Melanie Janine Brown, better known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress, author, television presenter, talent competition judge and model. Brown rose to fame as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was known as Scary Spice. She is known as Mel B to distinguish her from her Spice Girls bandmate, Melanie C. The Spice Girls signed to Virgin Records and in 1996 they released their debut single, "Wannabe", which hit number one in more than 30 countries and helped establish the group as a "global phenomenon". It was followed by their debut album, Spice, which has sold more than 28 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in music history. The band's second album, Spiceworld, went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide. As of 2013, the Spice Girls have sold over 75 million albums worldwide, making them the biggest selling female group in history and also one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Brown is also known for supporting girl power and earlier global tours, which grossed an estimated $500?800 million between 1996 and 2001. [More at Wikipedia]

May 29th, 1975 in Harehills (Age 49)