Toni Michelle Braxton aka Toni biography

Real biography: Introduction

The deep voiced, soul singer, Toni Braxton is one of the best selling female recording artists in recent history.

Life Story

Born in Severn, Maryland, she is the oldest of six children. Her father was a clergyman who raised his family in a strict religious household. Toni's first taste of performing came in church where she sang in the choir. She attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree but left to pursue a musical career. She formed the group The Braxtons with her sisters, Tamar, Trina, Towanda and Traci. They released an unsuccessful single with Arista records and were dropped from the label, but Toni's voice caught the attention of Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmunds.

Career

Her self titled debut album sold more than 10 million albums and won her 3 Grammy Awards, including best new artist of 1993. Her second release, Secrets would be her most successful to date, earning her two more Grammy Awards and going platinum 8x. Despite the unheralded success of her two solo albums, she would file for bankruptcy in 1998. All of her personal household possessions were tagged and marked for sale to pay off her creditors, including her prestigious awards.

She has appeared on Broadway in the Disney musical Beauty and the Beast and has acted in a few episodes of the TV show "Kevin Hill" (Michael Michele, Christina Hendricks, Michelle Arvizu). She headlines her own show in Las Vegas, the highly successful Toni Braxton: Revealed at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino.