Mark Morrison

In the mid-1990s Mark Morrison ranked among Britain's leading urban R&B vocalists. His breakout track "Return of the Mack" reached the Top Ten throughout Europe during 1996 and cleared the path for U.S. success the next year. Despite the rapid commercial ascent, repeated legal troubles kept him from securing lasting stardom.

Remarkably, a jail term prompted his entry into music. While serving a three-month sentence in 1995 for a club disturbance, Morrison resolved to pursue singing. Once freed, he began working in the studio alongside a production team. By autumn 1995 he issued "Crazy," which turned into a club staple and climbed into Britain's Top 20. The following spring "Return of the Mack" arrived and dominated the U.K. charts, holding the number-one spot for two weeks and making Morrison the first Black male solo artist to top the British singles chart in the 1990s. His self-titled debut album Return of the Mack soon followed, peaking at number four, while the third single "Let's Get Down" entered the Top 40 during that same summer.

Legal problems nevertheless persisted, reaching a peak when he was arrested for attempting to carry a stun gun onto an aircraft. Convicted of the offense, he entered prison again in early 1997. At roughly the same moment he earned four Brit Award nominations, none of which resulted in a win, and "Return of the Mack" advanced to number two on the American charts. In subsequent years Morrison's output became infrequent and commercial fortunes declined. He surfaced again with the 2006 album Innocent Man, which featured appearances by Adina Howard and DMX, and followed it with I Am What I Am in 2010.