Bobby Brown was born in Boston as one of eight children to Herbert "Pops" and Carole Brown. Herbert was a construction worker and Carole was a schoolteacher. Brown and his family grew up in Roxbury's Orchard Park Projects. As a child, Brown got involved in petty theft including robbery later saying "I didn't wanna ask my mother or my father because they didn't have a lot of money", stating that whenever he saw something he wanted, "I'd just go to the store and take it."
Despite the group's success, however, Brown felt the group was never rightfully paid the money they felt they had earned from their success, later saying "the most I saw from all the tours and all of the records we sold was $500 and a VCR." Brown also allegedly grew jealous of the attention given to fellow New Edition member Ralph Tresvant and during some of their tour performances, would often step out of his position and perform out of turn, performing seductively and singing, which caused hiccups from the group's management team. Brown was featured on two more New Edition albums before leaving the group in early 1986. Brown later said he felt that the group's management treated them "like little slaves by people who were only interested in money and power, and not in the welfare of New Edition." A little controversy arose over how Brown got kicked out. Some say Brown asked to be let out of New Edition but a VH-1 Behind the Music documentary on the group claimed Brown was voted out by the group via their management team, with some of the members, most prominently Michael Bivins, against the decision.
In 1989, Brown contributed two songs to the soundtrack of Ghostbusters II, in which he also appeared in a cameo role in the film. The leading track from the soundtrack, "On Our Own", became another top ten single for the singer, peaking at number two. The same year, a remix compilation, Dance! Ya Know It, was released and found fans in the United Kingdom, where Brown had a fan base and had major success. Brown ventured on a world tour to promote the Don't Be Cruel project in 1988. The tour became a success with Brown's former group New Edition sometimes opening for him. At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, Brown met his future wife, late singer Whitney Houston, following his well-received performance at the show. Critics would later say the show sparked a change in Houston, who was receiving backlash from recording crossover pop material and had been briefly jeered during the Soul Train telecast. It's also alleged that the relationship between Brown and Houston was concocted to make Houston have an edgier image. Brown and Houston clicked after Brown attended Houston's birthday party celebration in her New Jersey hometown. Brown and his girlfriend Kim Ward broke up following the birth of their first-born, daughter, LaPrincia Brown, The tour lasted into 1990 but not without Brown gaining notoriety for simulating sexual acts onstage, which got him in trouble with the law.in 1990 and shortly afterwards, Brown began courting Houston after she ended her relationship with comedian Eddie Murphy.
New Edition reunions Brown made his first reunited appearance with New Edition at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. Their performance later sparked the recording of Bell Biv DeVoe's "Word to the Mutha!" in which Brown, Ralph Tresvant and later NE member Johnny Gill was included.
Brown and Houston kept their relationship under wraps until late 1991, when Houston confirmed that she and Brown were involved. During a brief breakup, Brown returned to a relationship with Kim Ward and their reunion produced another child, Robert Barisford, Jr. However, as soon as they had reunited, Brown and Ward again broke up after Brown reunited with Houston in early 1992. That year, Brown proposed marriage to Houston, who accepted despite the fact that Bobby was having another woman's child. Around the time Bobby Jr. was born, Brown and Houston would marry on July 28, 1992 in front of several well-wishers at Houston's New Jersey residence.
Brown's next album, the Bobby album wouldn't come until 1992. While released during the final days of the new jack swing era, an era that Brown had dominated, the album did become a success, selling more than a million copies and spawning several hits including "Humpin' Around", "Get Away" and "Good Enough"
. However the sales of Bobby didn't match its predecessor. Some of that may have to do with Brown deciding not to continue his career as he was now married to his famous wife, Whitney Houston, who with Brown, contributed a UK hit with their duet, "Something in Common", from the Bobby album. on March 4, 1993, Brown and Houston welcomed the birth of their first and only child, daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston-Brown, nicknamed Krissy. Brown and Houston tried producing more children but Houston suffered several miscarriages. Brown would release his fourth solo album, Forever, 1996 arrest while in Florida, during a high-speed police chase, he crashed what was his wife's Mitshubishi, and would be later cited for resisting arrest after he yelled expletives at officers and allegedly performing public urination in the back of one of the squad cars.
New Edition released a full-fledged reunion occurred with the 1996 release of the album, Home Again. Brown contributed lead vocals on two hit singles, "Hit Me Off" and "You Don't Have to Worry". In 1996, Brown found himself involved in a drive-by shooting in Boston while with his brother-in-law. His brother-in-law died from gunshot wounds from intruders, Brown narrowly escaped being shot. When police found Brown, he appeared to have been shaken and distraught. However a subsequent 1997 tour to support the album led to problems between Brown and the other New Edition members. Brown later admitted that he was struggling with drug addiction and alcoholism during the tour.
Prior to its release, Brown had been in negotiations with rapper Tupac Shakur to get signed to Shakur's new label Makaveli Records. However, Shakur died before that would take place. Leaving MCA following the release of Forever, Brown laid low for several years, re-emerging in 2002 where he was featured in a duet with rapper Ja Rule on the song "Thug Lovin'". Brown had been signed to Murder Inc. Records. However much like the situation with 2Pac, Murder Inc. began dissolved, leading to Brown's tenure with them brief. In late 2003, Brown was arrested for misdemeanor battery, allegedly for striking Houston while shouting epithets. In February 2004, Brown was arrested and jailed in Georgia on a parole violation related to a previous drunk driving conviction. In June 2004, Brown was sentenced to 90 days in prison for missing three months of child support payments. That sentence was immediately suspended after Brown made back payments totaling about $15,000.
In 2005, at the BET 25th anniversary special, Brown again reunited with New Edition to a receptive audience. In 2005, Brown signed a deal with Bravo to overlook the direction of the reality series, “Being Bobby Brown”, but it was said that he had to convince producers that his then-wife Whitney Houston would appear on the show. The show lasted one season but received bad reviews in the duration of its run. It however became Bravo highest rated show leading to a fallout in both singers' careers. In 2006, Brown appeared adding vocals to Damian Marley's song "Beautiful" on Marley's album, Welcome to Jamrock.
Brown and Houston's marriage was tempered by rumors of Brown's infidelity and the couple's frequent drug use, which was often the subject of jokes at their expense especially on sketch shows, Saturday Night Live and, much frequently, MadTV, in which they were spoofed by actors Debra Wilson and Aries Spears. Spears' depiction of Brown was that of a jealous, verbally abusive, philandering cocaine-addicted drunk who bristled at his wife's more iconic popularity. Following fourteen years of marriage, Brown and Houston filed for legal separation in September 2006. Their divorce was finalized on April 24, 2007, with Houston receiving custody of their then-14-year-old daughter.
In June 2007, Brown took part in the ITV television series "24 hours with...", a chat show format as celebrity and interviewer spend an intense 24 hours locked in a room together. The show's host, Jamie Campbell, asked Brown questions about his career and private life, and infamously joked about making "sexual moves" towards the singer. Brown was furious and threatened to beat Campbell up live on air. Brown's later tenures in reality shows included appearances on Celebrity Fit Club and Gone Country.
Since 2007, Brown has been at work on a long-awaited fifth album titled The Masterpiece. On May 30, 2009, Brown had son Cassius with his partner of two years, manager Alicia Etheridge. At the 2009 BET Awards, the six New Edition members again reunited to perform a medley of Jackson 5 hits in honor of Michael Jackson untimely death. Brown and Etheridge became engaged in May 2010, when Brown proposed during a performance at the Funk Fest in Jacksonville.
In 2010, Brown was featured in a duet with singer Macy Gray on the song "Real Love" off Gray's”The Sellout”. Brown's parents Carole and Herbert Brown died within a year of each other, Carole Brown dying in 2011 and Herbert "Pops" Brown dying in January 2012. In 2011, he released the single, "Get Out the Way", which was supposed to have been the leading single for his forthcoming CD “Masterpiece”. As of 2012, the album has yet to be released.
The sudden death of his ex-wife Whitney Houston on February 16,2012 Brown struggled to perform at a New Edition show the night of Houston's death, shouting, "I love you, Whitney", while in tears. Brown then excused himself from the stage and New Edition canceled their remaining show. Brown was invited to attend Houston's memorial service at New Jersey but left before the service began. He claim he was being disrespected.
On March 26, 2012 Brown was arrested for DUI after being pulled over for allegedly using a cell phone while driving.
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