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Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Campbell scored a string of R&B chart hits as a teenager in the early to mid-1990s. Like Usher and Bobby Brown, Campbell transitioned from child singer to adult R&B crooner, and he is a recognizable figure in the New Jack Swing genre of music.
Music careerBorn in Dallas, Texas, Campbell was introduced to the R&B world by Quincy Jones in August 1989. Campbell's debut single was "Tomorrow (A Better You Better Me)" which reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip hop Singles chart in June 1990. It was the lead single from Quincy Jones' critically acclaimed ensemble LP Back on the Block which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1991. After working with Jones and writers and producers including Siedah Garrett, Campbell worked with producers Narada Michael Walden, Al B. Sure, Babyface, and others to record additional music.
Campbell's first solo hit was "Round and Round", which charted at #3 on R&B charts in November 1991 and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1991 was produced by Prince and was featured in Prince's film Graffiti Bridge. Campbell followed the success of his first two singles by releasing his debut album, T.E.V.I.N., in November 1991 which featured the R&B hit singles and Campbell's only #1 Adult Contemporary hit: "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do" followed by:, "Alone With You", and "Goodbye". His second album, ''I'm Ready'' released October 1993, yielded the #1 R&B hit and #9 pop single "Can We Talk" in December 1993, "I'm Ready"[title=Tevin Campbell: Billboard Chart History], "Always in My Heart" which charted at #3 on the R&B chart
. He also scored a Top 30 hit with "Don't Say Goodbye Girl" on the R&B charts.
In 1995 Tevin's career peaked with his performance as the pop star Powerline in Disney's feature animated film A Goofy Movie. His songs "I 2 I" and "Stand Out" were both released as singles that year, comprising two-thirds of his output for the year. Powerline is similar to other R&B stars like Prince, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Tevin was quoted as saying, "What else is there to do now? Think of what I've done - I've sang songs in a Disney film. I've released an album that is called T.E.V.I.N. My name is Tevin. Isn't that awesome?! As far as I'm concerned, my life has been lived."
The year 1996 saw the release of his third album, Back to the World (#11 R&B). The title track was a success (hitting the R&B Top 20), but additional singles failed to make an impact on the chart. His early 1999 self-titled album was found Campbell venturing into the neo-soul venue. The project was rushed, and as a result charted below the R&B Top 30, with only one single charting, a Top 30 song called "Another Way".
In May 2008, Rambo House Media released a bootleg internet mixtape of various unreleased Tevin Campbell material, titled 2008, Never Before Heard through iTunes and Amazon. After six months of availability, Campbell decided to no longer allow the unpublished material to be downloaded online
Acting careerAfter his appearance in the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge, Campbell made a guest appearance the following year on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, playing fictional teen idol, "Little T", a celebrity crush and date of Ashley's first season in the episode "Just Infatuation". In a later series, he was referenced when Will threatened to destroy Ashley's Tevin Campbell posters after she plays with Will's signature baseball. In 1995, Campbell voiced the character Powerline in Disney's A Goofy Movie, singing the songs "Stand Out" and "Eye To Eye".
In 1999, Campbell made another guest appearance on the hit show Moesha alongside Brandy Norwood. In the episode, "Rite Stuff."
Campbell played the role of Seaweed J. Stubbs in the Broadway musical Hairspray. He joined the cast in December 2005.
DiscographyStudio AlbumsCompilationsSinglesAwards and nominations
Copyright Citations
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