Eric Benet Jordan was born October 15, 1966. He grew up in Milwaukee, WI and is the youngest of six. Growing up, Eric was exposed to and heavily influenced by a wide range of music - classical, pop, rock, soul and gospel. He started showcasing his musical talent in church in the gospel choir. Eventually, it expanded to school plays and musicals. Eric soon realized that he wanted to pursue music professionally. In the late 80's, Eric joined a local group, Gerard,and toured various night clubs and small venues covering top 40 tunes. It was during this time that Eric experimented and performed all types of music. Later, Eric and his sister, Lisa, formed the group Benet while working closely with their cousin, George Nash Jr. They put together a demo tape that found its way to Allison Ball-Gabriel, a music executive. That led to Benet getting a record deal with EMI Records. Their self-entitled CD was released in '92. Unfortunately, the label was going through corporate red tape and the CD was not properly promoted. Consequently, the sales were lackluster. In addition, some radio stations wouldn't play the singles released, "Only Want To Be With You" and "Rainy Days And Mondays" because they didn't fit the stations' formats. Benet was soon dropped from their label. A short time later, Eric's daughter, India, was born. Tragically, India's mother, Tami, was killed in a car accident when India was only 15 months old. Eric had become a single parent. It was a very scary time for him. Even though he still wanted to pursue his dream of performing, he had to provide for his daughter. So Eric worked at UPS for a while. In the meantime, Jeff Lorber, who was one of the producers on the Benet CD, kept Eric close to the business. Jeff set up various guest starring jazz vehicles for Eric to showcase his vocal talent. During this time, Eric sang on CD's by Jeff, Marion Meadows, Eric Marienthal, and Michael Franks among others. Through these difficult times, Eric kept a journal of his thoughts and experiences. For a while he was afraid to trust himself with the type of music he wanted to do. But luckily one day, he realized that he had to be "true to himself." He used his experiences and turned them into songs. Meanwhile, Allison Ball-Gabriel, who had originally signed Benet to EMI, was now an executive at Warner Brothers Records (WBR). Eric decided to send her some demos and was eventually signed to the label as a solo artist. He again worked with cousin, Nash Jr., and brought longtime friend, Demonte Posey, on board in a studio in Milwaukee. WBR allowed Eric to have full creative control, which is rare for a new artist. The fruit of their labor, "True To Myself" was released in '96. Although it was critically praised, the album never attained the sales that it deserved. When it was time for Eric to go back in the studio for his sophomore effort, he realized that the pressure was on to increase sales. He didn't want to abandon his style and alienate his fan base. But he knew that he would need more "radio friendly" songs to be successful. He again worked with Nash Jr. and Posey, along with others in the studio. The result was "A Day In The Life," which was released in April of '99. This time Eric also incorporated some duets on the CD. They included collaborations with Faith Evans, Tamia, Roy Ayers, and Me'Shell Ndegeocello. The first single, "Georgy Porgy", received considerable airplay and did well on the R&B charts. The second single, "Spend My Life With You", went to number one on the R&B charts. It was also certified gold, nominated for a Grammy Award, won an NAACP Award for Outstanding Song and has become a wedding favorite and a classic love song. "A Day In The Life" was eventually certified platinum and is Eric's most successful album to date. Eric's third studio release, "Hurricane" was released in 2005 after a long hiatus and personal soul searching. Its lush vocals and reflective lyrics have won raves from many of Eric's fans and critics. While "Hurricane" didn't get much promotion, it was able generate lots of airplay and considerable chart action from the first two singles, "I Wanna Be Loved" and "Pretty Baby." Eric has also stepped into the acting arena, having guest roles on "For Your Love", "Half and Half" and in the feature film, "Glitter." He also had a recurring role on MTV's scripted show "Kaya", which aired in late 2007. Eric's fourth solo project is scheduled for release in early 2008. To this day, he continues to write in his journal. His daughter, India, is now a teenager and is following in her dad's footsteps. She is actively writing and recording her own music.