During the late '80s, Al B. Sure! enjoyed a brief run as one ofnew jackswing's most popular romantic singers. Born Al Brown in Boston, hegrew up in Mount Vernon, NY, listening to smooth crooners like MarvinGaye and Johnny Mathis; he later became interested in rap and addedthat skill to his vocal repertoire. At age ten, he and a friend performedon a song written by Ellie Greenwich for the soundtrack ofSesameStreet, and later he began writing songs with his cousin Kyle West.While in high school (where he quarterbacked the football team), hebecame friends with Edward Ferrell, aka DJ Eddie F, who was workingwith rapper HeavyD at the time. Eddie Fintroduced the still-teenagedAl B. Sure! to HeavyD's manager/Uptown label head Andre Harrell,who had him sing backing vocals on several HeavyD tracks and helpedhim get a deal with Warner Brothers. Featuring production from DJEddie F and a number of co-writes with West, Al B. Sure!'s debutalbum, In Effect Mode, was released in 1988 and became a platinum,selling sensation thanks to the single "Nite and Day," which reachedthe Top Ten on the pop charts and topped the R&B charts for threeweeks.The follow-up, "Off on Your Own (Girl)," was also a number oneR&B hit, and he became a bona fide star among urban audiences,though he didn't remain a presence on the pop charts. His secondalbum, Private Times...and the Whole 9, appeared in 1990 andproduced another R&B number one in "Misunderstanding," as well as aduet with Diana Ross called "No Matter What." His third album, 1992'sSexyVersus, wasn't as successful, and he took a hiatus from recordingeventuallylanding a vice president position at Motown. In 1996, hesurvived a potentiallynasty car accident in New York, and in 2002, hebegan hosting a quiet storm-style radio show in the San Francisco BayArea. Signed to the Hidden Beach label, he finallyreturned with HoneyI'm Home, his first album in 17 years, in 2009.~