Dionne Farris
Encyclopedia
Dionne Farris is an American
female R&B
/soul
musician
who sang
on three songs with the hip hop
group
Arrested Development
. In 1995, she had a solo
hit single
called "I Know
", which hit number four on the Billboard Hot 100
and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
in 1996, and in 1997, she had another called "Hopeless" (written by Van Hunt
) from the Love Jones soundtrack
. This was after her demo
made its way to Sony Music, and her debut album, Wild Seed, Wild Flower
, was released in the summer of 1994, spawning "I Know." Wild Seed - Wild Flower reached #57 on the Billboard 200
chart
.
In the UK Singles Chart
, "I Know" peaked (after a re-release) at #41 in May 1995, and "Hopeless" peaked at #42 in June 1997.
On April 8, 1995, she was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live
, season 20 episode 17, where Damon Wayans
was the guest host. She also sang the closing song "For Once In My Life
" in the 1996 film
, The Truth About Cats & Dogs
.
On May 13, 1996, Dionne gave birth to a daughter named Tate.
Farris has released an album
entitled Signs of Life on her own record label
, Free & Clear. Her 2007 release For Truth If Not Love was issued on iTunes
. It featured the track, "Stuck in the Middle".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
female 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...
/soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who sang
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
on three songs with the hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Arrested Development
Arrested Development (hip hop group)
Arrested Development is an American alternative hip hop group, founded by Speech and Headliner as a positive, Afrocentric alternative to the gangsta rap popular in the early 1990s.-History:...
. In 1995, she had a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
called "I Know
I Know (Dionne Farris song)
"I Know" is a 1995 song recorded by American R&B singer Dionne Farris. It was the first single from her debut album Wild Seed, Wild Flower and was released in March 1995. It achieved a moderate success on the charts, peaking at #41 in UK, but became a top ten hit in New Zealand and in the U.S....
", which hit number four on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
in 1996, and in 1997, she had another called "Hopeless" (written by Van Hunt
Van Hunt
Van Hunt is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He released his debut album, Van Hunt, in 2004, and a follow-up, On the Jungle Floor, in 2006, both on Capitol Records...
) from the Love Jones soundtrack
Love Jones (soundtrack)
Love Jones: The Music is the original soundtrack to the 1997 film Love Jones.-Track listing:#"Brother to the Night - Darius' Poem" — Larenz Tate – 3:18#"Hopeless" — Dionne Farris – 3:53...
. This was after her demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
made its way to Sony Music, and her debut album, Wild Seed, Wild Flower
Wild Seed, Wild Flower
Wild Seed – Wild Flower is the debut full-length album by Dionne Farris, which she recorded after singing the song Tennessee by the alternative rap group Arrested Development...
, was released in the summer of 1994, spawning "I Know." Wild Seed - Wild Flower reached #57 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
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....
.
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 ...
, "I Know" peaked (after a re-release) at #41 in May 1995, and "Hopeless" peaked at #42 in June 1997.
On April 8, 1995, she was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, season 20 episode 17, where Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans
Damon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...
was the guest host. She also sang the closing song "For Once In My Life
For Once in My Life
"For Once in My Life" is a pop song written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown Records' Jobete publishing company in 1967 . The composition was originally recorded by Jean DuShon, while other artists, such as Tony Bennett and The Temptations, recorded slow ballad versions of the song...
" in the 1996 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, The Truth About Cats & Dogs
The Truth About Cats & Dogs
The Truth About Cats & Dogs is a 1996 American romantic comedy film, starring Janeane Garofalo, Uma Thurman, Ben Chaplin, and Jamie Foxx. It was directed by Michael Lehmann and written by Audrey Wells...
.
On May 13, 1996, Dionne gave birth to a daughter named Tate.
Farris has released an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
entitled Signs of Life on her own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Free & Clear. Her 2007 release For Truth If Not Love was issued on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. It featured the track, "Stuck in the Middle".
Albums
- Wild Seed – Wild Flower (1995), ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
- For Truth If Not Love (2007), Music World
- Signs of Life, (2011), Free & Clear Records
Singles
- I KnowI Know (Dionne Farris song)"I Know" is a 1995 song recorded by American R&B singer Dionne Farris. It was the first single from her debut album Wild Seed, Wild Flower and was released in March 1995. It achieved a moderate success on the charts, peaking at #41 in UK, but became a top ten hit in New Zealand and in the U.S....
(1995), Sony - Don't Ever Touch Me Again (1995), Sony
- Passion (1996), Sony
- Hopeless (1997), Sony