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Randy Malone, better known as "The 1 and Only", was born on November 1st, 1982 to Lisa Skinner and Rex Malone. It was at the age of 8 when Randy found his love for music as well as his talent to create it. You could find Randy singing around the house, belting out 90's hits like Let's Chill by Guy. He eventually began writing short songs and even gingles for products he would see on television. Music was all around him. When Randy's Godmother heard him sing, she insisted that he take part in the Annual Black History Talent show in his home town of Kankakee IL. It was that performance that showed everyone that a star was definitely in the making.
After winning the talent show, Randy began to open for numerous acts with the first big act being Yolanda Adams. Opening for Ms. Adams was no problem whatsoever seeing as though Randy grew up in the church. Also, his family had a gospel choir which traveled all over the state to perform. By the age of 16, Randy was performing at all his high school functions. In 1999, Randy signed with Indie label, M-Dubb Records out of Kankakee, IL and began to work on his 1st LP entitled, "The 1 and only...Randy" produced by his cousin VuDu who has also done tracks for Shawnna(Getting Some) and Ludacris(Georgia). Later on, Randy released a single, "Boxers and Thongs" (PGE/M-Dubb) which received radio airplay on Chicago's hottest radio stations as well as college campuses in Illinois. It was then when Randy began traveling thru out the Midwest and to the South doing shows and winning the hearts of fans.
Shortly after the release of "Boxers and Thongs", Randy created the first R&B mixtape out of Chicago titled, "The R&B Takeover." This mixtape was acknowledged and received airplay from Power 92's Trey the Choklit Jok and WGCI's DJ Lil' John. In 2001, Randy won the "Best R&B Male Artist" category at the Midwest Music Awards. Upon winning the award, Randy's résumé began to grow as he began opening for acts such as The Clipse, Naughty by Nature, Kym Whitley, Coo Coo Cal, & Public Annoucement. And his list of accomplishments go on. In the same year, Randy won The Chicago Talent Search and received the Grand prize which was a trip to New York. While in New York, Randy was invited to perform at New York's "Village Underground", at a show hosted by Ron Grant of Epic Records, Melanie Daniels; background singer for Mariah Carey, and Singer Cheryl "Pepsi" Riley.
In 2003, Randy was featured in Right On! Magazine as an upcoming artist, and he made the cover of Loaded Magazine (PGE). Later that year, Randy along with rap group, Lifeline, shot the video for "Ghetto Celebrity" which received airplay on BET Uncut. Searching for bigger and better things, Randy began traveling to New York with hopes of having his music heard by the right people. Before long, Epic Records had offered the singer a record deal. Unfortunately, due to issues with M-Dubb Records, Epic had removed the deal from the table. Not long after that, Randy left M-Dubb and took a break from his dream of becoming a star.
In Late 2005, Randy auditioned for season 5 of the hit show, "American Idol". Out of more than 90,000 auditioners, Randy was 1 of 175 to make it to Hollywood. "You have chrisma, and you definitely have what it takes to make it in this competition," stated the ever so bold and brutally honest judge, Simon Cowell. Although Randy wasn't crowned the American idol, he made it to the top 80 which is an accomplishment in itself. "American Idol was an experience of a lifetime. It is something i will be able to tell my kids, my grandkids, and their grandkids about and i will never forget it!"
June 2006 was another moment for the books for the 1 and only. Fox News invited Randy along with 3 other performers to perform in a sing off at the Fireworks Celebration Pre Show at 30th annual The Taste of Chicago hosted by Fox News Tamron Hall and Dave Navarro. This show was watched by an estimated 1.2 million viewers on 2 separate channels along with the hundreds of thousands spectators attending the taste. At the end of the night, Randy was crowned the 2006 Taste of Chicago Idol.
Now, The 1 and only is back and better than ever. His sound is more seasoned and he is alot more passionate about his work. Currently, Randy is focusing on his new album which is not yet titled. His team of producers included his cousin VuDu and Young Butta of Illa Entertainment. His writing style is considered to be "grown and sexy" which he knows his fans will love. This seasoned performer is ready, more now than ever, to take a shot at captivating more hearts as his voice is heard by more music lovers. Now its only a matter of time, before this "almost famous" singer, performer, and songwriter becomes the star he is truly destined to be.
