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Thomas DeCarlo Callaway (born May 30, 1974), better known by his stage name Cee Lo Green, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. Initially, he came to prominence as a member of the southern hip hop group Goodie Mob, and as part of the soul duo Gnarls Barkley with Danger Mouse. Subsequently he embarked on a solo career, partially spurred by YouTube popularity. His work has earned numerous awards and accolades, including five Grammys.
Internationally, Cee Lo is best known for his soul work: his most popular was Gnarls Barkley's 2006 worldwide hit "Crazy", which reached number one in various singles charts worldwide, including the UK. In the United States, "Crazy" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Parent album St. Elsewhere was also a hit, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and number four on the US Billboard 200 album charts. Gnarls Barkley's second album is The Odd Couple (2008), which charted at number 12 on the Billboard 200.
In 2010, Cee Lo took a break from working with Gnarls Barkley and released the single "Fuck You!" on August 19 as a solo artist. The song was an instant hit, with the radio-edit version "Forget You" reaching the top spot in the UK and the Netherlands and charted at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The parent album, The Lady Killer (2010) saw similar success, peaking within the top five of the UK Albums Chart and debuting within the top ten on the Billboard 200 album charts, and received a Gold certification from the BPI in the UK shortly after its release. His second single "It's OK" was a hit in Europe and the third single, "Bright Lights Bigger City" has also seen similar charting success.
Cee Lo Green was born on May 30, 1974, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated high school from Riverside Military Academy, a boarding school for boys in Gainesville, Georgia. Both of his parents were ordained ministers and he started his music career in his church. His father died in 1976 when he was two years old. His mother, Sheila J. Tyler-Callaway, was also a volunteer firefighter. She was involved in a car crash in 1990 when he was 16 , leaving her paralyzed, and died two years after the accident. At the time, Cee Lo's career with Goodie Mob had just begun taking off. His mother's death in 1992 led Cee Lo into depression, as is reflected in various songs throughout his career, including "Free" by Goodie Mob, songs on St. Elsewhere, and on The Odd Couple ("She Knows", "A Little Better"). Cee Lo also expresses his love for his mother in the song "Guess Who" from Goodie Mob's Soul Food album. In an excerpt of "Cee Lo Distilled", a mini documentary produced by Absolut and The Fader released on YouTube, Cee Lo explained that his mother's death was a defining moment to "crossing that threshold over into a career".
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