Biography
Dalvin DeGrate grew up in Charlotte, NC, alongside his older brother Donald as the son of a minister. He began performing at age two and by nine was playing drums for his father’s gospel ensemble, the DeGrate Delegation. Together with brothers Joel and Cedric Halley, the DeGrate siblings formed the vocal group Jodeci. Within the lineup, Dalvin DeGrate took the role of rapper under the moniker “Mr. Dalvin,” while Donald DeGrate became “DeVante Swing,” Joel Halley assumed “JoJo,” and Cedric Halley adopted “K-Ci.” The quartet relocated to New York, secured a deal with Uptown Entertainment, and issued their first album, Forever My Lady, in 1991. The project reached the summit of the R&B charts, earned multi-platinum status, and yielded three #1 R&B singles: “Stay,” “Come & Talk to Me,” and the title track. Diary of a Mad Band, released in 1994, likewise topped the R&B charts and achieved multi-platinum certification, driven in part by the #1 R&B success of “Cry for You.” Although 1995’s The Show - The After-Party - The Hotel proved somewhat less dominant commercially, it still surpassed one million units sold and produced three R&B Top 10 singles. Following Jodeci’s dissolution, the Halley brothers enjoyed further success recording as K-Ci & JoJo. The DeGrate brothers took longer to reemerge, yet in April 2000 Dalvin DeGrate issued his solo album Met.A.Mor.Phic, with his brother DeVante among its producers; on the record Dalvin shifted his focus to singing.
Albums
