Ann Nesby Signs with Arrow Records

Today, Arrow Records announced the signing of legendary singer, songwriter, and actress Ann Nesby to their Atlanta-based label. Over the past 20 years Nesby has built an enviable career and has collaborated with some of the most famous and well-respected names in entertainment, such as the late Reverend James Cleveland, Luther Vandross, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Sting, and Al Green. About the latest addition to the Arrow family, the label’s General Manager Cappriccieo Scates offers, “We are extremely excited to have Ann join our team. She has been the barometer for great music for many years, and we are looking forward to the success of this partnership.”

In the early 1990s, Nesby rose to prominence on the worldwide stage as lead singer of the popular music ensemble Sounds of Blackness. Her distinct and unforgettable vocals helped garner two GRAMMY Awards for the group in 1991 and 1993, as well as hit songs, including “The Pressure,” “Testify,” “Optimistic,” and “Demolition Man” (with Sting) from the blockbuster motion picture of the same name.

After her tenure with Sounds of Blackness, Ann Nesby’s career path would lead to further success as a solo recording artist, a songwriter, and a leading actress. In 1996 she released her solo debut, I’m Here For You, and the album spent a remarkable 60 weeks atop the R&B music charts. Around this same time, Ann emerged as a much sought after songwriter, penning hits for superstar artists, including Gladys Knight (“Home Alone”) and Patti LaBelle (“The Right Kinda Lover” and “Someone Like You”). She was also tapped by the then emerging playwright Tyler Perry to star in his very first stage play, I Know I’ve Been Changed.
Since then, Nesby has been recording, touring, and acting nonstop. She has released seven successful solo, studio albums: I’m Here For You, Put it on Paper, Make Me Better, In the Spirit, This is Love, The Lula Lee Project, and Ann Nesby’s Soulful Christmas. Additionally, she released a compilation of dance hits Love is What We Need in 2001 and a greatest hits CD / DVD, Ann Nesby the Best of Live, in 2007. In 2003, she was cast in her first feature film, The Fighting Temptations, as Aunt Sally Walker alongside Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Beyonce. And her duet “The Stone” with Pastor Shirley Caesar from the movie’s soundtrack earned a GRAMMY nomination in 2004.

When talking about the new chapter that she’s embarking upon with Arrow and their upcoming projects, Nesby says, “I’m absolutely ecstatic, and it gives me great pleasure to join forces with my pastor Taffi Dollar, CEO of Arrow Records, and new General Manager, Cappriccieo Scates, as we move forward, creating great music in the styles that I’ve based my entire career upon. It is my belief that music from the heart reaches the heart and being a part of Arrow Records is an opportunity to continue making a mark that cannot be erased. Let’s go!”