Cherrelle with Alexander O'Neal

One of the stars of Clarence Avant's Tabu label, as well as an early beneficiary of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Cherrelle was born Cheryl Norton in 1958 in Los Angeles, California. After her family established a summertime residence in Detroit, Michigan, she met bassist/singer Michael Henderson, who had her appear on "One to One," the closing song on his 1978 album In the Night-Time. Norton subsequently went on tour with Henderson and Luther Vandross. Early the following decade, Norton recorded a demo that came to the attention of Tabu Records owner Clarence Avant, ...