UB Celebrates: 35th Anniversary of Cherrelle’s ‘Affair’

Cherrelle was born Cheryl Week Norton, on October 13, 1958in Los Angeles, CA, cousin of singer/executive Pebbles. This week Cherrelle celebrated her 65th birthday!

Working as a full-time bookkeeper in a Detroit bank, the young singer began her Recording career after banking hours. When her neighbor, singer Michael Henderson, recruited her to sing on his “In The Night Time” album. The recording eventually led to local tour engagements — all of which she managed to accomplish while holding down her 9-5 job.

“I’d go to work all day,” stated Cherrelle to Billboard in 1988, “I would run into the recording studio when I got off, work there until the wee hours of the morning and then try to get some sleep before I had to be back at my regular job.”

She became Cherrelle because her boss would be stressed because she was always late for work. She’d yell, “Cher—relle, you’re late!”

In 1977, Michael Henderson was recording his gold album “In the Night-Time” and invited Cheryl to the studio. She come there in the evenings after she’d finished working at the bank.

Cherrelle went on tour with Michael Henderson and Luther Vandross. Later, she recorded a demo that came to the attention of Tabu Records owner Clarence Avant. Her attorney father negotiated the recording contract with the label that was distributed by A&M Records.

Teamed with Minneapolis producers/songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who at the time had hits with Tabu recording act the S.O.S. Band and helped cement the viability of Tabu. Cherrelle began to work on fresh music of her own with the duo.

Her debut album “Fragile” was released in the summer of 1984 and featured the hit single “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On,” reaching #8 on Billboards R&B chart. “When I Look in Your Eyes,” was a radio hit. The “High Priority” followed in October of 1985 and featured the #2 R&B hit “Saturday Love,” a duet with labelmate Alexander O’ Neal.

Wile dance tunes dominated the album, several cuts were ballads, and ballads is what Cherrelle liked to sing best. “There’s nothing like a good, strong ballad,” Cherrelle stated in 1986 to Billboard. “They move me. They take me back to my Gospel days, singing in church. I think you’ll just see me growing. My voice is growing, the songs and the lyrics are becoming more adult.”

Adult indeed, which brings us to Cherrelle’s third album release “Affair,” celebrating it’s 35th Anniversary today. Originally released on October 19th, 1988.

Another Cherrelle/O’Neal duet, “Never Knew Love Like This,” led in preparation for the album. From Alexander O’Neal’s “Hearsay,” the album was the third single released. The single reached #2 R&B for two weeks on Billboard‘s charts in early 1988.

Jam & Lewis decided to apply a concept album format, like they’d used for Alexander O’Neal’s “Hearsay” album.

The concept was songs that would be based around a romantic relationship that went bad.

Cherrelle spoke on the autobiographical aspects of the album with an industry trade at the time, saying; “It was a hurtful, but glorious separation. I have no reason to be bitter. A lot of the songs that were written were behind our relationship. So what can I do but thank Randy.”

Cherrelle co-wrote three of the albums cuts along with producer Randy Ran who was Cherrelle‘s husband at the time. The songs are “My Friend,” “Crazy (For Loving You)” and “Lucky.”

The Flyte Tyme duo decided the lead single, “Everything I Miss at Home” should have a jazz piano lounge feel to it. With Alexander O’Neal adding his arrangements at the end, providing a soulful male counter point. That was brilliant as stated by Billboard, with the recent success of “Never Knew Love Like This.”

“Everything I Miss at Home” went to #1 on Billboards R&B in late 1988, making it Cherrelle‘s first and only number one. The album “Affair,” went to #15 R&B, while the single “Affair” reached #4 on the R&B chart.

Cherrelle‘s last charting album, “The Woman That I Am,” featured production by Narada Michael Walden, and included the single “Never in My Life,” “Tears of Joy,” and a cover of Carla Thomas’ “Gee Whiz.” Cherrelle resurfaced in 1999 with the album “The Right Time.”

Take A Trip Down Memory Lane with Cherrelle’s “Affair!”

UB Black Music Month Spotlight: Alexander O’Neal’s Classic ‘Hearsay’