Biography
With his smooth croon and sultry style, Ginuwine became one of R&B's biggest names in the '90s and beyond. Born Elgin Lumpkin in Washington, D.C. on October 15, 1970, he went to college in Largo, Maryland before leaping into the music business. In the beginning he was affiliated with the musical collective known as Swing Mob, which also included the likes of Timbaland and Missy Elliott. In 1996 he released his first album on Epic Records, Ginuwine the Bachelor. The record made it to No. 14 on the R&B charts and eventually went double Platinum, thanks in large part to the hit single "Pony," which also achieved Platinum status and hit No. 1 R&B. Ginuwine's follow-up album, 100% Ginuwine, proved to be even more successful, reaching No. 5 on the Top 200 and earning the R&B star another double Platinum record. "So Anxious," a No. 2 R&B hit was the album's biggest single. Ginuwine's old Swing Mob cohort Timbaland was a producer and writer on the first two albums and an important part of those records' success, but after that he had little involvement with Ginuwine. The next LP, 2001's The Life, featured production by Raphael Saadiq, Ric Wake, and others. The album nevertheless became a great success, going Platinum and birthing the No. 1 R&B hit "Differences." Soon Ginuwine-who had already made appearances in episodes of TV's "Martial Law" and "Moesha," began exploring a sideline in films, appearing in 2002's "Juwanna Mann." Several more TV and movie appearances would follow in the years to come. 2003's The Senior was a No. 1 R&B album and featured the Gold single "In Those Jeans." While his next couple of records were modest successes, Ginuwine's profile began to fade a bit in the mid 2000s, Ginuwine found his way back to the top of the R&B heap as a member of the supergroup TGT, which also included Tyrese and Tank. Their 2013 album Three Kings hit No. 1 R&B and No. 3 Pop.
