Who Is Brandy and Ray J’s Dad? Meet Willie Norwood

Most celebrity parents, unless on a reality show, stay out of the spotlight. But Brandy and Ray-J’s father, Willie Norwood Sr., has been an integral part of their careers. Norwood is also a vocalist, primarily within the gospel genre, and a lead choir director. He helped mold Brandy’s voice as her vocal coach as a young child. He’d later have his own celebrity clientele that he did voice lessons with. Brandy dedicated a song to her father on her self-titled debut album. Released in 1994, the song, “I Dedicate,” mentions people Brandy was inspired by to sing. “My daddy, he taught me everything I know,” the singer says in the intro. He attended Jackson State University on a band scholarship. Early on in his life, the Mississippi native was part of a soul group, The Composers. They opened for acts like Chaka Khan and Rufus, and Lou Rawls. 

Norwood was not part of Brandy’s management team as her mother, Sonja, but he assisted when needed. He helped to put together her successful Never Say Never Tour. Afterward, he released his own album. Bout It was released through Atlantic Records, the same label Brandy was under. The gospel album peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Charts and was nominated for a Dove Award. His children contributed background vocals to the album. His second album, I Believe, was released in 2006 under a different label.

He appeared on the two-season reality series, Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business, on VH1. The show chronicled his close relationship with Brandy and his mediating on the sometimes contentious relationship between Brandy and her mother. He also struggled to get his wife to have a better work-life balance. He’s been married to Sonja since the 1970s. 

Brandy has always credited her father for being a voice of reason for her and a guiding light. Ray J has attributed his father to setting a great example as a husband and dad, despite Ray’s shortcomings in his marriage and his playboy persona.