Gospel singer and theatrical actress Shari Addison was born and raised in Chicago, and thanks to encouragement from her mother, a choir director, Addison began singing when she was only three years old, and subsequently won several singing competitions, graced stage productions, and toured regularly, performing at Carnegie Hall and in South Africa, Russia, and Brazil, among other places. Her big break, though, came when she was a contestant on the first season of BET's gospel competition Sunday Best in 2007. By now in her mid-forties, Addison placed second in the singing contest, parlaying her exposure into a record contract. Her debut album, the self-titled Shari Addison, appeared in 2009 from Verity Records. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi
