On July 27, 1996, “You’re Makin’ Me High” by Toni Braxton hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Braxton’s steamy ballad became her first No. 1 single on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song charts. The song, off her 1996 album “Secrets,” had us all saying, “Baby, baby, baby, baby.”
Born on October 7, 1967 in Severn, Md., Toni Braxton was raised by her minister father and mother in a strict religious household. Braxton began singing with her four younger sisters at their father’s church. Performing as The Braxtons, the group landed a record contract with Arista and released the single “The Good Life” in 1989. The Braxtons’ song failed to get much traction. However, it helped launch Braxton’s solo career. The star-making production team of L.A. Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds were enraptured by Braxton’s husky contralto voice. They quickly signed her to their label, LaFace Records. Her first Top 40 single, “Love Shoulda Brought You Home,” was featured on the soundtrack for the movie “Boomerang.”
A year later, Braxton released her self-titled album that hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 10 million copies worldwide. Braxton earned the Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance trophies at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards. After her successful sophomore album, “Secrets,” her third studio album, “The Heat,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 thanks to her empowering single, “He Wasn’t Man Enough For Me.” Although Braxton grappled with contractual disputes with her label as well as health problems, she managed to release three more albums over the next decade. To date, Braxton has sold over 67 million records worldwide.
In 2013, Braxton announced her plans to retire from the music business. However, five years later, she reconsidered her decision and released her most recent album, “Sex & Cigarettes,” in 2018. She also who was the subject of the 2016 Lifetime biopic, “Toni Braxton: UnBreak My Heart,” and recently starred in “Faith Under Fire: The Antoinette Tuff Story” on the network.