Cee Lo Green - Early Life

Early Life

Cee Lo Green was born Thomas DeCarlo Callaway 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, 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".