Chuckii Booker
{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Chuckii Booker
| image =
| caption =
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| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|12|19}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| death_date =
| origin = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| genre = R&B, new jack swing
| instrument = Vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards
| occupation = Musician, producer, bandleader
| years_active = 1983–present
| label = Atlantic Records
| associated_acts = Barry White, Troop, Janet Jackson, Angela Winbush, Gerald Levert, Bette Midler, Lalah Hathaway
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members =
}}
Eugene Allen Booker, Jr.{{cite web|title=Chuckii Booker Page|url=http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Chuckii%20Booker.html |website=Soulwalking.co.uk|access-date=24 October 2021}} (born December 19, 1962),{{cite book|last1=Ruhlman|first1=William|title=All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul|date=2003|publisher=All Media Guide|isbn=0-87930-744-7|page=69|edition=Paperback|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o552g5xRRiwC&q=chuckii+booker+tease&pg=PA69|accessdate=2015-02-10}} known professionally as Chuckii Booker, is an American producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader from Los Angeles, California.
Biography
Booker emerged in the late 1980s as an urban contemporary R&B artist and producer. He began recording music after being signed by his godfather, Barry White, to his production company in 1984. Later, he played keyboards with the short-lived Epic Records band Tease for three years.
Booker received his recording contract in an unlikely manner. He gave his demo tape to the manager of Gerald Albright to showcase his skills as a musician, but had forgotten about the songs on the other side of the tape that contained original songs with his vocals. As a result, he was offered a recording contract with Atlantic Records.{{cite web|last1=Milward|first1=John|date=August 16, 1990|title=Chuckii Booker: On Janet Jackson Tour, He's Key At The Spectrum, You Can See Him Playing Keyboards And Performing. Here's What The "Turned Away" Singer Sees From The Stage.|url=http://articles.philly.com/1990-08-16/entertainment/25931229_1_chuckii-booker-concerts-musical-director|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|accessdate=2014-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104055304/http://articles.philly.com/1990-08-16/entertainment/25931229_1_chuckii-booker-concerts-musical-director|archive-date=January 4, 2014}}
Booker signed a recording contract with Atlantic to release his debut album Chuckii in 1989 in which he played all the instruments and sang all vocals. The album fared well on the strength of hit singles "(Don't U Know) I Love U" and the #1 R&B single "Turned Away". The follow-up and its final studio album to date (as of 2024) Niice 'N Wiild was released in 1992{{cite web|last1=Wynn|first1=Ron|title=Artist Biography|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chuckii-booker-mn0000125569/biography|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=24 October 2021}} and yielded another chart-topping R&B hit "Games". After the release of Niice 'N Wiild, Booker retired from recording music.
Booker produced for several recording artists throughout the years, including Troop, which yielded two #1 singles ("All I Do Is Think of You" & "Spread My Wings"), his godfather Barry White, Janet Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Demetrius Ross, Kool & the Gang and many more. He was the musical director, producer and keyboardist for Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation World Tour as well as the opening act.{{cite magazine|title=Word of the Week: Chuckii Booker|magazine=Jet|date=April 2, 1990|volume=77|issue=25|issn=0021-5996|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|page=40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3b0DAAAAMBAJ&dq=Chuckii+Booker&pg=PA40}} Booker got the gig after he was invited by Jackson to the premiere of her long-form video Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. Although Booker went to the premiere to mingle with celebrities, he was caught off guard when Jackson asked him after the screening to be her musical director for the tour.
Booker has produced records for artists such as Lalah Hathaway, Troop,{{cite magazine|title=R&B Trooper|date=January 25, 2003|magazine=Billboard|volume=115|issue=4|issn=0006-2510|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|page=32|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8w4EAAAAMBAJ&dq=Chuckii+Booker&pg=PA32}} En Vogue, Angela Winbush, Diana Ross, Anastacia, Commissioned, Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, and Bette Midler.
Personal life
{{expand section|date=March 2024}}
Booker has never married and has no children.{{cite episode|title=All-New Unsung Tells the Story of Chuckii Booker's Iconic Career|series=Unsung|url=https://tvone.tv/videos/all-new-unsung-tells-the-story-of-chuckii-bookers-iconic-career-on-sunday-march-17|network=TV One|time=21.00|airdate=March 17, 2024}} Retrieved {{start date|2024|3|19}}.
Discography
=Albums=
Tease (as keyboardist and songwriter):
- 1986: Tease (Epic)
As solo artist:
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Title !rowspan="2"| Label !colspan="3"| Chart positions |
|---|
| style="width:45px;"|US R&B {{cite web|title=Chuckii Booker - Awards|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chuckii-booker-mn0000125569/awards|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=28 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213073839/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chuckii-booker-mn0000125569/awards|archive-date=December 13, 2012}} ! style="width:45px;"|US |
| 1989
| Chuckii | rowspan="2"| Atlantic | align=center | 18 | align=center | 116 |
| 1992
| align=center | 13 | align=center | — |
| colspan="6" align=center style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
=Singles=
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Title !colspan="3"| Chart positions |
|---|
| style="width:45px;"|US R&B {{cite web|title=Chuckii Booker Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography |url=https://www.musicvf.com/Chuckii+Booker.art|website=Music VF|access-date=13 December 2020}} ! style="width:45px;"|US Pop |
| rowspan="4"| 1989
| "That's My Honey" | align=center | — | align=center | — |
| "Touch"
| align=center | 13 | align=center | — |
| "(Don't U Know) I Love U"
| align=center | 4 | align=center | — |
| "Turned Away"
| align=center | 1 | align=center | 42 |
| rowspan="2"| 1992
| "Games" | align=center | 1 | align=center | 68 |
| "I Should Have Loved You"
| align=center | 38 | align=center | — |
| rowspan="1"| 1993
| "With All My Heart" | align=center | — | align=center | — |
| colspan="6" align=center style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs artist}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0095377|name=Chuckii Booker}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Booker, Chuckii}}
Category:African-American songwriters
Category:American male singer-songwriters
Category:Record producers from California
Category:Singer-songwriters from California
Category:American contemporary R&B singers