Bobby Brown 

R&B bad-boy Bobby Brown was born Robert Beresford Brown on February 5, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts. During his late teens, Brown began singing with schoolmates Michael Bivins and Ricky Bell. Forming the group New Edition, along with Michael Devoe and Ralph Tresvant, the boys won a few local talent show competitions before being discovered by boy-band svengali, producer Maurice Starr. 

Brown left New Edition in 1986 and was later replace by Johnny Gill.  The following year, Brown released his debut solo album, King of Stage, which boasted major R&B ballad, “Girlfriend.” For his next album, Brown enlisted the help of LA Reid and Babyface, along with new jack swing pioneer, Teddy Riley. Don't Be Cruel, released in the summer of 1988, featured the hit single “My Prerogative,” which went all the way to #1 and would be covered over a decade later by pop star Britney Spears. The album’s following three singles all hit the top ten in 1989, and Don't Be Cruel topped the charts and sold an impressive seven million copies. In 1990, Brown delivered the theme song for Ghostbusters II, “On Our Own.” That same year, his 1990 remix album Dance!...Ya Know It! went platinum. 

The 90s saw Brown’s former New Edition band mates finding success of their own, as Bell Biv Devoe, Johnny Gill, and Ralph Tresvant. Prior to the release of Brown’s next album, Bobby, in 1992, Brown married superstar Whitney Houston. As grunge music began to dominate the airwaves, sales of Bobby maxed out at the two million mark. In 1993, the singer of such songs as “Humpin’ Around” was arrested in for a suggestive stage performance. 

In 1995, Brown was arrested after a brawl in a Disney World nightclub, although charges were later dropped when Brown settled out of court. That same year, he was charged with battery in Los Angeles after allegedly kicking a hotel security guard who attempted to stop a party in Brown's room, for which Brown received two years' probation. Also in 1995, Brown checked himself into the Betty Ford Clinic to battle his drug and alcohol demons. Despite his personal problems, Brown’s professional life received a boost when he reunited with New Edition for their 1996 comeback album, Home Again, which entered the charts at #1 that fall. 

By 1997, Brown had released his fourth solo album, Forever, which failed to crack the top 50. Also in 1997, Brown was accused of spousal abuse when Houston suffered a cut on her cheek during a yachting trip, although each denied the reports. In 1998, Brown was again arrested for sexual battery stemming from an alleged incident in the Beverly Hills Hotel, although no charges were filed.  Brown has reportedly violated his probation by testing positive for cocaine several times. He has also been charged with drunk driving, and refusal to take a drug test. 

In 2005, Brown landed a reality TV show on Bravo, Being Bobby Brown. As one of Bravo’s highest-rated shows, the program centered around Brown’s domestic life and the against-all-odds fortitude of Brown’s marriage to Houston. However, on September 13, 2006, Houston's publicist announced that after fourteen years, the singer had filed for a legal separation from Brown. The couple has one child together, thirteen-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina. 

YUDDY