'''Beyoncé Giselle Knowles''' (born September 4, 1981) is a popular American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and fashion designer. Beyoncé rose to stardom as a founding member of R&B group Destiny's Child. After a series of commercially successful records with the group, she released her debut solo album, ''Dangerously in Love'' (2003), which spawned the highly successful song "Crazy in Love" and topped both the R&B and Billboard 200 charts in the U.S. and the main album charts in Canada and the United Kingdom. Beyoncé has won nine Grammy Awards — six for her solo work, and three as a member of Destiny's Child. She has a successful film career and co-starred in ''
Austin Powers in Goldmember'', one of the highest-grossing films of 2002.
Beyoncé released her second solo album, ''B'Day'', on September 4, 2006 around the world and September 5, 2006 in the United States, to coincide with the celebration of her twenty-fifth birthday.
Early life
Beyoncé is the elder of two daughters born to Mathew Knowles and Tina Beyince in Houston, Texas. Her father is African American and her mother is a mulatto . Her maternal grandparents, Lumis Beyince and Agnes Dereon (a seamstress), were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles.http://www.platinum-celebs.com/music/news/007509.html Her parents decided on her first name as a tribute to her mother's surname. Her sister is Solange Knowles, an actress and a singer. By age seven, she was attending dance school and was a soloist in her church choir. Her dance instructor took an interest in Knowles and took her star student to various competitions. Knowles went on to win over 30 local singing and dancing competitions.
Beyoncé and her former best friend LaTavia Roberson met Kelly Rowland and LeToya Luckett. They formed a quartet that would perform in their backyards and in Tina Knowles' hair salon. After singing at local events, they got their break when they entered ''Star Search'' http://music.yahoo.com/read/interview/12027658. The group, then named "Girl's Tyme" http://www.utrl.net/recap/02C/020917.htm, were heartbroken after losing the competition. Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Rowland's legal guardian, decided to help the girls reach their dreams of becoming singers. He quit his six figure salary job as a multi-million dollar equipment salesman at Xerox to manage the group
