Rhythm and Blues singer Tevin Jermod Campbell was born on November 12, 1976, in Waxahachie, Texas, to Rhonda Byrd, a former postal worker and later co-manager of the young artistโs career. He began singing gospel as a soloist and choir member at Jacobโs Chapel in Waxahachie at an early age. At 12, he auditioned over the phone for jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey, and she connected him to the NBC-TV childrenโs television program โWally and the Valentines.โ He then signed to Warner Bros. Records and met his father for the first time when he was 15. He has one sister, Marche, and a brother, DeMario.
In 1990, Campbell released the album T.E.V.I.N. with a series of hits, including โRound and Roundโ that peaked at no. 3 on the R&B chart and no. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart The following year, in 1991, two other hits emerged from the same album. โTell Me What You Want Me to Do,โ reached no. 1 R&B and no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 while โJust Ask Me Toโ reached no. 9 R&B and no. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100. Campbell was nominated for the โBest Male R&B Vocal Performanceโ at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards, for his song, โRound and Round.โ
The hits continued in 1992 with โAlone with Youโ that peaked at no. 1 R&B, โGoodbyeโ that reached no. 2 on that chart, and โConfusedโ which peaked at 33 R&B. His fourth hit for the year, โStrawberry Letter 23โ peaked at no. 40 R&B and no. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1993, Campbellโs album Iโm Ready, produced by Quincy Jones and Benny Medina, sold more than a million copies. The single from the work that shared the album title, peaked at no. 2 R&B and no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 while โAlways in My Heartโ reached no. 6 R&B. His song, โDonโt Say Goodbye Girlโ reached no. 28 on the R&B chart and no. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100. Campbell was a 1994 Soul Train Awards winner for the โBest R&B Single – Maleโ for the song: โCan We Talk.โ
In 1995, Campbell was nominated at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards for the โBest R&B Albumโ for Iโm Ready as well as for the โBest Male R&B Vocal Performanceโ for the song track โIโm Ready.โ In addition, in 1995, Campbell voiced the character โPowerlineโ in the Disney animated film, A Goofy Movie.
Campbellโs โKnocks Me Off My Feetโ from A Thin Line Between Love & Hate: Music from the Motion Picture peaked at no. 75 R&B in 1996. Also, in 1996 from the album Back to the World, there were several hits including โBack to the Worldโ which reached no. 16 R&B, no. 33 on the Dance chart, and no. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. โI Got it Badโ reached no. 41 R&B.
In 2005, Campbell appeared on โThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,โ โMoesha,โ and was cast in Broadway Musical, Hairspray.
Tevin Jermod Campbell continues to be a sought-after artist. In 2021, he was one of the featured headliners at the Atlanta R&B Holiday Jam at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
