Born May 5, 1981, in Southampton, British R&B singer/songwriter, Craig David began his career at a young age. As a young teenager he traveled the local dance club circuit with his father, bassist for Ebony Rockers, a reggae band. These experiences introduced him to the craft of being a DJ, as the DJs would let him take over the mic.

Craig David

"When I started out with Artful Dodger we were defining this new cross between MC and rapper, so when those guys say: 'You paved the way,' that's really cool. It's great to feel respect and positivity from those guys."

While not achieving the super star status of others, British R&B singer Craig David has still made his mark on the music world. In a matter of three short years he soared from little known songwriter and DJ to major pop star status in the UK.

Beginnings

Born May 5, 1981, in Southampton, British R&B singer/songwriter, Craig David began his career at a young age. As a young teenager he traveled the local dance club circuit with his father, bassist for Ebony Rockers, a reggae band. These experiences introduced him to the craft of being a DJ, as the DJs would let him take over the mic.

Craig David's first move into the professional music world was working with an R&B group, Damage, to record a cover of Wonderful Tonight, by Eric Clapton. Shortly afterward he moved on to work with garage band, Artful Dodger. In 2000 their song Rewind, from It's All About the Stragglers, peaked at number 2 on the charts. This opened the door for David to branch out as a solo artist.

Modest Yet Consistent Successes

In 2000, at the tender age of 19, David released his debut album, Born To Do It. The first single from this album, Fill Me In, topped the charts in the UK, gaining him the distinction of being the youngest male artist to ever reach #1 in the UK. Three other singles from the album also hit the Top 10 and the album was certified multi-platinum in over 20 countries. Additionally, the US release of the album contained the song Key to My Heart, featured in the WB animated movie, Osmosis Jones.

David's sophomore album, Slicker Than Your Average, was released in 2002 to much more modest success. However, the first four singles from this album also hit the UK Top 10, giving him 9 consecutive hits. This was stopped with the release of the single World Filled with Love only reached #15. In the US none of the singles released from the album, six in all, charted. Even with the weaker successes the album was still certified Gold.

At this point Craig David signed with Warner Music and released his third project, The Story Goes... in 2005. Although the album was released worldwide, US fans had to rely on overseas shipping or mp3 music downloads because it was not released in the US. He had much better results with the singles from this album, with the first single, All the Way,  peaking at #3. In addition 7 Days spnt 15 weeks in the UK Top 75 and the third single, Unbelievable, debuted at 18.

In 2007 his album London Town was released. The first single, This is the Girl, again debuted at 18. On the heels of London Town he released Trust Me. Hot Stuff, the first single from the album, was a top ten hit and the album reached 18. In 2008 David released his first Greatest Hits album, featuring several special guests and digital downloads of content.

In 2009 David signed with Universal and announced the release of his fifth studio album, Signed Sealed Delivered, in spring 2010. This album will be a shout out to the hits of the Motown era, remixed and made Craig David originals.

Did You Know....

1. In 2008 Southampton Solent University awarded David an honorary Doctor of Music.

2. In 2009 David's debut album, Born to Do It, was voted second Greatest Album by MTV voters, second only to Thriller by Michael Jackson.

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