title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In 1900, there came the invitation to establish houses in Rome, and in 1906 schools were established in New York City. In 1940 Iona College was founded in New York, as a Higher Education College, facilitating poorer high school graduates to progress to a college education.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: St. Joseph's Junior Novitiate, Baldoyle was where trainee brothers went to complete their second level studies, normally proceeding to St. Mary's in Marino to train as school teachers. To-day there is a nursing home there, and there are over 1000 brothers buried in the cemetery in St. Patrick's, Baldoyle.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In 1925 the brothers bought St. Helen's, Booterstown which became their administrative headquarters and novitiate. Around 1968, land to the South was used to build two new schools Coláiste Eoin and Coláiste Íosagáin. St. Helen's was sold in 1988.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In 1955 Stella Maris College in Uruguay was established. In 1972 the alumnus rugby team was travelling in Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 when it crashed in the Andes, stranding survivors in freezing conditions with little food and no heat for 72 days; 16 of the 45 people on the aircraft survived.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In the 1950s, due to the number of brothers in Ireland, it was split into two sections divided into North and South by a line from Dublin to Galway.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The Christian Brothers teacher training centre at St. Mary's/Colaiste Mhuire, has become the Marino Institute for Education which has trained lay teachers since 1972 and has offered degrees validated by the University of Dublin since 1974. In 2012 Trinity College Dublin became a co-trustee with the Brothers of the Institute.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The Brothers' schools include primary, secondary and technical schools, orphanages and schools for the deaf. A number of these technical schools originally taught poor children trades, such as carpentry and building skills, after which they could progress to gain apprenticeships and employment. As the National School system and vocational schools developed in the Irish Republic, the Irish Christian Brothers became more concentrated on secondary education.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In 2008 it was reported that not more than ten Christian Brothers were teaching in Irish schools, with the expectation that there would soon be none. This was contrasted with the mid-1960s, when over 1,000 Brothers worked in schools, with no shortage of new recruits.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: Geographically, the Christian Brothers are divided into several provinces that encompass every inhabited continent. The brothers within each province work under the direction of a Province Leadership Team. In turn, the entire Congregation operates under the leadership of a Congregation Leadership Team that is based in Rome (and led by the Congregation Leader). These provincial and congregational teams are elected on a six-year basis at Congregation chapters.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: Restructuring has taken place in the congregation to account for the changing needs, in particular the declining number of brothers in the developed world. The three provinces of North America (Canada, Eastern American, and Western American Province) restructured into the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North America on 1 July 2005. The provinces that cover Ireland, England and the Congregational Leadership Team in Rome combined into a single European province on May 5, 2007, while the five provinces covering Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea combined into one Oceania province on October 1, 2007, The English Province is a registered charity. The Dublin Headquarters are in the grounds of Marino Institute of Education, Claremont, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9, Ireland.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: A special community within this new European province will be based in Geneva, Switzerland, working to establish an NGO known as Edmund Rice International. The purpose of such an organisation is to gain what is known as a "general consultative status" with the United Nations. "This position allows groups the opportunity to challenge systemic injustice and to engage in advocacy work with policy makers on behalf of people who are made poor." As well as including Christian Brothers from provinces all over the world, members of the Presentation Brothers will also have a presence within this community.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: Edmund Rice Development is a faith-based non-governmental organisation with charity status in Ireland. Based in Dublin, Edmund Rice Development was established in 2009, to formalise the fundraising efforts of the developing world projects for the Christian Brothers globally and received its charitable status in 2009. Funding raised by the charity is directed mainly to nine countries in Africa, where The Christian Brothers work on mission in development: Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Additional funds are also raised for similar work in South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay) and India.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The following is a list of the Superiors General of the Congregation of Christian Brothers. In recent times, "Congregational Leader" has been the title used.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The Irish Christian Brothers were among the strongest supporters of Irish republicanism, the Irish language revival, the Gaelic Athletic Association, and Gaelic games. In most Christian Brothers' schools in Ireland, Gaelic football, hurling and handball were encouraged and there were even examples of boys being punished for playing "foreign games", like soccer. Many GAA clubs were founded by Christian Brothers, many developing from schools teams, with many GAA clubs using the playing fields of the brothers' schools. They also run and sponsor "The Rice Cup" which was set up in 1944, and named after the order's founder, for post-primary hurling. They also sponsor the Westcourt Cup and Rice Shield. Many of the first Irish language textbooks were produced by the Christian brothers for their schools. Conor Cruise O'Brien called them "the most indefatigable and explicit carriers" of the Catholic nation idea.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In the late 20th and early 21st century many cases were exposed of emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children in the Christian Brothers' care over a number of decades. Cases emerged in Ireland, Canada, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse documented Christian Brothers activities in Australia and in particular in Ballarat. 22% of Christian Brothers across Australia have been alleged sexual predators since 1950, according to the royal commission. The commissioners concluded that the Christian Brothers "completely failed... to protect the most vulnerable children in their care" and that senior brothers–including Brother Paul Nangle, Ballarat's highest Brother in the 1970s–had deliberately misled police in more recent statements about their knowledge of abuse.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: There were allegations that during the 1970s sexual abuses took place at the junior campus of St Patrick's College and St Alipius Primary School in Ballarat, Victoria. After investigation, Brothers Robert Best, Edward Dowlan and Stephen Francis Farrell were all convicted of sex crimes. Dowlan and Best were later transferred to the senior campus, and continued to offend. Four of the school's brothers and their chaplain, Gerald Ridsdale, were accused of sexually assaulting children — all but one, who died before charges could be laid, have been convicted.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In December 2014, a royal commission found that "Christian Brothers leaders knew of allegations of sexual abuse of children at four Western Australian orphanages and failed to manage the homes to prevent the systemic ill-treatment for decades." During the 2016 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Ballarat, it was found that 853 children, average age 13, had been sexually abused by one or more Christian Brothers. Child abuse complaints had been made against 281 Christian Brothers, and the Congregation had paid A$37.3 million in compensation.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The Royal Commissions final report of Catholic Church authorities in Ballarat was released on 6th. December. The report found that 56 Christian Brothers had claims of sexual abuse made against them in Ballarat and that there “was a complete failure by the Christian Brothers to protect the most vulnerable children in their care”.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The response to complaints of sexual abuse was "grossly inadequate": most often Christian Brothers were moved to new locations after an allegation had been made.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The Report found: "Often, the Christian Brother in question was allowed to remain in the position he held where the allegations arose, with continuing access to children," and "On many occasions, the Brother was moved to a new location after a complaint or allegation was made about his conduct. In some cases, the reason given for the move was to conceal the true reason for it and to protect the reputation of the Christian Brothers and avoid scandal and embarrassment."


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In February 2020, Rex Francis Elmer pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting boys at St Vincent’s Boys’ Orphanage in South Melbourne. He was removed from St Vincent's in 1976 after a welfare officer who inspected the orphanage complained that he had “interfered with” boys who lived at the home. He was appointed headmaster of a Melbourne Catholic boys school a few years after the religious order became aware of his abuse.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In December 2012, the Christian Brothers school St Ambrose College, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, was implicated in a child sex abuse case. A former lay teacher was convicted of nineteen counts of sexual assault occurring between 1972 and 1991.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The Congregation of the Christian Brothers published full-page advertisements in newspapers in Ireland in March 1998, apologizing to former pupils who had been ill-treated whilst in their care. This advertising campaign expressed "deep regret" on behalf of the Christian Brothers and listed telephone lines which former pupils could ring if they needed help. In 2003 the Congregation brought a case against the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse seeking to prevent the Commission from naming brothers accused of child abuse. Justice Sean Ryan declared that individual alleged perpetrators of abuse would not be named unless they had already been convicted


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In May 2009 a report was issued by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA) on allegations of child abuse committed on thousands of children in residential care institutions run by various religious institutes for the Irish state. This report found that sexual abuse of boys in institutions run by the Brothers was common. In response, the Irish ecclesiastical province issued a pledge to pay 161 million euros toward a fund set up to compensate male and female victims of such abuse both in their institutions and in those run by other religious institutes. , the Christian Brothers in Ireland continued to seek out-of-court settlement for historical claims initiated by survivors of sexual assault by Brothers, committed in day schools managed by the order in Ireland. Towards Healing was set up by CORI to offer therapy to survivors of clerical abuse; it is a Catholic organisation about whose independence there has been controversy. The Christian brothers in Ireland used the services of the L&P group to set up an education trust.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In late November 2009, the organization announced they would supply a €161 million (£145 million sterling) package as part of reparations for child abuse in Ireland. This includes a donation of €30 million to a government trust and €4 million donated to provide counselling services. Playing fields owned by the organisation and valued at €127 million would be transferred to joint ownership of the government and the trust that runs former Christian Brothers schools.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In 2019 former Brother John Gibson was convicted and received a prison sentence for his role in abuse in Wexford CBS in the 1980s & 1990s. On 22 June 2020, he received an additional four years after pleading guilty to a number of assault and sexual assault charges.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In 2016 Fr. John Farrell, retired priest of the Diocese of Motherwell, the last Head teacher at St Ninian's Falkland, Fife, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. His colleague Paul Kelly, a retired teacher from Portsmouth, was given ten years; both were convicted of the physical and sexual abuse of boys between the years 1979 and 1983. More than 100 charges involving 35 boys were made. The school closed in 1983.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In 2021 The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry issued a report on the St. Ninians residential school which had been run by the Christian Brothers between 1953 and 1983. The report concluded that the school was a "a place of abuse and deprivation" particularly from 1969 until the school closed in 1983. The Christian Brothers were able to "pursue their abusive practices with impunity" and the evidence against them was "shocking and distressing." Children in care suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse.[


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: Michael Madigan, a representative for the Christian Brothers, said the congregation acknowledged with ‘deepest regret’ that children had been abused.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: A pattern of physical and sexual abuse of more than 300 Mount Cashel Orphanage residents in St. John's, Newfoundland perpetrated by staff members, specifically members of the Christian Brothers of Ireland in Canada (CBIC), was uncovered during the late 1980s and early 1990s.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: Multiple criminal investigations, a provincial Royal Commission of Inquiry (the Hughes Inquiry) and an Archdiocese of St. John's inquiry (the Winter Commission) resulted in criminal convictions and millions of dollars in court-imposed financial settlements. Compensation was provided by the Government of Newfoundland for orphanage residents who were wards of the state and several properties owned by the CBIC in Newfoundland and Labrador and other provinces were seized and liquidated.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: Throughout 1989-1993 nine Christian Brothers were charged and prosecuted for various criminal offences, including sex offences against the boys of Mount Cashel orphanage.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: Both the St. John's Archdiocese through the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops as well as the Congregation of Christian Brothers have since enacted policies aimed at the prevention of child sexual abuse.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In Ontario in January 1993 the Christian Brothers reached a financial settlement totaling $23 million with 700 former students who alleged abuse.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In February 2021, a British Columbia man alleged that he was sexually abused by one of the Christian Brothers, who confessed to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary of molesting children at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in 1975.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: Christian Brother Robert Brouillette, who had taught at St. Laurence High School, was arrested in April 1998 in Joliet, Illinois, for indecent solicitation of a child. He was convicted in March 2000 of 10 charges related to child pornography, fined $2,000 and sentenced to four years probation. In 2002 a civil lawsuit was filed in Cook County, Illinois, against Brouillette for sexual assault against a 21-year-old man.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: In 2013 the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers' North American Province, known as Irish Christian Brothers, paid US$16.5 million to 400 victims of child sexual abuse across the US, and agreed to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for brothers accused of abuse. This followed the Brothers' filing for bankruptcy in April 2011 following rising legal costs, and leading to a reorganization settlement between creditors and the order according to the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy code.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The Christian brothers composed and published a number of text books on several subjects, many in the Irish language, which were used by their schools.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: "Our Boys" was a magazine for boys by Christian Brothers and the Educational Company of Ireland, published from September 1914 until the 1990s. It was based on British "Boys Own" adventure comics, with illustrated strips and adventure stories in English and Irish. It had an overt Catholic and Irish Nationalist outlook, featuring Irish Legends, GAA figures, the Missions and Catholic juvenile organisations. Illustrator Gerrit van Gelderen contributed to the magazine.


title: Congregation of Christian Brothers

text: The Educational record was an annual collection of articles from Christian brother schools around the world published by them from their offices in Rome. Editors of the record include Liam Ó hAnluain and Richard Healy.


title: SIM lock

text: A SIM lock, simlock, network lock, carrier lock or (master) subsidy lock is a technical restriction built into GSM and CDMA mobile phones by mobile phone manufacturers for use by service providers to restrict the use of these phones to specific countries and/or networks. This is in contrast to a phone (retrospectively called SIM-free or unlocked) that does not impose any SIM restrictions.


title: SIM lock

text: Generally phones can be locked to accept only SIM cards with certain International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs); IMSIs may be restricted by:


title: SIM lock

text: Additionally, some phones, especially Nokia phones, are locked by group IDs (GIDs), restricting them to a single Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) of a certain operator.


title: SIM lock

text: Most mobile phones can be unlocked to work with any GSM network provider, but the phone may still display the original branding and may not support features of the new carrier. Besides the locking, phones may also have firmware installed on them which is specific to the network provider. For example, a Vodafone or Telstra branded phone in Australia will display the relevant logo and may only support features provided by that network (e.g. Vodafone Live!). This firmware is installed by the service provider and is separate from the locking mechanism. Most phones can be "unbranded" by reflashing a different firmware version, a procedure recommended for advanced users only. The reason many network providers SIM lock their phones is that they offer phones at a discount to customers in exchange for a contract to pay for the use of the network for a specified time period, usually between one and three years. This business model allows the company to recoup the cost of the phone over the life of the contract. Such discounts are worth up to several hundred US dollars. If the phones were not locked, users might sign a contract with one company, get the discounted phone, then stop paying the monthly bill (thus breaking the contract) and start using the phone on another network or even sell the phone for a profit. SIM locking curbs this by prohibiting change of network (using a new SIM).


title: SIM lock

text: In some countries, SIM locking is very common if subsidized phones are sold with prepaid contracts. It is important to note, however, that the technology associated with the phone must be compatible with the technology being used by the network carrier. A GSM cell phone will only work with a GSM carrier and will not work on a CDMA network provider. Likewise, a CDMA cell phone will only work with a CDMA carrier and will not work on a GSM network provider. Note that newer (2013+) high end mobile phones are capable of supporting both CDMA and GSM technologies, allowing customers to use their mobile devices on any network. Examples of these mobile devices are the Apple iPhone 5c, 6 and newer, Motorola's G4, G5, X Pure, Samsung's Galaxy S6, S7, S8 smart phones, mostly phones based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset or radio.


title: SIM lock

text: In some jurisdictions, such as Canada, Chile, China, Israel, and Singapore, it is illegal for providers to sell SIM locked devices. In other countries, carriers may not be required to unlock devices or may require the consumer to pay a fee for unlocking.


title: SIM lock

text: Unlocking the phone, however, is almost universally legal. Additionally, it is often legal for carriers to force SIM locks for certain amounts of time, varying by region.


title: SIM lock

text: A handset can be unlocked by entering a code provided by the network operator. Alternative mechanisms include software running on the handset or a computer attached to the handset, hardware devices that connect to the handset or over-the-air by the carrier. Usually the unlock process is permanent. The code required to remove all locks from a phone is referred to as the "master code", "network code key", or "multilock code".


title: SIM lock

text: If the phone is network locked it will typically display one of the following messages: SIM network PIN blocked, Enter lock PIN.


title: SIM lock

text: There can also be multiple levels of locks placed on the phone by networks, which block the use of other networks' SIM cards. These are usually referred to as "Network Control Key" (NCK) and "Service Provider Control Key" (SPCK), additionally, a Regional lock exists which is specific to Europe and it is called "Region Control Key" (RGCK).


title: SIM lock

text: These locks can be removed using the corresponding unlock codes, which are unique to each phone depending on its IMEI.


title: SIM lock

text: Typically, a locked handset will display a message if a restricted SIM is used, requesting the unlock code. On recent phone models running Android software, the phone will display a message saying “SIM network unlock PIN” or “Enter Network Lock Control Key” if network locked. Windows phones will display the message, “This SIM card can only be used on specific networks. Contact your customer service center for the unlock code”. Other handsets may display different messages such as "Enter special code" or "Enter unlocking code," or in some cases the handset will simply display a message stating that it is locked. Once a valid code is entered, the handset will display "Network unlocked” or “Network unlock successful”.


title: SIM lock

text: The unlock code is verified by the handset and is generated by the manufacturer, typically by an algorithm such as a one way hash or trapdoor function. Sometimes big telecom providers change the original factory unlock codes as an extra layer of security against unlocking services. For various big brands such as Samsung and Motorola there is no algorithm but just a random code generator where the unlock codes are programmed in the phone itself and then saved in a big database managed by the manufacturer. For the other brands where the unlock codes are still based on algorithms those are based on the IMEI number and the MCC code and have been reverse-engineered, stolen or leaked. Some handsets can be unlocked using software that generates an unlock code from an IMEI number and country and operator details using the algorithm specific to the handset. Other manufacturers have taken a more cautious approach, and embed a random number in the handset's firmware that is retained by the manufacturer and the network on whose behalf the lock was applied. These handsets can still be unlocked by online services that have access to either inside people with the manufacturer or with the telecom networks, or they need to be connected to the computer with a cable where specific software will bypass the security and SIM-unlock the phone. Sometimes this is done by advanced calculations to bypass the security the official way and other times using exploits or overwriting parts of the firmware where the lock status is kept, and often even recover a phone that is bricked or completely damaged in the software sense.


title: SIM lock

text: Most handsets have security measures built into their firmware that protects them from repeated attempts to guess the unlock code. After entering more than a certain number of incorrect codes the phone becomes "frozen". This is a state where the phone will display a security message that the phone needs a service. Older phones could no longer be used at all at this point, however modern smartphones often keep working with the original SIM but require extra work to then unlock them correctly. In extreme situations physical access to internal hardware via in-circuit debugging may be utilised (for example, via JTAG headers on a circuit board). Such access may be required to modify initialization software used for booting.


title: SIM lock

text: A hardlocked phone is one in which a telecom provider has modified the firmware on the phone to make it impossible to manually enter the unlock codes in any way. The only solution to SIM-unlock such a phone is to change the firmware to a firmware which has not been modified by any telecom provider, a so-called "unbranded firmware".


title: SIM lock

text: Handset manufacturers have economic incentives both to strengthen SIM lock security (which placates network providers and enables exclusivity deals) and to weaken it (broadening a handset's appeal to customers who are not interested in the service provider that offers it). Also, making it too difficult to unlock a handset might make it less appealing to network service providers who have a legal obligation to provide unlock codes for certain handsets or in certain countries.


title: SIM lock

text: In some cases, a SIM-locked handset is sold at a substantially lower price than an unlocked one, because the service provider expects income through its service. SIM locks are employed on cheaper (pay-as-you-go) handsets, while discounts on more expensive handsets require a subscription that provides guaranteed income. Unlocked handsets have a higher market value, even more so if they are debranded. Debranding involves reflashing or replacing the firmware to remove the operator logo or any limitations or customizations that have been imposed on the handset by the operator, and is usually accomplished with software designed for a particular handset model, however most smart-phones can be debranded and unlocked solely with use of special software.


title: SIM lock

text: The main reason to unlock a handset is to be able to use it with a different SIM card. Consumers may wish to continue using their previous provider with a new handset or when traveling abroad they may wish to connect to a foreign network with a prepaid subscription.


title: SIM lock

text: Nevertheless, the fundamental principle of GSM and its successors, is open interfaces which encourage competition among multiple vendors. This is the reason a mobile phone is, in fact, a combination of phone and the subscriber identity module (SIM). Locking the phone to a network is not much different from having the SIM built into the mobile phone. Network operators in many industrialized countries are not bound by law to give the phone unlocking code to subscribers even after the expiry of the contract period. Mobile phones with multiple SIM cards are quite common in India. Most phones sold in the UK are network locked and single SIM but SIM-free phones are available.


title: SIM lock

text: A practice known as "box breaking" is common in the United Kingdom and other markets. This involves purchasing subsidized handsets (usually pay-as-you-go) from retail stores, unlocking the phones, and then selling them (often abroad) for a higher price than the subsidised retail price. The SIM card that came with the handset is then either thrown away, sold or used elsewhere. This practice is legal in the UK and provides a de facto limit to the extent to which networks are willing to subsidize pay-as-you-go handsets. While the act of "box breaking" is legal, some businesses are also engaging in illegal activities such as exporting the box-broken phones to other countries, to sell as grey market goods without paying import duties (known as Carousel Fraud) or substituting counterfeit batteries and chargers.


title: SIM lock

text: Some companies offer an online unlocking service. This service requires that individuals who wish to unlock a handset provide their IMEI number and sometimes also country and operator details to the company, either via email or a web site. The company will then provide the unlock code for the handset. For some brands such as Nokia and Samsung various services also offer special remote-unlocking software with instructions, where a cable is needed to remove the SIM lock at home. Such companies may email the unlocking code or software which will remotely unlock the device. Some companies also offer unlocking services that require sending the handset's IMEI number. Other companies sell unlocking hardware, including devices which fit between the SIM card and the phone to spoof the original network identifier during registration and devices to read and edit the handset's firmware. The pricing for unlocking a device will vary depending on the network it is locked to and the handset model itself, as each unlock code is unique to each individual handset.


title: SIM lock

text: There are online services that will provide an IMEI unlocking service for DCT4 and DCT3 Nokia mobile phones. This method of unlock requires the user to know which carrier the mobile phone is locked to, and also needs to provide an IMEI. Generally, older model Nokia unlock codes are free and instantly retrievable by these services. The unlock codes retrieved must be entered into the mobile phone using the keypad.


title: SIM lock

text: For DCT4 and DCT3 Nokia, unlock codes consist of a "#" key, followed by "pw+", 10 (DCT3) or 15 (DCT4) digits, "+", and another number ranging from 1-7, and finally ends with a "#". Depending on the carrier which the phone is locked to, only some codes will work with the mobile phone. Most phones respond to the unlock codes ending in +1# or +7#, however some phones are configured to allow only one of the seven codes to work. The following is an example of a DCT4/DCT3 unlock code:


title: SIM lock

text: DCT4 and DCT3 Nokia will only allow a maximum of five unlock attempts using the unlock code method. After five incorrect codes have been inputted, the phone will not allow the user to try any more codes (even if it is correct) and will require the owner to try other unlock methods.


title: SIM lock

text: Many countries listed below have some form of SIM-locking laws specifying the period of SIM locking and the cost of obtaining unlocking codes.


title: SIM lock

text: In Andorra, the state-owned communications mobile company Mobiland does not sell SIM-locked phones. As there is no competition, consumers usually buy standard mobile phones that are not locked to any specific carrier.


title: SIM lock

text: In Austria, unlocking is allowed at any time by the owner of the device. A lawsuit was decided in favor of a mobile operator who encouraged the unlocking of phones by providing links to free/cheap unlocking services.


title: SIM lock

text: T-Mobile Austria charges 150 euro to unlock the iPhone for prepaid subscribers and in contract subscribers. For subscribers who have finished their 2-year iPhone contract, T-Mobile Austria charges 50 euro to unlock the iPhone.


title: SIM lock

text: In Australia, carriers can choose whether to SIM/Network Lock handsets or not, however in practice, is rarely performed except in limited cases. Almost all handsets available on the Australian market have no such restriction.


title: SIM lock

text: One law professor, Dale Clapperton, gave a talk stating that bundling iPhone and mobile phone service could be violating the Trade Practices Act. However, no other legal professional or academic has come out in support of this viewpoint. This also doesn't address SIM locking "per se", only as applied to subsidised iPhone purchases, and persistence of the lock beyond the contractual period.


title: SIM lock

text: Until 2007, Belgium had laws prohibiting bundling, but they were challenged as violating European Directive 2005/29/EC The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.


title: SIM lock

text: On April 23, 2009, the European Court of Justice ruled against Belgium and struck down Belgium's anti-bundling law. The Belgian government was given until May 2009 to change the law, failing which the European Commission would commence proceedings against Belgium.


title: SIM lock

text: This leaves Canada, China, Singapore, and Israel as the only countries in the world that forbid SIM locking and contract/phone bundling outright. Chile initiated a ban as of January 1, 2012.


title: SIM lock

text: In Brazil, SIM locks are not prohibited. However, the mobile carrier must inform the consumer of the existence of a SIM lock. Anatel, Brazil's telecom regulator, requires the carrier to unlock free of charge the mobile phone if required by the user. After this regulation most telecom operators started voluntarily unlocking the devices as soon as it was purchased so one could leave the store with an unlocked phone.


title: SIM lock

text: Under revisions to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Wireless Code of Conduct effective 1 December 2017, all new devices must be sold unlocked, and carriers must offer to unlock phones purchased prior to this date free of charge. Fees may be required if the customer was not under a contract or prepaid plan with the carrier.


title: SIM lock

text: After the implementation of this rule, Bell Canada initially refused to offer unlocks for users who were not customers of the carrier (in contrast to Rogers and Telus), but reversed course in February 2018 due to public backlash. In a filing to the CRTC in August 2018, Bell also stated that it had begun to reimplement SIM locks on unsold phones as an anti-theft and safety measure (the phones are unlocked during the activation process when sold to a customer), citing increases in theft from store stocks since the implementation of the prohibition.


title: SIM lock

text: Under the original version of the Wireless Code implemented 2013, carriers were required to offer unlocks no later than 90 calendar days from the start of a contract for subsidized devices, or immediately upon purchase of an unsubsidized device. The Code, however, did not expressly prohibit carriers from charging an unlock fee.


title: SIM lock

text: Prior to the introduction of the Wireless Code, New Democratic Party MP Bruce Hyer first attempted to mandate SIM unlocking at the end of cell phone contracts when he introduced a private member's bill entitled the Cell Phone Freedom Act in 2010. The act would not have banned SIM locking but would have required wireless carriers to unlock phones at no charge at the end of a cell phone contract. The bill was introduced in two sessions of parliament but failed to pass either time.


title: SIM lock

text: Under a regulation enacted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, locking phones to a specific carrier is prohibited if other carriers are also using the same type of network technology. Therefore, all phones approved to be sold in China are never locked to begin with regardless of whether the consumer purchased the phone under a contract or not. However, since all three Chinese carriers each uses a different network technology after the adoption of 3G, carriers started to ask phone manufacturers to disable support for network technologies not used by such carrier even if the phone has been originally designed to be capable of supporting those network technologies. Such a move does not result in violation of the ban on phone locking. For example, an iPhone 6 was designed to be capable of supporting LTE FDD, LTE TD, CDMA, and WCDMA technologies but China Mobile reached a deal with Apple to create a special model for China Mobile in addition to the off-contract retail model sold by Apple and third party vendors with the capability to support LTE FDD, CDMA, WCDMA, which are the technologies not used by China Mobile, disabled, effectively making such special contract model incompatible with the 3G and 4G networks of other carriers even though such phones are never locked.


title: SIM lock

text: Starting October 1, 2011, all the mobile telephone services providers, must sell to all users unlocked devices and provide free of charge support to unlock previously sold devices. This regulation was ordered to enable mobile number portability and to facilitate the reduction on costs ordered simultaneously.


title: SIM lock

text: Since Chile 1 January 2012, newly sold phones must be unlocked. Previously bought locked phones had to be unlocked for free. The regulation was put in place in order to implement mobile number portability. However, the law only requires phones to be usable with all Chilean providers. It does not cover international unlocking for use outside Chile, so users may have to pay for the unlocking service.


title: SIM lock

text: A new related issue is present since 23 September 2017, every IMEI have to be registered so the phone works in the country. For local carriers, they do the process, but to use a phone from outside the country, each user has to register it. IMEI Registration.


title: SIM lock

text: In Croatia, for devices bought on contract, the mobile operator must provide the unlock code on the user's request free of charge. Such request can be made immediately after buying the phone, and the operator has a 15-day period to fulfill the request. For devices bought on a prepaid plan, the user has to wait at least 12 months before submitting such request.


title: SIM lock

text: The carrier can choose to bind contracts up to 6 months from the contract's start. Many of the carriers choose not to lock the phones. Only Hi3G ("3") lock their phones, but can only do so for six months. If the phone needs to be unlocked within the first six months, the carrier can charge DKK 500 (~ €67) for the unlock. After six months, the carrier is obliged by law to unlock the phone free of charge. But the consumer needs to contact the original supplier, and provide the IMEI and original phone number for which the phone was sold.


title: SIM lock

text: Although there is no specific law preventing SIM locking, as of December 2009 Ecuador's two biggest carriers, Porta and Movistar, unlock phones previously sold by them, without charge.


title: SIM lock

text: Countries in the European Union (EU) each have their own legislation on SIM locking, but must comply with the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Directive 2005/29/EC of 2005). As noted above, this directive has been successfully applied in Belgium to overturn that country's previous ban on bundling phones with contracts. However, carriers in many countries in the EU do not necessarily associate a phone's SIM lock status to the customer's tie-in contract status.


title: SIM lock

text: In Finland, carriers are not allowed to sell SIM-locked GSM phones, nor are they allowed to offer tie-in sales on GSM equipment. Under Finnish law, a tie-in sale is defined as selling the equipment for a discounted price contingent on the consumer also acquiring a new service contract from the seller. Under the terms of a provisional exception, valid from 2006 until 2009, tie-in sales were permitted with 3G handsets, and 3G equipment which is purchased under such tie-in sales may be SIM-locked. The SIM lock must be removed free of charge at the conclusion of the tie-in contract, within a maximum duration of 2 years. In 2008, the Finnish government was preparing to extend the exception, and at the same time, was considering reducing the duration of tie-in contracts to one year.


title: SIM lock

text: In France, SIM locks are not prohibited. However, the mobile operator must inform the consumer of the existence of a SIM lock, and the subscriber has the right to request that the lock be removed at any time. No later than three months after the subscription of the contract, the mobile operator must "systematically and free of charge" provide the subscriber with a procedure to deactivate the SIM lock. Proposal to shorten the time that operators may charge a fee for removing the SIM lock prior from six-month to the three-month deadline.


title: SIM lock

text: In Germany, there does not appear to be any effective law regulating SIM locking. For example, the iPhone was initially offered for sale in Germany exclusively through T-Mobile, and it was locked to T-Mobile's network. They began to provide unlocking codes for that phone after they were sued by Vodafone and a temporary injunction was issued requiring T-Mobile to do so. Vodafone's injunction was later overturned, and the iPhone is again available exclusively locked to T-Mobile. While T-Mobile Germany told the court that they would unlock the iPhone after the contract, they were doing it voluntarily.


title: SIM lock

text: While SIM locking is legal, a court ruled in 2012 that providers must clearly inform potential customers about the SIM lock.


title: SIM lock

text: As of 2015, usually only prepaid mobile phones are sold with a SIM lock. Phones sold with a contract stipulating monthly payments are not typically locked (as the monthly payments are due no matter what network the phone is used on). Also, most providers will unlock the phone on demand. Usually a fee is charged during the first two years after purchase; afterwards the unlocking is free.


title: SIM lock

text: As of 2022, new phones are rarely distributed with a SIM lock; old phones however may still be locked.


title: SIM lock

text: In Honduras, there is a general law applicable to all consumer relations engaged in the national territory and provided by natural or legal persons, public or private. This law is called "Ley de Proteccion al Consumidor" or "Consumer Protection Act of Honduras", approved by Legislative Decree No.24-2008, and it regulates the activities of any goods and services providers stating the principles that they must follow in order to operate in this country.


title: SIM lock

text: Article 20 of this law states the prohibitions that sellers are obliged to abide when selling a good or providing a service to people. Paragraph 7 of this article states that it is prohibited to a provider to "place seals, adhesives, duct tapes or analogous mechanisms, which prevent the consumer to make free use of the product, except those mechanisms used by the manufacturer for warranty purposes".


title: SIM lock

text: Even though the existence of this law, local carriers continue to apply SIM restrictions to the phones they sell. For example, the iPhone is sold by Claro in Honduras and is SIM-locked. which suggests that this general consumer protection law does not prohibit SIM locking of cell phones


title: SIM lock

text: In Hong Kong, carriers are not allowed to SIM-lock a phone for the sole purpose of tying customers to their network. But Hong Kong carriers can SIM-lock a phone to protect the handset subsidy, to enforce mobile plan contracts or to protect from theft. After the initial purchase subsidy has been recovered, or the full cost of the equipment has been paid up under a rental or installment agreement, the carrier must provide a detailed procedure for unlocking the equipment free of charge upon request.


title: SIM lock

text: SIM locking is not common in India. Initially, each state in India had a different mobile network operator and roaming across states was prohibitive. It was cheaper to change the SIM card than pay high roaming charges. The number of inter-state travelers demanded unlocked phones. Usually, phones and SIM cards are sold separately. Mobile phone manufacturers sell phones directly to customers rather than through network operators. Dual SIM phones are quite common in use, with users choosing to make calls using a cheaper operator suitable for the particular call and time of the day from a Dual SIM phone without even switching it off. This along with other factors, encouraged competition among network operators and brought down the mobile phone call charges in from the initial 32 (US$0.75) in 1996 to 0.50 (US$0.005 approx.) in 2011. The rates still differ from one service provider to another and across different tariff schemes provided by the same operator. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is the independent regulator of the telecommunications business in India, established to check call rates and resolve all communication related issues and holds the upper hand in fixing call rates.


title: SIM lock

text: According to the Arrangements Law passed on December 29, 2010, Israeli carriers are banned from locking handsets sold by them, and are obligated to unlock any handset previously sold at no charge.


title: SIM lock

text: Italy has SIM locking laws requiring that carriers must specify the amount of subsidies, and allow subscribers to obtain unlocking codes after nine months by paying half of the listed subsidies. After 18 months, the SIM lock must be removed.


title: SIM lock

text: Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has legislated that all smartphones and tablets released after May 1, 2015, by NTT DoCoMo, au/Okinawa Cellular and SoftBank Mobile (the three major carriers in Japan) must be sold without a SIM lock upon request from customers and without any cost to the customer involved. Before that, from 2011 until 2015, only NTT DoCoMo and au/Okinawa Cellular would remove the SIM lock from phones with a SIM unlock function after the phone is kept or used at least six months after purchase.


title: SIM lock

text: In Monaco, the partially state-owned communications mobile company Monaco Telecom does not sell SIM-locked phones. As there is no competition, consumers usually buy standard mobile phones that are not locked to any specific carrier.


title: SIM lock

text: Dutch mobile carriers have an agreement with the Netherlands' telecom regulator, OPTA, to establish a code of conduct with respect to SIM locking — specifically, unlocking fees can be charged within the first 12 months and SIM lock cannot last longer than 12 months.


title: SIM lock

text: In a 2002 letter to the Dutch Secretary of State of Economic Affairs, OPTA stated that the telecom regulator has decided to start working on the formalization of the voluntary code of conduct into legislation. However, a 2006 report written by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, stated that competition in the Dutch mobile market is sufficient and the formalization of the voluntary code of conduct into legislation is not needed. Thus there are no SIM locking laws in the Netherlands.


title: SIM lock

text: Locking had occurred in New Zealand to a limited degree before May 2008 when Vodafone New Zealand announced they would begin locking handsets. The company had planned to charge $50 to unlock them, but then relented. It is speculated that the intention to lock was prompted by Telecom New Zealand building their new mobile network based on UMTS technology, allowing handsets to change networks for the first time. Until that point in time, Telecom's network (the only other mobile network at that time) was based on CDMA technology. 2degrees were also building a mobile network based on UMTS at this time.


title: SIM lock

text: After pressure from the Commerce Commission, Vodafone relented on its locking policy, and will unlock any locked phones for free once they have been owned for nine months. You can pay to have it unlocked prior to this.


title: SIM lock

text: Following speculation of a new lower cost, MNVO of Telecom XT details were leaked regarding the Skinny Mobile Network, which would SIM lock handsets.


title: SIM lock

text: As of 2015, Vodafone, 2Degrees, and Skinny all charged a $30 unlock fee for phones owned for less than 9 months. As of 2020, Spark charges a $30 unlock fee for phones owned for less than 9 months, unless the customer is on a Pay Monthly 24 Month Plan. 2Degrees dropped its fees for unlocking phones.


title: SIM lock

text: Phones sold with a subscription are usually SIM locked to Norwegian carriers. The fee varies depending on how long it has been since you purchased your mobile phone. After 12 months, you can enter the operator lock code yourself without paying for it.


title: SIM lock

text: Ufone has started SIM Locking with the release of its new smartphone named Smart U5 developed by Emitac Services, UAE. U5 comes SIM locked to Ufone only. No other SIM can be used on the U5.


title: SIM lock

text: According to OSIPTEL Peru's telecom regulator, article 23 of the Terms of use, mobile carriers can sell phones locked for a lower price for 12, 18 or 24-month contracts, but also must sell unlocked devices for the full price. The same article dictates the customer can request the unlock code for free after 12 months from the purchase date, no matter if the contract is still in place. The sole exception is if the customer cancels the contract before its end and pays the remaining cost, at which point the customer can request the device be unlocked at any time. OSIPTEL plans to reduce the time customers must wait to remove their SIM locks to 6 months.


title: SIM lock

text: A 2006 study sponsored by the Portugal regulator, ANACOM, on handset subsidies and SIM locking concluded that there are no special regulatory concerns on offering subsidized SIM-locked equipment in exchange for signing a contract tying a customer to a particular network. Network providers are allowed to apply SIM locks as they see fit, and they may voluntarily remove them if they choose to do so. In the paper, the author stated that the average unlocking fee charged by Portuguese carriers is 90-100 euros.


title: SIM lock

text: A recently approved law requires network operators to unlock a device free of charge if the respective contract has already expired (But they refuse to do so charging at least 10 euros). It also establishes limits to the fees that operators may charge to unlock a device while it is still under contract.


title: SIM lock

text: Romanian telecom regulator ANCOM signed a code of conduct with several Romanian carriers providing that as of September 1, 2009 mobile operators selling handsets locked within their own network have to inform clients whether the handset is locked and provide unlocking upon request. It is "self-regulation" by the carriers to prevent the regulator from actually imposing regulations on them. If the handset is not purchased together with other electronic communications services, the mobile telephony operator that sells it will bear the unlocking costs and will not bind the terminal unlocking by the purchase of other services or by the payment of other fees.


title: SIM lock

text: If the handset is purchased as part of a promotional package or at a preferential price and the customer requires the unlocking before the expiry of the minimum period provided in the contract for communications services concluded with the operator, the customer will have to pay both the unlocking fee and the penalty for the anticipated unlocking of the handset. The price charged to unlock handsets will not exceed the costs of this operation and operators are obliged to meet unlocking requests within 15 days.


title: SIM lock

text: SIM locking is not common in Russia, but they have huge potentials to sell unlocked phones. Most mobile phones sold in Russia doesn't have extensive bundlings, customizations as well as the carrier-specific bloatware. Beeline-branded phones are always locked to their network operator.


title: SIM lock

text: In telecommunication contracts it is frequent the practice to lock the use of a sim card of one operator with a phone acquired through the same mobile operator. Obstructing the unlocking of the phone may be illegal if the consumer is entitled to it.


title: SIM lock

text: In 1997, Singapore's then-telecommunications regulator, Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (now Infocomm Media Authority of Singapore) enforced a legislation where telcos (Singtel, StarHub, M1, Circles.Life, MyRepublic, TPG Telecom and Zero1) are not allowed to SIM-lock devices, such as phones, tablets and smartwatches that are imported and sold in Singapore. In August 1997, TAS warned at least one operator, M1, for selling SIM-locked phones.


title: SIM lock

text: In 1998, the then-Spanish telecom regulator, "Tribunal de Defensa de la Competencia" (now "Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia"), saw that Spanish mobile carriers already provided unlocking codes voluntarily for a fee within the first 12 months and for free after 12 months, so it decided not to establish any legal framework in Spain. CMT has not revisited this decision since then, therefore there are no SIM-locking laws in Spain.


title: SIM lock

text: In Sweden, carriers are required to unlock handsets after 12 months since purchase. This applies both to on-contract and pay as you go phones. All carriers will charge a fee of 300 SEK (approximately $45) or 350 SEK (approximately $50), depending on carrier, to unlock the handset. However, as of 2016, most carriers have stopped locking phones altogether.


title: SIM lock

text: SIM locking may be particularly common there. Swisscom began lifting SIM lock since July 2013. Sunrise prepaid mobile phones have a SIM lock for 2 years from purchase.


title: SIM lock

text: Thailand is also another country that forbids outright SIM locking and as a result, no phones are sold in the market are subsidized by carriers. Up until recently mobile phone manufacturers have their own store fronts and mobile carriers are only the service providers.


title: SIM lock

text: SIM locking is not common in Turkey, but that can be considered as the one of bigger markets for unlocked phones. Leading national network provider, Turkcell as well as their closest rival, Türk Telekom never subsidized mobile phones.


title: SIM lock

text: In the United Kingdom, mobile phone network providers are not obliged to provide unlocking, even after the end of the contract. Ofcom, UK's telecom regulator, allowed 3 UK to sell a mobile phone with the SIM card permanently superglued to the phone. Most operators offer some form of unlocking service, depending on the state of the contract and the model of phone, but usually for a charge. The full Oftel 2002 SIM-lock position paper specifies that there is no SIM-locking law in the UK; the regulator wants only "consumer awareness". The examples within the position paper are just "examples" of current carrier practices for illustration purposes, but do not reflect any official Oftel regulation. The main networks often agree to unlock handsets for a charge, either at the end of a contract or, for prepaid handsets, after several months. Some Blackberry handsets supplied by Vodafone (e.g., Storm) are examples of a UK carrier not offering unlocking codes. As of April 2011 O2 will unlock any of their pay-monthly phones for free, even if they're still in contract, with the exception of handsets made exclusively for them, such as their Palm devices.


title: SIM lock

text: Carphone Warehouse, one of the largest UK phone retailers, offers unlocked phones with most PAYG deals.


title: SIM lock

text: As of January 1, 2014, all phones sold by 3 UK are unlocked. Phones bought before this date will be unlocked for free.


title: SIM lock

text: On 27 October 2020, The UK's mobile networks are to be forbidden from selling phones locked to their services from December 2021.


title: SIM lock

text: One of the two American GSM carriers, T-Mobile, will unlock handsets for those with active account in good standing for at least 40 days and no unlock code request in the last 90 days. The other, AT&T Mobility, is required to do so upon request (with some exceptions and requirements) after ninety days of active service under the terms of a class action settlement. Prior to the settlement, AT&T would usually do so once one has concluded their contract, and in some other situations. AT&T had in the past stated that it would not unlock iPhones under any circumstances, regardless of the legality of doing so, even after customers are out of contract. However, AT&T has since announced that starting April 8, 2012, it will begin unlocking off-contract iPhones, provided that the customer's account is in good standing. AT&T also has an unannounced policy of unlocking iPhones for United States service members who are deployed overseas—even if they are still under contract.


title: SIM lock

text: Before carriers began voluntarily providing unlock codes for all phone models, in 2010 the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) successfully convinced the United States Copyright Office to allow an exemption to the general prohibition on circumvention of copyright protection systems under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 for unlocking of phones through user self-help (sometimes referred to as "hacking"). This exemption has become less important now that most carriers are voluntarily providing unlock codes.


title: SIM lock

text: According to a ruling effective October 28, 2012, it will be illegal to unlock phones purchased 90 days after this date or later without the carrier's permission. In other words, users can already unlock phones they already own, and phones purchased before January 29, 2013, but phones purchased after this point can only be unlocked with the carrier's permission.


title: SIM lock

text: In March 2013, the Obama administration and the Federal Communications Commission said consumers should also be able to switch carriers and keep their actual phones.


title: SIM lock

text: On August 1, 2014, President Obama signed into law the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act (S. 517; 113th Congress), a bill legalizing unlocking cellphones in the US. The bill passed in the United States Senate on July 15, 2014, and in the United States House of Representatives on July 25, 2014.


title: SIM lock

text: It is possible to buy unlocked phones in the U.S. Some online retailers sell phones that come unlocked from the manufacturer, that is, they were never locked in the first place.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Cecilia Veronica "CeCe" Peniston (; born September 6, 1969) is an American singer and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she scored five number one hits on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Her signature song "Finally" reached the number 5 spot on the Hot 100 and number 2 in the UK Top 75.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Peniston has performed at private engagements for Aretha Franklin's private birthday party in Detroit, Michigan, Pope John Paul II in Rome at the Vatican (as a member of the gospel band Sisters of Glory) and the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, during both of his inauguration ceremonies in Washington, D.C. She was the first foreign female entertainer to perform in post-apartheid South Africa. According to Peniston, her vocal range vacillates between "five to seven octaves".


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In February 2011, Peniston signed a record deal with West Swagg Music Group/Bungalo Records, with full distribution through Universal Music Group Distribution, and announced release of a new solo album 15 years after her last studio set ("I'm Movin' On" from 1996 on A&M Records). By the end of the year, however, only three digital singles had been issued including a new song called "Stoopid!", and two cover versions of her prior hits, "Keep On Walkin'" and "Finally".


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In December 2016, "Billboard" magazine listed her among the 100 Top Dance Club Artists of All Time (as the 52nd).


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Peniston was born in Dayton, Ohio, in United States, but spent the majority of her formative years in Phoenix, Arizona, where she was raised from the age of nine. She is the third of four siblings. The daughter of a military veteran, Ronald Peniston (born 1934, married Barbara Anne in 1960), she started singing at church and doing plays and musicals such as H.M.S. Pinafore in the 6th grade. She participated in local karaoke contests and singing talent shows, while taking piano lessons.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: She attended Trevor G. Browne High School, class of 1987, in Phoenix, and landed a part in a local theater group's production of "Bubblin' Brown Sugar" (playing the young Sweet Georgia Brown). After earning her diploma, she continued to study liberal arts at Phoenix College, where she got involved in athletics, and entered beauty pageants. She was crowned Miss Black Arizona in 1989


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Peniston began writing pop lyrics while at school. The words of her international hit "Finally" were purportedly penned during a chemistry class, while thinking about dating in college.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Her music career began in January 1991, when Felipe "DJ Wax Dawg" Delgado, her friend and a record producer based also in Phoenix, asked Peniston to record back-up vocals for Tonya Davis, a black female rapper known as Overweight Pooch after her childhood nickname.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Davis, headed in a direction of a "new" Monie Love, was searching for a singer to add vocals to the title track of her album "Female Preacher", which was to be released on A&M Records that summer. At a talent show she met a woman named Malaika LeRae Sallard, but when it came time to get Sallard into the studio, the rapper found she'd lost her future label-mate's number. When Delgado, who'd preferred Peniston instead, brought his favorite in to do background parts, the response from everyone was immediate, but did not move the Pooch to invite Peniston back for more vocals – unless she was successful in locating Sallard.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Later, as it became clear that Peniston was leaping from the Overweight Pooch's album to the top of the charts, rumor had it the Pooch was stewing over Peniston's using "Female Preacher" as her springboard. Tonya Davis, pregnant at the time of recording her album, swore she harbored no jealousy towards Peniston. "There's no jealousy, because she has a voice. I gave her the chance, but I didn't give her a voice," the rapper insisted for "Phoenix New Times" in July 1992, and Peniston, interviewed by the same newspaper in the meantime, reacted by her own words. ""I feel like anything's possible and I know one thing. If I wasn't at this spot, I still would be achieving to get to this spot."" Ironically enough, Sallard eventually threw in a few back-up vocals for Peniston on a song with a significant title, "You Win, I Win, We Lose", while Peniston, who in return played an agent to get a record deal also for Malaika (whose album "Sugar Time" scored in 1993 two Top 5 hits on the US Dance chart, including the No. 1 single "Gotta Know (Your Name)") mentioned the Pooch's name on her own debut album in addition, leaving Davis a note saying ""thanks for letting me be a part of Female Preacher"".


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Besides the Peniston's vocal performance on three tracks in total, of which "I Like It" was released as a single with a moderate success (at #16 in US Dance and #58 in UK Top 75 the following January), she was eventually given also a credit for co-writing two of those, "Kickin’ Da Blues" and the title's, "Female Preacher". But the Overweight Pooch's album flopped on the market, and A&M was the first major label for Delgado himself, who was facing contractual disputes with the record company. After Manny Lehman (a DJ, then A&M Art Director and one of the executive producers of "Female Preacher") also noticed the powerful voice of a still back-up vocalist, he offered Delgado a second chance, and commissioned him to produce a track for Peniston herself as a solo artist. Not looking to lose his major deal connections, Delgado called on a hometown friend and music producer too, Rodney K. Jackson (they two met through mutual friends in Arizona), who was brought then to A&M family to help co-produce the Peniston's single, which was soon to be recognized as “Finally”.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Despite an initial label's resistance to sign Peniston to more than a one-off single deal, the “Finally” session resulted in recording her own debut album after the final approval of A&M's Vice President, Mark Mazzetti.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Peniston was 21 years old when her debut single "Finally" was released. The song burst on to the US club scene in the fall of 1991, where it became an instant dance anthem peaking, in October, at the top of the "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play for two weeks, while achieving a respectful starting position (at No. 29) overseas.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: After her first song climbed the international charts, Peniston was headed into the studio to record a full-length album. However, she "had two months to pull the whole album together" and "didn’t realize the impact the record was having until it reached the top five". She also described how difficult it was to begin her career at such an extreme pace, but the result was a solidly produced ten track collection titled "Finally", issued in January of the following year.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Both the single and album entered the US Hot 100, as well as the UK Top 75 chart (at No. 5 and No. 2 for single, respectively at No. 70 and at No. 10 for album release), and ultimately earned Peniston a gold or silver certification in both countries. By the end of 1992 her debut (in Europe re-released in 1997 with a bonus remix "Finally '97") sold over 540,000 in United States.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: "We Got a Love Thang", the second single (co-written by Chantay Savage), with a video clip in heavy rotation on TV music channels, went to No. 1 in the US Dance chart in February (No. 20 in the Hot 100), and in England (where "Finally" skipped to No. 2 eventually) "We Got a Love Thang" peaked at No. 6. Who provided backing vocals on the album remains a source of contention. While on her album "Finally" Darnnel Rush was credited, on its single release, the name of Kym Sims (who was a co-writer of "Keep On Walkin'") appeared as one of back-up vocalists.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: With another hit record on the charts, Peniston began a year of touring clubs and small theaters in the US in support of her album. Her travels started with a series of shows in the Philippines, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Italy, and after her return to the US, Peniston continued with such R&B acts as Joe Public, the Cover Girls, R. Kelly and LeVert.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: While on tour, "Keep On Walkin'", a hip hop swinging composition, joined the list of Peniston's three consecutively running hits, bringing Peniston in June her third No. 1 in the U.S. "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (No. 15 in the Hot 100), and another Top 10 hit in UK. Later in August, that was also her highest outing in the US R&B chart, scoring at No. 3.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: On October 17, "Billboard" magazine announced that Peniston was the leading nominee in the Billboard Music Awards, being nominated in four categories: three times in the dance category with "Finally" (Best New Artist, Best Female Artist and Best Director), and one in the R&B/Rap category (Best Female Artist) for her urban hit "Keep On Walkin'". Ultimately the song won two awards, and three of her singles released in 1992 were listed also within the Top 100 songs of the Billboard Year-End chart (at No. 20 with "Finally", at No. 61 with "Keep On Walkin'", and at No. 97 with "We Got a Love Thang"). In the UK, Peniston was listed as the 20th of Top Selling Singles Artists in 1992.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Additional songs taken from album "Finally" achieved the Top 40 status at least in the hip hop/R&B field. The grieving lyrics of her ballad "Inside That I Cried", co-written by Peniston's then-husband, Malik Byrd (who appeared also in its video), and produced in conjunction with Anita Baker's cohort, Steve Lindsey, peaked at No. 10 in the US R&B (No. 94 in the Hot 100 and No. 42 in UK Top 75). The fifth single, a midtempo, "Crazy Love", climbed to No. 31 (No. 97 in the Hot 100 and No. 44 in UK).


title: CeCe Peniston

text: By the end of the year, Peniston received several awards for her achievements in the music industry for 1992. Among them, one Billboard Music Award (as Best New Artist – Dance, the second went to the video director Claude Borenzweig), three ASCAP Awards (for Song of The Year, Most Performed Song of The Year, and Pop Songwriter of The Year), another three awards (as Best New Dance Artist, Best Dance Solo Artist, and for Best 12" Dance Record) at the Annual Winter Music Conference, and the BMI Urban Award of Achievement. The album itself was nominated on a Soul Train Music Award '93 in the Best R&B/Soul Album – Female category.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Within a year, Peniston was back in the studios to record her sophomore release, and the particular challenge for the vocalist was to avoid getting pigeonholed into the dance genre. For that reason, several ballads were arranged to appear on the final set (in the front with "Forever In My Heart", produced by Brian McKnight), of which, however, none was chosen for a single release. This time around, Peniston co-authored three of thirteen tracks ("Whatever It Is", "Give What I’m Givin" and "Maybe It's The Way", a ballad about her father), and along with Manny Lehman and Damon Jones, who later became Peniston's manager, she was also credited as an executive producer of her scheduled album release, "Thought 'Ya Knew". Apart from others, also fellow Ohio-born singer Norma Jean Wright joined the session.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: After a certain level of hesitation over the first single, "I'm in the Mood" (originally produced by Soulshock and Karlin) was picked to be the final leader—though as support for "Searchin'", which would be separately delivered on vinyl only to DJs. "I'm in the Mood" did well by itself, and with a video accompanied by a hip-hop remix from M-Doc & Jere M.C. (better known as In Da Soul) the title was on singles reproduced by David Morales for the dance floor. The song spawned Peniston's fourth No. 1 (dethroning from the top of the US Dance chart Aretha Franklin's "A Deeper Love") and peaked at No. 16 in UK (#32 in the Hot 100).


title: CeCe Peniston

text: On January 25, 1994, the album "Thought 'Ya Knew", which was to represent Peniston's musical zenith at that time, arrived on all available formats, including digital compact cassettes. However, as the record promptly entered the music charts, it was soon to be evident "Thought 'Ya Knew" was not enjoying the high-profile success of her previous set "Finally". After its progress had stalled in the "Billboard" 200 at No. 96, "Thought 'Ya Knew" climbed to No. 31 in the UK, but the album charted for only two weeks in the UK.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Not certain about the second single either, "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" was accepted to become the British follow-up. But the track, remixed by Eddie Gordon's West End production team, had no supporting music video, and after peaking at No. 36 in April in the United Kingdom, an alternative title ("I'm Not Over You") was chosen for the US market as the second cut from the "Thought 'Ya Knew" album.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: "I'm Not Over You" (written by Steve Hurley, Jamie Principle, and M-Doc) might have missed the highest position of the US Dance chart, but only by about one point (at No. 2), and the single was later classified in the overall "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart as the ninth most successful track of 1994 (leaving "I'm in the Mood" far behind, at #44). However, although the song had sealed the Top 10 of the US R&B chart, it did not succeed in the Hot 100 that much, failing to crack Top 40 (No. 41). Considering that expectations of A&M Records company must have been bigger than a club play sale of Peniston's singles, "I'm Not Over You" was released in UK only on B-side of the "Hit by Love" release.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: "Hit by Love" was to be the third song taken from the album. As with her previous releases, the song (with additional remixes by David Morales) became Peniston's next US Dance hit in a line of her No. 1s, but while on the top of the chart "Hit by Love" stayed for another week, the single stuck at No. 33 in the UK Top 75, as well as on the bottom positions of the American Hot 100 chart (at No. 90).


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Along with "Hit by Love" in the charts, A&M issued a rare compilation, "Remix Collection", in Japan with nine alternate versions of her songs previously available only on vinyl, which tracked Peniston's music career since the "Keep On Walkin'" release. A similar remix collection, however, consisting of only two singles ("Finally" and "We Got a Love Thang"), was earlier issued in Japan as an EP under the title "" featuring overall eight remixed versions.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: At the end of the year Peniston was named the No. 1 "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play Artist, summarizing all her songs released in 1994 ("I'm Not Over You" #9, "Hit by Love" #24, and I'm in the Mood" #44). While A&M was listed as the sixth best dance label in the "Billboard" Year-End chart, Peniston was also rated as the 5th Top R&B Singles Female Artist (behind Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, Aaliyah and Mariah Carey).


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In addition, a remix of "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" was popularized on the original motion picture soundtrack of the "Prêt-à-Porter (Ready To Wear)" film, and released in the U.S. after a one-year delay, scoring No. 4 in the US Dance charts in March 1995. "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" became Peniston's first song not to enter the Hot 100 chart (No. 101), possibly as the result of appearing as a B-side on her previous release, and sharing its sales with the single "Hit by Love".


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Between releases, Peniston made a jazzy cameo "Don't Forget the Love" with words and music by a Grammy Award-nominated composer, Jeff Lorber, and Eric Benét (also a later Grammy Award nominee) for his album "West Side Stories". The title of the Lorber's album was his response to residing the West Side of L.A. (not an adaptation of songs from the musical "West Side Story"), and after its issue in November 1994, the studio record peaked at No. 5 in the "Billboard's" list of Top Contemporary Jazz albums.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: As a member of the gospel quintet called The Sisters of Glory, which included Thelma Houston, Phoebe Snow, Lois Walden, Albertina Walker, and herself, Peniston also recorded a spiritual album, "Good News in Hard Times", that featured two solo traditionals ("How I Got Over" and "Precious Memories") performed by Peniston, four standards with her solo part ("Rough Side of the Mountain", "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", "I Won't Be Back No More" and "Oh Happy Day"), as well as her chorus vocals on additional nine tracks. "Good News in Hard Times" (produced by Jennifer Cohen and Lois Walden) was released in August 1995 on Warner Bros, and the album brought Peniston an entry also in the "Billboard" Top Gospel Albums list, where it reached in October No. 29, remaining in the chart for 6 weeks.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In February 1996, "Billboard" posted information that singer was putting the finishing touches to her new studio album, "I'm Movin' On", slated for its release in May. Judging from the magazine's earlier preview of several cuts, "Billboard" published that Peniston was about to explore more mature jeep-soul fare a la Faith Evans, and that she has never sounded so assured and convincingly soulful. Though "I'm Movin' On" with a noticeably slimmed-down Peniston adorning its cover was not released until September, a similarly sleek sound marked its title single delivered to the radio stations on July 17, while hitting music stores one week later.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: "Movin' On", the song considered as the strongest track to reach core R&B listeners with potential across several genres, was produced by Dave "Jam" Hall, the hit maker behind Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover", whose earlier work included also Madonna's "Bedtime Stories" album. The song cracked the Top 40 on the US R&B/Hip Hop at No. 29, but failed to show up in the UK chart, while scoring at weak No. 83 in the Hot 100.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: On September 9, "I'm Movin' On", the record with evident absence of her ever-dependable club workouts finally arrived. Peniston contributed to the set with three songs she co-wrote (except the title track, the ballad "The Last To Know" and a club potential, "Don't Know What To Do", that was not promoted). After peaking at No. 48 on the US R&B, the album passed by the "Billboard" Top 200 Albums chart, and soon largely fell victim to mismarketing.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Despite insistence from the Peniston's management to release "Somebody Else's Guy" as a follow-up, A&M label preferred an alternate composition, "Before I Lay (You Drive Me Crazy)", which featured Peniston's then-beau JoJo Hailey (of K-Ci & JoJo) who was supposed to help establish Peniston as an R&B artist. But the duet reached its top in the US R&B already at No. 52, with no entry in the Hot 100 chart (No. 121) or in England.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: However, Peniston herself seemed to be not worried about losing her audience, when interviewed at the time of "I'm Movin' On" release by "Billboard: "When you're first coming out as an artist, many times label executives have their own vision for you. But as you move forward, it's only fair that you begin determining your own direction. People will make the change with you as long as you’re honest about your craft and display a comfort for what it is that you’re doing,"" two years later Peniston actually confirmed her doubts, after being questioned by the magazine: ""I can speak about this firsthand, believe me. Sometimes doing what you feel isn’t always accepted by the public. You’ve got to choose where you want to go and be consistent,"" (said by the artist at the 5th annual Billboard Dance Music Summit that urged members of the dance music community to work together toward greater credibility, visibility and sales for the genre, held July 8–10 in 1998).


title: CeCe Peniston

text: After only two singles released from her R&B set, A&M did not decide to select a song that would cater to another music format, and capitulated to progress with "I'm Movin' On" album that Peniston promoted also during Bill Clinton's election campaign, on which she performed several track from the set. Clinton commented on her performance on November 4, 1996 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, mentioning: "I want to thank CeCe Peniston for singing so beautifully."


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Following her dismissal, Peniston took playing as Glinda the Good Witch in a theatrical production of musical play "The Wiz". The staged concert was opened at Oakland's Paramount Theatre for a five-day run on June 11, 1997, and besides herself, Grace Jones and Peabo Bryson appeared to act.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In September, A&M re-released the single "Finally" that re-entered the UK Top 75 (No. 26), and also her debut album on CD enhanced with the new remix, Finally (Classic Funk Radio Mix), both re-issued only in the overseas.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In February 1998, a David Morales remix of "Somebody Else's Guy", originally popularized by Jocelyn Brown and recorded for the album "I'm Movin' On", became a hit in Europe, where it reached No. 13 in the UK Top 75 (as her last entry to date in England), as well as in April No. 26 in Japan, after being picked to promote Peniston's import greatest-hits collection simply titled "The Best Of". The black and white photographs for its booklet were done by Daniela Federici, whose art work was noticed already on "I'm Movin' On" release, and later also on album and single covers of other female recording artists, such as Céline Dion, Toni Braxton, or Pink.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: After her departure from A&M Peniston contributed with two songs to the M.C. Magic's compilation of various Phoenix-based artists called "Desert Funk!" that was issued on Nastyboy Records. The first title, "I Know You Want Me", was a hip-hop duet recorded in common with Nastyboy Klick (#109 on the US R&B), while the second, a Latino hip-hop ballad, "When I'm with You" was her own solo track also produced by Marcus Cardenas.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Rumors about Peniston working in Chicago on a new album with Steve "Silk" Hurley sprang up after "Nobody Else", a gospel-infused sirene and her debut on the producer's label, saw its official release in 1998. However, apart from the "Billboard", the inlay details of "Nobody Else" also informed her fan base a studio album with the same title was due that summer, this information seemed to be rather optional than reality that followed the artist's future, while she had been signed to the Silk Entertainment company.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: To make things surrounding her potential comeback even worse, ferocious house groove "Nobody Else", which was premiered at the 5th Annual Billboard Dance Music Summit on the stage at the Green Dolphin Street, failed to enter the music charts, despite favorable reviews of the "Billboard" that rated the song ""among the artist's strongest recordings", "a sure to-thrill die hards"," and as ""a triumphant return to clubland"" commenting in addition her summit live performance.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In 1999, "He Loves Me 2", co-written by M-Doc (known for a remix production for such major artists as Madonna, Janet Jackson or Keitha Sweat) to whom the singer returned the favor providing background vocals on "Keep It Real", a song recorded for his own album "Young, Black, Rich and Famous", seemed to bring more competitive results than her previous endeavor, reaching No. 24 on the Hot Dance Club Play.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: But Peniston's next single, "My Boo", with then already Grammy Award-nominee Hurley (apart from other five remixes for another artists, also for his own 'Silk's 12" Mix' of "He Loves Me 2", eventually lost in favor of Peter Rauhofer alias Club 69, who became the Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical, in 2000) happened to become disappointing again for both actually, and the last act distributed through the producer's record company. The song contained a sample of "The Bottle" by Gil Scott-Heron, one of the most important progenitors of rap music, at that time imprisoned for one to three years following series of drug possession charges.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: While looking for alternative options for the cancelled production of her album, Peniston decided to make a step back and record a cover version of "Lifetime to Love", written by Steven Nikolas and Brendon Sibley, for her ex-major label producer and the Manny Lehman's compilation "Circuit Sessions 00.1". The composition almost revived her No. 1 status in February 2001, returning her into the "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play list, and delivering her a Top 3 entry also in the millennium (No. 2). Although the song was at the end of the year classified as the 30th most successful US Dance track of 2001, it did not enter the official Hot 100 chart.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: The digital version of "Lifetime to Love" was to be offered, along with photos and other information regarding Peniston, for free of charge download via Napster, an online music file-sharing service. Timing prevented the deal's follow-through, unfortunately, and singer left 4 Play label afterwards.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Following the millennium Peniston, no longer part of the mainstream that brought her success in the early '90s, spent the first decade supporting numerous recording artists of various musical styles and influences who would keep her in the music industry and in the public eye mostly as a guest, but prominent vocalist.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In 2001, she collaborated with Ella Mae Saison, a singer from Philippines, on a common track. The duet partially mixed in France, and partially in N.Y.C., was sponsored by a multiple world-champion boxer, Evander Holyfield, and released on his record label in April. After its slow start, while being classified as the "Billboard" Hot Dance Breakout No. 1 for Maxi-Singles Sales category, the song hit No. 30 in US Dance chart eventually on August 18, under title "Reminiscin" and with Peniston being credited as a featuring artist.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Peniston later commented on her recording with Saison, "I had the pleasure of working with a very talented and inspiring artist by the name of Saison. Last January 2001, we collaborated on a duet, Reminiscin. I was fortunate to witness the warmth of a beautiful personality and the great talent of a rising star. I hope the world will be allowed to share in this experience too."


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Accompanied by a line-up of seven other female vocalists coming from both sides of the Atlantic, she joined Rob Derbyshire and Paul 'Solomon' Mullings, the Birmingham's R&B production duo known as Full Flava, to record lead vocals for their album "Colour of My Soul". The modern soul set was to be made in England, released on Dôme Records in 2003, and one of the compositions performed by Peniston, "For My Baby", was later given also a treatment for the dance floor with stand-out house mixes from Dave "Leggz" Longmore and Sam Junior Bromfield known as Ruff ’N’ Tumble, and duo KT & C.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: "For My Baby" did not succeed on the music charts, however Ruf N Tumble's dance remixes of the song were based on a sample of the Delegation hit single "Heartache No. 9" (that scored at number fifty-seven in US Dance in 1980). Her second solo number on the Full Flava's compilation "Colour of My Soul" was titled "I Think about Him", and it was a mid-tempo that Peniston co-wrote with Derbyshire and Mullings.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Her next steps afterwards led to Better Days Studios in Paris where, for a change, singer was supposed to work with a French producer, Fréderic Tharreau alias BIBI, on exclusively import single "Eternal Lover". In addition to being released in France on RLPMix Records, the song was also issued in Australia and New Zealand on the domestic premier dance label, Vinyl Pusher Records, in 2004.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Back to the States on 2 June 2005, Peniston appeared on the NBC network as a contestant of the summer's reality TV "Hit Me, Baby, One More Time".


title: CeCe Peniston

text: During each program five former pop stars would sing their biggest hit plus a cover version of one contemporary hit, and every week the winner, picked by the studio audience, would get a donation of $20,000 in their name to a charity of free choice. Peniston competed on the show performing “Finally” plus a Faith Hill's song, "There You'll Be", in favor of a hip-hop group, Arrested Development (the final winner of the program that night). When two years later asked, while being interviewed by the "Say What News" online magazine, Peniston would not confirm to record "There You'll Be" also in the studio.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In the first half of 2005, Peniston wrapped up shooting an independent film called "Don't Touch if You Ain't Prayed". Her character was a forty-year-old Christian woman saving herself for marriage, and the film featured gospel music performed by herself. In addition, Peniston took a small part in another urban Gospel film appealing to Christian market, "Pastor Jones".


title: CeCe Peniston

text: On September 19, 2005, Peniston was invited to appear at Manhattan Center, Grand Ballroom, NYC, to be present at the 2nd Annual Dance Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, along with Wanda Dee (of KLF), Nile Rodgers, Freddie Jackson, and Kathy Sledge. The Dance Music Hall of Fame, created by veteran John Parker in 2003, was supposed to recognize the contributions of those, who have had a significant impact on the evolution and development of dance music, and celebrate the history and significance of the genre. An awards ceremony announcing the inductees in the event was to take place annually at a formal dinner event in New York, but due to financial differences among the Board members, the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceased operations after its second ceremony (in 2005).


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Peniston's following music project was a common duet with David Longoria, a songwriter and trumpet player whose work was previously noticed on records of for example Sting and George Michael. The union became successful when a composition combining jazz and dance music, "Deeper Love", written and produced by Longoria, after six weeks on the chart climbed to No. 14 in the "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play (on November 19), returning Peniston lost dance chart positions since another duet number ("Reminiscin") from 2001. The single was released with the copyright owned by Del Oro Music, and included eleven remixes from Junior Vasquez, Ryan Humphries, L.E.X., and Richard Earnshaw. According to David Longoria's official web site, the newest radio version of "Deeper Love 2018" is directed at Rhythmic Radio and to be issued in the Summer of 2018.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Interviewed by "5 Chicago" magazine in June 2006, singer stated that she was, ""working on another album,"" with George Jackson (a former manager of the Silk Entertainment label), Tre, and Ron Carroll, and expressed her wish to work with Steve Hurley as well back again. She further calculated to be done ""within the next three or four months"" with her studio record.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Instead, Peniston co-wrote with Jackson single "It’s Alright" for RaShaan Houston, and took part in another proto-D’vas project, produced by Full Flava, to which she contributed with a Brand New Heavies hit from 1997 (No. 21 in UK), "You Are the Universe". Her cover version was attached to Full Flava's retro album, "Music Is Our Way of Life", which reconstructed eleven dancefloor classics in total, and the compilation was released on Dôme. The Peniston's track was remixed by a Japanese producer, DJ Hasebe, to be featured in his disco medley named after the song, and for the purpose of a limited-edition single available only in Japan on vinyl.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: On April 25, 2007, her icon stood on the stage of Avalon, Hollywood on the occasion of a five star concert "Divas of Disco – Live", which included Thelma Houston, Linda Clifford, A Taste of Honey, France Joli and herself. Each diva performed overall three songs as a solo artist, while Peniston was the main star closing the night. Her performances of "Keep On Walkin'", the Donna Summer's cover version of "Last Dance", and "Finally" were released as a digital live EP on One Media Publishing the following year. The whole concert, titled "Divas of Disco", was available in Europe on DVD on ZYX Music in 2008, as well as on CD in 2010, while in U.S. only its DVD release followed (on RSM Records in 2009).


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In 2007, Peniston teamed up with US house DJ Ron Carroll for a funky bomb, "I'm Feelin' U", which was released in May on the Soulfuric Recordings label. The song caught an attention in the European clubland (No. 2 in the DJ House chart) The four-track single included also additional mixes from a French, DJ Fudge, and Brian Tappert, but as with her previous Japanese release ("You Are the Universe"), "I'm Feelin' U" was available for sale exclusively on vinyl, or as a digital single to be downloaded.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Her following promotional single, "Shame Shame Shame", released in UK in June 2007, was co-written by Matt, Warren Meyers and Kelly Mueller, better recognized as Soulshaker (alias The Soul Shakers). The British music producers' team produced for Peniston a composition, which by the end of the year achieved several No. 1 statuses within specialized UK magazine charts (including No. 1 Music Week Pop Tip Chart, No. 1 Music Week Club Chart, and No. 1 DJ Mag Hype Chart). While in England Shame Shame Shame" was issued on the AATW label, in the States the title was released on Trackworks Records in several promo editions.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: On August 26, 2007, one year after her interview for "5 Chicago Mag", Peniston mentioned again her plans regarding a new album project also for "Say What News", however she did not go further this time. When asked, with whom from the industry she would like to once collaborate, she named the winner of twenty-two Grammy Awards, Stevie Wonder.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Originally, the potential release of an R&B song after a lengthy absence, "Still I", was to be cancelled, but the final record actually leaked out after one of the producers, allowed the Adrenaline Music company to distribute the song.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: Behind the song's production were recognized Peniston's former folks from Arizona, Felipe Delgado and Jackson (both in charge of her initial hit, “Finally”, from 1991) who reunited in 2005 to form a new production crew, collectively known as SandWorx, altogether with Nick "Cello" Valentine (which joined them in the spring of the following year). Though Peniston herself, who supported the trio by performing live in the Next In club in Scottsdale, Arizona, did not consider the record as strong enough to be offered for sale, "Still I" was eventually released as a four-track virtual single in September 2007, and the session that was supposed to rejoin the former producers with Peniston ended up with an apparent contradiction. The rest of to date unreleased recordings are songs titled "Wonder Woman", "Next to Me" and "Right Here".


title: CeCe Peniston

text: However, the year of 2008 also passed with no significant news regarding her new solo studio project, the following June Peniston released "Above Horizons", a national PTA anthem as a tribute to the families, teachers and communities who help children reach their dreams through the PTA, Parent Teacher Association, which resulted from her role being a National Ambassador of the US largest volunteer child advocacy organization. The ballad was written by Byron V. Garrett, Peniston, Erric Carrington, Essej and Marcus L. Barnum, and the CD promo release, issued on National PTA Recordings, included overall four versions. Among others, also two mixes from a Detroit house music producer and DJ, Aaron-Carl Ragland, who listed one of Peniston's compositions ("Nobody Else" from 1998) as one of his musical influences.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: On June 17, 2009, "Chicago Defender" interviewed the artist, who declared that after over a decade she was about to finish recording her comeback album. Although she did not concrete its release date, Peniston revealed that she was working with such likes as Track Kingz West, Vudu, Status ("Above Horizons"), David Givens, Montell Jordan (on their common duet "He Say, She Say"), Mateo (on "Piece of That"), Isalene Elliot, and Ragland. "“Once I reach an agreement and sign with a record company, the album will drop,”" she added. One month later, Peniston confirmed information regarding her new studio album live as a guest of the Wendy Williams birthday show, during which she performed "Finally". Subsequently, the diva allowed to prelisten a few of her new recordings to her community via her myspace.com page. Among them, the song "Runway" met with instant positive feedback due to its hip-hop/dance sound comparable to Timbaland's production. After a New York correspondent, Kenya Thomas, questioned Peniston for "Skinny", she wished to subtitle the album "CeCe". Her long-waited record would not be out even following years.


title: CeCe Peniston

text: In June 2010, "Hip-Hop Press" posted information about Ron Carroll launching his own independent record label called Electricity, which is to be part of One Entertainment company that will specialize in marketing and promoting concerts, fashion shows and club events all over the world, and signing Electronic, Hip-Hop/R&B and gospel artists. According to the producer himself, Carroll's goal with the label (which has a major distribution deal with Universal) is to focus on artist development, music education and ensuring that Electricity creates a solid foundation for the music industry in Chicago. Following this announcement, a house/groove, "In Love with a DJ", with Peniston as its lead vocalist was released in July, including four remixes. In an interview for "Great British Life", Carroll said that he ""wanted to make a song that gives the perspective of a woman groovin’ to my music, and loving me enough make her night complete."”