Bobby Brown

Robert Berisford Brown (born February 5, 1969), better known as Bobby Brown, is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, songwriter, and dan

Robert Berisford Brown (born February 5, 1969), better known as Bobby Brown, is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, songwriter, and dancer. Brown began his career with the popular boy band New Edition in 1980 but was later ousted from the group due to behavioral problems. He embarked on a solo career in 1986 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits. Brown is the ex-husband of R&B singer Whitney Houston and the star of his own reality show, Being Bobby Brown on Bravo. On September 13, 2006, Houston's publicist announced that after 14 years, the singer filed for a legal separation 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 14-year-old daughter.

Bobby Brown was born in Roxbury, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. He began singing with schoolmates Michael Bivins and Ricky Bell in 1978. The group, which would later include Ralph Tresvant and Ronnie DeVoe, developed into New Edition and, after a few talent show wins, was discovered by producer Maurice Starr. Starr signed the group to his label and co-authored its debut hit, "Candy Girl", in 1983, which helped get New Edition a deal with MCA. Along with "Candy Girl", Brown and New Edition scored several other pop and R&B hits in the early 1980s, including "Mr. Telephone Man", "Cool It Now", and "Is This The End". After a few moments of teen stardom, Brown longed to move on to an adult solo career. New Edition replaced Bobby Brown with a long-time friend of the group Johnny Gill in 1987.