Born: June 24, 1960
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, CA
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Deborah Christine "Siedah" Garrett
is an American singer and songwriter who has written songs and performed
backing vocals for recording artists, such as Michael Jackson, the Pointer
Sisters, Brand New Heavies, Quincy Jones, Tevin Campbell, Donna Summer,
Madonna, Jennifer Hudson among others.
Garrett was nominated for two Academy Awards
for Best Original Song. She won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for
Visual Media at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards for co-writing "Love You I
Do" (performed by Jennifer Hudson) for the 2006 musical film, Dreamgirls.
Garrett was raised in Compton, where she started
singing as a child.
Born Deborah Christine Garrett, she opted to
change her name at age 13 because of her disappointment with her birth name. She
changed it to Siedah, which meant "shining and star-like.”
As a teenager, Garrett was part of a five-piece
band called Black Velvet & Satin Soul, which performed Top 40 hits around
various clubs.
Garrett's mother was an interior designer with
singer D.J.
Rogers is one of her clients. Rogers heard Garrett's singing abilities and recruited her as a background vocalist on his 1977 album, Love, Music and Life. Source