Bobby Valentino

R&B singer Bobby Valentino (aka Bobby Wilson) was born on February 27, 1980. Though he was originally born in Jackson, Mississippi, he was raised in Atlanta. At a young age, Bobby had a love for music. But his parents were skeptical that a career in music was right for him. When he was 16, Valentino and a group of friends formed the R&B group Mista. They scored a radio hit with their single "Blackberry Molasses" and released their debut album in 1996. The album was not a commerical success and a second album, on which they collaborated with super producer Timbaland, was not released. Management problems eventually led to the group's split and Valentino decided to focus on college. He pursued a degree in Mass Communication at Clark Altanta University and graduated in 2003. Valentino decided to returned to music, putting together demos to shop around to different labels. One demo landed in the hands of rapper Ludacris. Valentino was signed to the rappers Disturbing Tha Peace label and released his solo album, Disturbing Tha Peace Presents...Bobby Valentino. He had a Number One hit with the single "Slow Down" and had hits with other singles including, "Tell Me" and "Give Me A Chance." His next album, "Special Occasion" is due for release September 19, 2006.