African American Research
DeAriana Mitchell
Jackson State University-Undergraduate Studies
Author Note:
This paper was researched for HIST 102-12, taught by Ms. Farah Christmas
Born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles on September 4th 1981, in Houston, Texas, she began singing with the original members of the popular R&B group Destiny's Child comprised of LaToya Luckett, Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Roberson in their teens. The girls went through various incarnations, singing a mix of gospel, rhythm and blues, and hip hop, before they officially became Destiny's Child in 1995. Knowles' father, Mathew, served as manager of the group. After performing in the Houston area, the group appeared on Star Search, the popular television talent competition. Although they did not win the competition, a contract with Columbia Records soon followed. Their first release, 'Destiny's Child' (1997), was a tremendous success in Europe. Upon the album's release, the group kicked off a tour of sold-out shows there. Their second effort, 'The Writing's on the Wall' (1999), brought them wider acclaim back home. The album generated three top-ten hits on the Billboard R&B singles chart.
In 2000, despite internal conflicts that resulted in the departure of Luckett and Roberson from the group, Destiny's Child continued to promote their sophomore effort, playing as a supporting act for Christina Aguilera's summer tour. In 2001, still calling themselves Destiny's Child, the group released their third album, Survivor. In 2004, after launching a successful solo career with 'Dangerously in Love', Knowles won five Grammy Awards, tying a record for most wins by a female artist. Her second solo effort, 'B'Day', was released in September 2006 to coincide with the singer's twenty-fifth birthday. In its first week, 'B'Day' sold more than 540,000 copies in the U.S. In 2008, Beyonce launched her third solo album entitled 'I Am ... Sasha