hours)''. In 1973, the relatively unknown comedian appeared in the documentary ''Wattstax'', where he riffed on the tragic-comic absurdities of race relations in Watts and the nation. Not long afterward, Pryor sought a deal with a larger label, and after some time, signed with Stax Records. His third, breakthrough album, ''That Nigger's Crazy'', was released in 1974 and, Laff, who claimed ownership of Pryor's recording rights, almost succeeded in getting an injunction to prevent the album from being sold. Negotiations led to Pryor's release from his Laff contract. In return for this concession, Laff was enabled to release previously unissued material, recorded between 1968 and 1973, at will.

During the legal battle, Stax briefly closed its doors. At this time, Pryor returned to Reprise/Warner Bros. Records, which re-released ''That Nigger's Crazy'', immediately after ''...Is It Something I Said?'', his first album with his new label. With every successful album Pryor recorded for Warner (or later, his concert films and his 1980 freebasing accident), Laff would quickly publish an album of older material to capitalize on Pryor's growing fame—a practice they continued until 1983. The covers of Laff albums tied in thematically with Pryor movies, such as ''The Wizard of Comedy'' for his appearance in ''The Wiz'', ''Are You Serious?'' for ''Silver Streak'', and ''Insane'' for ''Stir Crazy''.

In the 1970s, Pryor wrote for such television shows as ''Sanford and Son'', ''The Flip Wilson Show'' and a Lily Tomlin special, for which he shared an Emmy Award. During this period, Pryor tried to break into mainstream television. He was a guest host on the first season of ''Saturday Night Live''. Richard took long time girlfriend, actress-talk show host Kathrine McKee (sister of Lonette McKee) with him to New York, and she made a brief guest appearance with Pryor on ''SNL''. He participated in a "racist word association" skit with Chevy Chase.

''The Richard Pryor Show'' premiered on NBC in 1977, but was canceled after only four episodes. Television audiences did not respond to the show's controversial subject matter, and Pryor was unwilling to alter his material for network censors. During the short-lived series, he portrayed the first African-American President of the United States, spoofed the ''Star Wars'' cantina, took on gun violence, and in another skit, used costumes and visual distortion to appear nude.

In 1974, Pryor was arrested for income tax evasion and served 10 days in jail. He married actress Deborah McGuire in 1977, but they divorced in 1978. He soon began dating Jennifer Lee and they married in 1981. They divorced the following year.

In 1979, at the height of his success, Pryor visited Africa. Upon returning to the United States, Pryor swore he would never use the word "nigger" in his stand-up comedy routine again. (However, his favorite epithet, "motherfucker", remains a term of endearment on his official website.)

In the 1970s and 1980s, Pryor appeared in several popular films, including ''Lady Sings the Blues''; ''The Mack''; ''Uptown Saturday Night''; ''Silver Streak''; ''Which Way Is Up?''; ''Car Wash''; ''Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings''; ''Greased Lightning''; ''Blue Collar'' & ''Bustin' Loose''. In 1982, Pryor co-starred with Jackie Gleason in ''The Toy''.

In 1983, Pryor signed a five-year contract with Columbia Pictures for $40,000,000. This resulted in the gentrification of Pryor's onscreen persona and softer, more formulaic films like ''Superman III'', (which earned Pryor $4,000,000), ''Brewster's Millions'', ''Stir Crazy'', ''Moving'', and ''See No Evil, Hear No Evil''. The only film project from this period that recalled his rough roots was Pryor's semi-autobiographic debut as a writer-director, ''Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling'', which was not a major success. Though he made four films with Gene Wilder, the two comic actors were never as close as many thought, according to Wilder's autobiography.

Pryor co-wrote ''Blazing Saddles'', directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder. Pryor was to play the lead role of Bart, but the film's production studio would not insure him, and Mel Brooks chose Cleavon Little instead. Before his infamous 1980 freebasing accident, Pryor was about to start filming Mel Brooks' ''History of the World, Part I'', but was replaced at the last minute by Gregory Hines. Pryor was also originally considered for the role of Billy Ray Valentine on ''Trading Places'', before Eddie Murphy won the part.

Despite a reputation for profanity, Pryor briefly hosted a children's show on CBS in 1984 called ''Pryor's Place''. Like ''Sesame Street'', ''Pryor's Place'' featured a cast of puppets, hanging out and having fun in a surprisingly friendly inner-city environment along with several children and characters portrayed by Pryor himself. However, ''Pryor's Place'' frequently dealt with more sobering issues than ''Sesame Street''. It was canceled shortly after its debut, despite the efforts of famed puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft and a theme song by Ray Parker, Jr. of ''Ghostbusters'' fame.

Pryor co-hosted the Academy Awards twice, and was nominated for an Emmy for a guest role on the television series, ''Chicago Hope''.

Pryor developed a reputation for being difficult and unprofessional on film sets, and for making unreasonable demands. In his autobiography ''Kiss Me Like a Stranger'', co-star Gene Wilder says that Pryor was frequently late to the set during filming of ''Stir Crazy'', and that he demanded, among other things, a helicopter to fly him to and from set. Pryor was also accused of using allegations of on-set racism to force the hand of film producers into giving him more money. Also from Wilder's book:

In 1989, he appeared in ''Harlem Nights'', a comedy-drama crime film starring Eddie Murphy. It was a financial success, grossing 3½ times the amount it cost to make it (worldwide) and is well known for starring three generations of black comedians (Pryor, Murphy, and Redd Foxx).

Personal life

Health problems

Pryor suffered a mild heart attack in November 1977. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986. By the early 1990s, he was confined to using a wheelchair as well as a motor powered scooter for the remainder of his life to get around when his multiple sclerosis began to take its toll on his body. In 1990, Pryor suffered a second and more severe heart attack and underwent triple heart bypass surgery.

The freebasing incident

On June 9, 1980, during the making of the film ''Bustin' Loose'', Pryor set himself on fire after freebasing cocaine while drinking 151-proof rum. He ran down Parthenia St. from his Northridge, California, home, on fire, until subdued by police. He was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for burns covering more than half of his body. Pryor spent six weeks in recovery at the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital. His daughter, Rain Pryor, stated that Pryor poured high-proof rum over his body and set himself on fire in a bout of drug-induced psychosis.

Pryor incorporated a description of the incident into his "final" comedy show ''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' in 1982. He joked that the event was caused by dunking a cookie into a glass of low-fat and pasteurized milk, causing an explosion. At the end of the bit, he poked fun at people who told jokes about it by waving a lit match and saying, "What's this? It's Richard Pryor running down the street."

After his "final performance", Pryor did not stay away from stand-up comedy long. In 1983, he filmed and released a new concert film and accompanying album, ''Richard Pryor: Here and Now'', which he directed himself. In 1986, he wrote and directed a fictionalized account of his life, ''Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling'' which revolved around the 1980 freebasing incident.

In 1984, his fourth child and second son, Steven, was born to his girlfriend Flynn Belaine. Pryor married Belaine in October 1986. They divorced in July 1987. Before their divorce was final, Belaine conceived Kelsey Pryor. Meanwhile, another of Pryor's girlfriends, Geraldine Mason, gave birth to Franklin Mason, his fifth child and third son, in April 1987. Six months later in October 1987, Belaine gave birth to Kelsey Pryor, Richard's sixth child and third daughter.

Marriages

Pryor was married seven times to five different women: #Patricia Price (1960–1961, divorced) with one child named Richard Pryor Jr. #Shelly Bonis (1967–1969, divorced) with one child named Rain Pryor #Deborah McGuire (September 22, 1977 – 1979, divorced) #Jennifer Lee (August 1981 – October 1982, divorced) #Flynn Belaine (October 1986 – July 1987, divorced) with son Steven (born before the marriage) and daughter Kelsey (before divorce finalized) #Flynn Belaine (1 April 1990 – July 1991, divorced) #Jennifer Lee (June 29, 2001 – December 10, 2005, his death)

His marriages were characterized by accusations of domestic violence and spousal abuse, except for his relationship with Belaine. Most of these allegations were connected to Pryor's drug use. The exception was Patricia Price, who was married to Pryor before his rise to stardom. During his relationship with Pam Grier, Pryor proposed to Deborah McGuire (1977).

He had six children: Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Rain, Steven, Franklin and Kelsey.

Later life

In his later years starting in the early 1990s, Richard Pryor used a power operated vehicle/scooter due to multiple sclerosis (M.S., which he said stood for "More Shit"). He appears on the scooter in his last film appearance, a small role in David Lynch's ''Lost Highway'' (1997) playing an auto repair garage manager named Arnie.

In 1998, Pryor won the first Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. According to former Kennedy Center President Lawrence J. Wilker,

In 2000, Rhino Records remastered all of Pryor's Reprise and WB albums for inclusion in the box set ''...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968–1992)''.

In early 2000, he appeared in the cold open of The Norm Show in the episode entitled "Norm vs. The Boxer". He played an elderly man in a wheel chair who lost the rights to in-home nursing when he kept attacking the nurses, before attacking Norm himself (using a body double).

In 2001, he remarried Jennifer Lee, who also had become his manager.

In 2002 a television documentary depicted Pryor's life and career. Broadcast in the UK as part of the Channel 4 series ''Kings of Black Comedy'', it was produced, directed and narrated by David Upshal. It featured rare clips from Pryor's 1960s stand-up appearances and movies such as ''Silver Streak'', ''Blue Collar'', ''Stir Crazy'', and ''Richard Pryor Live In Concert''. Contributors included Whoopi Goldberg, Dave Chappelle, Lily Tomlin, George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Ice-T, and Paul Mooney. The show tracked down the two cops who rescued Pryor from his "freebasing incident", former managers and even school friends from Pryor's home town of Peoria, Illinois. In the US the show went out as part of the ''Heroes of Black Comedy'' series on Comedy Central, narrated by Don Cheadle.

In 2002, Pryor and his wife and manager, Jennifer Lee Pryor, won legal rights to all the Laff material, which amounted to almost 40 hours of reel-to-reel analog tape. After going through the tapes and getting Richard's blessing, Jennifer Lee Pryor gave access to the tapes to Rhino Records in 2004. These tapes, including the entire ''Craps'' album, form the basis of the double-CD release ''Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966–1974)''.

A 2003 television documentary, ''Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!'' consisted of archival footage of Pryor's performances and testimonials from fellow comedians, including Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes, and Denis Leary, on Pryor's influence on comedy.

In 2004, Pryor was voted #1 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. In a 2005 British poll to find ''The Comedian's Comedian'', Pryor was voted the 10th greatest comedy act ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

In late 2004, his sister said he had lost his voice as result of his M.S. However, on January 9, 2005, Pryor's wife, Jennifer Lee, rebutted this statement in a post on Pryor's official website, citing Richard as saying: "I'm sick of hearing this shit about me not talking... not true... I have good days, bad days... but I still am a talkin' motherfucker!"

Pryor was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. The animal rights organization PETA gives out an award in Pryor's name to people who have done outstanding work to alleviate animal suffering. Pryor was active in animal rights and was deeply concerned about the plight of elephants in circuses and zoos.

Death

On December 10, 2005, nine days after his birthday, Pryor suffered a heart attack in Encino, California. He was taken to a local hospital after his wife's attempts to resuscitate him failed. He was pronounced dead at 7:58 am PST. He was 65 years old. His widow Jennifer was quoted as saying, "At the end, there was a smile on his face." He was cremated and his ashes were given to family.

Remembrance and legacy

A planned biopic entitled "Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?" is being produced by Chris Rock and Adam Sandler. The film will star Marlon Wayans as the young Pryor. Other actors previously attached include Mike Epps and Eddie Murphy. The film will be directed by Bill Condon and is scheduled for a 2011 release.

On December 19, 2005, BET aired a Pryor special. It included commentary from fellow comedians, and insight into his upbringing.

An image of Pryor can be seen on the Rage Against the Machine music video for their Soulsonic Force cover of "Renegades of Funk".

There is a street just west of the downtown Peoria area named in his honor.

On March 1, 2008, fellow comedian George Carlin performed his final HBO special. An image of Pryor can be seen in the background throughout his set.

Discography

Albums

;Official canon

''Richard Pryor'' (Dove/Reprise, 1968)

''Craps (After Hours)'' (Laff Records, 1971, reissued 1993 by Loose Cannon/Island)

''That Nigger's Crazy'', (Partee/Stax, 1974, reissued 1975 by Reprise)

''...Is It Something I Said?'', (Reprise, 1975, reissued 1991 on CD by Warner Archives)

''Bicentennial Nigger'', (Reprise, 1976)

''Wanted: Live in Concert'' (2-LP set), (Warner Bros. Records, 1978)

''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1982)

''Here and Now'', (Warner Bros. Records, 1983)

;Others

''L.A. Jail'', (Tiger Lily, 1976)

''Are You Serious ???'', (Laff, 1977)

''Who Me? I'm Not Him'', (Laff, 1977)

''Black Ben The Blacksmith'', (Laff, 1978)

''The Wizard of Comedy'', (Laff, 1978)

''Outrageous'', (Laff, 1979)

''Insane'', (Laff, 1980)

''Holy Smoke!'', (Laff, 1980)

''Rev. Du Rite'', (Laff, 1981)

''Richard Pryor Live!'' (picture disc), (Phoenix/Audiofidelity, 1982)

''Supernigger'', (Laff. 1983)

Compilations

''Pryor Goes Foxx Hunting'', (Laff. 1973)

* Split LP with Redd Foxx, containing previously released tracks from ''Craps (After Hours)''

''Down And Dirty'', (Laff. 1975)

* Split LP with Redd Foxx, containing previously released tracks from ''Craps (After Hours)''

''Richard Pryor Meets... Richard & Willie And... The SLA!!'', (Laff. 1976)

* Split LP with black ventriloquist act Richard And Willie, containing previously released tracks from ''Craps (After Hours)''

''Richard Pryor's Greatest Hits'', (Warner Bros. Records, 1977)

* Contains tracks from ''Craps (After Hours)'', ''That Nigger's Crazy'', and ''...Is It Something I Said?'', plus a previously unreleased track from 1975, "Ali".

''...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968–1992)'' (9-CD box set) (Warner Bros. Records/Rhino, 2000)

* Box set collection containing all Warner Bros. albums plus a bonus disc of previously unissued material from 1973 to 1992.

''The Anthology (1968–1992)'' (2-CD set) (Warner Bros. Records/Rhino, 2002 in music/2002)

* Highlights culled from the albums collected in the ''...And It's Deep Too!'' box set.

''Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966–1974)'' (2-CD set) (Warner Bros. Records/Rhino, 2005)

* Pryor-authorized compilation of material released on Laff, including the entire ''Craps (After Hours)'' album.

Filmography

''The Busy Body'' (1967)

''Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales'' (1968)

''Wild in the Streets'' (1968)

''Black Brigade'' (1970)

''The Phynx'' (1970)

''You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat'' (1971)

''Dynamite Chicken'' (1972)

''Lady Sings the Blues'' (1972)

''The Mack'' (1973)

''Wattstax'' (1973)

''Hit!'' (1973)

''Some Call It Loving'' (1973)

''Uptown Saturday Night'' (1974)

''The Lion Roars Again'' (1975)

''Adios Amigo'' (1976)

''Car Wash'' (1976)

''The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings'' (1976)

''Silver Streak'' (1976)

''Which Way Is Up?'' (1977)

''Greased Lightning'' (1977)

''Blue Collar'' (1978)

''The Wiz'' (1978)

''California Suite'' (1978)

''Richard Pryor: Live in Concert'' (1979)

''The Muppet Movie'' (1979) (cameo)

''Wholly Moses'' (1980)

''In God We Tru$t'' (1980)

''Stir Crazy'' (1980)

''Bustin' Loose'' (1981)

''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' (1982)

''Some Kind of Hero'' (1982)

''The Toy'' (1982)

''Superman III'' (1983)

''Richard Pryor: Here and Now'' (1983)

''Motown 25'' (1983)

''Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin''' (1985)

''Brewster's Millions'' (1985)

''Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling'' (1986)

''Critical Condition'' (1987)

''Moving'' (1988)

''See No Evil, Hear No Evil'' (1989)

''Harlem Nights'' (1989)

''The Three Muscatels'' (1991)

''Another You'' (1991)

''A Century of Cinema'' (1994)

''Mad Dog Time'' (1996)

''Lost Highway'' (1997)

''The Norm Show'' (1999, Cameo in Opening of Season 2, Episode 11)

''Bitter Jester'' (2003)

''I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$@!! (2003)

''Richard Pryor: The Funniest Man Dead Or Alive'' (2005, BET Special)

''Black Dynamite'' (2009) Cameo via archive footage

References

External links

Richard Pryor: Stand-Up Philosopher, ''City Journal,'' Spring 2009

Post by Richard Pryor on his official website rebutting voice-loss rumors

Richard Pryor's KFC Cruelty Billboard

Richard Pryor's Ancestry

''Bright Lights Film Journal'' career profile

;Obituaries

Category:1940 births Category:2005 deaths Category:African American comedians Category:African American film actors Category:American film actors Category:American social commentators Category:American stand-up comedians Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Disease-related deaths in California Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Mark Twain Prize recipients Category:People from Peoria, Illinois Category:Deaths from multiple sclerosis

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Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
Name	Jamie Foxx
Birth name	Eric Marlon Bishop
Birth date	December 13, 1967
Birth place	Terrell, Texas, United States
Medium	Stand up, Film, Television, Radio, Music
Nationality	American
Active	1989–present
Associated acts	Kanye West, T.I., Keyshia Cole
Genre	Musical comedy, Political satire, Observational comedy, Character comedy, Black comedy
Subject	Race relations, Racism, African-American culture, Celebrities, Human sexuality, American politics, Current events, Self-deprecation
Occupation	Singer, Actor, Rapper, Comedian
Notable work	Law Abiding CitizenJamie King on The Jamie Foxx ShowRay Charles in RayNico in Rio
Working with	Flo Rida, Kanye West, A-Trak, KiD CuDi
Website	Official site }}

Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film ''Ray'' earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a musical/comedy. He is also a Grammy Award winning musician, producing three albums which have charted highly on the Billboard 200: ''Unpredictable'', which topped the chart, ''Best Night of My Life'' and ''Intuition''.

Born in Terrell, Texas, Foxx was raised by his mother's adoptive parents. He performed in high school and was awarded with a scholarship to United States International University. In his twenties, Foxx began performing stand-up at comedy clubs, and eventually joined the cast of ''In Living Color'' in 1991; this exposure helped him land film roles and star in his own sitcom, ''The Jamie Foxx Show''. He released his debut album, ''Peep This'', in 1994, but he did not gain significant musical success until 2004 when he was featured in Twista's song "Slow Jamz". Also in 2004, Foxx played critically acclaimed roles in the films ''Collateral'' and ''Ray''. He released his second album, ''Unpredictable'', in 2005, which was helped by his collaboration on Kanye West's number-one single "Gold Digger". His third album ''Intuition'' was released in 2008 and was anchored by the single "Blame It". Foxx released his fourth studio album, ''Best Night of My Life'', in 2010.

Early life

Foxx was born as Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas. He is the son of Louise Annette Talley Dixon and Darrell Bishop. Foxx was abandoned seven months after birth, and was subsequently adopted and raised in Terrell by his mother's adoptive parents, Estelle and Mark Talley. Terrell was a racially segregated community at the time. Foxx had a strict Baptist upbringing and began piano lessons at the age of five by his grandmother's orders. As a teenager, he was a part-time pianist and choir leader in Terrell's New Hope Baptist Church. Jamie also was a good dancer.

Foxx attended Terrell High School, where he received top grades, played basketball and football as quarterback, and had an ambition to play for the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first player in the school's history to pass for more than 1,000 yards. He also sang in a band called Leather and Lace. After completing high school, Foxx received a scholarship to United States International University, where he studied classical music and composition. He has often acknowledged his grandmother's influence in his life as one of the greatest reasons for his success.

Stand-up career

After accepting a girlfriend's dare, Foxx told jokes and did impressions at a comedy club's open mic night in 1989. When he found that female comedians were often called first to perform, he changed his name to Jamie Foxx, feeling that it was an ambiguous enough name to disallow any biases. He chose his surname as a tribute to comedian Redd Foxx. In addition his recurrent ''In Living Color'' character LaWanda shared names with Redd's friend and co-worker, LaWanda Page.

Acting career

''In Living Color'' and other TV series

Foxx joined the cast of ''In Living Color'' in 1991 and subsequently played a recurring role in the comedy-drama sitcom ''Roc''. From 1996 to 2001, Foxx starred in his own sitcom ''The Jamie Foxx Show'', and in 1992 he made his film debut.

Film career

Foxx made his film debut in the 1992 comedy ''Toys''. His first dramatic role came in Oliver Stone's 1999 film ''Any Given Sunday'', where he portrayed a hard-partying American football player. He was cast in the role in part because of his background as a football player. Following ''Any Given Sunday'', Foxx was featured as taxi driver Max Durocher in the film ''Collateral'' alongside Tom Cruise, for which he received outstanding reviews and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His standout performance, however, was his portrayal of Ray Charles in the biopic ''Ray'' (2004), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Foxx is the second male in history to receive two acting Oscar nominations in the same year for two different movies, ''Collateral'' and ''Ray''. The only other male actor to achieve this was Al Pacino. In 2005, Foxx was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Following these successes, Foxx appeared in ''Jarhead'', ''Miami Vice'', and ''Dreamgirls'', which were box-office hits, and lifted his profile even higher as a bankable star in Hollywood. 2007 brought him the lead role in the film ''The Kingdom'' opposite Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner and Ashraf Barhom.

In September 2007, Foxx was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He said, upon receiving the honor, "[it was] one of the most amazing days of my life."

In April 2009, Foxx played the lead role in the dramatic film ''The Soloist''. A few months later in October 2009, He played a starring role along side Gerard Butler in the thriller Law Abiding Citizen. In April 2011, Foxx voiced Nico, a canary in the movie ''Rio''.

In 2011, Foxx was officially cast in the title role of, Django Unchained. It will be written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, and he will star alongside Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kevin Costner.

Music career

Foxx began piano lessons at age five. In 1994, Foxx released an album (on the Fox record label) entitled ''Peep This''. His music career shifted into a higher gear when, in 2004, he was featured on rapper Twista's song, "Slow Jamz", which also featured Kanye West. The song reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, as well as number three on the UK singles chart. Foxx's second collaboration with Kanye West, "Gold Digger," in which he sang the "I Got a Woman" Ray Charles-influenced hook, went straight to number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and remained there for 10 weeks. In 2005, Foxx was featured on the single "Georgia" by Atlanta rappers Ludacris and Field Mob. The song sampled Ray Charles' hit "Georgia on My Mind."

Foxx released his second studio album, ''Unpredictable'', in December 2005. It debuted at number two, selling 598,000 copies in its first week. The following week, the album rose to number one, selling an additional 200,000 copies. To date, the album has sold 1.98 million copies in the United States, and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA. The album also charted on the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at number nine. Foxx became the fourth artist to have won an Academy Award for an acting role and to have achieved a number-one record album in the US. (The other three to accomplish this feat were Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Barbra Streisand.) Foxx's first single from the album, the title track "Unpredictable" (featuring Ludacris), samples "Wildflower" by New Birth. The song peaked inside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and also made the UK top 20 singles chart. The second US single from the album was "DJ Play a Love Song," which reunited Foxx with Twista. In the UK, however, the second single was "Extravaganza," which saw Foxx once again collaborate with Kanye West. He was not, however, featured in the song's music video.

At the 2006 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards, Foxx won Best Duet/Collaboration with Kanye West for "Gold Digger" and tied with Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" for Video of the year. On December 8, 2006, Foxx received four Grammy nominations, which included Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for ''Love Changes'' featuring Mary J. Blige, Best R&B Album for ''Unpredictable'', Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for ''Georgia'' by Ludacris & Field Mob featuring Jamie Foxx, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for ''Unpredictable'' featuring Ludacris.

On January 22, 2007, Foxx was on Sirius Satellite Radio, announcing his new channel The Foxxhole. The channel features talk-radio programs, stand-up comedy albums, and music primarily by African-American performers, and features much of Foxx's own material as well. ''The Jamie Foxx Show'', Foxx's own talk-radio variety program, airs Friday evenings on The Foxxhole, and features Johnny Mack, Speedy, The Poetess, Lewis Dix, and T.D.P., as his co-hosts. Guests include popular musicians, actors, and fellow comedians.

He recorded a song with country superstars Rascal Flatts entitled "She Goes All the Way" for their album, ''Still Feels Good''. Foxx also performed background vocals for artist/songwriter Tank. He and The-Dream are featured on Plies' "Please Excuse My Hands." He also appeared on the remix of Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" entitled "She Got Her Own." The track also features Fabolous. Foxx then collaborated with rapper The Game on the track "Around The World."

Foxx released his third album titled ''Intuition'' in 2008, featuring such artists as Kanye West, T.I., Lil Wayne, and T-Pain. The album's first single, "Just Like Me" featuring T.I., was promoted by a video directed by Brett Ratner and featuring an appearance by Taraji P. Henson. The second single "Blame It" featured T-Pain and became a top 5 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and a number-one single on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The "Blame It" music video, directed by Hype Williams, features cameo appearances by Forest Whitaker, Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Howard, Quincy Jones, and Jake Gyllenhaal, among others. Foxx was also featured on T.I.'s single "Live in the Sky" from the album ''King''.

On April 6, 2009 Foxx performed the George Strait song "You Look So Good in Love" at the George Strait Artist of the Decade All-Star Concert. Foxx has been a fan of country music for many years.

Jamie Foxx hosted the 2009 BET Awards ceremony on June 28, 2009, which featured several tributes to pop star Michael Jackson, who had died three days prior to the show. Aside from performing "Blame It" with T-Pain and "She Got Her Own" with Ne-Yo and Fabolous, Foxx opened the show with a rendition of Jackson's "Beat It" dance routine and closed the show with a cover of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" with Ne-Yo. Foxx stated during the ceremony, "We want to celebrate this black man. He belongs to us and we shared him with everybody else."

Foxx released his fourth album, ''Best Night of My Life'', on December 21, 2010. The first single is "Winner", featuring Justin Timberlake and T.I.. The second single is "Living Better Now" featuring rapper Rick Ross and the third single is "Fall For Your Type" featuring rapper Drake.

Personal life

Foxx has a daughter, Corinne Bishop, who was born in 1994. Former ''Jamie Foxx Show'' co-star Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon made a public announcement on ''The Wendy Williams Show'' stating that Foxx has a second child. Foxx was spotted with the baby in Miami for New Year's Eve 2010, and it was revealed to be a girl.

Foxx performed a public service announcement for Do Something to promote food drives in local communities.

In April 2003, Foxx was involved in an incident with two police officers who were attempting to escort him and his sister out of Harrah's casino in New Orleans. Employees claimed they had failed to show identification upon entry. Originally charged with trespassing, disturbing the peace, battery on police officers and resisting arrest, Foxx pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace in exchange for the other charges being dropped, and was sentenced to a six month suspended jail term with two years probation and a $1500 fine.

Discography

''Peep This'' (1994)

''Unpredictable'' (2005)

''Intuition'' (2008)

''Best Night of My Life'' (2010)

Tours

The Unpredictable Tour (2006)

The Blame It Tour (2009)

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992		Baker
	''The Truth About Cats & Dogs''	Ed
''The Great White Hype''	Hassan El Ruk'n
1997	''Booty Call''	Bunz
1998	''The Players Club''	Blue
	''Held Up''	Michael
''Any Given Sunday''	Willie Beamen	Nominated — BET Awards
2000		Alvin Sanders
	''Date from Heaven''
	Drew 'Bundini' Brown
2003		Larry Jennings
	''[[Breakin' All the Rules''	Quincy Watson
	Max
	Ray Charles	Academy Award for Best ActorBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleBET Award for Best ActorBoston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorFlorida Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyKansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorLas Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorLondon Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion PictureNational Board of Review Award for Best ActorNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorPhoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorSatellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleSeattle Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorVancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorWashington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Male PerformanceNominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorNominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
''Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story''	Tookie
		Lt. Henry Purcell
	Staff Sgt. Sykes	Nominated — Black Movie Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor
		Ricardo Tubbs
	Curtis Taylor, Jr.
2007		Ronald Fleury
	''The Soloist''	Nathaniel Ayers
''Law Abiding Citizen''	Nick Rice
		Kelvin Briggs
''Due Date''	Darryl
		Nico	Voice
''Horrible Bosses''	Dean "Motherfucker" Jones
	''Django Unchained''	Django	Pre-Production
	James Seth Lynch	Filming

Awards and nominations

Television Awards

*1998, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: ''The Jamie Foxx Show''

*1999, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' (nominated)

*2000, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' (nominated)

*2001, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' (nominated)

Music awards

American Music Awards

*2009, Favorite R&B/Soul Male Artist (nominated)

*2006, Favorite R&B/Soul Male Artist (winner)

*2006, Favorite R&B/Soul Album: ''Unpredictable'' (nominated)

BET Awards

*2006, Best Male R&B Artist (nominated)

*2006, Best Collaboration ("Unpredictable") with Ludacris (nominated)

*2009, Best Collaboration ("Blame It") with T-Pain (Winner)

*2009, Video of the Year: ("Blame It") (nominated)

*2009, Best Male R&B Artist (nominated)

Grammy Awards n

*2010, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group ("Blame It") with T-Pain (winner)

*2010, Best Contemporary R&B Album (Intuition) (nominated)

*2010, Best R&B Song ("Blame It") (nominated)

*2007, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Unpredictable") with Ludacris (nominated)

*2007, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Georgia") with Ludacris & Field Mob (nominated)

*2007, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group ("Love Changes") with Mary J. Blige (nominated)

*2007, Best R&B Album (Unpredictable) (nominated)

*2006, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Slow Jamz") with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

*2006, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Creepin") (nominated)

*2009, Outstanding Male Artist (winner)

*2006, Outstanding Male Artist (winner)

MOBO Awards

*2006, Best R&B Act (nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards

*2006, Best Hip-Hop Video: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

*2006, Best Ringtone: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

*2006, Best R&B Video: "Unpredictable" featuring Ludacris (nominated)

*2004, MTV2 Award: "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

Soul Train Awards

*2009, Record of the Year: "Blame It" (winner)

*2009, Album of the Year: Intuition (nominated)

*2007, Best R&B/Soul Album, Male: ''Unpredictable'' (winner)

*2006, Best Music Video: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (winner)

*2006, Best R&B/Soul Dance Cut: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

Vibe Awards

*2005, Best Collabo: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

*2004, Best Collabo: "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

Movie/TV Awards

Academy Awards

*2004, Nominated Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

* 2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

BAFTA Awards

*2005, Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Ray

*2004, Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Collateral

BET Awards

*2006, Nominated Best Actor

*2005, Won Best Actor

Black Movie Awards

*2006, Nominated Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Jarhead

Black Reel Awards

*2007, Nominated – Best Actor – Dreamgirls

*2005, Won Best Actor, Drama – Ray

*2004, Won Best Actor – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

*2004, Won Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

*2004, Nominated – Best Actor, Musical or Comedy – Breakin' All the Rules

*2002, Won Theatrical – Best Supporting Actor – Ali

*2000, Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Any Given Sunday

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

*2000, Nominated – Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama – Any Given Sunday

Boston Society of Film Critics Awards

*2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

*2005, Won Critics Choice Award Best Actor – Ray

*2004, Nominated Critics Choice Award Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

Florida Film Critics Circle Awards

*2004, Won FFCC Award Best Actor – Ray

Golden Globes

*2005, Won Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy – Ray

*2004, Nominated Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

*2004, Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Collateral

Hollywood Film Festival

*2004, Won Hollywood Breakthrough Award Breakthrough Actor

*2007, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture – Dreamgirls

*2005, Won Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture – Ray

*2004, Won Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

*2004, Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Collateral

*2002, Won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Ali

*2001, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

*2000, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

*1999, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

*1998, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

Independent Spirit Awards

*2005, Nominated Best Male Lead – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards

*2005, Won Best Actor – Ray (2004/I)

Kids' Choice Awards

*2001, Nominated Favorite Television Actor – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

*2000, Nominated Favorite Television Actor – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards

*2005, Won Sierra Award Best Actor – Ray

London Critics Circle Film Awards

*2005, Won ALFS Award Actor of the Year – Ray

MTV Movie Awards

*2005, Nominated Best Male Performance – Ray

*2000, Nominated Breakthrough Male Performance – Any Given Sunday

MovieGuide Awards

*2005, Won Grace Award Most Inspiring Television Acting – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

National Board of Review

*2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

National Society of Film Critics Awards

*2005, Won Best Actor – Ray

Online Film Critics Society Awards

*2005, Nominated Best Actor – Ray

*2004, Won Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

People's Choice Awards

*2008, Nominated Favorite Leading Man

*2006, Nominated Favorite Leading Man

Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards

*2004, Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Ray

Prism Awards

*2005, Won Performance in a Feature Film – Ray

Satellite Awards

*2005, Won Golden Satellite Award Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

*2004, Won Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical – Ray

*2004, Nominated Golden Satellite Award Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama – Collateral

Screen Actors Guild Awards

*2007, Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – Dreamgirls

*2005, Won Actor Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role – Ray

*2004, Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – Ray

*2004, Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Collateral

*2004, Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

Seattle Film Critics Awards

*'''2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards

*2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

TV Land Awards

*2007, Nominated Little Screen/Big Screen Star

*2006, Nominated Little Screen/Big Screen Star

Teen Choice Awards

*2007, Nominated Choice Movie: Liplock – Dreamgirls

*2005, Nominated Choice Movie Actor: Drama – Ray

Vancouver Film Critics Circle

*2005, Won Best Actor – Ray

Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards

*2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

*2004, Won Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Award

2005, co-recipient, Crystal Award

See also

List of Black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees

References

External links

Official Jamie Foxx Music Site

Category:1967 births Category:Actors from Texas Category:African American film actors Category:African American comedians Category:American adoptees Category:American male singers Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American comedy musicians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Living people Category:People from Linden, Texas Category:People from the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex Category:African American television actors Category:Grammy Award winners Category:United States International University alumni

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Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
name	Bobby Brown
background	solo_singer
birth name	Robert Barisford Brown
birth date	February 05, 1969
origin	Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
genre	R&BNew jack swingHip hopDance-pop
occupation	Singer-songwriter Dancer
years active	1978–present
label	MCA (1986-1998)Bronx Bridge Entertainment (2011-present)
associated acts	New EditionHeads of State Whitney Houston Damien Marley
website	www.bobbybrownonline.com }}

Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 ''Billboard'' hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a fusion of hip hop and R&B. His second album, ''Don't Be Cruel'', included popular songs such as "My Prerogative". Brown is the ex-husband of pop singer Whitney Houston and starred in the reality show ''Being Bobby Brown''.

Music career

New Edition

Bobby Brown began his music career as a member of the R&B boy band New Edition which he founded along with childhood friend Michael Bivins. He is the youngest member of the group since the inception. The group's hits with Brown included "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now", and "Mr. Telephone Man". Brown was voted out of New Edition in 1986 when the other four members felt that their careers would be jeopardized by Bobby's lewd, line-crossing on-stage antics. Throughout the ''All for Love'' tour, he feuded with Ralph Tresvant and cut in on Tresvant's lead vocals. In 1996, Brown rejoined the group for New Edition's comeback album, ''Home Again''. In the middle of the tour, he engaged in further racy on-stage antics. He extended his solo set and cut into Bell Biv Devoe's time. Once again, he left New Edition. In the fall of 2005, New Edition performed at BET's 25th Anniversary Special. The group performed a medley of its greatest hits, and even brought Bobby Brown on stage for a rendition of "Mr. Telephone Man". It was later announced on BET and Inside Hollywood that Bobby had rejoined the group and would be on the next group album. In January 2006, New Edition announced that the group would launch a new album and tour in 2008. Bobby also appeared at a concert in Columbia, South Carolina that New Edition had filmed for a future DVD release.

Solo career

After leaving New Edition in 1985, Brown stayed with the group manager Steven Machat and Machat secured from MCA, the groups record label, a record deal guaranteed for Browns solo career if Brown agreed to leave the New Edition. MCA released his first solo album, ''King of Stage'', in 1986. This album included "Girlfriend", a minor hit which went to #1 on the Billboard R&B charts and #57 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other than that, ''King of Stage'' did not garner much attention. However, Brown's next album, 1988's ''Don't Be Cruel'' with Machat overseeing the entire production and styling of Brown with Louil Silas, MCA's rep, rocketed him to super stardom. Working with the writing/producing team of L.A. Reid and Babyface, as well as Teddy Riley, ''Don't Be Cruel'' spawned five Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles: "Don't Be Cruel" (#8), "Every Little Step" (#3), "Rock Wit' Cha" (#7), "My Prerogative" (#1), and "Roni" (#3). The album would eventually be certified 8x platinum (8,000,000 units sold).

In 1989, he contributed two songs (including "On Our Own", which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100) to the ''Ghostbusters II'' soundtrack, in addition to making a cameo in the film. Brown has subsequently dabbled in acting.

In between the "On Our Own" single and the release of Brown's next album, a remix album, ''Dance! Ya Know It!'' was released to capitalise on Brown's huge success at the time. A non-album "megamix" single was released to promote the project. The European dance-oriented version (sampling beats by Snap!) was titled "The Freestyle Megamix" and was a hit in the UK, reaching #14 on the Gallup charts. A more R'n'B oriented version called "Every Little Hit Mix" (b/w "Roni) was released in Australia.

Brown's third album, ''Bobby'', did not arrive until 1992. It reached #2 on the Billboard album charts and produced the hit singles "Humpin' Around" (#3 on the Billboard Hot 100) and "Good Enough" (#7) as well as a smaller hit in "Get Away" (#14). The album was eventually certified 1x platinum (1,000,000 units sold). However, it did not come close to matching the album sales or singles chart success of its predecessor.

Brown waited until late 1997 to release his next (and to date, last) album of original material, ''Forever''. The album was originally titled ''Bobby II'' and was supposed to be produced by such luminaries as R.Kelly, Teddy Riley, Sean Combs and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. However, Brown negotiated 100% creative control of the album and decided to write all the songs himself. It only managed to climb to #61 on the Billboard Hot 200 album charts and produced no charting singles.

In 2006 Brown appeared on "Beautiful", the third single from Damian Marley's album ''Welcome to Jamrock''.

2010 Bobby Brown surprised his fans by dueting with American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress Macy Gray on her new album titled The Sellout. Together they did a song "Real Love". Macy Gray divulged the pleasure of working with Bobby Brown to Essence Magazine on the project, saying that "actually he came to the studio, since he doesn't live far, and knocked out his recording in two hours. We're friends and his one-year-old son is my godson. His fiance is one of my best friends in the whole world. I met Bobby a long time ago, but we really got to know each other through her."

Heads of State

As of September 27, 2008, Brown began touring with fellow New Edition members Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill in a new group named Heads of State. The group continues to tour worldwide. They are currently recording an album.

Movies

While always maintaining his focus on music, Brown has also been venturing into the movie side of showbiz. In 1996, Brown co-starred in the hit movie, ''A Thin Line Between Love and Hate'', along with Martin Lawrence and Lynn Whitfield. and in more recent years he has appeared in the films ''Two Can Play That Game'', along with Vivica A. Fox and Morris Chestnut; ''Go for Broke''; and ''Gang of Roses'' starring Lil' Kim, Lisa Raye, Stacey Dash, and Marie Matiko. After those he was in ''Nora's Hair Salon''.

Bobby Brown had cameo guest appearances in many movies. ''Panther'' (1995) starring Courtney B. Vance and Chris Rock. Earlier, he played all three characters of Three Blind Mice in ''Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme'' (1990). In 1989 was Brown's first solo guest cameo appearance in ''Ghostbusters II'' playing the Mayor's Doorman.

1985 Krush Groove Character Name: Himself

1989 Ghostbusters II Played The Mayor's Doorman

1989 His Prerogative Interview and Videos

1990 Mother Goose Rock 'N' Rhymes Character Name: Three Blind Mice

1992 Bobby Brown: Humpin' Around Making of the Video

1993 Bobby Brown: Bobby Played Himself

1995 Panther Character Name: Rose

1996 A Thin Line Between Love and Hate Character Name: Tee

2001 Two Can Play That Game Character Name: Michael

2002 Go For Broke Character Name: Jive

2003 Gang of Roses Character Name: Left Eye Watkins

2004 Nora's Hair Salon Character Name: Bennie

2008 Nora's Hair Salon II Character Name: Old Man Butter

Personal life

In June 2007, Brown took part in the ITV television series "24 hours with...", a chat show format as celebrity and interviewer spend an intense 24 hours locked in a room together. The show's host, Jamie Campbell, asked Brown questions about his career and private life, and infamously joked about making "sexual moves" towards the singer. Brown was furious and threatened to beat Campbell up live on air.

He has been appearing on cable-televised reality T.V. shows such as ''Celebrity Fit Club'', ''Gone Country'', and his own show entitled ''Being Bobby Brown''.

Family

Brown has a total of five biological children. In chronological order the oldest being his son Landon Brown, La'princia Brown, Robert (Bobby) Brown Jr., Bobbi Kristina Brown, and Cassius Brown. Brown married Whitney Houston in July 1992. Together they have one daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, born 1993. On September 13, 2006, Houston's publicist announced that after 14 years of marriage, Houston had filed for a legal separation from Brown. One month later, Houston officially filed for a divorce from Brown. It was ruled by a judge on April 4, 2007 that their marriage would be definitively dissolved on April 24, 2007, and that Whitney would receive custody of their then 14-year-old daughter.

Brown's eldest son, Landon Brown, appeared on the MTV show Rock the Cradle. On February 3, 2009, it was announced Brown was expecting his fifth child with his then girlfriend. His fifth son, a boy named Cassius, was born May 30, 2009.

On May 7, 2010, Brown proposed to his long time girlfriend while performing at the Funk Fest in Jacksonville, Fla. He asked her to marry him while giving his performance on stage. He got down on one knee and when she joined him on stage along with their child she accepted his proposal. He is currently signed to Bronx Bridge Entertainment.

Substance abuse and legal problems

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Brown's legal and substance abuse troubles threatened to overshadow his music. In late 2003, Brown was arrested for misdemeanor battery, allegedly for striking Houston while shouting epithets. In February 2004, Brown was arrested and jailed in Georgia on a parole violation related to a previous drunk driving conviction. Whitney Houston has also publicly stated that Brown's choice of drug was marijuana laced with cocaine.

Bobby Brown made a guest appearance on ''The Monique Show'' with fellow group mates Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant to promote their ongoing tour across the globe to sold out shows. Bobby also discussed how he overcame his struggles. The trio Heads of State performed medleys of their classic legendary hits to an audience full of die hard New Edition fans.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions							! rowspan="2"
		! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"
1986				* Released: December 11, 1986	* Label: MCA Records	88	12	40	—	—	—	—
1988	align="left"			* Released: June 20, 1988	* Label: MCA Records	1	1	3	5	20	—	—		RIAA>US: 7× Platinum	British Phonographic Industry>UK: 2× Platinum	CRIA>CAN: 3× Platinum
1992	align="left"			* Released: August 25, 1992	* Label: MCA Records	2	1	11	2	4	26	18		* US: 2× Platinum	* CAN: 2× Platinum
1997	align="left"			* Released: November 4, 1997	* Label: MCA Records	61	15	—	—	—	—	—
2011	align="left"			* Released: September 6, 2011	* Label: Bronx Bridge Entertainment	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Remix albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions				Certifications(sales threshold)
		US	USR&B	UK	AUS
1989				* Released: 1989	* Label: MCA Records	9	7	26	14		* US: Platinum	* UK: Gold	* CAN: Gold
1993				* Released: 1993	* Label: MCA Records	—	72	—	—

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions						RIAA	Album
		! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"
1986		57	1	—	—	—	—	—
1987		—	31	—	—	—	—	—
	align="left"	8	1	—	—	42	—	Gold
	1	1	71	—	6	40	Gold
		—	—	—	—	13	—	—
	3	2	1	—	21	—	Gold
	3	1	17	—	6	8	Gold
align="left"	2	1	15	—	4	22	Platinum
	7	3	—	28	33	—	Gold
		—	—	—	—	14	—	—
	—	—	—	—	—	21	—
		3	1	15	—	19	1	Gold
	7	5	—	—	41	39	Gold
		14	3	3	—	—	—	—
align="left"	57	9	31	—	56	—	—
	—	—	—	—	16	—	—
1994	align="left"	—	—	—	—	38	—	—
		—	—	—	—	3	—	—
	—	—	—	—	8	—	—
	—	—	—	—	17	—	—
1996		—	—	—	—	25	—	—
1997		—	42	—	—	40	—	—
2006		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"—" denotes releases that did not chart or not certified

Featured singles

Year	Single	Artist	Peak chart positions					Album
			US	US R&B	US Dance	UK	AUS
1990		Glenn Medeiros	1	43	—	12	8
2002		Ja Rule	42	16	10	15	7	align="left"
2006		Damian Marley	—	—	—	39	—
2010		Macy Gray	—	—	—	—	—

References

External links

Bobby Brown Online

NEW Bobby Brown HD interview April 2010

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:African American singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from Massachusetts Category:New Edition members Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts Category:Whitney Houston Category:MCA Records artists Category:Celebrity Fit Club participants Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics

ar:بوبي براون cs:Bobby Brown de:Bobby Brown es:Bobby Brown fr:Bobby Brown ko:보비 브라운 id:Bobby Brown it:Bobby Brown (cantante) nl:Bobby Brown ja:ボビー・ブラウン pl:Bobby Brown pt:Bobby Brown ru:Браун, Бобби simple:Bobby Brown fi:Bobby Brown sv:Bobby Brown (artist) th:บ็อบบี้ บราวน์ tr:Bobby Brown

Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
name	Casey Abrams
background	solo_singer
birth date	February 12, 1991
birth place	Austin, Texas
origin	Idyllwild, California, U.S.
genre	Jazz, rock, blues
instrument	Vocals, double bass, bass guitar, keyboard, guitar, piano, melodica, accordion, sitar, clarinet, drums, cello
occupation	Musician, singer
years active	2011–present }}

Casey Abrams (born February 12, 1991) is an American musician from Idyllwild, California who finished in sixth place on the tenth season of ''American Idol.'' He was eliminated from the competition on April 28, 2011, five weeks after being saved from elimination by the judges.

Early life

Abrams was born on February 12, 1991, to Pam Pierce and Ira Abrams. He spent his early years in the Chicago area, first in Evanston, Illinois, then in Wilmette, where he attended McKenzie Elementary School.

Abrams later moved to California and attended middle school and high school there. He was a student at Idyllwild Arts Academy in Idyllwild, California, where his father teaches film production. At Idyllwild Arts, he studied classical bass instruction and improvisation, and participted in the jazz ensembles, gaining a foundation in music history, piano, and jazz piano, and learning to write musical scores for films.

After graduating from Idyllwild in 2009, he attended University of Colorado at Boulder as a music major. He worked as a film camp counselor at Idyllwild Arts Summer Camp prior to his appearance on ''American Idol.''

Abrams suffers from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory disease which causes ulceration and inflammation of the colon, and that occasionally requires blood transfusions, which resulted in his having been hospitalized while on ''American Idol.''

Abrams lists as his musical influences Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Oscar Peterson, and James Taylor, as well as Marshall Hawkins, head of the jazz department at Idyllwild Arts Academy.

''American Idol''

Overview

Abrams auditioned for the tenth season of ''American Idol'' in Austin, Texas. He was selected as one of the Top 24 semi-finalists, but two days before he was due to perform for the semi-finals, he suffered severe stomach pains and was rushed to the hospital. He was well enough to perform on performance night, and was one of the five male vote receivers to advance to the Top 13; however, he missed the Top 13 results show due to his illness. He was the lowest vote receiver on the Top 11 result show, but was saved by the judges; they chose to save him immediately, stopping his supposedly last performance on the show halfway through it. He is the third finalist to be saved by the judges in three seasons.

Abrams was eliminated from the competition on April 28, 2011, finishing in sixth place. During his last performance he sang "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, a song he had performed during the semifinals. During the performance he kissed audience members, rolled onto the stage, thanked the judges, and sang the last two words ("you're mine") to fellow contestant Haley Reinhart.

On May 25, 2011, Abrams sang "Fat Bottomed Girls" with Jack Black on the ''American Idol'' finale.

Performances and results

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" !Episode !Theme !Song choice !Original artist !Order # !Result |- |Audition |Auditioner's Choice |"I Don't Need No Doctor" |Ray Charles |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round, Part 1 |First Solo |"Lullaby of Birdland" |Ella Fitzgerald |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round, Part 2 |Group Performance |"Get Ready" |The Temptations |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round, Part 3 |Second Solo |"Georgia on My Mind" |Hoagy Carmichael |N/A |Advanced |- |Las Vegas Round |Songs of The Beatles Group Performance |"A Hard Day's Night" |The Beatles |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round Final |Final Solo |"Why Don't You Do Right?" |Kansas Joe McCoy |N/A |Advanced |- |Top 24 (12 Men) |Personal Choice |"I Put a Spell on You" |Screamin' Jay Hawkins |12 |Advanced |- |Top 13 |Your Personal Idol |"With a Little Help from My Friends" |The Beatles |2 |Safe |- |Top 12 |Year You Were Born |"Smells Like Teen Spirit" |Nirvana |10 |Safe |- |Top 11 |Motown |"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" |The Miracles |1 |Saved |- |Top 11 |Elton John |"Your Song" |Elton John |9 |Safe |- |Top 9 |Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" |Creedence Clearwater Revival |3 |Safe |- |Top 8 |Songs from the Movies |"Nature Boy" — ''The Boy with Green Hair'' |Nat King Cole |5 |Safe |- |Top 7 |Songs from the 21st Century |"Harder to Breathe" |Maroon 5 |5 |Safe |- |rowspan="2"|Top 6 |rowspan="2"|Carole King |Duet "I Feel the Earth Move" with Haley Reinhart |Carole King |3 |rowspan="2"|Eliminated |- |Solo "Hi-De-Ho" |The City |7 |}

Abrams received the lowest number of votes; however, the judges decided to use their one save of the season to allow him to remain in the competition, resulting in two eliminations the following week. Due to the judges using their one save on Abrams, the Top 11 remained intact for another week.

Post-''Idol''

Abrams appeared and performed on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' on April 29, 2011, and ''Live with Regis and Kelly'' on May 2, 2011. Casey also appeared on MTV’s ''The Seven'' on May 2, 2011. He is also one of the performers in the 2011 American Idols Live Tour, which began in West Valley City, Utah, on July 6, 2011, and will end in Rochester, New York, on September 10, 2011. He appeared and performed on ''The Ellen Degeneres Show'' on May 5, 2011.

References

External links

Casey Abrams on ''American Idol''

Category:1991 births Category:Living people Category:American Idol participants Category:Musicians from Illinois Category:Singers from California Category:American multi-instrumentalists

id:Casey Abrams (penyanyi)