Although vocalist Diana King honed her voice singing gospel in a Baptist church in Spanish Town, Jamaica, she was ultimately guided by the voices of her early inspirations, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Patti LaBelle. When her ultra-religious parents forbade her from singing pop songs, King rebelled, running away from home at the age of 13. Luckily, she found work singing in a band that played the tourist resort circuit. A few years later she joined a reggae group called City Heat and eventually left Jamaica to tour with Shabba Ranks as a backup singer. Following an extensive tour through the United States and Europe, King recorded a cover of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" for Columbia Records and the single found its way onto the Cool Runnings soundtrack. Her contributions to Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die landed her a deal with Sony Records' Work Group. Her debut album, Tougher Than Love, was released in 1995 and its follow-up, Think Like a Girl, appeared in 1997. Lana Fanelli
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