Mary Jane Blige (surname pronounced /ˈblaɪdʒ/; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. A recipient of 9 Grammy Awards; she has the distinction of being the only artist with Grammy wins in R&B, Rap, Pop & Gospel. A winner of 4 American Music Awards. Blige has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. Blige has received the World Music Legends Award for combining hip hop and soul in the early 1990s. She was ranked number 100 in the list of 100 greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. In November 2010, Billboard Magazine ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years, she ranked number two (overall) ahead of Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston..