Early Life
Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is the daughter of gospel singers Josephine Howard of The Caravans, and Clay Graham of The Pilgrim Jubilees. Howard's mother took her to the homes of various stars such as Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples. At the age of 9, Howard and her family moved to Los Angeles to be close to Caravans arranger James Cleveland. She was fortunate to be around music greats visiting the family, such as Albertina Walker, Shirley Caesar, Billy Preston and Fats Domino. Howeard was also influenced by jazz greats, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Nancy Wilson.
As a teenager, she often visited Club Maverick in Los Angeles, a venue for music acts such as Rufus and Chaka Khan and Earth Wind & Fire, who were influential in her pursuit of a professional singing career.
Read more about this topic: Miki Howard
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