Shannon
Real Name: Brenda Shannon Greene
born on May 2, 1958 in Washington D.C.
Did you know this about the Latin Freestyle Legend?
Brenda Shannon Greene was born on May 2, 1958. She is known in the music circles simply as Shannon.
Yep, she's an amazingly talented singer and songwriter, but she is well renowned for her beauty, charm, and charisma, often described as being "peachy."
She was a jazz singer before her mainstream success struck, and she was discovered while on tour with the New York Jazz Ensemble. Her rise to fame is accredited to none other than Latin freestyle founder and music producer Chris Barbosa.
Shannon was the lead vocalist on Barbosas certified gold and billboard chart-topper "Let the Music Play" in 1983. Interestingly, Shannon did not sing the chorus on the track. In fact, we need to squash all the speculation that a woman sang this bit. It was a man known by the name Jimi Tunnel, and, sadly, he was never accredited for his amazing vocals on the track.
Shannon's hit "Let the Music Play" was the anthem of what was known then as "The Shannon Sound" but soon evolved into Freestyle as we know it. It ranked at #23 on Billboard's best dance hits of all time.
In between her hectic recording schedules and tours, Shannon enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1983 and graduated in 1987.
Many assume that Shannon was a one-hit-wonder. Again, this isn't true. She celebrated three #1 hits during her career - Let the Music Play, Give me Tonight, and Do You Want to Get Away.
And you may have just guessed it, but Jimi Tunnel wasn't a one-hit-wonder either. Not in Shannon's terms, at least. He again did an outstanding job on Shannon's Give Me Tonight hook. Another accreditation that he did not receive. He then went on to do the same in another of Shannon's hits, My Heart's Divided.
Shannon has recorded several soundtracks and jingles, including "Criminal" for the movie Fatal Beauty.
Let the Music Play sold approximately 8 million copies globally and is accredited as the first Latin Freestyle album in the world.
She participated in the 2016 Freestyle Extravaganza Concert alongside artists such as Lisa Lisa, The Cover Girls, and Cult Jam, all famous names in the Freestyle genre.
Shannon is not just an artist and performer but is also a voting member of the Grammy Awards.
Proving that she's still got it, at the age of 59, Shannon appeared as a contestant in a 2017 airing of the Fox game show, Beat Shazam.
She has released five studio albums during her career, plus a 2007 album titled A Beauty Returns under the Diggin4Brown Label.
Shanon has had success worth celebrating with Grammy nominations and a string of other awards, including the Hall of Fame award and the Best Billboard Top 10 Female R&B Vocalist.
Her hit, Give Me Tonight, was also noted as the best song of the year by Billboard.