Born Eldra DeBarge on June 4, 1961 in Grand Rapids,
Michigan,
El became the lead singer of his family vocal group, DeBarge, in 1
978. He was featured in all the group's hits from 1982 through 1985
when, after a talk with Berry Gordy, he decided to pursue a solo career. El
launched his solo career in 1986 with a self-titled debut album that featured
the number three hit "Who's
Johnny?". The album was certified gold. El re-emerged after a two-
year
pause in his career with the single "Real Love" in 1989, which was followed
by the album, "Gemini". He also worked with musical legend Quincy Jones on the song, "The
Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)" in 1990. El showed the world
his musical flexibility with the 1992 release of "In The Storm". In 1994,
El
released Heart Mind & Soul, produced by Babyface. He also collaborated with
such artists as Fourplay, Andrae Crouch, DJ Quik, Patti
Austin, Dionne Warwick, Tone Loc and Warren G from the mid 90's through 2002.
