Jody Watley Artistfacts

January 30, 1959
Jody Watley started dancing on the TV show Soul Train when she was just 14. By the time she was 17, she and her dance partner, Jeffrey Daniel, were two of the most popular dancers on the show, earning them both invites to join Shalamar, a group created by Soul Train Records, a label associated with the show. Shalamar reeled off a bunch of R&B hits (including the #1 "The Second Time Around"), but Watley was mostly just a backup singer and dancer, getting only a handful of lead vocals. She quit the group in 1983 because she wanted to do much more.
After leaving Shalamar, Watley moved to England and did modeling work. In 1984, she was part of Band Aid, the all-star collective that recorded the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" She and three members of Kool & the Gang were the only American performers, and Watley was the only Black woman.
Her debut album, released in 1987 four years after she left Shalamar, was a smashing success, with the hit singles "Looking For A New Love" and "Some Kind Of Lover." It earned her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
Watley writes the lyrics and melodies to most of her songs. "I remember going to the library and getting lost in words," she said in a Songfacts interview. "I've always been a voracious reader, and I think that inspires by respect for words and how they impact people, whether it's words that are being sung or orated - they're very powerful."
She had her first child, daughter Lauren, in 1980 with Shalamar's producer Leon Sylvers. She worked throughout her pregnancy and quickly returned to the group after giving birth.

Her second child, son Arie, was born in 1992 to Andre Cymone. She and Cymone were married from 1991-1994.
Before signing with MCA and releasing her debut album, Watley had a deal with Mercury Records and released two singles on the label - "Where The Boys Are" (1984) and "Girls Night Out" (1985) - backed by members of Art Of Noise. She was working on an album for the label, but never finished it.
Watley blogs prodigiously, with well over 1000 posts on her official website dating back to 2011. She also has a huge following on social media.

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