Full Name Cheryl Riley Children John Grace Genres GospelSoulR&B Spouse Mike Grace (m. 2003–2009) | Website cherylpepsiiriley.com Role Singer Years active 1985–present Name Cheryl Riley | |
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Occupation Singer-songwriterActress Similar People Chandra Currelley‑Young, Patrice Lovely, Tyler Perry, Black Rob, Meli'sa Morgan Profiles |
Cheryl "Pepsii" Riley (born October 18, 1968) is an American R&B/soul and gospel singer and actress. She is best known for her 1988 ballad "Thanks for My Child." She also starred in Tyler Perry's stageplays including; Madea's Class Reunion (2003) and Why Did I Get Married? (2006).
Contents
- Cheryl Pepsii Riley Thanks for My Child
- Cheryl Pepsii Riley Me Myself And I
- Early life and career
- Later career
- Personal life
- Albums
- References
![Cheryl Pepsii Riley Cheryl Pepsii Riley Talks Tyler Perry39s Hell Hath No Fury](https://alchetron.com/cdn/cheryl-pepsii-riley-9ddac497-1146-4dbb-950c-f989f76d024-resize-750.jpeg)
Cheryl 'Pepsii' Riley - Thanks for My Child
Cheryl 'Pepsii' Riley - Me, Myself And I
Early life and career
![Cheryl Pepsii Riley imagescdbabynamechcherylpepsiiriley2jpg](https://alchetron.com/cdn/cheryl-pepsii-riley-5ea8f32e-50db-42be-89c7-a696ce13254-resize-750.jpeg)
Born Cheryl Ann Riley in Brooklyn, New York she worked as a nurse for handicapped children before beginning her singing career. She topped the US R&B chart and hit the Top 40 on the pop chart at #32 with the 1988 ballad, "Thanks for My Child," a song written by Full Force. It peaked at #75 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1989. The genesis of "Thanks for My Child" began with Full Force member Bowlegged Lou's experience with the complications of his wife's first pregnancy.
![Cheryl Pepsii Riley Cheryl Pepsii Riley New Music And Songs](https://alchetron.com/cdn/cheryl-pepsii-riley-161b8815-265f-43bf-bbfb-d12ec127550-resize-750.jpeg)
The title track single to her debut LP Me Myself and I made it to number 18 on the R&B charts in early 1989. Another single, "Every Little Thing About You," peaked at number 55 on the R&B charts later that year. Her second LP, Chapters, was issued and yielded the singles "How Can You Hurt the One You Love" and a cover of Aretha Franklin's 1968 hit "Ain't No Way". Her third album All That! was released by Reprise, and featured the singles "Gimme" and "Guess I'm in Love."
Later career
![Cheryl Pepsii Riley Cheryl Pepsii Riley Photos 20050221 Hollywood CA](https://alchetron.com/cdn/cheryl-pepsii-riley-462719ca-a784-44c7-a4f6-b321b0b31d9-resize-750.jpg)
After a hiatus from the entertainment industry, Riley re-emerged in the late 90's by appearing on the songs "I Love It" and "Look Around" on The Beatnuts album A Musical Massacre. Riley also starred in a number of gospel plays for best-selling playwright Tyler Perry, including Madea's Class Reunion, Madea Goes to Jail, Why Did I Get Married?, Laugh to Keep from Crying, Madea's Big Happy Family and the most recent, A Madea Christmas. Riley also appeared in the film versions of Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Big Happy Family. She is also starred in Tyler Perry's Madea Gets a Job (2012) and Tyler Perry's Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned (2014). On June 27, 2006, she released her first album in fourteen years, called Let Me Be Me.
Personal life
![Cheryl Pepsii Riley Photos from CHERYL PEPSII RILEY cherylpepsii on Myspace](https://alchetron.com/cdn/cheryl-pepsii-riley-603803e4-731e-4d69-8502-a181955003d-resize-750.jpeg)
In 2003, she married New York native Mike Grace and together they had a son named John Grace. In a recent interview with Lenny Green she mentioned that the couple had divorced.