Regina Belle – God Is Good

Regina Belle (born July 17, 1963) is a singer-songwriter who first surfaced in the late 1980s.  Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey. It was at Englewood’s Mount Calvary Baptist Church, and then Paterson’s Friendship Baptist Church (presided over by Belle’s uncle, the Reverend Fred Belle), that Regina Belle began attracting attention with her vocal abilities. She sang her first solo in church at age 8; and by age 17, she was the church’s star singer. Belle attended Dwight Morrow High School where she studied trombone, tuba and steel drums. After graduation, she studied opera at the Manhattan School of Music. At Rutgers University, she became the first female vocalist with the school’s jazz ensemble. Belle’s musical influences include Phyllis Hyman, Billie Holiday, Donny Hathaway, and Nancy Wilson.

   

She was introduced to the Manhattans by New York radio DJ Vaughn Harper and began working as their opening act. She recorded the duet “Where Did We Go Wrong” with the group which helped to attract the attention of Columbia Records. They eventually signed her to a record deal.

Belle resides in Atlanta, Georgia and is married to ex-NBA basketball player John Battle (basketball). Battle played 10 years in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers. He is now a pastor in Atlanta, Georgia. Belle and Battle have five children: Winter, Tiy, Jayln, Sydni, and Nyla. Winter, the eldest daughter, is married and has 2 children, Lea and Joshua, making Belle a grandmother.  Main Source: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

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