Terry Ellis

Terry Lynn Ellis was born on September 5, 1963, in Houston, Texas. Her early life involved her father working as a truck driver and her mother as a housewife, and she is the youngest of four daughters. She pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor’s degree from Prairie View A&M University. Her professional music career began to take shape in 1988 when she performed in a lecture/concert with singer Kashif, which served as an audition for a prospective singing group. Ellis later successfully auditioned for a new female group being formed by producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy. Initially, the group was conceived as a trio with Dawn Robinson, Maxine Jones, and Cindy Herron, but Ellis was added after her audition, forming a quartet. The group, originally named “For You,” eventually became known as En Vogue.

In 1989, En Vogue released their debut album, “Born to Sing,” which achieved platinum status. Ellis sang lead vocals on the intro of their first single, “Hold On,” which reached number 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and sold over a million copies, earning RIAA platinum certification. She also contributed lead vocals to other charting singles like “Lies” and “Don’t Go,” both of which secured top-five positions on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The group’s success continued with their second studio album, “Funky Divas,” released in 1992, selling over 3.5 million copies in the United States. Ellis shared lead vocals on “Free Your Mind,” a top-charting single that garnered two MTV Video Music Awards for “Best R&B Video” and “Best Dance Video.” During a hiatus from En Vogue, Ellis launched her solo career in November 1995 with the album “Southern Gal,” releasing singles “Where Ever You Are” and “What Did I Do To You?” The album sold over 142,000 copies.

Her career with En Vogue continued with the highly successful 1996 recording “Don’t Let Go (Love)” from the soundtrack to “Set It Off,” which became a worldwide number one hit and sold over 1.8 million copies, earning platinum certification. Following Dawn Robinson’s departure in 1997, Ellis took on more lead vocal responsibilities for their third studio album, “EV3,” which also went platinum. She has continued to be an integral part of En Vogue, contributing to albums such as “Masterpiece Theatre” (2000), “The Gift of Christmas” (2002), and “Soul Flower” (2004). In 2012, Ellis, along with Cindy Herron, successfully secured the exclusive rights to the “En Vogue” name. She signed with Pyramid Records in July 2014 and released “An En Vogue Christmas” in November 2014. Beyond music, Ellis diversified her brand with her own fragrance line, “Southern Exposure.”