Born: March 27, 1970
Place of Birth: Huntington, New York
Major Notes:
Mariah Carey is a noted song writer and has been named as the best-selling female vocal artist in the United States.
Her parents divorced when Carey was only three and her mother, a former opera singer, worked several jobs to raise the family.
Carey's mother recognized her daughter's talent at an early age and began giving the future pop star basic vocal lessons.
Following high school graduation in 1987, Carey moved to New York and eventually became a backup singer for the American singer Brenda Starr.
Starr passed on a Carey demo tape to a Columbia Records representative who helped Carey obtain a recording contract with his firm.
Carey wrote her own songs in her debut 1990 Columbia album which was extremely successful and earned Carey four number one hits.
She continued to record albums in early years of her career which produced several outstanding hits.
Carey is said to have a five octave range in her voice and is often compared to pop singers Celine Dion and Wendy Houston.
In 1997, Carey began receiving training as a professional actor in what would be the start of an acting career.
Her first acting roles were panned by the critics but in later films, Carey has received better reviews for her performances.
Due to pressures in her private and professional lives, Carey was admitted to hospital for emotional breakdowns twice in 2001.
Starting in 2002, Carey bounced back with several successful albums and number one hits.
In 2008, she passed the "King of Rock 'n Roll," Elvis Presley, in total number one career hits.
Carey is one of the wealthiest music entertainers and is noted for her support of various charity organizations including an inner-city youth camp called Camp Mariah.
Mariah Carey was voted the top singer in the 2003 fan poll called the 22 Greatest Voices in Music.
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