Robert Sylvester Kelly, born on January 8, 1967, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer.
Robert is known amongst his fanbase by multiple names. The Chicago native has been referred to as Kells , The Pied Piper, The King of R&B and his world renowned stage name, R. Kelly.
R. Kelly began pursuing music at Kenwood Academy where he attended high school. It was here that his music teacher, Lena McLin, inspired him to become a singer. R. Kelly's pursuit of a professional music career began in the late 1980s but Kelly had to wait until the early 90s for his chance at stardom.
R. Kelly broke onto the scene as lead singer of the group Public Announcement. In January of 1992, they released their debut album, Born into the 90s. After achieving platinum album sales and completing a successful tour that ended in 1993, R. Kelly left the group and to focus on his solo career. On Novermber 9, 1993, R. Kelly's released his debut album 12 play. With this album, Kelly achieved his first number-one hit record with "Bump N' Grind." Kelly's success continued with his second self-titled album, Kelly. This album, released on November 14, 1995, was Kelly's first number one album on the billboard 200 and the success wouldn't stop there. In 1996, he produced the hit single "I Believe I Can Fly." The song won Kelly three Grammy Awards and was named one of the top 500 songs of all time by Rolling Stones magazine.
