Tamara Johnson-George
| Tamara Johnson-George | |
|---|---|
Johnson-George (left) performs with fellow SWV member Leanne "Lelee" Lyons, 2005.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Tamara Antrice Johnson |
| Also known as | Taj |
| Born | April 29, 1971 |
| Origin | Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, Hip hop soul, new jack swing, house |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Associated acts | Sisters with Voices (SWV) |
| Website | http://tajgeorge.com |
Tamara Antrice "Taj" Johnson-George (née Johnson, April 29, 1971) is an American singer, actress, and author. Best known as one-third of the R&B singing group Sisters with Voices (SWV), she was also a contestant on .
The youngest of six children, Tamara Johnson was raised in Brooklyn. Her father died of pancreatic cancer when she was nine. Johnson grew up in an abusive household; her mother, who was sick with bone cancer, was beaten regularly by her drug-addicted stepfather. When Johnson would intervene on her mother's behalf, she was also beaten.
When Johnson was 14 years old, her mother died, which caused Johnson and her siblings to be parceled amongst several relatives; Johnson wound up with a cousin who molested her, adding to the sexual abuse she had experienced over the years with other male relatives. Johnson graduated from high school and attended Baruch College to study accounting, but left college because of a physically abusive boyfriend, as well as to join singing group Sisters With Voices, better known as SWV.
Johnson was recruited into SWV (then known as Female Edition) by Cheryl “Coko” Gamble, who would become SWV's lead singer. She was so shy that she auditioned with the lights turned off. Johnson was known as the background dancer/model in the music video for Big Daddy Kane's "Ain't No Half Steppin" and had a bubbly, upbeat personality. This caused friction between Taj and Coko, who felt that Taj's recognizable face and cheerful demeanor shielded her from criticism from the press.
Originally, Johnson was both a singer and an emcee; she can be heard rapping the bridge over the original version of Right Here and I'm So Into You, and is the primary female performer on the song Blak Pudd'n. She co-wrote a number of SWV songs, including Right Here from their debut album, It's About Time, and You're the One, which also features Gamble as a co-writer. Johnson ceased rapping when New Beginning was released in 1996, shortly after the end of the new jack swing era, and began to sing leads (It's All About U, Give It Up) and co-leads (Lose My Cool, Use Your Heart). The group went on to sell more than 20 million albums, making them one of the best selling girl groups of all time. Taj can be seen on the upcoming January issue of STS Entertainment And Fashion magazine.
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