Cheryl Pepsii Riley
Encyclopedia
Cheryl "Pepsii" Riley-Grace (born October 18, 1968) is an American
R&B
/gospel
singer and actress, best known for her 1988 ballad
, "Thanks for My Child."
R&B
chart
and hit the Top 40 on the pop chart at #32 with the 1988 ballad, "Thanks for My Child," a song
written
by Full Force
. It peaked at #75 in the UK Singles Chart
in January 1989. The genesis of "Thanks for My Child" began with Full Force member Bowlegged Lou's experience with the complications of his wife's first pregnancy.
As pivotal as "Thanks for My Child" was for Riley's career, it was not the first song Lou offered to her. She refused his offer to record
"I Wonder If I Take You Home
" because she did not want to spread herself too thin, but after it became a million-selling hit
for Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
in 1985, she thought she had missed her big break. Lou then offered her "Thanks for My Child". Riley still had her nurse's job when the song went to number one on the R&B chart.
The title track single to her debut LP
Me Myself and I made it to number 18 on the R&B charts in early 1989. Another single, "Every Little Thing About You," peaked at number 55 on the R&B charts later that year. Her second LP, Chapters, was issued and yielded the singles "How Can You Hurt the One You Love" and a cover
of Aretha Franklin
's 1968 hit "Ain't No Way". Her third album All That! was released by Reprise
, and featured the singles "Gimme" and "Guess I'm in Love."
After a hiatus from the entertainment industry, Riley re-emerged in the early 2000s as a star in a number of gospel plays for best-selling playwright Tyler Perry
, including Madea's Class Reunion
, Madea Goes to Jail, Why Did I Get Married?
, Laugh to Keep from Crying
, Madea's Big Happy Family
and the most recent, A Madea Christmas
. Riley also appeared in the film
versions of Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Big Happy Family
. On June 27, 2006, she released her first album in fourteen years , called Let Me Be Me.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
/gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer and actress, best known for her 1988 ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, "Thanks for My Child."
Life and career
Cheryl Riley was born in Brooklyn, New York. She worked as a nurse for handicapped children for ten years before beginning her singing career, topped the USUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
and hit the Top 40 on the pop chart at #32 with the 1988 ballad, "Thanks for My Child," a song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Full Force
Full Force
Full Force is a group of R&B performers and producers from Brooklyn, New York, USA, calling itself the original hip hop vocal band.-Members:*B-Fine - drums and drum programming*Shy Shy - bass guitar...
. It peaked at #75 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in January 1989. The genesis of "Thanks for My Child" began with Full Force member Bowlegged Lou's experience with the complications of his wife's first pregnancy.
As pivotal as "Thanks for My Child" was for Riley's career, it was not the first song Lou offered to her. She refused his offer to record
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
"I Wonder If I Take You Home
I Wonder If I Take You Home
"I Wonder If I Take You Home" is a song recorded in 1984 and released as a single in 1985 by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force. Never originally released on Personal Records, the then-obscure demo was discovered in a tape "discard bin" at Personal Records by producer/writer/artist Kenny Beck ,...
" because she did not want to spread herself too thin, but after it became a million-selling hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
for Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
Lisa Lisa and her band Cult Jam were an urban contemporary band and one of first freestyle music groups to emerge from New York City in the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of guitarist/bassist Alex "Spanador" Moseley, and drummer/keyboardist Mike Hughes...
in 1985, she thought she had missed her big break. Lou then offered her "Thanks for My Child". Riley still had her nurse's job when the song went to number one on the R&B chart.
The title track single to her debut LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
Me Myself and I made it to number 18 on the R&B charts in early 1989. Another single, "Every Little Thing About You," peaked at number 55 on the R&B charts later that year. Her second LP, Chapters, was issued and yielded the singles "How Can You Hurt the One You Love" and a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's 1968 hit "Ain't No Way". Her third album All That! was released by Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
, and featured the singles "Gimme" and "Guess I'm in Love."
After a hiatus from the entertainment industry, Riley re-emerged in the early 2000s as a star in a number of gospel plays for best-selling playwright Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry is an American actor, director, playwright, entrepreneur, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman...
, including Madea's Class Reunion
Madea's Class Reunion
Madea's Class Reunion: The Class That Had No Class is a 2003 U.S. teleplay directed, written, and starring Tyler Perry. The live performance that was released on DVD was taped in Detroit.-Plot:...
, Madea Goes to Jail, Why Did I Get Married?
Why Did I Get Married? (play)
Why Did I Get Married? is an American play written by Tyler Perry.The version recorded and released on CD starred Cheryl Pepsii Riley as Sheila, LaVan Davis as Poppy, Donna Stewart as Diana, Tony Grant as Troy and Cordell Moore as Mike....
, Laugh to Keep from Crying
Laugh to Keep from Crying
Laugh to Keep from Crying is a play written and directed by American playwright Tyler Perry. The show first opened in the fall of 2009. The play is a mixture of comedy, drama, and music, set at a inner-city building in a predominantly African-American neighborhood.-Plot:The story revolves around a...
, Madea's Big Happy Family
Madea's Big Happy Family
Madea's Big Happy Family is a 2010 American musical play created, written, produced, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tyler Perry as Mabel "Madea" Simmons, Cassi Davis as Aunt Bam, Palmer Williams, Jr. as Uncle Monroe, and Chandra Currelley-Young as Shirley.Perry began writing "Big Happy...
and the most recent, A Madea Christmas
A Madea Christmas
A Madea Christmas is a 2011 American musical play created, written, produced, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tyler Perry as Mabel "Madea" Simmons and Cassi Davis as Aunt Bam.-Plot:...
. Riley also appeared in the film
Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a 2005 romantic comedy-drama film written by and starring Tyler Perry, which was inspired by the play of the same name. It is the first film in the Tyler Perry "Madea" film franchise. Directed by Darren Grant, the film was released in the US on February 25, 2005...
versions of Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Big Happy Family
Madea's Big Happy Family (film)
Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family is a 2011 comedy-drama film based on Tyler Perry's 2010 play of the same name and the eleventh film in the Tyler Perry film franchise, and the fifth in the Madea franchise.-Plot:...
. On June 27, 2006, she released her first album in fourteen years , called Let Me Be Me.