Terence Trent D'Arby Profession: Singer/Song writer

Now known as Sananda Maitreya, he was born Terence Trent Howard and was better known by his former stage name Terence Trent D'Arby.

His debut solo album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, released in 1987, is his best-known and, in commercial terms, most successful work. The album, which produced hits like "If You Let Me Stay," "Wishing Well," "Dance Little Sister," and "Sign Your Name", sold over a million copies in the first three days of its release, and its sales currently total over 12 million. The album also earned Maitreya a Grammy Award in March 1988 in the category Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. In that same year, he earned a Soul Train Award nomination for Best New Artist.

Maitreya's family moved from New York to New Jersey to Chicago and then settled in DeLand, Florida, north of Orlando. A graduate of DeLand High School, Maitreya sang with the Modernaires, a show choir, as a junior. He trained as a boxer in Orlando and won a regional Golden Gloves lightweight championship. He received an offer to attend boxing school in the United States Army, but his father insisted he go to college instead. Maitreya enrolled at the University of Central Florida. However, a year later, he would enlist in the Army.