[2/17/2012
Steppers Song Of The Day] One Day Without You By Miki Howard #stepperssongoftheday Miki
Howard grew up in the church, where both of her parents were gospel
singers.
Her mother was also a member of the gospel group the Caravans and
was acquainted with various entertainers. Howard's mother would take her
to the homes of various stars such as Aretha Franklin and
Mavis Staples.
While still in elementary school, Howard moved to Los Angeles with her
mom.
At the age of 15, she performed in a teen pageant. After the show, she
met Side Effect member Augie Johnson, who happened to be
in the audience and began working with Howard creatively.
After a period of time, Howard became a Side Effect member upon
the departure of Sylvia St. James. Howard's tenure with the group
lasted a few years. During this time, she also had two children by
Johnson. In addition to singing with Side Effect, she did background
vocals for Wayne Henderson, Roy Ayers, Stanley Turrentine, and
several other artists.
After leaving Side Effect, Howard signed a deal with Atlantic. Her first
hit for the label was the Billboard R&B Top Ten single "Come Share My
Love." She followed that with the remake of Glenn Miller's 1940 hit
"Imagination."
Her success continued with two more Top Ten singles, "Baby Be Mine"
and "That's What Love Is." The latter was a duet with Gerald Levert and
was the result of the creative union Howard formed with Marc Gordon
and Levert. Howard and Levert later became romantically involved, and
that romance spawned one of Howard's biggest hits, "Love Under New
Management." The song was written during their brief love affair,
but was released after their romance had dissolved. More Below
In 1990, Howard signed a deal with Giant, which facilitated the release
of her number one smash hit "Ain't Nobody Like You." Howard's
lifeline at Giant was cut short due to an altercation her husband had at
the label.
She also made an appearance as Billie Holiday in a club scene in
the Spike Lee movie Malcom X. Howard continued to issue
albums throughout the '90s and early 2000s, a few of them heavy on or
wholly reliant upon covers. Her releases during these years included
Femme Fatale (1992), Shining Through (1993), Live Plus
(1996), Can't Count Me Out (1997), Three Wishes (2001),
and Pillow Talk (2006).
Howard undertook a world tour with Roy Ayers and the Jazz
Allstars. In June 2008, she released her ninth studio album,
Private Collection under her independent label, Branicka Records.
The album contained ten tracks, with five new smooth jazz and R&B songs
co-written and co-produced with Chuckii Booker, and five jazz
standards co-produced with Brandon McCune.
Besides Booker, composers included on the album included Hoagy
Carmichael and Johnny Mercer for "Skylark", Sammy
Fain and Paul-Francis Webster for "Secret Love",
Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer for "Days of Wine and
Roses", Elisse Boyd and Murray Grand for "Guess Who
I Saw Today", and Irving Berlin for "Counting Your
Blessings".
On November 1, 2010, "Unsung: Miki Howard" was televised on TV
One. In February 2011, TV One televised "Way Black When" which
showcased African Americans' impact in entertainment through the 1970s,
80's and 90's. Howard was featured during the 80's segment, hosted by
comedian Niecy Nash. Howard performed her number-one R&B hit, "Ain't
Nobody Like You". In March she embarked on a U.S. tour "Throwback
Unplugged Tour" with Dru Hill, K-Ci & JoJo and Bell Biv DeVoe.
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Miki
Howard grew up in the church, where both of her parents were gospel
singers. 
