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Miki Howard grew up in the church, where both of her parents were gospel singers. Her mother was also a member of the gospel group
the Caravans and was acquainted with various entertainers.
Howard's mother would take her to the homes of various stars such as
Aretha Franklin and
Mavis Staples.
While still in elementary school,
Howard moved to Los Angeles with her mom. At the age of 15, she performed in a teen pageant. After the show, she met
Side Effect member
Augie Johnson, who happened to be in the audience and began working with
Howard creatively. After a period of time,
Howard became a
Side Effect member -- upon the departure of Sylvia St. James.
Howard's tenure with the group lasted a few years. During this time, she also had two children by
Johnson. In addition to singing with
Side Effect, she did background vocals for
Wayne Henderson,
Roy Ayers,
Stanley Turrentine, and several other artists.
After leaving
Side Effect,
Howard signed a deal with Atlantic. Her first hit for the label was the Billboard R&B Top Ten single "Come Share My Love." She followed that with the remake of
Glenn Miller's 1940 hit "Imagination." Her success continued with two more Top Ten singles, "Baby Be Mine" and "That's What Love Is." The latter was a duet with
Gerald Levert and was the result of the creative union
Howard formed with
Marc Gordon and
Levert.
Howard and
Levert later became romantically involved, and that romance spawned one of
Howard's biggest hits, "Love Under New Management." The song was written during their brief love affair, but was released after their romance had dissolved.
In 1990,
Howard signed a deal with Giant, which facilitated the release of her number one smash hit "Ain't Nobody Like You."
Howard's lifeline at Giant was cut short due to an altercation her husband had at the label. She also made an appearance as
Billie Holiday in a club scene in the
Spike Lee movie Malcom X.
Howard continued to issue albums throughout the '90s and early 2000s, a few of them heavy on -- or wholly reliant upon -- covers. Her releases during these years included
Femme Fatale (1992), Shining Through (1993),
Live Plus (1996), Can't Count Me Out (1997),
Three Wishes (2001), and
Pillow Talk (2006). ~ Craig Lytle