Top 10 Momagers Making Moves

These savvy businesswomen went from wiping bottoms to handling to bottom lines in their kids' careers. Which mommy managers are the best in the entertainment biz? Read on for Black Voices' list of the Top 10 Momagers Making Moves.

1. Sonja Norwood – The co-star of VH1's hit reality series, 'A Family Business,' admits – for better or worse -- that she's made her kids' -- Brandy and Ray J -- careers her life for the last 30 years.

2. Debra Atney – As the CEO of Mizay Entertainment, Atney has managed two of hip-hop's biggest rising stars, Nicki Minaj and Gucci Mane. She's also the momager of rapper Waka Flacka Flame.
3. Teresa Caldwell – "I'm not perfect, but I'm a good mother," Caldwell has said of her days rearing superstar Bow Wow. The mom has helped guide her son's transition from rapper to movie star.
4. Tina Douglas – Whether songbird Ashanti is humming a new tune in the studio, performing on Broadway or touring around the world, she's had one constant: her mom. Douglas is known for her making sure her diva daughter's demands are met.

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Celebrity Siblings

Brothers & Sisters: 16 Celebrity Sibling Pairings to Know
Sometimes fame can be all in the family, and two siblings are able to make the big time one after the other. Whether it's acting or music, stand-up comedy, or directing and writing, sometimes family members achieve success in the world of entertainment alongside one another. Blackvoices.com takes a look at a few celebrity siblings you should know.

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Celebrity Siblings

Chico DeBarge/El DeBarge
Jonathan Arthur DeBarge, better known as Chico, is the youngest brother of the Motown family act DeBarge. He was the sole family member who sang tenor, not in the falsetto range, and released his solo self-titled debut in 1986. The 43-year-old is still recording music, despite a prison bid setback for drug trafficking. His big brother Elremains the biggest star of the family, co-writing many of the group's hits and singing lead on staples such as 'Love Me in a Special Way' and 'Rhythm of the Night.' After pursuing a solo career, the 48-year-old El experienced huge R&B success with each of his albums becoming certified platinum or gold.

Celebrity Siblings

Spike Lee/Joi Lee
When Academy Award-nominated film director Spike Lee needed a talented actress to deliver a knockout performance for his low-budget 1986 debut film, 'She's Gotta Have It,' the 52-year-old cast his baby sister, Joi Susannah Lee. The 47-year-old Joi appeared in Spike's subsequent films 'School Daze,' 'Do the Right Thing' and 'Mo Better Blues.' She also co-wrote and co-produced 'Crooklyn,' a semi-autographical movie about the Lees hometown of Brooklyn.

Celebrity Siblings

Evan Ross/Tracee Ellis Ross
A future in entertainment was in the cards for 21-year-old Evan and his big sister, Tracee Ellis Ross, the children of Supremes front woman Diana Ross. The iconic singer's kids made names for themselves as actors. Tracee, 37, won an NAACP Image Award as Joan Clayton on the UPN/CW sitcom 'Girlfriends,' while her baby brother made his acting debut starring opposite rapper T.I. in 'ATL.' The brother-sister pair also appeared as siblings in the 2007 HBO film 'Life Support,' which starred Queen Latifah.

Celebrity Siblings

Wood Harris/Steve Harris
Sherwin Davis Harris, better known as Wood Harris, got a lucky break starring opposite Tupac Shakur in the 1994 film 'Above the Rim.' The 40-year-old's biggest role to date has been as Baltimore drug kingpin Avon Barksdale on HBO's critically acclaimed drama 'The Wire.' He starred in the series for three seasons and was a recurring character for the last two seasons. Meanwhile, Wood's older brother Steve has appeared in a number of films, including Tyler Perry's 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman,' 'Minority Report,' 'Bringing Down the House' and 'Quarantine.' As is the case with his brother, Steve is best known for his television appearances, most notably as Eugene Young on the legal drama 'The Practice' and also for his recurring role on 'Homicide: Life on the Street.'

Celebrity Siblings

Wynton Marsalis/Branford Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis, 48, is one of the most prominent jazz composers/trumpeters of his time. In addition to serving as the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, the nine-time Grammy Award winner is a Pulitzer Prize music honoree. Wynton's brother Branford, 49, a saxophonist, heads the Branford Marsalis Jazz Quartet. The Louisiana natives have two brothers, Jason and Delfeayo, who are also jazz musicians, as is their father, Ellis.

Celebrity Siblings

Nia Long/Sommore
Since getting her start on the famed soap opera 'Guiding Light' in 1991, Nia Long has starred in a string of urban romantic comedies, including 'The Best Man,' 'Love Jones' and 'Soul Food.' The 39-year-old Brooklyn native quickly became a sex symbol and one of black film's most beloved figures before returning to television to star on 'Third Watch' and later on 'Boston Legal.' Long's half-sister is 'Queens of Comedy' funnywoman Sommore, born Lori Ann Rambough. The two sisters both starred in Ice Cube's 'Friday' franchise: Long had a big role in the first 'Friday' film in 1995, and her 43-year-old big sis turned up in the 2002 third installment, 'Friday After Next.'

Celebrity Siblings

Phylicia Rashad/Debbie Allen
A Tony Award-nominated performance as Anita in the 1980 revival of 'West Side Story' on Broadway led to Deborrah "Debbie" Allen being cast as Lydia Grant in the feature-film version of 'Fame,' as well as its television adaptation. The 59-year-old took home Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her work on the show, which included choreographing dance sequences. Allen would later produce and direct 'A Different World,' the spin-off of 'The Cosby Show,' which starred her big sister Phylicia Rashad as matriarch Clair Huxtable. Rashad's eight-year run made the Jenny Craig spokeswoman one of the most loveable television mothers. The 61-year-old NAACP Image Award winner became the first black woman to win a Tony Award for best performance by a leading actress in a play for her role in the 2004 revival of 'A Raisin in the Sun.' Allen is currently directing her sister as Big Mama in the African American ensemble of Tennessee Williams' 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.'

Celebrity Siblings

Karen Clarke Sheard/Dorinda Clarke-Cole
Karen Clark-Sheard and her sister Dorinda Clark-Cole are members of the Grammy Award-winning gospel group the Clark Sisters, the largest selling female gospel group of all time. At 50, Karen is the baby of the family. Though a busted blood vessel threatened to kill the talented vocalist, she survived and made a remarkable recovery, which served as the inspiration for the Grammy Award-winning song 'Blessed and Highly Favored.' Dorinda, 52, has had similar success with solo ventures, taking home two Stellar Awards and a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for her 2002 solo debut 'Dorinda Clark-Cole.'

Celebrity Siblings

BeBe/CeCe Winans
Grammy Award-winning brother-sister gospel singers BeBe and CeCe Winans have been recording music together for more than two decades. The Detroit-born duo got their start with the 1984's 'Lord Lift Us Up' release. They recorded five subsequent albums together before going their separate ways in 1994 and achieving success with solo album releases. And though BeBe went on to star opposite Chaka Khan in 'The Color Purple' on Broadway, judge BET's 'Gospel Best' competition series and host his own syndicated radio show, and CeCe penned several books and teamed up with Whitney Houston on 'Count on Me,' the two longed to reunite. In 2009, they dropped their first studio album in over a decade, 'Still,' which debuted at number one on the gospel charts, number two on the R&B charts and number 14 on the U.S. pop charts.

Celebrity Siblings

5. Bethann Hardison – Hardison earned icon status by starting her own modeling agency – which catered to black talent -- in 1984. She's guided the careers of superstars such as Naomi Campbell, Tyson Beckford and her very own son, actor Kadeem Hardison.
6. Jonetta Patton – Usher's got it bad for his momager, Patton, who he can't seem to live with, or without. The upstart son fired his own mom during his messy affair with Tameka Raymond, only to hire her again later. Patton gave up a career in the medical field to manage the pop star.

7. Dolores Robinson – Robinson has managed Hollywood hotshots, such as Wesley Snipes, Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen, but her roster wouldn't be complete without her daughter, actress Holly Robinson-Peete.

8. Joyce Hawkins – Female fans may want to think twice before sneaking on to pop star Chris Brown's tour bus. You may find the young crooner – and his mom! Hawkins actively co-manages her son's career.
9. Kris Jenner – After birthing six kids you'd think Jenner would want to just sit back and relax. Nope. This momager prefers to be in the mix. The reality TV star handles the careers of most of her brood, including Kim Kardashian and hubby, Bruce Jenner.
10. Dina Lohan – Despite receiving a lot of flack for doing what has been perceived as more co-partying than co-parenting, Lohan remains a vital part of her daughter Lindsay's management team.

Who are some of your favorite mother-managers? Leave your list of top-notch Hollywood momagers below!

A trained life coach, S. Tia Brown has spent the last 10 years following her passion for journalism as an editor, writer and TV correspondent. Brown has worked for CNN, E!, MSNBC, the New York Daily News, Essence and Black Enterprise. Most recently she served as senior editor for In Touch Weekly magazine. Check out her advice column Do Better, Be Better at www.tiabrown.com.