Meshell Ndegeocello was born Michelle Johnson on August 29, 1968 in Berlin, Germany. Her father was in the military and her mother was a health care worker. She spent her early years in Germany, then her family relocated to the Washington DC area. Her father played the tenor saxophone, and while he wasn’t a full time musician, he played occasional gigs. His gigging introduced Ndegeocello to jazz at an early age.

Ndegeocello attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Oxon Hill High School. She was greatly influenced by the funk and soul music her brother listened to. When she was 16, she started writing music. When she was a teenager she changed her name several times. The surname that she ended up adopting means “free like bird” in Swahili.

Ndegeocello studied music history at Howard University. She worked with local bands in the DC area. Upon leaving college, she moved to New York City to hone her musical skills.

In 1993, she played a showcase gig in Los Angeles. The co-head of Madonna’s new record label, Maverick Records, was in the audience. He signed Ndegeocello to the label. She released her first album, Plantation Lullabies, that same year.

Since that debut album, Ndegeocello has continued to explore funk, R & B, and jazz music. Here is a live performance from 2004.