Pebbles/Sister Perri

Perri A. Reid, formerly known as Pebbles, was one of the most popular R&B singers of the late 80s and early 90s and has fashioned for herself a many-faceted career as a singer, songwriter, music executive and minister.

 

"Pebbles", a childhood nickname, had an early brush with industry success in the early 1980s as a backup singer for percussionist/band leader Bill Summers and the funk outfit Con Funk Shun, having cowritten the hit "Body of Lover." In 1987, she released Pebbles, a self-titled solo debut for MCA Records. Pebbles went platinum-plus and featured the hits "Girlfriend" and "Mercedes Boy", both Top Five Pop and #1 R&B hits. The videos for both songs, featuring Pebbles’ signature modern glam style, were in heavy rotation on MTV, VH1, and BET.

 

In 1990, Pebbles released her second album, Always, which included the Top Five hit "Giving You the Benefit", as well as "Always" and "Love Makes Things Happen". The latter song, featuring Babyface (whose writing and production partner, L.A. Reid, was then Pebbles' husband), was a Top 20 Pop & R&B hit. Her third album, Straight from My Heart, was released in 1995 and featured collaborations with Sean Combs, Kyle West, and Organized Noize. Combined, Pebbles has sold more than six million albums worldwide, receiving a Grammy nomination and numerous songwriting and performance awards. Pebbles married Antonio "L.A." Reid, who co-founded LaFace Records with Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds that same year. Their son Aaron Alexander was born in November 1989. They divorced in 1996.

 

In 1989, Pebbles formed the Atlanta-based production company Pebbitone, which discovered and developed the R&B trio TLC. Under her guidance as a producer, director, marketing chief, and image maker, TLC released the 1992 quintuple-platinum debut album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, featuring the Top 10 hits "Baby, Baby, Baby", "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", and "What About Your Friends". In 1994, TLC released CrazySexyCool, which sold an unprecedented thirteen million albums and garnered the group a Grammy for Best R&B Album.

 

Eventually, tensions arose between Pebbles and TLC, and the group filed for bankruptcy amid claims that Pebbles was mismanaging their money. Pebbles denied these claims, and Pebbitone and TLC eventually parted ways. Her then-husband L.A. Reid later said: "TLC wanted Pebbitone out of their lives, and the only way they could get out was to file bankruptcy." Reid claimed that the dispute was "one of the breaking points in my marriage". The dispute with TLC and the disintegration of her marriage led Pebbles to leave the secular music industry altogether.

 

In 1997, Pebbles underwent a religious conversion. Under her new stage name "Sister Perri", she founded WOGCL (Women of God Changing Lives) Ministries. As an ordained minister, she now preaches and ministers through song. In 2008, after a 13-year music hiatus, Reid released her fourth album, Prophetic Flows Vol I & II, which peaked at #12 on the Billboard Gospel Album Chart.

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Pebbles Reid.