Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae (/kəˈrɪn ˈbeɪli ˈreɪ/; née Bailey; born 26 February 1979)[3] is an English singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "Put Your Records On". Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2006.[4] She released her debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae, in February 2006, and became the fourth female British act in history to have her first album debut at number one.[5] In 2007, Bailey Rae was nominated for three Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards, and won two MOBO Awards. In 2008, she won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year (for her work as a featured artist in Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters).[6]
This article is about the singer. For her self-titled album, see Corinne Bailey Rae (album).
Corinne Bailey Rae
- Singer
- songwriter
1998–present
2
- Vocals
- guitar
- piano
- percussion
- bass
Bailey Rae released her second album, The Sea, on 26 January 2010, after a hiatus of almost three years. It was produced by Steve Brown and Steve Chrisanthou (who produced her debut album in 2006).[7][8] She was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year. In 2012, she won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance for "Is This Love" (a cover of the Bob Marley and the Wailers song of the same name).[9] Bailey Rae was married to fellow musician Jason Rae from 2001 until his death from an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol in 2008; she channelled the grief of his loss into her music.[10] Her first two albums have together sold over five million copies worldwide.
On 26 February 2016, Bailey Rae announced her third album, The Heart Speaks in Whispers, which was released on 13 May 2016. The Heart Speaks in Whispers debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's R&B chart.[11]
Early life[edit]
Bailey Rae was born in Leeds, England. Her father is from Saint Kitts and Nevis, and her mother, Linda, is English, although they separated when she was a child. She is the eldest of three daughters. Her siblings include Candice Bailey, and actress Rhea Bailey.[12]
Bailey Rae began her musical career at school, where she studied classical violin before turning her attention to singing. Some of her earliest vocal performance experiences took place at a Plymouth Brethren church. Bailey Rae later transferred to a Baptist church, where the youth leader also coached rock bands in the local high school.[12][13] The church's young people wrote their own worship songs and sang covers of songs by Primal Scream. She recorded two albums with the worship ministry youth group, under the name "Revive."[14] Performing in church broadened Bailey Rae's musical horizons, and her love for making music was solidified after the church youth leader offered to lend her the money to buy her first guitar. In her mid-teens, she was influenced by Lenny Kravitz, also exploring rock through listening to Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.
Bailey Rae studied English language and literature at the University of Leeds, where she graduated in 2000.
Other ventures[edit]
"Like a Star" is part of the soundtracks of several films, series and soap operas, such as Dynasty, Cashmere Mafia, 27 Dresses, Men in Trees, Nancy Drew, Perfect Stranger, Medium, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Venus, Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds and Sete Pecados.
"Put Your Records On" appears in the 6th episode of the series By Any Means.
In the film Venus, six songs from the debut album were included on the soundtrack of the film, which are "I'd Like To", "Another Rainy Day", "Choux Pastry Heart", "Put Your Records On", "Like a Star", and "Breathless".
The song "I'd Like To", from Bailey Rae's debut album, was also featured in the soundtrack for the movie He's Just Not That Into You (2009). It can also be heard on an episode of CSI:NY. Her song "Lucky One" is the title theme for Stan Lee's Lucky Man, a 2016 production for Sky 1 television in the U.K.
Bailey Rae is the special ambassador for the charity Cord.[45] She is also the central ambassador for the international water and sanitation charity Pump Aid.
In September 2012, she was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs/30 Days" to support Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book.[46]
Personal life[edit]
While at university, she worked in the evening as a cloakroom attendant at her local jazz club, where she met Scotsman Jason Rae.[47] When she married Rae in 2001 at the age of 22 she changed her name to Bailey Rae.[48] Jason Rae (1976–2008), a musician, played saxophone for the eight-piece group called Haggis Horns.[49] He also recorded on albums with his wife, Amy Winehouse, the New Mastersounds and Martina Topley-Bird (Quixotic).
On 22 March 2008, Jason Rae was found dead in a flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds.[50] In December 2008, Leeds Coroner's Court gave a verdict of death by misadventure and stated that Rae had died of an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol.[51] The methadone had been prescribed to a friend who was recovering from an addiction to heroin.[23] Corinne said the experience was the closest she had come to death herself, because it was challenging to keep in life at the time.[52]
In 2013, Bailey Rae married her longtime friend, producer and jazz musician Steve Brown.[53] The couple have two daughters,[54][55][56] and live in Leeds.[52]
Awards and nominations[edit]
Grammy Awards[edit]
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bailey Rae has won two awards from six nominations. She won Album of the Year as a featured artist on Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters.[6]
