Formed in the late 1980s, The Braxtons is an R&B vocal group formed in Severn, Maryland. The group was originally comprised of five sisters - Toni Braxton (born October 7, 1967), Traci Braxton (born April 2, 1971), Towanda Braxton (born September 18, 1973), Trina Braxton (born December 3, 1974) and Tamar Braxton (born March 17, 1977). Since childhood, the Braxton sisters were active in several choirs in different churches and toured the East Coast of the US. They signed their first contract with Arista Records in 1989 and released their first single, "Good Life," in 1990. It would be their only hit as a quintet, reaching Number 79 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. In 1991, Toni Braxton embarked on a solo career when she signed a deal with LaFace Records. However, her sisters were never far away as they became her backup singers. Two years later, the four remaining Braxtons – Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar - also signed a contract with LaFace Records, but they never released any recordings for the label. They then signed with Atlantic Records, although Traci’s pregnancy kept her sidelined for the album’s recording sessions. The Braxtons - Tamar, Tina, and Towanda – released their debut album, So Many Ways, in 1996. The album was not as successful as expected – it only reached Number 113 on the Billboard 200 chart – although the single “So Many Ways” reached Number 83 in the US and Number 32 in the UK. The following singles - “Only Love,” “The Boss,” and “Slow Flow” -were only mildly successful and the group split up in 1999. The sisters – including Toni – would work together occasionally over the years but did not record together until 2015’s Braxton Family Christmas. Traci Braxton died on March 12, 2022, from esophageal cancer. She was 50 years old.
