Chico DeBarge

Jonathan Arthur "Chico" DeBarge (born June 23, 1966) is an American R&B singer and musician. DeBarge is a younger brother of the members of the Motown family act DeBarge. Unlike the rest of his DeBarge siblings, Chico is the only male DeBarge that does not sing in the falsetto range that is well known in his family; he sings tenor.

Biography

Recording career

He began a musical career of his own with Motown in the mid-1980s. His debut self-titled album featured the hit single "Talk To Me." He released a second album with Motown, Kiss Serious, but was imprisoned for drug charges not long after and served time in prison for drug trafficking.

After his release in the mid-1990s, DeBarge returned to Motown to continue his musical career under the auspices of Kedar Massenberg and his neo-soul pioneering label imprint Kedar Entertainment. He later moved to the independent record label, Koch Records, where he released 2003's Free.

DeBarge also contributed a song to the Beauty Shop movie soundtrack courtesy of Alove Entertainment. In 2008, Chico DeBarge appeared in the video for Joe's single, "We're Family" off the Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins soundtrack.

His most recent album Addiction was released July 14, 2009 under Kedar Entertainment Group.^[1]

On October 2, 2010, DeBarge performed with Glenn Jones, Lenny Williams and Regina Belle at the Performing Arts Center in Tampa, Florida.

Personal life

He has five children (Dontae DeBarge, Cheyanne DeBarge, Chicoco DeBarge, Manny DeBarge and Abrielle DeBarge) and is in the process of divorcing Andrea Bordenave, who filed for divorce from him in mid-2009.

In the fall of 2003, Chico DeBarge was stabbed by the South Philadelphia Italian mafioso John "Johnny Gongs" Casasanto outside a Philadelphia nightclub after the two engaged in an argument, in which Casasanto called DeBarge a "titsune", the Italian equivalent to the word "coon".

In 2007, DeBarge was arrested for drug possession in California and later went to rehab. In 2009, he admitted to addictions to heroin, cocaine and prescription medication and based his album, aptly titled Addiction, on his drug struggles.

Discography

Albums

• 1986: Chico DeBarge
• 1988: Kiss Serious
• 1997: Long Time No See
• 1999: The Game
• 2003: Free
• 2009: Addiction

Singles

• 1986: "Talk to Me" (US #21, R&B #7, UK #88)
• 1987: "The Girl Next Door" (R&B #59)
• 1987: "I've Been Watching You" (R&B #43)
• 1987: "Rainy Night" (R&B #18)
• 1988: "Kiss Serious" (R&B #53)
• 1997: "Iggin' Me" (UK #50)^[2]
• 1997: "Love Still Good"
• 1998: "No Guarantee" (featuring Joe)
• 1998: "Virgin" (R&B #97)
• 1999: "Soopaman Lover" (R&B #55)
• 1999: "Give You What You Want (Fa Sure)" (US #71, R&B #11)
• 1999: "Give You What You Want (South Central Remix)" (featuring Trina)
• 2000: "Listen to Your Man" (featuring Joe) (R&B #41)
• 2000: "Playa Hater"
• 2003: "Home Alone"
• 2009: "Oh No" (R&B #76)

References